The overwhelming majority (82%) of Cannes Lions attendants feel the festival is shifting focus away from creativity to tech platforms.
This is according to findings from a MullenLowe survey looking into marketing professional’s attitudes towards the event.
However, more than two-thirds (69%) believe this is a good thing, with just 12% feeling that the trend is negative.
Most feel that the festival will retain its relevance (54%), with this going up to 69% for CEOs and founders.
However, around one in four (26%) are uncertain that the festival will retain its allure.
“The overwhelming agreement that focus has shifted from creativity towards tech is, if not surprising, still a startling fact. I’d like to think creativity will always remain at the heart of the festival, and be the central tenant of what we do as a sector,” said Mullen Lowe chief growth officer Lucy Taylor.
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Worth the cost or a nice jolly?
Meanwhile, only half (50%) said that the cost of going to Cannes is good value, with just 12% saying they believe the price is justified.
Despite the reluctance around price, only 10% said they have never won a brief after making a connection in Cannes.
A quarter said they have picked up contracts around the £100,000 mark this way, with 22% winning a six figure contract.
Almost one in ten (8%) had used the event as a platform to secure a brief worth £1million or more.
Despite this, only around one fifth (21%) of respondents feel that the festival has always been about networking.
One in seven respondents aged over 40 feel that winning awards and networking are both equally important at the festival.
Just over half of the respondents (51%) believe the purpose of attending the event is to win awards. Moreover, one in three respondents (33%) say this has always been the reason for attending.
“With so much of the conversation in the run up being focused on the networking opportunities it was great to see how much importance we’re still attaching to the awards themselves,” Taylor said.
“Celebrating the amazing talent in our sector, and the undeniably important impact our work has on our economy clearly remains our primary concern,” she added.
So many people, and there’s more each year
Party sizes at Cannes have also grown, with a substantially bigger number (34%) saying that their party size will be bigger than it was 12 months ago.
Overall, most (36%) expect their Cannes delegation to be between six and ten people, while one in five (20%) have planned to travel in a group of 11 or more.
Most respondents say that their group will be evenly split between colleagues and clients (38%). While 16% aren’t hosting clients around one in seven (14%) claim their team will be outnumbered by the clients they plan to entertain.
Around 28% have booked budget flights to attend, while a further 16% claim to be eco-conscious having booked Eurostar seats.
Most are making a flying visit (40%), while 28% are there for the duration.
Perhaps predictably, more of the younges group (aged 25 to 29) want to be in Cannes all week, while 48% of senior managers will make their stay quick.
