The 2025 Cannes Lions Festival witnessed a noticeable decline in conversations and representation around diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), indicating that the rollback of DEI efforts is spreading beyond the corporate world into the entertainment industry.
“There were disappointingly few discussions devoted to addressing diversity,” Rania Robinson, CEO of London agency Quiet Storm, told ADWEEK.
This year’s Cannes Lions featured fewer DEI-focused sessions at the Palais and noticeably less discussion about the topic offstage. While there were some standout moments, like Havas and The New York Times’ session on neurodiversity and ZBD Talent’s “The Inclusion Revolution”, the overall focus of the festival leaned heavily toward the impact of artificial intelligence (AI), leaving DEI largely in the background.
“Conversations that once centered on equity, representation, and systemic progress were largely replaced with AI, ROI, and humor as the new creative currency,” said Ted Kohnen, CEO of agency Park & Battery.
The subtle drawback of DEI conversations at Cannes reflects a broader trend of corporations scaling back their diversity commitments in response to growing political pressure from conservative groups. Mega corporations like Target, Walmart, and Amazon have faced backlash and boycotts for publicly rolling back their DEI efforts.
New research from the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) revealed that marketers are becoming increasingly hesitant to express their values or take public stances in today’s volatile and politically charged global climate. According to the WFA’s survey of global marketers, 81% stated that the current environment feels riskier than it did just a year ago.
Although DEI conversations were less prominent at Cannes this year, the work that received top honors reflected a broader range of global voices. Several Grand Prix awards recognized campaigns championing disability inclusion, gender equality, and the fight against racial injustice.
“While diversity wasn’t trending in the talks or headlines, it was still present in the work, in casting, in storytelling, and in the topics brands are willing to tackle,” said Alex Bennett-Grant, co-founder of Amsterdam agency We Are Pi. “The creative industry hasn’t turned away from it—not yet.”
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