As President of CMDC and a member of the Canadian Cannes Lions Advisory Board, Shannon Lewis has spent over a decade at the festival, watching it grow into a global stage where creativity sparks new ideas, products, and business models. But Cannes Lions 2025 felt different. This year, it became a powerful forum for leaders to reflect, challenge, and reimagine what’s next in the face of political, social, and technological change.
Along the Croisette, consistent conversations emerged: how can creativity help us navigate uncertainty, restore trust, and shape an AI-enabled future that serves both people and progress? Here are Shannon’s key takeaways from Cannes Lions 2025.
1. Economic Resilience: Investing Through Uncertainty
A true festival highlight was the WSJ’s daily morning briefings. Each day began with a thoughtful look at global markets, consumer sentiment, and the question: What role do brands play in broader economic and societal issues? As geopolitical tensions and market headwinds swirl, global ad spend is still projected to reach $1.08 trillion in 2025, a 6% rise over 2024. Retail media, set to surpass $169 billion is emerging as a bright spot for growth.
Morning Briefings with WSJ | Suzanne Vranica, Advertising Editor, The Wall Street Journal and Richard Dickson, President and CEO, Gap, Inc.
Kicking off the day’s session, Gap Inc. CEO Richard Dickson spoke candidly about the brand’s evolution, sharing lessons on avoiding over-promotion and how the company is balancing revenue and long-term brand equity. “Cultural relevance, great product, flawless execution, and experience, these are what bring brands back to life in turbulent times,” he said. His perspective echoed across Cannes as marketers discussed how long-termism can anchor brands in moments of uncertainty.
Key Takeaway: Resilient brands don’t retreat in downturns, they invest. Prioritizing innovation and protecting intellectual property has been proven to strengthen market position. As Paul Polman, former Unilever CEO, once said, “Brands that cut back in tough times rarely recover their leadership position when the storm passes.”
2. AI: Promise to Practice Creative Work
AI moved from promise to practice. From enhancing content creation to campaign optimization, these tools are already elevating business today. Google’s Vidhya Srinivasan said it simply: “It’s transforming every aspect of advertising today.” Qualcomm’s Don McGuire shared how AI workflow agents saved his team 2,400 hours every month, freeing up talent for higher-value work like strategic thinking, creative innovation, and client relationship building.
R/GA in Cannes showcased a truly cinematic, fully AI-generated film for Moncler, created in partnership with Google’s Gemini and Veo models. The agency team tested the real‑world physics, character design, and real‑world locations. Their goal was to preserve cinematic beauty, the sheen of the Moncler jacket, the authenticity of weather and light, all meticulously handled by an AI toolchain. “To get clients to embrace new tech, you must let them experiment,” said Tiffany Rolfe, R/GA’s Global Chief Creative Officer. The result: a cinematic, AI-powered campaign that boosted conversions by 72%, enabled by a custom Google AI tool called Shot Flow and Gemini. Blending craft with innovation: This wasn’t tech for tech’s sake, it set a new bar for storytelling and involved more creative talent in the process.
R/GA and Google experimental film using Google’s generative video model, Veo, featuring luxury brand Moncler.
While AI is clearly shaping the future of creativity, Cannes conversations also stressed the importance of authenticity and ethics. Sir John Hegarty reminded us, “AI can aid, not override, the spark that makes a brand resonate.”
Key Takeaway: AI should amplify as a tool, not replace human creativity, pairing insight with machine precision.
3. Capital and Change: Business as a Force for Good
Reckitt | Impact Innovators: Building a Healthier World
Joining Sheila Redzepi, Chief Communications and Corporate Affairs Officer at Reckitt, were global sports icon Serena Williams – also Founder and Entrepreneur of Serena Ventures – Catherine Casey Nanda, Managing Partner at Acumen America; and Tania Bryer OBE, Broadcaster and Anchor at CNBC.
During the session, Serena Williams emphasized, “Innovation matters because those closest to the problem are often closest to the solution.”
Reckitt’s newly launched Catalyst fund (€10M) is designed to back women-led health ventures globally, shining a light on pioneers like Nida Sheikh’s water-harvesting H2O Air Machine and Dr. Shamina Buma’s AI-powered diagnostics work in Africa. The session reframed investment as more than capital, it’s a catalyst for systemic change.
Work that embraced social impact also dominated the awards. Entries for the Glass Lions rose 53%, reflecting demand for campaigns with cultural impact. Ogilvy + Dove’s Real Beauty platform earned another Grand Prix as a “sustained movement of cultural recalibration.” Alison Tilling of Ogilvy captured it well: “When your platform resonates deeply, it echoes for decades.” With $28 billion in incremental revenue over two decades, Dove’s story proves that brand equity drives both meaning and performance.
This year also made it clear: innovation is an imperative – not just which technologies to use, but how to earn trust, empower diverse voices, and maintain a connection with consumers.
Key Takeaway: These investments aren’t charity, they are the next frontier of scalable, sustainable growth for business.
4. Trust Wins: Why Advertisers Are Returning to Credibility
The spread of misinformation came up again and again at Cannes as a serious concern for brand and agency leaders. In a world where trust in institutions is falling and polarization is rising, trusted media is critical in cutting through false narratives and providing audiences with reliable information.
News fuels democracy, and trusted brands are proving its enduring power in today’s complex media marketplace. Publishers are doubling down on premium journalism, audience-first storytelling and creative formats that break through news fatigue. For advertisers, news isn’t just another media channel, it’s a cultural anchor where thoughtful, engaged audiences come together.
WSJ Journal House held a session titled Restoring Truth featuring speakers Savannah Guthrie, Co-Anchor of Today and Chief Legal Correspondent NBC News; Mark Marshall, Chairman, Global Advertising and Partnerships; Josh Stinchcomb, Global Chief Revenue Officer, Dow Jones, NBCUniversal; Emma Tucker, Editor in Chief, The Wall Street Journal. and moderated by Phillipa Leighton-Jones, SVP, The Trust WSJ | Barron’s. The session was moderated by Phillipa Leighton-Jones, SVP of The Trust, WSJ | Barron’s.
“Our viewers don’t want to be inflamed; they want to be informed,” said Guthrie. Her words capturing the heart of a key Cannes theme: trust. Today’s audiences are more intentional than ever, seeking clarity over noise. That daily ritual of engaging with trusted news, she noted, is gold for advertisers.
Added Marshall, “Live news is communal. 86% of viewers tune in because they want to belong to something bigger.”
Josh Stinchcomb put it simply: “What’s good for our business is good for society.”
Cannes Lions 2025 made it clear: marketing leaders are rethinking brand-safety myths and actively calling for reinvestment in journalism. Stagwell’s research revealed that 90% of CEOs consume news daily, and 86% believe brands should advertise alongside credible journalism, a powerful signal that trusted news environments are critical for influence. Leaders argued that overzealous brand-safety filters are blocking access to valuable audiences and undermining both media and marketing effectiveness. Reinvesting in journalism is not just as a moral imperative, but as a sound business move—anchoring brand trust, enabling performance, and reinforcing integrated, data-driven strategies.
Key Takeaway: Investing in credible news and journalism isn’t just about brand safety, it’s a strategic and competitive advantage in a world overflowing with misinformation.
5. Leadership & Tomorrow’s Talent
CMDC Board and Google Leaders
Cannes Lions 2025 wasn’t just about celebrating creativity, it was also a reminder of the responsibility leaders hold in shaping the next generation. Leadership was front and centre this year as the CMDC board gathered with Google leaders to discuss how agencies are evolving to meet the moment. Topics ranged from accelerating AI integration while protecting ethics and creative integrity, to building workplace cultures where the next generation of talent can flourish. “We’re not here to observe trends at Cannes, we’re here to shape them,” said one board member.
A true highlight was the global Young Lions competition, a showcase for the bold thinking and cultural fluency the younger generation brings. Canada had teams competing in all seven categories and they shined on the international stage!
Design Gold: Jesse Shaw and Zoë Boudreau from Rethink for their compelling visual identity for the Museum of Art and Photography India – disrupting assumptions about comics and culture.
Media Bronze: Tristan Bonnot-Parent and Samuel David-Durocher from Cossette Media, for their purpose-driven solution to a brief bringing awareness to Ovarian Cancer Action.
A winning moment for Tristan Bonnot-Parent and Samuel David-Durocher as they take the spotlight, center stage.
Marketer Shortlist: Suzanne Liu of Uber and Arielle Uwonkunda of Molson Coors Beverage Company delivered a powerful brand strategy concept for The Braille Institute.
Film Shortlist: Alexandre Pépin, from LG2 and Nicolas Robert of Carton Rouge, for their poignant 60-second ad created for World Ovarian Cancer Day – completed within 48 hours.
With over 450 competitors across 67 countries, their achievement is a testament to the creativity and determination Canadian talent brings to the world. See Canada’s global Young Lions award-winning work here.
Key Takeaway: Tomorrow’s leaders are hybrid thinkers – creators, strategists, and technologists in one. To keep them inspired, we need to cultivate spaces that encourage experimentation and collaboration.
6. The Work: Ideas That Last
Walking through the Palais to see the work on display is always a reset, a chance to pause, reflect, and glimpse where creativity, culture, and the industry are heading next.
AXA – THREE WORDS, Publicis Conseil, Paris
One standout: Publicis’ “Three Words” campaign. By rewriting AXA’s home insurance to include support for women facing domestic abuse, it delivered a business-aligned solution with real cultural weight.
Another highlight: Vaseline’s “Verified” campaign. With bogus skincare hacks flooding social media, Vaseline worked with dermatologists to create a badge system that debunks bad advice and endorses credible tips. It’s as shareable as a meme but rooted in science, merging education and engagement to build trust with a digital-savvy audience.
Judy John, Global Chief Creative Officer at Edelman and 2025 Titanium Lions Jury President, closed the festival with words that resonated: “Every idea is the first domino, the tipping point. Find a problem no one else sees and solve it. Be ambitious. Stay curious. Insight lives in the why and the how.”
Key Takeaway: Cannes Lions 2025 is a reminder that creativity remains the most powerful force to solve real business and societal challenges. Cannes reminds us: leadership today is about inspiring change tomorrow.
Reporting Shannon Lewis, President, CMDC, Canadian Cannes Lions Advisory Board member
Shannon champions the Canadian Media Directors’ Council business objectives with sound strategy, inspired creativity, and humanity. The CMDC operates to ensure a fair and progressive media marketplace with members accounting for 96% of the total media investment, over $10 billion invested in the Canadian economy, jobs and communications infrastructure. She is passionate about CMDC’s mission of the Canadian Media Manifesto, which galvanizes the media industry to support a healthy, balanced media ecosystem, fostering responsible media and giving media agency clients more opportunities to connect with diverse Canadian audiences. Consistently recognized as a highly motivated and transformational leader with accolades including Canadian Business RBC SME Top 25 Women to Watch.
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