Arthur Sadoun and Maurice Lévy storm the Palais du Festival in Cannes – really – for Publicis Groupe awards

Remember 2018, when Publicis Groupe stayed away from Cannes Lions, in order to spend the money on its new inter-agency platform, Marcel?

This year, when the rest of the industry is staying away, Publicis Groupe has got the keys to the Palais du Festival and is holding its own internal awards ceremony – to be streamed live from the main stage via (what else?) the Marcel platform.

The event, named Cannes-Do, will take on Friday at 6pm, hosted – at a safe social distance – by CEO Arthur Sadoun and his predecessor Maurice Lévy, now chairman of the supervisory board.

Sadoun said: “In a world full of can’t, thanks to the engagement of our people and Marcel, we are able to celebrate the best creative work from around the Groupe and recognise our fantastic talent. It is also a way to thank our people for their very hard work in this tough period and hopefully put a smile on their face.”

As so often with Publicis Groupe, there’s an amusing film to accompany the news, in which Sadoun and Lévy act out a “mission impossible” style thriller as they make their way from the Champs Elysée to La Croisette. It’s almost enough to make you miss the festival.

Publicis Groupe will be awarding the best work from around its network, choosing between 1,400 entries from 400 agencies, judged by a jury of 25 creative leaders from across the group.