The Cannes Lions Festival isn’t just a creative playground—it’s ground zero for the AI revolution in marketing. As agencies pivot from novel demos to practical implementation, here are five lessons that Voice of Stella and every modern marketer should own.

1. AI Is a Copilot, Not a Pilot

“At Cannes, AI is now welcomed as a copilot in the creative journey … a tool that helps creatives take advantage of context signals in real time,” according to AdExchanger’s recap of AI’s role at the festival.

• Data point: 75% of agencies now use AI, but 75% of those are still absorbing costs instead of billing clients, showing adoption - but tension - around commercial models.

• Lesson: Build workflows where AI speeds up ideation and A/B testing, while human creativity stays at the helm. Stella’s platform does exactly that, letting social media teams scale personalization without losing strategic direction or emotional resonance—plus, you cut creative costs.
  
  

2. Speed + Scale = Competitive Advantage

One industry veteran captured a central tension: “When expression is cheap, capturing attention becomes expensive.”

• Campaign realignment: Heineken’s Gen Z “Desperado’s” campaign integrated creator‑led TikTok dance narratives alongside YouTube and TV, reworking months‑long campaigns into days by harnessing creator tools.

• Lesson: With instant content creation, the bottleneck is now creative differentiation—not production. Stella helps teams pivot fast across multiple channels, reducing typical campaign timelines from months to days, while maximizing ad spend impact and ROI.
  
  

3. Invest in Agentic AI + Upskilling

As LinkedIn’s Mark Abraham post noted, three words stood out: personalization, up‑skilling, and responsibility. He added “Agents” to that trio—tools that automate while empowering creativity.

• Stat: In a BCG-run “CMO Insider” session, 71% of CMOs confirmed plans to invest over $10 million annually in AI—up from 57% last year.

• Lesson: Prioritize upskilling your workforce to manage AI agents well. Stella supports this by offering intuitive dashboards and content guides that teach teams to steer AI rather than sit back—and produce better work with less effort.
  
  

4. Measurement Reinvented: Holistic, AI‑Powered Metrics

Cannes highlighted a “measurement crisis.” Instead of forcing all channels into one measurement system, panels proposed embracing AI-powered models that adapt to varied campaign contexts.

• Case study: A financial brand dropped customer acquisition costs by 60% by layering news content into AI-orchestrated cross‑channel campaigns.

• Lesson: Integrate AI-driven MMM (Marketing Mix Modeling) to uncover which combination of content, channel, and timing actually moves ROI. Stella integrates with analytics tools to deliver real-time dashboards - helping you invest where it counts.
  
  

5. Creativity & Courage: Dare to Be Human

Fleishman Hillard’s Emily Frager shares an uplighting insight from Malcolm Gladwell: “Creativity is the essential catalyst” as AI shifts from novelty to infrastructure.

• Quotes from the stage:

  “Change is hard. Creativity is how we get through it.”
  “This is an exciting time for the courageous.”

  
  

• Lesson: Let AI take over the mundane, give your team freedom to experiment - “try more crazy s*” in sessions encourages bold, risk‑taking campaigns before launch.

  
  

Why Stella Belongs at the Center of Modern AI Marketing

Stella stands out as one of the best AI marketing tools for today’s teams. It doesn’t just speed things up—it helps you do better with less. With features like:

• AI‑powered content creation across channels

• Workflow automation that preserves brand voice and emotional context

• Integrated analytics linking creativity to ROI

• Tools to train and guide your team alongside AI agents

Stella empowers your social media and content teams to create smarter, faster, and more cost-effectively - all with measurable impact.

In conclusion: AI is here - and Cannes Lions 2025 confirmed it's reshaping the marketing game. But the winners? They're the ones who blend technology with human insight, speed with strategy, and creativity with courage. And if you want to fuel that shift in your team, Stella is the platform built exactly for that future.

To get started with Stella, sign up here for a free trial account.