CANNES, France — For its debut at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity Amazon Advertising decided it was going to need a bigger boat.
While more than a dozen media platforms and agency holding companies, ranging from Meta to Spotify and from Dentsu and WPP, line the beach along Cannes’ famed Croisette, Amazon chose a half-acre spot abutting the Port of Cannes to show clients and customers what the $30 billion business can do for them.
The mission: reconnecting, in person, again.
“It’s been a long time coming. We’ve had a few false starts with Covid and I think this is going to be a great opportunity to have that kind of connection with partners from around the world,” said Alan Moss, VP Global Advertising Sales, to a group of reporters during a sneak preview of the activation Sunday evening. “We’re here to listen, learn and connect with our advertisers and our partners.”
The Amazon Port is 18 months in the making. Its 27,000-square foot space includes multiple indoor and outdoor stages (hosting several concerts, including LCD Soundsystem, this week), as well as private meeting rooms and a recreational space, including for Yoga and Tai Chi. Amazon worked with Festival-owner Ascential on the activation which, in previous years, had been a parking lot (and will be again when the activation comes down later this week).
“Cannes Lions is not the place for that hustle and bustle of everyday,” said Moss, adding, “We hope it’s an opportunity to step back and actually prioritize conversations about the future of storytelling, of innovation, to help us shape the future of the industry.”
Amazon is also using the space for some of its other properties, including a daily Twitch Creator Happy Hour and a conversation with Amazon Studios CMO Ukonwa Ojo and actor/producer Regina Hall. “They’re going to talk about experiences of really telling inclusive stories that resonate with global audiences,” said Moss.
As for what he values most about advertising, Moss said, “I get inspired working with brands that want to work on campaigns that matter, that ultimately deliver great customer experiences.”
Amazon Ads brought in $31.2 billion in revenue for the retail and web services giant in 2021, and has added $7.8 billion in Q1 2022.
