Show Notes
In this episode of the Cannes Sessions, Conor Byrne takes us through another packed day on the Croisette, starting with the CMOs in the Spotlight session featuring Jill Kramer of Mastercard, Michelle Klein of Westpac, Manuel “Manolo” Arroyo of The Coca-Cola Company, and Suhayl Limbada CMO of KFC India. There were big themes running through the day: how legacy brands stay useful, why marketers need to understand the P&L, what happens when creativity meets commercial pressure, and why the best brands do not throw away their distinctive assets just because the world has changed. There is also a brilliant conversation with Maddy Cooper, Founder and CEO of Flourish, on how AI can help marketers in regulated sectors get work to market faster without creating a compliance nightmare. That matters because the future of marketing is not just more content, more formats and more channels. It is whether brands can still make sharp, responsible, commercially useful work at the speed the market now demands. The Digital Voice team were also out on the Croisette speaking to marketers including Langton McCombe from Particular Audience, Rory McDonald from Market Media at The Warehouse Group, and Alex Springer from OpenAttribution.org about retail media, incrementality, AI, ROAS, creativity, and what Cannes is really for and James Taylor CEO of Particular Audience.
And, of course, there was a big moment for Ireland, with Heineken’s The Pub That Refused To Die winning a Grand Prix, plus a look ahead to the Cannes Young Lions results where Darragh Spain and Fardosa Flanagan from 123.ie represented Ireland in the Young Marketers category along with lots of amazing talent representing Ireland.
01:18 – CMOs in the Spotlight: Mastercard, KFC India, Westpac and Coca-Cola 02:01 – Why Mastercard is re-examining the Priceless platform 03:14 – KFC, Gen Z, universal truths and the role of the Colonel 04:19 – Westpac, jingles, legacy brands and speaking the language of the CFO 05:14 – Coca-Cola, creativity, behaviour and why great teams matter more than big budgets 11:28 – Spending time with Jonnie Cahill and the value of generous senior marketers 15:03 – Maddy Cooper on Flourish, AI, compliance and regulated marketing 18:29 – Inside the Cannes Lions work exhibition 21:00 – Ireland’s Grand Prix moment for Heineken 23:58 – Langton McCombe on retail media, commerce media and incrementality 26:32 – Rory McDonald on creativity, ROAS and business outcomes 29:54 – Alex Springer on attribution, AI, influence and the future of content 34:26 – Final reflections from Cannes Sessions 2026
Thanks to The Digital Voice for partnering on the Cannes Sessions. Find out more: The Digital Voice: thedigitalvoice.co.uk Flourish: flourishingworld.com That’s What I Call Marketing: follow the podcast for more conversations with the people shaping modern marketing. That’s What I Call Marketing is where marketers come for real conversations about brand, B2B, creativity, effectiveness and the future of the profession. Hosted by Conor Byrne, the show features conversations with CMOs, marketing leaders, agency leaders, authors, thinkers and practitioners about what good marketing looks like in practice.
Listen, follow and find more episodes at: https://www.thatswhaticallmarketing.com Connect with Conor on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/conorbyrneirl/ If you enjoy the show, please follow, subscribe and leave a review. It helps more marketers find the conversations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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