5 challenges advertisers and marketers will be tackling at Cannes Lions, as new players like Amazon, Netflix, and TikTok compete for brand dollars

• The Cannes Lions ad festival returns to the French Riviera after a two-year hiatus.
• New players like Netflix and Instacart will be on hand in a sign of the ad industry’s changes.
• But the specter of recession and uncertainty about ad targeting will cloud the festivities.

The biggest names in media and advertising will pack the beaches of southern France June 20-24 when the Cannes Lions ad festival returns to the Riviera.

After a two-year pandemic hiatus, thousands are expected to attend as they satisfy pent-up demand for in-person schmoozing and dealmaking. 

The festival that started as a celebration of advertisers’ creative work has expanded to accommodate a growing number of players, from the adtech companies that have multiplied in recent years to the social media giants that have come to dominate the ad market.