1. Uncertainty on steroids
Ongoing tariff disputes and stock market swings have created an environment of uncertainty, putting marketing budgets under increasing scrutiny. With a potential global recession looming, many consumers are already rethinking their purchases as they face rising prices and political instability. Marketers arriving in Cannes this year were looking for inspiration on how to communicate effectively in a world that feels increasingly unpredictable.Kantar’s Sentiment Barometer reveals that 45% of people globally are now struggling to cover monthly expenses. This financial strain is driving behaviour shifts, many are trading down to cheaper alternatives or skipping purchases altogether. For marketers, the challenge is clear: stay closer than ever to consumers, understand their evolving realities, and identify how brands can offer meaningful support in uncertain times.
One of this year’s most awarded Cannes campaigns tackled consumer uncertainty head-on. With inflation and volatile prices, shoppers are struggling to make sense of retail pricing. German discounter Penny responded with ‘Price Packs’, winning the Grand Prix in Print & Publishing. At a time when consumers were second-guessing every price tag, Penny printed prices directly on its private label packaging. Since packaging can’t change like shelf tags, it signalled a real commitment to price stability. And it worked. Products flew off the shelves during launch week, and Penny saw a significant boost in its reputation as the go-to discounter for dependable pricing.
Penny, Price Packs, SERVICEPLAN Munich
2. Push me, pull you: The brand debate
One of the biggest themes coming out of Cannes this year was the role of brand building. Interestingly, the topic often surfaced through debates like brand versus performance, highlighting how brand building is frequently positioned in opposition to other marketing priorities. This year, Cannes reaffirmed that brand building is foundational and should be seen as an “and”, not an “or.” For example, in the ‘How to Give Your Brand the X Factor’ session, Instacart’s CMO shared how merging brand and performance budgets led to more effective full-funnel strategies.
Yet in times of crisis brand spend is often the first to be cut. That’s a short-sighted move. As Felipe Thomaz noted in his session in the Palais, ‘How Humans Decide’, brand is the dominant driver of purchase decisions, with 84% of decisions made before people even enter the active decision-making stage. Cut ting advertising budgets during a crisis may seem like a quick fix, but the long-term risks can be significant. Based on a modelled case study from Kantar, while a 50% reduction in media spend over six months has only a moderate impact on brand memorability, a complete halt in advertising can cause lasting damage, potentially taking years to recover from.
This year, Cannes Lions introduced a subcategory for long-term brand platforms, recognising the power of consistency. Dove, a textbook example, won two Grand Prix for its ‘Real Beauty’ platform. Since 2004, Dove has championed the idea that beauty should be a source of confidence, not anxiety, rooted in the belief that everyday women deserve to be seen. This single idea has shaped everything Dove has done across categories and channels. Over 20 years, the payoff has been clear: Dove now operates in seven product categories, reaches over a third of the global population, and has delivered more than $28 billion in incremental revenue. It’s proof of what can happen when a brand commits to a clear vision and stays the course.
Dove, Real beauty, OGILVY UK
3. Culture club: Rethinking creator effectiveness
Culture was a major theme at Cannes this year, and for good reason. Kantar data shows that culturally vibrant brands grow six times faster. The challenge is earning a place in culture, rather than hovering on the edges or being left behind.
For many brands, creators are the natural entry point. They’re cultural natives who know how to connect with audiences authentically. This year, creators were everywhere at Cannes, including across much of the winning work. The dedicated Creators stream at the Palais highlighted just how central they’ve become to modern brand building. The creator economy is set to double by 2028, according to MarketsandMarkets, and yet many marketers are still figuring out how to use it effectively. Currently, only 27% of creator content clearly links to a brand, but when it does, the impact on brand equity is much stronger, according to Kantar’s Context Lab database.
Vaseline’s ‘Vaseline Verified’ won Titanium and Grand Prix in Creator & Influencer marketing. When skincare hacks using Vaseline went viral, the brand decided to join in. Its scientists tested the trends in the lab, then shared results with creators, validating the smart hacks and debunking the risky ones. Creators were brought into the process and rewarded with e-commerce incentives. The result: over 63 million interactions and a viral moment transformed into something meaningful, safe, and brand-led.
VASELINE, Vaseline Verified, OGILVY Singapore
4. Mind the gaps: Connected creativity
Media and creative fragmentation were major topics at Cannes this year. As Grace Kite, from Magic Numbers, and Tom Roach, from Jellyfish, put it, we’re now in the age of “lots of littles”. Brands can no longer rely on a few big, repeatable creative assets to build equity. Instead, they’re producing hundreds, sometimes thousands, of content pieces. How well these pieces work together is becoming increasingly important for effectiveness.
Kantar’s latest data shows that campaign connectivity is now an effectiveness multiplier. Before 2014, synergy effects accounted for less than a fifth of total campaign impact. Today, they make up nearly half. This shift highlights how marketers have improved at building cohesive, cross-channel campaigns where each touchpoint reinforces the others and boosts overall impact. But this progress comes with a warning. Connected campaigns are no longer optional. They are a strategic imperative. Without connectivity at the core of your creative strategy, you risk falling behind.
What does connected creativity look like in action? Desperados’ Beer with Latin Vibe’ campaign is a standout example. The brand tapped into a Gen Z tension: the push and pull between staying in control and letting go. To bring that insight to life, they created a music track with Latin artists Ovy on the Drums and Micro TDH and built a platform around it. Over 70 creators were briefed on the concept and invited to interpret it in their own way, from video content to nail art. One creator, LA nail artist Coca Michelle, even embedded a Spotify code into her design. The campaign earned Gold and Silver Lions in Film Craft, showing the strength of a unifying idea executed across a connected ecosystem.
DESPERADOS, The beer with Latin vibe, LePub Milan
5. AI infusion
If someone analysed all the chatter this year at Cannes, AI would quickly rise to the top. Conversations ranged from high-level debates about AI versus creativity, to practical discussions, with marketers sharing how they’re using AI in their work.
According to Kantar’s Media Reactions study, six in ten marketers globally are excited about what Gen AI brings to advertising. Many are experimenting and exploring how to integrate AI into workflows that drive efficiency without sacrificing effectiveness. It is becoming clear that AI is more than just a tool. It is a strategic force reshaping advertising, expanding access, accelerating production, and shifting creative control. But it is still up to brands to decide how to steer it.
Lidl France offered a standout example and earned a Gold Lion for it. Rather than releasing another round of branded merch, Lidl handed creative control to the public. Using a custom Gen AI tool trained on the brand’s visual identity, users could turn anything into a Lidl product by typing a few words. The results were on-brand and surprisingly desirable. Within 72 hours, two million “Lidlized” products flooded the internet, and the campaign site crashed twice from the surge in traffic. It was a smart use of Gen AI to deepen brand love, spark mass participation and show what happens when creativity meets real audience engagement.
LIDL, Lidlize, MARCEL Paris
What next?
This year’s Cannes Lions festival showcased the power of creativity in addressing the challenges and opportunities facing marketers today. From tackling consumer uncertainty with innovative pricing strategies, to the enduring impact of long-term brand platforms and the importance of staying connected to consumers and culture. The standout work that won the Lions this year serves as a testament to the transformative potential of creativity in driving business impact, tackling turbulent times, and societal change.
You can hear Kantar experts’ recommendations on how to approach these themes as well as their impressions of Cannes in this on-demand video.
If you want to discuss how to apply these themes to your campaign, please get in touch. We’re publishing a series of articles with more Kantar insights from Cannes this year – subscribe to our newsletter so you don’t miss out!
