Amazon's Huge, Microsoft and iHeartRadio, Wondery and Stitcher join CLX initiative at Cannes Lions 2019

Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and MediaLink have announced three more companies joining CLX (Connect, Learn, Experience) – the new initiative where brands can meet, learn from and collaborate with leading content creators and entertainment experts.

The new CLX companies are Amazon’s full-service digital agency Huge; Microsoft, the provider of solutions that helps deliver engaging, personalised experiences; and iHeartRadio, Wondery and Stitcher, the producers of a wide variety of award-winning podcasts that engage millions of consumers each day.

Hernan Lopez, Founder and CEO, Wondery, said, “Podcasts are taking the world by storm and yet brands are only now starting to find the best ways to become part of the conversation. iHeartRadio, Wondery and Stitcher are excited to connect some of the worlds’ leading brands with some of the leading podcasts at CLX.”

CLX, which takes place during the Cannes Lions Festival, will provide participants with an intimate and experience-led environment to hear from and engage with the companies at the forefront of content creation through a series of curated roundtable discussions.

CLX will take place from June 18 to 21 in Palais II during the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. The first two days (Tuesday and Wednesday) will be an invitation-only summit. CLX will be open to all festival delegates on Thursday and Friday.

Alongside those hosted by Activision Blizzard, NBCUniversal and TikTok, the new roundtables are:

The Secrets of Breakthrough Experiences – Adobe

People are consuming more content than ever before, and brands are challenged to deliver a compelling experience with every interaction. In order to break through, experiences need to be driven by creativity and scaled with intelligence. At CLX, Adobe will host discussions around key topics with some of the most interesting people creating today’s breakthrough experiences, spanning territories such as the future of creativity and marketing, the intersection of creativity and intelligence, and the digital transformation.

Speakers include Ann Lewnes (Executive Vice-President and Chief Marketing Officer, Adobe) and Scott Belsky (Chief Product Officer and Executive Vice-President, Creative Cloud).

What do video games, AI, and tampons have in common? – Amazon, Huge

Amazon and Huge will discuss how to embrace working with brands to bring a voice to life using innovation, creativity, and storytelling. From world-class video game developer Ubisoft to the Hooha, the world's first smart tampon dispenser, during three round table sessions, Amazon and Huge will showcase compelling case studies that demonstrate the power of Amazon technology implementation.

Speakers include Marc Maleh (Group Vice-President Technology, Emerging Experiences, Huge) and Steph Lofredo (Associate Director, Social Media, Huge).

Innovating for the Agency of the Future and The Business of Inclusion – Microsoft

In their first roundtable, ‘Innovating for the Agency of the Future’, attendees can join Microsoft for an exploration of the latest innovations that will spark creativity in the agencies of the future, across advertising and audience solutions, voice marketing, AI for good, mixed reality, productivity, accessibility, and more. This is a chance to get hands-on with Microsoft technology, learn more about Microsoft’s accessible product design with the Xbox adaptive controller and discover how AI is increasing productivity.

At the heart of inclusive marketing is the ability to empower marketers to reach people in ways that deeply resonate and fuel long-term growth. Inclusive marketing opens doors to audiences with immense buying power, who marketers may have overlooked. At Microsoft’s second roundtable ‘The business of inclusion’, participants will be able to explore how inclusivity is a growth engine for business, how to maximise accessibility and better connect with audiences.

Engaging Consumers Through Podcasts — Wondery, Stitcher and iHeartRadio

Podcasts are going mainstream. One in three adults in the US are listening every month. Podcast consumers are more educated, affluent and younger than average, thus harder to reach through other media. And notably, 78% of them respond positively to the ads – especially host-read ads, which industry leaders iHeartRadio, Wondery and Stitcher deliver at scale on hundreds of shows, including Oprah’s Super Soul Conversations, Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, The Ron Burgundy Podcast, Stuff You Should Know, Disgraceland, Business Wars and Dirty John. Participants will walk away understanding the best way to engage consumers through podcasts, dos and don’ts, and case studies for brand building and performance.

The roundtable speakers include Conal Byrne (President, iHeartPodcast Network), Hernan Lopez (Founder & CEO, Wondery), Sarah van Mosel (Chief Revenue Officer, Stitcher), and Greg Leader (Vice-President of Advertising Partnerships, Stitcher).