Our Cannes correspondent Marta is reporting from the riviera this week. She writes:

Already, after a day-and-a-half, I think I get Cannes. I'll admit, I was a little suspicious of what had been described to me as a "rosé-fuelled Soho-on-the-beach circus". Why go all the way to France to mingle with our peers, when London is in the thick of the ad world? But, as soon as I rolled into the festival's namesake city in a decidedly unglamorous swamp-green people-mover, everything became clear. It's not about the headliners (The Hoff, Kanye) or the oneupmanship of party venues (yachts, bubble houses), it's exactly what it says on the tin: a festival of creativity.  

[picture of people taking pictures of people… outside the Palais, with a DeLorean. A somewhat heavy handed metaphor for going back to the future of advertising, or something]

My background doesn't lie in traditional advertising. With that comes a certain degree of scepticism of an industry cloaked in clichés, but also an incurable curiosity about how the magic is made. I've always been in awe of those who use brand storytelling in a way that captures the imagination of millions of people, those who seem to have found the magic formula to creating inspiring work that leaves an indelible mark on culture. And here I am, surrounded by them, all decked out in linen, lanyards around their necks and branded tote bags in hand. It's impossible to remain sceptical. 

Most people back home think Cannes is just an awards show with a bit of hob-nobbing on the side to keep things sweet. In fact, there's a head-spinning week of official events for delegates to get stuck into, with over 200 speaker sessions, workshops and panels scheduled for the curious masses that flock here to learn what's new and what's next in our industry, and those wanting to get a little closer to nailing that magic formula. Add to that more fringe events than you can shake a pristine white yacht at, and you have an action packed festival that seems to make a lot more sense. 

The first panel I attended was "She Says – Why 80% of Your Advertising Budget is Currently Being Wasted" – a discussion led by Laura Jordan Bambach, President of D&AD and founder of She Says, with CEO of Havas, Russ Lidstone, founder of women's adventure wear brand Bowndling (and ex W+K planner) Collyn Ahart, and founder of the 3% conference, Kat Gordon, sharing the stage. With women accounting for upwards of 80% of all purchases in every consumer category (not to mention being early adopters of tech and drivers of social media) brands seem to be failing to speak to a demographic projected to control over 60% of the US wealth in less than a decade. Just imagine those numbers globally. When asked if they think advertisers understand them, a shocking 90% of these women say no.

At the aforementioned parties, there's been a lot of chat about women in advertising. Not only about how brands speak to women, but what we as agencies can do to address issues facing women in the industry. If all that's been achieved is the start of a conversation about how we can change things, we've come a long way already, one day in. 

Oh, and doesn't hurt that on the first night, we took home a Creative Effectiveness award for a campaign we're incredibly proud of, Lurpak 'Weave Your Magic'. 

Stay tuned for more.