Cannes Lions Festival Plays Host to a Messy Business Divorce
The New York TimesThursday, June 19, 2025 at 3:18:15 PM
The Cannes Lions Festival, typically a glitzy celebration of creativity in advertising, became the unlikely stage for a very public corporate breakup this year. Two major industry players—who've been quietly feuding for months—turned what should’ve been a champagne-soaked networking event into a tense showdown. Think passive-aggressive keynote speeches, awkwardly avoided after-parties, and plenty of whispered gossip among attendees.
Editor’s Note: Behind the glamour of awards and yacht parties, the ad world’s biggest names aren’t always playing nice. This spat spills into public view at a time when agencies are already grappling with shrinking budgets and AI disruption—so the drama isn’t just juicy gossip, it’s a sign of deeper fractures in the business. If even Cannes can’t keep the peace, what does that say about the industry’s future?
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