Losing My Edge

01 Jul, 2026

Ian Leslie's on Cannes Lions 2026:

The main cultural exchange here used to be between ad agencies and client marketers. These days the marketers bow down before the 'creators', a word so vague and generic as to be close to meaningless. Individuals with millions of followers on TikTok or Instagram are invited on to stage to lecture once-proud marketing companies like P&G on how to get consumers to buy stuff. There is a pervasive sense of middle-aged executives seeking the approval of the cool kids, and of the cool kids taking their money without returning their respect.

It reminded me of this:

But I'm losing my edge to better-looking people with better ideas and more talent.
And they're actually really, really nice."

• Losing My Edge, LCD Soundsystem