I wouldn’t be surprised if you attributed my recent silence to nursing a three-week hangover after Cannes Lions 2019. Yes, people tend to think of the festival as a refuge for advertising binge-drinking—and I won’t deny that copious amounts of alcohol found their way down my throat—but I’m always exhausted after the festival by the sheer amount of information I consume… Processing it all is another ordeal entirely.

Holy hell, this Cannes Lions was an insightful week. It’s been damn hard going through my notes and live-tweeting to wittle down THE TOP takeaways and discussions. I had to dedicate at least a thousand words to digital-linear convergence and addressable, and I find myself full of ideas for the August 2019 Publisher Forum Vancouver agenda.

However, I thought I’d share real quick some of the biggest brand-related trends I came across. More hot takes coming related to blockchain, programmatic guaranteed, and more!

Also, a word of advice—when on yachts, keep watch for rogue saxophonists.