01-07-2025
Cannes Lions 2025: On creativity, heaviness and the power of joy
As a half-Palestinian, attending Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity last year was heavy. Putting on a happy face to talk to customers, partners, and prospects while keeping my family in Palestine in my heart was hard. Not much has improved this year, but as many in my community remind me, finding joy and appreciating the everyday is something we must keep doing.
As a shortlisting juror for the Creative Strategy category at Cannes this year, that perspective stayed with me as I reviewed nearly 290 entries. I've been coming to Cannes for over a decade, and since Dove launched the Real Beauty Movement, we've seen a wave of purpose-led campaigns tackling the world's biggest problems. When done right, this work is transformative. AXA's Three Words, which went on to win this year's Grand Prix Titanium, is a brilliant example. It came from a sector not typically known for creative risk-taking and showed how strategy, insight, and bravery can come together to drive real cultural and business impact.
But what stood out this year was how refreshing it felt when brands didn't try to carry the weight of the world. Because let's face it, the world is heavy. Escapism isn't just welcome, it's meaningful. Some of the most resonant work embraced wit, lightness, and joy. It reminded me why I love this industry: creativity has the power to emotionally captivate, to move people, and yes, to move product.
The brands that sparked delight were the ones that stood out.
Heinz continues to surprise and entertain (ketchup in hagelslag , anyone?) a brilliant piece of work by GUT. It's a masterclass in cultural specificity that's still globally accessible.
, anyone?) a brilliant piece of work by GUT. It's a masterclass in cultural specificity that's still globally accessible. 7-Eleven's Loser Pizza made people laugh while connecting with a niche sports audience. A fresh, clever take on feeling down. It proved that small insights, when deeply human, can scale.
made people laugh while connecting with a niche sports audience. A fresh, clever take on feeling down. It proved that small insights, when deeply human, can scale. Grey Thailand's Sad Khamachan used melancholy to spark national conversation, becoming the most awarded campaign in Thai history.
used melancholy to spark national conversation, becoming the most awarded campaign in Thai history. Nutter Butter's You Good? embraced absurdity with purpose, winning two Golds and proving nonsense can be strategic.
embraced absurdity with purpose, winning two Golds and proving nonsense can be strategic. FP7 McCann's Read Better for Waterstones delivered a deeply insightful message. With a wink, not a lecture. It hit that rare balance of meaning and memorability.
For many, humour isn't a cop-out, it's a connector. These campaigns were emotional and commercial wins.
Our vision is to help every brand feel personal to their customers. Yet despite advances in digital tools, Braze's 2025 Global Customer Engagement Review found that 85 per cent of marketing execs are concerned their messages aren't hitting home and over half feel very or extremely concerned. The takeaway? Brands must balance technology and content to create work that resonates. It starts with treating customers less like users, and more like people.
Unsurprisingly, artificial intelligence was a major theme at Cannes this year, appearing in everything from mainstage talks to whispered hallway debates. But the most compelling conversations weren't just about automation. They were about amplification. The most forward-thinking marketers are using agentic AI not just to increase efficiency, but to fuel more expressive, adaptive creativity. AI has the potential to give creative teams more space to experiment, tailor campaigns with precision, and unlock emotional relevance at scale. Done right, it's not a replacement for creative strategy, it's a multiplier.
Ultimately, our goal is simple: help brands tap into creativity that doesn't just reach people, but moves them.
That's why the work that stayed with me this year wasn't always the boldest or the loudest. It was the work that made people feel something, sometimes deeply, sometimes lightly, but always meaningfully.
By Mariam Asmar, VP, Brand and Strategic Consulting at Braze
