The SMP and Marketreach roar at Cannes Lions

Print Solutions

Mail and print marketing's effectiveness and sustainability credentials took centre stage at the world's most influential celebration of creativity, as The Strategic Mailing Partnership (SMP), Marketreach and PrintGreen, championed the enduring value of the channel before the global advertising and marketing community. The team ensured it was not just part of the conversation at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity ­– it helped to shape it.

Each year, Cannes Lions brings together thousands of the world's leading brands, agencies, media owners, technology companies and creative leaders to shape the future direction of global marketing. It is where new ideas emerge, industry thinking evolves and the campaigns that define modern marketing are celebrated. Against that backdrop, ensuring print and mail had a meaningful voice within those conversations represented a significant milestone for the industry.

At the heart of the team’s engagement at Cannes Lions was the launch of Mail Unleashed Live. Hosted by Rory Sutherland, president Emeritus of Ogilvy Consulting, the panel brought together Andrew Tindall, chief growth officer, advertising at System1, Claire Sadler, chief marketing and fundraising officer at the British Heart Foundation, and Kate Mackie, global chief marketing strategy and operations officer at EY.

Rather than asking whether print and mail still has a place in modern marketing, the discussion explored why some of the industry's oldest channels continue to outperform many of its newest. Drawing on behavioural science, campaign effectiveness and real world marketing experience, the panel challenged assumptions around media planning, trust and customer engagement – demonstrating that physical communications remain a powerful component of today's integrated marketing strategy.

Among the central themes explored during the discussion was direct mail's ability to command attention in an increasingly fragmented media landscape, while complementing rather than competing with digital communications. The panel examined why physical media continues to build trust, how it is increasingly resonating with younger audiences, and why integrated campaigns that combine physical and digital touchpoints consistently outperform siloed approaches.

As the advertising industry continues to pursue new technologies, AI powered media planning and emerging digital platforms, the discussion also served as a timely reminder that innovation is not about replacing proven channels – but understanding how the right mix of media delivers stronger commercial outcomes.

Andrew reinforced the role of direct mail in driving campaign effectiveness, saying: ‘When you need trust and fame, leaning into these traditional media channels is really useful. Especially with mail it is trust building. You see a massive impact on the amount of trust a campaign creates if you include mail, but alongside radio and TV as well.’

Kate built on that theme by explaining why physical communications continue to create a stronger and more lasting relationship between brands and customers than many purely digital interactions. ‘I think if you are going through someone's letterbox rather than their inbox – the in real life versus URL [unreal life] piece absolutely lasts,’ she said. ‘And it means that you as a brand are driving much more trust I think, because you are not a flash in the pan. You are not just pushing junk into mailboxes.’

Looking towards the future of increasingly personalised marketing, Kate also highlighted how programmatic mail is enabling brands to build more sophisticated account based marketing strategies. ‘It is much more around how you are trying to drive the account holistically forward – depending on who the individual is,’ she said.

Claire Sadler also reinforced mail's enduring role within integrated campaigns. ‘Mail still forms an important part of our overall media mix. It does land in people's homes and it sticks.’ she said. ‘If it is well done, if it is relevant – it is engaging, it cuts through the noise. A piece of direct mail will hang around for a few days or a few weeks.’

Few voices carry greater influence within global advertising than Rory Sutherland, whose pioneering work in behavioural science has influenced marketers across the world.

Speaking at Cannes, he reflected on the profound impact direct mail had on both his career and his understanding of human behaviour. He said, ‘I am completely happy to devote a large part of the rest of my working life to promoting this medium, because I owe it to this medium. It was where I got all my best breaks as a creative. But more important than that, it is where I learnt almost everything. My interest in behavioural science was entirely sparked by the unexpected findings we achieved when testing direct mail.’

Bringing these conversations to the heart of Cannes represented far more than simply hosting a panel discussion. It was an opportunity to ensure that print and mail were represented where the future of marketing is being shaped – demonstrating to global brands, agencies and creative leaders that these channels deserve to stand alongside every major communications platform when planning campaigns that deliver measurable business outcomes.

Lucy Swanston, chair of The Strategic Mailing Partnership emphasised that the future of marketing lies not in choosing between channels, but in understanding how they work together, saying: ‘Our work at Cannes wasn’t about suggesting print should replace digital. Quite the opposite. Today's most effective campaigns are increasingly integrated, with each channel playing to its strengths.

‘Print has a unique ability to create physical engagement, capture attention and build lasting brand connections, while digital delivers immediacy, interaction and scale. The objective is helping marketers understand where print delivers value, how it complements digital, and how it can do so sustainably.’

Cannes Lions 2026 demonstrated a mailing and print industry increasingly confident in taking its message directly to the world's leading marketers. Armed with evidence, rather than assumption, it challenged outdated perceptions, showcased the power of creativity to drive effectiveness, and reinforced the message that mail and print are one of the most trusted, measurable and sustainable channels within today's integrated marketing landscape.

Building on that momentum, Marketreach and The Strategic Mailing Partnership are now exploring an expanded industry wide collaboration for next year’s Cannes Lions to reduce the barriers to participation and create opportunities for more printers, suppliers and industry partners to be part of the conversation. The ambition is to ensure that print and mail is not simply represented, but becomes an increasingly influential voice in shaping the future of marketing itself.

You can watch the full Mail Unleashed live panel discussion here: marketreach.co.uk/mail-unleashed-cannes-live