The million-dollar secret I discovered on Cannes' red carpet 🎩

Why focusing on your product might be losing you customers (and what to do instead)

Two years ago, I got invited to Cannes Film Festival as a VIP guest.

(I'll explain why in a moment)

I did something most people never do:

Walk the Cannes Festival red carpet 👠

“The Most Prestigious Carpet in the World”. It costs $15,000 to walk it (if you can find a ticket).

And I must admit—

This is the *cheapest* piece of fabric I've ever felt. Seriously.

Yes, I really bent down to touch the carpet. No, security didn’t like that.

The Paradox of the Red Carpet 🌀

It’s super weird: The biggest VIPs & stars attend Cannes Film Festival. Mega-rich people walk here.

Tom Hanks was right there with me, a few inches away, as we strutted down the red carpet for the world premiere of his movie “Elvis”. The claps from the crowd, the glamour, the flashing cameras… it was surreal.

But how come this iconic red carpet felt so darn cheap under my feet?

The Million-Dollar Marketing Lesson 🧠

The reason is extremely simple:

No one cares about the carpet quality—they care about who’s walking on it.

⭐️ Sometimes it’s not about your product…

… It’s about the people who use your product.

That row of 5 customer logos you put on your website? It’s more important than you think.

👉 It rarely matters what your product (=the red carpet) is made of. What matters is WHO is using it (=the celebs and superstars walking on it). Focus on the stars.

How to Spotlight the Stars (Not the Carpet) 💎

Here are 4 proven tactics:

1. Create a customer hall of fame (e.g. Slack): Dedicate prime real estate on your homepage. Spotlight one customer every week. Tell their story.

2. Host a “Customer Oscars” event (e.g. Shopify): Annual online awards ceremony. With categories like “most innovative use case”. Let the community vote for winners.

3. Design insider swag (e.g. Twilio 1, 2): Create exclusive merchandise. Only for customers. Make it something they'd proudly wear or use.

4. Build a customer advisory board (e.g. Hubspot): Invite top users to join. Quarterly video calls with your CEO. Make them feel like VIPs.

So How Did I Become a Cannes VIP? 🧐

I won a Mastercard promotion!

An all-expenses-paid trip.

Flights, hotel, tuxedo, limo transportation, Michelin-starred meals.

It was the prize of a competition they held. The challenge: “Which superstar would you like to invite to dinner?” Mastercard set up a simple landing page with a tiny text box for the answer (30-character limit). Most creative answer wins 2 tickets.

I didn't write a name.

I put a link to a YouTube video instead. 😏

I produced an impressive quick answer video. Filmed it at a green screen studio near home and pulled an all-nighter to edit it.

This won me those golden tickets. Being creative works!

Perception trumps reality. A cheap carpet becomes priceless with the right people on it. A 30-character limit becomes an opportunity with the right idea.

Remember: It's not about the carpet, it’s never about the carpet. It's about the stars who walk on it. Your product isn’t the hero—it’s the stage for your customers to shine. 💫

See you next week ✌️

- Tom

---

P.S. I made a quick video about the experience of walking on the red carpet (where they do not allow cameras but I filmed anyway, lol):