Michael Kassan, the unofficial King of Cannes, is again at Cannes together with his new firm, 3C Ventures. The founder and Chief Government of the strategic advisory agency has been coming to Cannes Lions for 25 years – which is almost one-third of the convention’s 72-year existence.
3CV kicked off Cannes with its inaugural Convene dinner hosted by 3C Ventures, iHeartMedia, Disney at Louroc restaurant at Resort du Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes Monday evening. It was adopted by Convene After Darkish, an after-party, hosted by iHeartMedia, 3C Ventures, Condé Nast, which befell at a newly-constructed venue on the resort’s property, giving two huge occasions to start out the pageant.
The corporate has additionally launched 3CV Plage, a brand new area on the seaside the place entrepreneurs, media execs and advertisers are discussing a number of the largest points dealing with the business all through the week.
Kassan spoke to The Submit from Stagwell’s Sport Seashore Tuesday about how the convention has developed, what’s on the horizon for the media and promoting industries and easy methods to survive the lengthy, scorching days and raucous, booze-filled nights of Cannes Lions.
Q: I used to be at 3CV’s govt dinner and your get together final evening. Please inform me extra about your new firm, 3CV, and what you might have deliberate for this week in Cannes?
Michael Kassan: We had some enjoyable final evening, and 3C in its inaugural go to right here to the Cannes Lions, kicked it off, I believe, the best way we wish to with all of our pals and companions and a great cross-section of this business. And the best way I at all times describe Cannes Lions is the intersection of selling, media, promoting, leisure, sports activities, and expertise. I believe, , the Latin I realized once I was in legislation college many, many, many, years in the past was “recipes loquitur,” which in Latin says it speaks for itself. So all one want do is go searching on the Croisette and I believe it speaks for itself.
Q: How did you suppose final evening went? Will you do the identical factor subsequent 12 months? Have you ever had an opportunity to even give it some thought?
MK: I believe we modified it up a bit. I’ve been coming to the Cannes Lions for a couple of quarter of a century now. My first go to right here was 25 years in the past, so I assume that’s not a couple of quarter of a century. I used to be good at math. That could be a quarter century. It’s modified dramatically, and I believe you at all times should iterate. The tongue-in-cheek joke is, I assume, in Cannes, Monday is the brand new Tuesday.
Q: How has Cannes Lions developed through the years?
MK: It’s attention-grabbing. After I confirmed up, form of by accident, my spouse and I have been on vacation, we’d at all times been on this a part of the world within the third week of June, coincidentally, for, , 35 years. And sooner or later I used to be sitting on the pool at our resort and it was a second like Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz.” When, if you happen to keep in mind, in fact you do, when she wakened and stated, and also you have been there, and you’re there, and also you’re there all of the farm arms, which turned out to be the, , the characters. And I used to be sitting on the pool and I noticed a bunch of oldsters from the artistic aspect of the business. And at the moment, I used to be operating what was then the biggest media company on the planet. And I solely say that to underscore the shock once I stated to them: “Why are you all here?”
And I turned to my spouse and stated: “Why don’t we go into Cannes tomorrow and check out this thing?” And I received right here and this was and it continues to be a celebration of creativity. I believe if I’m capable of say this with a little bit of immodesty. I believe what I did was I noticed the chance to construct a convention across the Pageant of Creativity.
What I realized … is there are occasions which are conferences or [there are] festivals they usually’re completely different. And I perceive the nuance now. And if you happen to look across the Croisette, as I stated earlier, it’s clearly a convention. And that convention nonetheless surrounds a celebration of creativity. I believe Cannes Lions at this time is the right intersection of all the pieces coming collectively at one time. It’s most likely essentially the most environment friendly week of the 12 months as a result of everybody’s right here that you just need to see. And there’s at all times the reply that you just get from folks once they say, effectively, “I could see you in New York, I could see you in LA, I can see you Cleveland,” however you don’t. And right here it’s a forcing perform.
Q: What sorts of points are you speaking about at Plage CV this week? What are entrepreneurs actually targeted on this 12 months?
MK: There are most likely 4 essential points this 12 months. AI is overwhelmingly the primary subject on everybody’s thoughts. Up and down the Croisette and it’s from each facet simply how is it going to play [out in your business] and what’s going to occur? What does this do to labor? What does this do to the best way I do what I do? It’s the expertise of sure as a result of it can affect all the pieces we do in each facet of our life primary so the highest subject would clearly be that.
I believe the second subject is the emergence of what many name retail media networks what I’ve began to name commerce media networks as a result of they’re now not the province of simply retailers. When you might have firms like Lyft and Uber and Chase Financial institution and Greatest Purchase. Greatest Purchase is a retailer so you might name it a retail media community but it surely’s based mostly on commerce.
Third is clearly the emergence of the influencer and the creator financial system. [The fourth topic], I believe is the M&A market and what’s going to occur as we’re ready for the Omnicom IPG merger to shut, God prepared, and I Ihink there’ll be extra to return. The holding firm panorama, I think, won’t look the identical at Cannes 2026.
Q: How will the Skydance-Paramount merger affect the media panorama, assuming it occurs?
MK: Effectively, it already has. Paramount’s already made some choices on who their media companions are going to be. That was introduced about two weeks in the past, so we’re already seeing some affect there, and that’s even previous to this deal closing, which hopefully it can. And I believe as soon as that deal closes, and I do consider it can and I believe it ought to, I believe that it’s going to unlock large modifications within the streaming market.
I simply suppose the best way you’ve received WarnerBros. Discovery having spun off the cable property and Comcast having spun off its cable property…it readies you for various sorts of transactions and I do suppose as soon as the Skydance Paramount deal closes, you’ll see much more exercise in that regard as a result of like commerce media networks. I’ve at all times subscribed. To a philosophy that if you happen to discover circumstances the place you should use the next three phrases in a sentence in the precise manner, somebody will become profitable. And people three phrases are consolidation, fragmentation, and effectivity. If you could find me a fragmented circumstance that may be made extra environment friendly by means of consolidation, somebody will do effectively. Should you look throughout the panorama at this time with the rising commerce media or retail media networks, there’s too lots of them. I believe there’ll be consolidation. I have a look at the streaming state of affairs precisely the identical. So, I believe you’ll see a number of the streamers come collectively. And I believe the Paramount deal is an unlock for that.
Q: As a Cannes veteran, what are your suggestions for folks going by means of this week? How do you be environment friendly whereas surviving the grind of going to all of those occasions late at evening and getting up within the morning for conferences and panels?
MK: It’s actually onerous, however what I’ve at all times informed my groups once we hit the bottom at the start of Cannes, a part of my recreation day speech to the staff has at all times been that cup of rosé in your hand is merely a prop. It’s not there so that you can drink. It’s there so that you can maintain and be social. That’s the most effective lesson I can provide you, primary. Quantity two, gown mild, it will get actually scorching, and take all of it in. Scent the roses, be sure you take all of it in. Do spend time trying on the work as a result of at its core, the Cannes Lions Worldwide Pageant of Creativity, is across the work.
