What is worthy of a prize at Cannes Lions—the Oscars of the ad industry—always sparks debate in the weeks leading up to the annual festival in the south of France. Creatives and marketers alike want to hold their own sparkling trophy on stage where the industry’s best work is recognized each year.
But it’s not just about garnering praise and bragging rights. The Cannes Lions winners demonstrate both what the industry is capable of and where it could be headed.
As is tradition, ADWEEK asked creative leaders to predict what will take home trophies this year. We share their picks below.
Visit Oslo “Is It Even a City?” | Newslab
Tourism advertising usually follows a familiar formula: sweeping drone shots, smiling locals, dramatic voiceovers telling you to “discover yourself.” So when a city breaks the mold, it really stands out and grabs your attention. Oslo does that in this campaign. This spot gets kudos for its self-awareness, charm, and refreshing lack of cliché. It inspires you to book a trip without feeling like you’ve been sold one. —Corinna Falusi, founder and CCO, Birthday
L’Oréal “The Final Copy of Ilon Specht” | McCann
There are some moments in our industry that forever change it, and this stunning piece of work from McCann captures one of them. To traverse cultural history, cultural revolution, through the experience of a little-known copywriter—and to do it with such intimacy—I almost don’t have words for what this film does for our industry or the power of brands in our lives. I’m already an avid consumer of TV shows and movies, but “The Final Copy of Ilon Specht” is one of those documentaries that will forever kindle my obsession with longform storytelling. —Liz Taylor, global CCO, Ogilvy
Mozilla’s rebrand | JKR
The most resonant brand design work isn’t just about standing out. It’s also about being distinctive. Mozilla’s rebrand could have so easily disappeared into the semiotics of today’s internet—a neutral, adaptive system designed to fade politely into the background. Instead, it does the opposite. It feels more like a rallying cry than a rebrand, bringing the spirit of the open web into a design language and behavior that’s distinctive, characterful, and uncompromising. It’s not here to blend in. It’s here to take a stand. —Augustus Cook, VP and head of brand design, R/GA
