Edelman, Burson and Smarts on Cannes predictions

In a Cannes Lions special, PRWeek’s Beyond the Noise speaks to communications professionals from Edelman, Burson and Smarts about this year’s Festival.

Ahead of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, which starts on Monday (22 June), PRWeek UK spoke to Edelman’s international chief creative officer, international, Kate Stanners, alongside Burson’s chief strategy officer, Eleanor Sullivan, and Smarts’ brand futures director, Natalie Moores.

Beyond the Noise looks at some of the biggest communications and PR issues. Download the podcast via Apple, Spotify, or listen in the browser above or on your favourite platform.

The trio discuss what they are looking forward to at this year’s event, whether purpose-led campaigns will win big this year, and the impact of AI technology. They also offer advice on how to get the most out of the festival from a business perspective.

Asked whether the festival may look a bit extravagant in 2026, especially given industry consolidation and cost-cutting, alongside the ongoing geopolitical strife, the professionals share their thoughts.

As part of the episode, the three comms pros debate earned creativity within the PR Lions, and if the lines between PR and advertising have blurred.

Stanners, who spent two decades at advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi before joining Edelman last year, dismissed the idea of a turf war between PR and advertising agencies.

“There is a school of thought where advertising agencies are saying: ‘Watch out, PR companies, we know how to do it,’” she said. “I think, interestingly, it’s the wrong discussion to have. This is about recognising the power of a very different media landscape.”

In the discussion, Stanners argued that audience behaviour increasingly favours earned communications over traditional advertising.

“Ninety-nine per cent of people would like to skip the ads if they could, so that tells us a huge amount,” she said. “People are significantly more likely to trust work that comes in an earned space, which also tells us a huge amount.”

PR retains a unique advantage in creating earned impact, added Stanners. “It is a battleground, probably, for all sorts of businesses to be playing in. But a truly earned piece of work plays slightly differently.”

The three professionals assess the festival’s updated guidelines, introduced following controversies at last year’s awards, and whether they will prove effective.

And the panel members share their own experiences at Cannes and outline the criteria they use to evaluate what makes a standout PR campaign.

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