Cannes Lions 2025: Skills, strategic thinking and take a second to slow down
The final two days at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity witnessed a strategic shift from conversations on stages to partnerships being formed and policies being shaped in closed-room discussions.
Motivate Media Group, Athar Festival and Campaign Middle East hosted breakfast gatherings in partnership with the UK Advertising Association and TRACCS, as well as an in-depth round table discussion with key leaders in Saudi Arabia and the UK.
Discussions at the round table revolved around the need for creative effectiveness; the need to tell the right stories well; the need for critical thinking; the need to develop a deeper understanding of local and regional contexts in the Middle East; and the need for leaders to take steps to develop a skilled workforce.
Explaining how the Cannes Lions landscape has evolved over the years, Kiran Jay Haslam, Chief Marketing Officer, Diriyah Company told Campaign Middle East, 'There have been a lot of discussions around technology and the role that it will play within marketing moving forward, but very few answers because it's almost impossible to accurately predict what the future holds. The gut instinct that most people have is that these are tumultuous times and the credibility of the industry and creatives is being questioned.'
'That said, the quality of the work and the conversations that are going on about the projects in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are very exciting; there have been a lot of very interested attendees. We've seen people looking to come to the Middle East, especially Saudi Arabia, to explore, find out more, and see how they can be part of the journey that the Kingdom is on.'
Fahd Hamidaddin, Board Member and Founding CEO, Saudi Tourism Authority also delivered a stellar keynote to a packed room at the Forum in The Rotonde, delving into the dynamic transformation taking place within the tourism landscape in the Kingdom.
He called for marketers in the Middle East to build brand affinity by developing a deeper understanding of hyper-local consumers, connecting with communities, focusing on collective precision, finding their true voice, and realising the soul of the region's individuals rather than just seeing them as 'segments'.
Hamidaddin also called for marketers to take a moment to 'pause and reflect' on current challenges such as inadequate attribution, complex optimisation, irrelevant data and daunting scale before diving into idealistic and futuristic conversations around the untapped potential of artificial intelligence (AI).
In an exclusive conversation with Campaign Middle East, Hamidaddin said, 'We should pause to make sure we filter what's hype, what's noise, and stay true to the fundamentals. The fundamentals won't change. What is changing is consumer behaviour and that's what we need to stay very close to while leveraging AI and technology to really develop a deeper understanding of consumer behaviour.'
He concluded, 'With the hype comes a global movement of speed and, conversely, an anti-movement of slow. So, I would say slow down, stay strategic, think big, stick to the fundamentals and pursue the 2080 ROI instead of the immediate results.'
Meanwhile MENA agencies continue to make the region proud, adding a few more trophies to the cabinet on Day 4. Stay tuned for a separate round-up of all the winners following the announcement on Day 5.
As of Day 4 at Cannes Lions, the MENA region has surpassed its tally of 22 trophies in 2024 to claim 25 trophies at Cannes Lions 2025.
Of these, UAE agencies have won 13 trophies so far led by FP7 McCann Dubai (1 Gold, 1 Silver, 4 Bronze); VML Dubai (1 Silver, 3 Bronze), Impact BBDO (1 Gold, 1 Silver), LEO Dubai (1 Bronze). Meanwhile, Jordan picking up its first-ever trophy in Cannes Lions' 72-year history sharing the spoils with Impact BBDO on its Silver Lion.
Representing Saudi Arabia at Cannes Lions, agencies from the Kingdom have won 12 trophies, led by BigTime Creative Shop (2 Golds, 1 Silver, 3 Bronze); SRMG Labs (1 Gold, 2 Silver), and VML Riyadh (1 Silver, 2 Bronze).
The MENA wins in each of the following categories include:
AUDIO AND RADIO
1 GOLD LION, 1 SILVER LION
Campaign title: The Second Release
Agency: SRMG Labs, Riyadh
Client: Billboard Arabia, Riyadh
BRAND EXPERIENCE & ACTIVATION
1 SILVER LION
Campaign title: Recipe for Change
Agency: FP7 McCann Dubai
Client: Arla Foods
1 BRONZE LION
Campaign title: The Social Feed
Agency: VML Dubai
Client: Hungerstation
CREATIVE B2B
1 BRONZE LION
Campaign title: Recipe for Change
Agency: FP7 McCann Dubai
Client: Arla Foods
CREATIVE COMMERCE
1 SILVER LION
Campaign title: The Social Feed
Agency: VML Dubai
Client: Hungerstation
CREATIVE DATA
1 BRONZE LION
Campaign title: The Social Feed
Agency: VML Dubai
Client: Hungerstation
CREATIVE STRATEGY
1 GOLD LION
Campaign title: The New President
Agency: Impact BBDO, Dubai
Client: Annahar Newspaper
DESIGN
1 SILVER LION
Campaign title: Sounds of the Land
Agency: SRMG Labs, Riyadh
Client: Billboard Arabia, Riyadh
DIGITAL CRAFT
1 SILVER LION
Campaign title: The Shaded Route
Agency: VML Riyadh
Client: Hungerstation
Campaign title: Agency: Client: Hungerstation 1 BRONZE LION
Campaign title: Read Better
Agency: FP7 McCann, Dubai / McCANN, Bristol
Client: Waterstones
DIRECT
1 BRONZE LION
Campaign title: Safe at 3AM
Agency: VML Dubai
Client: Dubai Tourism
ENTERTAINMENT FOR SPORT
1 GOLD LION, 1 SILVER LION
Campaign title: The 4th Judge
Agency: BigTime Creative Shop, Riyadh
Client: The Ring
Campaign title: Agency: Client: The Ring 1 GOLD LION
Campaign title: Obsession
Agency: BigTime Creative Shop, Riyadh
Client: Riyadh Season
FILM CRAFT
1 BRONZE LION
Campaign title: Obsession
Agency: BigTime Creative Shop, Riyadh
Client: Riyadh Season
FILM CRAFT
1 BRONZE LION
Campaign title: Everything or Nothing
Agency: BigTime Creative Shop, Riyadh
Client: Riyadh Season
1 BRONZE LION
Campaign title: Obsession
Agency: BigTime Creative Shop, Riyadh
Client: Riyadh Season
HEALTH AND WELLNESS
1 BRONZE LION
Campaign title: The Shaded Route
Agency: VML Riyadh
Client: Hungerstation
OUTDOOR
1 BRONZE LION
Campaign title: The Shaded Route
Agency: VML Riyadh
Client: Hungerstation
1 BRONZE LION
Campaign title: Not For First Dates
Agency: FP7 McCann Dubai
Client: McDonald's
PUBLIC RELATIONS
1 BRONZE LION
Campaign title: Sponsored Balls
Agency: FP7 McCann Dubai
Client: Testicular Cancer Society
PRINT AND PUBLISHING
1 SILVER LION
Campaign title: NOTES ON NOTES
Agency: Impact BBDO, Dubai / AdPro& Jordan
Client: Capital Bank
1 BRONZE LION
Campaign title: THE GREAT INDIAN DUNK
Agency: LEO Dubai
Client: NBA India
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
1 GOLD LION
Campaign title: Recipe for Change
Agency: FP7 McCann Dubai
Client: Arla Foods
Tune into Campaign Middle East's social media channels to stay updated on the latest of what's happening at The Palais, the Rotonde, The Carlton Hotel and stay tuned for exciting events at the Campaign House Hilton Canopy.
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