Published June 26
Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is advertising’s hottest week — and this year, the heat was impossible to ignore. We’re talking soaring temperatures, packed beaches, sun-soaked panels and rosé-fueled yacht hopping, as more than 13,000 attendees from around the world descended on the Croisette.
But beneath the glamour and the relentless Riviera sun, the week once again proved why it remains advertising’s premier annual gathering.
It’s where the industry’s biggest names, boldest thinkers and buzziest brands come together to trade ideas, debate the future and take the pulse of a business moving faster than ever. While the stages may be full and the parties packed, it’s often the offhand remarks, candid observations and beachside wisdom that best capture the spirit of the week.
From unfiltered to unforgettable, here are some of The Current’s favorite quotes overheard at this year’s festival, including inspiring words from Oprah Winfrey, who received the 2026 Cannes LionHeart award.
Unfiltered and unnamed:
“It’s executive survivor. You have to network and sound smart. They turn up the heat and turn up the pressure.”
“You can’t walk around at night without seeing all these World Cup games … it really reminds me of how sports connect everyone around the world, but I still just want the Australian team to win.”
“I went to this dinner where these F1 drivers came, and then we went to this happy hour and Kevin Garnett was there. It was like, ‘What is going on? Where are we?’”
“Oprah is at the Carlton right now!”
“It’s all just AI, AI, AI.”
“For all these panels, it’s like I’m eating acronym soup for breakfast, lunch and dinner.”
“I don’t want to say which one, but this one holding company’s food at their party was completely inedible.”
“Yesterday was the hottest day this week.” The next day: “Yesterday was the hottest day this week.”
“I know Ciara, but who is The xx?”
“The best party all week: Alan Cumming as DJ at NBCU’s party.”
Star power on the Croisette:
Oprah Winfrey, this year’s 2026 Cannes LionHeart recipient: “Never lose sight of the real reason you have come to Planet Earth. … Your legacy is every life you touch.”
“For a very long time I resisted being called a brand. I felt it took away from my authenticity. I now realize my heart is my brand.”
Oprah Winfrey
Alan Cumming on the resurgence of nostalgia with The Devil Wears Prada and upcoming Romy and Michele sequel: “Perhaps it’s because of the times we live in. When there’s such chaos and uncertainty. It’s incredibly stressful to be alive right now just because you wake up every morning and think, ‘Do we still have a planet?’ I think in a way it’s a time where people hold onto a time when they understood what was going on.”
Alex Cooper on allegations of Unwell’s toxic work environment claims: “I think, unfortunately, being a woman in this industry is extremely difficult because you’re held to a complete different standard. Whether it’s a smear campaign being created for someone’s narrative — whatever it be.”
Industry experts open up:
William White, Chief Marketing Officer, Walmart: “We’re now building audiences that are AI-powered, if you will, in terms of giving us the intelligence where we’re anticipating life stages or we’re anticipating different types of behaviors where we’re seeing those shifts. It allows us to personalize in a way that makes us less transactional and more relationship-based because we’re able to anticipate and serve up those needs to our customers in the moment.”
Gabrielle Wesley, Chief Marketing Officer, Mars Wrigley North America: “One hundred years ago there was just radio. Radio was what kept your attention, and then there was the visual with TV, and now we have so many ways to connect with consumers. Consumers have gotten more savvy and more demanding about what they want. They don’t want to be talked to. They want to engage. And because they want to engage, it’s like any other relationship. You have to keep having conversations, you have to keep taking them on dates, you gotta keep showing them new things and showing them different parts of you. And so I take that very, very seriously to engage with consumers on a two-way relationship, not just message giving.”
“You have to be ready for the moment. You don’t know when it’s going to happen, but live allows you to create that spontaneity and that creative decision-making in real time.”
Rita Ferro, President of Global Advertising, Disney
Sir John Hegarty, Co-Founder and Creative Director, BBH: “They’re turning off the things they don’t love. And sadly, they’ve fallen out of love with us. People are spending more time watching digital entertainment than ever before. Why? They do stuff people like. Why do we keep having to say the obvious for people to understand? Do stuff people like.”
Mark Penn, CEO and Founder, Stagwell: “AI can breed misinformation. I asked ChatGPT, ‘Who is the mayor of New York?’ and it said, ‘Eric Adams.’ I said, ‘I think you’re mistaken.’”
Asmita Dubey, Chief Digital and Marketing Officer, L’Oréal: “As LLMs are becoming the new front door to beauty discovery, we are thinking about three questions: Are we appearing in the answer layer? If beauty is a conversation, how are we shaping that conversation when everything is becoming like a chat? And we have been very good in e-commerce over the last 10 years. How are we going to become the commerce category captains in beauty?”
