Media and Commerce Convergence, Contextual Advertising, and Continued Caution: 3 Takeaways from Cannes Lions 2025

The 2025 Cannes Lions Festival proved once again to be a hub for the latest thinking about innovation, technology and the future of advertising.  

Early at the show, EVP of PR, Chris Harihar, shared some of the shifts happening in the adtech industry that were prevalent at Cannes. But the points Chris highlighted weren’t the only advertising industry conversation that happened during the show.  

Several of Mod Op’s advertising industry clients had a presence at Cannes Lions this year, including GumGum, Yahoo and Vantage. Here are some of their takeaways from the event: 

Media and Commerce Converge  

While at Cannes, Drew Cashmore, Chief Strategy Officer for retail and commerce media orchestration platform, Vantage, observed additional signs that media and commerce are converging. 

As he shared with Performance Marketing World: “At Cannes, there was a noticeable shift as traditional digital media companies like Meta, Reddit and Google explored how to collaborate with retailers in the retail media space. This convergence signals a growing recognition that commerce and media are no longer separate disciplines. As these players look to coexist and compete, the lines between brand advertising and retail activation are blurring.” 

Read the full article: “Why in-store media is a sleeping giant for marketers” 

(You can also catch Drew on Mod Op’s Leader Generation podcast, where he shares additional insights from Cannes Lions.)   

Contextual Signals Win 

GumGum co-hosted an Adweek House Cannes Lions Group Chat where industry leaders explored how contextual signals can outperform behavioral and demographic targeting and drive performance.  

As Adweek’s Michael Keenan summarized in his piece on the session: “Panelists agreed that effective targeting begins with what a person is doing at the moment, not who they are on paper. But it can’t be done without the right technology.” 

As GumGum’s Chief Marketing Officer, Kerel Cooper, shared, “We believe there’s a world where we can move beyond demographic information to help brands connect with who they want to connect with and provide a great experience for them.” 

Read the full article: “Contextual Signals Win as Data Accelerates Marketing” 

Advertisers are Exercising Caution  

As Yahoo’s Chief Revenue Officer, Rob Wilk, shared with the New York Post, “If you look at what you read, it seems way gloomier than what I experience day to day.”   

Rob noted that many advertisers are taking a strategic “wait-and-see” approach and those “holding on to dry powder” and waiting to spend versus “slashing budgets and pulling back.” Rob is also seeing that same caution reflected in dealmaking, due in part to the tariff conversation. 

Read the full article: “Media, ad execs and celebs return to Cannes Lions” 

Cannes Lions 2025 made one thing clear: the advertising industry isn’t standing still – it’s recalibrating. As media and commerce continue to collide, contextual targeting gains traction, and brands tread carefully amid economic uncertainty, the road ahead demands both innovation and intention. For marketers, that means moving beyond the buzz and leaning into strategies that are data-smart, audience-focused, and ready for what’s next.