Rival Spark (June 2023) - Cannes vs. Consumers

DON’T CHALLENGE THE MARKET, CHANGE IT.
Rival Spark
Cannes vs. Consumers
June 2023

Welcome!
Thank you for viewing our Cannes 2023 Rival Spark: Cannes vs. Consumers
Rival is a marketing consultancy focused on helping brands grow and challenge market conventions. We want to
understand what makes brands into Rivals to existing market dynamics and our Rival Spark research program
aims to investigate the industry questions that can unlock this.
We believe that the industry and marketers too often lose sight of what consumers want and how they actually
think and behave. So for this year’s Cannes, we’ve set up dynamic surveys to answer questions we’ve heard or
read around the festival. We’ll be adding to this presentation all week, so come back and see what new questions
we’ve answered - researching with samples of consumers and marketers across the US / UK.
We want to spark thought and debate around this and other issues, so please ﬁnd us on our website, LinkedIn or
email to let us know what you think, apply this to your brand or to collaborate on research.
We’re excited to hear from you,
DuBose Cole
Co-Founder & Managing Partner
dubose@wearerival.com

Cannes 2023 Q&A At A Glance
Questions we’ve heard during Cannes and simple answers from Consumer & Marketer Attest Survey Research
Question Answer
“Does Anyone Care About Millennials Anymore?” Millennials & Gen Z are seen as almost equally impactful in culture by marketers & consumers - though each group sees their
own generation as more important
“Are the Metaverse, VR, AR, Crypto or NFTs Still A Thing At All?” AI is seen as more relevant to consumer’s daily lives than other emerging technology, though may stem from the tech or from
its position in the hype cycle relative to others
“What Do We Think About Sustainable Advertising?” Advertising’s carbon footprint isn’t thought about as frequently as other sources, though younger consumers are more
interested - indicating this may change over time
“Who Even Likes Advertising?” Many marketers believe advertising’s best days are behind it, but are still excited about the potential of the industry - however
what that industry looks like (e.g. agencies, technology, client-side) is changing
“Does Brand Purpose Drive Proﬁt?” In the short term or in isolation of other factors - no. As a long term value multiplier once other factors are present, yes.
“Is a Hotdog a Sandwich?” No. A majority of people believe a hotdog is not a sandwich.
“Are Advertisers Getting Better or Worse?” While the golden age is believed to have passed by many, advertising is seen as more effective, creative and responsible today
than it was 5 years ago.
“So How Worried Are Marketers About AI?” Very, but how that worry manifests is different from consumers. Consumers see AI as transformative, but marketers are more
likely to believe it will damage their careers
“What Brand is Winning in VR?” Hardware and Techn companies over AR providers like Snapchat or TikTok
“How Do Advertisers Approach Privacy?” Carefully, but most believe the industry is privacy respectful - with younger marketers most likely to disagree
“How Important is Cannes to Marketers?” Very, but not as much as other large life achievements or wealth when it comes to winning a Lion.

“Does Anyone
Care About
Millennials
Anymore?”
Rival Spark: Cannes vs. Consumers
- Overheard at Nice Airport

Consumers & Marketers Have Similar Generational Views
When asked about cultural impact, both consumers & marketers believe that Millennials and Gen Z have a similar
importance in culture. Gen Alpha lagged very far behind despite advertising’s tendencies to focus on youth
Source: Attest Survey - Consumer: (Nat Rep US (n=500) / UK (n=500) 18-64) / Marketer: (Nat Rep US (n=300) / UK (n=250) Manager and Above within Advertising, PR or Marketing) - June 2023

UK Marketers Are Likely to Prioritize Older Generations
Across geographies, the UK overall is most likely to rank the cultural impact of the silent generation higher than others - with
UK marketers believing that, on average, the WWII generation makes a greater cultural impact than Generation Alpha

Each Generation Believes In Their Own Importance
Respondents of a certain generation ranked their own cohort as more important on average, than the general
population - with Baby Boomers ranking themselves 28% more important on average
Please rank each generation based on their current
impact on popular culture / cultural importance?
From Highest Impact (1) to Lowest Impact (6)
Overall
Gen Z
Respondents
Millennials
Respondents
Gen X
Respondents
Baby Boomers
Respondents
Millennials
(Born 1981-1996)
2.9 2.7 2.5 3.1 3.2
Generation Z
(Born 1997-2012)
3 2.4 3 3.3 3.3
Generation X
(Born 1965-1980)
3.1 3.4 3.3 2.8 3.1
Baby Boomers
(Born 1946-1964)
3.6 3.9 3.7 3.6 2.8
Generation Alpha
(Born 2013-2025)
4 4.1 3.9 4 4.3
The Silent Generation
(Born 1925-1945)
4.4 4.6 4.6 4.3 4.3

“Are the Metaverse,
VR, AR, Crypto or
NFTs Still a
Thing At All?”
- Overheard in line at Steak n’ Shake

Marketers Create a Consumer Technology Impact Gap
Marketers are much more engaged with the potential impact of technologies such as NFTs, Cryptocurrency, the Metaverse or AR / MR -
creating a gap from consumer perception. Relative to larger social issues, only AI is making inroads to being seen as universally impactful.

Everyone Knows Cost of Living, Marketers Know Tech
Marketers claim much higher knowledge of different technologies vs. consumers, mirroring their belief in the importance of
different speciﬁc technologies - with marketing expertise in AI and VR decreasing into the metaverse and NFTs

Marketers Treat Technology Like Consumers Treat Climate
Looking across both audience’s perception of their knowledge and the impact of different technologies and topics, we see that Marketers
put many emerging technologies in a closer space to climate change and politics than consumers - where it sits distinctly apart

“What Do We Think
About Sustainable
Advertising?”
- Overheard Walking On the Croisette

Consumers Don’t Prioritize Advertising’s Carbon Impact Yet
While marketers care more heavily about many potential contributors to their carbon footprint vs. consumers,
advertising is relatively de-prioritized against more known sources of emissions such as utilities, cars and food

Younger Consumers See Sustainability in More Places
In their daily lives, younger consumers consider wider sources of impact on their carbon footprint, including: holidays, fashion and
advertising relative to older audiences - creating an opportunity to reach younger consumers with differentiated sustainability
Source: Attest Survey - Consumer: (Nat Rep US (n=500) / UK (n=500) 18-64) - June 2023

“Who Even Likes
Advertising?”
- Overheard Outside Gutter Bar

Marketers See An Exciting But Potentially Faded Industry
Overall, Marketers would recommend to others to join the ad industry, but a majority of those within it feel that ‘the golden age’ of it may
have passed - leaving us to wonder what else it can become as the lines between agency and client, industry and tech blur
Source: Attest Survey - Marketer: (Nat Rep US (n=300) / UK (n=250) Manager and Above within Advertising, PR or Marketing) - June 2023

US Marketers Skew Towards Tech, Brits Agency Life
While overall recommendations on where to start an advertising career are high across markets, American marketers would
most likely recommend going into technology over agencies or client marketing, while Brits prefer agency life

Junior Marketers Are Hopeful But Wary for Advertising
Across job title, junior marketers are the most likely to believe advertising has its best days in front of it, but the least likely to want to
recommend it or see agency life as interesting - more likely to be waiting for the industry to deliver on its future potential

“Does Brand
Purpose Drive
Proﬁt”

Source: Attest Survey - (Nat Rep US (n=500) / UK (n=500) 18-64) - 19.05.2023
Brand Purpose is Widely Important to Most Consumers
While younger audiences are most likely to state the importance of a brand’s purpose, over half of every demographic considered it important
or very important - showing a wide appeal to a positive societal or environmental purpose

Purpose Comes After Price & Product When Consumers Shop
While consumers consider purpose important, it ranks behind many different factors when consumers think about how they shop. While it’s
inﬂuential value, similar to advertising, is potentially under-reported, it shows that logistical factors must be met, before purpose comes in.

Younger Consumers See Purpose as More Important, But Still Secondary
While price & product still lead the way, younger consumers were most likely to prioritize WOM, new features, purpose & advertising relative to
older age groups - highlighting a greater value in the social and cultural value a brand can create to attract younger audiences

Income Increases Product Importance Over Purpose
While more afﬂuent consumers are likely to prioritize brand purpose in shopping choices, product factors (performance, new features) have a
stronger positive relationship with income than brand purpose

Source: Attest Survey - Consumer: (Nat Rep US (n=500) / UK (n=500) 18-64) / Marketer: (Nat Rep US (n=400) / UK (n=400) Manager and Above within Advertising, PR or Marketing) - 19.05.2023
Marketers Prioritize Purpose & De-Prioritize Price When Shopping
Relative to consumers overall, marketers were more likely to rank purpose and WOM as powerful shopping factors vs. consumers who
prioritize price, use and discounts

“Is a Hotdog a
Sandwich?”
- Overheard at Lunchtime in a Beachfront
Restaurant

Source: Attest Survey - (Nat Rep US (n=500) / UK (n=500) 18-64) - June 2023
A Hotdog is Not Seen as a Sandwich by Most Consumers
Though divisive, a majority of consumers see a hotdog as not a sandwich, with 60% saying it isn’t in some capacity. It is more of a
sandwich than many other items which feature full coverage, such as a burrito or sushi roll

Sandwich Attitudes Vary By Geography, But Not for Hotdogs
While what is deﬁned as a sandwich changes by market - with Grilled Cheeses, Kebabs and French Dips as most divisive
- Hotdogs are consistently seen as non-sandwich across net Sandwich attitudes

“Are Advertisers
Getting Better or
Worse?”
- Mentioned at Boules

Marketers Believe Advertising is Trending Upwards
Marketers believe advertising is improving itself vs. where it was 5 years ago, with a majority believing that it's more
effective, creative and ethical than it was previously. Additionally marketers believe their stills are improving, with 73%
believing they’re more capable than before.

Brits Are Most Bullish On Advertising’s Performance
Across markets, British marketers are most likely to say it's more effective, creative and responsible than it was 5 years
ago vs. Americans - despite both having very similar views on their own personal capabilities and improvements

“So How Worried
Are We About
AI?”
- Asked on the Croisette

Marketers Are More Bullish On AI Than Consumers
While consumers across the US / UK are net positive about AI, marketers are signiﬁcantly more bullish on the technology,
especially those in the UK and men - potentially from increased industry hype and discussion about the potential of the technology

Professionally, Marketers See AI Threats - Consumers Just See Change
While both audiences see AI as changing their jobs, consumers are more likely to believe it's a transformational force, while
marketers see a much greater threat

AI is Seen to Transform and Threaten Newer Careers
Source: Attest Survey - Consumer: (Nat Rep US (n=500) / UK (n=500) 18-64) - 24.05.2023
Across ages, consumers have different opinions on the professional impact of AI, with younger consumers seeing it as a greater transformational
force and a threat. The uncertainty and opportunity of AI is a double edged sword for those who want to scale with it.

We Believe We’re in Creative Control vs. AI
While marketers much more strongly believe they can tell AI from human generated content, potentially due to experience in creating it, both
groups believe that humans will make better content for the foreseeable future

Senior Marketers See AI as Second to Humans in Creativity
Source: Attest Survey - Marketer: (Nat Rep US (n=300) / UK (n=250) Manager and Above within Advertising, PR or Marketing) - 24.05.2023
Seniority increases marketers conﬁdence that humans will outperform AI in content creation - potentially shaping how organizations think about
generative AI’s role

“What Brand is
Winning in VR?”
- Overheard in a Monoprix

Headset & Hardware Manufacturers Own VR Association
Consumers associate VR / AR / MR technology most with the technology platforms at the forefront of the discussion and use vs.
social networks who’ve applied AR or supporting technology and title providers. Apple’s recent launch, light on VR mention has
driven association.

Younger Consumers Consider AR More Strongly
While the big 4 of VR associate strongly across demographics, TikTok and Snapchat’s work on AR / MR in app has
resonated with demographics most likely to use their platforms

“How Do We
Approach
Privacy?”
- Whispered at a Rose Reception

Marketers Believe Brands Are Respectful of Privacy
A majority of marketers believe that brands are responsible and respectful of their data as consumers - though
American marketers are much less ﬁrm in their agreement

Junior Marketers Are Most Privacy Concerned
More Junior Marketers are concerned about how brands handle their data and consumer privacy relative to their seniors -
illustrating the potential for higher privacy standards or greater cynicism amongst younger marketers in the industry

“How Important
Is Cannes to
Marketers?”

Marketers Believe In Cannes - More So In the US
63% of marketers believe its important or very important to go to or know what’s going on at Cannes Lions - with the US (71%)
much more engaged with the festival relative to the UK (54%)

Cannes Importance Increases with Seniority
As expected, the more senior a marketer is, the more important they believe it is to know about or go to Cannes - with 53% of
Managers vs. 75% of C-Suite or VP marketers believing in its importance.

Cannes is Important, But Marketers Would Rather Be Rich
Overall, when compared to a variety of other achievements, winning a Cannes Lion is behind commercial, professional or wider
cultural success - though American marketers believe it is as important as winning an Oscar, Tony, Emmy or Olympic Gold Medal

Senior Marketers See More Importance In Winning a Lion
On average, C-Suite marketers were more likely to prioritize winning a Cannes Lion vs. wider achievements such as an Oscar -
potentially due to the wider commercial beneﬁts of winning for the organizations they lead

Rival Spark:
Brand Purpose - Will the Marketers Save Us?
What are consumer & marketer attitudes to
Brand Purpose? How do different causes and
issues resonate with both audiences?
Read Additional Rival Spark Reports
Rival Spark is Rival’s research and insight programme, identifying the trends, knowledge and data needed for brands to grow and change the
way their markets operate. Find out more at www.wearerival.com or read other selected reports below.
Rival Spark:
Do Androids Dream of Electric Timesheets?
What are consumer & marketer attitudes to
Generative AI and what uses are most
positive for it?
Rival Spark:
Understanding Brand Relationships
How do consumers want to interact with
different brands in different markets and
sectors? What does a brand relationship really
mean?

THANK YOU
www.wearerival.com
hello@wearerival.com
LONDON
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NEW YORK
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Rival Spark (June 2023) - Cannes vs. Consumers

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