Cannes Lions Ep 1: Ad-Tech Heavy Hitters

Following a successful run of conversations with some of the brightest minds in commerce media, we’re taking the podcast to the iconic Croisette for a special Cannes Lions edition!

To kick off our Cannes Special episodes, we caught up with three incredible Ad-Tech Heavy Hitters. We spoke with Emma Newman (Chief Revenue Officer, PubMatic), Babs Kehinde (Senior Director, Commerce Media EMEA, PubMatic) and Amie Owen (Chief Client Officer, Flywheel) to explore the industry's next stage of evolution.

Across both conversations, a common theme quickly emerges. The industry is moving beyond proving that retail media works and towards solving the operational challenges that will determine whether commerce media can truly scale. From AI-enabled workflows and offsite commerce to retailer differentiation, ecosystem connectivity and consumer trust, this episode examines how the market is shifting from experimentation to execution.

What you’ll learn from this episode:

Why commerce media has entered its next phase: Retail media has become one of the defining conversations at Cannes Lions—but the discussion is no longer about proving the opportunity exists. Emma, Babs and Amie explain why the industry's focus is shifting towards maturity, operational excellence and building scalable commerce ecosystems.

Why AI's biggest opportunity may be simplifying complexity: While AI dominated conversations across Cannes, all three guests argue its greatest value won't simply come from generating creative assets or replacing people. Instead, AI has the potential to remove operational friction, accelerate campaign execution and simplify increasingly fragmented commerce media workflows.

Why connected ecosystems matter more than new platforms: Rather than building more disconnected retail media networks, the future lies in connecting existing ecosystems. Amie explains why retailers, brands and technology partners must focus on interoperability, collaboration and creating a more seamless path from discovery through to purchase.

The shift from onsite retail media to connected commerce: Commerce no longer starts and ends on a retailer's website. The discussion explores how offsite activation, publishers, CTV and broader digital channels are extending the digital shelf and creating new opportunities for brands to engage consumers throughout the entire purchase journey.

Why trust and consumer experience remain competitive advantages: As AI becomes increasingly embedded into media and commerce, maintaining consumer trust becomes even more important. Emma and Babs discuss why transparency, responsible AI and better customer experiences will become key differentiators as commerce media continues to evolve.

Why the next challenge isn't growth—it's integration: The future won't be defined by who launches the next retail media network. It will be determined by who can best integrate data, media, technology and commerce into a connected ecosystem that delivers better outcomes for retailers, brands and consumers alike.

About the hosts:

• Nick Morgan: Nick is an entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in digital marketing and eCommerce. He founded Vudoo in 2018, a platform that enables in-stream content commerce across articles, videos, and images. Nick's work transforms every ad impression into a potential shop front, offering a seamless eCommerce experience.

• Paul Blackburn: Paul is a digital media innovator with over 20 years of experience. At News Corp Australia, he launched the "Intent Connect" data platform and led innovation in shoppable video and the "Total Commerce" framework. Now as Chief Growth Officer at Vudoo, he helps brands, publishers, and agencies unlock new ways to monetise content through immersive, commerce-enabled experiences.
  
  

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