After battling another night of jet lag, my time in Cannes proper kicked off at Les Monks café for a spicy interview with the agency’s chief innovation officer, Henry Cowling and Jess Ross, Monks’ APAC VP of data and digital media consulting.
It was the kind of interview that raises as many questions as it does answers, which, in my opinion, are the best. Stay tuned for that one later this week.
After that, I hot-footed it over the road to the Palais. Upon entering the bliss of a very well air-conditioned building, I headed upstairs to the press centre. Next up, a very different kind of interview with the global leaders of LePub. On the agenda, thoroughly modern ideas around creativity for a thoroughly modern world.
Back out onto the Croisette for a stroll down to Amazon Port. The still air and high humidity meant I arrived in a rather sweaty fashion. Nothing an iced long black couldn’t fix.
I caught the tail-end of Jamie Lee Curtis’s talk, who, in the few minutes I heard, was very funny. Up next, however, were Travis and Jason Kelce to discuss the success of their podcast, New Heights. The 11.30 am billing meant it was very hot. But that didn’t deter the sports fans. Jason Kelce was wearing a Bluey-themed shirt and shorts combo, which was quite the look.
A hop across the road for lunch – a Calabresa pizza and a Coca-Cola Zero, if you’re interested – before the main event of my Monday, at least.
I had the pleasure of moderating a panel on Antipodean creativity with some of the region’s finest, Lucinda Barlow, Uber’s international marketing lead, Andy Fergusson, CCO at Leo Australia and Cat van der Werff, Canva’s ECD and Micahel Levine, head of Uber Advertising ANZ. It was a cracking session, you’ll read more about it later this week with plenty of tips and actions that you can take.
There was no rest for the wicked, however. My first foray onto a yacht this Cannes came courtesy of our friends at Innovid. The adtech company’s rebrand is top of the agenda, with opportunities for CTV in Australia. Innovid made me work for my Corona, however. APAC GM Georgia Brammer wasted no time in getting me in front of a camera to give my views on Cannes and the market. Keep an eye on Innovid’s socials if you want to see a sweaty, potentially sunburned Tom Fogden on film.
We then decamped for dinner at L’Ecrin with a host of APAC and EMEA leaders, including Accenture Song Media’s top trio. Home time was slightly later than planned, but certainly earlier than most. Au revoir until tomorrow.
