Ep 69: Cannes Lions 2026 Preview Episode

Cannes Lions week is here, and this one's a little different. No guest, no agenda, just Matt and Val running their own half-length 2026 Cannes preview before everyone scatters to the South of France.

They get into the real stuff: packing strategies that border on neurosis, the color-coded calendar system Matt runs to survive five days on the Croisette, and the small essentials that actually save your week. Then they turn to what the festival will be talking about: sports and athlete-brand deals, AI and the rise of "agentic" as the buzzword everyone says and almost nobody has shipped, retail and commerce moving past the ad and into the experience, and the return of brand as the real moat after a decade of performance worship.

The heart of it is a promise. There was a time the creatives were the celebrities at Cannes. This year, Matt and Val want to find the people holding the hardware, congratulate them, ask about the work, and make celebrating creatives a thing again.

Plus IRL reunions, yacht plans, a 4 AM World Cup birthday, and the return of Mensch on a Bench.

This is the Snarketing Podcast: for marketers, by marketers, talking to marketers, with just a touch of snark.

Hosted by Matt Wurst and Valerie Vespa.

Find us on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you listen. Subscribe to our Substack for more, and reach out if you'll be in Cannes. Come find Matt on the bench in front of the Mondrian.

⏱️ Chapters

• 00:00 Welcome and happy Cannes week
• 01:00 Packing strategies and the outfit barter idea
• 04:00 Cannes survival kit and travel essentials
• 07:00 Fewer, bigger, better: the color-coded calendar
• 11:00 Celebrities, athletes, and seeing them in our element
• 15:00 Make the creatives the celebrities again
• 18:00 Predictions: sports, agentic AI, and IRL
• 24:00 Brand as moat and the end of performance worship
• 28:00 Sports, the World Cup, and a 4 AM birthday
• 31:00 IRL for Good, yacht plans, and Mensch on a Bench