Are these the world’s best ad campaigns?

The annual Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity aims to recognise the best advertising from around the globe.

Telstra's Better on a Better Network campaign won a Grand Prix

Four weeks after the dust settles on the annual Cannes Film Festival, the French Riviera is once again swarming with international guests who have arrived for a week of long lunches, rose-soaked yacht parties and evening award ceremonies.

However, unlike the art that is celebrated at the film festival, this event celebrates the work that is often viewed before those films begin – the advertising.

The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity attracts more than 13,000 advertising and marketing executives from 90 countries to discuss the trends shaping the industry and recognise the best work from around the world.

This year’s event was dominated by talk of the impact of artificial intelligence, the importance of humour and an enduring focus on the fundamental role creativity plays in driving business growth. The award judging panels spend hours watching case studies for ads and debating each ones merits before awarding gold, silver and bronze lions, in addition to the ultimate Grand Prix winners.

Here are a selection of some of Grand Prix winners from the 2025 awards, representing the best advertising work in the world.

The Best TV Ad

Channel 4: Paris Paralympics 2024: Considering What?

The UK’s Channel 4 continued to build on a heritage of award-winning advertising for the Paralympics Games with its recent film for the 2024 Paris Games. ‘Considering What’ was awarded as the best media and entertainment ad at the festival. The film was created by Channel 4 and Revolver.

The Most Effective Ad Campaign

Apple: Shot on iPhone

This ten-year-old campaign, created by TBWA/Media Arts Lab has been called “ridiculously simple”, but has also collected a swag of awards, including the Grand Prix for Creative Excellence. The campaign showcases how you, with the aid of your mobile phone, can easily shoot an epic film and be the next Spielberg.

The Best Health Ad

The New Zealand Herpes Foundation: The Best Place in the World to have Herpes

The New Zealand Herpes Foundation campaign to increase awareness about herpes and reduce the stigma about the disease attracted global headlines when it gamified an online education campaign to drive engagement among kiwis. The campaign, which was created by MotionSickness, FINCH and TRA, won a Grand Prix for Health as well as a Grand Prix for Good and the Heath Grand Prix For Good.

The Best Film Craft

Telstra: Better on a Better Network

Telstra’s advertising blitz for during the Paris Olympics consisted of 26 stop-motion films, each just 15 seconds long, which aimed to bring to life the reach of the brand’s mobile network. The ‘Better on a Better Network’ campaign, which was created by Bear Meets Eagle On Fire and Revolver, won the Grand Prix for Film Craft.

The Best Creative Business Transformation Campaign

AXA: Three Words

The insurance company AXA made a small change to its home insurance policy to include emergency relocation for policyholders fleeing domestic violence. The campaign by Publicis Conseil showcased how adding three words to the policy, “and domestic violence” and establishing a support line and dedicated relocation service transformed its business and brand. The campaign won the Titanium Grand Prix, Creative Business Transformation Grand Prix, and the Direct Grand Prix.

The Best Creative Strategy

Unilever: Dove Real Beauty, The Self Esteem Project

More than twenty years after the launch of the Dove Real Beauty campaign with the Dove ‘Evolution’ film, the Unilever brand’s Self Esteem Project is a global education platform that works with 94 million children. Created by Ogilvy, the campaign won the Grand Prix for Creative Strategy, and for AI The Glass: The Lion for Change,

The Best Social Media Campaign

Vaseline: Vaseline Verified

Vaseline Verified was a campaign that collected viral hacks and scientifically tested them to create verified hacks and a huge viral content campaign, engaging creators and driving PR. The campaign, created by Ogilvy, was promoted across media and even made the hacks shoppable on TikTok to drive social commerce and boost sales and fans.