We’re entering an era of infinitely scalable creativity

Hi there,

Ready for Day Three?

AI’s scaling fast—but are marketers losing the plot? From Meta’s ad agents to TikTok’s avatar army, Day 2 at Cannes was all about speed. But the real wins? Still going to brands that lead with guts, not just generative tools.

️ Cannes Dispatch

 Meta and TikTok Double Down on AI: Is Creative Still Human-Led?

AI took centre stage on Day 2—with both Meta and TikTok launching tools that blur the line between production shortcut and creative strategy.

 TikTok expanded its Symphony suite, now allowing brands to instantly generate influencer-style content using just text or static assets. Its digital avatars can model products, demo apps, and mimic TikTok-native styles—no shoot required. The goal is to close the gap between paid and organic, and help marketers ride trends at creator speed.

 Meta, meanwhile, announced 11 new AI features—ranging from auto-generated multilingual video ads to voice-activated branded bots and in-ad AI agents. Alongside that came a $14B investment in Scale AI, signaling Meta’s ambition to own the AI backbone, not just the front-end interface.

 What it means for marketers and agencies:
We’re entering an era of infinitely scalable creativity—but not necessarily better creativity. These tools promise speed and efficiency at scale, but the challenge is maintaining distinction in a sea of synthetic sameness.

For agencies, the brief is changing: from concept-to-campaign to prompt-to-personality. And for brands, the pressure’s on to make sure that what looks native still feels real.

What Others Are Sharing

Today at the CMO Spotlight session, you will hear from Josefien Olij (Philips), Morgan Flatley (McDonald’s), and Patricia Corsi (Kimberly-Clark) about what it takes to be a Chief Marketing Officer in 2025.

Moderated by Allyson Stewart-Allen, this conversation will explore how top CMOs are setting marketing investment priorities, proving the value of creativity, and evolving their skills to meet the demands of the future.

What This D2C Marketing VP Really Wants from Cannes 2025—Amelia Garone

As VP of Marketing at Fospha, working with the most exciting D2C brands, here’s what our team is hoping the Cannes conversations will tackle.

1. The Science-Art Balance: Bold Creative That Actually Moves Numbers

Most D2C brands we work with face the same tension: how do you create breakthrough creative while proving it drives real business impact? The pressure to measure everything can kill bold ideas before they breathe. But the brands winning right now have cracked the code on being both fearless and data-driven.

Take Liquid Death‘s outrageous campaigns- from their “Death to Plastic” Super Bowl spot to their punk rock aesthetic that shouldn’t work for water but absolutely does. They’re measuring everything obsessively while never letting metrics constrain their creative audacity. The lesson? The best measurement frameworks amplify creativity, they don’t throttle it.

2. Garbage In, Garbage Out: Why AI Needs Human Intuition More Than Ever

AI is democratising access to insights and creative capabilities, but it’s only as good as what you feed it. The D2C brands getting real value from AI aren’t just plugging in data—they’re feeding it rich, human-centred insights about their customers’ unspoken needs and cultural moments.

Glossier is known to be one of the most customer-centric brands. When they use AI to analyse customer conversations, they’re training it to recognise the nuanced ways people talk about confidence, self-expression, and beauty routines. The magic happens when human intuition guides what questions to ask and which patterns matter. AI amplifies human insight- it doesn’t replace it.

3. Standing Out in the Age of Sameness: Why Authenticity Became the Ultimate Differentiator

Here’s the paradox: AI has levelled the playing field for fast-growing brands to access sophisticated tools and insights, but it’s also created a sea of sameness. When everyone can generate polished content and optimise campaigns with the same tools, authenticity becomes the scarcest resource.

The brands breaking through aren’t just being “authentic” as a buzzword- they’re being specific. Patagonia doesn’t just talk about sustainability; they tell you exactly how your jacket was made and challenge you to buy less. Ganni doesn’t just celebrate individuality; they showcase real customers styling their pieces in unexpected ways.

In a world where AI can mimic almost anything, the brands that dare to be genuinely, specifically themselves are the ones people actually remember and choose.

If you’re a marketing leader who is navigating similar questions, we’d love to hear how your playbook is evolving.

[Chat with the ClickZ team]

Cannes-Only Moments

*We caught up with Jimmy at SXSW London a few weeks ago. He shared how the brand is reimagining events — not as activations, but as emotional, human, and hyper-local experiences. Check out the full exclusive insights here.

The Cannes Vibe

 

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Enjoy Day 3!

Unofficially Cannes Lions Team

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