The Drink Cart: We Cannes Do It
The only newsletter guaranteed to be banned from Cannes for what it did with a bottle of rosé and a slide deck.
Dear marketing fans, Cannes rosé loyalists and anyone pretending to understand AI between yacht panels.
Summer’s here, kind of. For ad folks that means one thing: Cannes. Cue yacht parties, Cannes Lions badges glinting under the Riviera sun and endless heated debates over whatever AI is going to do to agencies and every job we are working in currently.
If I had to summarize that debate, this New York Times snapshot is sobering: “‘The advertising world might be at their funeral without even realizing it,’ said Geoffrey Colon, an entrepreneur who spent two decades at creative agencies and tech giants. To sum it up, he said: ‘Iceberg ahead.’”
I guess the other way to frame that might be, enjoy the rose, while it lasts. At the same time MIT released some AI research which turned into amazing headlines like, “Does ChatGPT make you stupid? MIT study suggests people who rely on AI tools are worse off.”
Meanwhile, I was smack dab in the opposite hemisphere, manning the Pound & Grain booth at the Canadian Gaming Conference. Picture this: me, fielding sportsbook and casino ad questions between ridiculous booths that featured doors and fancy seating, while across the ocean, folks in Cannes were hunched over their phones and MacBooks whispering sweet nothings to their generative LLMs over large glasses of rose.
My original plan this week was to create this entire newsletter in some Veo 3 AI video splendor and call it a day. But between talking for 8 hours about gambling marketing Midjourney 7 dropped while I was at summit mixer at the Hockey Hall of Fame. One moment I’m nursing a beer next 1890s hockey memorabilia, the next I’m elbow‑deep in pixel prompts, resurrecting stale Midjourney images from 12 months ago into full-motion mini‑films about curious Jack Russels and a Wes Anderson Airlines.
So instead of some AI tract in France, consider that while grearing up for a second day of time in our bodega themed booth, I’ll be thinking about all the videos I can make from my Midjourney history. As one person noted, “Remember how ai couldn't do hands 3 years ago?” We live in interesting times.
Drink Cart Approved™ agency discussion topics
How come there aren’t more quicksand ads?
I’m not sure why actor Josh Duhamel has an ad agency, but do appreciate the focus on quiet brands with money.
Can we just talk for 5 about how amazing the Everready battery logo is?
Okay, not going to lie, I would watch more garlic bread eating itself AI videos.
Ad History: Eau de Vals (1950)
Long before agencies were pitching “immersive brand activations” and throwing street teams out into the world, there was a boom of the “homme-sandwich” (translation: a sandwich board man). This surreal scene in 1950 Paris shows the Homme-sandwich for Eau de Vals, a French mineral water, getting their shoes shined. As you do.
No big deal, just shuffling around the Latin Quarter’s Pantheon in a full-body bottle suit. There is such a bit of nostalgia for human billboards. It’s ridiculous, poetic and in a world AI, kind of genius. A reminder that the roots of outdoor advertising aren’t digital, they’re leather-soled and just a little bit weird.
Underrated Phone Book ads
If you never looked up anything in the phone book, scroll ahead. There’s something so perfect about this phone book ad from The Rockford Files from the 1970s. Back when “branding” meant a sketchy illustration, an address and just some totally deadpan copy. “Specialized in closed cases” might be the best agency positioning line ever written, unserious on the surface, absolutely iconic underneath. No website. No QR code. No phone number. Just show up.
Last call: The Drink Cart Rose Spritz
When in Rome, or Cannes (not that we would know) we might as well throw out a little Cannes inspired spritz out into the universe. Rose is perfectly amazing on its own, but if it’s hot outside and you’re shy about putting some extra ice in it, this spritz recipe will be like Hannah Montana, the best of both worlds.
Here’s my take on the recipe:
3 oz chilled dry rosé
2 oz soda water
1 oz elderflower liqueur
Citrus slice
Lots of Ice
Try to picture this pack of puppies and your Rose Spritz.
The Drink Cart is your weekly fuel for pop culture brains and ad junkies. A cocktail of ad insights and hot takes that feel like you’re hanging at your favourite dive bar after launching your latest campaign.