Inclusion Welcome At Cannes Lions

In a landscape saturated with visuals, paid media campaigns and AI-driven content strategies, the world of media is facing a crisis of creativity. This year's Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity has already amplified the conversation around creative inclusion like never before and for good reason.

Havas Creative, takes a new approach and one that has been needed for some time. Where old perceptions lie, a team collaboration from the CEO to those in smaller creative agencies are working changing the world with new forward initiative Neuroverse, a positive movement dedicated to showcasing and giving back to the best of neurodiverse talent in creative industries.

This initiative aims to overcome creative stagnation, challenge AI's highly polished creativity, and open the doors to a new world one that is no longer based on influencer following and personal connections but on actual artistic value and skill. 

Could neurodiversity become the next key advantage in a creative field that has long overlooked diverse minds?

The Cannes festival of creativity isn't just celebrating diversity as a checkbox; it's challenging the status quo that has long prioritised connections and follower counts over authentic, boundary-pushing voices.

The Festival's emphasis on inclusion as a driver of creativity and commercial success is a wake-up call for sectors such as life sciences, hospitality, and digital marketing to rethink who gets invited to the creative table.

Challenging the echo of replication:

Across sectors, digital campaigns blur. campaigns are seen to rely on similar styles, stock imagery and the most “personal” impact they can manufacture. Hospitality feeds clog with identikit flatlays of cocktails with little service impact.

All the while photography and design are increasingly overtaken by AI creativity, often deployed without consideration for quality, sourcing or the risk to brand integrity.

This creative repetition and lack of fresh voices may be more than just a passing trend. Data reveals a 38% decline in Cannes Festival entries, attributed in part to rising costs and limited accessibility for emerging creatives.

Declines seem to raise an important question about the inclusivity of platforms that shape industry trends and highlights concerns over bias in creative hiring and commissioning.

When teams lack diversity, strategies become trapped in an echo chamber of familiarity, reducing impact and, ultimately, people's first connections. However, those who came back to see the changes, take note, taking advantage of the abilities, pushing those away who have fought to be where you so effortlessly stand, its not without cost we loose the best of business.

UK Calls for Creative Inclusion:

Current statistics shows that the representation of working-class creative is at its lowest level since the 1970s as the government responds to these challenges, calls are growing louder for fresh approaches that genuinely address inequality, particularly for disabled individuals and those from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

While government initiatives are underway, major industry events like Cannes Lions must also evolve beyond symbolic gestures. Greater transparency in hiring, commissioning, and awarding processes is critical to transforming inclusion from a buzzword into real, creative change for those in advertising and marketing.

Although the message of creative inclusion is being heard, questions remain about how industries and brand leaders can lower barriers more effectively and move beyond symbolic gestures. Inclusion must not be mistaken for charity it is a strategic imperative.

Creativity flourishes when diverse voices, perspectives, and experiences are embraced. Those of us in the creative and cultural sectors are committed to broadening access and ensuring inclusion and diversity not only within our workforce but also in the work we produce.

As efforts continue to gain momentum, the UK is increasingly committed to supporting freelancers, amplifying underrepresented voices and outsider creatives, and moving beyond influencer-style visuals and templated decks.

For those with bold opinions and creative diversity, we have a role too, drop the guard and experience things for what they are, less judgement and more together thinking.

Sources:

1. Participation, diversity, and inclusion in cultural and creative industries. https://post.parliament.uk/participation-diversity-and-inclusion-in-cultural-and-creative-industries/#_edn5

2. FutureGaze: The Future of Creative Inclusion. Edinburgh Futures Institute. https://efi.ed.ac.uk/event/futuregaze-the-future-of-creative-inclusion/#:~:text=October's%20Discussion:%20The%20Future%20of,have%20achieved%20a%20positive%20difference.

3. Havas Neuroverse: https://havasneuroverse.com/

4. Creativity Required: Havas Debuts ‘Beyond the Brief’ to spotlight neurodiversity as the next creative advantage https://fox5sandiego.com/business/press-releases/cision/20250616TO09373/creativity-rewired-havas-debuts-beyond-the-brief-to-spotlight-neurodiversity-as-the-next-creative-advantage/

5. Havas Unveils ‘Neuroverse’ to unlock untapped market potential through neurodiversity. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/havas-unveils-neuroverse-to-unlock-untapped-market-potential-through-neurodiversity-302406109.html

6. Ad Week - Cannes Lions Awards Flat in 2025 https://www.adweek.com/creativity/cannes-lions-award-flat-in-2025/