Mark Penn, the chairman and CEO of Stagwell, has miraculously turned his firm right into a family title on the Cannes Lions Competition in simply two years.
The advertising and marketing company’s Sport Seaside, which is in its second yr, has change into the place to be within the South of France, with celebrities together with Elon Musk and Travis Kelce making appearances.
Penn spoke to Web page Six concerning the huge array of conversations going down at Sport Seaside this week, together with the rise of ladies’s sports activities, why manufacturers ought to promote on information websites and whether or not Taylor Swift will make a shock look on the Croisette.
Q: There have been a ton of celebrities, athletes and execs at Sport Seaside this week, together with X proprietor Elon Musk. Are you able to inform me about his cease by Sport Seaside in the present day?
Mark Penn: We’ve been a supporter of his transformation of X. I are likely to agree that what was happening earlier than he took it over was a constraint of free press. The New York Put up actually felt that means most likely, given what happened with the Hunter Biden story. I’ve lengthy been sympathetic to new possession and renaming to X with a plant on free speech actually made sense. I actually do suppose that extra advertisers ought to get again to the platform as a result of the platform – whereas a whole lot of readership goes down – is definitely going up.
Q: It’s attention-grabbing as a result of he doesn’t use promoting for Tesla and a few of his different corporations, but he’s come right here, which is the promoting Mecca for the week. Is that this a second the place he felt like he wanted to talk to the promoting group once more, or re-approach or reengage and are available again?
MP: I do take a look at him coming again. I feel he’s had progress on the platform. I feel he’s put in innovation. I feel a number of the unique dustups are form of historical past. People by no means keep in mind something for greater than six months. It was a great transfer for him to come back right here and be direct. I’ve by no means seen anybody attempt to simply reply any query requested as greatest they will, no speaking factors, no canned speeches. It was very sincere and it was actually good for him to come back. I feel clearly X [CEO] Linda Yaccarino thought so, too.
Q: Sport Seaside is greater and higher this yr. Is there something you’ve been in a position to do that yr that you just couldn’t do final?
MP: I feel a number of issues. We do say it’s larger, higher and bolder. I do suppose that we do have but to come back a number of the greatest athletes – particularly arising tomorrow. I liken it a little bit bit to “The Godfather.” , “Godfather I,” everybody thought that was wonderful. They by no means thought “Godfather II” can be higher after which it was.
Q: However then “Godfather III” wasn’t so nice.
MP: I don’t know what “Godfather III” goes to seem like however I do know that “Godfather II” is even higher. I attempt to say look, we’re a advertising and marketing firm. We got here up with the all of the concepts, we got here up with the branding, the design. We constructed it, we workers it. We construct the web site, we construct the app. It’s an indication of what we are able to do for purchasers and the way we are able to construct a model. I feel Sport Seaside is now an impartial model that we are able to start to market.
Q: Who’ve been a number of the most attention-grabbing individuals who have come by that you just’ve loved listening to essentially the most?
MP: I feel Carmelo Anthony was actually an enormous hit right here. Sue Chicken was an enormous hit. I feel we’ve had a surge on ladies’s sports activities right here as matter corporations can get round and market. We’re having Travis Kelce right here [Thursday] and it’s going to be a sell-out. Folks can speculate if he’s bringing someone.
Q: Do you suppose he’s bringing [Taylor Swift]?
MP: I doubt it, however all hypothesis is nice in advertising and marketing.
Q: Together with your background as a pollster, what are your ideas on the upcoming election?
MP: Polls are snapshots in time. Proper now, [Donald] Trump has the sting. He’s winning in most of the swing states. He’s successful by a few factors within the nationwide vote, which implies within the electoral faculty he would win by a margin. If the election have been held in the present day, I feel he clearly has the sting. Does that imply he’s going to win? No. There are such a lot of occasions right here that may shake the election up starting with the June 27 debate. I feel will most likely be between 50 and 100 million folks tuning into [the] occasion. That’s of the dimensions that it may possibly change minds and alter votes.