No, you weren’t imagining it. By the estimation of some attendees, the creator presence at Cannes Lions was bigger than ever this year.

“It was truly a multiplier effect compared to last year,” Chris Detert, CCO at marketing company Influential, told us. “There were definitely two to three times as many influencers.”

The larger-than-usual creator presence at the festival, which some attendees predicted ahead of time, can be in part attributed to it being the first year of Lions Creators, a track dedicated to creator programming, networking, and events that was jointly led by Cannes Lions and Viral Nation.

Joe Gagliese, co-CEO and co-founder of Viral Nation, said the experience this year “blew [his] expectations away.” At one point, he said there were more than 200 creators on the creator rooftop atop the Palais. Outside of the Palais, companies like Amazon, TikTok, and Meta worked with creators to post content about the festival, and influencer Alix Earle racked up over 240k likes on a TikTok about her experience at the festival.

We spoke with attendees about how the first year of Lions Creators went and what they hope to see from next year’s festival.

Read more here.—KH

Join My First Million host Sam Parr as he interviews high-net-worth guests on his brand-new podcast, MoneyWise. In each episode, Sam digs into the personal finances and lifestyles of his guests, getting radically transparent about things like burn rates, portfolios, and spending habits. Listen now and learn the financial secrets of some of the most successful entrepreneurs in the world.

With the Summer Olympics in Paris just three weeks away, it seems like everything is coming together.

Thirty days out from the opening ceremony, tickets to the summer games were nearly sold out, with more than 10 million tickets purchased and only some soccer tickets remaining, Rick Cordella, the president of NBC Sports, said in late June at a press event held in New York. In April, 100 days from the start of the games, NBCU announced that it had netted $1.2 billion in ad sales from advertisers looking to appear in the 2024 games broadcast.

Television viewership is also looking robust: Olympics trials ratings are up about 60% from 2021 across NBC and the USA Network, Cordella said, and on June 30, the Olympics gymnastics team qualification event that featured Simone Biles led NBC and Peacock to have the most-watched US Olympic trials since 2016. They’re all promising signs for NBCU, which has the rights to the games through 2032.

“The last two games in Tokyo and Beijing were significantly challenged by Covid protocols and a difficult time zone,” Cordella said during the event, nodding to some of the ratings challenges that the last few broadcasts have faced. “The Olympics are back.”

As the event draws near, NBCU execs unveiled new details on Olympics programming and features as the company seeks to bring even more new viewers—and Peacock subscribers—into the fold.

Continue reading here.—JS

Each week, we spotlight Marketing Brew readers in our Coworking series. If you’d like to be featured, introduce yourself here.

Christoph Becker is the chief creative officer of Whalar Group. Prior to that, he helped create the B2B agency Gyro, served as chairman and chief creative officer of FCB New York, and served in other roles at agencies like Bozell and Ogilvy.

Favorite project you’ve worked on? There have been so many. “See My Skin” was a campaign that I worked on for Vaseline that I was very passionate about. It was a project designed to fight systemic racism and the deep-rooted healthcare inequities that lead to misdiagnosed and mistreated conditions.

What’s your favorite ad campaign? To me, truly exceptional ad campaigns become a catalyst for positive change in society. Their impact extends far beyond driving sales or promoting a service; they actively contribute to the betterment of our world. One timeless example that deeply resonated with me because of its socially responsible impact and value is the “Like a Girl” campaign. It provided an emotional connection to viewers that instilled confidence and inspiration. Through the screen, viewers could feel empowered to embrace their strengths unapologetically.

One thing we can’t guess from your LinkedIn profile: You wouldn’t know that I’m a proud girl dad to an amazing 10-year-old daughter. We recently got back from a trip to Disney World, and it was the best experience. I’m also extremely passionate about supporting humanitarian aid efforts. I’ve been to multiple war zones and am a board member of the International Rescue Committee, a global nonprofit organization founded by Albert Einstein.

Read more here.

MOp it up. Between missed sales targets and frequent layoffs, the tech industry is going through it rn. How can you motivate and develop your MOps (marketing operations) teams? Attend Uptempo’s live virtual event on building a long, successful MOps career. Plus, you’ll hear talks from leaders at Indeed and Amazon Relay. Save your spot.

Mergers and acquisitions, company partnerships, and more.

• HBC, the parent company of Saks Fifth Avenue, is acquiring Neiman Marcus Group in a deal valued at $2.65 billion. As part of the deal, Amazon will take a minority stake in the new company.
• Britvic, an English soft-drink brand, is being acquired by Carlsberg for 3.3 billion pounds (or about $4.23 billion).
• Rabanne, the Spanish fashion, fragrance, and makeup brand, named singer-songwriter Troye Sivan as its first global makeup brand ambassador.