
In a clear indication of how overboard people go at Cannes, there were, at last count, nine Snapchat geofilters in the vicinity of the Croisette. There’s a geofilter with this year’s festival tagline, “Thank You Creativity,” a couple different ones with the Cannes Lions logo, one that has used the logo to create a psychedelic, arrow-filled filter, and a few that just say Cannes, France.
Snapchat branded airport security baskets pic.twitter.com/HStRjpvJek
— Mike Shields (@digitalshields) June 19, 2016
The platform has taken out ad space at Nice airport, along the Croisette, and has a giant billboard right above the Palais des Festivals. There’s also a Cannes Lions live story people can add too to include scenes from their very busy days — although it’s mostly scenes of magnum bottles of rosé.
Snapchat itself has no physical representation here, even though CEO Evan Spiegel spoke at last year’s Lions. Spiegel appeared on the main stage talking about advertising and how it fit with his company along with Cosmo’s editor in chief, Joanna Coles. (He also charmed everyone with his trademark giggle on stage.)
The fact that Snapchat has the “live” element makes it perfect for Cannes, said Jean Lin, CEO at Isobar. “Snapchat works here because it’s giving you a tour of all that’s happening in a live way,” he said. “There’s so much going on that it helps to not miss out on anything.”
The platform declined to comment on the record about its involvement this year, but according to one observer, a couple of teens not attending the festival stopped by the Palais and tried to get in because they saw the Snapchat logo atop it.
More in Media

YouTube is under fire again, this time over child protection
Adalytics Research asks, ‘Are YouTube advertisers inadvertently harvesting data from millions of children?’

Media Briefing: Publishers pump up per-subscriber revenue amid ad revenue declines
Publishers’ Q2 earnings reveal digital advertising is still in a tight spot, but digital subscriptions are picking up steam.

Lessons for AI from the ad-tech era: ‘We’re living in a memory-less world’
Experts reflect how the failures of social media and online advertising can help the industry improve the next era of innovation.
Ad position: web_bfu