Cannes Lions’ 2025 report has revealed that Creative confidence globally is in crisis.
The report released recently by Cannes Lions diclosed that creative confidence, which is the belief that bold, original ideas drive business success in the creeative world, is being undermined by the struggle to generate strong insights, and lack of cultural agility.
Tagged The State of Creativity, the annual study serves as a practical tool to help marketers understand key challenges, trends and opportunities for creativity in 2025. This latest edition of The State of Creativity, now in its fifth year, is based on a global survey with over 1,000 marketers and creatives, fielded between November 2024 and January 2025, and one-to-one conversations with industry leaders.
The research shows that risk aversion is holding businesses back. ‘Creative risk-taking’ is defined in the survey as bold, unconventional ideas that challenge norms and engage audiences in unexpected ways. Only 13% of respondents to Lions’ State of Creativity 2025 survey view their companies as risk-friendly, whilst 29% of brands admit to being highly risk-averse.
However, risk-taking brands generate four times higher profit margins, according to research by Warc and Kantar. And brands with a high appetite for creative risk are 33% more likely to see long-term revenue growth, reports Deloitte.
Patrick Jeffrey, VP of Lions Advisory, said, “The State of Creativity report is a unique window into the global creative landscape. The findings from this latest research show that largely due to a lack of solid insights and cultural relevance, we are seeing less ‘creative risk-taking’, which involves stepping outside traditional boundaries and surpassing category conventions. Addressing these two key barriers will unlock creative confidence and drive better long-term business results.”