Never mind AI, this is how to woo the judges at Cannes

This year’s Cannes Lions might have played down the threat of AI – even though 40% of entries disclosed they had used the tech – but for those brands looking ahead to next year, it seems cultural insights, interactive experiences and strategic creator partnerships appear to be on a winning streak.

So says the “Creative Effectiveness Lions – Insights from the 2026 winners” report from WARC, which identifies trends and themes common to the winners of this year’s Cannes Creative Effectiveness Lions awards category.

Based on WARC’s exclusive access to the jury deliberations and analysis of the entries, the report unearths insights into what makes a campaign both creative and effective, offers a behind-the-scenes view on the strategies that led to success, and provides takeaways for advertisers, agencies, media owners, people and planet.

On the winners, jury president Bertille Toledano, who is CEO of BETC, Havas Creative Middle East and president of Havas Creative Network, commented: “The jury sought to award Lions to campaigns that delivered genuine impact on real people – the kind of campaigns you would discuss with your mother over lunch.

“We kept in mind the Creative Effectiveness Ladder to select the most effective creative work that embodied a cultural vision and a clear sense of what the brand stands for. These are the ones I’ll be telling my mother about.”

The three key themes of the Creative Effectiveness Lions 2026 winners are:

Rewrite cultural rules, don’t just reflect them. Cultural insight is a strategic business tool that helps brands actively focus on what connects people, and how to respond and innovate. Brands that move beyond surface-level understanding and instead use cultural analysis strategically can unlock new opportunities for growth, relevance and differentiation.

Brands should prioritise activation over observation, position themselves as cultural solutions, and focus on value exchange rather than transactional relationships.

Creative Effectiveness Grand Prix winner, “Three Words” for insurance brand AXA by Publicis France, transformed its home insurance offering to support victims of domestic violence in France by adding the clause “and domestic violence” to its contracts, enabling emergency relocations for those in need.

Gold winner Pedigree’s Caramelo campaign by AlmapBBDO São Paulo, redefined the concept of “pedigree” and increased the adoption of mixed-breed dogs in Brazil, particularly the culturally significant Caramelo, expanding its total addressable market.

Interactive experiences foster deeper brand involvement. Turning brand assets into interactive tools enables brands to deepen engagement, foster participation and create memorable moments for audiences.

Brands should embrace direct consumer participation, leverage data to build credibility, and implement meaningful reward mechanisms to drive engagement, the report states.

The silver-winning “Vaseline Verified” campaign by Ogilvy Singapore, for instance, engaged directly with creators to address misinformation about its product on social media to ensure safe usage among consumers.

Meanwhile, furniture retailer Ikea’s “Hidden Tags” silver campaign in Portugal by Uzina, Lisbon, encouraged customers to discover the hidden production dates on their products to build consumer trust and reinforce long-term brand commitment.

Strategic creator partnerships and platform-native ideas build brands. Creators are more than paid promoters; they can be authentic advocates who add real value. Platform-specific features earn community buy-in and mean reach continues when spend stops, WARC insists.

Brands should focus on integration rather than interruption, look beyond simple amplification, and meet audiences where they naturally engage.

The report cites Uber Eats’ silver-winning campaign “Football is for Food”, by Special US, which transformed its NFL sponsorship into a purchase opportunity by embedding itself into the sport, linking football with food.

Moreover, Ikea’s bronze-winning “U Up?” by Rethink Canada, tapped into multiple touchpoints to create unexpected brand interactions into points of purchase for mattresses by turning consumer insomnia into immediate conversation.

WARC content lead John Bizzell said: “This year’s jury talked a lot about context, from sourcing to metrics and culture. The jury wanted to see work that included well-sourced, credible data and metrics on what was the business impact.

“They also wanted to see cultural context – on an international jury, not everyone may understand why an insight is so important for a brand or category. Entrants should bear these factors in mind for next year.”

Never mind AI, this is how to woo the judges at Cannes

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