At Cannes Lions, the drinks are flowing and the creator presence keeps growing.

During this year’s festival, creators like Kai Cenat, Amelia Dimoldenberg, and Alix Earle are set to make appearances. The Publicis-owned influencer marketing platform Influential is returning for the third year and hosting Influential Beach, which promises to be “bigger than ever.” (Publicis is also, apparently, trying to make a lion—which happens to be the festival’s mascot—an influencer.) Beyond that, creator programming and discussions at this week’s festival are going to be more integrated than in years past, Becky Owen, global CMO of influencer marketing agency Billion Dollar Boy, told us.

“It’s going to be the biggest for sure,” Owen said of creators’ and creator marketers’ presence at this year’s festival.

As Cannes Lions continues, we looked at some of the big trends to watch for creator marketers.

Read more here.—KH

Bonjour from Day 2 of Cannes Lions! I still haven’t learned any French (or had time to visit a local grocery store), but I have already made some new discoveries in sports marketing.

Just when I’d thought I’d written about every sport on the face of the earth, I met Deirdre Lester, CEO of Teton Ridge, a western sports and lifestyle brand working to promote sports like bull riding. It’s very Ransom Canyon, and given the rise of western shows like that or Yellowstone, don’t be surprised if someone in your life (read: me) suddenly becomes a rodeo aficionado.

Speaking of unexpected fandom, I also had a chance to listen to a conversation at Dentsu Beach House between McLaren Racing CMO Louise McEwen, Hilton CMO Mark Weinstein, and Harry Benjamin, co-host of BBC’s Formula 1 podcast F1: Chequered Flag. As a big McLaren fan (yes, before they won the Constructors’ Championship last year, and yes, thanks to Drive to Survive), it was fascinating to hear about the reinvention of the McLaren brand in recent years, Hilton’s longstanding partnership with the team, and the growing F1 fanbase.

More to come on both of these topics from Marketing Brew once I get more than about five seconds of downtime in my Airbnb (although, looking at my schedule for the next few days, that’s not looking likely to happen in the near future).

This afternoon, I moderated a panel about fandom and engagement featuring Claire Nance, head of global gaming at Activision Blizzard; Bob Gruters, president of ReachTV; and Chad Latz, chief innovation officer at Burson.

For now, I’ll leave you with this not-so-humble brag: Last night, I sat next to UCLA basketball star Lauren Betts at a dinner where Sue Bird, Megan Rapinoe, Ashlyn Harris, Allyson Felix, Rennae Stubbs, and a handful of other women’s sports legends were also in attendance. I was doing my best to pretend not to be absolutely starstruck.

MVP of the day: Dentsu, my coffee vendor of choice for the morning.

Least valuable player: The air-conditioning unit in my Airbnb, which sprung a leak in the middle of the night. Maybe that’s why I have the sudden urge to cover some water sports—or just go for a swim.—AM

Each week, we spotlight Marketing Brew readers in our Coworking series. If you’d like to be featured, introduce yourself here.

Leslie Walsh is head of strategy at RYA, an AI tool from the New York-based ad agency Episode Four. Prior to joining Episode Four, she’s also worked at agencies including BBDO and 360i Europe.

Favorite project you’ve worked on? I have had the opportunity to work on some pretty great creative projects in my career. I’ve helped build a bacon dating app for Oscar Mayer, I’ve helped Charles Schwab build muscle cars to give away to the winner of their PGA Tour every year, and most recently I’ve helped Invesco QQQ create a cooking show. But I’d have to say, my favorite project has been leading the strategy and development of Episode Four’s creative AI tool, RYA.

What’s your favorite ad campaign? With Cannes Lions this week, I’ve been reflecting on the kind of work that makes a lasting impact in culture. The best campaigns don’t just sell a product. They challenge norms and spark conversations. One campaign that really stuck with me this year is Bobbie’s “Everybody’s Gotta Eat.” It’s the first-ever campaign to feature a breastfeeding mom in Times Square, and it boldly reframes something natural and necessary as something powerful and worthy of public attention. As a mom, I felt a deep connection to this message. Feeding your baby, however and wherever you choose to do it, should come with confidence, not shame. And this campaign helped make that possible.

I’m not sure if it’s entered at Cannes this year, but in my eyes, it’s already won.

Continue reading here.

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Mergers and acquisitions, company partnerships, and more.

• Mattel, the owner of brands like Barbie, struck a deal with OpenAI to use its AI tools for toy and product design.
• Roku and Amazon Ads are teaming up to allow advertisers to use Amazon DSP to buy Roku ad inventory.
• BetterHelp struck deals with the WNBA’s New York Liberty, Las Vegas Aces, and Dallas Wings as the teams’ official mental health partner.
• Puma partnered with Meta on a metaverse retail experience on Meta Quest headsets tied to the release of its All Pro Nitro basketball shoe.