
The Cannes Debate: Why sport is becoming marketing’s most powerful platform
Leaders Worth Knowing PodcastShow Notes
The Cannes Debate is a three-part series exploring sport’s growing role at the centre of media, marketing and culture.
Hosted by Leaders Editorial Director James Emmett and Alex Charkham, who runs strategy and consulting for global sports and entertainment marketing agency, Fuse, the series digs into why sport has become one of the most powerful tools in modern brand-building.
Recorded live from Cannes Lions (soundtracked, at times, by the unmistakable hum of the Croisette), Episode 2 features Dan Clays, CEO of Omnicom Media Group EMEA, on why sport is now at the very centre of how modern marketing works.
On the conversational agenda: why sport still cuts through in a fragmented, scroll-first world; how brands are turning sports partnerships into full-scale creative platforms; and what's really keeping CMOs up at night.
All with a few Cannes moments along the way: World Cup matches squeezed in between meetings, celebrity sightings, and the subtle art of networking on the French Riviera.
More from Leaders Worth Knowing Podcast
The International Olympic Committee has revealed the process and timeline for selecting the host of the 2036 summer Olympic Games, and James Emmett and David Cushnan are on hand to discuss why a more open bidding contest is a good thing.
Bex Smith, CEO of multi-club women's football ownership group Crux Football, is the next guest in the series, from Leaders and research agency GWI, exploring demographics, attitudes and priorities amongst fans of women’s sport.
Netflix has acquired the exclusive broadcast rights in Spain to the 2030 men's Fifa World Cup, a move which underlines its live sports ambition and marks a first foray into football in Europe.
Simon Crownshaw is Microsoft’s international factotum: Worldwide Director for Media & Entertainment, CTO, and AI evangelist, he is also the key to the sports and entertainment marketing arsenal at Microsoft.
The curtain has fallen on Leaders Week London at Stamford Bridge, and James Emmett and David Cushnan are joined by an all-star lineup to reflect on the major themes of the Summit.