Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity 2025 Recap

Photos by Joffray Jouve & Oleg P.

The French Riviera hosted the global creative industry as the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity held its 2025 edition from June 16th to 20th in Cannes, France. This year’s 72nd iteration was marked by luxury, record-setting heat, and unforgettable brand experiences from companies like Amazon, Meta, YouTube, LinkedIn, Canva, Pinterest, and more. The tension and eventual embrace of Artificial Intelligence was also very present, alongside a renewed emphasis on authentic human connection and purpose-driven creativity.

Cannes Lions sets the global standard for what exceptional marketing and creativity look like. Winning or even being shortlisted acts as a stamp of quality and innovation that can elevate reputations across the industry. The festival attracts over 12,000 attendees from nearly 100 countries, with a significant percentage of delegates holding senior roles. This density of decision-makers and industry influencers creates unparalleled networking opportunities. Cannes Lions is considered essential for marketers and creatives because it represents the pinnacle of global recognition in the creative communications industry.

Work recognized at Cannes is seen by a global audience, offering exposure that can lead to new opportunities, partnerships, and clients. Agencies and brands use Cannes Lions success as a tool to attract and retain top-tier creative talent. It’s a visible signal that they value and invest in groundbreaking ideas. Beyond the awards, Cannes Lions is a week-long summit of ideas. Workshops, panels, and talks from global thought leaders provide insight into emerging trends, technologies, and shifts in consumer behavior.

The festival recognizes not just artistic creativity but also strategic effectiveness (e.g., Creative Effectiveness Lions). It affirms that great creativity can also drive business results, making it easier for creatives to justify bold ideas to stakeholders. In a cluttered marketplace, creative excellence can be a major differentiator. Cannes Lions helps brands stand out by celebrating campaigns that cut through the noise.

In short, Cannes Lions is more than just an awards show—it’s a catalyst for creative evolution, business growth, and professional recognition.

The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is widely considered the pinnacle event for the global advertising and marketing industry. At its core, Cannes Lions is about celebrating and recognizing the best creative work from around the world. The coveted Lion trophies are a global benchmark for excellence in advertising, marketing, and creative communications.

Agencies and brands aspire to win a Lion because it signifies a commitment to exceptional creativity that drives real business results. This desire for recognition elevates the quality of work produced globally. Cannes Lions gathers decision-makers from agencies, brands, media platforms, and tech companies. It’s a prime environment for networking, partnerships, and deal-making.

Lions 2025 Trophy Winners

The award winners at Cannes Lions 2025 painted a vibrant picture of creative excellence, demonstrating the application of these trends across various categories.

• Dove’s “Real Beauty” by Ogilvy UK continued its legacy, securing wins for both the Glass: The Lion for Change and Media & Creative Strategy categories. This long-running campaign’s unwavering commitment to challenging beauty stereotypes resonated deeply with the juries.
• Publicis Conseil Paris had a stellar year, winning multiple awards for Axa’s “Three Words” campaign, notably in the Dan Wieden Titanium Lion, Direct, and Creative Business Transformation categories. This impactful domestic violence awareness campaign showcased the power of creativity for good.
• In the Film category, Channel 4’s “Considering What?” for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, created by Biscuit Filmworks, and L’Oréal Paris’ “The Final Copy of Ilon Specht” by McCann Paris, both took home top honors. “Considering What?” was lauded for its powerful reframing of disability, while L’Oréal’s documentary celebrated the untold story behind an iconic advertising line.
• Africa Creative DDB, São Paulo, earned the Audio and Radio award for Budweiser’s “One Second Ads,” a testament to innovative short-form storytelling.
• The Entertainment Lions award went to Hyundai’s “Night Fishing” by Innocean Seoul, a captivating fictional film promoting their Ioniq car, utilizing the car’s cameras for filming.

Other notable winners included FCB Chicago’s work for Chicago Hearing Society (Brand Experience and Activation, Design and Digital Craft), and Spotify and the Museum for the United Nations’ “Sounds Right” by AKQA Copenhagen (Innovation).

The Elephant in the Room: Integrity and AI

Cannes Lions 2025 was not without its moments of introspection, particularly concerning the integrity of submissions in the age of AI. A significant controversy arose when a Grand Prix awarded to DM9 São Paulo for its “Efficient Way to Pay” campaign was revoked due to the inclusion of AI-altered and manipulated footage that misrepresented real-world events. This incident, along with other claims of unverifiable campaign results and “greenwashing,” prompted Cannes Lions to swiftly announce new global integrity standards for 2026.

These new measures include rigorous, two-tier fact-checking systems combining manual and AI-led analysis, mandatory approval from both the entrant company’s business leader and a senior brand marketer, and an “AI Integrity Handbook” outlining acceptable use and disclosure of AI. The message was clear: creativity is only valuable if it’s credible, and the festival is committed to safeguarding that credibility.

AI is the Co-Pilot, Not Replacement

From the Palais stages to the beachside cabanas, every conversation seemed to orbit around generative AI, machine learning, and their transformative potential. However, a significant shift in perspective emerged: AI was consistently positioned as a co-pilot, a powerful tool to augment human capabilities rather than a replacement for creative minds.

Keynote speakers, including Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, YouTube CEO Neal Mohan, and Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen, articulated a vision where AI streamlines repetitive tasks, accelerates insights, and democratizes content creation, thereby freeing up creatives to focus on higher-level strategic thinking and emotional resonance. The sentiment echoed across various panels: while AI can generate vast quantities of content and surface intricate data patterns, it is the human lens—with its empathy, intuition, and capacity for unexpected insights—that imbues work with meaning and impact. As Unilever Chief Growth and Marketing Officer Esi Eggleston-Lacey eloquently put it,

“Humanity is not our limitation, it’s our superpower.”

Beyond the AI conversation, several compelling pillars emerged from the winning campaigns and thought-provoking discussions:

• Embrace the Unexpected: The most celebrated campaigns consistently challenged conventional thinking, blending data-driven insights with unconventional approaches. Jurors rewarded work that provoked new thinking, took risks, and uncovered tensions or emerging behaviors, rather than merely validating the status quo.
• Collaboration for a Better Future: The festival highlighted the increasing importance of cross-functional and human-centric collaboration. Partnerships between tech, digital, and insight teams, as well as co-creation with consumers, were showcased as pathways to more agile and impactful work. There was a strong emphasis on collaborations grounded in ethical and human-centric values, demonstrating that breaking down silos is crucial for driving relevance.
• Insights Drive Business Growth: A clear shift was observed from insights as a mere “support function” to a core value driver. The most impactful conversations focused on how insights directly influence commercial outcomes, from shaping innovation pipelines to driving campaign performance and guiding strategic investments.
• Prediction Over Diagnosis: The future of insights, according to many experts, lies in predictive capabilities. Brands are no longer content with understanding what happened; they demand partners who can confidently forecast what’s next. The ability to predict consumer behavior and business outcomes is becoming a strategic advantage, setting leading agencies and brands apart.
• Emotive Storytelling and Creative Inclusion: Despite the technological advancements, the enduring power of emotive storytelling remained paramount. Campaigns that evoked genuine feelings and resonated deeply with audiences stood out. Comedy also played a part in this. Furthermore, a strong push for creative inclusion was evident, with discussions around increasing representation from the Global South and empowering diverse voices within the industry. The Glass: The Lion for Change, celebrating its tenth anniversary, continued to champion work that addressed gender inequality and other societal biases.

The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is widely considered the pinnacle event for the global advertising and marketing industry. At its core, Cannes Lions is about celebrating and recognizing the best creative work from around the world. The coveted Lion trophies are a global benchmark for excellence in advertising, marketing, and creative communications. Agencies and brands aspire to win a Lion because it signifies a commitment to exceptional creativity that drives real business results. This desire for recognition elevates the quality of work produced globally.

Attending Cannes Lions 2025 offers a wealth of educational benefits that extend far beyond the awards themselves. The festival created opportunities for deep learning, strategic growth, and creative transformation. Here’s why it’s essential for professionals at all career stages:

Education

Cannes Lions hosted over 200+ content sessions, featuring 500 speakers across five content streams on 11 stages, covering strategy, creativity, innovation, effectiveness, and more. This curated program allowed attendees to dive deeply into topics such as AI-powered creativity, cultural marketing, and real‐time consumer storytelling.

Cannes Lions’ LIONS Academies and School offered immersive, skill-building programs designed for both emerging talent and senior marketers . These included:

• Young Lions Competitions for under-30s to refine creative craft in a global context.

• CMO Accelerator for senior marketing leaders to strategize creatively at scale.

• Brand Marketing Academy: a selective, six-day program (for high-potential talent under 30), unlocking skills in creativity, AI tools, and brand leadership through peer learning and real-world case studies.

Cannes Lions 2025 was a powerhouse of learning—from inspired keynotes to applied education and extended hybrid programs—making it a must‑attend for anyone serious about staying ahead in marketing, creativity, and brand innovation.Education extends beyond the festival with LIONS e‑learning that offers creative and effective MBAs and digital courses, so attendees can continue learning post-event.

Networking

Networking at Cannes Lions 2025 was not just good—it was transformational. Cultures from all over the world, languages from all over the world. One thing was for sure in common, that’s intelligence. Everyone here was there for a reason, and that’s probably why the event felt so special. With over 15,000 delegates from 90+ countries including top-tier CMOs, agency leaders, film producers, creators, celebrities, athletes, and tech innovators, Cannes Lions remains the one place where the entire marketing ecosystem converges in person.

Insight and connection often happened while waiting in line or at unexpected moments— hallway chats, impromptu bar discussions, or shared transport. These serendipitous connections proved as powerful as formal sessions. Some lifelong connections were made at this festival.

Networking at Cannes Lions 2025 mattered because it:

• Brought together a global and diverse creative economy.

• Created authentic connection points through curated and casual programming.

• Enabled the formation of communities that fuel long-term collaboration and innovation.

• Catalyzed real business growth and brand-building from every interaction.

It wasn’t just who you met—it was how, where, and why you met them—and Cannes Lions delivered that marketing & creative ecosystem in a way no other event can.

Brand Events

There’s too much to say here about the events and the experience the world’s biggest brands provided but we’ll sum it up.

TikTok’s Private Hotel Carlton Garden Party

TikTok transformed the Carlton Hotel Gardens into an interactive “TikTok Garden.” Attendees immersed themselves in creator demos, hands-on content creation stations, branded swag drops, and “Only on TikTok” surprises. The highlight was the invite‑only closing party. The energizing dance floor was driven by stellar musical talent and cultural flair, with sounds from DJ Shu. TikTok’s Hotel Carlton presence showcased strategic brilliance: a dynamic, immersive environment connecting creators, brands, and marketers warpped in social energy and cultural momentum.

ADWeek Activation At Hôtel Barrière Le Majestic +  Adobe’s Living Gallery

A dedicated branded house at ADWeek spanned multiple days (June 15–20), packed with fireside chats, group conversations, and panels covering retail media, AI, creator economy, brand-building, and more—co-hosted with partners like Teads, Zeta, Albertsons, Nativo, Nestlé, Accenture Song, GumGum, Acast, Tracksuit, among others. 

Along with private brand experiences, Adobe had their own setup with live artwork creation using Adobe tools, personalized tote‑making, and artistic collaborations—bringing creativity to life in real time. Adobe doubled its Cannes presence in 2025 compared to 2024—expanding from Young Lions sponsorships into full-hotel immersion and high-visibility brand experiences like signage, cabanas, and partnerships.

DEPT’s Secret Garden’s Exclusive Paradise At J.W. Marriott

DEPT®’s Secret Garden was more than an activation—it was a thoughtfully orchestrated sanctuary of insight. By blending serene hospitality with cutting-edge ideas and real-world application, it elegantly cut through festival noise—making it one of Cannes Lions 2025’s most strategic and curated activations.  The programming aimed to “bring the noise down and the level of conversation up,” delivering substance over spectacle with speakers in partnership with AfriCannes. The experience was no doubt one of the most memorable experiences throughout the festival.

“We know Cannes can be overwhelming. We wanted to create a space that brings the noise down and the level of conversation up.” – Dimi Albers, Global CEO, DEPT®

As things settled down at Cannes Lions 2025, the overriding takeaway was an optimistic view of creativity’s future. While AI will undoubtedly continue to evolve and integrate further into the creative process, the human element – our capacity for empathy, authentic storytelling, and unexpected insight remains irreplaceable. The festival served as a powerful reminder that the most compelling work is not merely technically brilliant, but deeply human-aware.

The challenge, and the opportunity for the industry moving forward lies in mastering this delicate balance between leveraging technology to amplify human creativity rather than dilute it, and ensuring that the pursuit of innovation always remains grounded in truth and purpose.