Nick Elliott's "Cannes-Opener" with Omnicom Production’s Global CEO Sergio Lopez

Nick Elliott reporting from Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity as a #CannesCorrespondent for The Marketing Society…sharing another 🌴🥫 Cannes Opener 🥫🌴

This time I’m with the brilliant Sergio Lopez Ferrero, CEO of Omnicom Production, taking a tour of Omnicom Beach.

💥 This one was particularly interesting because it was Omnicom’s first Cannes as a newly combined organisation following the acquisition of IPG, making it the world’s largest advertising holding company.

One thing Sergio Lopez Ferrero shared really stood out:

👉 “It’s still a people business...”

And that’s exactly what this Omnicom space is all about.

Yes, there were conversations about AI, ad tech, data and the creator economy…

🤝 But just as importantly, this was a place to bring together colleagues from across the newly combined business, clients, future talent and partners to connect, learn and build relationships.

We covered:

📍 The creator economy and why brands need authentic relationships with creators

📍 Why this part of the Croisette has become the centre of so many Cannes conversations

📍 The LIONS Learning Campus and the future of our industry

📍 Six months on from the IPG acquisition

📍 Omnicom Production winning 16 Lions by day 3 (at the time of filming)…and finishing the festival with an impressive 22 Lions including 1 Grand Prix in Innovation

📍 Whether anyone had actually gone for a swim from Omnicom Beach!

📍 The importance of excellent air conditioning in Cannes…

One thing worth mentioning (very much in the spirit of "🥫 🌴 Cannes Openers 🌴 🥫") is that you can only access this stretch of the Croisette if you have a Palais pass and/or you’re a guest of one of the companies.

I’ll happily share this was my first time on this side of the fence, so a huge thank you to Omnicom for the invitation.

And thanks also to Jim Rothnie for making this happen...It was, as always, great to catch up.

🎉 Congratulations again to Sergio Lopez Ferrero and the whole Omnicom Production team on their impressive Cannes!