Over four days at Cannes Lions, DoorDash Ads, Wolt Ads, and Deliveroo Ads came together as one global platform to explore what's next for marketing and commerce.
Together, we brought Le Marché Quotidien – an experience inspired by the everyday moments where consumer intent takes shape – to life. Throughout the week, we hosted conversations with industry leaders, welcomed customers and partners into our space, and explored how brands can become part of those moments, not just the purchase that follows.
Across those conversations, one thing became clear: marketing isn't being redefined by a single trend or technology. It's being reshaped by changing consumer expectations, the convergence of creativity and commerce, and AI's growing role in helping brands create more relevant experiences.
Whether the discussion centered on AI, creativity, measurement, or commerce media, the same ideas surfaced again and again. Four shifts, in particular, stood out.
1. Consumer intent is reshaping marketing
For more than a century, advertising has been built around a familiar path: from awareness to purchase. Today, that path is becoming far less linear.
As Toby Espinosa shared in his conversation with ADWEEK, consumers are discovering brands everywhere at once. Inspiration, education, entertainment, and commerce no longer happen in separate places or stages of the funnel – they happen together across an interconnected ecosystem.
That same shift surfaced throughout Cannes. Consumers are moving from inspiration to action in a single moment, whether prompted by culture, everyday needs, or AI-powered recommendations. During our fireside chat with DoorDash CMO Tim Castree, we explored how shopping is evolving into "Thought It. Bought It. Got It." Leaders from TikTok, Netflix, and OpenAI reinforced that perspective, describing a world where discovery, education, and purchase increasingly happen together rather than as separate stages of the customer journey.
Brands have a growing opportunity to influence decisions not just before intent forms, but in the moments when it does.
2. AI is changing how brands earn relevance
AI was woven throughout nearly every conversation at Cannes, but the discussion has shifted from possibility to application. The question is no longer whether AI will transform marketing. It's how marketers will use it to create more relevant, personalized, and meaningful experiences.
During From Clicks to Cravings: AI Knows What's Next, leaders explored everything from agentic commerce to machine-readable brands. But one message stood out above the rest: as AI becomes more capable, human qualities like creativity, curiosity, empathy, and judgment become even more valuable.
Rather than replacing marketers, leaders described AI as an accelerator that helps brands better understand consumers, unlock creativity, and anticipate needs before they arise.
AI is becoming table stakes. Competitive advantage will come from how brands use it to deepen consumer understanding and strengthen creativity.
3. Creativity is moving closer to commerce
One of the week's most refreshing conversations challenged a long-held assumption: that creativity builds brands while commerce drives transactions. Increasingly, the two are inseparable.
Whether discussing Wolt's partnership with PepsiCo, Netflix's fandom experiences, or TikTok's role as a destination for discovery and inspiration, leaders consistently showed how creativity can influence decisions much closer to purchase. The brands breaking through today aren't interrupting consumers – they're adding value within the experiences consumers already seek out.
The future isn't about choosing between brand and performance. It's about connecting creativity with commerce in ways that inspire action.
4. Commerce media is entering its next chapter
Commerce media is no longer just about capturing demand; it's becoming a platform for creating it.
That shift surfaced across multiple conversations throughout the week. In The Old Growth Playbook is Dead. Now What?, leaders discussed how sustainable growth requires breaking down traditional silos between marketing, commerce, and operations. In From Scroll to Sale, the conversation focused on moving beyond ROAS to incrementality and business outcomes, while From Clicks to Cravings explored how AI can help brands better understand and anticipate consumer needs.
Together, those conversations pointed to a bigger shift: brands are looking for partners that can help them understand consumers, influence demand earlier, and drive measurable growth.
The future of commerce media won't be defined by transactions alone. It will be defined by its ability to connect consumer insight, creativity, AI, and measurable business growth.
Looking ahead
If there was one lesson we took away from Cannes, it's that the future of marketing won't be defined by a single technology, channel, or platform. It will be defined by brands' ability to understand consumer intent, earn relevance, and create value in the moments that matter most.
That belief inspired our presence at Cannes, and after a week of conversations with customers, partners, and industry leaders, it feels more relevant than ever. As commerce, creativity, and AI continue to converge, the opportunity for brands isn't simply to reach consumers. It's to become part of the everyday moments that shape demand.
We're building toward that future, and we look forward to continuing that conversation with our customers and partners in the months ahead.
