Cannes Lions 2025: The Age of Experiences

In a fast-paced world, people strive to bring authenticity and purpose to their lives.

Grappling with polarization, distortion and uncertainty, faced with unsettling issues, people seek a reality that makes sense to them, one that's imaginative and optimistic. At Cannes, we saw how brands can help them transcend tough times by celebrating the thrilling, the uplifting, the awe-inspiring and the magical.

WEB AB In Bev SAS 7562 — Marcel Marcondes, Global Chief Marketing Officer, AB InBev

People are spending 65% more money on experiences than they did five years ago, according to Marcel Marcondes, Global Chief Marketing Officer at AB InBev. The experience economy is now slated to be an $8 trillion market. “We are officially living in the age of experiences,” said Marcondes. “And this brings us a big responsibility to adjust the way we connect our brands with consumers, because we need to match their lifestyle. We need to be meaningful to them.”

We must delight at every experience with events we could not even imagine are possible.

Mathilde Delhoume

Global Chief Brand Officer, LVMH

SAS 1823 — Mathilde Delhoume, Global Chief Brand Officer, LVMH

At LVMH, the goal is to impress. "We must delight at every experience with events we could not even imagine are possible,” said Mathilde Delhoume, Global Chief Brand Officer at LVMH. “If we just meet customer needs, we are dead,” which is why exceeding expectations is essential to the brand. Examples that Delhoume shared included the end-to-end experience of the luxury Belmond train journey, and more recently, the Louis Vuitton flagship store in New York that's undergoing renovation. While that's taking place, the exterior has been replaced with giant versions of their iconic travel trunks, which compelled the largest “wow” from the audience during the festival.

WEB Tor IMG 7428 — Tor Myhren, VP of Marketing Communications, Apple

Apple showcased how they're bringing its Apple TV+ shows to life. For season 2 of "Severance," a show about people severing their work and home lives, the campaign focused on bringing that to the real world. The core cast gathered inside a glass cube at Grand Central Terminal in New York recently emulating the show’s Lumon Industries office setting. “We crave human interaction… and that cube is sitting there in front of you, the actors are real people inside that cube,” explained Tor Myhren, VP of Marketing Communications at Apple. “It's a real, tangible experience.”

WEB Pinterest IMG 7651 — Pinterest Beach at Cannes Lions 2025

Several companies also introduced experiences to their branded beach. Pinterest set out huge tables inviting visitors to craft and create, aligned with their brand messaging. At the Meta Beach, a dedicated area dubbed the Reels Skate Park paired visitors with creative directors to film a reel of them appearing to skate. And at the Amazon Beach, people were queuing for the chance to create their own fragrance. Hosting experiences to remember was central to what brands wanted visitors to takeaway with them from Cannes Lions 2025.