On our 21st year as the official Canadian Cannes Lions festival representative, we hosted Après Cannes, a celebration of award-winning work from Cannes Lions, at The Globe and Mail Centre in downtown Toronto. We spotlighted a year of outstanding creativity with Canada ranking fifth globally and winning an incredible 43 Lions. In a fiercely competitive year, these wins reflect the talents and abilities of the Canadian creative community.
We transported attendees to the South of France, with opening remarks made by Marcin Zerek, our Head of Trade Marketing and Penny Hicks, our Managing Director of Client Partnerships. They reflected on another year of incredible creative work and spotlighted the contributions of the Young Lions before thanking the event sponsor, Kruger Products.
Jury room fireside chat
We welcomed three jurors to the stage for a panel exploring uniquely Canadian perspectives from the jury room, moderated by Sean Stanleigh, Director of our Content Studio. Tracey Cooke, CMO, SVP, Marketing & Communications at Nestlé; Alexis Bronstorph, Chief Creative Officer at No Fixed Address; and Urania Agas, Chief Operating Officer at WPP Media were the panellists.
Their conversation centred on the elements that make a standout campaign, with the panellists emphasizing the importance of solving real business problems, bringing unique perspectives, and an often-underestimated consideration: making sure you submit to the right category.
Alexis urged future Cannes Lions competitors to really sweat the details, while Tracy suggested questioning whether your creative idea is serving the right purpose. Urania noted that while many submissions were beautifully executed, that doesn’t mean they should have been Cannes entries. The jurors advised Cannes hopefuls to be honest about whether their concept had been done before. The jury room is sifting through a large volume of entries; unique ideas have the best chance of standing out.
Following the panel, we welcomed Karen Howe, President of The Township Group and Canadian Cannes Lions Advisory Board member, to the stage for her highly anticipated presentation ‘Decoding Cannes’, an annual roundup of the year’s defining creative insights. She emphasized how Cannes Lions is an “annual reminder we have the superpower of imagination”. Her keynote highlighted a noticeable shift away from AI and toward campaigns that emphasized the human element.
#1 The new nostalgia
As the world moves toward a frightening future at breakneck speed, there is a rise in anemoia, a term meaning nostalgia for a time you never knew. Karen remarked that younger generations are “seeking refuge” within these uncertain times. This has given rise to Y2K-feeling campaigns, with brands effectively creating “collaborations with the past.”
#2 Craving human connection
Brands that are focused on their humanity are standing out. From Heineken’s unique take on combating the loneliness epidemic, to Claude’s cheeky ad poking fun at how inhuman chatbots sound, campaigns that leaned into an audience’s desire for the human touch outshone their competition.
#3 The power of now
Brands need to “strike when the iron is hot,” Karen said, adding that people relate to brands that are tuned into the cultural moment. Take the Penny “sheep happens” campaign as an example: acting fast propelled the discount German grocery chain into international headlines.
#4 Sustainability is still cool
Young people care about the environment. After all, they are the ones facing a future on this planet. Campaigns that took these concerns seriously, like Back Market’s “End Fast Tech” proved the effectiveness of leading with caring, while Sea Cleaners x JCDecaux’s “Reverse Media Schedules” demonstrated how caring for the environment can protect a brand’s image.
#5 Brands that give a damn
Amid a system that leaves many behind, purpose-led work took the lead. Tecate’s campaign that found work for deported Mexicans effectively flipped the script on what it means to say “God Bless America,” all while bringing community together.
#6 Feel all the feelings
Brands that embraced emotional storytelling struck a chord with audiences. Emotion, Karen remarked, “is our triumph over AI”.
Finally, we ended the night with a special awards ceremony for Canada’s Cannes Lions winners. In a year that saw over 20,000 award submissions from 92 countries, our standing was a remarkable achievement. With Après Cannes, we brought over two hundred industry professionals together to celebrate Canada, the power of creativity, and the Cannes Lions community.
To view all photos from the event, view the full gallery.
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The Globe and Mail has been the official Canadian representative for the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity since 2005.
Our Canadian programming is supported by our Canadian Program Partners: strategy, CMDC and ACA.
