Ross McNab

Fresh off a week at the 2022 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, I, like many other attendees, have come home reinvigorated (and albeit jet-lagged) about how data will play a vital role in the future of advertising. Between hosting marketers at our designated spot on MediaLink Beach, my team was also able to attend awards presentations, panel discussions, dinner meetings and soirees with seemingly endless carafes of rosé.

Financial analysts are hopeful the economy will reach near or full recovery by the end of this year. Such news is music to the ears of retail, restaurant, grocery and gasoline marketers, who will be looking to not only lift sales but also increasingly adapt to a privacy-led world.

While the Delta variant has delayed some companies’ plans for going back to the office, the renewed energy for the vaccine rollout suggests the hybrid model is still more of a matter of “when” than “if.” This means office workers will again patronize their favorite lunch spots after 18 months of largely making their mid-day meals at home. And that’s good news for fast-casual brands.