Amazon and TikTok’s Cannes debut—a complete guide to tech on the Croisette

A new crew of internet advertising darlings is trying to park their yachts and lay down their beach blankets along the Cannes coast at this year’s advertising festival. Amazon, TikTok, and Roku are all trying to make their marks with their first official appearances at the yearly marketing confab in the South of France, which runs from June 20 to 24. Netflix and Apple are also sending people to the event, only with a less obvious footprint, according to people familiar with their plans. There was a land rush from big tech companies in the months leading up to Cannes, and veterans of the festival—including Meta, Google, Pinterest and Spotify—secured their usual spots beachside, which are considered the top-tier of Cannes properties. Newcomer Amazon has a place at the Vieux Port de Cannes; the port also is where ad tech companies dock their yachts. At the east end of the festival, Roku will have a cabana near the Pointe Croisette. TikTok is in a cabana across from the Palais. Tech has become a core part of the festival, and this year the topics up for discussion are broad. Meta continues its pivot to the metaverse, and Sheryl Sandberg, its longtime ad leader, is leaving. Google is rearranging how advertising technology works on Android phones and web browsers to adjust to new privacy norms. Amazon is plowing into the ad tech space and taking over streaming video with Twitch, Freevee and NFL games on Prime Video. Twitter, meanwhile, is full of intrigue with a possible takeover by Elon Musk, and Snap is developing its platform, while also competing with TikTok. Tech companies will all address subjects around diversity and inclusion in advertising, and within their creator economies. There are knotty topics such as measurement and data that need to be addressed, and there are concerns about the economy that could affect how marketers spend their money in the year ahead. With all that in mind, here is how tech and advertising will make their mark at Cannes. Amazon drops anchor “Everyone is buzzing about Amazon’s port,” said Jamie Gutfreund, chief marketing officer at Whalar, the influencer marketing platform. “They make it sound like it’s got scale, and it’s got content.” From a branding perspective, Amazon will be a major draw, Gutfreund said. Amazon also has a Twitch apartment space outside the port area. Michael Kassan, CEO of MediaLink, the consulting firm that has a large portfolio of events at Cannes every year, said Amazon would drive the action toward its new center of gravity at the port. “All movement is toward that end of the Croisette,” Kassan said. Netflix sets sales Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos is attending the festival and speaking, the company confirmed. Netflix is one of the most buzzed-about companies heading into Cannes because it announced intentions to grow an ads business this year. Cannes is a prime opportunity for Netflix to check out the ad tech vendors. Cannes also has been known to be a place where the industry looks for talent. “Netflix is talking to a lot of people everywhere to try to get sellers,” said one ad industry executive, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “If you’re a seller right now, and you have a book of business, you’re a hot commodity.”Also read: How Netflix can build its ad business Sign up for Ad Age newsletters Get the latest news and analysis delivered to your inbox Click here Twitter vacation Twitter is heading to Cannes at a sensitive time for the company, as billionaire Elon Musk toys with a $44 billion takeover bid that could transform the platform’s business; if the deal closes. Some people who are attending Cannes, and who are familiar with Twitter, said the company will look to get a break from all the Musk drama. Twitter’s team, “they love the company and want it to succeed, but he’s a phantom floating around,” said one person who is close to Twitter ad sales. Twitter will have plenty of other topics to discuss at Twitter Beach cabana, and popular executives in attendance, including Chief Customer Officer Sarah Personette, God-is Rivera, global director of culture and community, and TJ Adeshola, head of global content partnerships. Meta and Google Meta has plenty of business to take care of at Cannes, where Nicola Mendelsohn, the head of global business group, will be in attendance. Meta will be at the Majestic Hotel and has a beach across from it. The company is talking about its new focus on the metaverse with virtual reality platforms like Horizon Worlds. Meta will also discuss Reels video creation and shopping on Instagram. It’s also a moment of change for Meta as Sandberg, its longtime chief operating officer, announced she would step down in the fall. Google's focus will be on its ad platform, including how it is developing its privacy protocols on Chrome web browsers and Android devices, which will impact the mobile marketing landscape. YouTube also is one of the main topics, of course, for the internet giant. Meanwhile, Apple, which has also been shaking up the ad industry with its own growing ad platform and new rules for marketers on collecting data, is sending members of its ads team to Cannes, according to people familiar with the company’s plans. Apple did not return a request for comment. Apple is being watched closely in the industry because its anti-tracking and cookie restrictions have altered the landscape for digital marketers that want to reach its devices.Read more: What Apple pay later means for buy now, pay later marketers Snap’s back Snap has reserved a place at Centre d’Art La Malmaison, and CEO Evan Spiegel is set to attend, according to a Snap spokesperson. Snap is collaborating with Vogue to bring augmented reality fashion to France. Snap is looking to bolster its ad prospects at a time when Apple and Google are rewriting how apps can target and measure ads. Snap has new gadgetry, like its recently launched Pixy personal drone camera. Also, Snap has avoided using the term “metaverse” in its communications with advertisers, even as Meta has popularized the concept. “Snap will try to remind people they’ve been in this quote-unquote ‘metaverse’ space forever,” said one social media marketing executive, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “It just has a label and brand to it now.” Spotify turns up Spotify is always a must-visit destination on the beach at Cannes. On Tuesday, Spotify released its lineup of music, and it included Anderson .Paak, Post Malone, Kendrick Lamar and The Black Keys. Spotify CEO Daniel Ek will be at the advertising festival.Read more: How Spotify is disrupting podcast measurement CannesTok TikTok is making its first official appearance at Cannes with a cabana near the Palais, the main conference hall at the center of the festival. TikTok did send a contingent to Cannes in 2019, and held some sessions along with festival organizers, but this year will have a bigger feel with its own event space. TikTok is bringing its marketing team to talk about creators, creativity and brand safety, an important subject for advertisers on social media. Blake Chandlee, TikTok’s president of global business solutions; Sofia Hernandez, global head of business marketing for TikTok; and Adrienne Lahens, global head of operations for TikTok creator marketing solutions, are all set to attend. Also, Pinterest will be running a pier again, located at the Carlton Beach. Pinterest will try to inspire creativity with its look at trends from its platform. It is focusing on a diverse roster of creators to give festivalgoers ideas for styles—from makeup to nails to hair to tattoos. Chief Marketing Officer Andréa Mallard is set to attend, along with other Pinterest executives. Reddit CEO Steve Huffman is also set to attend this year. Reddit is opening what it calls the Reddit Explorers Club, where the company will try to teach marketers how to navigate all the communities on the site. Sign up for Ad Age awards and events Leading Women Rising Star, 40 under 40, Small Agency awards and more Click here Roku and CTV This is Roku’s first major appearance at Cannes, where it will have a cabana, which shows the growing presence of connected TV in advertising. Roku plans to discuss original programming, streaming and e-commerce, and advertising creativity. Meanwhile, major TV networks, including Fox, Paramount, NBCUniversal and Warner Bros Discovery, are holding a mini-summit at Cannes. The networks collaborate through a consortium called OpenAP. They will discuss the need for common measurement standards, an ongoing challenge in connected TV. Ad tech, identity and measurement companies, including LiveRamp, Amobee, Magnite and Nielsen, are set to attend “TVs Advanced Advertising Summit” on June 23. Ad tech yachts The yachts are back, but ad tech companies are being a little frugal this year. Many yachts have co-sponsors to split the bill. Innovid, the video advertising platform, is co-hosting a yacht with measurement firm Comscore, along with other co-sponsors, including Cameo, the celebrity video message service. Smartly.io, a social media marketing tech platform, has a yacht with DoubleVerify, the attribution platform. Data platform Experian and identity services firm MediaWallah are co-captaining a yacht. “Clients are talking about sharing this year,” said Lana McGilvray, CEO of Purpose Worldwide, a marketing strategy firm. “The general sentiment was that people were approaching Cannes with a little more trepidation as brands might not be going as much as in the past.” Subscribe to Ad Age now for the latest industry news and analysis. Smartly.io CMO Lyle Underkoffler said that the yacht scene in Cannes is seen as a place for parties, but it’s about sharing “thought leadership” on marketing and innovation. “Part of the bridge we are trying to build is between new media and old media,” Underkoffler said. “Cannes is a great opportunity for those collisions.” Influencers in France The creator economy is expected to be out in full force in the South of France. Influencer agency Influential will have a yacht where it host speaker content and parties, including panels with executives from TikTok, Meta, Twitter, NFL, Ad Council, Bustle, NTWRK, Vizio, Group Black, The Martin Agency and Mindshare. Creators such as Cameron Dallas, Ugo Mozie and Anthony Alcaraz will also be in attendance. Contributing: Erika Wheless

Amazon and TikTok’s Cannes debut—a complete guide to tech on the Croisette

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