As advertising executives prepare to descend on the French Riviera for Cannes Lions 2026, several sessions highlight the industry's most pressing challenges, from AI-powered creativity to the tension between brand values and customer demands. "We are right in the middle of a pretty weird era of mismatch between the creative needs that brands have and what they are able to produce either on their own or via their agency partners," EMARKETER analyst Max Willens said on a recent episode of "Behind the Numbers." The festival runs June 22-25 in Cannes, France. These four sessions reveal where the industry is headed.
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Become a Client57% of US digital audio listeners spend the most time with music playlists, far ahead of podcasts (35%) and every other format, according to a March 2026 survey from Harris Poll and EMARKETER.
Heritage luxury jewelry brand Tacori faces a unique marketing challenge: Its core bridal customer base constantly cycles in and out of relevance. Engagement ring shoppers typically research for just one to four months before purchasing, and once they buy, they're no longer in-market.
Financial media networks’ transaction data across tens of millions of merchants and retailers gives advertisers a fresh angle when planning and measuring campaigns. This is a crucial value proposition made by PayPal Ads to advertisers looking to convert customers and compare allocations between various retail media networks.
Partnerships with TikTok and DirecTV aim to expand reach while challenging Amazon’s and Walmart’s hold on retail media dollars.
Tepid sales growth reflects deepening consumer caution and weaker demand.
Buying ChatGPT ads provides a window into emerging consumer behavior.
Pause ads command attention: New data shows programmatic pause-screen placements draw nearly double the attention of standard CTV ads.
Early summer timing puts the event on track to outpace Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
AI assistants open new purchase routes: Industry KPI data shows brands must optimize for discovery and conversions as AI ecommerce referral traffic rises.