Bold creativity is on the ropes — but not for long, if marketers take action. The State of Creativity 2025 report from Lions Advisory may highlight falling risk appetite and cultural inertia, but its central message is one of hope: that creativity can be restored with the right tools, skills and mindset.
The fifth annual report, based on responses from more than 1,000 marketers and creatives worldwide, finds that only 13% of companies describe themselves as risk-friendly, with nearly a third admitting to being highly risk-averse. But where others see a crisis, Lions Advisory offers a solution: a practical playbook for reigniting creative confidence.
"As teams upskill and confidence grows, so will the appetite for bigger, bolder work," says its VP Patrick Jeffrey.
Les Binet, effectiveness expert and former head of effectiveness at Adam & Eve/DDB, reinforces the point: “The most effective advertising often feels risky – because it is. It breaks rules, tugs at emotions, and lingers in memory. Playing it safe is the real gamble.”
From Cannes playfulness to strategic purpose
Last year’s Cannes Lions Official Wrap-Up Report 2024 struck a more playful tone, championing humour, weirdness and celebrity subversion as standout creative strategies. It urged marketers to “get messy”, embrace confusion and use comedy as a competitive edge — noting that while 80% of people are more likely to buy from funny brands, 95% of business leaders still fear using humour. But this year’s State of Creativity report reveals a more sobering reality: confidence in making those brave creative choices is faltering. The focus now, says Lions Advisory, must shift from identifying what works to building the capability to act on it.
Upskill your teams to sharpen insights
One of the starkest findings in the report is the widespread weakness in insight generation. More than half (51%) of brands rate their ability to develop high-quality insights as poor or very poor. Only 13% describe it as very good or excellent.
Lions Advisory’s advice is unambiguous: brands must invest in training. That includes teaching teams what constitutes a high-quality insight, how to uncover them through structured research and how to collaborate across departments and agencies to sharpen perspective.
Allison Pierce, chief creative officer at VML, puts it bluntly: "If an idea is born out of insight and data and has a solid measurement plan in place – no matter how novel it may be – it doesn’t seem so 'risky'."
The Specsavers "Misheard Version" campaign is held up as a prime example. The team uncovered that people associated hearing loss with mortality and isolation – a revelation that turned into an emotionally resonant and commercially effective campaign, driving hearing test bookings up by 1,220%.
Lions Advisory also encourages brands to diversify their teams and research methods. A mix of qualitative and quantitative techniques – from social listening to immersive ethnography – leads to better, more representative insight. AI tools, synthetic data and predictive modelling can help scale and speed this process, but must be grounded in human interpretation.
Build cultural agility into your structure
The second confidence killer is the inability to respond to culture in real time. A total of 57% of brands struggle to react quickly to cultural moments - and only 12% say they do this well.
But agility doesn’t mean chasing every TikTok trend. It means building internal systems that allow for swift, strategic responses. Lions Advisory recommends reviewing approval processes and removing unnecessary layers that stifle speed.
One standout case study is Rethink’s viral "Coors Lights Out" campaign, which launched just six days after a baseball player smashed a Coors Light billboard. Thanks to a fast-track system dubbed "go then grow", the brand turned a mishap into a moment, even expanding the campaign to Japan to capitalise on momentum.
“Have a circuit court, or a fast track to decisions,” advises Marco Venturelli, CEO and chief creative officer of Publicis Conseil.
Beyond red tape, brands also need to know where and when it makes sense to show up. Lions Advisory calls for clearer brand guardrails – understanding which spaces, communities and conversations align with a brand’s values and audience.
Heineken’s global head of brand, Nabil Nasser, sums it up: "Consistency comes from having a clear brand mission. The dynamism comes from how we execute it, adapting based on cultural insight."
Short-term thinking is short-changing creativity
The report notes a shift towards short-termism. In 2025, 63% of brand activity is short-term focused – up from 53% two years earlier. While short-term tactics can deliver quick wins, long-term brand-building enables the kind of spontaneous, high-impact work that earns cultural relevance.
Renault’s long-term investment in social mobility initiatives is a case in point. From trial car loans to firefighter training and EV infrastructure, its purpose-led projects have driven impact far beyond individual campaigns – and strengthened its brand equity across Europe.
Partner with creators and communities
Another key recommendation is to engage directly with the communities that matter to your brand. Cultural intelligence isn’t about observation; it’s about participation. Dr Marcus Collins, author of For the Culture, explains that when brands meaningfully embed in communities, they gain a cultural shorthand that amplifies relevance and recall.
This means listening more than speaking. Savage x Fenty’s CMO Vanessa Wallace describes setting up member calls to get direct feedback on upcoming launches: "Even from a marketing standpoint, it’s about digging deep to understand what they’re seeing and how it can get better."
Creators are also playing a growing role in cultural agility. With 49% of brands planning to increase influencer spend in 2025, Lions Advisory notes the rising overlap between creator culture and GenAI. Maybelline’s CGI mascara stunt with CGI artist Ian Padgham blurred the line between fake and real – and made the brand culturally iconic in the process.
A practical playbook for transformation
At its heart, The State of Creativity 2025 is a rallying cry to marketers: don’t just lament the loss of bold creativity – do something about it.
Lions Advisory lays out a blueprint:
- Train teams to develop strong, actionable insights
- Streamline approval processes to increase cultural responsiveness
- Build long-term brand platforms that allow for short-term spontaneity
- Collaborate closely with agencies, creators and communities
- Use technology to amplify, not replace, human creativity
"Creativity is the guiding compass for everything we do," says one survey respondent. Lions Advisory’s role is to help marketers navigate that journey. "We’re dedicated to guiding brands through their creative transformation,” Jeffrey says. “Whatever their starting point."
In a time of economic pressure and creative paralysis, the message is clear: confidence isn’t a mindset – it’s a capability. And with the right tools and training, it’s entirely within reach.
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