Marketers on Super-Yachts

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CREATOR NEWSLETTER

Issue #248 | June 20, 2024

You may recognize the beautiful, beach-side city of Cannes for its flashy annual film festival. But, there’s actually another yearly event Cannes is known for — Cannes Lions, aka the “International Festival of Creativity.”

Despite its name, Cannes Lions is not really known for its creativity. Instead, it is mostly known as a booze, schmooze, and Coke fest for tech and ad executives. Nepo-babies, mega-corps, and the nepo-babies who run mega-corps use the occasion to charter superyachts and show-pony celebrities for who-wore-what photo ops. 

Like most industry events, there are panels and fireside chats, full of announcements scripted by publicists, and chatter about the most dire topics affecting multi-millionaires in the ad biz. The event is essentially the pinnacle of media and advertising, and it’s certainly fun and flattering to be invited. 

While influencers (like Emma Chamberlain and Tinx) have been present at the festival for years, this year, Cannes Lions made a special effort for social media stars. The festival introduced a new track for creators in collaboration with social media marketing company Viral Nation — for the low, low cost of $1200 per ticket.

Meanwhile, as a Wall Street Journal report revealed this week, creators are struggling to make ends meet. Sponsorship deals are dwindling, platforms are shrinking creator payouts, and political concerns like the potential TikTok ban in the U.S. are looming over creators’ heads.

As our columnist Lon Harris writes about in more detail, despite the new creator track, the festival still largely felt like marketers patting themselves on the back for how much money they could make using creators.

Lon’s piece is a compelling read, chock-full of thoughtful and witty commentary, colorful detail, and interesting anecdotes (like MediaLink and UTA’s appearance at the fest as they try to move on from a messy breakup with MediaLink founder Michael Kassan.) I highly recommend reading it.

– Grace Stanley, Deputy Editor

CULTURE

Behind Cannes Lions’ Glitzy Facade

The event praises creators but loves money.

By Lon Harris, Passionfruit Contributor

→ READ THE FULL STORY

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IN THE BIZ

TIPS & TRICKS

TikTok Affiliate Marketing 101: How To Make Money As An Affiliate On TikTok

If you have 1,000 followers, a future in affiliate awaits.

By Jen Glantz, Passionfruit Contributor

READ THE FULL STORY →

PLATFORMS

TikTokers Are Mysteriously Losing Their Blue Checkmarks

Creators like FaZe Rug and Bethenny Frankel lost their TikTok verification without explanation. 

By Charlotte Colombo, Passionfruit Contributor

READ THE FULL STORY →

WHAT WE’RE WATCHING

TIKTOK MADE ME DO IT

“The Boys” is back. We’re loving seeing everyone’s opinions, including this (spoiler-filled) review from AlexColemann.

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