The Creative Reset: Lessons on Escaping the Seasonal Slump from Cannes Lions 2025
As mid-year fatigue sets in, Paul Cotton, Head of Ideas at Weber Shandwick and Jack Morton Australia, shares fresh inspiration straight from Cannes Lions 2025, exploring how nostalgia is being reworked with purpose, why brand purpose is shifting from virtue signal to systems change, how human insight should always come before tech, and the importance of shaking off safe thinking when energy runs low.
It happens every year. The energy of January fades, deadlines stack up, pitches blend into one another, and suddenly, we’re halfway through the year staring down the barrel of winter with creative tanks running dangerously low.
The mid-year slump is a familiar rhythm for agencies, brands, and creatives alike. It’s easy to find yourself stuck in the cycle of rinsing and repeating – because when your brain’s running on 12% and it’s darker at 5PM than it should be, safe ideas feel like survival.
Enter *cue drumroll*: Cannes Lions. AKA, the world’s most inspirational slap to the creative face. Every year, I find myself walking away from that whirlwind of inspiration with a clearer head and more importantly, a sharpened perspective on what matters most in our industry.
Nostalgia is Having a Comeback Moment (And It’s Doing More Than Playing Dress-Up)
Nostalgia-fuelled campaigns have been everywhere in the last 18 months (cue montage of your favourite childhood cereal back on shelves, Y2K fonts crawling across your feeds, we’re gearing up for Scream: The PreThreequel…), but at Cannes, the standout work didn’t just lean on retro logos or pixelated graphics for clicks. It reimagined familiarity with purpose. It asked: What if our shared cultural memories weren’t just commercial fodder, but catalysts for new conversations?
The best work turned nostalgia from a gimmick into a tool – whether by reinventing brand mascots for modern audiences or reframing cultural touchstones to spotlight inclusion, sustainability, or empowerment. The lesson? Referencing the past is easy but reworking it to move society forward is the hard bit, and where the magic often happens.
Purpose is Levelling Up
If you’ve worked in this space long enough, you’ll know purpose can sometimes feel like wallpaper, where brands claim to stand for something without the backbone or foundations to prove it (big sigh).
But the Cannes Lions stage showed purpose-led work evolving. Less ‘peacocking’, more proof. Campaigns anchored in real, immediate issues (think menstrual health, climate change, or digital privacy), all resonated with the audience because they weren’t just brand statements, they were systemic interventions.
Creatives aren’t just storytellers anymore, we’re system shakers. And that requires uncomfortable conversations, better partnerships, and a willingness to put genuine impact above shiny impressions.
Tech is Nothing Without Human Insight
Sure, everyone was chomping at the bit to show off their latest tech toys this year, with AI, AR and VR all on show this Cannes Lions. But the work that truly landed didn’t lead with tech, it led with human insight. It pushed human truths at the forefront, then let technology amplify the emotion, relevance, or accessibility of the idea.
When our creative tanks are low, there is temptation to lean on gimmicks or trends to reignite momentum. But Cannes reminded me (and all of us) that the most powerful campaigns still start with deeply human truths. This is your reminder that tech elevates but never replaces empathy.
So, What Now?
The winter lull is real, but creativity thrives at the intersection of feeling uncomfortable and straight up ambition. This year’s edition of the Cannes Lions wasn’t just a highlight reel of brilliance; it was a much-needed reminder to resist ✊ safe and recycled thinking.
And you really don’t need a trip to the Riviera to do that. Switching up your output can be as simple as changing your inputs. Like listening beyond your usual echo chambers, seeking unexpected collaborations, or challenging your team to break the usual format. Great work starts when we resist recycled thinking and make space for the kind of restless creativity that cuts through.
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