Alex Reid’s Cannes Diary #1: Wristband envy and the art of the lanyard glance
In this exclusive diary for CB, Alex Reid, Co-Founder and Director of Amplify, shares his first 24 hours in Cannes, navigating the branded mayhem, badge-scanning social dynamics, and the surprise hero of his trip so far: a humble Uniqlo AIRism shirt.
I landed in Cannes late, slightly disoriented, and immediately had my first existential crisis of the week: wristband envy. Everywhere I looked – wrists dripping in colours, credentials, access. Mine? Bare. Mocked by the sun and the bouncer at Spotify Beach. It’s humbling to be in the general public.
The first 24 hours have mainly been about getting my head around the scale. It’s not a festival. It’s not even a conference. It’s a branded city-state with Aperol on tap. Rooftops, hotel lobbies, yachts, Ubers – all wrapped, activated, or sponsored. The Cannes Lions media lineup now includes airlines, telecoms, and banks. Chase has media solutions. T-Mobile has media solutions. United Airlines is selling ad space between turbulence. At this point, I half expect my iced latte to come with a CPM and my croissant with a pre roll.
The overheard conversations are already unmatched. This morning at a café I watched two Americans pitch each other ad tech platforms only to realise – live – their platforms do the same thing. They both paused, laughed, and seamlessly transitioned to discussing how to “get Molly on board.” Who is Molly? I don’t know, but she sounds fun.
I’ve also become a speed-reader of badges. Cannes is less about who you know and more about how fast you can scan someone’s lanyard before making a judgment and pretending you don’t need to know who they are.
And that’s probably the big takeaway from Day 1: marketing is back. People are hungry. Curious. Awake. The brands and creatives who are going to win aren’t the ones who know everything, they’re the ones who are open to everything. You can feel the energy shifting away from “we cracked it” and into “we’re listening.”
Also, a quick shoutout to my MVP: the Uniqlo AIRism shirt. A humble Singaporean staple saving me from collapsing into a sweaty puddle of shame. If you see me in the same three shirts this week… no you didn’t 🙂
