Purpose is back?

This week, as highlights from Cannes Lions filled my social media feed and inbox, I couldn’t help but reflect on how different this year is for me and for the industry.

It’s my first time in over a decade not running an agency during the festival. I’ve been lucky to attend before — and even from afar, Cannes still sparks big conversations around creativity, effectiveness, responsibility, and the role brands play in society.

One headline stood out this week, essentially stating: Brand purpose is back... but now it’s about solving problems, not just talking about them.

This phrasing alone says a lot.

Wait, what’s brand purpose?

Brand purpose is more than just a mission statement or a one-off cause campaign. At its best, it’s a brand’s reason for being beyond profit — an articulation of what it contributes to society, what it stands for, and how it shows up in the world.

When done right, purpose is embedded in business operations, product design, hiring practices, and partnerships. It informs not just what you say, but what you do — and how you do it.

As someone who works at the intersection of branding and social impact, I’ve seen how a clear, consistent, and credible purpose can rally teams, guide decision-making, and build trust with audiences.

But I’ve also seen how easily it can be diluted, influenced by trends, or reduced to feel-good fluff.

A quick history of purpose at Cannes

Cannes Lions, originally focused solely on advertising, began shifting in the 2010s as new categories like PR, Creative Effectiveness, and Brand Experience were introduced — along with purpose-driven awards.

In 2011, the event quietly rebranded from the “International Advertising Festival” to the “International Festival of Creativity.” It was a subtle but significant signal: Cannes was now recognizing broader creative problem-solving, not just slick campaigns.

Soon came new categories like Glass: The Lion for Change (focused on gender equality) and the SDG Lions (awarding work aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals). The shift was clear: creative industries were being asked to do more than just sell — they were being asked to help.

Iconic campaigns like Like a Girl (Always), Fearless Girl (State Street), and Palau Pledge (Palau tourism) had dominated the decade, but not without criticism. The rise of ads designed only to win awards and inflated case studies triggered industry scrutiny. By 2018, following a temporary boycott by Publicis Groupe, Cannes scaled back, cutting more than 100 subcategories to regain focus.

From storytelling to problem-solving

Fast forward to this year, and the work being awarded looks a little different.

Yes, the storytelling is still strong, but impact is cutting through.

A few examples from Cannes Lions 2025:

• AXA changed its home insurance policies to help domestic violence survivors.

• Dove used AI to reshape beauty standards.

• Vaseline tackled misinformation with clarity and credibility.

• Consul Appliances in Brazil redesigned a financing model to help families access energy-efficient appliances, solving a real economic challenge using both data and empathy.

What stands out isn’t just that these campaigns raise awareness. It’s that they do something. They solve something.

In the words of one jury president, it’s no longer enough to address a real problem — you need to offer a real solution. The phrase “problem-solving” came up again and again, across categories.

Purpose as trend, or as default?

When juries describe this shift as a comeback for purpose, it begs the question:

Why did it leave? Or more honestly: Did it ever truly show up?

For years, too much “purpose work” was performative. Beautifully shot manifestos. Tear-jerking voiceovers. Impressive metrics on “reach” and “views.”

Now, it seems like the industry is remembering that purpose doesn’t mean saying the right thing — it means doing the right thing.

But if we treat “problem-solving” as just another theme, just another Cannes trend, I think we may be missing the point (again).

Purpose can’t be a creative tactic.
It has to be a strategic backbone.
And IMHO, it needs to have real impact.

Where does that leave us?

As I step back from agency life and continue my work in brand strategy and advising nonprofits, founders, and even local governments, it’s even more clear that the future of branding needs to be anchored in values, impact, empathy, and action.

The best brand work doesn’t just entertain or persuade.

It improves something. It listens. It adapts. It leaves things better than it found them.

That’s not a campaign idea, that’s a commitment.

— Daniel

PS — If you’re looking for support on Social & Content Strategy, I’ll be introducing an in-person one-day training in Toronto. Feel free to join the waitlist.