Cannes you hear us?
Cannes. AI. An industry in denial?
EVERYTHING’S FINE.
NOTHING TO SEE HERE.
NOW PASS THE ROSÉ…
Three LinkedIn posts.
Two days.
All throttled.
Quietly buried.
Not just mine.
Not just me.
A dozen conversations off-platform.
DMs. Comments.
People agreeing.
But carefully.
Because it still feels like the industry’s in denial.
Context
I wasn’t there.
I’m not anti-Cannes*.
I’m not anti-awards**.
But I am tired of the disconnect:
— Waves of redundancies.
— Projects being pulled.
— People ghosted.
— Whole skill sets and careers suddenly “surplus” — while AI fever hits peak hype.
Meanwhile: influencers-in-creative write posts about how this year will be even more fun — because fewer people are going.
Fewer people going… because they’re broke, or burnt out, or out of work.
David Armano nailed this in his Substack:
Highlights:
“The event has always been a contradiction. When the world around us looks like it’s on fire… and yet, there is Cannes.”
“Our industry is going through its own 30-year reset… mass layoffs impact thousands globally… and yet, there is Cannes.”
“Brands and agencies are chasing relevance in a culture that has moved on without them… the symbols of power and influence have become relics.”
“Aging creatives and CMOs watch in awe as new influencers emerge on platforms they don’t fully understand.”
The irony
Posts questioning it all?
Throttled.
Buried.
Natch.
Even
couldn’t get reach on a similar post this week.And as Tea Uglow commented on my post:
“Thanks ⚡️ Steve Price — yep. I have 65k followers... I’m averaging 1k impressions per post. It is not a good time to be talking reality.” https://enoughaboutthat.com
Irony, meet algorithm.
So what next?
David Armano calls it:
“It’s time to move on. To build the future. We can only move on if we stop clinging to the past.”
I’d add:
We can only move on if we start saying what needs to be said.
Not all is fine.
Not for most people.
Not for many agencies.
Not for many clients.
The smart ones know.
They’re building.
They’re learning.
They’re collaborating.
They’re not waiting to be picked.
I’m with them.
So no, not “F*ck Cannes.”
Not “Don’t celebrate.”
Maybe put down the rosé.
Maybe — stop pretending.
And maybe… it’s time to start building what comes next.
What would you want it to be?
If you’re looking for a smart, more optimistic lens on all this — worth reading Tea Uglow’s
latest post: Why can't the AI boom be great news for everyone?*Okay a little bit
**Fine, I am a bit