--- title: "Cannes Lions 2026: The Ideas Shaping Marketing's Next Chapter" date: 2026-07-09T11:06:00+01:00 author: Mona Parmar canonical_url: "https://itsprettygreen.com/latest/marketing-trends-cannes-lions-2026" section: News --- ![](/uploads/transforms/Images/Latest/Thought-Leadership/Cannes/_788x444_crop_center-center_90_none/Cannes-Lion-Header-image.png) ![A woman with long, dark hair and a warm smile poses against a soft gradient background of peach and pink hues. She wears a simple black top, highlighting her confident yet approachable presence. The smooth background creates a calming and inviting atmosphere.](/uploads/transforms/Images/Team-Headshots/_112x136_crop_center-center_90_none/Anna-Golding.jpg) ### Anna Golding Business Director [](https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-g-5146b836/) Thought Leadership ## The biggest marketing trends from Cannes Lions 2026 PrettyGreen's Cannes Lions 2026 Takeaways Report brings together the biggest conversations, debates and marketing trends from this year's festival. After a week spent across the Palais, Google Beach, TikTok, Reddit, UTA, Brands & Culture Villa, Empower Café and dozens of fringe events, one theme emerged above all others: as AI becomes the baseline, human judgement becomes the competitive advantage. If Cannes Lions 2025 was dominated by conversations about what AI could do, Cannes Lions 2026 marked a more significant shift. The industry has moved beyond AI adoption and productivity gains to focus on the qualities technology can't replicate. Trust. Creativity. Cultural instinct. Community. Original thinking. The capabilities that help brands stand apart when the tools themselves are becoming available to everyone. Many of the strongest themes from Cannes reinforced ideas that have always delivered results. Distinctive creativity continues to outperform average content. Long-term brand building remains more effective than relentless short-term optimisation. And while AI is changing how marketing is planned, created and measured, it isn't replacing the judgement needed to create work that people remember. ## What's inside the Cannes Lions 2026 Takeaways Report? The report distils the ideas shaping the future of marketing into practical insights for brand and marketing leaders, including: - The biggest trends from Cannes Lions 2026 - How marketers are redefining AI's role in creativity and strategy - Why trust, community and cultural relevance are becoming competitive advantages - The changing relationship between brand building and performance marketing - What these shifts mean for brands planning for the next 12 months Rather than reporting every keynote, we've focused on the patterns that emerged across the week and what they reveal about where the industry is heading next. ## Download the Cannes Lions 2026 Takeaways Report Whether you joined the conversations in Cannes or followed them from afar, this report brings together the ideas worth paying attention to and the implications for brands navigating an AI-driven future. [PrettyGreen Cannes Takeaways 2026 PrettyGreen Cannes Takeaways 2026](/uploads/Reports/PrettyGreen-Cannes-Takeaways_2026.pdf) Share: showTooltip = false, 1500)"> Copied! [](https://linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://itsprettygreen.com/latest/marketing-trends-cannes-lions-2026.md&title=Cannes%20Lions%202026%3A%20The%20Ideas%20Shaping%20Marketing%27s%20Next%20Chapter) ## In other news [News ### PrettyGreen Launches Ai Fame Tracker™ A new recommendation intelligence platform that provides visibility into whether brands are appearing in AI recommendation journeys, including ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity, diagnoses where brands are succeeding or falling short and a provides a holistic playbook to implement across owned, earned and paid marketing channels to improve a brand’s AI performance.](https://itsprettygreen.com/latest/prettygreen-launches-ai-fame-tracker)[Thought Leadership ![A vibrant and dynamic abstract design displaying deep blues and striking magentas. Swirling patterns evoke a sense of movement, reminiscent of aerial views of cities and landscapes. The bold text 'SXSW LONDON' contrasts sharply against the colourful background, creating a futuristic aesthetic.](/uploads/transforms/Images/Latest/_650x600_crop_center-center_90_none/ChatGPT-Image-Jul-3-2026-at-02_02_25-PM.png) ### SXSW London 2026: Five Marketing Takeaways on AI, Community, Creativity, Trust and Leadership SXSW London brought together some of the biggest voices in marketing, technology and culture. We unpack the five themes that shaped the conversation and what brands can learn from them.](https://itsprettygreen.com/latest/sxsw-london-2026-marketing-trends)