- Mansee Mohta
- Aug 2
- 6 min read
Somewhere between the glasses of rosé and the panels on purpose, the creative industry once again gathered to celebrate the boldest, weirdest, and most expensive ideas on the planet. Yes, it was that time of year again: Cannes Lions.
But as the Croisette glittered with creative egos and carbon-neutral tote bags, one question echoed louder than the DJ at the Spotify yacht:
"But does it work?"
The Ritson Reality Check
Last year, marketing iconoclast Mark Ritson lobbed a juicy grenade into the beachfront bliss: his research showed that Cannes Grand Prix winners were no more effective than average campaigns. Cue the collective gasp of creative directors clutching their titanium lanyards.
It wasn’t a knock on creativity. It was a wake-up call about the industry’s obsession with novelty over necessity. As Ritson put it: some Cannes winners are beautifully shot films for the Snail Preservation Society. They win hearts, not market share.
So this year, the lens sharpened. Which winners were real-world rockstars? Which were social justice sugar-highs with little shelf life?
Let’s get into it.
Titanium Grand Prix: Three Words – AXA x Publicis Conseil
When insurance brand AXA used three words to solve a problem governments hadn’t cracked, the world noticed. The campaign tackled emergency response logistics by encouraging citizens to geotag their exact location using the "what3words" app. It’s simple. It's scalable. And it quite literally saves lives.
Impact: Adopted in 50+ countries. Lives saved during natural disasters.
Design Craft Grand Prix: Caption with Intention – AMPAS x FCB Chicago
The Oscars got accessible. This campaign revolutionized captions for the deaf and hard-of-hearing with better syntax, font changes, and intentional sound cues.
Message: Efficiency without empathy is just sophisticated neglect.
Film Grand Prix: Paris Paralympics - 'Considering What?' x Channel 4
Channel 4 did what it does best: redefine what representation looks like on screen. This punchy, poignant film flipped the narrative on disability by asking the audience to reconsider their assumptions.
Result:+40% increase in positive sentiment about the Paralympics. Art that moved culture and minds.
Health & Wellness Grand Prix: Vaseline Verified – Unilever x Ogilvy
Skincare meets medical equity. Vaseline's campaign verified user-generated videos by Black creators who shared skincare tips tailored to melanin-rich skin. An example of platform literacy meets purpose.
Impact: Over 60M impressions, dermatological equity tools downloaded 250k+ times.
Creative B2B Grand Prix: Act Like You Know – GoDaddy x Quality Meats
Problem: Launching GoDaddy Airo—an AI tool for small businesses—meant tackling the age-old B2B marketing dilemma: how do you make software feel exciting, not soulless?
Insight: Most entrepreneurs start out pretending they’ve got it all figured out. Actor Walton Goggins does that for a living. What if he built a business using GoDaddy Airo... while acting like he knew what he was doing?
Solution: Enter “Goggins Goggles,” eyewear brand built entirely with GoDaddy Airo. From domain to design to social assets, all generated by AI. The campaign kicked off with a humorous Super Bowl spot and spread across digital, social, and PR.
Impact: +87% traffic to GoDaddy Airo pages, earned praise for injecting entertainment into B2B, and showed that humor and heart can drive serious business.
Takeaway: In B2B, confidence sells, but relatability builds trust. GoDaddy proved AI can help you act like a pro, even when you’re winging it.
Outdoor Grand Prix: Phone Break – KitKat x VML Czechia
Problem: In a world glued to smartphones, most people don’t actually take a mental break despite living KitKat’s longstanding slogan: “Have a break, have a KitKat.” Passive scrolling is mistaken for rest.
Insight: The average user spends nearly four hours daily on their phones; yet 91% report feeling better after disconnecting for two weeks. In a world dominated by digital noise, people crave a genuine moment of pause.
Solution: VML Czechia replaced smartphones with KitKat bars in everyday scenes—waiting at bus stops, meeting friends, standing in queues—on out-of-home posters and billboards, without using any text or logos. The oblong shape visual metaphor instantly triggered recognition and reflection.
Impact:
Became the first-ever Cannes Grand Prix winner for the Czech Republic.
Generated global buzz with over 2.6 million impressions via earned media across Muse by Clio, Adweek, Campaign Brief, and LBB.
Jury President called it a “masterclass in Outdoor” for visual clarity, cultural resonance, and emotional immediacy.
Not crowned Lions, but their ideas and execution roared louder than the trophy count.
U up? – IKEA Late-night scrolling meets Scandinavian practicality—turned insomnia into impulse purchases by targeting night owls with smart, sleepy-time ads.
Other Hand – Cheetos Solving the eternal orange dust dilemma by encouraging people to use their “clean hand” for everything else. A cheeky twist on snack behavior.
So Many Dicks – e.l.f. Beauty A bold, unapologetic campaign for sexual health awareness disguised as a mascara ad. Disarming, disruptive, and delightfully NSFW.
Winter Takes on Color – McDonald's Turned bleak European winters into vibrant moments with colorful McFlurry packaging and Instagrammable experiences. Mood = uplifted.
Caramelo – Pedigree Brazil’s beloved viral street dog gets a forever home—proof that storytelling, when rooted in real emotion, builds both tears and brand trust.
Trophies, Tweets, and Trouble: The Campaigns That Stirred the Croisette.
Problem: Indian Railways loses over $800 million annually to fare evasion. 41% of the 24 million daily commuters don’t pay for tickets.
Insight: Indians spend $33B annually on aspirational lotteries. Tapping into this cultural behaviour presented a new way to reward honesty.
Solution: Lucky Yatra transformed train tickets into lottery entries. Each ticket carried a unique code offering passengers a chance to win cash or public recognition—shared across print, digital, and in-station media—turning compliance into civic pride.
Emotion Tapped: Millions of Indians follow the rules quietly. By linking honesty with surprise rewards, the campaign created a feel-good moment rooted in Maslow’s 4th need.
What Would Really Make This Work: Recognizing honesty is noble—but in the world’s busiest railway system, convenience is king. Having lived in Mumbai, I’ve seen firsthand how speed dictates commuter choices. Expecting passengers to queue for a ticket—even with rewards—doesn’t align with the urgency of daily life. The future? A digital-first ticketing system.
Controversy? Critics claimed the case study oversold the impact. Jury's still out.
Audio Grand Prix: One Second Ads – Budweiser x Africa Creative DDB
One second. It takes only a second for music fans to identify their favorite song when they hear it. Behind this insight, Budweiser played the role of a high-speed DJ, capturing fan passions in an instant, and demonstrating it was one of them. These micro-radio spots were deployed at scale during football matches, optimized to air precisely during game pauses.
Idea: Inclusivity, telling your fans- hey we hear you.
But controversy brewed: was it real, or retrofitted for awards? They had to apologize.
The Big Themes in 2025
Real Beauty x Real AI: Dove continued its reign of realism with campaigns fighting AI bias in beauty.
Creative Data is having a moment: But not all of it stood up to scrutiny. Creative Data: Efficent Way to Pay: Consul Appliances + DM9 (This entry is under investigation; and it just got withdrawn! Does that mean one of the Golds gets elevated to Grand Prix winner in its place?!)
Gaming is down, Health is up: Fewer entries from the gaming industry (again), while health and social impact surged.
Marketers are demanding receipts. The work must prove value, not just vibe.
Entry Numbers Tell a Story
Total 2025 entries: 26,783 (flat vs 2024)
Top growth categories: Creative Data, Pharma
Declining: Gaming, Film, Craft
Yes, Cannes is still a cash cow. But the industry’s ROI calculus is shifting.
The best case films this year were miniature business TED Talks.
They taught us how to tell a story, explain impact, and make meaning in 2 minutes or less. For marketers, that’s a muscle worth building.
So, What Wins the Real Grand Prix?
The Grand Prix that matters isn’t the one that gets clapped for on stage. It’s the one that sells more, solves more, and sparks actual change.
Great work works.
And when it doesn’t? It might still win a trophy but not the market.
Sources are linked throughout. A special shoutout to my manager, who generously shared her firsthand notes straight from Cannes — thank you for the inside scoop.
Love to sites like Medium, AdEdge, YT Pages- LLLLITL, Amazing Ads and Sir John Hegarty on LinkedIn amongst many others for the creative fuel.
See the award boards for all the Grand Prix and Gold Lion winners — and if you want to go deep, LoveTheWorkMore.com has the full archive of Gold, Silver, and Bronze.
Would love to hear your take, questions, or hot takes on any of the campaigns mentioned (or the ones that didn’t make the cut)!
