Where does competitive advantage come from in an AI world? New analysis from Marketing + Media Alliance covering 13,000+ Cannes delegates across Global, DACH, and Türkiye perspectives. Five strategic premiums. One framework.
At Cannes Lions 2026, 13,000+ marketing leaders from 92 countries gathered to answer one question: Where does creative excellence come from when AI handles capacity?
Marketing + Media Alliance (MMA) research reveals that competitive advantage has migrated. It's no longer a technology problem. The new premium sits on five strategic frontiers—judgment, aesthetic intuition, trust, skill, and financial integration—each irreplaceable and measurable.
Featuring perspectives from MMA (scale and efficiency), MMA MEA & DACH (trust and resilience), and MMA Türkiye (audience and platform evolution), this report maps the gap between human and machine decision-making, the CFO conversation CMOs must win, and the strategic framework for sustainable creative impact.
Key Takeaway: Sustainable creative impact = AI efficiency × human insight and judgment. If either is zero, the result is zero.
