Cannes Lions is where the advertising industry goes to be seen. The biggest brands spend enormous money to dock their yachts in the marina as official sponsors. We weren’t an official sponsor, and we didn’t have that kind of budget. We went anyway.

The idea was simple, and a little rogue. My team found and chartered our own yacht, anchored it offshore, and arranged water taxis to ferry customers, prospects, and creators out to us. We were off the official map, but very much part of the event.

My job was making sure it worked as more than a boat. I built the landing page, the email campaigns, the sales materials, and the marketing that turned it into a destination for our team and a place to do business.

We had our own room on the water at Cannes, on our terms, for a fraction of what the marina brands paid.

Whenever people assume the obvious solution is the only solution, I think about that yacht.