How to Win a Creative B2B Lion: A Blueprint for Bold Brands

The Cannes Lions Creative B2B category may be just four years old, but it’s already redefining what business creativity looks like. Human Digital was right there in Cannes on the LinkedIn rooftop when the 2025 jury offered a goldmine of insights for brands looking to break through the noise, and bring home a Lion.

This isn’t about mimicking B2C gloss or bolting on token purpose. It’s about understanding the unique complexity of B2B and rising to meet it with strategy, creativity, and impact. Here’s how.

1. Prove It’s Truly B2B (Not B2C in Disguise)

The jury drew hard lines between real B2B work and campaigns masquerading B2C. With definitions like B2B, B2C2B, and B2B2C becoming more nuanced, clear targeting and understanding of the professional purchase journey is key.

Takeaway for Marketers:
Anchor your work in the complexity of B2B purchase cycles. If you're targeting intermediaries, decision-makers, or trade partners, show it explicitly. Define your audience, and show your fluency in their world.

2. Lead with Human Insight, Not Product Features

Despite being B2B, the best work was deeply human. Whether it was GoDaddy’s Grand Prix-winning “Act Like You Know” capturing entrepreneurial imposter syndrome, or iFood’s AI-powered restaurant insights — emotional relevance led the way.

Human Digital Principle:
Every business decision is made by a human. Start with empathy. Your campaign should uncover the fears, motivations, and unspoken truths of B2B audiences, and wrap your solution around those insights.

3. Don’t Just Tell a Story — Build a Platform

From Heineken’s “Starring Bars” to JCDecaux’s flood recovery support, longevity and commitment separated short-term stunts from strategic brilliance. The jury rewarded ideas that scaled, evolved, and embedded themselves into the brand’s long-term roadmap.

Strategy Tip:
Ask: Could this campaign become a platform? If it’s a one-and-done, you’re thinking too small. Build ideas that grow legs; cross-functionally, across regions, and over time.

4. Prove Business Impact, Especially in the Confidential Section

Creativity is critical, but in B2B, commercial results are non-negotiable. The jury urged entrants to use the confidential section of entries to disclose real numbers: revenue impact, customer growth, retention lifts.

Human Digital Advice:
Don’t shy away from metrics. If you’re using creativity to drive business transformation, tell that story with clarity and confidence. Marry effectiveness with inventiveness.

5. Cross-Channel Mastery is the New Bar

Great creative ideas mean little if execution fails across channels. Winning entries thought through every touchpoint — from websites to LinkedIn targeting to physical activations. GoDaddy’s campaign was praised as “the longest product demo ever” with full-channel alignment.

Execution Checklist:
Does your campaign shine on every channel it touches? Is the UX seamless? Is the message consistent across owned, earned, and paid media? Full-spectrum excellence wins.

6. Data and AI Are Only as Good as Their Use

iFood’s campaign turned data into a lifeline for small restaurants. It was the simplicity and strategic application of AI that impressed, not the tech itself.

What This Means for You:
Your data story should answer: So what? If you have AI, show how it makes life better for your customer. If you’re sitting on a mountain of CRM or behavioural data, transform it into something genuinely useful.

7. Purpose Must Be Proven, Not Postured

Purpose-led entries had to show both authenticity and ROI. JCDecaux didn’t just run ads, they used their media to uplift real businesses post-disaster. The idea matched the brand’s DNA, delivered results, and was built to scale.

Creative Rule:
Purpose is only powerful if it’s baked into your product, platform, or behaviour. Tokenism gets penalised. Authenticity gets rewarded.

8. Set Cultural Context to Educate the Jury

The jury stressed the importance of cultural nuance. Business landscapes differ from São Paulo to Sydney. Entrants who explained their local context clearly gave jurors the insight needed to properly evaluate impact.

Tip for Future Submissions:
Don’t assume your jury understands your market. Write your entry to educate them. Context builds credibility.

9. Campaign for Your Campaign

The best work was known and recognised before it even hit the jury table. Influencers were talking about it. The jury remembered it.

B2B Meta-Marketing Insight:
Treat your case study like a campaign. Seed it in conversations. Get it featured. Create buzz. And enter it into multiple categories, frequency breeds familiarity.

10. B2B Can Be Bold, Brilliant, and Unforgettable

In the words of the jury: “B2B used to mean boring-to-boring. Now we’re proving it can be bold-to-bold.”

At Human Digital, we believe the future of B2B belongs to the brave. Not just those who talk about transformation, but those who use creativity to deliver it.

Want to win a B2B Creative Lion?

You need more than a good idea. You need strategic insight, human relevance, scalable storytelling, and undeniable business impact. The work should not only inspire — it should shift the category forward.

Ready to make your mark? Let’s craft the next Lion-winning B2B campaign — together.