Pre-Cannes warmup – adland leaders share their thoughts on what to expect
The Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity 2025 is almost upon us, and there is much to discuss this year, with the rise of AI – the fastest developing technology in history – presenting huge challenges ahead for the media world.
So we’ve asked some of the leading voices from the creative, marketing, adtech and agency sides of the industry to share their expectations and thoughts on what will and/or should dominate the week’s agenda, before they head there later this week…
Kate Tancred, CEO, Untold Fable
“I think it’s more important than ever that at this year’s Cannes festival that diversity and inclusion in advertising is not just part of the conversation, but driving it.
“At a time when political rhetoric is growing ever more divisive, brands have a choice: stay silent or stand for something.
“Consumers are clear, 75% consider a brand’s stance on DE&I when making purchasing decisions (Kantar), so now it’s time for advertisers to step up.
“Cannes is a mirror to the industry – and this year, it’s crucial that what it reflects is brands leading with purpose, using their platforms to push for progress and elevate underrepresented voices.”
James Kirkham, Founder ICONIC
“I think this will be a schizophrenic Cannes Lions, like a cultural fork in the road.
“One path leads to automation. Meta’s AI generating ads at scale, briefs reduced to mere inputs, creativity flattened into templates. I think a huge swathe of advertising agency folk will be waking up to a reality shock about to greet them.
“The other path however leads somewhere far more human. Messier, slower, richer. I hope this year’s standout awarded work will be the stuff with soul. We’re entering an era where discernment becomes the difference.
“Where knowing why something matters is more powerful than simply producing more of it. In that world, taste becomes a strategic asset and truth is a valuable currency,
“There’s also a renewed focus on the physical now, where we want culture you can walk through, feel, and belong to. I hope Cannes reflects that too, not just in the case studies, but in the conversations.
“The real future of this industry isn’t infinite creative, It needs to be rooted in emotion and crafted with human care. Made by real people who still know what good looks like.
Peter Wallace, GM for EMEA, GumGum
“There’s been so much talk recently about the death of digital display ads. But maybe the truth of the matter is that we’re evolving our approach to make this time-honoured ad genre more concise, effective and creative.
“In fact, today’s ad universe may even be considered the golden age for digital operators. Rather than returning to the traditional roots of digital advertising, we’re moving beyond the dark ages of programmatic to a new, vastly enabled phase.
“This season at Cannes will throw this potential into relief, making digital creative the star of the show – via new, interactive features and rich media experiences and a refined suite of attention measurement technology.
Chris Pettit, CEO & Co-founder, Revving
“This year at Cannes, I think the spotlight will be less on what’s new and more on what’s working.
“I expect to see a lot of talk about AI, retail media and programmatic supply innovation; but the key theme running through it all will be about outcomes and how we move from experimentation to commercial impact.
“AI and automation will be everywhere, but the real question people will be asking is: is it actually making advertising better, faster, or more profitable?
“There’s a growing recognition that media decisions need to ladder up to cash flow and capital efficiency, not just campaign performance.
“That financial lens is going to be a bigger part of the conversation, not only at the boardroom table, but on the Croisette too.”
Barney Worfolk-Smith, Chief Growth Officer, DAIVID
“This will be the year that creative data gets its moment in the Southern French sun.
“After the Festival of Creativity being hijacked by endless tech talks, we’ll finally see the conversation focused on the creative itself.
“What’s changed? Finally, creativity is getting the technology it deserves. Supercharged by AI, we can now decode elements like attention, emotion and brand recall, and apply those insights as creative data to the firehose of creative flowing through programmatic pipes.
“We’re now able to quantify creative at scale into the 1s and 0s, into a language that media understands.
“Creative data is emerging as the most powerful signal in the ad ecosystem – and the key to unlocking its next wave of growth.”
Piero Pavone, CEO, Preciso
“I think the idea of Conversational Commerce, powered by AI, will be a hot topic in Cannes this year.
“One example is OpenAI piloting a native Shopify integration that could turn ChatGPT into a conversational shopping assistant, and with ChatGPT reaching almost 800 million weekly users, who are conducting one billion searches each week, globally, as of May 2025, this is a development brands cannot ignore.
“Conversational commerce with an AI engine just makes the shopping process so much easier and, well, more conversational, enabling users to see product details, prices and reviews, and click through to retailer websites to buy.
“Currently, as it builds its audience, ChatGPT’s shopping results are purely organic, with no sponsored placements, but this will surely change, so I would urge brands to think of ChatGPT as the next major search channel and work on their paid and organic strategies now.
“On top of this, Google has also announced its new virtual try-on tool, together with an agentic checkout to track product prices online, which is also helping to wave in this new era of commerce for consumers.”
Kristen Friesen, VP Revenue, Brand Metrics
“A key theme I expect to emerge at Cannes Lions this year is the industry’s growing pivot from viewability to attention as a more meaningful metric for ad effectiveness.
“For years, viewability has been treated as a baseline requirement, but it’s becoming clear that just being on screen doesn’t equate to impact.
“What marketers really want to understand is not whether an ad was viewable, but whether it was noticed, processed, and remembered.
“This is where attention metrics are gaining traction. Early studies suggest a correlation between attention and brand lift – particularly in areas like consideration and intent – pointing to a future where media is not just optimised for delivery, but also for cognitive and emotional resonance.
“That shift doesn’t replace the need to measure long-term brand outcomes – it strengthens it.
“As the conversation moves forward, I believe we’ll see more brands and publishers aligning around frameworks that connect attention with business-relevant KPIs.
“This is a healthy evolution. Ultimately, attention is only valuable if it leads to something, whether that’s a shift in perception, a preference formed, or an action taken.
“The industry’s ability to measure that connection, consistently and at scale, will define the next wave of media accountability so I hope to see it on the agenda at Cannes this year.”
Amir Rasekh, Managing Director, Nectar360
“Retail media continues to dominate the conversation at Cannes Lions 2025, but what’s emerging now is a deeper strategic focus on delivering more valuable client and customer outcomes in future.
“We’re also seeing a broader trend toward retail media maturity, more emphasis on measurement, creative effectiveness, and cross-channel integration.
“There’s growing interest in how retail media can drive not just performance, but brand-building and long-term growth.
“And as AI and automation become more embedded, the conversation is turning to how tech unification and AI can make retail media more accessible, efficient, and impactful.
“A notable sentiment of moving from the hype phase and a shifting of gears to take retail media to the next level.”
Richard Boon, co-Founder and CEO, OH SIX
“I hope to connect with brands and agencies working in sports/entertainment sponsorship, talent-led partnerships and listen to the cutting edge in visual content marketing.
“I’m keen to hear about the balance of human creativity and tech efficiency, a fine line that many are trying to navigate right now. Always on the hunt for the most creative activation and content ideas, especially from brands blurring the line with entertainment for audiences.
“Top tip: Keep some flex to your week, just in case you want to spend more time with a new contact or if a particular beach is fuelling your creative inspiration.
“Focus on sunscreen, water and portable battery chargers…the rosé takes care of itself!”
Sarah Robertson, Chief Product Officer, Experian Marketing Services
“At Cannes, the conversation continues to evolve — from targeting precision to broader questions of responsibility, relevance, and respect.
“As marketers and agencies alike confront shifts in identity, regulation, and consumer trust, it’s clear data will remain crucial for success.
“However, they will need to leverage a broader range of data to stay competitive and supplement their first-party data with privacy-centric audience extension and curated media strategies.
“Innovation, collaboration, and interoperability quickly become the new creative enablers. We’re looking forward to discussing how these foundations can shape a more sustainable future for brands, agencies, publishers and tech vendors.”
Nick Waters, CEO Northern Europe, Making Science
“Next-generation agencies will be winning big at Cannes this year, and I’m looking forward to being part of this conversation, amid doubts over what the future looks like for the holding companies and their efforts to defend their model.
“I also expect a focus on Google’s answer to AI search, and whether AI search will eat Google’s lunch. Additionally, I’m anticipating a potential big announcement from X around its “everything app..
“Beneath the glitz of the event, other large questions will loom about the challenges of AI and its impact on areas such as creativity, the future of media planning and buying, and the viability of legacy business models.”
Tim Ringel, Global CEO, Meet The People
While everyone will be talking about AI I will look for human talent and human connections in Cannes. Our industry has always been standing on the talent of amazing people and gone through change with technologisation.
“AI will be an important wave of change – nevertheless, talent will make all the difference between good and bad creative, campaign and media work as our main difference to AI is real emotions and life experiences that form new ideas.
“Furthermore I will force conversations about how our industry is affected by the constant economical and political volatility and how we as an industry can help each other weather through it.
“We are MTP are lucky to post incredible YoY growth for our company and I’m out to help other independent agencies to achieve stability for their business and client relationships.”
Natasha Wallace, Global CSO – Strategy and Planning, Jellyfish
“Cannes is the only event to attract our biggest cross-section of generational talent and we’re facing the fastest tech evolution ever…so this year I suspect we’ll hit peak polarity.
“The agentic space will inspire a diversity of voices like MarTech and Media, given an almost equal platform to creativity – this is where we’ll see our multimodal thinkers thrive, people who can just as easily prompt Veo 2 as they can plan the video distribution.
“Art vs Artificial will rear its head as the industry strives to show creative origination & authority in increasingly genAI enabled workflows – and showing these off simultaneously will be brilliant to see! And the talent we’ll unleash is exciting.
“Sustainability and ethics should move to a mature discussion space where we’re talking about real viability – the Brandtech Group’s Bias Breaker and Carbon Footprint Calculator are already in practice, we should as an industry demand more of this across our peer group.
“And, amongst all of that I hope to see more hands of demos and riffs. We were in the nascent stage of tech adoption and utilisation last year but 12 months later we should be so immersed as a collective that we can jump into demos, riff with panel members and genuinely show a depth in application of AI, genAI, MarTech and data that is deserving of Cannes attendees.”
James Leaver, CEO, Multilocal
“I expect conversations at Cannes to be dominated by similar topics to the other industry events we’ve attended this year – think AI, CTV, and how marketers can maximise their budgets with more effective and sustainable ad campaigns.
“When it comes to the latter, we’re expecting deeper dialogues around the next evolution of curation in the reshaping of programmatic strategy – for example, how curation will impact the future of media agencies, what curation looks like in CTV, and what it brings to retail media.
“Unlike previous years, where the spotlight was on innovation, this year will be more grounded in both execution and accountability.
“With Google’s cookie deprecation plans shifting again, the industry needs to stop waiting and start acting. As a result, curation is being added to media plans – with curated supply paths becoming critical to meet both performance demands and compliance needs.”
Sarah Lawson Johnston, Managing Director, EMEA, Vudoo
“Cannes is usually about meeting new people and reinforcing existing relationships, with business decisions often saved for DMEXCO in September.
“This year, I think there will be a shift, with more deals closing in Cannes. With a higher sense of urgency and pressure building across the whole ecosystem, decision-making and rapid activation will be the differentiators for those looking to leap-frog the competition.
“In terms of themes on the ground, there’s no doubt that AI and its impact on the industry will continue to be a huge discussion topic. Specifically, I expect commerce media and shopable creativity to be high on the agenda.
“The intersection between creative work and conversion is no longer niche, so we can expect to hear about campaigns that deliver both emotional resonance and measurable sales.
“I also think there will be a lot of debate around the future of agencies, with discussions around understanding the role of the agency as the environment they operate within becomes more challenging.
“Like last year, I expect widespread discussion around retail media, now seen as essential in planning and budgets after 12 months of strong growth.
“Data and measurement metrics will remain a hot topic too, as the need to measure every touch point and dollar impact continues to grow.”
Fabio De Bernardi, VP Business Development, Adverity
“Cannes has always been reflective of the industry’s priorities, its concerns, and attitudes, and with as we’ve seen AI become less of a shiny ‘nice-to-have’ new toy to a more essential tool, I expect conversations at this year’s festival to be focused even more on how data and AI can fuel the advertising and creative industries.
“This is not to say that these opportunities come without their fair share of challenges. One peek behind the glamour and spectacle reveals critical concerns like the implementation of AI solutions; up-skilling the workforce to prevent talent gaps and creative burnout; balancing data and creativity efficiently and at scale to prove ROI in an increasingly fragmented media ecosystem and I, for one, am excited to see how the industry addresses them.
“I’m looking forward to discussing how making data accessible, comprehensible, and actionable across the business using AI can be a key driver of creativity and purposeful decision-making.
“Giving everyone – from finance to marketing to design – a real seat at the table is crucial to strategic creativity that is fuelled by data and meaningful insights.”
Michael Ruby, President & Chief Creative Officer, Park & Battery
“This will be my first time at Cannes – same for my co-founder, Ted Kohnen – and we’re walking in with the full range of emotions: excited, curious and, let’s be honest, probably a little overstimulated by day two.
“We’re especially excited to be attending the first-ever LIONS B2B Summit, which feels like a long-overdue moment. B2B is no longer the quiet corner of the creative world; it’s commanding attention with work that’s emotionally rich, strategically bold and culturally relevant.
“To see that celebrated and interrogated on this kind of stage is something we’ve been waiting for and building toward.
“Personally, it’s a little surreal. Early in my career, I followed Cannes from afar – reading the daily recaps, scrutinising the shortlists, watching the winners with a mix of envy and inspiration.
“Now, with our four-year-old global agency that’s submitted our first Lions entries, I’m not just being sent to my first Cannes…I’m sending myself! Which, if nothing else, means I’ll be able to both approve (or deny) any expense reports.
“I know many in our industry have grown cynical when it comes to Cannes. I can’t be and I won’t be.
“Cannes is one of those rare moments where the creative craft is celebrated on the world stage. I’m thrilled to finally experience it in real time – with my agency partner and best bro to boot.
“And okay, I’ll admit it: I’m absolutely ready for my first yacht party.”
Geoffroy Martin, CEO, Ogury
“As economic headwinds are reshaping the industry’s budgets (and their priorities), I expect Cannes this year to focus on the ‘artificial’ elephant in the room – AI.
“The media ecosystem finds itself at a turning point, with zero-click searches and custom-generated pages on the fly having a significant impact on publisher traffic and ad revenue.
“I expect discussions on the Croisette to be centered around real challenges like data usage, search traffic and regulation of AI platforms and tools, and how the advertising industry can leverage those tools to optimise spend and efficiency.
“The need of the hour isn’t a spectacle, it’s real outcomes and improvements – and that is what AI is poised to accomplish for brands, agencies, publishers and adtech providers.
“I anticipate the buzz of Cannes this year will fuel business engines and refocus the conversations around the proliferation and tangible value of AI.
“We’re now in an era of moving beyond the hype, the buzzwords, the quick wins, in favour of long-term results.”
Victoria Usher, CEO and Founder, GingerMay
“As part of a fast-growing trend towards maximising impact, this year’s festival is set to have a stronger emphasis on performance overall.
“Alongside a deeper examination of how well retail media campaigns engage and influence consumers, this will include a closer look at a subject close to my heart: PR agencies going beyond traditional media relations and acting as vital strategic partners for businesses.
“Unsurprisingly, AI is another key topic returning to the spotlight – but in a notably different role.
“Now that AI-powered ads are the norm, industry players are looking for tools to actively optimise ROI, not just to open up large-scale creative possibilities.
“And despite shifting political policies, it’s encouraging to see DE&I becoming more central to Cannes compared to 2024, with the newly expanded Glass Lion celebrating broader change drives”.
Pierre Orlac’h, Chief Supply Officer, Sparteo
“One of the boldest shifts I expect to see discussed at Cannes this year is the industry’s transition from a reactive model to a predictive and anticipatory one, powered by advancements in AI.
“Until now, digital advertising has largely operated on a post-event logic: serve the ad, observe the performance, then optimise accordingly. But we’re now entering a new phase, where we no longer have to wait to see what works.
“Thanks to increasingly sophisticated data signals and machine learning models, we can now predict user behaviour before the ad is even delivered.
“Will this user engage? Are they likely to convert, or even show interest at all? These questions are no longer theoretical – we have the tools to answer them in real time, and if the AI says they won’t be interested, the ad won’t be served.
“This shift from the mindset of “what worked” to “what will work” will bring about a fundamental change in how campaigns are planned and executed, how inventory is valued, and how creative is tailored.
“In short, AI is no longer just a tool for efficiency. It’s becoming a compass for foresight. And the companies that embrace this shift won’t just optimise, they’ll anticipate, shape, and lead.”
Diego Limberti, Chief Design Officer, Droga5 São Paulo
“After a good exhibition or film, I always leave seeing life in a new way. Cannes does the same, it gives me energy to look for something new.
“I’m always surprised how ideas never run out.
“This year, I want to see work that feels human. Using technology to tell real stories, not just to follow trends.
“As a designer, I find beauty more and more in what feels true, not just in how things are made.”
Alistair Bastian, CTO, InfoSum
“While in previous years at Cannes we’ve heard a lot of talk about the potential of data clean rooms, we now have numerous tangible examples we can use to illustrate just what can be achieved through smart and secure collaboration.
“Brands are working with publishers and other stakeholders to build private data networks that facilitate some of the most innovative advertising strategies we’ve ever seen, unlocking new opportunities and driving better outcomes.”
Meg Haley, SVP of Global Client Partnerships, Vidmob
“I’m expecting a resurgence of power players on the beach, with a less platform-centric feel and a larger focus on evolving Ad Tech around AI tools, solutions, and measurement.
“As the agency landscape continues to shift with media and creative rejoining, discussions at Cannes will look at the implications this will have on how marketers think about creativity and connect with consumers.
“There will also be conversations about the continued evolution of storytelling, and how to balance scaled content creation – amidst the abundance of AI solutions – with the power and grounding of the brand story and purpose.”
Rob Blake, MD UK & Ireland, Channel Factory
“At Cannes this year, expect the conversation to move well beyond buzzwords and into the practical realities of how brands navigate today’s digital complexity.
“One key theme will be context. With so much change – from platform algorithms to consumer habits – brands are re-evaluating not just who they reach, but where those messages appear.
“Expect more focus on brand suitability, not as a safety measure, but as a driver of relevance and effectiveness.
“AI will be another hot topic. Not just as a futuristic idea but as a real, usable tool. Brands and platforms are beginning to harness AI to better understand video content across environments like YouTube, making contextual targeting even more precise, relevant, and aligned with consumer expectations.
“We also anticipate a shift in how marketers view YouTube. Long seen as a top-of-funnel channel, it’s now proving its value across the entire journey, especially with the rise of video podcasts and Shorts.
“These formats will likely be central to how brands build storytelling and performance in one place.
“Overall, Cannes will be less about shiny tech and more about smart strategy – how to be relevant, responsible, and results-driven in a fragmented digital world.”
Marko Johns, UK MD and Head of Agency, Intl, Seedtag
“The past 12 months have been pivotal for the growth of generative AI, and alongside the most recent changes across our marketplace, it will undoubtedly be one of the main themes on the Croisette this year.
“AI has been fast-tracked as consumers have become more comfortable with the outputs they would expect from any information partner.
“The challenge here, however, is the fine line of balance in a nascent, unstable ecosystem and the quest to find true, trusted partners.
“With the industry discussing the role of brand safety in news and how best we can support quality journalism in this sector, I think the impact of AI developments on the open web, specifically, will be a huge talking point – especially after Google’s latest announcements at Google I/O.
“I can see the conversation around AI going much deeper than before; beyond the technology focusing more on impact and outcomes for modern marketers.
“I’m looking forward to hearing how brands and publishers are driving their own development via creativity with AI in new ways.
“I’m also expecting interesting debates around the human approach surrounding artificial intelligence – not just how the industry can maintain integrity in its use of AI, but also how AI can help us get closer to understanding audiences; using real-time content to prioritise passions over profiles, connecting with audiences based on their interests, emotions, and intent.”
Kitty Martin, Senior Digital Strategist, Anything is Possible
“The word on everyone’s lips over the last 12 months has been AI and it’s clear it will be front and centre again this week.
“Whether it’s shaping the future of creativity and storytelling, transforming the creator economy, or driving innovation, AI will never be far from any conversation.
“One key question for me is around authenticity,, and it will be interesting to understand how people are striking the AI balance.
“While AI can enhance efficiency and scale, real connection still depends on human insight and genuine storytelling.
“The challenge (and opportunity) lies in using AI to support creativity, not replace it, ensuring the work still feels human at its core.
“But that highlights the purpose of events like Cannes, underlining their importance for the industry: as a digital marketer, we’ve had backstage access to AI, as it runs our lives optimising campaigns and finding new audiences, and one thing continues to remain true, the higher quality you put in, the higher quality you get out.
“Therefore, much like our machine brethren, I am hoping to get high quality experiences you can’t get by sitting behind a desk, having conversations and sparking ideas, which will then in turn make me a better marketer.
“AI can’t replicate that! (For now, at least…)”.
Steven Filler, Country Manager UK, ShowHeroes
“Creativity, the very premise of Cannes Lions, is something that has been eroded in recent years. In an era of ad tech maturity and unparalleled data intelligence, creativity is all too often being treated as a secondary thought.
“You can see this imbalance in the quality of ads being served online today, the majority of which are seriously lacking in creative ambition and impact.
“I think the industry is finally waking up to this and my hope is that we’ll see a wider creative revival at Cannes Lions, with digital advertisers pushing for bigger, better and more original work.
“With AI often heralded as the future of creativity, it’s also crucial not to lose sight of the value and importance of human creativity in developing great digital campaigns.
“In a politically charged climate, there’s been much talk of many global companies rolling back their DEI policies.
“But the shift is far from universal. Reaching specific diverse audiences continues to be a priority for many agencies and advertisers – making cultural relevance a major theme at this year’s Cannes.
“The focus is not only on the huge opportunity that lies with inclusive and authentic content; but also, how brands can incorporate this value into their core growth strategies.
“With new research highlighting the significant brand lift that comes with news content wrongly classified as “unsafe”, the issue of brand safety is once again surfacing.
“Are advertisers being too zealous in their efforts to avoid “controversial” content (especially given the punchy news climate)? And if so, what efforts can we as an industry take to reassess the use of brand safety filters – so that advertisers can avoid the bland middle ground?
“Discussions will focus on common misperceptions associated with the apparent “risk” of cutting-edge journalism, as well as the rewards that await brands prepared to be brave e.g. the ability to align with opinion makers and influencers of our time.
Jim Coleman, UK CEO & Regional Lead, We Are Social
“Cannes should be a celebration of creativity born from real business problems, solved with bold ideas – not vanity work.
“Yet many entries still aren’t client-briefed or paid for.
“That’s not just disingenuous – it dilutes what makes this industry great.
“Thankfully, a few campaigns cut through. Škoda’s “Redditor Edit” perfectly leverages a platform that’s rapidly growing in its importance when it comes to consumer insight.
“The campaign mined real Reddit commentary and turned it into a fresh, responsive campaign that played out authentically across channels. It’s smart, social, and exactly the kind of work we should be rewarding.
“Then there’s the Australian Lamb campaign, which brilliantly holds up a mirror to internet culture. Using “the comments section” as creative fuel, it’s a funny, unifying idea that shows traditional media and social insight can work hand-in-hand.
“And of course, Apple’s “Flock” – a masterclass in storytelling, craft, and brand messaging. Big production, simple truth, beautifully executed.
“That’s Cannes-worthy work.”
MJ Behrman, Global Head of Marketing & Media, Designit
“Cannes should be as much about celebrating great work as it should be about coming together to assess what lies ahead for the industry, which means that this year’s festival should focus on how we confront the colossal carbon footprint of AI within adland.
“This is not a new discussion – it’s well-documented just how harmful gen AI tools are for the environment.
“But we are about to hit a watershed moment, with this abundant use of the technology set to pose serious challenges for Adland’s supposed sustainability goals and therefore its reputation.
“This means that the agencies that can demonstrate verifiable reduced environmental impact from their tech stack, not just in specific campaigns, will stand out in the long run.
“Expect the ‘Green Lions’ categories to gain serious weight moving forward.”
Ossie Bayram, UK Vice President – Outcomes, Adlook
“While attention, creative innovation, and media efficiency will all be key themes this year, AI is set to be the driving force behind them.
“I expect it to dominate the conversation, but unlike in previous years, where legacy tech was often rebranded as AI, we’re now seeing genuine innovation that’s delivering real performance gains across the board.
“That shift will be a major talking point in Cannes!”
Also published in: Mediashotz
