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posted on Jul. 29, 2025 at 12:11 pm

Cannes Lions 2025: Evidence-based, coalition-built, transparent and human

posted on Jul. 29, 2025 at 12:11 pm

The UAE Government Media Office’s Khaled AlShehhi shares his perspective as the first government sector representative on the Cannes Lions jury in the festival’s 72-year history.

Khaled AlShehhi, Executive Director of Marketing and Communication, UAE Government Media Office on his thoughts as a Cannes Lions jury member

Khaled AlShehhi, Executive Director of Marketing and Communication, UAE Government Media Office

Cannes Lions 2025 felt less like a festival of fireworks and more like a stress test of truth. Serving on the PR jury, I spent long nights debating whether ideas deserved a Lion once the gloss was stripped away. That perspective shaped seven lessons I carried home, and each one speaks to where brand storytelling is heading next.
Being believed is now worth more than being seen. On day one, Apple’s Tor Myhren warned that AI will not save advertising unless humans raise the standard. Later, our jury dropped a high-gloss submission the moment its impact numbers proved to be guesses. The work that climbed to Gold arrived with proof the public would recognise as real. In an era of deepfakes and

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Tags:Ad Net Zero Advertising AI Apple Artificial Intelligence Campaign Cannes Cannes Lions Cannes Lions 2025 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity Cannes Lions Jury creators cultural nuance cultural urgency Design for Behavioural Change Lion Dove Ethics fact checking Grand Prix judging Cannes Lions Khaled AlShehhi lived experience Lucky Yatra Nordea Bank paid support Parental Leave Mortgage PR Jury public relations category Real Beauty regulators rented attention Social and Creator Grand Prix sustainability Toy Myhren UAE UAE Government Media Office Vaseline Verified

the authorAnup Oommen

Anup Oommen is the Editor of Campaign Middle East at Motivate Media Group, a well-reputed moderator, and a multiple award-winning journalist with more than 15 years of experience at some of the most reputable and credible global news organisations, including Reuters, CNN, and Motivate Media Group. As the Editor of Campaign Middle East, Anup heads market-leading coverage of advertising, media, marketing, PR, events and experiential, digital, the wider creative industries, and more, through the brand’s digital, print, events, directories, podcast and video verticals. As such he’s a key stakeholder in the Campaign Global brand, the world’s leading authority for the advertising, marketing and media industries, which was first published in the UK in 1968.