Slumbering Marissa Meyer riles Cannes ad execs after arriving unfashionably late to the party
Yahoo chief Marissa Meyer has come under fire after conking out at the Cannes advertising – when she was supposed to be meeting media buyers and advertisers at a pre-arranged dinner date.
Meyer sloped in 2 hours late for the glitzy event, bywhich time many of the executives corralled to greet her; including Interpublic Group chief executive Michael Roth who was hosting the event, had already given up and left, making for an awkward evening with those who remained.
Organised by Interpublic Group the private dinner was attended by marketers from drinks giant MillerCoors and yogurt maker Chobani, to whom Meyer confessed she had been snoozing as they ate late.
One dinner guest told the Wall Street Journal: “If it were an investor meeting, a board meeting or a potential acquisition, I am sure she or someone from her team would have woken her up. It is another instance where she demonstrated that she doesn’t understand the value of clients, ad revenue or agencies.”
Meyer’s responsibilities now includes courting advertisers after she fired her chief operating officer Henrique de Castro.
Yahoo refused to comment on the affair besides reiterating that it ‘valued’ its partnership with IPG and other advertisers.