Cannes Lions 2026 Key Themes and Takeaways: AI, Authenticity and Creators

The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is known as the global advertising and marketing industry’s largest and most prestigious annual awards event, but it’s also a stress test of an industry in flux. What were the biggest trends spotlighted at this year’s Cannes Lions? 

Mod Op’s Chris Harihar spend the week on location, sharing his perspective with PRDaily, MediaPost, and Performance Marketing World. Here’s a few of his takeaways from Cannes 2026:

Trust Shines as the Difference-Maker 

Early in the week, Chris noted “authenticity” as a key theme, calling out that, “the challenge is no longer just reaching people. It’s reaching them in a way that feels credible.”

That desire for authenticity is likely what made influencers and creators a big topic at Cannes – more on that in a moment. The theme also showed through in how brands leveraged partners and platforms during the event. 

Read more on MediaPost: Forget AI, ‘Authenticity’ Is The Talk Of Cannes 

Creators Took Center Stage 

Between shifts in the media landscape and the desire to build trust with customers, it’s no surprise that Cannes has become increasingly creator driven. But, as Chris shared with PR Daily readers, “this year felt like the first where creators and creator partnerships became a dominant focus.” 

Despite creator presence at Cannes, Chris was quick to point out that all creator-brand engagements aren’t created equal: “The relationship between a brand and a creator has to feel ‘real’ and genuine. If it comes across as a cash grab for the creator or an audience rental for the brand, it will fail.” 

Read more on PR Daily: 5 PR takeaways from the Cannes Lions 

Brands are Looking for Agencies that Provide Creativity, Judgement and Expertise – Not Hours 

Cannes conversation included the topic of agencies moving away from more traditional billing structures to more output-based engagements. It’s not a new topic, but one that takes on new context in the age of AI. 

“It’s interesting to think about how agencies can continue to use AI to improve operations and efficiency,” Chris shared in a piece for MediaPost. “At the same time, one theme I’ve heard repeatedly during Cannes is that creative work should remain largely sacrosanct. AI can help optimize creative, drive scale, and adapt content for different audiences, but the creative work itself is still valued because it requires the [human] judgment, creativity, and expertise that great agency work demands.” 

Read more on MediaPost: Takeaways On The Future of Agencies  

Looking for more insights from upcoming events? Connect with Chris Harihar and the team on LinkedIn.