Andrea Hunt is no stranger to the pulse of global marketing. As President and Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Canadian Advertisers, and an adjunct professor of marketing and strategy at Queen’s University, she brings a rare blend of academic insight and boardroom savvy.
As a trusted voice in the industry as someone understanding both the mechanics and the magic of modern marketing, we asked Andrea for her unfiltered reflections on the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. She was more than happy to report on the chaos, the charm, and the undeniable electricity that makes the Cannes Festival the heartbeat of the advertising world.
Let’s just call it what it is: Cannes is a beast. Beautiful, bloated, brilliant. You’ll hear people roll their eyes at the mere mention of it. But I will state my bias plainly: I’m firmly in the “lover” camp.
There is simply no other global forum with the same gravitas, staying power, and sheer gravitational pull in our industry. Cannes isn’t just a festival – it’s the summit. A living, breathing organism that gathers the world’s best minds in marketing, creativity, tech, and brand-building along one sun-drenched beach.
What began as a celebration of agencies and brands has expanded into dearth of ad tech, wellness, sport, strategy, media, policy, and any vertical or entity that even flirts with the idea of storytelling. And still, at its heart, it remains united by one unifying belief: the audacious potential of this industry.
It’s organized chaos and that’s the charm. The Cannes machine is an operational marvel. You’ll find your people there, no matter how niche. There’s a collide-and-conquer energy to the week. It’s gloriously unstructured and also absolutely exhausting.
Here’s the kicker: for all the flash and show, Cannes is surprisingly democratic. Yes, there’s pretense and pageantry. But everyone – clients, agencies, media, tech platforms – is sweating through the same heat, hoofing it down the same Croisette, and getting blindsided by the same scheduling whiplash.
There’s something oddly grounding about that. You’ll see hope, ambition, anxiety, pride, imposter syndrome, and joy all playing out in real time. Cannes doesn’t just test your stamina. You feel it. Deeply.
Eventually, you surrender. You find your rhythm. You learn to live in the tension – ideas by day, conversations by night. You make peace with lamenting the talk you missed.
Some folks master the balance. Others vow to try again “next year.”
Yes, it’s hot. Yes, it’s logistically maddening. Yes, it’s expensive. But if you let it, Cannes gives back. If you listen closely, you’ll hear the real heartbeat of the industry, for better or for worse. Because this isn’t just about trophies and toasts. Cannes is a classroom. And the curriculum is elite. From the biggest CMOs to scrappy startup founders, to creatives who can make you laugh, cry – the insights are unmatched.
You’ll leave inspired, a little wrecked, and completely recharged. You’ll want to do better. Be bolder. Think bigger. You’ll remember why you fell in love with this industry in the first place.
To quote Ty Masterton of Apple – and echoed by the legendary Mark Ritson – “The human touch is our superpower.” Marketing isn’t just about comprehension. It’s about connection. And if it takes a few beachfront debates and Croisette confessions to remind the global industry of that truth, so be it.
So yes, Cannes, I feel you. I see you. I thank you. For the lessons, the joy, the disorientation and the undeniable reminder that this wild world of marketing still has the power to move us.
And to those still on the fence: here’s the unvarnished truth – it’s absolutely worth it.
Reporting Andrea Hunt, President and CEO, Association of Canadian Advertisers
Andrea is currently President and Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Canadian Advertisers and serves as an adjunct professor of marketing & strategy (MBA) with the Smith School of Business, Queen’s University. Andrea also contributes selectively as an executive adviser and certified board member within the private sector.
She is a dynamic, C-suite executive with a history of success driving transformational growth for iconic B2C businesses. Through executive roles with Kellogg’s, Kraft, Molson, Arterra, and Mondelez, Andrea has led high-performance teams across North America and the globe.
A collaborator and boardroom influencer known for visionary leadership and strategic acumen, Andrea’s adeptness in commercial leadership, innovation, and operational management has been rewarded with outsized commercial performance and extensive industry accolades.
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