Bain & Company

Agentic commerce, synthetic audiences, repeatable growth at scale — join us for the ideas that rose to the top at Cannes 2026 and the steps CMOs are taking to act on them now. Register now ➡️ https://atbain.co/4gicnFt In the meantime, here are some of the conversations and perspectives that stood out from Cannes: Coca-Cola's Global Category President Arnab Roy joined Kelly Edwards to discuss creativity in the age of AI. https://atbain.co/4v7hsEk Bayer CMO Samantha Avivi with Jake Gorelov on trust in consumer healthcare and what it takes to rebuild it. https://atbain.co/4ghnej2 Bank of America's Brad Ross joined Andrew Pierce on synthetic customers and why they help teams move faster, not replace human judgment. https://atbain.co/3RdJ0tJ LinkedIn's Jann Schwarz with Zak Prauer on buyability and why the best product doesn't always win in B2B. https://atbain.co/4eUNn4Y Bobbie's Sara Ahmed Holman joined Shweta Bhardwaj on the insurgent brand mindset and why lasting growth comes from consumer trust. https://atbain.co/3Rdue6g Laura Beaudin (Thackeray) and Brian Dennehy unpack four myths standing in the way of CMO-CFO alignment. https://atbain.co/44qV0eF Erika Serow and Philip Dowling on what separates AI leaders from everyone else. https://atbain.co/4gd32Pj #CannesLions2026

The conversations at #CGF26 reinforced a clear message: this is a defining moment for consumer goods and retail. Across the week, four themes consistently emerged: 🔹 AI is shifting from pilots to enterprise-wide transformation, changing how organizations operate and create value. 🔹 Winning starts with a deeper understanding of consumers, enabled by better data and faster decision-making. 🔹 Resilience and agility have become strategic differentiators across supply chains and operating models. 🔹 Innovation is accelerating globally, with new retail models and digital ecosystems continuing to reshape customer engagement. While the challenges facing the industry are well understood, the leaders creating advantage are focused on what's next; not waiting for certainty.

You've seen the headlines. Is AI's job-pocalypse real? As CEO of one of the world's leading talent companies, The Adecco Group's Denis Machuel believes it's "absolute nonsense"—and has the data to explain why. 🎧Tune in to hear where employment is headed, why trust is essential to AI adoption, and how organizations can successfully bring people alongside AI on the latest episode of Winning with AI: https://atbain.co/4eRVTBw

With deal value up 41% through May, global M&A deal value is expected to exceed $5 trillion this year. Discover what the surge means for dealmakers: https://atbain.co/4v443Nq

Consumers want more sustainable packaging alternatives. Can substrate suppliers keep up? Discover how they can gain market share: https://atbain.co/3QvnhgI

Global M&A activity is en route to pass $5 trillion. As companies pursue bigger deals while navigating AI transformation, success starts with these six questions: https://atbain.co/4wdz7ex

The companies pulling ahead in AI aren’t just making better tech choices. They’re making seven deliberate choices that matter. See what they are: https://atbain.co/4xMUWmH

AI delivers real value when workflows and workforce evolve together, cutting inefficiencies and strengthening trust. ➡️ See how teams are unlocking greater productivity: https://atbain.co/4oGnf2b

Erika Serow and Philip Dowling explore their key takeaways from #CannesLions2026, including why the future of marketing depends on bringing creativity and AI together, the gap between leaders in AI transformation and laggards, and why AI can bring more of the fun back to marketing.

How do we revert back to more human-centric opportunities? Brad Ross, head of global partnerships and social media marketing at Bank of America, explores how the conversation around AI has changed at #CannesLions2026.