Cannes 2026 is officially in the books, and now that we’ve had a moment to catch our breath (and maybe a coffee or two), we can say with confidence: this was one of our best weeks yet on the Croisette. Between the conversations, the ideas, and the sheer energy of the industry all in one place, we left feeling energized, endlessly curious, and genuinely grateful to be part of it.
Here are a few quick thoughts from the TripleLift Team.
“Cannes never disappoints on the 3 Cs – connections, creativity, and commercialisation. The biggest takeaway for me was the “coming of age of AI” theme that underpinned many panels, news reels, and conversations. “Agentic AI” has now taken centre stage as the de facto AI system to make decisions, optimise spend and orchestrate campaigns linked to increasingly fragmented customer journeys.”
Frazer Locke, SVP, International Sales
“Cannes made one thing clear: agent-to-agent buying is no longer a panel topic, it’s live — Horizon, PMG, and others are already piloting MCP-based transactions. TripleLift already has the agentic infrastructure to be an entry point for this shift, with co-development opportunities open to agencies moving fastest. The winners of this next cycle won’t be the ones who waited to see where AI takes the industry. We’ve been building for this moment.”
Dave Fahey, VP, Global Demand Partnerships
“The prevailing theme from Cannes: Measurement is no longer a nice-to-have, it’s the whole game. Our conversations with Cint kept circling back to impact-verified case studies, not “did people notice the ad,” but did it move incremental reach and spend efficiency in ways a CFO would actually sign off on, and our sit-downs with Attain reinforced the same shift, with marketing leaders increasingly asked to defend budget with attributable business impact rather than brand sentiment alone. What excites me most is that the industry is finally speaking the language our partners’ finance teams have wanted all along: measurement isn’t a marketing checkbox anymore, it’s becoming the connective tissue between media investment and revenue durability, and we’re leaving Cannes more convinced than ever that partnerships built on verified impact, not vanity metrics, are what separate the winners in this next chapter of advertising.”
Ben Felix, CMO
Cannes 2026 wasn’t just a celebration of creativity, it was a preview of where our industry is headed. Agentic AI is moving from concept to infrastructure, measurement is becoming the real currency of trust between brands and their finance teams, and the partnerships that will define the next cycle are already taking shape.
We’re leaving the Croisette energized by what’s ahead and grateful for the partners, clients, and teammates who make weeks like this one so worthwhile. See you next year
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