Cannes Lions: here to prove creativity mean business
- Jun 22
- 3 min read
Confirmation that innovative and visionary advertising pays dividends for brands has come
in the form of a new study of Cannes Lions winners. It’s been the inspiration for one of the main themes of this year’s Festival — the synergies of marketing and creativity — as LIONS COO and president, Paul Coxhill, explains:
The most creative work in the world tends to be its most effective. The most effective marketing tends to be its most creative. They are two sides of the same coin — and together, unstoppable. Cannes Lions has always been built on creativity’s transformational power to drive business results. Interbrand’s recent analysis of five years of data across 50 Lions award-winning, publicly traded brands shows that companies recognised for creative achievements saw an average 2.7% increase in EBIT and 4.7% growth in market cap within a year of winning.
This year we’re going bigger on proving creativity as a driver of commercial performance. This has fuelled us to bring Cannes Lions together with our LIONS brands Contagious, Effie and WARC to drive the Creative Effectiveness agenda.
The Creative Impact content stream, now in its fourth year, is co-curated with WARC to bridge creativity and effectiveness. David Tiltman, WARC’s chief content officer and senior vice-president content, LIONS Intelligence, says delegates can expect a mix of practical guidance, exclusive new research and sharp takes on key topics. Sessions include a rare joint appearance from Professor Byron Sharp and Mark Ritson, effectiveness stories from Coinbase and Uber, and fresh research on AI, creators and retail media. Contagious will be identifying emerging ideas and cultural shifts that will define competitive advantage in the next 12-24 months. Sessions include delving into the most impactful trends in media, strategy and effectiveness in their Monday session, Science + Magic: Where Data Meets Creativity; and Contagious’ editorial director, Alex Jenkins, will explore How To Win In A Volatile World on Thursday.
Join Effie for two high-impact sessions showcasing some of the most effective brands globally. Today, Effectiveness Decoded: Outsmart To Outlast will explore how brands like eos and IKEA have made the leap from disruptor to category leader without losing their edge. On Tuesday, attend a special edition of Effie x On Strategy Show-case, Live From Cannes (14:00-16:30, Audi A Theatre) where marketing leaders from Uber Eats, McDonald’s, eos, Mischief @ No Fixed Address, McCann India, and more will share insights on building a culture of effectiveness and discuss lessons from the world’s most awarded Effie-winning work. Traci Alford, global CEO of Effie, said, “Creative effectiveness has shown what’s possible when great ideas deliver results. We believe effectiveness is the system that drives sustainable growth, and creativity is the multiplier. Some of the best brands and agencies are at Cannes Lions this week to share their insights on exactly that — be sure to catch the latest learnings.”
To find out more how our brands can help you build an effectiveness strategy, meet the LIONS Intelligence team on The Terrace on Wednesday (19:30-21:30) or visit them in the Palais lower ground throughout the week. To meet the LIONS Learning team head to the LIONS Learning Campus in Palais 2 where they will be hosting breakfasts and drinks with Suzanne Powers, James Hurman, Fernando Machado and Dr Marcus Collins (registration required). And meet with our LIONS Advisory team at Brand Beach.
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