
Cannes Lions 2025
Campaigns that made me Roar!
Each year, the Cannes Lions Festival crowns the best creative work in the world, and every year, a few campaigns make us laugh, cry, think, or simply stare in awe. Here’s a round-up of the 2025 winners that made me roar (with emotion, impact, or delight).
THE ETHICS OF CREATIVITY
Advertising can, and should, be a force for good. This year, several campaigns tackled pressing social issues with empathy, urgency, and bravery, proving that ethics and engagement can (and must) go hand-in-hand.
► Havas Health “Beyond the Brief” campaign:
Theme: Neurodivergent Minds: They Don’t Need Advertising, Advertising Needs Them.
Awards: Not in competition.
Unveiled on Neurodiversity Pride Day at Cannes, this campaign didn’t just celebrate difference: it reframed it as a competitive advantage. Through bold teasers, immersive panels, and real industry commitments, Havas positioned neurodivergent talent not as a checkbox, but as the future of creative excellence. Inclusion here wasn’t a message, it was a method.
► Havas Lynx (Manchester, UK) “Creamotherapy” campaign:
Brand: My Doctor’s Recipe.
Tagline: "One in five cancer patients don’t die from cancer, they die from malnutrition".
Awards: 🥈 Silver (Health & Wellness).
One in five cancer patients don’t die from cancer: they die from malnutrition. This emotional campaign brought clinical innovation to life through a product patients actually want to eat: fortified ice cream. It balanced scientific rigor with storytelling, transforming treatment into a moment of humanity.
THE POWER OF WORDS
Contrary to fears brought by generative AI, 2025 proved that great copywriting isn’t dead. Some of the year’s most powerful campaigns were built on the strength of language: clever, raw, or revolutionary.
► Publicis Conseil “Three Words” campaign:
Brand: AXA.
Tagline: "...And Domestic Violence".
Awards: 🏆🏆🏆 x3 Grand Prix awards: Titanium, Direct, and Creative Business Transformation.
Sometimes, three words can change everything. By adding “and domestic violence” to the emergency relocation clause of its home insurance policies, AXA reframed protection itself. What was once reserved for fire or flood now applies to women trapped in violent homes.
► “The Final Copy of Ilon Specht” campaign:
Brand: L'Oreal Paris.
Tagline: "Because I'm Worth it".
Awards: 🏆 Grand Prix (Film), 🥇 Gold (Entertainment), 🥈 Silver (PR), 🥉 Bronze (Film Craft).
A moving short film about Ilon Specht, the 23-year-old female copywriter who wrote one of the most iconic taglines in history. The campaign reclaimed the power of female voice and self-worth, reminding us that behind every slogan is a story worth telling.
► BETC Paris “The Flame that Wasn't a Flame” campaign:
Brand: EDF.
Awards: 🥈 Silver (Design).
Can a few words reignite our imagination around sustainability? With The Flame That Wasn’t a Flame, EDF proved that bold messaging can reshape even the most sacred traditions. As the official clean energy partner of the Paris 2024 Olympics, EDF replaced the gas-fueled Olympic cauldron with the first-ever 100% electric flame. The tagline itself: paradoxical, poetic, and unforgettable, distills a radical idea in just seven words.
CREATIVITY THAT JUST HITS
Sometimes, creativity doesn’t need a cause: it just needs to be brilliant. These campaigns delivered pure delight, through humor, invention, or cultural sharpness.
► VML Czechia “Phone Break” campaign:
Brand: Kit Kat.
Tagline: "Have a break, really!".
Awards: 🥉 Bronze (Outdoor)
KitKat bars replaced smartphones in OOH visuals, urging people to reclaim their downtime. A visual joke with a punch, this campaign modernized a 70-year-old slogan without even saying it.
► Ogilvy Singapore “Vaseline Verified” campaign:
Brand: Vaseline.
Tagline: "Vaseline Verified".
Awards: 🥇 Grand Prix (Social & Influencer)
When viral hacks using Vaseline flooded social media, the brand jumped in, testing them in labs and awarding the safe ones with a Vaseline Verified stamp. The result? A playful, science-backed twist on influencer culture that turned brand heritage into fresh, shareable credibility.
AI: THE CREATive frenemy
Artificial intelligence took center stage in Cannes: sometimes as a partner, sometimes as a threat. The best campaigns used AI transparently and playfully. Others served as cautionary tales.
► Marcel Paris “Lidlize” campaign:
Brand: Lidl.
Tagline: "Make anything Lidl".
Awards: 🥇 Gold (Creative Commerce)
A creative use of AI that empowered users rather than replacing creatives. A true collaboration between brand, tech, and community.
► DM9 “Efficient Way to Pay” campaign:
Brand: Consul Appliance.
Tagline: "Efficient Way to Pay"
Awards: ❌ 1 Grand Prix, 3 Golds, 4 Silvers, 3 Bronzes (all revoked)
DM9’s entry was disqualified after using AI-generated content without disclosure. Cannes Lions responded with new rules, transparency codes, and AI detection tools. The incident reminds us that while AI can support creativity, it must not fake it.
That’s a wrap on the campaigns that made me ROAR at Cannes Lions 2025—with laughter, awe, and sometimes a bit of righteous fury. See you next year for more brilliance (and hopefully less AI drama).


