SiriusXM Media at Cannes 2026: The Future of Advertising

Every year, Cannes Lions offers a snapshot of where marketing is headed next. While new technologies and buzzy topics always dominate the conversation, this year's festival made one thing especially clear: the future of advertising will be built around authentic connections—powered by creators, strengthened by passionate communities, and enabled by smarter, more integrated media strategies.

From conversations on the Croisette to panels across the beach, here are the themes that stood out most to us—and what they mean for advertisers looking ahead.

Creators everywhere

If you thought creators were big last year, this year they were everywhere. Every panel, suite, and stage was either featuring creators, talking about creators, or built around the creator economy.

Over the past few years, we've witnessed the evolution of the influencer industry as it moved from influencers to creators, and now from creators to creator empires. What was once a social strategy is now a full-fledged media strategy, as creators have expanded into audio, video, live tours, and even built entire content networks.

But creators weren't just driving conversations—they completely took over the Croisette. From famous TikTokers to B2B experts, our feeds were filled with on-the-ground explainers, recaps, and trend reports throughout the week.

Of course, SiriusXM Media is built on creator influence, and our presence at Cannes wouldn't have been complete without some of our most popular creators on the ground with us.

Mel Robbins, host of The Mel Robbins Podcast, captivated audiences (and yes, even brought some to tears) everywhere from UTA to Cannes Lions' own Creator Beach. Her powerful story about turning her life around and pursuing her passions to become one of the world's most popular podcasters showed audiences and advertisers alike that connection and community are everything.

Katie Nolan, host of Casuals, also demonstrated the power of audio during appearances at Female Quotient, Tubi, and everywhere in between, showcasing how she's successfully transitioned her Emmy Award-winning television career into podcasts and radio.

That perspective came through during her panel, Creator-Built, Fan-Fueled: The New Media Companies Nobody Saw Coming, where Nolan reflected on why audio continues to create uniquely personal relationships with audiences.

Fandom comes in all sizes

Fantasy football. Dungeons & Dragons. Cyberpunk audio journeys. Nerd culture. Whether it's ten people or ten million, fandom is fandom—a community of passionate followers deeply invested in the topic at hand.

And those fandoms have only grown alongside the rise of the creator empire. As creators have expanded into new formats, their communities have become even deeper and more interconnected. These are loyal audiences who find their people and stick with them—and for advertisers, that's an incredible opportunity to become part of that trusted relationship.

In fact, some might argue that the tighter and more niche the community, the more influential it becomes. Niche marketing isn't a new concept, but creators are making these microcommunities more accessible—and more valuable—than ever before.

That idea surfaced during the panel, How Casuals Developed the New Superfan, where SiriusXM Media's SVP and Head of B2B Marketing, Lizzie Collins, explained why audio is uniquely positioned to build both cultural relevance and lasting loyalty.

More platforms, more problems (for media buyers)

As consumers move seamlessly between platforms and formats, they expect brands to show up just as fluidly. And based on the conversations throughout Cannes, figuring out the right media mix to meet today's increasingly complex buyer journey is anything but straightforward.

It's forcing CMOs and brand marketers to think differently. They're moving away from channel-centric thinking and toward integrated ecosystems that are multi-modal and multi-format. The question is no longer, "Which channel performs best?" Instead, it's, "What's the right mix to collectively build awareness, reinforce trust, capture intent, and support conversion over time?"

During Streaming, Scrolling & Tuning Out: Winning Attention in the Modern Media Era at The Female Quotient Beach, Jenn LaRocco, SiriusXM Media's Vice President of Strategic Accounts, captured that challenge perfectly.

Audio has become an increasingly important part of that mix. SiriusXM Media, specifically, has become a centralized ecosystem that reaches 255 million consumers across audio, video, social, and more. That means access to some of the most premium and popular listening destinations—and as of two months ago, that now includes YouTube. (Yes, YouTube is the number one destination for podcast consumption, and yes, SiriusXM Media is the exclusive reseller for that audio-first inventory.)

(The best) adtech is building for that future

The technology powering advertising is what will enable this next era of centralized, audience-based media buying. That makes adtech more than an operational tool—it becomes a strategic advantage, allowing advertisers to plan, buy, measure, and optimize holistically in one place.

The future of advertising will be defined by authenticated relationships, interoperable identity, and privacy-safe measurement—and by the platforms that can deliver all of it at scale while earning buyers' trust.

That conversation took center stage during The First Party Deep Dive at the VideoAmp Penthouse, where Sherene Hilal, SiriusXM Chief Ads Product Officer, discussed how SiriusXM Media is approaching one of the industry's biggest measurement challenges.

AdsWizz, SiriusXM Media's industry-leading advertising technology platform, is at the forefront of this next era. In fact, many people don't realize that AdsWizz is the underlying technology powering not only SiriusXM Media, but also many of the world's leading publishers.

Beyond preparing for agentic buying in audio, AdsWizz has built an ecosystem of partnerships that makes it easier than ever to include audio in every media plan—including VideoAmp, Snowflake, LiveRamp, and more.

Looking ahead

If there was one overarching takeaway from Cannes 2026, it's that the future of advertising won't be defined by any single platform, creator, or technology. Success will come from bringing those pieces together in ways that create meaningful, measurable connections with audiences.

For SiriusXM Media, that's exactly where we're focused: helping brands reach engaged fans through premium creators, trusted audio experiences, and the technology that makes it all work together. As the industry continues to evolve, we're excited to help shape what's next. Let's talk.

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