Josh Krichefski on why PMG is going big at this year’s Cannes Lions
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At what point does a challenger agency decide to make a big splash at Cannes?
Stagwell, launched in 2021, first arrived at Cannes in 2022 and debuted its now-popular Sport Beach in 2023.
This year’s beachfront is seeing another agency addition: WPP has foregone its usual beach for alternative digs, and taking its spot on the Croisette is the global independent agency PMG.
The move comes 15 years after PMG founder George Popstefanov founded the outfit, and the timing now feels right, Josh Krichefski, PMG’s EMEA president, tells The Media Leader.
“The vision was about building a company around a more connected, data-driven future, building for a world where marketing and technology operators are part of a unified business strategy,” he says. “I think that’s where our industry is at now. We are in that moment where, increasingly, the role we play with our customers is much more around transformation partnership. AI is at the heart of that. Technology is at the heart of that. So the reason we’re going big on Cannes this year is that the moment we’re in right now is the moment that PMG has been building towards for 15 years.”
Krichefski joined PMG last October after 15 years working across WPP agencies, most recently as GroupM’s (now WPP Media’s) UK and EMEA CEO. The job opportunity arose this time last year, at Cannes, amid a moment of serendipity with Popstefanov.
A year later, the PMG team is taking a bigger swing, leasing beach space and planning a week’s worth of programming centred around the “AI and tech sandbox”, the first in what will become a global brand content series on the subject.
“Cannes is always about discovering where the advertising industry is going. Having a good space where people can come and discover all sorts of different things, in our area, it makes sense to have quite a big space,” Krichefski explains.
“What we’re trying to do with the space is to really help bring the whole industry forward. It’s not really about promoting PMG. We’re bringing an array of partners and solutions into the space to help broaden understanding of the landscape and really encourage experimentation.”
Speakers will include Reddit CEO Steve Huffman, tech and media analyst Benedict Evans and LumaAI CEO Amit Jain, among others from Microsoft, Zoom, Snapchat, Doordash and Google.
Amid the mix of live interviews, PMG will also be running a live hackathon, along with other interactive demonstrations and discussions.
“Everything is designed to put the focus on what brands and industry practitioners can do to innovate and drive impact now whilst also defining what’s next,” says Krichefski.
The consistent theme, he describes, will be the relationship, tension and collaboration between people and technology.
Krichefski adds: “I want people to come away from our space having learned something and having a feel for how AI can impact them and what they do day to day in their jobs in this industry.”
Too tech-focused?
AI and technology more broadly are likely to dominate discussions along the Croisette once again this year. As The Media Leader columnist Omar Oakes and Propeller Group’s associate director Ben Titchmarsh both observed this week, the Festival of Creativity has increasingly become a forum for American tech giants and global agency groups to showcase their wares, in many ways superseding the week’s ostensible focus on celebrating creativity in advertising.
“You can’t deny the impact that technology is having on the world, including our industry. So it’s no surprise that technology takes an increasingly prominent position in the festival,” Krichefski remarks.
But despite PMG’s own beach focusing primarily on tech, he is at pains to take time to appreciate and learn from the work showcased at the Palais.
“The things that I usually come away with from the Festival — and I expect to this time as well — are the impact of certain campaigns, the best creativity,” he says. “That mustn’t go away.”
He continues: “We don’t manufacture anything. We don’t have factories. We don’t have lorries. Our people and our creativity are central to the success of our industry and all the customers that we work with. I hope that won’t diminish.”
Making the most of the week
Krichefski expects to spend most of his Cannes in “top-to-top meetings” with clients and partners. But he is keen to leave time for serendipity and catching up with friends from other markets.
“My favourite moments at Cannes are the unplanned moments, the moments where you bump into somebody, or you see something that you weren’t expecting, and that dominates your day.”
While he looks back fondly on the pomp and circumstance of prior years (standout parties include Google’s 2023 Pride Party and Spotify’s 2022 Dua Lipa concert), what he most cherishes about Cannes are not parties but friendly conversations and the celebration of award wins.
His advice for first-timers? Dress for the heat, wear a hat, don’t have too many late nights, and, importantly, create gaps in the schedule.
“My favourite Cannes was last year. I wasn’t working at the time and I had such a great Cannes because I was so open, open to learning and having conversations with people. And I didn’t have to have a really packed agenda.
“If you can find a way to not be back-to-back throughout the week, that’s where you are able to have a more open mindset and take more stuff in, have interesting conversations and see great things.”
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