5 Cannes Lions sports marketing trends—TBWA’s Ben Williams on his judging takeaways

Ad Age invited several top Cannes Lions jurors to write about the takeaways from this year’s judging experience. Here, Ben Williams, global chief creative experience officer at TBWA\Worldwide, shares his experience judging the 2024 Entertainment Lions for Sport. Cannes Lions coverage See all of the Grand Prix winners here Top 5 Grand Prix campaigns It was an honor to join the amazing jury that was curated and assembled to judge the Entertainment Lions for Sport this year. There was a lot of great work and a lot of even better discussion about the work and where creativity fueled by sports and sports culture is headed. Looking at the body of work, and thinking about how it shows up in the world and the impact it delivers, some themes emerged as we think about sport-inspired creativity. 1. Pay attention. In sports and sports culture, the community and fandom thrive on information. The inside story, the back story and the fun moments that no one else knows earn you credibility. The community is always on and always engaging in sports. Brands that pay attention to the culture, listen and participate in the culture and the conversation are winning. We saw pieces of work that connected with a specific moment within sports culture, ones that only real fans would know and recognize. Those moments were then used to fuel ideas and work from a number of brands. This work not only showed the brands that have a genuine interest in sports and sports culture, but powered a deeper connection with the sports and fan community. Examples: • 7-Eleven “Ja’Marr Chase X Always Open” • NFL “Scripted” • Coors “Coors Lights Out” 2. Women’s sports. Finally! We saw a number of pieces entered this year representing women’s sports. With the Women’s World Cup last year, the majority were focused around women’s soccer. What was exciting to see was a number of pieces finally being created and constructed in ways on par with how men’s athletes and sports have been represented in the past. We saw work that celebrated women as powerful athletes with unique personalities in the world of sports. Yes, this year was reflective of the recent Women’s World Cup, but I hope we look at some of these pieces as the blueprint of how to showcase and celebrate women’s sports moving forward. Examples: • Orange “WoMen’s Football” • Nike “What the Football” • Matildas “‘Til It’s Done” 3. Empowering participation. It’s no secret that over recent years, we have seen a dramatic decline in sports participation, especially in younger generations that have a multitude of options for where to spend their time. We’ve also simply seen the entry to sports be a barrier for many. It was encouraging to see brands tackle these head-on, not just with campaigns to encourage more participation but activations, experiences and even services that truly enable it. It’s important for brands that care about sports and sports culture to look for ways that not only inspire those interested in sport, but encourage and enable sport, at all levels and all abilities, to happen. Examples: • Adidas “Runner 321” • Gatorade x Google Maps “Turf Finder” • AT&T “5G Helmet” 4. Yes, it’s sport. We can also have a laugh. Sports marketing has long been focused on the elite performance and accomplishments of athletes and teams. This year it was refreshing to see not only brands celebrating and recognizing performance, but taking a lighter approach along the way. It was refreshing to see work that didn’t take itself too seriously, reminding us that the performances and accomplishments are great, but we can celebrate them in ways that put a smile on people’s faces. Examples: • VB “England Bitter” • NFL “Scripted” • Pop-Tarts “Edible Mascot” 5. Push beyond your logo. When it comes to team and athlete sponsorships, gone are the days when a brand’s role was to simply get your logo on the jersey. It was inspiring to see work that uses creativity in how the brand’s sponsorship comes to life—truly being a partner to support an athlete or team, or adding to the experience of sport to entertain fans and drive sport culture forward. ands that are authentically leaning in to use their sponsorship in ways that connects meaningfully with athletes, teams and fans will stand out. Examples: • Molson “See My Name” • Orange “WoMen’s Football” • Xbox “The Everyday Tactician” • Michelob Ultra “Lap of Legends” Cannes Lions coverage See all of the Grand Prix winners here Top 5 Grand Prix campaigns

5 Cannes Lions sports marketing trends—TBWA’s Ben Williams on his judging takeaways

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