Publicis CEO Arthur Sadoun, who officially took over for Maurice Levy on June 1, rocked the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity by announcing that the French combine will take a pass on next year's show.
The exit is part of Sadoun's plan to suspend promotional activity for a year and redirect the money into the ad/PR combine's new Marcel artificial intelligence platform.
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Arthur SadounCreatives howled at the audacity, predicting tough times ahead for talent recruitment at Publicis. After all, every creative wants to win the "Oscar" of the communications business.
Cannes though has become a victim of its own success. It's way over-the-top. Technology companies have come to dominate the event at the expense of ad/PR creativity.
The Festival is excessive at a time when clients are demanding the biggest bang for their ad/PR dollars.
WPP CEO Martin Sorrell, who trimmed his conglomerate's participation at Cannes, put it neatly. He told the Financial Times that Cannes has become "too brash, too spectacular."
Cannes has to be rethought or repositioned. "It's become too much of a money making exercise," said Sorrell.
He thinks a leaner and more efficient program could be held at more accessible places like New York, London or Paris.
Sorrell had the ultimate putdown, calling Cannes "an imitation Davos."
Festival management certainly got the message. Cannes Lions is launching an advisory committee to "help shape the future of the festival." Panel members include advertising heavyweights from Procter & Gamble, Unilever and ATT.
Awards play an important part of the communications business. They provide an opportunity to measure a campaign against the competition and receive recognition for work well done.
Ketchum and Hill+Knowlton Strategies copped Grand Prix honors at this week's festival. They deserve congratulations.
But Sadoun was the true Lion of the Cannes festival for his bold move to take a holiday from the event, a move that may trigger the reforms needed to save the show from itself.
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