DECODING CANNES The 2025 INSIGHTS REPORT
Another year at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has wrapped. The celebrities were abundant, Jamie Lee Curtis, Shonda Rimes, Jimmy Fallon, Reese Witherspoon, and Scott Galloway graced the stages. But beyond the star power, 2025 felt like a pivotal moment for our industry.
I arrived in a cautious headspace, wondering if we were staring down the barrel of an AI apocalypse. By Day 3, I was reinvigorated. This wasn’t the “Cannes of Reckoning”; some predicted, it was the Cannes of Renaissance.
Here’s what unfolded as the Riviera sun blazed and creativity flourished.
The AI Plot Twist
Let's address the giant robot in the room. AI dominated every conversation, every panel, every coffee queue chat. Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman laid out AI's evolution from recognition to generation, then to prediction, and ultimately...execution. But, as he conceded, data can’t feel. It lacks human empathy. And that is the plot twist. Human insight is the beating heart of any brilliant idea. Instead of replacing humans, the power and role of AI was crystallized by Apple's Tor Myhren. He nailed it perfectly: "AI should ride shotgun for us, but the ideas will still be propelled from us."
But one overall message that was undisputed across the board; embrace and master AI or be left behind.
Humanity roared: R.O.E. is the new ROI
In a world awash with data, something beautiful emerged from the chaos: the return of humanity. And smart brands are tapping in. We humans make 91% of our decisions with our hearts, not our heads, so emotional intelligence really matters, thus return on emotion (ROE) versus ROI is the new yardstick for brand success.
This may well be the year that kicks off a creativity renaissance. While AI can crunch numbers and generate content, it cannot replicate empathy, humor, or the wonderfully irrational way humans fall in love with ideas. Touch hearts and you can change minds. That's the new mantra.
The Democratization of Everything
2025 was the year of democratization. AI democratizes everything from business opportunity to hearing. As Sir John Hegarty proclaimed, AI allows smaller players to compete with global networks. Democratization of hearing arrives to us through Apple EarPods' new affordable hearing support features. And most notably, the democratization of winning, Lions were spread evenly across countries rather than concentrated in juggernaut campaigns. No single campaign or country owned the Palais this year, creating a healthier, more diverse creative landscape.
A Love Letter to Our Industry
Jimmy Fallon and Bozoma Saint John delivered an unexpected love letter to advertising with their new reality show "On Brand"—think Chopped meets The Apprentice, featuring real agencies creating campaigns for major brands in real time. Saint John's closing words resonated throughout the week: "I want to bring back respect to marketing and advertising." This validation felt like a warm embrace.
The Darker Threads
Not everything was sunshine and optimization. Smartphone toxicity and social media backlash dominated conversations. There's a growing awareness that we've created digital monsters we're now scrambling to tame. Gen X despair was palpable, but so was the creativity addressing it.
A sobering statistic emerged: women are adopting AI 70-85% less than men, often viewing it as taking shortcuts they feel guilty about. This gender gap in tech adoption will demand our attention.
Canadian Pride Soars Again
The Canada Party hosted by The Globe and Mail saw its biggest turnout ever—over 200 celebrating our creative prowess. Our Young Lions brought home Gold in Design and Bronze in Media, with shortlists in Film and Marketers. We remain one of the top creative countries globally, proving that smaller budgets are no obstacle to big ideas.
The Optimism Imperative
I left Cannes with optimism. Yes, change is hard. Yes, AI will reshape everything we know. But as Apple's Tor Myhren reminded us at the festival's opening, we need a rallying cry of optimism in support of human creativity.
We're not facing the death of creativity—we're witnessing its evolution. The brands, organizations, and marketers who embrace this change, who see AI as a collaborator rather than a competitor, who double down on humanity and empathy, will be the ones standing strong five years from now.
The Magic Continues
As I walked the Croisette one last time, I was reminded why I love this industry. We're in the business of moving hearts, changing minds, and creating culture. AI may be our new co-pilot, but the destination, that magical moment when creativity connects with humanity—remains uniquely, beautifully ours.
The future isn't about human versus machine. It's about human with machine, creating something magical neither could achieve alone.
Cannes Lions 2025, that's a wrap. And what a beautiful, optimistic, democratized wrap it was.
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Perfect for conferences or to kick off team planning for the year, Decoding Cannes is a fast-paced, one-hour presentation that is equal parts insider intel and inspiration. As a former Cannes judge, winner and member of the Cannes Advisory Board Member for Canada I'll share the insights you need to arm you and your team for the best year ever. Booking now.
A shout out goes to The Globe and Mail for being Canada's official Cannes Festival representative for over 20 years now, and bringing this inspiration home to us every year.
As a member of the Cannes Lions Advisory Board, our mission is to champion Canadian creative on the world stage.