Brand marketers are always looking for authentic ways to show up in culture and what better way to build allure than to make the scene at The Cannes Film Festival.
As Hollywood’s A-listers descended upon the Croisette this year, many of the usual suspects were making their presence known. Mastercard rolled out the red carpet at the Hotel Barrière Le Majestic for its Priceless brand platform and sponsored the festival badges. L’Oreal raised their banners on the Martinez hotel, Gucci, Dior, Louis Vuitton and Chopard got the actors red carpet ready. Unilever ice cream brand Magnum used the event as a stage to launch its latest social-first “Wherever Pleasure Takes You” campaign.
“When we first started in Cannes it was quite unusual for an ice cream brand to be in Cannes Film Festival, but that is exactly why the brand has done it, because we want to position the brand as a brand that is beyond ice cream, as an edible luxury brand,” said Tugce Aksoy, global brand director, at Magnum Ice Cream, Unilever on stage at Brand Innovators’ first ever event at the Cannes Film Festival, done in collaboration with The Wrap, which also featured sessions with Judith Godrèche, Diane Kruger and Willem Dafoe.
Magnum hosted a live listening party at its beach in Cannes featuring Australian singer-songwriter Troye Sivan, French drag queen Nicky Doll and puck icon Iggy Pop. Sivan, the brand’s “Mbassador,” released three new remixes of his track “Honey” for the effort –each designed to match three different moods: Euphoria, Wonder and Chill – also new Magnum flavors.
Campari, Nespresso and Air France also hosted beach suites. Air France’s lounge replicated the jet setting experience of flying the carrier. Nespresso served up espresso and photo booth experiences in bright orange, part of the brand’s Unforgettable Mediterranean Summer partnership with Pantone.
Campari brought out iconic music video director Cole Walliser –known for his GLAMbot high speed camera technique – to let party goers walk their own red carpet and experience the brand in its full red color. The Instagram-ready videos run like mini trailers with the company’s branding and the tagline “We are cinema.”
BMW could not be missed around town, as the official car sponsor of the event, chauffeuring attendees to events and making its own red carpet debut with the new XM. Microsoft hosted the Microsoft Café, “a space for artists and creatives to explore the future of film together.” Sony celebrated 100 years of Columbia Pictures with signage featuring iconic actors.
Expect to see Brand Innovators back on the Croisette with several stages at the Cannes Lions in June and at the Cannes Film Festival next year.
