As the curtain falls on Cannes Lions 2025, the industry isn't just counting trophies; it's dissecting the very fabric of what makes groundbreaking work resonate. From an insightful "What Won and Why" session, a clear consensus emerged among WPP’s Global Creative Officer Rob Reilly and creative leaders Liz Taylor (Ogilvy), Debbi Vandeven (VML), Tara McKenty (AKQA), and Gabriel Schmitt (Grey): the power of human insight, bold bravery, and deep collaboration.

Rob Reilly distilled the essence of this year's triumphs into a powerful observation: "Giant brands, real brands, with giant ideas, done by real humans." This sentiment wasn't just a catchy phrase – it showed that even as technology advances, the human element remains paramount.

The art of brave simplicity

The discussion frequently returned to campaigns that cut through the noise with disarming simplicity, tapping into universal human behaviors. VML and OpenMind’s Phone Break for KitKat, an Outdoor Grand Prix winner, exemplified this. VML Global Chief Creative Officer Debbi Vandeven spoke of its charm: “I love this idea so much because it has a wink of humor on “having a break," by demonstrating what we are all like in society today. It’s such a simple message with impact.” But simplicity often demands immense courage from clients.

Ogilvy and Mindshare’s Vaseline Verified, a Titanium Lion and double Grand Prix winner, stood as a testament to this.

“It created an entire new blueprint for Unilever and how they are going to work with brands,” Liz Taylor, Ogilvy’s Global Chief Creative Officer emphasised, noting how this campaign fundamentally reshaped the client’s approach. This wasn't just about marketing; it was about fostering a new ecosystem where consumers could creatively integrate Vaseline into their lives in unexpected ways, transforming a product into a cultural touchstone.

Similarly, Grey and Bar BQ Plaza’s Sad Kama-Chan demonstrated extraordinary client bravery. Gabriel Schmitt, Grey’s Global Chief Creative Officer and the Creative Commerce Jury President at Cannes this year, marvelled at the audacity of flipping a beloved cultural icon. “Imagine the courage to flip something that is so beloved there... it could’ve gone incredibly wrong. And it didn’t.” The campaign’s bold, almost confrontational approach from the CMO, setting a KPI that consumers quadrupled, showcased a rare level of trust and engagement that few brands dare to pursue.

Innovation beyond the screen

Innovation at Cannes wasn't solely defined by emerging tech, but by fresh thinking and new combinations that solved real-world problems. AKQA’s work for the Museum of the United Nations – UN Live – and Spotify, with the Sounds Right campaign, earned the Grand Prix for Innovation. Tara McKenty, AKQA’s Chief Creative Officer for Australia and New Zealand and an Innovation Jury member at Cannes, explained: “Essentially what it did - it innovated activism.”

Tara noted the Innovation Jury’s key question they asked themselves this year: "Will this still be in the world in 5 to 10 years’ time? And I think [Sounds Right] will."

This spirit of ingenuity also championed utility over pure technological flash. Ogilvy’s Self Packing Cheese for Nestlé was lauded by Tara as a prime example of this. “So often we look at innovative work through the lens of emerging technologies, but what I love about this case is that it shows that innovation doesn’t need to be tech based.” By transforming a wasteful byproduct into an ingenious packaging solution, it highlighted the magic that happens when agencies and clients truly integrate, influencing something as fundamental as a product’s very form.

In the realm of creative commerce, VML and Ziploc’s Preserved Promos was a favourite for Gabriel. “It couldn’t be more commerce than this,” admiring its utility and brand alignment in economically uncertain times. “In comes a brand with something useful, that couldn’t be more ownable - at scale, helping people, on brand, in a super fun way.”

The new frontier: entertainment and enduring commitment

The shift towards content that genuinely entertains and connects on a deeper level was also a key takeaway. Liz pointed to VML and Axa’s Group Therapy, a 90-minute film on mental health featuring comedians, as a brave new frontier. “I believe the future of creativity is in entertainment,” she noted. “It was brave, it was interesting, and it was breaking new ground. It’s healthcare done in a completely different way.”

Authenticity also shone through in campaigns like DAVID’s Haaland Payback Time for Supercell, praised by Debbi for its genuine connection to the game and its ability to attract new fans by tapping into football culture.

Perhaps one of the most significant narratives of Cannes 2025 was the enduring legacy of Dove’s "Real Beauty" initiative. Celebrating 20 years, it received a Glass Lion for Change and a Grand Prix for Creative Strategy. Rob called it "the biggest prize of the year - a true, sustained commitment between an agency [like Ogilvy] and a client to make really impactful work.”

This enduring collaboration was further amplified by Mindshare’s Real Beauty Redefined for the AI Era for Dove, which secured the Grand Prix for Media – a historic win as the first media agency to claim this prize in seven years. Gabriel attributed this achievement – a rare one for a media agency - to the seamless fusion of a powerful creative idea with exceptional media orchestration.

Insights from the jury room

Cannes 2025 reinforced that while the tools and technologies of our industry evolve, the core principles of compelling communication remain constant. The most powerful ideas are those that are deeply human, bravely executed, and born from a spirit of true partnership.

And for leaders like Tara, the true value of Cannes extends beyond the awards themselves: it's about curating that inspiration and bringing it back to the teams who couldn't be there. "I love this part," she shared, "but equally love going back and sharing all the learnings with our creative teams."