Sean “Diddy” Combs had some explaining to do after telling the world’s advertising elite, “I hate watching commercials just like anybody else.”
The producer, fashion and Ciroc mogul was perhaps a little too outspoken when he took to the stage at Cannes Lions to unveil his new music cable network Revolt TV before thousands of creatives on Wednesday.
At lunchtime yesterday, a chastened Diddy was back pitching the network over an intimate VIP lunch with industry royalty including BBDO’s CEO John Osborn, Starcom MediaVest’s Global CEO Laura Desmond, Pepsi chief marketing officer for global consumer engagement Frank Cooper, JWT worldwide CFO & CEO Lew Trencher and Horizon Media President Bill Koenigsberg.
“First of all, I want to say I love commercials, I love commercials,” Combs said. “I don’t remember what I was thinking when I said that, I would never say that again. I just like the best commercials, the commercials that make me emotional.”
Flanked by his close friend, branding guru Steve Stoute, he went on to discuss the network which launches on Time Warner Cable in the fall, “There is no longer one trusted name in music … It is mind-boggling that gaping hole is there. For music we have no one destination, that is what I am here to solve. Revolt will become the new number one name in music.”
Combs ended his trip to Cannes last night by throwing a huge party with Nas for 2,000 people at the Gotha Club.