Top 10 Creative Commercials from the Cannes Lions Festival

The Cannes Lions Festival is the annual benchmark for global creativity, where brands demonstrate how bravery and deep insight can transform a commercial message into genuine art. We have gathered ten spots and integrated campaigns that prove the best advertising is often the one that dares to be original.

1. KFC Thailand – Let There Be Cake

How do you prove the authenticity of a product in the era of total fakes? KFC Thailand took the viral internet trend «Is it cake or not?» and turned it into a surreal, comedic nightmare where the entire world around the main character (from his girlfriend and scooter to the furniture) literally starts turning into sponge cake. The more chaos, the stronger the final statement: «Anything can be a cake, but our chicken is 100% real chicken». This powerful and bold move, based on a deep cultural insight, became a virtuoso manifesto of product authenticity.

2. Beyoncé - Can't B Broken

At the Super Bowl, Beyoncé challenged Verizon's 5G network, aiming to outdo herself after having already "broken the internet." The star resorts to absurd attempts to "break" the unbreakable: from launching her own AI clone to performing in space. The entire commercial hinges on the fact that the Verizon network withstands absolutely everything. The campaign masterfully uses global celebrity and Beyoncé's persona to hyper-demonstrate its product's reliability.

3. Hornbach - The Square Meter

Hornbach transformed the problem of housing scarcity into a powerful DIY creativity manifesto. The cinematic spot «The Square Meter» shows how even the most modest space (just one square meter) can become an entire world for gardening, pottery, or cooking. The core idea is that no matter how little space you have, with the right tools, any square meter deserves to be the best in the world, inspiring the audience to create their own unique living space.

4. Uber - Trains, now on Uber

How do you announce a new, atypical service for the brand (booking train tickets)? Uber used the humor of recognition. In a series of short spots, passengers mistakenly interact with train conductors and engineers as if they were their personal Uber drivers (trying to "confirm" the ride). The secret to success is that using familiar, even awkward, moments of interaction with the app makes the new, more complex service intuitively clear and easily accessible.

5. IKEA – Proudly Second Best

IKEA flipped the traditional marketing script by proudly declaring: “We’re second best — after parents.” In touching scenes, children choose hugs over highchairs and cuddles over cribs. The brand humbly admits that no product can replace family warmth. This emotional honesty makes IKEA more than a furniture brand — it becomes a symbol of care, presence, and human connection.

6. Squarespace – A Tale As Old As Websites

Squarespace presented a fairytale Super Bowl ad starring Barry Keoghan, who rides a donkey through the Irish countryside helping locals build their first websites. The spot beautifully merges folklore with digital culture, showing that anyone — even in the most remote village — can bring their business online. With humor and cinematic charm, Squarespace transforms the simple act of creating a website into an inspiring modern legend about accessibility and creativity.

7. iPhone 14 - Relax, it's iPhone - RIP Leon

Apple masterfully turned a technical feature into a domestic disaster solution in its classic "dramedy." In the commercial, a person mistakenly believes his pet lizard has died, sends an emotional message, and then frantically cancels it when the pet "comes back to life." The central moment is the demonstration of the Unsend iMessage function as a lifeline in a high-stress and comical situation, perfectly embodying the slogan «Relax, it's iPhone».

8. Lacoste - Crocodile Inside (feat. Oulaya Amamra & Kevin Azaïs)

Lacoste presented relationships as a «beautiful sport» that requires perseverance and will. The cinematic and emotionally charged spot metaphorically depicts a young couple's argument: the floor and walls of their apartment literally crumble, leaving a massive chasm. The heroes take a desperate leap to reunite. The idea promoted by the brand is that Lacoste elegance is not just style, but resilience and the will to fight in any situation, like the iconic crocodile logo.

9. Telstra - Better Network

Instead of a boring coverage map, Telstra, Australia’s largest mobile operator, chose to humanize its network, illustrating its vast infrastructure through 26 short stop-motion films. Each commercial is dedicated to a specific, often remote, Australian town, and for maximum authenticity, they are voiced by real local residents. The creative solution was to prove the widest reach not through 

10. Uber Eats – Going to College

In search of the most compelling argument for its Uber One for Students subscription, the brand resorted to a brilliant, ironic hyperbole. Succession star, the stern Brian Cox, plays a grumpy 70-year-old freshman who returned to college not for a degree, but for the discounts. The point is that the savings are so absurdly great that even a millionaire is willing to trade peace for a dorm room. The commercial masterfully transforms a brutal celebrity image into a comedic manifesto about unprecedented value.

The main takeaway from all these campaigns is the victory of a bold, emotional, and original idea over banality. The best advertising, recognized at Cannes, is always built on deep insight and creates cultural resonance.

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