It's been a month since Cannes Lions 2026. The rosé has worn off. The sand is (mostly) out of our bags. And we've had enough time to let the whirlwind settle into something like perspective. We knew we didn't want to do just another "best of the beach" list. But we did want to share our field notes.
Meet the XP Matrix, inspired by New York Magazine's Approval Matrix and Gartner's Magic Quadrant and reworked for the business of experiential.
We tracked 15 choices across 12 brand activations and mapped each one against two dimensions that matter more than a simple thumbs up or down: Relevance asks whether the choice was the right call for this brand and this moment. Execution asks how well the decision was pulled off. Plotted against each other, the two axes start to distinguish glossy good looks that look great on the grid from activations with real substance.
A note from the editorial team: Everything plotted here cleared a baseline bar. Getting on the matrix was the first edit.
NO CASE NEEDED
LinkedIn's QR code terminal (1) turned the most basic Cannes behavior — swapping contact information — into a brand moment. The QR code stickers were arguably more useful than the handheld fans that kept everyone from melting and distinctly theirs. Their staff uniforms (2) were another high note: Chanel-by-the-sea vibes, in the best way.
Canva’s on-brand, off-duty tote bag (3) was the talk of the beach and deservedly so. Big enough to swallow a laptop, several fans and half the swag on the Croisette and so fuzzy that everyone wanted to touch it. Beachy in a loud and proud (très Canva) kind of way. Their confetti shower (4) was a welcome one-up on the ball pit and very on-brand down to the color palette. If only it could have somehow managed to cool us down.
Spotify Beach's evening concerts (5) are the most obvious “of course” move, but they still get top marks for relevance. And credit where it's due: Spotify didn't mail it in. A lineup with something for everyone and a strong turnout is harder than it looks.
FQ's Camp @ Cannes (6), which provided free childcare, was the company’s mission executed as a service. Working moms would have been grateful even without the Teletubbies.
SMARTER THAN THEY LOOKED
FQ's frosé in sippy pouches (7) was kind of genius. Rosé is the drink of Cannes; frozen rosé in a format that travels is just smarter. The slushie machines had their moments, but the concept was sound. Whether it has anything specifically to do with The Female Quotient is a harder case to make, but sometimes reading the room is the job.
DoorDash's swag (8) made a real point: headphones and candles, organized by color like a produce stand, to show DoorDash delivers more than food. But using swag to stretch brand perception isn't exactly a new play and the execution didn't push past the concept.
Cîroc's hoodies and tees (9) in the South of France heat made more sense once you understood the logic: select on site, receive at home months later. A second brand moment, delivered right when the Cannes glow has worn off. The least beach-appropriate swag on the Croisette was maybe the most strategically interesting.
AWS parasols (10) were a genuinely welcome antidote to the lack of shade at Amazon Port — cute and practical. What they have to do with agentic AI tools for aspiring entrepreneurs is a harder case to make. Sometimes a parasol is just a parasol.
THE PLACE WAS THE POINT
Reddit's fresh strategy fridge (11) — a fridge you could stick your head into — was a genuine surprise-and-delight moment. Very on-brand for a platform built on unexpected ideas and very on-point for the hottest week in the history of France. Could it have been a walk-in? Next time.
TikTok's AI fragrance experience (12) made an AI interaction feel warm instead of cold and people documented it heavily. But it would have worked almost as well for any digital-first brand chasing the same "AI, but human" story.
Pinterest's patisserie (13) served up desserts chosen via a short image-based quiz and got the brand logic exactly right. The communal seating was a nice touch too, even if the format wasn't far from a drink-out-a-window situation.
Salesforce Beach (14) delivered something rarer than most activations on the Croisette: the actual feeling of being on vacation. Which was exactly the point Salesforce was going for. With Agentforce handling the work, you could finally put your feet in the sand.
The Collins House pool (15) was the antidote to the Croisette — quieter, cooler and most likely to be where the actual business got done. Feet in the water, drink in hand, deal on the table. Totally Collins. Totally Cannes.
