Cannes Lions Festival 2024: the paradox of AI and authenticity
The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is the world’s leading festival celebrating global ingenuity, innovation, and trends across the advertising and communications industries.
Yes, we attended. Yes, we have a lot to say about it.
This year, everyone’s talking about AI (obviously).
With the recent announcement of TikTok Symphony and their AI Avatars, it’s clear that AI content is only becoming more mainstream. However, the demand for authenticity is also at an all-time high.
When you hear “AI” and “authenticity” in the same sentence, you have to wonder, do marketers really have any idea how to do both?
And what does this mean for the future of influencer marketing specifically?
Brainlabs’ Tom Sweeney, Global VP of Influencer, and Hannah Cole, Influencer Creative Strategy Lead are sharing their predictions in the wake of Cannes Lions and, specifically, how AI and authenticity will evolve in influencer marketing.
One thing’s for sure. Us marketers are in for one interesting journey.
AI vs authenticity
AI, AI, AI…
If there was one thing that came out of the festival, it was this. Its rising use in creative industries is already making its mark and shows no signs of stopping.
Twelve per cent of all Cannes Lions entries this year used AI, including Outdoor Lions Grand Prix winner ‘Adoptable’ by Pedigree. AI enables their digital campaigns to feature real shelter dogs on each ad, and as soon as a dog is rehomed, it’s immediately replaced with another pup in need.
AI is breaking ground in the healthcare industry too. Other Lions Grand Prix winners included ‘Magnetic Stories’ by Siemens and ‘Voice 2 Diabetes’ by KVI Brave Fund. ‘Magnetic Stories’ uses AI to turn MRI machine noise into audiobooks for children, while ‘Voice 2 Diabetes’ uses AI to detect type 2 diabetes in people just by analyzing their voices.
Brands and influencers of all sizes use AI to streamline their content creation, from automated video editing tools to AI-driven copywriting and image generation. As well as TikTok Avatars, platforms such as Gemini, Chat GPT, Jasper, and DALL-E are readily available to all.
And while AI can’t get enough praise from many brands and industry leaders, these same marketers are still championing authenticity as the pinnacle of creative campaigns. Tom says, “There is still a need to be incredibly authentic – that’s what audiences are looking for.”
So what do we really think is going to happen?
Ultimately, humans are still drawn to human elements, so things like storytelling, unapologetic flaws, and personal and relatable content are all popular. Is it possible to buy into AI personalities? Studies show that written content especially is more effective when produced by a person. No matter how advanced AI gets, it can’t replace genuine human connection.
Three predictions from Cannes Lions 2024
The partnership between AI and influencer marketing will continue to grow. But the stark cry for authentic, genuine material will not go away. We’ve listened and learned at Cannes Lions, and here are our predictions for how things will change, specifically for influencer.
- AI will be popular for while… but it won’t last
What happens when AI-generated content becomes the norm? In a world filled with consumerism, people are tired of mass-produced products being pushed and often favor handmade and sustainable items. One study showed that people clearly favored handmade items when they were making a purchase for a loved one, and many were willing to pay up to 17% more for handmade items in general. Likewise, if we see masses of AI-generated content in the future, then it might not be exciting anymore. If it’s all too similar, consumers will move onto the next thing (and brands will need to know what that is to engage with audiences again).
We’ve seen this in the rise of virtual influencers. The hashtag #virtualinfluencer has a total of 618million views on TikTok and a 27.6% view growth over the past 12 months. But what’s interesting is when you look at the individual virtual influencers themselves. @lilmiquela (one of the most famous virtual influencers out there) has actually seen a decline in follower growth on TikTok. So perhaps the popularity of AI content may go on a similar journey.
@lilmiquela follower percent growth (hasn’t peaked since 2022)
Tom says, “In a world where it’s easier than ever to create content, we will see a lot more noise, and therefore, only the best will win.” Human-made content will be a unique selling point so people may end up seeking it out.
If we’re right, what will be the winning strategy?
We anticipate that the brands adopting a hybrid approach to AI content will likely succeed. Brands who listen to their audience and understand their wants when it comes to AI will ultimately win on social. Not everyone will like artificial intelligence produced content, so it’s about carefully curating campaigns to suit the market. Remember, AI doesn’t come in just one form. Utilizing it in High-Performance proprietary tech tools like Bytesights as well as content itself will be a game-changer going forward.
- Stricter regulations will be added to AI-generated content
Any content made by AI on TikTok is labeled as AI-generated, and the avatars will be the same. But what’s to stop creators from making AI content outside of TikTok and passing it off on the platform as their own?
Although channels like Meta are now implementing AI stamps, there are currently no universal rules around this. Plenty of content you’re already seeing on socials could be made using AI. In influencer marketing specifically, we anticipate that businesses and users will call for more transparent practices. There is still so much backlash and conversation around what “best practice” is for human influencers, let alone what AI will bring to this conversation. There needs to be clearer regulations and terms and conditions in place, but how this happens remains to be seen.
If we’re right, what will be the winning strategy?
Integrity. That’s what people are looking for from brands on social (along with a long list of other things that you can read about in this report). We predict that brands who are fully transparent with their use of AI on social will not only avoid any backlash, but could, in fact, thrive. A “human-generated” label or similar could be a subversive and ownable opportunity for brands looking to stand out as real in a world of inauthenticity. People understand that AI is in our lives. So lean into this. Be honest with your AI content and even find ways of educating your audience on how you use it. This could put a whole new spin on “behind the scenes” content.
- The market gap between social platforms will widen
It’s already clear that TikTok is for AI, but will Instagram feel the same way? In the past, Instagram has come under fire for being fake, and many users flocked to TikTok for more authentic content. Now, if TikTok is pushing AI, will Instagram or other social platforms take the more human route and distance themselves from it?
It’s an interesting question. Especially since the competing social media channels have started to integrate very similar video formats (e.g. YouTube Shorts, TikTok videos, and Instagram Reels) and AI-generated feeds making content more personalized than ever before. But will we see any rejection of AI-made content from any platform? AI could change the social landscape, and it will be interesting to see how different platforms respond.
If we’re right, what will be the winning strategy?
In a future where the gap between social channels is widening, brands will need to look at their own values to understand where they should sit. A hybrid strategy is likely to win, but it’s not going to be as easy as reposting content to different channels. Brands will need to be ultra-specific with the kind of content they are creating within each social media platform, and utilize influencer marketing in new innovative ways depending on each channel-specific landscape. Brands that use AI avatars will benefit because they will look and feel like a creator. But one thing to note is that creators themselves may need to respond to this differently. Perhaps we will see a world where social media channels differentiate themselves from each other, and creators and brands do too. If brands utilise AI content more and more, maybe the power of authentic creator content will become even more potent.
One year, one hell of a ride…
We weren’t surprised by the AI hype at the Cannes Lions in 2024. But whatever hype we’ve experienced this year, it’s nothing compared to what we’ll hear about in 2025.
Elon Musk said, “This is the most interesting time in all of history. So enjoy the ride.”
And we tend to agree.
Whatever we thought we knew about AI now, will likely change by the time we’re sitting back in the Cannes Lions auditorium, listening to him again.
So what do we do for the next 12 months?
This year is all about experimentation. Tom says, “You can afford to be bullish on this. The industry is unclear on how this will pan out, but we will be having an entirely different discussion about AI in 2025.” So test, trial and tamper with your AI content. Ensure you keep trust with your customers by always being transparent.
AI can’t (or shouldn’t!) be used without human intuition and creativity. Many brands are already successfully blending it into their strategies. We’re doing the same in our work too.
Really, artificial intelligence should be used to make us smarter – we prefer to call this approach augmented intelligence.
Using AI tools and technology combined with human innovation and insights, especially in influencer, ensures High-Performance engaging campaigns that actually work.
Our amazing human team creates incredible generative AI tech tools to boost our High-Performance strategies, and we continue to learn and embrace the changing digital world.
If you’re not sure how you should be integrating AI into your influencer marketing, talk to us today. We’ll help you build campaigns that outperform the competition and ensure you navigate the changing AI landscape this year (and for the future).
Because one thing’s for sure… it’s going to be one hell of a ride.
