The inside buzz from Cannes Lions

DARA TRESEDER: If there was a winner here at this year’s Cannes, it was AI. Everyone is talking about: how can I make sure that I don’t get left behind? Last year, AI was certainly a buzzword. But this year, leaders have arrived with concrete examples of how their teams are implementing AI into the work that they do. At Autodesk, we surveyed all of the different industries that we serve, and we found that nearly half of employers are saying the top skill they’re hiring for over the next three years is the ability to work with AI, and I saw that at play at Cannes. 

BOB SAFIAN: That’s Dara Treseder, Chief Marketing Officer of Autodesk, who joined us as a guest on Rapid Response just after the Super Bowl. She’s back to share an insider’s view of the annual mecca of marketing: the Cannes Lions Advertising Festival. Her lessons from the event extend from AI to women’s sports, to how to get the most out of an industry gathering. Plus, she talks about how the attention economy is giving way to the intention economy. Let’s jump into it. I’m Bob Safian, and this is Rapid Response. 

SAFIAN: I’m Bob Safian. I’m here with Dara Treseder, Chief Marketing Officer at Autodesk and a repeat guest on the show. Dara, great to have you back again.

Copy LinkWhy people flock to the Cannes Lions Festival

TRESEDER: Thank you so much for having me. I’m so excited to be joining you from Cannes live on location.

SAFIAN: Yeah, you’re coming to us from the south of France — the iconic Riviera resort town of Cannes. And each year at this time, thousands of business executives converge for the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity. So, can you explain to those who may be unfamiliar what Cannes Lions is, why people come, and maybe why you’re there this year?

TRESEDER: So, Cannes Lions is the international festival of creativity. It’s like the premier event for marketers, advertisers, media professionals, and really brands. And I think one of the interesting things we’re seeing this year is everyone’s here. Technology companies like Autodesk are out here in force. A part of why we’re here is actually because a lot of our customers are here. A lot of the ads and campaigns that are winning Cannes Lions awards this year were designed and made with our software.

SAFIAN: Yeah, ostensibly Cannes Lions is about awards, that awards are being bestowed. And part of the attention is the awards. And part of the attention is all the other stuff that happens around the awards.

TRESEDER: Yes, that is exactly right. The awards are being bestowed, but relationships are being cultivated. Deals are getting done. I think one of the key takeaways is that business has moved from the golf course to the south of France. A lot of business is taking place. So it’s a wonderful place to not only get inspired and see great creative work get celebrated and recognized, but it’s also a great way to actually start to move your business forward and start to think about how you can bring in creativity to drive greater results. 

Copy LinkThe increased presence of women’s sports

SAFIAN: One of the lessons I always try to glean from Cannes is sort of where the industry is moving. The main seaside road in Cannes is called the Croisette. It’s lined with hotels on one side and beach clubs on the other. And the first time I went to Cannes, I remember all the beach clubs were taken over by ad agencies, right? And then it began to shift. And the tech brands rolled in, and now it’s Google Beach and Microsoft and Meta and Spotify. I remember one year there was this big Snapchat ferris wheel or something. Is there anything new that’s jumped out to you this year? 

TRESEDER: Well, it’s been interesting. The tech companies are certainly out in full force. NVIDIA executives are here this year. So we are seeing that technology companies are continuing to be a dominant force at this festival of creativity.

What is interesting this year and a little different: Stagwell, you know, the holding company of a bunch of media agencies, they have a really big sports beach. So sports has really been having a movement, especially when it comes to women’s sports. You know, Deep Blue did with Axios and activation really celebrating the accomplishments that women are having. This is such a unique time, right, when women’s sports are actually… The audience is there, right? And so this is a time when if you are a media or advertising executive, the way you’re looking at women’s sports is different from how you were looking at it a few years ago. So that, I think, is one of the big changes that we’re seeing on La Croisette this year that we may have seen in the past.

SAFIAN: Yeah. Well, there’s like a financial advantage for brands right now in women’s sports because you have huge audiences, but they’re underpriced relative to men’s sports, right?

TRESEDER: They’re underpriced, and they’re underserved. You know, I was actually talking with one of the media executives who told me that the NCAA for women actually had a greater audience than the NCAA for men. So you are seeing that audience start to really be cultivated, really grow, and it’s exciting to think about what that means as a mother of a daughter who plays sports. It’s exciting to think about the opportunities that women now have and will have in the future. 

Copy LinkThe emphasis on creators vs influencers

SAFIAN: Now, I’m curious — one of the things the organizers did differently this year is there’s a creators’ track at Cannes in the official venue at the Palais. I mean, creators have been coming to Cannes for years. Like, does this mean that that sort of the creator economy has a different place, the way brands strategize about where the puck is headed. Or is this more kind of acknowledging where the puck already is — the power of the creator economy?

TRESEDER: You know, I think it’s acknowledging where the puck already is. But it’s also signaling an evolution in the strategy. So it’s been interesting because this year I haven’t really heard people talk about influencers. I’ve heard people talk about creators, and it’s because a lot of the creators are saying, “I’m not an influencer. I’m a creator. I’m a content creator.” And so the dynamics between brands and these creators has evolved. Gone are the days where I’ll decide what you’re going to say. I’m going to give it to you, and you just post it. But now I come to you with the problem I’m trying to address. You actually help shape what that strategy is, and you also partner in the creation of that content.

And so I think part of what you’re seeing with that creator track is the acknowledgment of the power dynamics and the shift that’s happening between brand and creators, where we’re moving from ‘I’m a brand, and I just give you money as an influencer,’ to ‘we are partners, and we’re working together to come up with a compelling story that’s going to drive the business results.’ 

Copy LinkThe buzz of the festival: AI

SAFIAN: Now, there are official panels at the Palais, and then there are other stages everywhere at the beaches, at the hotels. I know you’ve been at all of these. From here, like some of the biggest buzz that’s coming back is about Elon Musk trying to woo advertisers back to X after dropping the F-bomb on them. Is that like what people there are talking about, or is that just what’s coming back here?

TRESEDER: You know, I mean, if Elon does something, you know, it’s going to be talked about, right? So it’s certainly one of the things being talked about, but actually I would say the thing that people are spending the most time talking about is actually AI. I would say if there was a winner here this year at Cannes, it was AI. Everyone is talking about: how can I maximize the opportunity with AI? How can I make sure that I do not get left behind? You know, last year AI was certainly a buzzword. But this year, leaders have arrived with concrete examples of how their teams are implementing AI into the work that they do.

At Autodesk, we surveyed all of the different industries that we serve, and we found that nearly half of employers are saying the top skill they’re hiring for over the next three years is the ability to work with AI and I saw that at play at Cannes.

SAFIAN: What is the balance between, sort of, the excitement about it and the fear. Because with all those creatives there at Cannes like, at least in the beginning, there was this sense that like, ‘oh, is AI going to take away work for me?’ Like, where do you feel that balance being right now?

TRESEDER: So I think that things are starting to really shift away from fear and the Panic Zone and into what I would call the Learning Zone. So I think folks are more in the learning zone because people are realizing, ‘Look, it’s not about AI taking my job, but it’s about someone using AI taking my job.’ So how do I make sure that I’m proficient? How do I make sure that I understand how to utilize this new technology, this new capability? So we are seeing that shift from fear to trust now. Is the shift complete? No. We’re very much in the eye of the storm. 

But, you know, I was at Microsoft Beach speaking about, you know, technology companies and their wonderful beaches. And I spoke on stage there, and I loved it. ‘Cause as soon as I walked in, the headline that they had was ‘AI isn’t creative, you are.’ And I thought that was very powerful, and it deeply resonated with the folks there because the reality is: AI is not going to create, but AI can augment creativity. So as the artist, you will transcend the medium. You have the capability to transcend the medium. But the medium can be a powerful tool as you start to kind of deploy your art. There’s almost no panel that was happening where AI didn’t show up in one way, shape, or the other.

Copy LinkInside the exclusive gatherings at Cannes

SAFIAN: Now, the other side of Cannes is that there are also these very exclusive gatherings. There are parties and dinners that everyone’s trying to get into. Sometimes they’re on the beach, sometimes they’re on a boat, sometimes they’re in an estate up in the hills. Where’s the place that people wanted to be this year?

TRESEDER: I was fortunate to be able to attend some of the — you know, as my team were like, “what is VVIP?” I’m like, “that’s like, you know, it’s like VIP. And then there’s a V in front of the VIP.” I was like, “what’s going on here?” It’s exciting. So, you know, it’s certainly fun and very humbling when you get some of these VVIP invitations, but MediaLink had their wonderful event that they have been hosting every year. Lenny Kravitz was there. It was an exceptional event. You get to meet and interact with so many wonderful people. I ran into my friend, Kelly Campbell, the CEO of Peacock. And then, you know, Delta hosted a wonderful lunch. And, Karlie Kloss, a friend of mine, was there. She was speaking and kind of sharing her insights.

I think what is powerful and beautiful about this is not so much who gets invited to what, but more, how do we all come together as a community to celebrate the culture, celebrate creativity, and really build and cultivate relationships that last for decades?

Copy LinkThe work & productivity of attending Cannes

SAFIAN: I can imagine as people are listening to this, it sort of sounds like it’s a great party. And I know when I would come back, it would be hard to explain to my team that, like, this isn’t just a boondoggle because it’s also exhausting. 

TRESEDER: It’s work. You know, it is work. It is a packed schedule. Actually, Cannes is one of the most productive times as a marketer. As a CMO, it is incredibly productive.

Right before this meeting, I just connected with Marco Forte at Disney. And last year he and I got together, started to have a conversation about: what can we do together? Those conversations progressed and this year, May 4th, we launched an incredible campaign with Disney around Star Wars, where we celebrated the designers and engineers, the VFX artists behind the Star Wars cinematic universe. And it was a huge success that was birthed out of a conversation that happened at Cannes. 

SAFIAN: Lots of people go to conferences, events, but you need a strategy for how you’re going to navigate it so that it is valuable. How much work do you put into deciding what the strategy is going to be when you’re there, and how tightly do you hold to it versus sort of going with the flow about what’s around you?

TRESEDER: I do not go with the flow. I’m just going to keep it real. I have a 21 page brief, single space. We had ‘what is everything we need to get done?’ My time is planned down to the minute. I mean, it’s like, we have to make sure we have breaks for going to the bathroom, breaks for drinking water. It is packed, very intentional. 

And by the way, this is true of many of my CMO colleagues, but also marketers in general. You know, if you’re going to come here, it’s a big investment to come here. So you want to make sure that you’re making the most out of the time that you’re here.

I think if you come and you’re not intentional, you’re not going to get the most out of it. But the beauty about it is even with that intention, there’s still the wonderful spontaneity, right? When I’m walking from A to B, I run into someone, and that is a wonderful moment. But I am very intentional about what I’m doing, why I’m doing it.

I mean, here it is. We are speaking on Thursday. I get on a plane tomorrow to fly back home to Silicon Valley. And I feel we accomplished everything we wanted to accomplish. So I’m feeling so excited, so inspired, so proud of the work my team and I were able to get done. But it is fun too. I’m not going to lie about that. 

SAFIAN: Dara makes it sound like everything is fun, doesn’t she? But fun with a purpose. Just after we talked, Dara found out that she’d been inducted into the Forbes CMO Hall of Fame — the first Black person and Black woman to be recognized. That doesn’t happen by chance. After the break, we’ll dig into lessons from Cannes Lions about creativity and impact, and what she calls an ‘evolution from the attention economy to the intention economy.’ Stay with us. 

[AD BREAK]

Before the break, Autodesk’s Dara Tresder shared key highlights from this year’s Cannes Lions gathering. Now we delve into lessons about the connection between creativity and business results, the need for what she calls NBDB, and the changing role of technology in storytelling. Let’s jump back in.

Copy LinkThe lessons of the Cannes Lions festival

SAFIAN: So you’re flying back tomorrow morning, back to the regular grind of being at the office. What are the lessons that you’re taking back with you this year? Like, are there things that you’ll be doing differently coming out of Cannes, other things that like ‘I’m doubling down on that, I’m more convinced than ever because of what I heard here?’

TRESEDER: I would say it’s doubling down for me. It’s doubling down because first of all, I have a strategy. How can AI move my strategy forward? Right? So it’s not about an AI, for me as a marketer, it’s not about an AI strategy, but it’s about — hey, we’ve got our strategy for what we’re trying to accomplish as a marketing organization. How does AI help with productivity, with driving results, with really pushing that forward? 

AI implementation for us hasn’t been just a top-down, but it’s really been bottoms up. Our technical marketing team stepping up and saying, “hey, how can we start to use AI with localization with content creation with analysis of data?” has been very powerful. And so we’re going to be doubling down on this. How do we continue to scale these things to drive results? 

But it also is a reminder of how I need to make sure I’m helping our Autodesk customers continue to get comfortable with AI, right? ‘Cause we sell Autodesk AI. So we have an AI. built into our products for our customers. How can I make sure our customers are aware of how Autodesk AI can help them and how they can get started on this? So that is a doubling down, right? We’ve already been doing it, but it’s a reminder to keep doing it.

The other thing that I’m continuing to double down on is around creative effectiveness. This year was interesting. 2016 was the year that Cannes saw the most awards submissions, okay? In 2024, award submissions were down 38% to 2016. So if you think about that, all-time high, we’re down 38%. Why is that happening? That is happening because things have evolved. It’s no longer about creative for the sake of creative. The creative has to work, the creative has to drive results, no results, no reward. If you’re not getting results, you’re not winning awards. It’s not enough to just have great creative. The creative has to be effective. That has always been my mantra. You know, I talk a lot about show me the ROMI: show me the return on marketing investment. I am going to continue to sing and live on that hill because that is just, I’m seeing that be really, really important moving forward.

SAFIAN: What you’re saying is that the pressure on creative campaigns to return is higher. And if you don’t have that higher return, you’re not going to get an award, no matter how much fun that creative execution was. 

TRESEDER: That’s exactly what I’m saying. Gone are the days where you do some kind of fun creative that didn’t drive any results, and you’re going to be getting some awards. No result, no reward. It is all about creative that works, creative that is effective, creative that is driving growth, creative that is driving business results. That is what’s happening. So there is pressure on creative to perform.  

Copy LinkMoving from the attention economy to the intention economy

And by the way, I have something to share with you Bob, which I was really excited to tell you about because we talked when we talked about the Super Bowl, you and I talked about the CeraVe ad with Michael Cera. Remember that one?

SAFIAN: I do. 

TRESEDER: That spot that was at the Super Bowl won. It won the Social and Influence Grand Prix. Ogilvy, the agency that worked with CeraVe, the brand on this, they got more than 450 content creators to fuel speculation around Michael Cera’s potential involvement with the brand. So if you think about it, from day one, they were focused on the results because it’s a world where you can get lost in the noise, right? Michael Cera is just one of how many celebrities in that show, I mean, every celebrity from Beyoncé to everybody was in a Super Bowl ad this past year. How do you make sure you get the ROI on that? They had a genius way for the brand to have seemingly organic conversations on the internet around this campaign to really deliver results.

The originality is so important. Things need to be original. So the other thing I’m seeing here is you can’t just do what everybody’s doing, right? One of the panels that I was on, someone said “we’re moving from the attention economy to the intention economy” because intentionality matters so much. And what we’re seeing also get awarded are things that have never been done before. I like to call them NBDB, show me the NBDB: Never Been Done Before. 

SAFIAN: We’re kind of coming back full circle because there was a point where everything was about the creativity, and no one really followed what was happening with the outcome. And then it was sort of like, ‘well, if you tweak all of the levers, the technological levers, and you use the right data and whatever, you can get the result.’ And it almost seemed like the creativity didn’t matter. And what I’m hearing you say is like, we’re finally realizing you got to pull these two things together to really get the bang out of it. 

TRESEDER: Absolutely. The art and the science have to come together. The magic happens at the intersection of both. One of the ads that I loved so much that was really powerful, that I thought checked a lot of the boxes was Orange’s women’s football ad. You know this ad I’m talking about?

SAFIAN: I do know it. Amazing ad. 

TRESEDER: It went viral worldwide and highlighted the gender bias in soccer. That ad won the Entertainment for Sport Grand Prix here at Cannes Lions. And it was amazing because it was ownable, right? We talked about. It was memorable, right? And it was relevant. So that’s great creative that drove amazing results. And they had a clear story arc, right? I will say I’m happy that we’re back to this place because I do think storytelling matters.

At the end of the day, one of the things I think is most beautiful about life is the story. And so as marketers going back to our roots of telling compelling stories, that’s how we become the trusted partner to our customers. We’re inspiring them with real stories where we’re forming true connections. As opposed to just trying to interrupt them with a variety of ads. We are getting back to basics and technology is helping us propel and do that in more innovative ways than we’ve done before. 

SAFIAN: Well, I want to thank you Dara for sharing your storytelling about your time at Cannes Lions and bringing us there with you. 

TRESEDER: Thank you so much, Bob. It’s so great to join you live from Cannes and just share with you some of the amazing things that we’re seeing happen on the Croisette.

SAFIAN: I want to thank Dara for stepping out of her busy schedule at Cannes Lions to give us her first-hand experiences. I think attending Cannes Lions is like business itself: You need to have a plan, but you also need to be ready to shift based on opportunity that comes your way, whether that’s a chance meet-up with a Disney exec or a lunch with Karlie Kloss. 

On the next Rapid Response episodes, we’ll be talking about the fashion world, new food trends, what’s happening in app-based dating. Plus, a chat with the CEO of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee. I hope you’ll join us. I’m Bob Safian. Thanks for listening.