Cannes Lions brings big lessons to Ipswich
The last time Ipswich and Cannes were mentioned in the same sentence, it was probably about Ryanair flights. But last week, at The Marketing Meetup, Cannes really did land in Suffolk, carried in by the brilliant (and disarmingly straight-talking) Mette Davis.
And here’s the thing: she didn’t bring the hype. She brought the hard truths. The kind that make you scribble notes so fast you can’t read them later.
Mette runs the Cannes Lions Creative MBA, which basically means she’s teaching tomorrow’s marketers how not to bore the world into submission. Before that, she did 25 years in agency trenches, pitching British Airways, flogging Mars bars, and finding ways to make McLaren supercars even sexier. She’s seen the game from every angle, and she knows what makes work stick.
In Ipswich, she dropped five big lessons that should have every marketer in Suffolk (and beyond) ripping up their to-do lists.
AI isn’t here to replace you, but it will outrun you.
We’ve all messed about with prompts, some good, some tragic. But Cannes showed that AI is sprinting past “novelty” into “necessity.” Take Lidl’s “Lidlize” campaign: 2 million AI-generated ideas, one of which made it all the way onto the shelves. AI can churn at speed, but only humans can decide what’s worth putting into the world. Without ethics and taste, you’re just automating mediocrity.
Creators aren’t just microphones for brand, they’re helping shape them.
If you still think of influencers as amplifiers, you’ve missed the plot. Vaseline’s “Hacks Verified” campaign enlisted 450 creators to fight misinformation with verified hacks. It didn’t just work, it helped turn Vaseline into a billion-dollar brand. The difference? The creators weren’t just shouting louder; they were shaping the story.
Human needs trump shiny tactics every time.
AXA, in their French headquarters, added three small words to its policies: “and domestic violence.” Suddenly, survivors had access to emergency support. The brand’s consideration soared. It was a simple, human-led tweak that changed lives and made AXA the no.1 insurance company in France. Proof that sometimes creativity isn’t about the big stunt, but about listening hard enough to notice the quiet truths.
Cut brand spend today, regret it tomorrow.
Dove’s Real Beauty campaign picked up yet more Cannes gold because it proves what should be obvious: brand and performance aren’t rivals. Brand builds the demand, performance harvests it. Brands that cut their brand spend to save pennies now are just setting themselves up for a very expensive future. Their campaign has been running over 20 years, consistently shaping to stay relevant – this year tackling AI VS Real Beauty.
Creativity with conscience cuts through.
The best work this year wasn’t just clever. It was brave, inclusive, and unapologetically purposeful. But purpose doesn’t have to mean negative and preachy. Done well, it’s funny, cutting, and culturally alive. Purpose that actually means something wins. This year at Cannes, saw more entries for sustainability and purpose-led campaigns than ever before.
The magic of these evenings isn’t just the thinking, it’s the connections. And, let’s be honest, half those connections were forged over the buffet table. There’s something about juggling a paper plate of sausage rolls while debating the ethics of AI that just… works.
But the bigger truth remains: from Cannes to Ipswich, the message is consistent. The work that wins is the work with substance. Work that collaborates, transforms, balances, and roots itself in human truth.
So cheers to Mette for shaking us up, and cheers to the buffet for quietly holding the fort as Ipswich’s number one networking tool.
Missed it? Don’t worry, we’re doing it all again. The next Marketing Meetup is on Thursday 27 November at Paddy & Scott’s, featuring Tash Jones from Fairfields Farm. Come for the insights, stay for the crisps.
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