3 days in Cannes. 7 Wonderous Discoveries.

I was fortunate to spend a few days at the Cannes Festival last week. Amazon were fantastic hosts, but I did venture out beyond Amazon Port to meet ex-colleagues, partners, retail media networks and industry press to get an understanding of what is happening in media more broadly. Here is a summary of what I learnt:

1. Retail Media Is finally maturing into a Sophisticated Ecosystem
Retail media is evolving from simple product ads to a complex, integrated ecosystem. Because we work on Amazon Advertising, this is the world we operate in, but I was excited to see other retailers e.g. Boots and Tesco, starting to catch up with Amazon in their advertising solutions. I found the evolution is happening in surprising places as well. For example, through multiple acquisitions (via the acquisition of Wolt and Deliveroo in the UK), the US grocery delivery company DoorDash have built an international retail media network enabling brands to reach consumers in Europe, Asia and the US with ads on their delivery app targeted on user browser and purchase behaviour.

2. Connected TV (CTV) Is a Full-Funnel Solution
CTV is emerging as a powerful tool for retail media, bridging the gap between brand awareness and performance marketing. Retailers can now connect CTV campaigns directly to audience data, measuring effectiveness both online and in-store. For example, Amazon’s DSP is now integrated with Disney’s Real-Time Ad Exchange, giving advertisers seamless access to premium CTV inventory across Disney+, ESPN, and Hulu.

3. Retailers are expanding inventory into third party publishers.
This was a big focus for Amazon at Cannes as they look to steal share from Google, Meta and other programmatic networks. Amazon now allows advertisers to serve Sponsored Product ads on independent platforms such as BuzzFeed, Pinterest, and Hearst Newspapers. These partnerships mean campaigns can target audiences on major news, lifestyle, and visual discovery sites, leveraging Amazon’s data for personalization and seamless shopping experiences

4. Commerce and Creativity Are Converging
Commerce is evolving beyond transactions to become a canvas for creative storytelling. Retail media campaigns are now expected to build brand loyalty, tell compelling stories, and create human, helpful experiences—not just drive sales. The integration of creative, media, and commerce is now a key driver of success. For example, Tesco’s immersive digital displays and Boots’ ITV Love Island product placement both showcased creative storytelling that drove measurable commerce and brand engagement

5. AI Is Accelerating Workflow Automation and Personalization for Agencies and Clients
AI is now central to both agency and client workflows, driving efficiency, personalization, and creative innovation across the marketing ecosystem. For example, The Trade Desk and Adobe Advertising Cloud provide automated campaign creation, scheduling, and optimization across channels, while providing advanced audience segmentation and real-time analytics. This allows for always-on A/B testing, dynamic budget allocation, and highly personalized ad experiences. Clients, are in the game too. For example, brands like Mastercard use proprietary AI engines to analyze billions of online conversations and engage with emerging trends before they peak, resulting in more relevant campaigns and improved engagement rates. Under Armour produced an AI-driven commercial featuring a 3D model of Anthony Joshua, delivering a polished campaign in just three weeks!

6. Influencer marketing is mainstream
Cannes 2025 spotlighted influencer marketing’s rise as brands like L’Oréal partnered with micro-influencers for authentic storytelling. These creators drove real engagement and sales, proving influencer collaborations are now central to marketing strategies—shifting focus from celebrity endorsements to trusted, community-driven relationships that deliver measurable impact and brand

7. AI enabling personalised Product Design.
Amazon showcased The Fragrance Lab by AWS. Guests interacted with Amazon Nova Sonic, a speech-to-speech AI model, to discuss their fragrance preferences and personality traits. The AI processed these conversations to recommend a unique blend of scent notes tailored to each individual. The technologies will transform the beauty and wellness industry by enabling brands to create personalisation at scale.

So that's my summary of 3 sunny days in the South of France. Cannes remains a firm fixture in my calendar. Its exhausting and exhilarating in equal measure and it remains the best place to be to gather perspective and think about how our business can adapt to market trends.