Lions Daily News 2026 - Monday June 22

Lisa Ray Sales Director

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CANNES LIONS

LIONS DAILY NEWS

SEMINAR HIGHLIGHTS

A selection of sessions taking place today in the main auditoriums of the Palais des Festivals

10.00 AB INBEV: CREATIVE MARKETER OF THE YEAR

CANNES LIONS / LUMIERE

11:10 NEW VOICES: SPOTLIGHTING THE NEXT GENERATION OF CREATIVE LEADERS

CANNES LIONS & CONTAGIOUS / DEBUSSY

11:15 LION OF ST MARK SEMINAR | SUSAN CREDLE CANNES LIONS / DEBUSSY

12:15 EDDIE CUE | ENTERTAINMENT PERSON OF THE YEAR

CANNES LIONS / LUMIERE

13:15 CREATIVE CONTROL: PREMIUM AI MEETS THE BIG SCREEN SAWA / DEBUSSY

14:30 CELEBRATING CREATIVITY MADE IN FRANCE NBCUNIVERSAL / DEBUSSY

15:30 FIVE MARKETING TRUTHS WE CAN ACTUALLY AGREE ON EHRENBERG-BASS INSTITUTE & MINIMBA / DEBUSSY

16:30 JAPAN’S CREATIVE CODE: STORYTELLING THAT ENDURES

DENTSU INC / DEBUSSY

Brands, AI and Independents drive Cannes Lions 2026

THE CANNES Lions International Festival of Creativity returns to the Côte d’Azur with a remarkable array of work from around the world up for juror consideration. Underscoring the event’s pre-eminent role as the benchmark for commercial creativity worldwide, 2026 has seen 20,050 awards submissions from 92 countries.

LIONS CEO Simon Cook said

entry credibility, results legitimacy and judging integrity remain non-negotiable pillars for recognising creative excellence at LIONS: “We have been working closely with our international community over the last year on what are considered and significant steps,” he said, “and thank everyone for their support, co-operation and leadership. Together,

MONDAY

we understand that these strengthened standards are not designed to restrict creativity, but to fortify it — ensuring breakthrough work gets the recognition it deserves, while preserving the integrity that makes the recognition meaningful and enduring.”

Among highlights in 2026, the presence and influence of brands continues to grow, with 10% of all work submitted by brands this year, up from 8% in 2025. Approximately 400 brands will be on the ground in Cannes, with presence across the dedicated Brand Village, B2B Summit, LIONS Creators and the first LIONS Sport. Independents — including indie networks — are playing an increasingly significant role too. This year, independents

PROGRESS THROUGH CREATIVITY

OUR MISSION at LIONS is to drive progress through creativity — moving people, business and society forward. This vision is realised across every touchpoint and experience at Cannes Lions, from our learning initiatives on Campus to our content programme and the Lions Awards in the Palais, the Festival’s beating heart. It’s the place to completely immerse yourself in the world’s most e ective and inspiring work across the week. Our focus is expanding, as we continue to build more pathways for the industry to engage with creativity. We’re delighted to present the inaugural LIONS Sport this year, a new two-day summit bringing together the most in uential decision-makers in sports to reimagine how creativity drives growth across the global sports ecosystem. Alongside this, in an industry

MONDAY JUNE 22ND

14:00 30 MIN

Luiz Sanches

Global Chief Creative & Design O cer

Kimberly-Clark

BASEMENT STAGE, THE PALAIS

make up almost a third of all entries and there are more jury presidents representing indie agencies than ever before. The continuing growth of indies is reflected across the broader Festival too, with the introduction of a Challenger Pass, giving independently-owned businesses full Classic pass access.

As in previous years, the 2026 awards programme has evolved, reflecting changing definitions of creativity. At the centre of the latest update is the new Creative Brand Lion, which moves recognition upstream to the conditions that make breakthrough work possible. The Creative Brand Lion Jury will be led by AB InBev global chief marketing officer Marcel Marcondes, bringing together senior brand and creative leaders from some of the world’s most iconic organisations.

Explaining the thinking behind the new award, Cook said: “For 70 years, we’ve recognised the work and creative outputs that drive demand for brands all around the world. But in 2026, we’re asking a different question: what are the inputs that make those breakthrough ideas possible in the first place? This Lion will recognise the visionary brands that are building the systems, cultures and capabilities that make world-class creative marketing inevitable and repeatable.”

Creative Data, AI and retail media in the spotlight

Alongside the new Lion, several categories have been refreshed to reflect how creativity is being reshaped by technology, measurement and new economic realities. “We continue to evolve and adapt the LIONS to reflect the rapidly changing industry landscape and recognise the brands that are designing the organisational foundations that will enable and sustain creative marketing that matters,” Cook said.

The Creative Data Lions have been comprehensively updated to reflect data’s shift from insight tool to creative foundation, requiring entries to demonstrate how data drives both idea creation and measurable business impact. Retail media, meanwhile, has expanded sub-categories across Creative Strategy and Creative Data Lions. Another change is an AI Craft sub-category across Craft-led Lions, recognising work where human creativity and AI combine to produce outcomes neither could achieve alone. As LIONS global director of awards Marian Brannelly explained: “We’re witnessing the industry evolve with data and technology playing a pivotal role in how creativity is used to solve business problems. Data has become a creative catalyst, AI is expanding what’s possible and retail media is redefining how brands connect with consumers.”

Social and Glass also refined in 2026

Reflecting the rise of the creator economy, the Social & Creator Lions returns, celebrating creative social thinking and strategic influencer marketing solutions. Jury President is Mihnea Gheorghiu, global chief creative officer, LePub.

Meanwhile, marking its 10th anniversary, Glass: The Lion for Change is also evolving to broaden its scope beyond gender representation. The updated Lion will recognise work that reflects intersectionality across disability, race, sexuality and broader social inequity, and how inclusivity is embedded across the creative process.

Juries reflect global creative leadership

Crucial to the effective function of Cannes Lions is the remarkable roster of industry leaders and experts who give up their time to judge the work. This year’s juries reflect the growing diversity of the voices shaping the global creative industry, with perspectives from independent agencies and brands across sectors. Among those making

‘‘The juries’ expertise in recognising work sets the creative benchmark for the year ahead and provides a view of the future shape of creativity’’

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where CMOs are expected to deliver immediate commercial results while also building long-term brand value, we’re launching the rst LIONS Global CMO Forum to support the community. This closeddoor gathering is designed to give the world’s most senior marketers time for candid, peer-to-peer discussion on the issues shaping modern marketing leadership. Our global community is growing. We now welcome more creators, start-ups, scale-ups, investors, rights holders, students, founders and independent agency owners than ever before, and we aim to arm everyone in the business of creativity with the tools, inspiration and learning to fuel progress far beyond the Festival.

We want our entire community to take back the learning and inspiration from Cannes and apply it back home. But turning one exhilarating week of content into a sharp, actionable set of insights is no easy task So, we’re introducing the Cannes Lions Wrap-Up: Live. A 90-minute session, distilling the talks, insights, trends and Award winners into a take-home guide. So don’t miss this all-important session on Friday.

We’re thrilled to welcome you all to Cannes Lions 2026.

This is your moment. Make history.

June 22–25, 2026

61 Boulevard de la Croisette

Cannes, France

JOIN US AT CANNES LIONS

Join us June 22–25 at Journal House, your global hub for innovative ideas, networking and R&R during the 2026 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Our home away from home—and yours—where the world’s leading creatives, thought leaders and executives will gather to discuss how theconvergence of storytelling, data and purpose can drive lasting impact and growth.

Learn more wsj.com/jhcannes2026

their jury debut is AXA, following its success in 2025, winning 13 Lions. The line-up also includes increased representation from Africa, Pacific, MENA and LatAm, including firsttime jurors from the Dominican Republic and Venezuela.

Brannelly noted that the composition of this year’s juries “speaks to how creativity is evolving — it’s becoming more interconnected, more diverse and more influential across every part of business. With more markets than ever represented and a growing number of leaders from independent agencies and brands, this year’s line-up will ensure the work is judged through a truly global and contemporary lens.”

Among the Jury Presidents in 2026 is Chaka Sobhani, global chief creative officer, TBWA\Worldwide, Global, who will lead the decision-making process for the Dan Wieden Titanium Lions. In a historic first, Lebanon is represented on the Titanium Jury. There is also a strong line-up of women Presidents, including Sarah Lemarié, chief strategy officer, Publicis (Creative Strategy); Shannon

SPEAKERS

Washington, chief creative officer and managing partner, 11 Ounces (Entertainment Lions for Sport); Pip Smart, executive producer and partner, Revolver (Film Craft); Dana Tahir, chief executive officer, HAVAS Red Middle East and Egypt (PR); and Jessica Apellaniz, chief creative officer, Wieden+Kennedy Mexico (Print & Publishing).

Cook stressed that “the impact of the Cannes Lions Jury can’t be underestimated. Their time and expertise in recognising groundbreaking work sets the global creative benchmark for the year ahead and provides a view of the future shape of creativity. Welcoming new expert voices across a breadth of markets and disciplines, we are delighted to bring together some of the industry’s most well-respected leaders to define the creative standards driving our industry forward.”

Lion of St Mark celebrates trailblazing Credle

Alongside the many work-based categories, LIONS also awards individuals and companies that have

acted as standard-bearers for exceptional creativity.

At the forefront of these is the Lion of St Mark lifetime achievement award, which will be presented to Susan Credle, recognising a career spanning more than 40 years and landmark work across agencies. The award reflects not just a body of iconic work, but a sustained influence on how agencies build ideas, teams and cultures that allow creativity to scale across decades and

global networks. Revealing the news, Cook called her “a trailblazer and a creative force”.

Across four decades, Credle has held senior creative leadership roles at agencies including BBDO, Leo Burnett and FCB. Her work includes Allstate’s ‘Mayhem’ campaign, the Secret Deodorant ‘Mean Stinks’ anti-bullying initiative and McDonald’s Happy Meal literacy programmes, reflecting a distinctive ability to balance cultural insight with commercial purpose.

Reflecting on the formative moment that set her trajectory, Credle said: “When I walked into the lobby of BBDO on Madison Avenue in the summer of 1985, I saw a poster celebrating Pepsi’s Cannes Lions Grand Prix-winning ‘Archaeology’, directed by Joe Pytka. The jury that honoured that work set the bar for what great advertising could be. It was provocative and beautifully crafted and showed real respect for the audience. More importantly, it launched something much bigger — the ‘Choice of a New Generation’ platform that took the Cola Wars to another level.

BREWING CONNECTION: HOW HEINEKEN REFRESHES SOCIAL LIFE IN ASIA

Monday, June 22 at 12:15 pm / The Forum, Rotonde

CANNES LIONS 2026

That Cannes Lions Award taught me something I’ve carried with me ever since: the best ideas don’t just succeed in the moment — they strive to be NVRFNSHD.”

Oprah named as 2026 LionHeart While Cannes Lions champions commercial creativity, the festival also provides a platform to showcase creativity as a catalyst for progress, empathy and human connection through award entries, conference panels and the LionHeart Award.

This year’s recipient of the LionHeart Award is Oprah Winfrey, who will be honoured in recognition of a career that has consistently combined cultural influence with social impact. One of the Festival’s highest honours, the award recognises individuals who have used their platform to drive positive and lasting change in the world.

Few figures embody that mission more completely than Winfrey. Across decades as a broadcaster, producer, entrepreneur, author and philanthropist, she has built one of the most influential media platforms in modern history while using that influence to elevate under-represented voices, expand access to education and encourage public conversations around often unspoken issues. Her impact extends well beyond the media businesses that bear her name. Through philanthropic initiatives including the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa, she has invested directly in creating opportunities for future generations, reinforcing a belief that influence carries a responsibility to empower others.

Announcing the honour, Philip Thomas, chair, LIONS, said: “Oprah Winfrey’s influence extends far beyond media. She has consistently used her platform to elevate others, challenge perspectives and inspire change. Her sustained commitment to using influence responsibly has helped create opportunities for others while broadening understanding on a global scale — embodying the true spirit of the LionHeart award.”

Apple takes centre stage

Entertainment will also take centre stage in 2026, with Apple’s senior vice-president of services and health, Eddy Cue, being named Cannes Lions Entertainment Person of the Year. The award recognises individuals whose work has helped redefine the role of entertainment within the broader marketing and communications landscape. Few executives have had a greater influence on the convergence of technology, media and storytelling than Cue. Overseeing Apple TV, Apple Music, Apple Podcasts, Apple Books, Apple News and the company’s sports and services ecosystem, he has helped build one of the world’s most influential entertainment platforms. Under his leadership, Apple TV has become one of the industry’s most critically acclaimed streaming services, producing titles including The Studio, Severance and Ted Lasso, while Apple Original Films is now a major force in global cinema.

Announcing the honour, Cook said: “Eddy Cue has consistently pushed the boundaries of entertainment and storytelling, building platforms and experiences that have redefined how audiences engage with culture.” The recognition also reflects Apple’s growing creative influence within the Festival itself. In 2025, the company was named Cannes Lions Creative Marketer of the Year and collected the Creative Effectiveness Grand Prix for its long-running ‘Shot on iPhone’ platform. Cue will appear on the Lumière Theatre stage on Monday, June 22, for a keynote conversation alongside legendary producer Jerry Bruckheimer before collecting the award during that evening’s Cannes Lions Awards Show.

Enterprise scale creativity

Continuing on the theme of company-led creativity, AB InBev has been named the 2026 Creative Marketer of the Year, marking a rare third recognition for the company and reinforcing its position as one of the most sustained case studies in how creativity can be embedded as a driver of global business performance.

‘‘Oprah’s influence extends far beyond media. She has used her platform to elevate others, challenge perspectives and inspire change’’

More than a celebration of standout campaigns, the award recognises how AB InBev has approached marketing in recent years: not as a series of individual creative moments, but as a connected system designed to produce consistent, measurable growth across a vast portfolio of brands and markets.

Across markets and brand platforms, AB InBev has consistently used creativity as a lever not just for awareness, but for behavioural change and commercial impact, translating into industry recognition and sustained business momentum.

Cook said: “AB InBev has embedded creativity into how it operates, not just how it leverages marketing, and it is consistently outperforming as a result. By prioritising creativity at a C-suite level and implementing an internal creative effectiveness system, it continues to demonstrate the clear and compelling link between creative excellence and commercial performance.”

Celebrating the award, AB InBev’s Marcondes added: “To be named Creative Marketer of the Year for the third time in the last five years reflects our consistent and sustainable approach to building brands people love. It’s also a credit to the amazing teams and agency partners we have around the world that are delivering all-time high revenues. Cheers to everyone that helped make this recognition possible.”

Vive La France! Pays créatif 2026 is also the second time that LIONS has named a Creative Country of the Year. This year’s honour goes to France, recognising a creative ecosystem that spans advertising, luxury, fashion, technology, culture and public investment — and one that has consistently translated cultural heritage into sustained global creative influence.

France’s creative identity is often framed through its cultural exports — from luxury houses and fashion to cinema and design — but its presence at Cannes Lions also reflects sustained performance across decades of awards recognition.

At the 2025 Festival, French brands

The obvious shows everything. We keep what matters.

and agencies continued to demonstrate that consistency, with AXA ranking as one of the most awarded brands, including multiple Grand Prix wins for ‘AXA – Three Words’ by Publicis Conseil, Paris. Over time, France has accumulated more than 1,600 Lions and dozens of Grand Prix wins, underlining its position as one of the most influential creative nations in the history of the Festival. Commenting on the award, Cannes Mayor David Lisnard said: “This recognition carries particular meaning for us, given the inseparable ties between Cannes Lions and France, not only through the Festival’s deep history with Cannes, but also through the creative ecosystem it has helped to showcase for decades. Being named Creative Country of the Year is a huge testament to France’s unwavering dedication to harnessing creativity as a catalyst for progress.”

The award will be marked through French-led activations across the Festival, including stage talks, creative showcases and networking events highlighting the breadth of France’s contemporary creative industries. Among these is the session 100 Years of Publicis, Celebrating Creativity Made in France. Held in the Lumiere Theatre, the event will see Arthur Sadoun and Maurice Lévy explain how, and why, today, Paris has quietly become the city where the world’s most ambitious global brands come to reinvent themselves.

Looking to the future, Cannes Lions is also playing its part in sustaining French creativity. This year, French delegates will have the opportunity to gift one Festival pass to a French-based colleague who has never attended the

Festival before — giving new talent access to the transformative experience that defines Cannes Lions.

Guiding the next generation

While Cannes Lions remains the industry’s ultimate benchmark for creative excellence, it is increasingly positioning itself as a platform for developing the talent, perspectives and leadership that will define creativity’s next era.

That commitment is evident through the Cannes Lions School, a purpose-built campus at the heart of the Festival that brings together the LIONS Academies, Young Lions Competitions and a growing portfolio of talent development initiatives. The School reflects a broader recognition that creative excellence requires pathways for the next generation. The Academies are a cornerstone of this effort. Across the Brand Marketing Academy (sponsored by Netflix), Creative Academy and Roger Hatchuel Student Academy,

participants gain access to intensive coaching, world-class speakers and behind-the-scenes insights into Lion-winning work.

Encouraging access, achieving impact

Alongside education, access is a core priority. Through its Impact initiatives, LIONS continues to expand opportunities for under-represented talent to participate in the Festival. LIONS Scholarship, Jodi Harris Scholarship (in partnership with AB InBev) and the See It Be It programme collectively bring emerging talent from around the world to Cannes, creating opportunities that might otherwise remain out of reach.

Not to be overlooked is the Equity, Representation and Accessibility (ERA) Programme. Designed to foster a diverse and inclusive representation of talent within the creative industry, the Programme gives recipients the opportunity to experience Cannes Lions, engage with the global industry and celebrate groundbreaking creativity. ERA allocates up to € 2m worth of complimentary Festival passes, welcoming a variety of grassroots and community organisations alongside global charities from across the creative industry to the Festival.

As Frank Starling, chief DEI officer, LIONS, explained: “Innovation thrives when everyone has equitable access to opportunities. We are proud to open doors for exceptional talent from around the world, enabling them to access the unparalleled opportunities that the Cannes LIONS Festival of Creativity offers.”

Cannes Lions: here to prove creativity mean business

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

‘‘Delegates can expect practical guidance, exclusive new research and sharp takes on key topics’’

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 Showcase, Live From Cannes (14:0016:30, 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.”

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 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. Check the Festival programme for a full listing of content. After the Festival, stay up-to-date on LIONS Intelligence, LIONS Advisory and LIONS Learning yearround offerings: www.lions.co/ en/newsletter

No integrity, no competition

AS THE creative industry’s premier benchmark, Cannes Lions has always taken a rigorous approach to the process by which work is entered into its competition. In 2026, it has doubled down on this, introducing Awards Integrity Standards that ensure creative legitimacy. These standards build on existing commitments in five areas: ownership and authorship; veracity of claims; the consequence of misrepresentation; due process and independent oversight; and transparency in governance.

“Ultimately, this is about legitimacy and integrity,” said Simon Cook, CEO of LIONS, which means “real work with genuine results”. The work must also have credibility and represent the client and its objectives appropriately, he added. “And we also call for integrity, which means a fair judging process without external influence.”

Explaining why now is the right time to revisit standards, Cook said the Festival’s role as global convenor and industry benchmark comes with responsibility: “We

Institute

need to continue to codify standards, listen openly, evolve and build on our rigour and ensure creativity remains powerful and verifiable. We want breakthrough work to get the recognition it deserves while preserving the integrity that makes the recognition meaningful.”

In practical terms, LIONS global director of awards Marian Brannelly said: “The biggest change is that each entry now requires approval from both the CEO of the entrant company and the CMO of the brand that commissioned the work. We recognised the need for more direct accountability at the highest levels.”

Brannelly said the Festival is also asking for proof of impact, with all entrants now required to include their sources and ensure that the results are verifiable. “The reason we’re doing this is to ensure that only work that is legitimate and credible reaches the judging stages,” she added. “By enforcing rigorous upfront verification, including authorisation at the highest level and proof of impact, our aim is to create an environment where the work meets an expected standard before it’s judged by our jury of international experts. This allows the juries to focus solely on evaluating the creative excellence of each piece of work.”

All of the changes have been introduced in consultation with the industry. “Following last year’s Festival, we made a commitment to introduce a lot of new measures,” Cook said. “As part of this process, it’s important that we continue to consult with the industry so that we can continue to evolve the process where necessary.

As with everything we do at Cannes Lions, it’s in collaboration with our global community, and actively listening to better understand the evolving needs of our entrants will remain a top priority.”

Maintaining integrity has also involved additional scrutiny of the Festival’s world-class judging process. “For a number of years, we’ve used bespoke technology which looks for unusual patterns, or anything that would indicate prejudice voting,” Brannelly said. “Our team assess the votes in real time and any anomalies are flagged and addressed immediately. This exists to alleviate any pressure or external politics and, as a result, our jurors can vote without

bias and focus on awarding the very best work. This year we have added an additional layer by putting a trained jury observer in each room. They are assessing and recording the general sentiment of the conversation for each piece of work — whether they were speaking positively, neutrally or negatively and noting anything that stands out as particularly political or unusual.”

To further ensure non-biased judging, Cannes Lions has worked with equality, diversity and inclusion

‘‘We want breakthrough work to get the recognition it deserves while preserving the integrity that makes the recognition meaningful’’

consultancy The Unmistakables to co-create bias-awareness training modules. These are compulsory and aim to raise awareness, offer space to learn and reflect, and provide tips and actions for addressing bias in the judging process. According to Brannelly, awards submission volumes are “in line with our expectations following the introduction of these strengthened standards”. And there have been some encouraging shifts in participation. “Brand marketers now represent 10% of all work and independents make up almost a third of all entries.”

Cook confirmed that the introduction of the new standards is not a one-off intervention. “We’ve committed to publishing an annual integrity audit after the Festival, which will have findings and recommendations for the coming year.

Jim Stengel is first Lions Laureate for Marketing

CANNES Lions has named Jim Stengel as its first ever Lions Laureate for Marketing; a new honour recognising individuals whose vision, influence and contribution have left an enduring mark on the profession and advanced the role of creative marketing as a driver of business growth. Throughout a distinguished career spanning more than three decades, including seven years as global marketing officer at Procter & Gamble, Stengel has helped shape modern marketing leadership.

In 2003, Stengel brought the first major client-side marketing delegation to Cannes Lions, helping accelerate the Festival’s evolution into a global meeting place for marketers, brand builders and business leaders.

Beyond his corporate achievements, Stengel has dedicated much of the last two decades to developing the next generation of marketers through teaching, writing and mentorship. In 2011, Stengel served as the Dean for the inaugural Cannes Lions Creative Academy for Marketers before establishing and pioneering the CMO Accelerator Programme in 2013.

LIONS CEO Simon Cook said Stengel’s “influence extends far beyond the marketing functions and organisations he has led. His impact is both profound and enduring, not only through the brands and businesses he has helped build, but through the leaders he has inspired and developed along the way. I can think of no one more deserving of

this honour, nor anyone who better embodies what it stands for.”

Stengel will deliver the inaugural Lions Laureate Seminar in the Debussy Theatre on Thursday, June 25, ahead of receiving the award at the Cannes Lions Awards Show that evening. He said: “Throughout my career, I have been fortunate to learn from extraordinary colleagues, partners and friends, and this recognition is

really a reflection of those relationships. I have always believed creativity is one of the most powerful forces for growth in business and positive impact in the world. If I have contributed anything along the way, I hope it has been encouraging marketers to think a little bigger about the role they can play, the value they can create and the difference they can make.”

Norway re-enters the race in Cannes

The Norwegian advertising industry is making a confident return to Cannes Lions, with entries rising for the first time since 2022. Agencies cite stronger creative ambition, bolder client briefs and renewed faith in the value of originality. The result is an industry eager to test itself once again on the global stage

By Yngve Garen Svardal news editor, KOM24

NORWAY’S advertising world has regained its confidence, a confidence recognised by the industry itself. It has been several years since Norway has submitted this many entries to Cannes Lions.

“We believe this comes down to two things,” says Egil Pay, creative director at TRY Reklame. “After several years with more reuse of existing advertising, the industry is now investing more in original creative work. Norwegian agencies have also become better at creating integrated 360 campaigns rather than traditional advertising. That opens up more categories in Cannes, and therefore more total entries from fewer campaigns.” Norwegian entries to Cannes Lions have plunged for several years in a row. In 2022, Norway submitted as many as 156 entries. After that, the number fell year by year until 2025, when there were only 75 Norwegian entries. That was a halving in just a few years, which also showed in last year’s Lion haul, when Norway won only one Silver Lion and one Bronze Lion, awarded to NewsLab and POL respectively. Now, however, the trend appears to have turned. This year, Norwegian entries are up by as much as 21 percent. This year, 91 Norwegian entries will compete to secure a Lion or two. As usual, TRY has submitted the most entries, with 24 in total. “A Lion in Cannes carries enormous weight. What also makes Cannes unique is that the Festival celebrates both creativity and effectiveness. There is not much room for silly work there,” Pay says. TRY has a long tradition in Cannes and has brought 37 Lions home to

Norway since 2000, five of them Gold. Pay says Cannes is the arena where they measure themselves against the best in the world. It is about prestige and recruitment, but most of all about seeing where the international bar is set and bringing inspiration home, he explains.

“We see that clients are increasingly recognising the value of creativity, reflected in the fact that many of the largest international clients themselves have a strong presence at the festival,” he says.

More courage in the briefs

Pay believes Norwegian advertising is currently on the rise. “There is more courage in the briefs, and clients are more willing to back ideas that truly stand out,” he says. At the same time, TRY has seen a decline in the number of entries. He says this is because they have become more selective.

“This year, we believe we have a really strong piece of work in the IKEA campaign ‘Made for Life’, a campaign that has already won in several international competitions. It therefore makes more sense to spend the Cannes budget on entering it in many categories, rather than spreading the money across several different pieces of work in fewer categories. So the strategy is to go deep with the best work, not broad with everything,” he says.

Kristina Skogen CEO at Anorak is currently delivering record numbers, which is also reflected in the number of entries submitted to Cannes.

This year, Anorak is the second-largest Norwegian player, with as many as 19 entries, compared with only six last year.

“We are breaking with the trend in our own category in most areas. We are more profitable, we are growing faster than our category, and we have 12 more employees than at the same time last year. Over the past two years, we have seen strong development in our client portfolio, and we get to work with complex issues across many categories. That makes it natural for us to submit to Cannes. It is an extension of the everyday work we are already doing,” she says, calling it a stress test of their level. With such strong growth in submitted entries, Anorak is helping drive the overall increase in Norwegian entries. Skogen says she believes this is linked to the industry regaining its confidence after receiving confirmation that artificial intelligence cannot take strategic creativity away from humans.

“In a world where most things are going to hell, generating emotion through creativity is what actually lasts. Letting the work we have put a lot of love, effort and investment into test itself on the international stage is a good thing,” she says.

The relatively newly established agency 11:11 is making a strong move with as many as eight submissions to Cannes Lions. Agency CEO and partner Espen Haugen calls it a healthy sign for the industry that the number of Norwegian entries is rising for the first time in several years.

“It is an obvious sign that the industry is developing in the right direction when it comes to quality and profitability,” he says. He believes the market turned some time ago, and that optimism and

willingness to invest have increased.

Haugen says the agency is built on the basic idea that good ideas are good business. He says they quickly gained trust from what he describes as large, influential players.

“We set ourselves the ambition of creating work of international standard. That means it must have high creative quality, strong effectiveness and an element of fame that makes people want to talk about it and allows it to stand on its own feet,” he says.

He adds that he is extremely proud that they already have work strong enough to compete in Cannes. They have submitted two pieces of work, which will compete across a total of eight categories.

Janne Brenda Lysø is creative director at POL and also sits on the Film Jury in Cannes. The agency has strong traditions in Cannes and secured one of last year’s two Norwegian Lions, among other achievements. This year, however, POL has only three tickets in the basket as it competes for gold in Cannes.

“If you want to say you are among

“There is more courage in the briefs, and clients are more willing to back ideas that truly stand out”

the best Norwegian agencies, Cannes is a benchmark,” she says. Although prices have gone up and many in the Norwegian industry have struggled financially in recent years, she is clear that agencies need to submit to Cannes. She calls it part of their marketing.

“If you believe in creativity and have a stated goal of being among the best agencies in the country, you cannot opt out of the World Cup,” she says.

She says the reason they have submitted only one piece of work in three categories is that their strongest card, the much-discussed campaign for Munkholm beer may be difficult to understand in an international context.

“It is easier to submit work for a bank than for a quirky Norwegian brand no one knows. There may be cultural context, language or something else that means it does not work in Cannes,” she says.

Lysø calls the increase from Norway this year a good sign, but she does not dare to call it a trend yet.

“It may be coincidental. It may be

work that has done well internationally, or that one has a piece of work that functions across several categories in a given year,” she says.

The agency with the loud name NOSLEEPTILLBROOKLYN has made an international mark over the past year, including three Golds at the ESA Awards, and a Grand Prix at the BEA Awards, becoming the first Norwegian agency ever to do so.

The agency has submitted seven entries to Cannes this year following its international success in other competitions.

“We do not think long-term. We assess it year by year. Now we have a project that has won a great deal in other competitions, so both we and the client were curious about whether the project could do well in Cannes,” says COO Aris Theophilakis.

He says it would be fun if the work they have done for Nordic insurance company Gjensidige received recognition in the advertising world.

“It would be a nice feather in the cap, but the cap already looks good,” he says.

Argentina’s epic creative muscle

Argentina has long learned to create under pressure, turning economic instability into a catalyst for innovation and creative excellence. Forged by resilience, adaptability and cultural intensity, it consistently delivers ideas that resonate far beyond its borders. The result is a creative economy that continues to outperform expectations and command international a ention

By Majo Acosta and Marta González Muguruza from Reporte Publicidad

Argentina is a country that can be narrated through its epics. Through the great tales of a small giant. It is the world’s eighth-largest country — the southernmost in the Americas — and its GDP is barely 2% of that of the US. The narrative that represents us is that of a people numbering 47 million who strive, with a passion and intensity equaled by few, to achieve great things even when reason shows them to be impossible. That ethos impacts our communication’s DNA, which is reinforced when the football World Cup comes around. Scenes from the latest campaign by the Cervecería y Maltería Quilmes brewery include: a gold medal in basketball arriving in the last 0.8 millisecond of a final game thanks to the magic of Manu Ginóbili; Regatta racer Santiago Lange’s feat in arriving

first despite having lost three-quarters of a lung to cancer; or our Liberator General San Martín crossing the Andes mountain range on muleback, braving extreme cold while suffering breathing problems. The fourth World Cup star is another epic expectation of ours. In fact the 2026 World Cup began ahead of time in terms of local communication, and bears an extra emotional charge: it is Lionel Messi’s last World Cup, and eight out of 10 Argentines were awaiting his participation eagerly and mentioned it as the Cup’s most outstanding aspect. The conversation transcends sports and becomes a collective sendoff, as shown in a study by the OSA agency. The 2022 World Cup saw the presence of over 190 brands and 230 active campaigns. Argentine fans don’t perceive themselves

as spectators but as starring participants in the game: they believe their presence, their songs and their rituals impinge directly on the result. This self-image is culturally unique and recognised at world level. It was thus understood by Fernet Branca, the Italian amaro that adopted the Argentine identity and way of being for its communication. In its latest campaign, ‘We’re Unbearable’ (Zurda Agency), it talks about Argentina’s intensity, about the way it is perceived by the world at large. Who, it asks itself humorously, will stand the Argentines if they achieve two Cups in a row?

In another delirious example of our intensity, what began as a joke on social networks ended up turning the New Zealand soccer player Tim Payne into a celebrity. An Argentine content creator, Valen Scarsini (aka @ elscarso) called on his followers to back the World Cup’s least-known player, and the phenomenon went viral. Within just three days, Payne went from 4,000 followers to more than three million. The craze event even attracted brands like Duolingo, KFC and McDonald’s and ended with an amusing video of Payne’s giving his thanks in Spanish. Catriel Guerreiro and Ulises Guerriero — better known as Ca7riel and Paco Amoroso — are likewise an example of an epic. Following their explosive transit through NPR’s Tiny Desk, they ceased to be an Argentine secret to become a worldwide obsession, reaching extremely high benchmarks, at Bizarrap level. They transformed the pressure of so much exposure into PAPOTA, a musically brilliant EP, loaded with humour and with a critical view of the current music industry. Their stamp? Contemporary creativity in sync with a masterly mise en scène which in their latest EP, Free Spirits, included a collaboration with Sting, the epitome of emotional wellbeing.

The everyday epic

Intensity and ethos also extend to daily reality. Few activities are as closely connected with the economy as advertising. And the Argentine economy is experiencing a deep reconfiguration since the change in government. “Argentina has become a global test case — the question is whether Argentines can endure the pain” ran a headline in The Economist. Although Argentina attained an annual 4.4% GDP growth last year, the Argentine worker’s average monthly income is $700 (€610), and 55% of Argentine households have incomes of under $1,000. It is an economy that marks out winners and losers. As the Moiguer business consultancy puts it, a minimum monthly wage buys only 12 pizza pies, yet the registration of high-end cars rose 91% over the last five years for the fortunate most wealthy 4% of the population. This economic model’s great exporting strength resides in its farming sector and its energy reserves — but also in its creative services.

Local roots, global reach

The combination of creative resiliency, craft, strategic thinking and adaptability is one of local advertising’s great differentials, even within a context of economic volatility, political changes and an accelerated transformation of the industry on the basis of artificial intelligence and the new business models.

Two movements mark the local market. There is the growth of independent agencies and creative boutiques, with smaller structures, agile and culturally connected. At the same time there is a process of contraction and concentration among the holdings that now bring together and/or reduce the number of agencies. A mutation from the format of agency diversification to that of sole communication platform, always keeping in mind that strategy and creativity continue to play a central role in the business.

“There is something that the world has been buying from Argentina for years and which we took too long to properly appraise. It isn’t soy. It isn’t lithium. It is creative talent,” said Papón Ricciarelli, CEO of Don by Havas.

“And the global market has been validating this with a clarity which we ourselves, on the inside, sometimes fail to perceive. When the Havas group acquired shares in Don, it said it straightforwardly: it wasn’t buying pro-

duction efficiency or low production costs. It was buying a creative product. That is what Argentina has to offer. A way of thinking. A form of finding workarounds for problems that is genuinely our own, that was forged by instability, by a shortage of resources and by a culture that mixes Europe with Latin America in a way that exists nowhere else on the planet. We are good at this.”

Consulted about the context, Joaquín Cubría, CCO & partner of GUT, put it this way: “I see Argentina rebounding in many aspects and falling behind as never before in others. The eternal duality. It gives you as many motives for being hopeful as for feeling we’re never actually going to take off. The phrase, ‘You leave Argentina for three weeks and when you come back everything has changed — but if you leave Argentina for 15 years, when you come back nothing has changed’ is indisputably still current. What’s different? 2026-27 has an economic tailwind. In farming, natural gas, oil, the planets have aligned as never before and it would be stupid to waste energy on political fighting. Our sector has been revolutionised by AI and features brands that are adjusting to a consumption that never quite takes off. That said, agencies’ knack for getting blood out of a stone continues in force. The creative search does not throw in the towel or give up. In the network, GUT Argentina is a heavyweight office. Because it achieved what none other did in 2023, and because it is the office that exports and provides resources the most. Economically we are doing well but the scale doesn’t allow competing with the US or Brazil.

That’s why we assert ourselves with a worldwide view, speed in execution and quality in creativity.”

Official data show that 64.8% of Argentine agencies export services and that, on average, exports represent 25% of their billings. The main markets are the US, Mexico and Chile. Advertising investments reached $1.2bn last year, 8% less than the year before.

“In Argentina we possess the superpower of doing much with little,” said Victoria Cole, CEO of VML LatAm.

“My view of the marketplace is very optimistic and is grounded in a unique combination that is found here. On the one hand, we have a creative muscle shaped by scarcity: we are accustomed to searching out solutions, to stretching out every resource, and to not depending on the budget for getting good ideas. That is our great differential. Add to this, now, artificial intelligence, which operates as an almost infinite toolbox.

For a market like Argentina’s, it not only allows greater efficiency: it permits ideas, which previously were held back by the lack of resources, to become real. Technology has democratised the tools, but not the quality of the ideas. With that, Argentina has always overflowed.”

That optimistic regard is shared by Pablo Sánchez Liste, the new CEO of the Untold ecosystem, with headquarters in Argentina and a presence in seven countries. “We are experiencing an extraordinary moment for creativity.

A world without frontiers which opens up infinite possibilities, for those organisations that are capable, for thinking and working without geographies. Argentina has an enormous opportunity

“Resiliency, creativity and technological capability positions the country as a very a ractive hub for regional and global services”

Lara Krumholz

within that setting. Its creative talent can fit in in a natural manner with teams of the entire region and of the world in order to develop ideas that can catch people’s attention. Brands need partners who listen, who understand their challenges in depth, who provide strategic thinking and who transform that understanding into stories capable of generating a conversation and a connection. That’s why we believe in an ecosystem: an organisation that brings together different disciplines, cultures and specialties to heighten the power of ideas. That where the new solutions are born and where creativity finds a much larger scale in order to generate an impact.”

The contenders

In order to export talent, it is necessary to render it visible. In that sense, the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has served as a display window for Argentina’s creative power. Although its volume of entries cannot be compared to that of other powers — the US, for example, submitted 12 times more items than Argentina in 2025 — it is outstandingly efficient when it comes to garnering Lions with ideas that transcend traditional categories. Let us run through some of the 2026 entries:

This year Mercado Libre along with GUT presents ‘Custom Billboards’. Using AI, each outdoor billboard, in real time, analyses the surroundings, the time of day and the possible needs of the person viewing it, in order to generate a unique and relevant message. The billboard adapts dynamically, chooses a specific product in the catalogue, and generates a personalised message with a QR code that allows the sale to be carried out on the spot. draftLine, for its part, developed an action for Stella Artois in a territory where brands cannot place ads: Google Maps’ ratings. Named ‘Stella LocAD Guides’, the campaign called on local guides to record experiences at iconic Buenos Aires restaurants and share reviews and real photographs; the brand appeared in

an organic manner, being there at the moment of consumption. Can an emblematic moment in soccer be turned into an artwork on the basis of emotional data? The Mercado McCann agency believes so. After succeeding in getting Lionel Messi to choose his favourite goal, AI algorithms were developed that analysed his emotions, gestures and biometrics during that

play, generating millions of points of information. With those data, the artist Refik Anadol created ‘A Goal in Life’, a unique piece that translates that memory into digital art. The work was sold at auction through Christie’s and the funds were donated, with the support of UNICEF, to charitable causes. Argentina’s F1 car racer for Alpine, Franco Colapinto, has turned into a cul-

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tural phenomenon capable of connecting national pride, the Z generation and aspirational storytelling. One of the ideas in competition this year is ‘The Originals Fake Collection’ for Renault along with Publicis Argentina. It all originated when Colapinto remarked that the official F1 merchandising was so expensive that he recommended that fans buy bogus versions. On the basis of that phrase, Renault launched a digital platform in which fans could, for free, download official Colapinto logos, photos, illustrations and stickers to create their own, homemade merchandising. It is often said that Print is the mother of all categories; although small in volume, with less than 3% of all Cannes Lions entries, it continues to maintain creative prestige and is frequently considered one of the “purest” categories for judging the quality of an idea. This is where Don by Havas participates with ‘See the Color’, a beautiful black-and-white campaign for Campari. The Campari red is so iconic that people can even see it when it isn’t present. If we delve into non-traditional ideas, it is worth pointing to the proposal of the R/GA agency, which is behind the brand identity and the digital communication platform of NotCo’s Giuseppe. The chef Giuseppe — a striking artificial intelligence platform — explores molecular interactions, analysing billions of

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formulas of vegetable origin and finding combinations capable of reproducing the taste, texture, aroma and functionality of products of animal origin like milk, meat or mayonnaise.

For its part YPF, Argentina’s biggest energy company, competes with a campaign created together with Genosha for the purpose of rendering a remarkable fact tangible: eight out of every 10 objects in the daily life of Argentines are immersed in a network of materials, transport, energy and innovation. Thanks to a system of live cameras and a computerised vision model trained to recognise thousands of objects in milliseconds, the platform allows everyday objects to be scanned and a determination to be made, in real time, of how much of that object’s value chain is linked to YPF. When it’s a powerful idea, it is possible to compete even with something as simple as a mixer. The TombrasNiña agency and Paso de Los Toros (Pepsico) have understood that modern dating apps have modified the way in which people get to meet and have made establishing a connection in real life more difficult, particularly in bars, where the fear already is not only that

of rejection but that of misinterpreting signals. In response, they created Torito, a mixer that operates as a clear social indicator: if you have it in your drink, you are open to meeting someone. The idea was launched on 11/11, International Singles Day.

One last question: Have you had your annual prostate check-up yet? A great initiative from Grey to put annual screenings on the agenda — and the possibility of getting it done for free at LALCEC medical centre.

The road ahead

Economists and consultants project a future of wealth for the Argentine economy in the years ahead. Between $65bn and $80bn more each year, thanks to energy, mining, agriculture and the knowledge industry, by 2030-33. How will this impact the communication industry? Will our creativity be up to this transformation? Will it be able to capitalise on it?

In the view of Leandro Zumárraga, CEO Dentsu Argentina & Chile, one of the major challenges ahead for the industry will be to strike a balance between automation and creative differentiation. “Within that scenario, Argen-

tina continues to have enormous value for the global industry. Beyond economic cycles, the Argentine markets keep up highly differential strengths: creative talent that is recognised worldwide, adaptability, fast incorporation of new technologies and a very sophisticated cultural sensibility. That combination of resiliency, creativity and technological capability positions the country as a very attractive hub for regional and global services.”

Ricciarelli warns: “Argentina’s young talent is being attracted abroad before maturing here. And the uncomfortable answer is that this talent exists, but if we don’t generate the conditions for retaining it, it is lost by the local market and gained by the world’s. The challenge facing us as an industry over the next 12 months is just one in number: to learn to charge what we are worth. Not only to internationalise our product. But also to internationalise our value. The current communication model demands that audiences should no longer just listen to the brands’ monologue, but want to speak to them as equals. We understood that model before most others did. And we exported it before the market demanded it. Argentina has a creative industry that plays in the world’s top league. The job for the years ahead is for this to cease being a well-guarded secret and start being a well-built business.”

South Africans

go home!

South Africans who are helping to run the global creative industry should make time to go home and share their experiences. That’s the message from Anne Hirsch and Julie Maunder of IDIDTHAT.co

DEAR South Africans running the global creative industry;

By the time you read this, you’re probably deep into another Cannes Lions week. If you’re one of the many South Africans now running agencies or brands abroad, we’d like you to know that your Ouma misses you. So does your mother. Your godchildren are growing up alarmingly fast, and your cousins Martelize and Markolize have only ever heard rumours of your illustrious advertising career overseas, but they remain deeply impressed. And so are we.

We’d also like to take this opportunity to share a simple initiative we’re calling ‘Each One. Brief One’. If each one of you South Africans working abroad briefed one company in South Africa, the impact would be enormous. So come home. Visit your family. Have a braai. Drink a bottle of wine that costs less than a glass of rosé in Cannes. And while you’re here, work with a South African agency, production company, post house or

creative team to make your next ad. Not because South Africa needs saving, and not because we’re asking for favours. But there are enough of you scattered across agencies and brands around the world, creating some of the best work on the planet, to make a real difference back home. Every year, Cannes provides a particularly visible reminder of just how ridiculously patriotic South Africans are.

More than 200 South Africans gather outside the Palais for the annual South Africa in Cannes photo, having been summoned via the South Africans in Cannes WhatsApp group. Yes, an entire country has a WhatsApp group. It’s a group nobody ever seems to leave and one that springs back to life every June with party invitations, tips on how to get into the Spotify party (spoiler: none of us ever do), restaurant recommendations, and increasingly urgent reminders about what time the photo is happening. Guys, it’s 17.00 on Thursday. No, we can’t Photoshop you in.

There aren’t many countries where hundreds of people working across competing agencies, brands and production companies all over the world would willingly interrupt their Cannes schedules to stand shoulder to shoulder for a ‘family photo’. Yet every year, there we are, waving flags, hugging people we haven’t seen in 12 months, and proving that South Africans remain remarkably invested in one another’s success.

The photo is equal parts school reunion, family portrait and bringing together South Africans who now live all over the world but somehow still find one another in the south of France.

The same thing happens whenever a South African wins a Lion. Within seconds, a South African flag appears from somewhere and finds its way onto the stage. If we had to guess, it’s probably the flag that appears most often throughout the week. Not because we’re winning more than everyone else, but because no other nationality seems quite as determined to turn an indi -

vidual achievement into a national one. For a brief moment, the win belongs to all of us.

For a relatively small country, we seem to produce a disproportionate number of people who end up influencing creativity far beyond our borders. Just look around Cannes this year and you’ll find South Africans everywhere. Mariana O’Kelly, recently appointed CCO at DonerColle in the US, is one of the most awarded South African creatives of her generation, having won three Cannes Grands Prix. Another huge winner is Damon Stapleton, leading Droga5 ANZ across Australia and New Zealand. Jason Xenopoulos, CEO of VML New York and CCO Global Accounts, Avi Pinchevsky ECD at David&Goliath in the US, Camilla Clerke oversees Dove from Ogilvy London and CMO Suhayl Limbada is shaping KFC across India. The list goes on.

Before anyone mentions Elon Musk, we don’t claim all South Africans abroad, of course. We have standards.

South Africa has a knack for producing people who are curious about other people. And in our industry, understanding people remains one of the most valuable skills you can have.

Perhaps that’s because we grow up in a country that doesn’t allow us to see the world in simple terms. We navigate different cultures, communities, languages (12 official languages to be exact), histories and realities every day. We learn early that most things are simultaneously funny and serious, frustrating and hopeful, difficult and beautiful. Humour is not only entertainment here, it’s often a bit of a survival skill and we have become absolute MacGyvers at it.

You can’t avoid complexity here, it’s something we have to live with. Maybe that’s why South African creativity has always been so good at finding human truths. You can see it in many of the campaigns carrying South African hopes at Cannes this year. There’s Vaseline’s

‘Mntana Ka Gogo’ by VML Johannesburg, a campaign built on a deeply South African insight about the relationship between grandmothers and their grandchildren that has since travelled around the world and evolved into a global platform for the brand. There’s ‘Philipstown WireCar Grand Prix’ by Accenture Song directed by Paul Ward, which took the South African tradition of racing toy cars made from discarded wire and scrap metal and turned it into a powerful story about dignity and resilience.

Heineken’s ‘Bar de Change’ by LePub Johannesburg found humour in the uniquely South African pain of earning in rands and spending in euros. KFC’s ‘M ssing Piece’ by Bananas, directed by Bruno Bossi (last year’s Gold winners for KFC ‘Cake’), turned a missing piece of chicken into an emotional story about longing. Nedbank’s ‘Hardworking Professionals’ by Joe Public, directed by Lourens van

Rensburg, found a human and hilarious way into a travel insurance product by focusing on the diligent pickpockets waiting for them on holiday. And Spotify Premium’s ‘Ad-Free Listening’ by Machine_ found an intriguingly human way to demonstrate the value of uninterrupted music.

All very different work, but sharing the same instinct: a belief that the quickest route to a great idea is usually through a human truth. It’s why so much of our work travels. And it’s also why so many South Africans do.

The good news is that while many of our brightest creative minds have gone on to influence the world, the ecosystem that produced them is still very much alive. Back home, we’ve been busy.

Our directors and production companies are attracting international clients, and our crews remain some of the best in the world. Honestly, our crews are among the most highly respected, hardest-working,

‘‘While many of our brightest creative minds have gone on to in!uence the world, the ecosystem that produced them is still very much alive. Back home, we’ve been busy’’

most resourceful and nicest people you’ll ever spend 14 hours on set with.

Which brings us back to you. If you’re one of the many South Africans now helping shape brands and agencies around the world, consider this a gentle reminder of what’s waiting back home. The talent is here. The production expertise is here. The locations are here. The stories are certainly here. That’s the thinking behind Each One. Brief One.

And while we’re on the subject, it’s worth reminding the rest of the world that South Africa remains one of the most extraordinary places on earth to make creative work. Within a few hours, you can move from beaches to vineyards, mountains to deserts, dense urban environments to wide-open landscapes. The post-production expertise is world-class, the time zone works surprisingly well, the restaurants and hotels are amongst the best in the world and the exchange rate is still doing some very (very) heavy lifting. Most importantly, the people are exceptional.

Last season alone, Cape Town hosted 669 foreign productions, generating approximately R6.9bn ( € 364m) in turnover and supporting thousands of jobs across production, hospitality, tourism and transport. That’s a creative economy.

The talent, stories and capabilities are here. And if the work we’ve entered into Cannes this year proves anything, it’s that South Africa’s creative edge remains as sharp as ever.

So enjoy Cannes. Carry the flag. Take the photo. Order the rosé and listen to the Saffas with Rands in the bank complain about the exchange rate. (Please buy a South African still living in SA a drink.)

And when you’re back at your desk, whether that’s in London, Bangkok, Sydney, Amsterdam, Chicago, Bangkok, New York or somewhere in between, remember there’s a small country at the bottom of Africa still producing some of the world’s best talent, stories and creative work on the planet. Come visit.

Your Ouma would love to see you. And while you’re here, brief her.

LatAm spins experience into strategic advantage

AI, the climate crisis, geopolitical turmoil — there’s no doubt that the world is becoming increasingly uncertain and unpredictable. But for Latin American executives, uncertainty has long been the only certainty, and that’s proving to be a valuable skill in today’s market, says Cristian Camilo

Vergara, LatAm editor of PRODU | MKTG

THERE ’s one word that seems to be everywhere these days: uncertainty. The global economy appears to be walking a thin and fragile line, and one that could shift dramatically at any moment.

But if you described this reality to a Latin American executive, they would probably respond with a hint of sarcasm: “These days?” That reaction helps explain why Latin American executives are increasingly finding their way into global boardrooms. Their rise is no longer about representation. It is about experience, execution and, above all, method.

For decades, Latin America has operated in fast-moving and unpredictable markets. That reality has produced leaders capable of reading weak signals, adapting quickly and turning cultural understanding into growth.

Paola Escalante, managing director of LePub Mexico City, puts it simply: “There is no doubt that Latinos bring the ability to read culture in real time and transform it into business, combining cultural sensitivity, operational resilience and results-driven creativity.”

“There is no doubt that Latinos bring the ability to read culture in real time and transform it into business”

Paola Escalante

But the conversation goes beyond understanding culture. It is about turning complexity into opportunity. Veronica Ruiz del Vizo, CEO of Amarillo Creative Lab, argues that Latin American leaders bring a deeply human perspective to complex markets. Working in environments where uncertainty is part of everyday life has given them a unique ability to understand emotions, communities, social tensions and opportunities for meaningful connection. “As more mature markets face growing levels of political

and social polarisation, that experience becomes increasingly valuable,” she says.

For Esteban Pineda, CEO of Findasense for the Andean region, Latin America’s competitive advantage can be summed up as a “tolerance for ambiguity as a method”. In his view, Latin America learned how to make decisions under pressure long before uncertainty became a global concern. That perspective is particularly valuable when it comes to understanding today’s consumers, who are often defined by contradiction. According to Carolina Carmona, CMO of Falabella Colombia, liv-

ing between global aspirations and economic constraints has sharpened Latin America’s ability to understand human behaviour.

“Latin talent brings precisely that combination of cultural sensitivity, adaptability and a human vision of business,” she says.

In this context, cultural agility has become increasingly important in social-first environments. According to Mariano Duhalde, CCO LatAm at SAMY Alliance, executives from the region possess an essential ability to “read culture in motion”. In an era dominated by social platforms, relevance no longer comes from broadcasting messages — it comes from participating in authentic conversations.

When the conversation shifts to data, media and technology, Latin America’s adaptability once again stands out. Eric Tourtel, LatAm CEO of MiQ, explains that the region forces organisations to “operate in complexity”, navigating fragmented media ecosystems, varying levels of digital maturity and constantly evolving consumer behaviours. As a result, the most successful strategies tend to be flexible, adaptive and deeply connected to local realities.

Similarly, María Fernanda Gutiérrez, president of Grey Mexico, argues that culture is no longer an additional layer of marketing — it has become one of its primary growth engines. She believes Latin leadership stands out for its ability to “navigate complexity with agility, creativity and a focus on real business outcomes”.

That mindset also extends to advertising technology. Lucas Vieira da Cruz, marketing manager LatAm at Equativ, notes that professionals across the region have learned to integrate disciplines that often operate in silos elsewhere. In Latin

America, media, data, programmatic advertising and connected TV naturally converge within the same decision-making process. But the next major challenge for global marketing is not technological. It is human.

Lara Krumholz, senior vice-president and general manager, Latin America, at Dailymotion Advertising, believes the region’s greatest strength lies in its ability to build for the real world rather than idealised scenarios. “We bring clarity where others see chaos, and humanity where others only see automation,” she says.

“We bring clarity where others see chaos and humanity where others only see automation”

Lara Krumholz

Amarillo Creative Lab’s Ruiz del Vizo sees a similar opportunity in the relationship between AI and education. While AI can amplify creativity, improve decision-making and democratise access to opportunity, she believes technology alone is not enough. The next generation of leaders will need to combine technical expertise with critical thinking, cultural understanding and empathy. The next competitive advantage, she argues, will be “human, cultural and educational”.

Finally, José Melchert, senior director of sales and operations for LatAm at Samsung Ads, points out that the region’s diversity and dynamism have trained its leaders to understand attention, emotion and consumer behaviour in ways that are becoming increasingly relevant across global markets. That proximity to audiences helps identify what truly resonates and what can become a genuine game changer.

Marketing’s new power structure is no longer confined to traditional headquarters. It moves through more porous networks, where ideas emerge from markets accustomed to operating in complexity. Latin America is no longer asking for a seat at the table. It is arriving with a methodology that, increasingly, many global organisations need. And that is why its influence is beginning to be felt around the world — not as a point of difference, but as a strategic advantage.

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