What Cannes International Festival of Creativity taught us about the future of PR
- Thrive PR
- Jun 25
- 2 min read
After a week in Cannes celebrating the best creative PR work in the world, one thing became crystal clear: the campaigns that win aren't just creative - they're culturally brave and relevant.
Picture this: You're sitting in a bar on the Gulf of Mexico, cold Cerveza Tecate in hand, when you realise this isn't just any bar - it's a statement about Mexican pride floating defiantly in disputed waters. That's the kind of cultural bravery that caught the attention of 2025 PR Lions Jury President Tom Beckman and his fellow jurors this year.
Or imagine being an Indian train passenger, excited to buy your next train ticket in a country where millions evade train fares every day. Lucky Yatra for Indian Railway by FCB India didn't win the Grand Prix by raising awareness alone. It won by delivering an uplifting and effective solution to a real-life problem.
The New Rules of Engagement
These winning campaigns reveal four shifts every PR professional needs to understand:
Make the mundane magnetic.
Financial services and insurance dominated this year's winners, proving that ‘boring’ industries just need more creative thinking. When AXA and just "Three Words" to its insurance policies it changed lives.
When Vaseline Unilever verified its most passionate users, they showed that no product is too dull for breakthrough culturally relevant creative.
Purpose has grown up.
As Tom Beckman noted, brands aren't just chasing purpose-led equity anymore - they're asking deeper questions about their role in society. The winning campaigns this year didn't virtue signal; they genuinely contributed. They understood that modern audiences can smell performative purpose from a mile away.
Inspiration beats information.
The PR Grand Prix to Lucky Yarra was a unanimous decision because it was "designed for the juggle, not the zoo" - a campaign that was a real solution to a real problem. An idea that was scalable with a genuine contribution back to community. Today's audiences don't need more awareness; they need inspiration that makes them want to act.
Platform fluency is everything.
Watch a teenager scroll through Nutter Butter's Mondelez International TikTok and you'll see 1.1 million followers who found a out of date brand that speaks their language. The campaign succeeded because it didn't just use TikTok as a channel - it understood TikTok culture and created content that used Gen Z humour that is native to the platform.
The Cannes reality check
What struck us most about this year's winners wasn't their production budgets or celebrity endorsements - it was their ability to serve real outcomes. In a world where safe campaigns disappear into the noise, the work that rises to the top combines cultural insight with commercial and community impact. The global stage rewards creative thinking that solves problems and stands out in culture with optimism.
By Leilani Abels
Founder & CEO
