• Ranked among the most publicized events on the planet, after the Olympics, the football World Cup and, depending on the version, the Tour de France, the Cannes Film Festival is in any case the most watched cultural event in the world.
  • And brands have made no mistake by settling in large numbers, every May, on the Croisette.
  • "For us, this is a very important moment of communication," says Elena Rakocevic, Magnum's France manager. Not everything that happens on the Croisette stays on the Croisette. Things travel. »

Cosmetics, luxury, spirits, automobiles... Through the windows of the palace, on buildings, in front of hotels, for twelve days, every May, many logos are displayed long, wide and across on the Croisette. The brands to which they belong were not mistaken. Ranked among the most publicized events on the planet, after the Olympics, the football World Cup and, depending on the version, the Tour de France, the Cannes Film Festival is in any case the most watched cultural event in the world. And therefore potentially the most profitable for these companies that sometimes invest massively during the fortnight.

Whether officially, like L'Oréal, partner of the event for twenty-six years, the luxury group Kering, arrived in 2015, the jeweler Chopard, creator of the famous Palme d'Or. Or more informally. This is the case with Magnum. The seller of frozen confectionery of the Dutch-British group Unilever has been celebrating nights since last Wednesday, on a privatized beach, to celebrate its ten years of presence in Cannes. Without any contractual link with the organizers of the largest film festival in the world, the ice cream stick specialist enjoys in any case, without complex, his aura. An influence carried and amplified by the 4,000 accredited journalists, but also those who are not, influencers and stars themselves.

"The Cannes Film Festival is a great showcase"

"For us, this is a very important moment of communication," admits Elena Rakocevic, the brand manager in France. Not everything that happens on the Croisette stays on the Croisette. Things travel. The Cannes Film Festival is a great showcase. With the help of muses and stars visiting on the occasion of film evenings hosted on its sand spot, Magnum promotes its novelties at a particularly promising time. "We are in a very seasonal sector. And spring is when ice cream consumption starts to accelerate, so it's perfect," she continues.

It is in this logic that the brand had missed the call during the 2021 festival, postponed because of the pandemic in July. "Too late" for effective communication. With the festival back in May last year, the brand also made a comeback. And it does not skimp on the means. This year, a larger beach has even been reserved. The boss of Magnum in France explains to devote "about 10% of [her] annual media budget" to this operation of only a few days on the Côte d'Azur. And it's not alone in investing. "Every country [the branches where the brand is present] contributes to this event," she also told 20 Minutes.

"It's a kind of big fair"

Communication budgets explode at the time of the festival. Lunches, dinners, and evenings follow one another at a frantic pace on the beaches, in hotels or in villas for presentations of products or services. From all walks of life. Sometimes far removed from the world of cinema. "So much so that it even becomes a little grotesque, testifies, under cover of anonymity, a regular of the demonstration. Everyone comes to sell their thing. It's a kind of big fair. »

But it is above all the signature of the certain power of the Cannes Film Festival. Even if for brands, the benefits are difficult to quantify, "the impact is in any case very important in terms of image," says Vincent Salimon, president of BMW France. The automotive group, which took over from Renault in 2022 on the Croisette, is one of the sixteen current official partners of the Cannes Film Festival. Its electric sedans transport VIPs from hotels to red carpets in an almost incessant ballet. Filmed by cameras around the world and on social media. "And the return on investment" that the manager did not want to quantify "is much more important than with simple advertisements," he explains.

"Last year, we estimated that the event had generated five million direct impacts on the French", via all distribution channels, he also says, "delighted" to see the German brand attached to that of the festival. "It's a platform that brings together values that are very close to BMW. Luxury, but also sustainability. The demonstration wanting to reduce its footprint. The manufacturer itself has a foot in the cinema, producing short films featuring its own vehicles. The latest, The Calm, starring Uma Thurman, was unveiled last week.

All-round visibility

The contracts with the organizers of the event would end on affinities, which legitimize these partnerships and strengthen their potential, also argues Géraud de la Noue, president of Campari France, "official supplier" since 2022. "Art in all its forms is part of the brand's DNA. Cinema in the first place. The only commercial Fellini had agreed to direct was for us. We were already at the Venice Film Festival, the Berlinale and the Tribeca Film Festival. We only missed the one in Cannes, "says the manager, interviewed by 20 Minutes. A huge bar in the colors of the liqueur, clearly visible from the outside, is installed in the glass roof of the Palais des Festivals. The brand also has a beach in its image and deployed its presence in many establishments, including restaurants, in the city.

For Géraud de la Noue, if the presence of Campari also represents "a large part of [his] com budget", the Cannes event being the one that lasts the longest, this investment "is justified" even if "it capitalizes mainly on foreign markets, because of the Evin en France law" (which severely limits the right to advertise alcoholic beverages). So much so that he does not "see himself stopped" in three years, at the end of the pact concluded for the moment with the festival. In the interest of both parties? These private partners are in any case essential to complete the budget of the event, which exceeds 20 million euros each year. They "play an essential role in the sustainability of the world's largest film event," reads the official website of the event, which also benefits from subsidies from the State, the city of Cannes and various communities.

All about the 2023 Cannes Film Festival

The sustainability of the festival, the other brands also count a lot. On the beach of Magnum, Elena Rakocevic will still see herself repiled in the long term. "Barring a dramatic turn of events, our presence for years to come is obvious," she says.

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