You came for the festival. But you stayed for RTL.

RTL AdAlliance’s 4th year at the Cannes Lions and the 3rd year hosting the RTL Beach is a wrap. Four amazing days of insightful panels, fruitful discussions, and fun parties lie behind us as we process all the impressions and experiences. 

In our first year at Cannes, we have noticed that no European media brand or broadcaster was present along the Beach and villas. So, we’ve decided to take matters into our own hands and build a European creative media hub on the Croisette, next to the big American Tech players such as Google, Spotify, Netflix and so on. It is important for us to speak with one voice, to claim our spot and to show the force behind our Total Video offer.  

Speaking with one common voice is crucial to showcase the strength of European media. We are investing more in marketing, face the competition at major events, and fly the flag to be that voice and not only promote our media portfolio but media made in Europe. Our joint international effort to represent European media for the global advertising industry, as demonstrated by RTL Beach, is a testament to this commitment.   

Video brands from the continent continue to be a major part of people’s life and media consumption habits. Europeans watch TV for more than 3 hours per day, and TV investment volume has grown by over 50% in the last 30 years. TV accounts for 51% of video usage (live and time-shifted) in Europe, and 17 of the top 20 SVOD programs in the UK are TV productions. Despite these facts, European media is scattered compared to the international scene, and we recognise the need to take action.     

Our passion is clear: free media is a pillar of society, funded by advertising and the media industry. When TV channels have more great ads, they can make more great content, including trusted news, documentaries, sports, and entertainment. We believe that media is one big virtuous circle, with brilliant brands and ace TV houses funding premium content to inform people. All actors of the industry are integral in creating high-quality media, news, sports, and entertainment, and we're grateful to all the brands that support media, which supports democracy. Thank you for being a part of this journey with us. 

The artistic direction of RTL Beach was all about blending business and networking, which are key aspects of the Cannes Lions experience. Our overarching concept therefor played with this duality and is encapsulated by our hero claim “Come for the festival. Stay for RTL." What does that mean? It means come for the fun, stay for the insights, merging business with the sunny ambience at the beach. And let's just say, that vibe was reflected both visually and content-wise.   

Our RTL Beach concept captured the emerging dualities in our industry: Human & AI, Creativity & Measurement, Impact & Context. We wanted to challenge perspectives on media and encourage thought-provoking discussions.

The concept was specifically commissioned for RTL Beach and aligned with the claims featured across all CI for RTL Beach. It was all about reflecting the dynamic and inclusive spirit of RTL AdAlliance, where diverse perspectives come together to drive innovation and growth in the global advertising world. While giving a nod to the classic and vintage posters of the Cote d’Azur we all know, and love, our visuals captured this retro spirit and gave it a new and modern revamp, fit for today’s media business.  

And finally, our eco-friendly booth concept reflected our brand commitment to sustainability and our efforts to minimize harm to the environment. We made sure to reuse the same environmentally friendly materials and attractive designs every year. One of the ways we try to keep our impact to a minimum and create more positive change.

We were thrilled to showcase our RTL Beach programme, which explored the exciting role of AI-powered solutions in advertising, creativity, tech, and audience engagement strategies. We had a blast diving into the future of audio-visual entertainment, the value and challenges of sports advertising, the role of AI for media and marketing, and the burning question of whether advertising will make a comeback.   

One of our main topics was the use of AI in advertising and media. We had some great discussions and panels on how marketers and creators can harness AI to enhance content creation efficiency and boost creative effectiveness. We also explored the role of AI in reshaping advertising and media agencies, as well as its potential impact on the advertising industry. And let's not forget the deep dive into the true potential of AI and machine learning in the AdTech industry. It was truly eye-opening!   

Some of our stand-out panels where The AI Journey of Future Media, which offered a comprehensive exploration of AI's impact on the newsroom and journalism.

Navigating the Era of AI: Reshaping Advertising and Media Agencies, another engaging panel discussion on the role of AI in media agencies and its potential impact on the advertising industry, featuring C-level speakers from leading media agencies. Moderated by our very own CEO Stéphane Coruble, the panellists included Toby Hack, CEO of PHD EMEA, Pedro L. Rodriguez, Head of Chapter and Verse (Horizon Media’s Web3 Division), SVP at Horizon Media, Shelly Palmer CEO of the Palmer Group, as well as Eva Simone Lihotzky, General Manager Serviceplan AI Lab at Serviceplan.  

And AI in AdTech: Beyond the Buzzwords, a deep dive into the true potential of AI and machine learning in the AdTech industry given by CEO of Realytics Guillaume Belmas, Tom Peruzzi, Spokesperson of the Management Board at Virtual Minds, Frank Vogel, Managing Director at Ad Alliance Germany and Oliver Vesper, Deputy CEO and CDO of RTL AdAlliance.  

As Europe hosts two major sporting events this year, we also put a spotlight on sports advertising. We got to hear from notable speakers about why broadcasters are heavily investing in sports rights and the value and challenges of sports advertising. It was amazing to gain insights from leading sports franchises and global brands on this exciting topic.   

Kim Hobbs, Vice President Corporate Partnerships and Premium Sales at the Kansas City Chiefs discussed together with Lars-Eric Mann, CMO, Ad Alliance, and Frédéric de Vincelles, Managing Director of Programmes in charge of Platforms and Sport, M6 why broadcasters are all in on sports rights.  

The Value and Challenges of Sports Advertising were discussed in a second panel featuring Matt Van Houten, Senior Vice President Product, Sales Operations & Business Development, DirecTV, Don McGuire, Chief Marketing Officer, Qualcomm and Lisa Rosenberg, Global Partner & President, Global Consumer Group, Allison Worldwide. 

A highlight was welcoming two times Super Bowl Champion Justin Reid and Lara Krug, Chief Marketing Officer and EVP of Marketing of the Kansas City Chiefs to the RTL Beach for a special discussion on how to build this team into a brand, and how the NFL is conquering Europe.

And of course, we were thrilled to have marquee speakers from leading European media houses, international media agencies, and global brands. We got to chat with researchers and measurement experts, media personalities and news hosts, as well as marketers from some of Europe’s leading broadcasters. It was an honour to have such a diverse and knowledgeable group of speakers sharing their insights with us.   

We kicked things off early with notable research and measurement experts Karen Nelson Field, Founder and CEO at Amplified Intelligence and Les Binet, Group Head of Effectiveness at adam&eveDDB.

We discussed The Editors Perspective: A Global Outlook to Shape Your Year Ahead with expert journalists such as Clarissa Ward, Chief International Correspondent at CNN, Katty Kay, US Special Correspondent from BBC Studios and The Economist’s Kenneth Cukier, Deputy Executive Editor.  

Overall, the RTL Beach programme at Cannes Lions was a fantastic opportunity for us to explore the role of AI in advertising and media, the value of sports advertising, and gain valuable insights from industry experts and leaders. It was a truly enriching experience, and we can't wait to continue the conversation in the future. 

We want to also take a moment and thank our partners, without whom none of this would have been possible. Our main sponsor Ipsos brought amazing content and speakers to the RTL Beach and helped strengthen our alliance. But also, IAA, smartclip, Realytics, Virtual Minds, Iris TV, CNN, AACC, Strategies and Epica Awards, who have contributed to making the RTL Beach unmissable.  

Special thanks to our clients, partners, brands and broadcasters who came together to build partnerships and alliances in order to represent the strength of European media.  

And to the RTL Team, who has outdone themselves yet again! Thank you and see you all next year!