The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity 2025 is off to a flyer – and if Day 1 of the five-day festival is anything to go by, it has all the makings of another ‘best ever’ since it found its permanent home in Côte d’Azur, Cannes in 1984.
Setting the pace for the year ahead, the first day came to life with inspiring keynotes, informative panel discussions and the Middle East region’s first Gold metal cat of 2025. True it’s representation of the region on the global stage, Campaign Middle East was in the thick of it all.
To answer the most pertinent question: Who won what? As it stands, at the end of Day 1, agencies from the Middle East have officially been conferred seven coveted awards.
These include
- AUDIO AND RADIO CATEGORY:
1 GOLD LION, 1 SILVER LION
Campaign title: The Second Release
Agency: SRMG Labs, Riyadh
Client: Billboard Arabia, Riyadh
- HEALTH AND WELLNESS CATEGORY:
1 BRONZE LION
Campaign title: The Shaded Route
Agency: VML Riyadh
Client: Hungerstation
- OUTDOOR CATEGORY:
1 BRONZE LION
Campaign title: The Shaded Route
Agency: VML Riyadh
Client: Hungerstation
1 BRONZE LION
Campaign title: Not For First Dates
Agency: FP7 McCann Dubai
Client: McDonald’s
- PRINT AND PUBLISHING CATEGORY:
1 SILVER LION
Campaign title: NOTES ON NOTES
Agency: IMPACT BBDO, Dubai / AdPro& Jordan
Client: Capital Bank
1 BRONZE LION
Campaign title: THE GREAT INDIAN DUNK
Agency: LEO Dubai
Client: NBA India
Keynotes and key takeaways from Day 1 at Cannes Lions
Proceedings at Cannes Lions 2025 began with a heartfelt keynote by Tor Myhren, VP of Marketing Communications, Apple, who sounded a call for human-driven creativity in the age of artificial intelligence (AI).
“I’ve got good news and I’ve got bad news,” Myrhen said as he began the introductory keynote. “The good news is that AI is not going to kill advertising. The bad news is AI is not going to save advertising either. We have got to save advertising ourselves; and I think it’s by believing in what’s always made it special – which is human creativity.”
Myrhen went on to discuss the moral compass of a brand, highlighting how Apple has stood its ground on privacy. After playing the Flock ad on the big screen, Myrhen mentioned that although the ad comes across as “pretty creepy” he still loved that an ad this subversive became that popular. He reiterated that the success of the ad lay in the fact that it was “extremely human.”
He also went on to celebrate a decade of ‘Shot on iPhone’ ads; he discussed the power of immersive videos; and he showcased the beauty of “democratising hearing health” with the Airpods referring to the AirPods Pro 2, which now double up as a clinical-grade Hearing Aid.
Commenting on the creativity that led to the success of each of these ideas, Myrhen added, “It’s the brain and the heart working together to create something special. No one would say that 40 seconds of muffled sound would become Apple’s most watched holiday ad ever. But Google had the highest search volume for hearing aids in the history of Google search after this ad came out. This is making a difference, which is awesome.”
Before concluding his keynote, Myrhen injected the brand, marketing and agency audience in Théâtre Claude Debussy at Cannes with a shot of positivity.
“I think the world needs more optimism,” he said, adding, “We need to drive, with AI riding shotgun. The best marketing makes people feel and laugh and cry and wonder or fall in love with a person or an idea or a brand. We all want to feel. There’s no technology, or algorithm, or artificial intelligence that works in our world that is more capable of making us truly ‘feel’ like the human mind does. I believe that this industry was built on creativity, and that’s the game we can win. The human touch is our superpower, so use it. Use your sense of humour; use your incredible taste; use your subtle nuance; use your originality; use your brain and your heart to go out there and make something wonderful.”
Responding to this stellar keynote, Ali Rez, Chief Creative Officer, Impact BBDO said, “Great one to start the week. I think that set the tone for the rest of the week really well. The subject of the human touch, especially in an era where we’re increasingly relying on machines was special. Also, the value of emotion and craft – and nobody does it better than Apple – will never be eroded.”
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Through Day 1 at Cannes Lions, Campaign Middle East also interviewed:
- Aude Gandon, Global Chief Marketing Officer of Nestlé;
- Matt Manning, President, dentsu Sports International;
- Mike Khouri, CEO of Independent Agency of the Year-winning Tactical;
- and reported on a panel at the Stagwell Sports Beach with athlete Noah Lyles, currently the fastest man in the world and Olympic gold medalist; athlete Lauren Carlini, LOVB Madison Founding Athlete and Olympic medalist; Alexis Ohanian, Principal Owner, Los Angeles Golf Club & Angel City FC; and Glenn Cole, Founder and Chairman, 72andSunny.
Day 1 Gallery
CMOs in the spotlight: Mars, Amazon, Novartis
Adapt or die: Why giants can’t dance
Changing the Game: Building Brands in the Age of Experiences
Tune into Campaign Middle East’s live coverage across its social media channels to stay updated on the latest of what’s happening at The Palais, the Rotonde, The Carlton Hotel and stay tuned for exciting events at the Campaign House Hilton Canopy.
