Advertising Age Increases Attention to Cannes Lions As Organizers Expect 25% of Attendees to be Marketers

NEW YORK, June 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Attention from Advertising Age and Creativity to the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity kicks into high gear today with the release of a comprehensive, insiders' guide to the festival. Previews, predictions and insider advice now available will be supplemented throughout the week with on-site news and analysis, backstage interviews and an all-access look at what's winning and why. Advertising Age will also debut primary research on women in the marketing industry.

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Festival organizers expect 25% of this year's 10,000+ attendees to be marketers, up from 23% last year. Marketer attendance at the annual festival of advertising creative has grown steadily over the past five years.

"We've continued to increase our editorial focus on Cannes Lions as we've watched it also become the world's first international marketing festival," said Abbey Klaassen, Advertising Age editor. "It's a reflection of what we've known at Ad Age for some time: The connection between strategy and creative is growing tighter as two things happen — the time between concept and consumption for creative shortens, and the ability of audiences to engage in real time with brands continues to grow."

"Cannes Lions is definitely having a larger impact on marketers," said Allison Arden, Advertising Age publisher. "So we now combine the industry's most valuable editorial with exclusive events to create conversations that provide marketers increased context and deeper analysis. This combination gives marketers the full picture and perspective to have a meaningful impact on the work they do once they leave Cannes."

Today's Cannes Central guide follows the release last week of the Creativity 50. In-depth analyses on trends emerging at the festival, as well as insights into which creative won and why, will follow the week-long event. Complete coverage is at Creativity-Online.com with select content also available via Advertising Age's print edition, Web site and iPhone and iPad apps. 

Among events planned during Cannes Lions, beginning June 17th:

• A "Welcome to Cannes" event co-hosted with Vibrant Media aboard the Vibrant Yacht.
• A comprehensive analysis of women in marketing and creative. First, a private breakfast co-hosted with AOL highlighting how women are driving innovation in the marketing and creative communities. Speakers will include executives from Unilever, General Electric, and Arianna Huffington of the Huffington Post. And on Wednesday, the release, along with Interpublic Group of Companies, of ground-breaking primary research on women in the marketing industry.
• A series of events co-hosted with Spotify, highlighting Resonate, a joint project that uncovers the music the ad industry is listening to now. The events will celebrate how music inspires creativity.
• Advertising Age will host its coveted, annual cocktail reception on Wednesday honoring the winners of the 2013 Ad Age Global Cover Contest.

And of course, the smart coverage and analysis from the staffs of Advertising Age and Creativity:

• An ongoing dissection of the winners: Who's winning what awards and why?
• Slideshows from the festival.
• Video interviews with top marketers and creatives.
• Recaps of important sessions, both on-stage and outside the Palais.

Creativity is the creative community's foremost meeting place and a daily showcase for the best in brand creativity from around the world. It's also a searchable archive for the work that matters across advertising, marketing and design. The site also offers news, opinion, analysis and audience insight across all areas of consumer culture, the techniques behind the work, and insight into the people and trends shaping the industry.

Advertising Age is the leading global source of news, intelligence and conversation for the marketing and media community. Ongoing coverage of strategic topics like CMO Strategies and data-driven marketing is complemented by breaking news on digital, social media, and more. The 83-year-old media group produces more than 15 original rankings each year, including the 100 Leading National Advertisers and 100 Leading Media Companies lists, the Digital A-List, and the annual Agency Report.

SOURCE Advertising Age