Creators are no longer guests at Cannes: they are the media

For years, agencies invited creators to look contemporary. Now the gesture has reversed: brands and agencies want to enter the language of creators.

The reason is simple and slightly uncomfortable: many creators understand attention better than the departments that buy it. They know rhythm, commentary, community and risk. They do not always know brand. But they know life.

The challenge for advertising is not hiring influencers as human billboards. It is learning to work with people who already have an editorial relationship with their audience.

The critique

The creator does not replace strategy. The creator forces strategy to be less solemn. When a brand collaborates well, it does not buy reach: it rents trust. And trust, unlike reach, breaks fast.

Sources

• Cannes Lions
• Cannes Lions awards