I am running on FOMO fumes on the final two days of this marathon of creativity. We celebrated Canada’s Young Lions today. Happy to report our Marketing team is bringing home a Silver.

It’s been a long time since Cannes made me cry. No, I’m not talking about my accommodation debacle this year, I mean the work. After Covid, the industry whipsawed away from emotive work. I think that is why I was so moved by the Who’s Waiting for You? spot by Wieden+Kennedy Mexico. It really struck home for me.

The work this year is so much stronger. It’s an embarrassment of riches (especially for Canada). But if I was a betting gal, I’d say some sheep will turn into a Lion.

It’s early in the week, but Cannes is already revealing the pulse of the world.

Today’s nugget: brands seeking to get ahead need to look back.

A strong theme emerging from both the work and the conversations is the rise of the New Nostalgia. Brands are embracing the past, and consumers are embracing it right back.

I’m headed back to Cannes Lions next week with Globe Media and, as always, I’ll be sharing daily behind-the-scenes insights and intel from the world’s biggest celebration of creativity.

I’ll be looking beyond the awards for the signals that reveal where marketing, creativity, tech and culture are heading next.

This year’s festival promises plenty to decode, from the rise of the creator economy to the evolving role of AI and the rising importance of human connection in a data-driven world.

At SocialWest in Calgary, I shared a simple but increasingly important idea: in a world shaped by AI and automation, human creativity becomes more valuable, not less.

We're spending most of our time talking about what AI can do. It can analyze data, generate content, automate tasks, and improve efficiency at remarkable speed. But efficiency has never been what makes people care about or choose a brand.

People connect with ideas, remember stories and respond to emotion.

I’m excited to share that I’ll be speaking on the keynote stage at SocialWest 2026 on May 28 in Calgary.

This year, I’m doing a session called Kill it with Creativity. The talk explores why creativity matters more than ever in a world increasingly driven by automation, optimization and AI. We’ll look at the role human insight, bold ideas and creative thinking still play in building brands people actually remember and care about.

Cannes doesn’t end when the Croisette clears.

The real work starts when those insights hit boardrooms, leadership teams, and creative departments that need to decide what actually changes next.

Over the coming weeks, I’ll be bringing Decoding Cannes to teams at Mekanism, Canadian Red Cross, and Proof Strategies.

The Globe and Mail hosted special Après Cannes events in Montreal and Toronto to spotlight the standout work and emerging themes from Cannes Lions 2025. This year’s festival proved that the future of creativity isn’t cautious – it’s courageous. From AI’s wild west to the rise of ROE (Return on Emotion), Cannes Lions 2025 reminded us that imagination still leads the way.

What surprised me most about Cannes 2025?
Humanity made a comeback.

Emotion—not efficiency—was the creative power move. ROE is overtaking ROI. Lions were democratized across countries. Smaller players stood taller. And amid all the tech, there was a genuine love letter to our industry and its ability to move culture.

Cannes 2025 didn’t signal the death of creativity.
It confirmed its evolution.