At Cannes, Publicis Groupe says creators can generate just as much marketing buzz as the Super Bowl

Publicis Groupe is out to prove its two big creator-industry acquisitions are worth what it paid.

After spending $500 million to pick up influencer marketing business Influential

last summer, it recently acquired Captiv8, a company that says it “unifies creators, commerce, and campaign performance” by using a data-central approach to hooking up creators and brands for campaigns.

Now Publicis–a France-based marketing agency that makes over $14 billion a year working with clients like Walmart, Cartier, Nestle, L’Oreal, P&G, and Heineken–is taking those companies to Cannes Lions.

Its annual Cannes ad campaign this year (running on displays at the airport in Nice and on billboards throughout the festival) centers around how brands can get Super Bowl-sized reach while spending a “fraction of the cost” by tapping content creators instead. The campaign video (themed for Cannes’ lion) stars wildlife content creator @shandorlarenty as well as Gen Z media outlet Pubity. Per Campaign, Publicis plans to tap resources from Influential and Captiv8 to bring in other influencers who will share the vid, remix it, and talk about it.

The video debuted June 16, and its reach will be tracked in real-time, then displayed at Influential Beach, the company’s sponsored spot at Cannes Lions.

Publicis’s goal is to meet or beat the Super Bowl’s reach of 127 million viewers, with a 30-second spot costing $8 million. Ryan Detert, founder and CEO of Influential, told Campaign he thinks the video will accomplish this in 48 hours, and will show brands that with content creator-led marketing, they could spend between $450K and $2 million and achieve what the Super Bowl wants $8 mil to do.

The campaign also has a cheeky shot at Cannes, with one tagline saying, “Get Super Bowl reach for the price of 25 Cannes passes.”

Publicis isn’t throwing everything into creator marketing, though; it is still, at its bones, a traditional ad company, and wouldn’t want to steer its clients away from spending on one of the most lucrative events of the year. Detert told Campaign Influential views creator marketing as an “and” instead of an “or.”

“We think that there is a play for not just the big moments like the Super Bowl to amplify, but really having an always-on campaign with creators. They become your media channel,” he said.

Still, Publicis making its entire 2025 Cannes presence about creator-led marketing is a major deal. Publicis Groupe is perhaps the largest traditional ad company to commit serious resources to influencer marketing thus far, and we’re intrigued to see what comes of this campaign–and its future endeavors in our space.