From the Croisette to the boardroom: The trends, takeaways, and truth bombs that Redsters are bringing home to clients. Insights are courtesy of the Redsters who judged, activated, competed, connected at the Havas Café —and came back inspired:
Download a pdf of this month’s edition here.
The Human Advantage: AI Needs Us
This year marked a reset in how the industry talks about AI. While automation and AI-driven efficiencies continue to reshape the creative process, Cannes 2025 made one thing clear: AI is only as effective as the humans guiding it. The unveiling of Havas’ enhanced ConvergedAi™ underscored that point, showing how tech and talent must work together.
Expect AI literacy to emerge as a baseline performance metric — those who can work with AI tools will lead; those who can’t risk being outpaced. But the most talked-about moments — like LVMH’s physical trunk storefront—proved that emotional connection, human insight and physical experience remain irreplaceable.
Women Leading with Purpose
Powerhouse women like Serena Williams, Reese Witherspoon and Kory Marchisotto (CMO, e.l.f.) dominated conversations on and off the stage. From e.l.f.’s sharp “More Dicks on Boards” campaign to the Female Quotient’s programming, the message was clear: Women aren’t just leading — they’re reshaping the industry’s priorities.
Reckitt’s £10M Catalyst program, designed to scale women-led businesses in health and hygiene, was a standout example of purpose-backed-by-investment — not just talk, but meaningful change.
Inclusion Isn’t a Trend — It’s a Mandate
HAVAS’ panel on neurodivergent minds, led by Global CEO Donna Murphy, emerged as a defining moment. The takeaway? Advertising must evolve to meet the needs of neurodivergent consumers — one of the fastest-growing segments globally. This isn’t niche, it’s next-gen strategy.
Complementing this, projects like The Neu Project offered much-needed spaces for reflection, reminding us that true inclusion starts from within our industry — how we hire, create and communicate.
The New Power Triad: Sports, Culture & Business
Brands are no longer just partnering with athletes — they’re integrating them into their corporate DNA. Serena Williams’ role as Reckitt’s Entrepreneur-in-Residence reflected a growing trend: athlete-led storytelling as a bridge between purpose and performance.
Stagwell’s Sports Beach became a hub for real deals and creative inspiration, proving that IRL experiences remain crucial for building trust and momentum in a post-digital world.
Creator-Led, Not Creator-Used
The creator economy continued to redefine modern marketing, with brands like MAC treating creators as “social shareholders” — not just influencers, but integrated brand collaborators.
Co-creation now means more than making content together. It means building strategy, insight and brand identity hand-in-hand with creators. Those who embrace this new model will shape the conversation, not follow it.
From Attention to Trust
Campaigns that rose above the noise did so by prioritizing trust over clickbait. Work like AXA’s “Three Words,” Nordea’s “Parental Leave Mortgage” and O2’s “Daisy vs Scammers” succeeded not just because of their craft, but because they grounded their message in human truth and brand utility.
In traditionally “boring” sectors like finance and telecom, PR-led creativity made brands memorable — and meaningful.
Creativity Without Borders
A more democratized creative landscape emerged this year, with winning work coming from Brazil, Costa Rica, Japan and India. Cannes 2025 signaled that brilliance is borderless and the industry is better for it.
PR’s Missed Moment
While PR continues to earn broader recognition across Cannes categories, the PR industry still struggles to originate the big, bold ideas that lead. With just one Gold Lion in the PR category this year, the call to action is clear: PR needs to own the creative platform, not just amplify it.
Cannes 2025 proved that purpose wins when it’s funded, creators matter when they lead and AI only works when humans do too. The future isn’t just about innovation, it’s about intentionality, inclusion and IRL impact. And if you’re not evolving? You’re already behind.
For more on Cannes from your team at HAVAS, check out the HAVAS Super Stream here.
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