Under the Spotlight with Sir Martin Sorrell at Cannes 2024

Back in June in sunny Cannes we had the huge pleasure of hosting an intimate conversation with a true titan of our industry.  Sir Martin Sorrell who chatted to our CEO Sophie Devonshire at the Media.Monks Café around the periphery of the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity 2024.  

Engaging, enlightening and memorable, we heard fascinating insights and anecdotes from Sir Martin about his remarkable leadership journey with all its twists and turns, plus his perspectives on everything from the state of creativity to the disruptions we need to plan for, what today's CMO needs to thrive (and survive), and how to prepare for the challenges of tomorrow – as well as what keeps him going today. 

There was so much to choose from but here are a few of our favourite quotes from the conversation:

• On AI: “I’m on the side of it’s a revolution. I don’t think it’s just a tool.” 
• On short-termism: “People are moving very, very short term... the life of the CEO is, on average, about five years of a CMO, maybe a couple of years.” 
• On global talent: “The quality of the talent that we see in other parts of the world is underrepresented here [in Cannes], I think, and it’s greater than people think.” 
• On continuous learning: “The secret is just a thirst for reading stuff, of taking information from any and all sources.” 
• On the future of marketing: “This year, this industry will be a trillion-dollar industry... 700 billion of that is going to be in digital.” 

You can experience the conversation in full and hear more of Sir Martin’s views on the future of marketing, creativity, AI, and global inclusivity by listening to the podcast below

Or you can watch it as if you had a front-row seat clicking the video below

Whichever you choose you’ll come away with a head full of fascinating thoughts and ideas to reflect upon.

Published on 21 August 2024