This year’s Cannes Lions brought together some of the most influential minds in brand, media, and creativity. We asked industry leaders who were on the ground to share their biggest takeaways—from the rise of creator-led storytelling to the evolving role of AI and the growing power of earned ideas. Here’s what stood out.
SHADOW
Brad Zeifman, Co-Founder and Chief Revenue Officer, SHADOW
This year at Cannes Lions, creativity was still the star, but it shared the stage with AI, which dominated nearly every conversation, not just as a solution but as an open question. There were so many debates around creative integrity, job security, and the long-term impact on the industry. The tension between moving fast and making something meaningful was clear and the brands that get it know you need both to stay ahead. Which brings me to the work at Cannes this year; what stood out as a common thread was emotion and craft, a clear reminder that technology matters most when it supports, not overshadows, human creativity.
Brian Vaughan, Executive Creative Director and Partner, SHADOW
The most effective work we saw at Cannes met audiences with brevity, but stayed with them because it had something real to say. When purpose and provocation are rooted in truth, brands can (and did) cut through the noise to shape conversations, not just join them. And in a time where the relevance of “brand” is called into question: ‘do brands still matter?’, ‘Is investing in brand building or brand campaigns worth it?’ — these shows of creative bravery reaffirm they’re not only not going anywhere, but that a robust brand world has the power to move, touch and inspire people and drive culture.
Liza Suloti, Co-Founder and Chief Communications Officer, SHADOW
We are seeing a long-overdue mindset shift in how the industry views and partners with creators. At SHADOW, we’ve always believed creators are more than content engines - they’re strategic, cultural co-authors. I loved seeing an evolution amongst brands leaning into true collaboration, not just chasing virality or applying a prescriptive program with talent. At the heart of so many successful stories we’ve told, campaigns we’ve built and partnerships we’ve matchmade has been the opportunity for creators’ true voices and creative signatures to shine.
Avery Akkineni, Chief Marketing Officer, VaynerX
This year, creators took over Cannes. They’re no longer just part of the conversation, they’re leading it, said Avery Akkineni, CMO of VaynerX. One of my favorite moments was our Creatorpreneurship panel at the Gallery Club House, where Faith Xue from Coveteur hosted an incredible conversation with Patrick Ta, Shea Marie, and Shopify on building brands, owning your influence, and redefining what it means to be a modern creator.
It was also a reminder that social is still the most underpriced attention in the game. Impact doesn’t come from media buys alone – it comes from shareability, credibility, and cultural relevance. And creators are at the center of that.
Kelly Marks, Co-Founder, PuRe
We’ve all been there. Too many hours stuck on social media, finding and sharing the great ideas we see on a tiny screen with our work colleagues. Pop ups, product launches, partnerships, brand campaigns – work so good you’re dying to share it. What if there was a place you could go and see this all come together, not just on a 5inch screen, but in real life? And meet the people behind the brands, understand the whys and the hows it came together and then deep dive into the results. And what if it was just a short flight from home?
Well there’s all of that and more at Cannes Lions – a huge global festival, focusing on brand, marketing and creativity. If this sounds like something you could learn from, be inspired by and have your work celebrated, put it on your vision board, and don’t sleep on it next year. This is a place where business networking is done face-to-face, and at lightning speed, a very wise young man I spoke to there said it's "like LinkedIn, in real time, on crack". I’m going to focus on the activities at the Palais itself, where the 12,000 guests spent most of their time and came to learn, show and be inspired.
An exhibition of many parts, and there’s something for everyone who is interested in any aspect of brand, creativity and any area of marketing. I’m going to break it down for those that are curious, and also point out 3 easy win opportunities that more brands could be doing.
At the main site, the Festival de Palais, there are a number of B2B pop ups, like any trade show really, but unlike most, these are overlooking the ocean, with super yachts passing by, and other brands opening their offices on those super yachts, five star hotels, cafes and restaurants. Inside the festival itself, there are the keynote speakers, networking events, workshops, displays of award entrants and the awards themselves – it’s an enormous operation and so well organised, with an incredible team of people that are well trained, really know their stuff and bring high energy and good vibes to the entire team. Brands, agencies, CMOS and more came together to show their work and success, in a way that was educational, inspiring and never felt like ‘showing off’. Thousands of people queued to get into the big talks, to hear from the likes of Serena Williams, Reese Witherspoon, Shonda and Jimmy Fallon
Let people understand your business
One activation that really stood out to me, was not the glossiest, not the most expensive, not consumer facing brand, and there was no dedicated ‘photo moment’, crafting stand or matcha latte in sight. It was by GWI an AI generation tool that builds intuitive real life research and is useful for building newsworthy, scalable campaigns. It was clear a lot of time and effort had gone into creating their stand - they’d thought about how they wanted to educate guests about their service, and got them actively using it, by incorporating it into a game, awarding worthwhile prizes that people wanted to win, not thoughtless merch and at the end spoke to guests about how they could use GWI’s service in their own workplace. At the end of the day most of the audience are professionals, looking to find out what’s available to support their business. Yes, essentially, Cannes Lions is a tradeshow, in the classiest most elegant setting in the world, and while the event is hailed as a business to business affair it's really a very special moment for the the big decision makers at the world's biggest brands and agencies to engage one to one with their audience and future audience.
Treat them like consumers
And here’s where brands can look at the attendees as their actual audience. Yes we’re marketeers, but we are also consumers, and for many it might be their only opportunity to see their global consumers all in one space – what a gift! Where else in the world do you find 90K people from all across the globe, are among the brightest minds in marketing and are taking an active interest in YOUR brand. Each brand CMO is missing a trick by not sampling their products to the people who sit in the audience, who came to listen to them. Think about those people, with endless options of places to be, they’ve chosen to spend 30 minutes hearing from your brand, they’re an invested consumer already, so this is the time to strengthen that relationship, to bring them further in.
Imagine if at Todd Kaplan's fantastic presentation about Kraft Heinz there was a space for the "hottest dogs", a very well air conditioned space, for the audience to cool off in the 90 degree sunshine, while tasting Heinz ketchup and mustard on a meaty treat , or an invitation to the XXX students to brainstorm live ideas with Kraft Heinz team, to win a “I’m a HOT DOG’ award, and wouldn’t it have been great to see one of their wiener mobiles, which we had just learned about from their Indy 500 activation, tearing down the Croissette or gifting merch. Take the campaign and let the audience dive into it.
We heard from the three female CEOs of McDonalds, Philips and Kimberley Clarke, in an incredible session that shared a sense of kindness and compassion in business and it would have been so good to see the creativity of the campaigns come to life. Toilet paper is an essential necessity, it could have been fun to see a meditation session sponsored by Andrex to help calm and relax guests who were currently ‘finding life a bit sh!tty’.
As we left the talk with Alix Earle having spent 30 minutes discovering all there was to know about Poppi’s marketing strategy, it would have been great to refresh the audience with one of their new flavours, but instead we walked out into the refreshment zone to see Coca Cola and mineral water.
Brand/product experience
Of all the public talks I went to, only two gave people an opportunity or taste of what they're up to. The first was Jimmy Fallon. He announced the launch of his fantastic new NBC show ‘Jimmy Fallon On Brand’, and every person in the room got a sneak peek of the first series, which is yet to air. And the other was The Chocolate Guy Amaury Guichon who spoke about his influencer journey on Meta with Nicola Mendelsohn and handed out a perfectly crafted chocolate Cannes Lions award from every single person that came to see him talk. That's bringing in your audience that's reducing the distance between you and your community, and that's where the power of branding really lies.
Lori Ruggiero, Managing Partner & EVP, Corporate & Technology, 5WPR
Generative AI has evolved beyond a buzzword to become a core tool in modern marketing. Cannes Lions 2025 made one thing clear: brands must now ‘target’ AI as intentionally as they target any other audience. As generative AI reshapes how consumers discover and evaluate brands, earned media, influencers, social platforms, and other forms of user-generated content are taking on greater importance, especially as AI-powered search engines prioritize authentic, authoritative content. AI is also reshaping commerce media, with AI-driven data integration enhancing targeting, personalization, and overall campaign performance. Still, key questions remain around measurement, the balance between human creativity and AI, and the ethical and responsible use of these tools, topics that were front and center at this year’s festival.
Matt Zavala, Chief Creative Officer, MSL
The work that won this year didn’t just spark conversation—it sustained it.
Juries weren’t rewarding clever headlines or one-hit wonders. They were looking for lasting, culture-shaping ideas: behavioral shifts, smart distribution, and real-world impact. Campaigns like Pedigree Caramelo, Lucky Yatra for Indian Railways, and Vaseline Verified all broke through because they made permanent change—and kept people talking. That’s the bar now. It’s not just about having a moment. It’s about building momentum.
It was a clear reminder: earned creativity doesn’t stop at the idea. It needs a plan for how it lives on, keeps earning, and drives talkability long after the campaign drops.
Agencies across the board are embracing this kind of thinking—taking earned-first ideas and crafting them into high-impact, beautifully executed work. But PR-led shops need to take up more space in that conversation. We need to submit more. Show up more. And be crystal clear that our work is not smaller, scrappier, or secondary. Our work needs to be seen—because it’s often the work driving the conversation in the first place.
That visibility comes down to how we tell our stories. The strongest case studies this year didn’t just explain the work—they made juries feel something. As an industry, we need to shake the modesty that’s so baked into PR. Telling the best story—with clarity, emotion, and pride—is just as important as doing the work itself. We can’t be shy about it. The work deserves more than that.
This came through loud and clear at the PRovoke CCO Roundtable that MSL co-hosted—the first of its kind at Cannes. We gathered Chief Creative Officers from PR firms around the world to talk honestly about the shift we’re in and what’s possible when earned ideas lead. The conversation was real, energized, and overdue. From how we show up in award shows to how we build creative leadership, the message was clear: this is our moment to lead—and we’re ready for it.
