The State of Creativity 2025 by LIONS

With Cannes Lions just days away, the State of Creativity 2025 report lands with a clear message: brands are playing it safe—and it’s costing them.

Only 13% of companies see themselves as risk-friendly, and over half admit they struggle to develop insights strong enough to power bold ideas. This results in fewer breakthrough campaigns, slower responses to culture, and declining creative confidence.

🔑 The two biggest barriers holding creativity back:

Weak insights → 51% of brands say their insights aren’t good enough to spark great work

Culture lag → 57% can’t move fast enough to react to cultural moments

And yet, the opportunity is real. Brands that take creative risks see 4x higher profit margins and are 33% more likely to drive long-term revenue growth.

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How to Get Started with AI Optimization

In the evolving digital landscape, understanding AI optimization is crucial for marketers as user habits shift from traditional search to LLMs.

Unlike traditional SEO, generative search optimization requires strategies centered on building brand authority, structuring content for AI interpretation, and maintaining consistency across platforms. Measuring LLM visibility serves as a critical tool to assess the brand's presence, guiding adjustments and investment decisions.

Meta's AI Ad Tools Present Creative Agencies With New Challenges

Meta's AI-powered ad tools aim to automate ad creation and targeting by 2026, challenging creative agencies to adapt as AI potentially reduces their business from automation, increasing the need for human oversight and strategic positioning.

Agencies are responding by developing their own AI tools and emphasizing the value of human creativity in strategy and storytelling, maintaining relevance in an AI-driven landscape. Despite potential efficiency gains, marketers remain cautious about AI's current limitations and possible quality issues without human input.