Eight themes at Cannes Lions 2019

In 2019, the content programme at Cannes Lions will arm those who attend the festival with the intelligence and tools you need to stay relevant. Our stages will provide compelling case studies and contentious debates.

Each year, we send out a global questionnaire to our customers and carry out extensive research to identify the issues that the industry wants Cannes Lions talks to explore.

On stage at the Cannes Lions launch event, our VP of Content, Charlotte Williams, revealed that this year’s big themes will be...

Interested in exploring these themes as a speaker? You can apply now to speak at the festival.

In a world of big data and shiny tech, how and why does the big idea matter? Does efficiency mean effectiveness? How do you marry creativity with commercial results and are we continuing to sell creativity short?

Get original and credible perspectives from diversity champions about how you can create fair and equal work forces. What are the new benchmarks for brand work that promotes diversity and inclusion. And what are the wider benefits for culture and society.

Explore the deep structural changes and shifts to the branded communication landscape and ask the important questions: how can we build outstanding creative capabilities, whatever workspace we inhabit? And where will be best talent be in two, five and ten years time?

Hear warts-and-all case studies from some of the world’s largest brands on how they are transforming to maintain customer relevance. What does best in class digital transformation look like? How can you marry technology and creativity to create customer-centric communications?

Understand the ideas behind the idea. Hear from strategists, psychologists, futurists and behavioral economists about the human insights that will change the way we think about targeting, personalisation and reach. Can creativity solve fundamental business problems?

See the breakthrough work inspiring positive action and change in an uncertain and stormy world. How can creative drive lasting cultural change? Do consumers expect brands to fill the void left by politicians? Should brands pick a side?

Dive into how you can develop long-lasting consumer engagement in the age of fast content and fads. What does the new customer value exchange look like? How can you create consistency across touchpoints and provide rich consumer journeys in the “age of me”?

What can we do to restore trust? Which brands are already doing this well? What can we learn from new challenger brands whose entire ethos, from material, product development, supply chain and advertising is sustainably set up.

D2C brand founders, classic companies undergoing transformation, marketers from disruptive high-growth start-ups, creatives from across the new ecosystem, and future-defining thinkers are among the first speakers named for the 66th International Festival of Creativity.