Creators are expected to be the stars of the show at the Cannes Lions ad festival this year. Pictured: guests at a Spotify Beach concert at Cannes Lions 2025.
Dave Benett/Getty Images for Spotify
Move over, Mad Men. Cannes is a creator town now — at least for the next week.A legion of influencers will be among the estimated 13,000-plus attendees headed to this year's Cannes Lions advertising festival, which kicks off in France on Monday. Creators are jostling for brand deals, paid speaking gigs, VIP party invites, and plenty of opportunities to shoot content along the glittering Côte d'Azur.More than 250 creators are expected to attend, per a list curated by a group of marketing companies. "Call Her Daddy" host Alex Cooper, "Feed Me" founder Emily Sundberg, makeup artist and creator Cindy Chen, TikToker Josh Richards, and YouTuber David Dobrik are all slated to mingle with marketers over the next week."When I was first going to Cannes, if you saw Martin Sorrell walking down the street, that was the big-name celebrity," said UTA's Margot Hauer-King, who was referring to the former WPP CEO and current S4 Capital exec chairman.Now? "Alix Earle," Hauer-King said.This year, creators are moving from the margins of Cannes to the center stage. That shift reflects an industry reckoning with fundamental changes in how consumers interact with media. As broadcast advertising becomes less effective at reaching fragmented audiences, marketers increasingly view creators as a critical channel for attention and influence.EMARKETER, a Business Insider sister company, expects 88.7% of established companies in the US will invest in influencer marketing this year, up from less than 40% a decade ago. Brand spending on influencer marketing is forecast to reach $12.42 billion this year.
