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Over the last few years, creators have been taking over the Cote d’Azure during Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. And marketers better get used to it, because at the 2024 event, there will be an entire fringe festival dedicated to them.
Lions Creators will run alongside the annual flagship event from June 18-20. Cannes Lions chief executive Simon Cook told ADWEEK the new experience will include a curated mix of learning and networking experiences for creators and those working in the wider creator economy.
Anyone wishing to attend the three-day event must purchase a $1,200 pass, which includes access to the flagship festival for the same dates. Preference will be given to creators and their teams, independent creator marketing agencies, consultants and talent agencies.
According to Cook, following customer feedback from previous years, Lions Creators has been designed to help creators scale their business and navigate brand deals.
“We also uncovered a lack of understanding when it comes to the creator economy—agencies face challenges dealing with brands who don’t ‘get’ the creator world, while content creators feel that brands do not fully understand the extent of what they do and how powerful it can be for them,” he added, giving some hints about what to expect from the inaugural event.
Activities will include roundtables about the challenges facing this fast-moving space, bringing together leading voices across the big players in the creator marketing economy, including platforms, brands, creators and agencies. This new content strand will also incorporate the Social & Influencer Lions Awards Show.
For its first year, the event will be sponsored by influencer marketing agency Viral Nation, which works with creators including Yuri Lamasbella and Nick Pro.
Creators plant their flag in the sand
The decision by Cannes Lions to spin off creator content from its main program comes as Goldman Sachs says the creator economy is a $250 billion industry that could reach $480 billion by 2027. According to eMarkter, 75% of brands currently collaborate with creators.
In 2023, creators had a prominent presence at advertising’s largest gathering. Speakers at the Palais main stage included include Alexandra Cooper, podcaster and host of pop-culture podcast Call Her Daddy; The Good Place actress, podcaster, activist and influencer Jameela Jamil; and Whalar chief creator officer Ashley Rudder.
Multi-hyphenate creators and influencers got top billing at Cannes-adjacent events too, including at Spotify, Amazon and Meta’s beachfront venues. Elsewhere, TikTok was a flagship sponsor of the Cannes festival, hosting exclusive talks and parties with creator royalty at its TikTok Gardens space.
CMOs on the ground in 2023 told ADWEEK creators had taken up more time in their schedules than previous years. Tamryn Kerr, co-founder and chief creative officer at agency Hijinks, thinks this is an astute move from Cannes Lions organizers.
“Right now, no group is creating and driving culture more than creators, so this feels like a smart way to engage and highlight them,” she said, pointing out that creators were moving beyond social platforms and into TV and cinema.
“Just look at [Chicken Shop Date] YouTube star Amelia Dimoldenberg getting chosen as an ambassador for the Oscars, or The Sidemen getting their own Netflix documentary. They’re creating culture in ways that agencies often talk about but rarely do. My only hope is that Lions Creators are integrated into the festival so that there’s a chance for agencies to learn from them and vice versa.”
Cook revealed there would still be creator content at the original festival this June, with a full day of it slated for all attendees on the Terrace Stage.
“We recognize that the creator economy is a rapidly growing and increasingly important part of the marketing mix, so it’s important this is open to the entire Cannes Lions community—whatever their sector and whatever stage they are on in their creative journey—to learn and understand both the challenges and opportunities.”
Equal opportunities for delegates
Criticism have been leveraged at Cannes Lions in recent years over the increasing costs for brands and agencies to attend, enter awards, cut deals and shine on the main stage or Croisette.
Before execs even book a flight, it can cost in excess of $1 million for a large global agency network to send a team of over 100 people to the event and submit a significant number of work entries.
Some critics might balk at the addition of another Cannes-adjacent event, but Cook said the festival is committed to providing greater access to Cannes Lions and addressing the different needs and circumstances of the 15,000 delegates who attend from more than 90 counties.
“Lions Creators sits among a breadth of new initiatives and pass types that provide a balance of opportunities for everyone to attend the festival in June,” he said.
“We’ve also launched the Start-Up Pass, which provides smaller businesses and individuals with an opportunity to access the festival, and started a new equity, representation and accessibility program which has offered $1 million worth of complimentary passes for underrepresented talent and underserved communities in the creative communications industry.”