As the largest gathering in the creative marketing community, Cannes Lions Festival, takes place next week, agencies and brands have put their best foot forward to showcase their offerings and services while creating spaces for meaningful conversations with industry players.

DEPT is creating a unique space for a different type of conversation: less than five minutes away from the Palais des Festivals, the Secret Garden is nestled in a 1,300-square-metre courtyard.

RTL AdAlliance will bring together leading voices from European media, brands and tech at RTL Beach – the only major representation for trusted European media on the Croisette.

Publicis Groupe has announced its Cannes Closed Door Sessions are back, with a new mission: unlocking real – and immediate - AI upside for clients, in an economic downturn.

MullenLowe Global cracked open its creative vault with the launch of Lions on Loop - a continuous YouTube livestream featuring over 250 of its Cannes Lions-winning campaigns from the past five decades.

Following the joining of forces between Effie and LIONS in January 2025, The Effie LIONS Foundation, a global non-profit organisation committed to ensuring the marketing industry is creative, effective, and open to everyone, was recently launched.

The inaugural LIONS B2B Summit will take place on 17 June with the the half-day event bringing together B2B marketers, decision-makers, and creative leaders for an exclusive day of networking, insights, and industry-shaping discussions.

Campaigns of the week

In support of its growing line-up of hybrid models, Hyundai has launched a new marketing campaign, "Best of Both Worlds," featuring the Santa Fe Hybrid and Tucson Hybrid.

In a world where we’re all juggling professional and personal responsibilities and the pressure to always be ‘on,’ Amica Insurance’s newest brand campaign, Go Together, is a bracing reminder to pause and reconnect with what matters. It highlights the brand’s commitment to protecting the things that matter most to its customers.

To mark 25 years since the global roll-out of Smirnoff ICE, the iconic product – one of the ‘OG ready-to-drinks (RTDs)’ – is launching its first-ever global campaign across more than 20 countries worldwide.

Agencies and accounts

KIOTI, a global player in tractors and power equipment, has named TRG its advertising agency responsible for creative, media, and brand strategy. KIOTI is part of Daedong-USA, the U.S. subsidiary of the Daedong Corporation.

Taco Bell has added Quality Meats to its agency roster following a competitive review. The independent creative-driven agency will lead a new creative assignment focused on supporting Taco Bell’s innovation pipeline.

Following a competitive pitch process open to all agencies listed on the government framework run by the Crown Commercial Service (CCS), His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has reappointed UNLIMITED and Pablo as its lead creative partner.

Partnerships and acquistions

Publicis Groupe and its digital business transformation hub, Publicis Sapient, have announced it is creating a Center of Excellence (COE) for Enterprise AI Transformation with NVIDIA, marking a significant step forward in the next phase of digital transformation.

The PM (Pharmaceutical Marketing) Society has announced a new partnership with the CIM (Chartered Institute of Marketing) to build capability and excellence in marketing in the pharmaceutical industry.

Paradigm Sample, a player in data collection and managed services solutions, has announced a strategic partnership with Interbrand, the global brand consultancy renowned for its Best Global Brands ranking.

Appointments

LePub, creative boutique network of Publicis groupe, has announced the strengthening of its creative and management team in Amsterdam with the appointment of Kika Douglas as Chief Creative Officer and Karen Ballenden as General Manager.

GUT Amsterdam has promoted Guillaume Roukhomovsky to Executive Creative Director. In his expanded role, Roukhomovsky will oversee the creative vision for GUT’s Amsterdam office, and will report directly to GUT's Chief Creative Officer for Europe, Ignacio Ferioli.

Grey has announced the appointment of Elvis Li as President of Grey China. Elvis brings over two decades of creative firepower, having held senior roles, including General Manager at BBDO, JWT, Saatchi & Saatchi, BBH, and Wieden+Kennedy.

Other major news of the week

The Board of WPP plc has announced that Mark Read, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), will retire from the Board and as CEO on 31 December 2025. After more than 30 years with the Company, including seven as CEO, Mark has decided that the time is right for him to hand over to a new leader and the search for a successor is underway.

The King of the Netherlands, His Majesty King Willem-Alexander has inaugurated the Dr. H.P. Heineken Centre, Heineken’s new 8,800 m² Global Research and Development Centre in Zoeterwoude, the Netherlands.

Havas Media Network has announced the launch of its Health Equity Marketplace, the latest addition to Meaningful Marketplaces, curated media solutions designed to drive more impactful, sustainable, and transparent connections between brands and consumers.

Bob Koigi is the editor-in-chief of Marketing Report.One

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