On this week's episode of Ad Age Insider, host Parker Herren recaps the news, trends and takeaways that have emerged from the 2026 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Hear reactions and pitches from companies including Tubi, Microsoft, EA, Google, OpenAI and Anthropic.

From how the AI conversation has shifted to how agencies are approaching creator marketing and emerging ad formats, catch up on the industry buzz that will set the tone for the rest of the year.

Dig deeper on the topics mentioned in this week's episode:

~See all the Cannes Lions winners here

~How AI has shown up at Cannes

~Inside OpenAI's Cannes ad pitch

~Why Microsoft is connecting with creators in Cannes

~What Ad Age's conversations in Cannes reveal about AI, agencies and creators

~Why gaming ad spend still lags

~Listen: Everything marketers need to know about microdramas

~Cannes Lions entries drop more than 25%

Agency reporters Brian Bonilla and Ewan Larkin break down the key topics, trends and questions to watch at this year's Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. From how industry mergers including Omnicom-IPG will shift agency priorities to the rise of independent agencies, they describe what factors are impacting the awards, events and conversations on the ground this year.

Plus, they discuss why the presence of social media creators is on the rise, how sports marketing is showing up and the top questions they're seeking answers to at Cannes.

Dig deeper on the topics mentioned in this week's episode:

~Everything to know about Cannes Lions 2026

~Cannes Lions 2026 schedule

~The Cannes Lions creator playbook

~Enter Ad Age's 40 Under 40 by July 23

~Listen to Ad Age's Marketer's Brief podcast

Watch this episode and see additional resources for marketers at AdAge.com/cmo.

In the first episode of the Ad Age CMOs on CMOs series, Andrea Collins, CMO of Hippo, and Liz Vanzura, CMO of Solo Stove, break down how they're implementing AI into team workflows, and how marketers can start discussing AI implementation with teams mindfully. They also dig into grassroots marketing tactics and the power of bringing your brand to consumers.

CMOs on CMOs is a new series from Ad Age. Each episode will feature two marketing leaders, discussing the trends, changes and trials of their work. Stay tuned for more episodes in the coming months.