Bonjour!
Welcome to this special edition of the Quartz Daily Brief for the Cannes Lions advertising conference—err, festival of creativity. We’ll get that right eventually. This is our second year covering Cannes with a daily email, which we’ll send every morning from Monday to Friday, whether you are spending the week sipping rosé in Côte d’Azur or grudgingly following along with a sandwich at your desk.
If you have colleagues or friends who would enjoy these emails, be an influencer and forward this along. They can click here to sign up.
Preparing for Cannes
How’s the weather looking? It’s looking good! Great, even. High temperatures will hover around 28°C (81°F) all week. There is a single cloud threatening to mar otherwise perfect skies on Friday, but it’s nothing a little augmented reality can’t fix. For a good sense of the climate, picture the above classic photograph from Cannes (by Paul Almasy/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images)—minus the newsstand, of course. Sorry, print media.
How to pack. People are going to tell you to wear linen, but the linen will wrinkle before you even arrive, so don’t bet your whole wardrobe on it. Whatever you bring, fitting everything into a carry-on is essential, so follow our advice. And if the company didn’t spring for business class this year, here’s how to fake the experience and make the most out of coach.
How to seem like a veteran. Don’t show up until Wednesday. Never step foot in the palais. Make plentiful references to Gutter Bar, but remember it’s not called that, anymore. Pronounce Cannes somewhere between “ken” and “can”—not even the veterans get that one right. Take a few days after the festival to unwind. And save time to eat well! Eater has a good list of top restaurants in Cannes.
Themes from the festival
Highlights on the schedule. Going without a badge may be the cool way to do Cannes, but the official programming actually looks pretty good this year. Here are some sessions that caught our eye and might be worth a trip to the palais:
- Monday: David Remnick, editor of The New Yorker. Last year, Condé Nast sent Anna Wintour to give a solo talk at Cannes. This year, it’s Remnick’s turn, and given the US political climate, his talk will be a must-see.
- Tuesday: Jesse Jackson, the civil rights activist. He has long pressured companies on the diversity of their hiring, and the advertising industry needs to hear that message more than most. Don’t expect him to mince words.
- Thursday: Pussy Riot, the punk band. Did someone say Russia? These rockers have strong opinions about Putin, Trump, and everyone in between.
- Friday: David Droga, founder of Droga5. He’s receiving the Lions of St. Mark, which is like a lifetime achievement award. We hope someone asks him for his take on co-founder Andrew Essex’s new book, The End of Advertising.
Defensive much? Artificial intelligence will undoubtedly be a hot topic this year, but judging by the titles of some sessions in the palais—”Tech Dies. Ideas Live,” “Co-creating Like No Robot Will Ever Do”—creatives are making the case for their own enduring value. There’s no doubt great advertising requires a human touch, but on the other hand, neural networks don’t tend to submit expense reports with line items like “discussed possible collab over drinks.”
Bingo! It wouldn’t be an ad conference without jargon. So here’s our second-annual installment of Cannes Lions bingo…
Hello from Quartz
If you’re enjoying this email, make sure to sign up for our weekly lifestyle email, Quartzy, which is all about living well in the global economy. Click here to subscribe for free.
News from around the world
Donald Trump turns back the clock on US-Cuba relations. The US president is expected to at least partly reverse the Obama-era measures that opened the country to US trade and travel in 2014. Foreign policy experts say such a move would benefit Russia, forcing the island to rely more on its economic support.
Mobike got mo’ millions to expand. The Chinese on-demand bike rental service secured $600 million in fresh funding to expand beyond China. The company says it already operates more than five million bikes, mostly in China and Singapore, but now it’s eyeing aggressive expansion in the UK, launching later this month in Manchester.
Tesco beat the Brexit blues. Consumers opting for fresh produce boosted Britain’s biggest supermarket chain by 2.3% in like-for-like sales in the first quarter, thanks in part to lower prices aimed at protecting shoppers from inflation and the weak pound.Tesco’s international business fared worse, falling 3%.
Matters of debate
Hedge funds need to stop naming themselves after Greek gods. Medea slaughtered her sons, Hermes was the patron of swindlers, and don’t even start with Icarus.
Instagram is rendering record labels obsolete. Through social media, musicians can finally be their own bosses.
Extremists aren’t always criminals. Engaging with people who are moving toward political violence is essential to preventing terrorism.
Surprising discoveries
You could be a tree someday. Two Spanish brothers make biodegradable urns that seed pines, redwoods, maples, and oaks from human ashes.
The secret to AI may be knowing how to say “good job.” New research suggests that humans may be the best at helping machines learn.
Sushi robots could serve up Japan’s economic recovery. Automation is compensating for the nation’s shrinking population, especially in the food and restaurant industry.
Our best wishes for a productive day and, if you’re heading to Cannes, a safe trip. Please send any news, tips, completed bingo cards, or celebrity sightings to hi@qz.com.