Inside the Met Gala of Marketing 👀

Trending at Cannes Lions: Linkedin and Labubu?

Hey friends — I’m back! 🎉

My newsletter Trendspotter is officially out of hibernation, and we’re kicking things off with a special edition straight from the south of France.

Inside this issue, you’ll find:

✨ The top trends from Cannes Lions (like the rise of the “professional creator”)
💸 Why it’s actually cheaper to attend than you think
😬 A luxury gifting suite gone wrong (Hermès was involved… it’s a whole thing)
📉 Bose is testing paid search in a bold way that has performance marketers shaking

Oh, and I’m trying out Substack now? So you can leave comments now and “re-stack” my post if you like it!

• Pinterest launched their first co-branded product with Chamberlain Coffee, inspired by the trending Fisherman aesthetic (obv)

• Instagram’s Edits app now has a built-in teleprompter

• Meta is making all Facebook videos ‘Reels’

• Soon everyone on Instagram will be able to re-arrange their grid, post to their grid without posting to their feed, and post trial reels.

• Instagram is trying really hard to be cool by launching their biggest ad campaign ever featuring Certified Cool celebs like Tyler, the Creator, Fred Again…, and Rosalia (who’s handwriting will soon be a new font in Instagram Stories).

• “Borrow someone’s audience” is the new corporate jargon for influencer marketing.

• “Professional creators” are the new micro-influencer, aka people with Real Jobs who are also influencers about work things. LinkedIn Famous is totally a thing now, and I’ll be breaking this all down next week!

• Move over, star signs — everyone was asking each other what creative type they were instead, turning Adobe’s brand message from their activations into actual small talk across the croisette (I’m a Luminary, btw).

• Bose is running a bold experiment: turning off paid search for branded terms in half the U.S. to see if it’s really doing what it claims. CMO Jim Mollica argues that paid search often “takes too much credit for driving sales” — and brand marketers everywhere can relate.

• Labubu was the ultimate Cannes icebreaker (and cool girl status symbol? weird flex but ok)

• B2B marketing is having a serious moment and is embracing creators like never before, but a lot of SaaS brands are still missing from the Croisette (I’m expecting that to change next year).

• LinkedIn QR codes are that girl. Forget business cards. Everyone — and I mean everyone — was using their LinkedIn QR code to connect.

I don’t have time for a Vyvanse crash—especially this week.

Picture this: I’m halfway through a day of panels, pitches, and parties in Cannes… and suddenly I’m overstimulated, irritable, and fighting the urge to nap under a cabana. Not exactly peak networking energy. 🤪

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I’ve been taking it for almost a year now to help with my ADHD, and it’s been a game changer for my afternoons. Stasis is packed with naturally derived adaptogens and nootropics that help regulate dopamine and keep my focus sharp, even as my Vyvanse starts to wear off.

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If you’re on stimulants and find your afternoons unraveling, try the Welcome Kit and take one supplement in the morning and one at night to help your restore your brain while you’re sleeping. Trust me: your 3pm self will thank you! 🙏

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So What is Cannes Lions Really Like? 👀

Cannes Lions is officially billed as an international festival of creativity — where brands, agencies, and marketers gather to give out awards and attend panels.

But in reality? It’s a mix of networking, branded beach clubs, and nonstop rosé, all set against the most Instagrammable backdrop imaginable in the south of France.

For years it’s been my dreaaaammmm to attend, and all my dreams came true when I was invited to attend this year as an Adobe Insider! Pinch me. Here’s my lil recap:

taylor.loren

A post shared by @taylor.loren

There’s a bit of an illusion that Cannes is wildly exclusive — and look, it can be. But I was genuinely surprised by how accessible most of it was.

Sure, you’ll need to get yourself to the south of France and find a place to stay (which, yeah, is not cheap). But once you're there? You can eat, drink, learn, network, and party without ever swiping a badge.

Seriously - you don’t need to buy a pass. I had a ‘creator’ pass and I only used it for 15 minutes to catch the end of Colin & Samir’s session.

That’s because the real action happens on the Croisette — the waterfront strip where branded beach clubs, villas, and yachts host free programming all week long.

We’re talking inspiring talks, networking with the who's who of marketing, and yup — bottomless rosé. All for free.

And most of the best convos happen poolside, not panel-side inside a conference room.

Creator activations from Pinterest, Meta, LinkedIn, and TikTok were not only open to everyone, they all came with free talks, food, drinks, and swag:

reelstips

A post shared by @reelstips

That said, there are still levels to this shit. Some villas and parties are invite-only and more of an ‘IYKYK’ thing for partners and clients, like the Mastercard Villa (stunning) or Spotify Beach (I wasn’t cool enough to get an invite lol).

And then there’s the super exclusive events straight out of Succession, where the drama of dueling parties amidst a business divorce makes it into the New York Times (seriously, someone turn this into a tv show).

The ‘Creators Next’ party hosted by Interpublic and McCann Content Studios at the Mastercard Villa.

But most of what I attended? Totally open to everyone. There’s even a shared spreadsheet that floats around with all the event listings and RSVP links.

What surprised me most, though, was how much learning actually does happen.

Whether it was Alex Cooper, Kai Cenat, and the Kelce brothers speaking at Amazon Port, powerhouse CMOs at the Female Quotient Lounge, or every athlete ever at Stagwell Sport Beach, the free programming was thoughtful, energizing, and seriously insightful.

Some people go to Cannes to close deals, others to soak up inspiration, while some just attend to post up at the Carlton Hotel and say ‘I was there.’

But one thing’s clear: creators will have an even bigger presence next year — whether they’re there to land brand deals or just post GRWMs and party like it’s Coachella.

Either way, Cannes is no longer just for ad execs in suits. The era of the professional creator is here…and she’s wearing linen. 💅

P.S. this is a great video by Ashwinn that gives you additional context as to why creators are coming to Cannes now.

When Gifting Gets Awkward 😬

Ok, I need to start by saying this is the most privileged anecdote ever, ok?! But there was a brand — who shall remain nameless — that was literally gifting Hermès at Cannes. So sick. But the brand experience? So weird.

After waiting an hour in the heat and downloading the brand’s app, they made you post a cringe photo of yourself (in bad lighting) standing in front of a giant branded AI screen, before giving you the gift.

Obviously everyone deleted it two seconds later.

Instead of the convo being “wow, what a cool brand activation” and getting brand awareness from genuine product love, it turned into “wait… that was kind of weird, right?” Which feels like the exact opposite of what you want when you're dropping a massive budget on a Cannes moment.

What do you think? Weigh in here on Threads or read the replies for more POVs!