Variety Sets Cannes Lions Panel With Walmart, NFL
Get the Culture newsletter
Daily culture — film, music, books, the trends and ideas worth your attention. Free.
- Variety announced its 'Brand Entertainment for Fans' event, presented by Walmart Connect, will take place Monday, June 22, during the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.
- Walmart, the NFL, L'Oréal USA, and Spotify will each send a top executive to the panel, which Variety's Co-Editor-in-Chief Cynthia Littleton will moderate.
- Seth Dallaire, EVP and Chief Growth Officer of Walmart, said the company's approach combines storytelling, media, retail, and technology 'to turn engagement into meaningful business results.'
- Tim Ellis (NFL), Dustee Jenkins (Spotify), and Han Wen (L'Oréal USA) round out the speaker lineup, with the panel drawing from sports, music, retail, and beauty to discuss entertainment-driven consumer engagement.
- Variety's Michelle Fine-Smith, SVP of Global B2B Partnerships, positioned the event as a way to spotlight how brands 'earn their way into' fan communities through entertainment and cultural relevance.
- Attendance is invite-only, with interested Cannes Lions attendees directed to request invitations at Variety.com/WalmartConnect.
Why it matters: The event places Walmart Connect at the center of a high-profile Cannes Lions conversation about fan engagement, giving the retailer direct access to NFL, Spotify, and L'Oréal USA marketing chiefs in a setting typically dominated by ad agencies and holding companies.
