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Take a Guess at Who’s Topping Cannes Lions
Plus, sports streaming suits up for the Senate.
Welcome to The TV Room. Your weekly digest of television, streaming, and digital media insights that matter.
This week we're covering:
🔮 Industry Bets For Cannes Lions 2025
🐭 Mickey Makes Some Tough Calls
🎥 Creative Spotlight: Burger King: “Thrills & Grills”
🙅 RXBar Cuts Out The Corporate Jargon
What the Industry’s Betting On For Cannes Lions 2025
With the festival opening in late June, agency leaders have already tipped their hands. A recent poll by The Drum points to a jury that will reward work that entertains first, plants firm stakes on issues, and treats technology as an enabler rather than the main act.
Entertainment takes center stage
Audiences show up for stories, not sermons. Expect jurors to favor campaigns that treat attention as an exchange. Duolingo’s “RIP Duo,” which turned the demise of its green owl into a real-time social drama, leads the Social shortlist. Ford’s “Charge Around the Globe” documentary series on Amazon, chronicling an electric circumnavigation, demonstrates the same focus on watchability.
Purpose with precision
Cause-based work still matters, but blanket messaging is losing steam. Judges are looking for clear links between product and purpose. Axa’s “Three Words,” which integrates emergency geolocation into the insurer’s proposition, exemplifies this tighter alignment.
Bold design over minimalism
Packaging and identity work are getting louder and more tactile. Cadbury’s “Made to Share” redesign, which physically guides people to break off equal portions of chocolate, is a frontrunner in Design.
AI works behind the scenes
Artificial intelligence remains pivotal, yet agencies now treat it as a creative tool rather than the star of the show. Tools that shorten editing cycles or localize assets at scale will score higher than AI-for-AI-sake showpieces.
B2B creativity steps up
Business-focused brands are no longer playing it safe. FCB’s “Spreadbeats” for Spotify Advertising translates campaign data into generative music, proving that B2B ideas can rival consumer work for craft and originality.
The common thread
As judging begins, the common thread is clear: winning entries will trade passive impressions for active involvement, use bold visuals to stand out, and deploy technology only when it lifts the idea. Brands that deliver genuine entertainment and purposeful action are set to walk away with the metal.
Read More:
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TV Industry Updates
Disney downsizing: Walt Disney Co. announced layoffs of several hundred employees across its film and TV operations, citing ongoing industry contraction.
Publicis creative exits: Renato Fernandez stepped down as chief creative officer of Publicis Creative US after approximately 10 months in the position.
PepsiCo's F1 play: PepsiCo inked a deal with Formula One for a multiyear commitment across channels.
NextGen TV push: The National Association of Broadcasters petitioned the FCC to establish a clear timeline for completing the ATSC 3.0 (NextGen TV) transition.
WPP’s Open Intelligence: WPP introduced Open Intelligence, a data platform designed to deliver deeper insights and analytics for clients.
Sports streaming fix: The Senate Committee held a hearing titled "Field of Streams" to address growing viewer frustration with fragmented sports content.
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Creative Spotlight: Burger King: “Thrills & Grills”
Burger King's "Thrills & Grills" campaign transformed the fantasy world of How to Train Your Dragon into a limited-time menu that paired the movie's fire-breathing dragons with BK's flame-grilled specialties.
The Details:
The campaign unveiled four dragon-inspired menu items, including a Dragon Flame-Grilled Whopper on a red-and-orange marbled bun.
BK launched an in-app game called "Night Fury Flight" where Royal Perks members could win prizes including AMC gift cards and a trip to Universal Orlando.
The menu debuted May 27th, building anticipation for Universal Pictures' live-action How to Train Your Dragon film releasing June 13th in theaters.
What We Loved: The campaign brilliantly leveraged BK's existing brand identity as the home of flame-grilled burgers to create a fun connection with the dragon-themed movie, making the partnership feel genuine and lighthearted.
Marketing Mix
Jargon killer: RXBar launched a Chrome extension that scrubs corporate buzzwords from social media feeds as part of its "Proud Sponsor of No B.S." play.
Design revolution: OpenAI acquired Jony Ive's IO firm to develop what Sam Altman calls "the coolest piece of technology that the world will have ever seen."
Value over values: Kearney Consumer Institute found 79% of U.S. shoppers prioritize product value over corporate social messaging.
Contextual disruption: AI startup Classify exited stealth mode with backing from industry veterans, including former AppNexus CEO Brian O'Kelley.
WPP data solution: WPP launched Open Intelligence, a new data platform, but most details sit behind a paywall.
Automated ads: Meta announced plans for fully AI-driven ads by 2026, letting advertisers simply enter a business URL while the system crafts creatives.
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