When the doors close and the world’s most celebrated creative work is up for judgment, what really happens inside a Cannes Lions jury room? At the Advertising Council Australia’s Cannes Download, four jurors — Dave Bowman (Cannes Lions Juror, Social & Creator; CCO Publicis Groupe ANZ), Mim Haysom (Cannes Lions Juror, Creative Data; EGM Brand and Customer Experience, Suncorp), Aimee Buchanan (Cannes Lions Juror, Media; CEO WPP Media ANZ) and Mike Felix (Cannes Lions Juror, Film; CCO Dentsu Aotearoa), offered a candid, and often humorous, peek behind the curtain.
The panel had nearly 27,000 entries across 32 categories to contend with, and each juror described a process that was part exhilarating, part exhausting.
Haysom described the on-site judging marathon as a relentless but deeply rewarding ordeal, clocking in at more than 16 hours a day over two consecutive days, filled with rigorous discussion and fine-toothed scrutiny of the work.
She had been forewarned that accepting a Cannes Lions jury role meant sacrificing “six weekends of your life” to pre-event case study reviews, a prediction she discovered was no exaggeration. Yet, she said, the payoff was immense. Immersing herself so completely in the world’s best creative output, in the company of some of the industry’s sharpest and most inventive minds, was an experience she would “hold joyfully” for years to come.
For Haysom, those two days in the room were nothing short of “soulful”, a rare professional moment where passion for creativity was rekindled and elevated by the collective energy, talent, and dedication of her fellow jurors.
For Buchanan, her first time at Cannes Lions was nothing short of a trial by fire. Arriving as a debut juror, she dove headfirst into an overwhelming workload, initially powering through 600 entries before even setting foot in the jury room. With tongue-in-cheek competitiveness, she joked that she’d thought she was done after around 300 and was ready to declare victory on LinkedIn, only to be hit with another 257 entries the very next day. “I cried,” she admitted, knowing there was barely a week left to complete the task.
Despite the sheer volume and pace, Buchanan described the experience as the most rewarding of her career. The long days and intense conversations were underscored by a profound sense of responsibility, the knowledge that their decisions would shape the global narrative about where media is headed. For her, every discussion and every shortlist was part of defining “a true view of where media could and should be going,” and that weight made the work not only meaningful but transformative.
Felix reflected on the strange joy found in a process that, on paper, could seem like pure punishment. “If I said to anyone… how would you like to sit in a room for 15 hours a day, for three days, watching back-to-back commercials… it doesn’t sound like heaven,” he quipped.
Yet, for him, the reality was unexpectedly energising. The uninterrupted immersion in film work provided a rare vantage point, a chance to momentarily “pop your head above the clouds” and gain a clear, panoramic view of the industry’s current creative landscape. Far from draining, the experience left him feeling recharged and inspired, offering both perspective and a renewed appreciation for the craft.
The Cultural Lens on Creativity
All four jurors agreed that cultural context can make or break how a campaign is received in the jury room. Buchanan pointed to a New Zealand beer ad that hinged on a hyper-local insight: “a lot of Kiwis put their beer in the freezer and it explodes after 34 minutes.” She insisted this was a genuine and relatable scenario, “That happens in our house all the time”, but many of her international peers were skeptical, unsure whether the premise was a quirky national truth or an exaggerated gimmick.
For Haysom, a similar cultural gap emerged during deliberations over the provocatively titled “So Many Dicks” campaign from ELF Beauty. The work highlighted that Fortune 500 boards had more men named Richard than women of any name. Haysom initially viewed it as “hilarious and genius” in its play on words and data-driven punchline. However, some male jurors considered it “offensive, disrespectful, demeaning to men,” especially given that the campaign was grounded in a gender equality conversation.
The pushback prompted Haysom to reassess her own reading of the work: “I really came at this from a basic level of humour… what they challenged me on was right… it’s a gender equality conversation.”
The stand outs!
Headlining the creative showcase were several standout campaigns that had resonated strongly in the jury rooms and on the awards stage. These works not only captured the attention of their respective jurors but also exemplified the craft, insight, and cultural relevance that Cannes Lions celebrates at its highest level. Among the most talked-about were:
Telstra – Better On A Better Network
This campaign features 26 stop-motion films that focus on locations around Australia and their idiosyncrasies.
The campaign was created by +61, the bespoke agency, combining the creative talents of TBWA and Bear Meets Eagle On Fire, as well as OMD.
Telstra – Together For Christmas
The next chapter of Telstra’s Wherever we go platform focuses on the real magic of Christmas, spending time with those most important to us.
Directed by Steve Rogers, the film tells the story of an accidental singing superstar – Little Donkey – who goes on a whirlwind journey across the world, before realising he misses his family at Christmas time.
Caption With Intention
Caption with Intention is a groundbreaking captioning system designed to enhance the cinematic experience for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing by better conveying verbal and sonic cues.
It seeks to modernise a caption format that has remained largely unchanged for 50 years, benefiting the 466 million people worldwide who rely on it.
SATO 2531
Japan remains the only nation that mandates married couples share the same surname, a law that sees 95% of women take their husband’s name and is hard to change in a parliament where 90% of lawmakers are men.
To highlight its long-term impact, gender equality group Asuniwa worked with a professor to project that by 2531, “Sato” would be Japan’s sole surviving surname, prompting 40 companies and organisations to temporarily rename their assets “Sato” to ignite public discussion.
Backed by this data, Asuniwa presented the findings to the UN, which responded with a recommendation that Japan amend the law within two years.
