Cannes Lions Is Approaching!

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Welcome to your inside line on Cannes Lions 2025—where creative ambition meets sharp industry insight.

We, Unofficially Cannes Lions, are an independent media publication, not affiliated with Cannes Lions, but firmly on the ground to bring you what matters: the standout sessions, the boldest brand plays, and the sharpest minds shaping the future of advertising and marketing.

Over the next few weeks, we'll cut through the noise to spotlight:

• Must-attend sessions (and who’s speaking)

• Creative trends with real business relevance

• Exclusive intel and interviews you won’t find on the main stage

Whether you're heading to the Croisette or watching from afar, think of this as your unofficial guide to the Festival—one that doesn’t do fluff.

🎭 Festival Programme: What’s On at Cannes Lions 2025

The official Cannes Lions content agenda has landed — and it’s sharply focused.

Across four main streams, the 2025 programme tackles the creative industry’s most urgent questions: how to work smarter, lead better, and stay culturally relevant.

You’ll hear from senior marketers, agency founders, cultural icons and creative directors. Expect sessions that bring real-world lessons to the surface.

🎧 The streams to watch:

• Insights & Trends – how consumer behaviour, culture and business strategy are changing

• Innovation Unwrapped – tech, tools and the systems driving fresh thinking

• The Creativity Toolbox – process, craft and building work that lands

• Talent & Culture – people-first thinking, from inclusion to leadership

The festival runs 16–20 June and features over 150 hours of programming with 500+ speakers. Here are some standout sessions shaping the conversation this year, on days 1 and 2.

Also, don’t miss 'CMOs in The Spotlight’ — Daily at 10:30 am | Rotonde Stage

This series runs every morning, offering a rare, back-to-back look into how different marketing leaders think—and act.

Across the week, you’ll hear from CMOs and brand leads at:

• Mars, Amazon, Novartis

• Infosys, Nestlé, American Express

• Philips, McDonald’s, Kimberly-Clark

• Singapore Tourism Board, Suncorp, Unilever

• Heineken Brazil, Renault, Telkom

These 45-minute sessions are part of the Creative Impact stream, co-curated with WARC, and are a smart way to start each day with perspective—and a few talking points for your next strategy meeting.

🏆 The first shortlists of 2025 are out, and creative history is in the making once again.

Cannes Lions has revealed the first contenders for two of its most forward-thinking categories—the Dan Wieden Titanium Lions and Innovation Lions.

But globally, there’s plenty of movement. Germany and the US dominate the Titanium shortlist with four mentions each, featuring campaigns for Mastercard, Penny, Elf Cosmetics, Powerade, and more. On the Innovation side, the US secures 9 of the 26 total slots, with recognisable names like Apple (shortlisted twice), FCB Chicago, and VML all making a return.

Also worth watching: India, Singapore, and Australia each land one Titanium entry—showcasing an increasingly diverse competitive field. Meanwhile, entries like “Painvisible”, “Introducing Immersive on Apple Vision Pro”, and “The University of Dyslexic Thinking” set the tone for what innovation means in 2025.

🎯 See who made the cut and explore the full shortlist

📈 New for 2025: B2B Takes the Spotlight

The B2B world has been gaining ground at Cannes for years. Now it finally gets its own stage.

The inaugural LIONS B2B Summit launches on Tuesday 17 June, in partnership with LinkedIn, marking the first time the Festival has dedicated this level of attention—and space—to B2B creativity.

Running from 08:30–14:00, this invitation-only summit will take place atop the iconic Carlton Cannes rooftop, bringing together marketing leaders from Spotify, LinkedIn, FCB New York, ServiceNow, Stein IAS and more. With sessions covering everything from brand building to B2B influence and creativity’s commercial edge, it’s shaping up to be a milestone moment for the B2B community.

You’ll also hear from LinkedIn’s Jessica Jensen, Spotify’s Bridget Evans, and Dr. Marcus Collins, among others—plus get a front-row view into how community, video, and storytelling are reshaping B2B influence.

📍 This event is invite-only — but you can register your interest now:
👉 Request to attend the LIONS B2B Summit

Stay tuned for more Cannes Lions coverage every week from Unofficially Cannes Lions.

And if you're heading to France? You’ll want to subscribe to our daily dispatch for on-the-ground interviews, hot takes, and behind-the-scenes intel.

Unofficially Cannes Lions Team

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