In conversation are, from left, Dana Walden, co-chairman and president of Disney Entertainment, American actor Sterling Brown and Dan Fogelman – American scriptwriter and director. Credit: Cannes Lions 2025 Getty Images
Yesterday was the first day of Cannes Lions 2025. This week-long festival of creativity brings together some of the finest marketing and advertising minds from across the globe, to discuss topics which are both urgent and important.
This year, I am watching Cannes Lions digitally, from the comfort of my home in Bengaluru. So I will miss the beaches and yachts of the French Riviera. But I will have the unique pleasure of listening to these amazing discussions while enjoying the world’s best rava idlis and filter coffee.
There were many fascinating sessions on Day 1. I loved the conversation on breakthrough storytelling, hosted by Disney. Dana Walden (co-chairman and president of Disney Entertainment) was joined by Dan Fogelman (American scriptwriter and Director) and Sterling Brown (American actor) for this discussion. A key takeaway for me – breakthrough stories require two key elements. First, incredible twists in the tale that the audience do not see coming. And second, a strong emotional payoff for the audience, which can range from tears to exultation.
Gurinder Chadha
Both these elements were also re-emphasised in another session by none other than Gurinder Chadha, the celebrated film Director. I had been moved by her lovely movie “Bend it like Beckham” many years ago, and now I was equally impressed by what she said about big screen storytelling. She spoke about how she always starts with the questions – “What is the audience thinking? And how am I going to shift their opinions?”. And how she then employs various techniques, including surprise and subversion, to make this happen.
Her objective is to take the viewers on a journey they are not expecting, to surprise them, and keep them invested in the story throughout the duration of the film. “My job is to reach out to your heart”, she said, “and make you rethink what is around you”. That is excellent advice for brand storytellers too.
Sir John Hegarty, legend of advertising and founder of the agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty, spoke on why giant companies and agencies generally cannot dance. But of course, they need to, if they have to survive and grow. He had a powerful lesson to share – that genuinely great inspiration in the sphere of advertising comes from a marriage of the brand’s core philosophy and pathbreaking creativity. As I listened to him, I thought to myself – so many brands focus on creativity, yet they forget the reason why they were created in the first place.
At close of day, a discussion on why brands need to embrace neurodiversity touched a powerful nerve. With 53% of Gen-Z identifying as neurodivergent, brands risk losing these young people both as consumers and as team members, unless they embed neurodivergent thinking into their strategies. As Lola Young, the global recording artist, asked all of us at this session – “What is normal? Normal, normal, normal.” That is a very good question for marketers to think about.
Watch this space for insights from Cannes Lions 2025, throughout this week.
(Harish Bhat is an avid marketer and bestselling author. He was previously the Brand Custodian at Tata Sons)
Published on June 16, 2025
