Moloco

It was an amazing week at Cannes Lions 2026. We’d like to thank all the partners, customers, and friends who stopped by the first-ever Moloco Penthouse. An oasis in the middle of the Croisette, our space served as a hub to foster engaging conversations around how marketers can continue delivering meaningful value every day. From AI-driven performance to commerce, CTV, and more, the past few days have been filled with connections, conversations, debates and engaging discussions. But the impact shouldn't stay on the beach. Let's work together to take action and turn these insights into outcomes. #Moloco #CannesLions2026 

Wednesday was a busy day here at #CannesLions, the highlight of which was a lively panel at the ADWEEK House on how consumer discovery is reshaping before our eyes. The way consumers traditionally discovered brands was through word of mouth, research, and of course, marketing. They may have searched, compared, scoured reviews, and made an informed decision. Today, LLMs have made it more of an express lane. Consumers can now simply ask a question and receive an answer tailored to their needs - “word of bot,” as one panelist put it. Moloco CMO Paul D'Arcy notes: “Product research is being replaced with product shortlists generated by AI, with the shorter path to a product being the preferred path.” So where does advertising fit in? This shift makes it even more critical for marketers to master the art of both brand and performance, to be a part of the conversation, and to meet their audiences where they are with relevant messages and products that resonate. We extend a huge thank you to Richard Case (GoodRx), Julie Foster (Electronic Arts (EA)), Dan Gardner (Code and Theory), Stacy Wright Malone (Pinterest), Kyle Monson (Codeword), Jane Hendrick (Marriott Hotels), and Liz Kneebone (ADWEEK) for moderating, and to everyone who joined live from Le Majestic. #Moloco #AdWeekHouse #CannesLions2026 #AI

Day 2 at Cannes included a standout panel at Journal House featuring Moloco CMO Paul D'Arcy joined by Costco Wholesale's Mark Williamson and Reckitt's Ryan Dullea for a conversation on "The New Storefront" and how AI is (and isn't) changing the future of retail. The throughline: AI is changing retail, but not reinventing the wheel. The fundamentals — discovery, relevance, trust, value — remain. A few themes that resonated: Discovery still drives retail: The magic of finding something unexpected (the end-cap effect) has always been part of the in-store experience. AI creates real opportunities to bring that same serendipity into digital environments, if retailers are intentional about it. Shopping agents could reshape the path to purchase: As AI-powered assistants take on more of the navigation work, the interface may look different — but understanding consumer intent and delivering meaningful experiences at the right moment matters just as much. Trust is expected to remain a differentiator: As AI takes a larger role in shaping decisions, brands that maintain transparency and consistency have a better shot at earning lasting customer loyalty. Retail media works when it adds value: The most effective retail media networks use the intelligence they generate to improve the experience for customers. Thanks to The Wall Street Journal team and Raakhee Mirchandani for a great moderated discussion. #Moloco #CannesLions2026 #RetailMedia #CommerceMedia

What an amazing Day 1 at Cannes yesterday. To kick off the week, we hosted a breakfast at the Moloco penthouse with Women in Retail Media, where Kim Ludlow, our Sr. Director of Business Development for EMEA Commerce Media, joined the panel spanning brand, media, agency, and tech. Moderated by Ellie Prendergast, founder of Women in Retail Media, Kim was joined by Alice Anson (Director of Digital Media, Nectar360), Tami Harrigan (VP of Business Development at AppsFlyer, one of our partners), and Suzy Knight (Retail Media Partnerships Manager, Screwfix). Together they covered: the future of retail media, turning AI from buzzword to outcomes, and the power of allyship and women supporting women. They also shared the career decisions and connections that shaped their journeys, plus a few Cannes survival tips: staying cool, building real relationships, and knowing which conversations to prioritize. A few themes stood out: Progress requires participation. Building a more inclusive industry isn’t one group’s job. Real change happens when allies step up without being asked, advocating and creating opportunities for others. Recognition matters, but impact matters more. Awards like Person of the Year or Women of the Year count. But too often, individual contribution goes unrecognized. AI is moving from promise to proof. Looking ahead to 2027, the conversation is shifting from what AI could do to where it’s delivering measurable outcomes. The pressure is no longer to innovate for its own sake. It’s to demonstrate value. Retail media’s next phase will be defined by credibility. As the industry grows, expectations rise. Buyers, sellers, and partners want transparency, validation, and results. Less smoke and mirrors, more evidence. The biggest takeaway: use your network. Progress happens when industries become more accountable, more inclusive, and more focused on real outcomes. Retail media will keep evolving. The question is whether we evolve with the discipline, leadership, and transparency to fulfil its potential. #Moloco #CannesLions2026 #RetailMedia

Sunil Rayan laid out why we invested in AppsFlyer. I’ll just underline the principle behind it. Almost every consumer platform that has mattered over the last 20 years came from the open internet, and the next ones will come from there too. For that to hold, the measurement layer that tells everyone what actually worked has to stay neutral and independent, trusted across the industry. That is what this investment, with Google, Meta, and Unity, is meant to support. It is the role we intend to keep playing as the open Internet grows.

For fifteen years we've believed independent measurement is the foundation everything else in digital advertising is built on. Today, that foundation gets stronger. Moloco, Google, Meta, and Unity have made an investment in AppsFlyer to advance independent ad measurement for the AI era. We believe that neutrality isn't a feature. It's the foundation. Our promise is simple: Better attribution, better signals, better ads. An overall better internet. This is how we get there. Read more from AppsFlyer‘s CEO and co-founder, Oren Kaniel - here 👉 https://lnkd.in/dBNpjKC7

Discovery is evolving far more rapidly than many marketers appreciate. Our research reveals that AI agents, algorithmic recommendations, and owned digital experiences are fundamentally changing how consumers encounter brands, putting traditional customer acquisition strategies to the test. So what does effective brand building look like when discovery can no longer be taken for granted? If you're at Cannes this week, be sure to visit us on Wednesday at Adweek House in the Le Majestic Hotel, where our CMO Paul D'Arcy sits down with Emmanuel Orssaud (Duolingo), Julie Foster (Electronic Arts (EA)), Stacy Wright Malone (Pinterest), and Kyle Monson (Codeword) - and just added to the lineup, Richard Case (GoodRx), Dan Gardner (Code and Theory) and Yasmin O'Neal (DECIEM | THE ABNORMAL BEAUTY COMPANY) This lively roundtable discussion will focus on the future of performance, discovery, and customer relationships. Hosted by Liz Kneebone of ADWEEK. Register: https://lnkd.in/gke-Tf6i #Moloco #CannesLions2026 #AI #Marketing #PerformanceMarketing #DigitalAdvertising

In a conversation with The Wall Street Journal, our CMO Paul D'Arcy argues that AI isn't just changing the tools marketers use - it's rewriting the discipline itself. Earlier this year, we partnered with Boston Consulting Group (BCG) to develop the AI Disruption Index, a deep dive into how AI is reshaping consumer behavior and marketing strategy across industries. Now we're bringing it to life at Cannes, with Paul D'Arcy joining Fernando Machado (Chipotle Mexican Grill), Domenic DiMeglio (Paramount Streaming), and Lotte Jones (Caliber) for a discussion on where AI is today and where we believe it's going. Read more below, and request an invite to join us live on Thursday from the BCG House: https://lnkd.in/gbie9Jck #Moloco #CannesLions2026 #AI #MarketingStrategy #CustomerJourney #Advertising

The best retail experiences are built on discovery: the moment a shopper finds something they didn't know they were looking for. Recreating that online, at scale, is the central challenge of modern retail media. Next Tuesday at The Wall Street Journal’s Journal House in Cannes, our CMO Paul D'Arcy joins Ryan Dullea (Reckitt) and Mark Williamson (Costco Wholesale) to dig into how AI is helping retailers and brands build those experiences - the kind that earn trust from merchants and shoppers alike. Register: https://lnkd.in/e2DzySBe #Moloco #CannesLions2026 #AI #RetailMedia #CustomerExperience

Discovery is changing faster than most marketers realize. Our research shows that AI agents, algorithmic recommendations, and owned digital experiences are reshaping how consumers find brands - and the old acquisition playbook is under real pressure. What does brand building look like when discovery is no longer guaranteed? Next Wednesday at Adweek House, our CMO Paul D'Arcy sits down with Emmanuel Orssaud (Duolingo), Julie Foster (Electronic Arts (EA), Stacy Wright Malone (Pinterest), and Kyle Monson (Codeword) for a roundtable on the future of performance, discovery, and customer relationships. Hosted by Liz Kneebone of ADWEEK. Register: https://lnkd.in/gke-Tf6i #Moloco #CannesLions2026 #AI #Marketing #PerformanceMarketing #DigitalAdvertising