Putting Data to Work: Everything You Need to Know from Cannes

Once again on La Croisette, the rosé flowed and the yachts glittered.  But this year, the buzz wasn’t just about brilliance on screen - it was about data.  Not as a sidekick to creativity, but as a protagonist in its own right.  And not just any data - data with empathy, purpose, and a strong point of view.

Here’s what mattered most:

1. AI Has Grown Up - Now What?

If 2024 was the year of generative AI hype, 2025 is the year of accountability.  The dominant question in every AI session?

“How are you using it responsibly to create better experiences?”

Brands and agencies showcased real progress.  Dove’s Grand Prix-winning Real Beauty Redefined for the AI Era re-trained Pinterest’s algorithm to reflect authentic beauty - a powerful reminder that when AI aligns with human values, it can drive cultural and commercial impact.

The future isn’t just AI-powered.  It’s AI-guided - with intent.

2. Data With Direction

This year, there was a noticeable shift - from collecting data to actually applying it.  It’s never been enough to know everything about your customer.  You have to do something useful with that knowledge - something personal, relevant, and valuable to them, not just to you.

The best work showed restraint.  The smartest brands weren’t over-personalising or over-targeting - they used data to simplify, not to overwhelm.

3. Creative + Data = The New Power Couple

Forget left brain vs right brain.  The standout campaigns this year were powered by a marriage of data insight and creative gut.  It wasn’t either/or - it was bold, strategic experimentation, with data in the co-pilot seat.

As one panellist put it:

“The best ideas didn’t start with a brief - they started with the data.”

4. Consent and Trust Are Still the Battleground

With the UK’s Data (Use & Access) Bill moving forward - and growing consumer fatigue around opaque targeting - conversations at Cannes turned to ethical data use, transparency, and systems designed with consent at the core.

The brands setting the pace are the ones treating trust as an asset, not an afterthought.

Final Thought: It’s Time to Put Data to Work

Cannes 2025 made one thing clear: the winners over the next 12 months will be the ones asking tough questions:

• Does this create clarity or confusion?

• Is it driving relevance or just more noise?

• Are we delivering progress or performance theatre?

At Beyond: Putting Data to Work, we’ve always believed data is only powerful when it’s applied with purpose.  After Cannes, we’re more convinced than ever: putting data to work starts with knowing what you’ve got, what you stand for, and what problems you’re solving - for whom.

When business challenges and customer needs align, that’s when data delivers real value.