A Global Mirror for the Industry
Each year, the creative industry comes together to define what outstanding work looks like and what it should represent next. While awards and recognition matter, the real value lies in sharing ideas: how creativity can grow business, influence culture, and push limits.
For leaders across diverse regions, these gatherings fuel inspiration and motivation. They're also moments for alignment and recalibration—understanding what it takes to lead conversations on a global scale.
Events like Cannes Lions spotlight work that stands out through cultural relevance, creative courage, and measurable results. This raises a key question: how do creative minds keep pace without losing the original spark?
Insights from Cannes Lions
Cannes Lions provides a clear view of current creative thinking. While not every trend is brand new, the most celebrated campaigns—whether purpose-driven or leveraging emerging tech—connect on a meaningful level.
Cem Topçuoğlu, President of Omnicom Advertising Group for CEE & AME, highlights Cannes as a space to listen beyond borders and measure ambition against global standards. It brings fresh energy to teams throughout Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
He emphasizes that great work is not just regional or global—it’s human, brave, and accountable. Creativity is a business growth engine, turning uncertainty into opportunity by redefining brand experiences, inventing revenue streams, or solving social challenges that matter.
Data backs this up: companies prioritizing creativity consistently outperform peers in revenue growth. In crowded markets, where technology levels the playing field, only distinctive, purpose-driven creativity helps brands stand out.
The Addition of AI
Artificial intelligence is quietly reshaping the creative process. Noah Khan, Chief Innovation Officer at Omnicom Advertising Group, CEE & AME, describes AI as a collaborator—not a replacement—that amplifies what creatives do best.
By automating routine tasks and unlocking new ways to personalize content, AI frees creatives to focus on bold ideas, take risks, and build emotional connections. It handles data crunching and content tweaks, giving teams space to experiment and grow new skills.
Khan advises: stay curious, keep evolving, and celebrate what makes us human. In a world where machines can copy almost anything, originality shines brighter.
Far from hindering creativity, AI enhances it. Two campaigns exemplify this:
- "Kicks Starter" by TBWA\RAAD and Arabian Automobiles used five AI-generated avatars representing Gen-Z archetypes to launch the Nissan Kicks. These avatars hosted live podcasts, challenged students creatively, and produced real-time social content, garnering over 8 million views and thousands of user-created videos.
- Impact BBDO and AnNahar in Lebanon created the world’s first AI President using a language model trained on 90 years of journalism. Citizens engaged with it on policy issues, sparking national conversations about leadership and accountability. The project won awards at Cannes Lions, Dubai Lynx, and The One Show.
In both examples, AI accelerated production and enabled richer storytelling. The risk lies not in AI compromising originality, but in creative complacency. When machines handle mechanics, the real creative work begins.
Shaping the Future, Responsibly
As AI integrates deeper into creative work, ethical questions about originality and authorship come into focus. Three key areas demand attention:
- Data provenance: We must trace what data feeds AI models. Creators of original content deserve proper credit and compensation.
- Legality: AI-generated work must comply with legal frameworks internally and for clients.
- Bias: AI models can reflect biases. Teams must scrutinize outputs carefully and raise awareness on this issue.
Accountability is essential to build trust in AI-driven creativity.
Omnicom’s approach combines cultural intelligence and innovation. Their unit, Backslash, tracks over 40 cultural trends, turning insights into actionable briefs. Through their NEXT innovation framework, these insights evolve into bold creative work.
This culture embraces risk, supported by agile teams and partnerships with platforms like Google, Meta, and TikTok. Success is measured by how deeply work resonates—through insight, bravery, and impact. When these align, teams don’t just join the global conversation, they lead it.
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