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Every June, the industry’s most influential marketers, creatives, creators, and tech leaders descend on the Boulevard de la Croisette, not just to recognize creative excellence but to deliberate on what’s next.
As we head into the 2025 Cannes Festival, we’re taking a closer look at three shifts that are shaping the agenda.
AI is supercharging creative work
For marketers and creatives alike, AI is redefining the art of what’s possible. Brands can generate eye-catching creative through innovations like image-to-video generation and AI outpainting, get AI-powered campaign ideas unique to their brand, shape brand identity and content, and generate sophisticated video campaigns in a matter of days with tools like Veo 3.
“The World’s Smartest Billboard” campaign for moving and storage company PODS is a choice example of how AI is fundamentally reshaping the creative landscape. With its agency Tombras, PODS used AI to generate real-time, location-specific messages across 299 New York City neighborhoods in 29 hours, driving a 33% spike in leads.
Creators are strategic partners
Today’s creators are more than talent; they’re a strategic lever for authentic storytelling and driving results. Increasingly, brands are treating them as campaign co-creators who can build lasting connections that sustain beyond the hype cycle. Last year, Pepsi demonstrated this by partnering with six YouTube creators to produce over 50 personalized videos, driving engagement 43% above benchmark.
Creators aren’t a homogenous group, though. While 78% of viewers agree that creators help them make faster purchase decisions,1 98% of viewers say they trust YouTube creators more than those on other platforms.2
Consumer behavior is predictably unpredictable
The “4S behaviors” defining today’s consumer experience — streaming, scrolling, searching, and shopping — have fundamentally reshaped how people discover and engage with brands.
To keep pace, Search is evolving with advances in AI to become more capable, more natural, and more intuitive. Consider the momentum of visual Search: Google Lens now powers over 20 billion visual searches each month,3 with 1 in 5 showing commercial intent.4 Tools like Circle to Search are gaining traction among Gen Z, an audience defined by quick, visual-first exploration.
Tools like Circle to Search are gaining traction among Gen Z, a generation defined by quick, visual-first exploration.
People also love to discover products on YouTube, directly going from a shoppable ad to a retailer’s site. Others go from scrolling Shorts to streaming their favorite creator content on TV.
Discussions at Cannes will spotlight how businesses are adapting to these trends by fundamentally reinventing creativity with AI, strategically partnering with creators, and leveraging new advertising touchpoints to show up when people are open to discovery as they search and scroll.
Whether you’re on the Croisette or following from afar, stay tuned to Think with Google for insights from the ground at Cannes.
