Social & Creator Lions
The Social & Creator Lions celebrate creative social thinking and strategic influencer marketing solutions.
On this page
Introduction
What kind of work can be entered?
Eligible work may include social media campaigns, creator partnerships, and user-generated content, as well as creator led strategies and innovative uses of platform features like AR filters, live streams, and gamified experiences.
Social or Creator-led work that fosters online communities, encourages meaningful engagement, alongside efforts that demonstrate agility through real-time content or cross-platform storytelling is also eligible.
What’s the Jury looking for?
Campaigns that stand out for doing something different in a social space or use platforms to do something in a new way. The work should demonstrate how levels of engagement, social reach and the creative use of social media, brand ambassadors, creators and influencers led to commercial success.
MALEKUS. THE LAST 600. | RAINFOREST LAB | HAVAS COSTA RICA, SAN ANTONIO | BRONZE, SOCIAL & INFLUENCER LIONS | 2024
The categories
C. Creator & Influencer Marketing
The work in this category should demonstrate how a social campaign was enhanced through the use of social influencers and content creators.
Brand-led social campaigns that become part of popular culture and as a result are picked up by a celebrity, social ambassador or influencer, further expanding the campaign’s reach and impact. Entries must state which celebrities, social ambassadors or influencers picked up the campaign (organic and paid results to be provided separately in the Results field).
Brands or agencies that have successfully partnered with content creators to develop cohesive stories that seamlessly span digital, social and traditional media, creating a unified brand message. The work should demonstrate how creators' unique voices and authentic content have been effectively integrated to engage diverse audiences, amplify reach and drive meaningful brand impact across various touchpoints.
Impactful and creative collaborations between a creator and a brand. The work should demonstrate a blend of the creator’s unique voice with the brand’s identity to produce compelling, authentic, and engaging narratives. These partnerships should showcase strong synergy, creativity and a seamless integration of the brand’s message through the creator’s storytelling, resulting in a mutually beneficial and memorable campaign.
Content strategies driven by creators, where the creator plays a pivotal role in shaping the overall long-term vision for a brand’s content. The strategy should demonstrate a deep understanding of audience engagement, innovative content planning and a clear alignment with the brand's goals.
Work which demonstrates a creator’s ability to craft a distinctive, cohesive vision that aligns with a brand or platform’s objectives while showcasing the creator’s skill in guiding the overall aesthetic, tone, and execution of content, resulting in a compelling and memorable audience experience.
Work that fosters vibrant, engaged and loyal creator communities around a brand or campaign. The work should demonstrate how the creator community was effectively nurtured, how authentic collaboration and communication were encouraged and how the community positively impacted the brand.
F. Culture & Context
Work that is brought to life through cultural insights and regional context.
Work for brands distributed solely within a specific locality. The work should resonate with a clearly defined, local target audience.
Brands that have creatively adapted their approach in response to competitor pressure by challenging the status quo to create game-changing work that uses progressive thinking and innovative creativity.
Work that aired or ran in a single country / region / market. The work should describe how the campaign was designed for the specific target market.
Work inspired by a specific audience or community, relying on identifiable social behaviour. The work should demonstrate how leveraging insights into consumer behaviour can create a powerful connection with a brand.
Work that celebrates the art of humour in branded communications, infusing wit, satire, and cleverness into campaigns that provide amusement and create memorable, laughter-inducing connections with audiences.
Creative use of modest budgets and/or resources in relation to the market and/or industry to create maximum impact. The work should demonstrate how fresh insight, smart spending and compelling strategic thinking solved a business problem despite limited resources.
Purpose-driven work/brand activism that addresses social, ethical and environmental issues. The work should demonstrate how the brand’s purpose has created value and affected communities by connecting customers to culture.
Brands that have creatively adapted their strategy in response to local / regional / global issues, embracing new ways of delivering their brand while showing consideration for the consumer.
Work that honours marketers who craft strategic solutions rooted in the lived experiences of culturally grounded communities. This approach reflects and translates the nuances of customs, behaviours, and traditions that shape foundational perspectives on identity (e.g. disability, gender, race, orientation, age). Such insights reveal how diverse audiences choose brands and media experiences, driving growth and impact.
Eligibility
Work will need to have been executed during the eligibility period of 8 February 2024 – 10 April 2025.
Is there a limit to how many times I can enter?
There is no overall limit to how many times the same piece of work can be entered into Social & Creator as long as the categories chosen are relevant.
Exceptions:
- The same piece of work may only be entered once in ‘A. Social & Creator: Sectors’.
THE NATIONAL SPORT OF KAZAKHSTAN | RUH FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP | GFORCE, ALMATY | GOLD, SOCIAL & INFLUENCER LIONS | 2024
Previous Winners
Michael Cerave
Cannes Lions 2024 Grand Prix CeraVe / Ogilvy PR, New York / 2024
Skincare brand CeraVe embraced a Reddit thread claiming that it was developed by Michael Cera, then used the Super Bowl to make its message clear: CeraVe is developed by dermatologists. It resulted in 32bn earned impressions and a 2200% increase in search for CeraVe.
MICHAEL CERAVE | CERAVE | OGILVY PR, NEW YORK | GRAND PRIX, SOCIAL & INFLUENCER LIONS | 2024
Why the work won
The Social & Influencer Jury awarded this work the Grand Prix for capitalising on meme culture and committing to a bold creative idea. Jury member Rob Mayhew said “it was an original use of a creator to tell a story, done brilliantly”.
MICHAEL CERAVE | CERAVE | OGILVY PR, NEW YORK | GRAND PRIX, SOCIAL & INFLUENCER LIONS | 2024
Entries & Judging
What are the judging criteria?
A number of criteria will be considered during judging, weighted as follows: 30% idea; 20% strategy; 20% execution; 30% results.
What do I need to provide with my entry?
To enter, you’ll need to complete an online entry form, which can be found on the Cannes Lions entry site. In the ‘Written Explanation’ section, you’ll be asked to provide the Jury with everything they need to know about your work.
You’ll also be able to submit optional supporting materials to provide additional context with your entry.
All case films, films, demo films and original content must be subtitled in English.
Detailed information outlining the entry process can be found on A Guide to the Cannes Lions Awards.
What if I don’t have all the details right away?
Don’t worry – you can fill in the form in any order and save your progress at any time while it’s still in the pending stage. However, please only check out when your entry is 100% complete as no changes can be made to your entry once you’ve clicked “Submit” and “Checkout”.
The Written Submission
Here’s the questions you’ll be asked regarding your work.
To start your entry to the Social & Creator Lions, go to our Awards page.
The Jury will refer to the written explanation you provide throughout the judging process. Our advice is to provide as much relevant detail as possible.
When answering the following questions keep the main element you’re trying to celebrate in mind (e.g. the storytelling, the strategy, the craft, the use of data).
The bullet points under each question are prompts designed to guide your thinking, based on the factors the jury will be considering when reviewing your work. You might not need to use them all, and that’s totally fine. They’re there to help you consider what’s most important in your work.
Questions
The word limit for this section is 100 words.
This question is compulsory.
Please provide any brand and cultural context that would help the jury understand any cultural, national or regional nuances applicable to this work.
You should outline why this piece of work was created for this particular brand, in this market, at this particular moment in time, with all of the cultural and market conditions.
The word limit for this section is 250 words.
This question is compulsory.
Please select the objective(s) that were most important when creating this work – what the work set out to achieve.
For the jury to accurately assess the work, it must first establish its objectives. As you progress through the entry system, you must link your results back to each objective selected.
- Over achieve on brand metrics (e.g. awareness, engagement)
- Change consumer behaviour (e.g. attitudes, frequency, penetration)
- Create short-term sales growth (e.g. sales, promotions, discounts)
- Improve brand health (e.g. consideration, preference)
- Create sustained sales success (e.g. profit, sales)
- Create long-term brand and sales growth (e.g. shareholder value, retention, loyalty)
There is no word limit for this section.
This question is compulsory.
Please provide a summary of your entry.
- Describe the background and context behind the work?
- What creative challenges did the work face?
This should be an overview of the work and an analysis of its effectiveness. You should describe how the objectives of the campaign have been successfully met.
The word limit for this section is 150 words.
This question is compulsory.
Consider the following when describing the creative idea:
- Does the work cross boundaries/have the ability to think beyond conventional boundaries or categories?
- Does the work evoke surprise/have the power to continue captivating attention?
- Does the work transcend the original challenge?
- Does the work incorporate breakthrough thinking?
- Demonstrate how the idea was designed to earn attention from the target audience?
The word limit for this section is 150 words.
This question is compulsory.
Consider the following when describing the strategy:
- Was the strategy based on consumer behaviour and/or cultural insight?
- Did the insight come from research and data?
- Did creativity play a key role in the interpretation of the business challenge?
- Was this piece of work relevant to the defined target audience?
- Does the work genuinely solve a real problem?
- Relevance to social platform.
The word limit for this section is 150 words.
This question is compulsory.
Consider the following when describing the execution:
- How effectively was the concept brought to life?
- What specific implementation strategies were employed to ensure success?
- Which channels were utilised for placement, and were they optimal for reaching the target audience?
- How extensive was the scale of the execution in relation to the defined objectives?
- Did the execution adapt to any unexpected challenges or changes in the environment?
The word limit for this section is 150 words.
This question is compulsory.
Please refer back to the objectives selected when answering this question. Consider:
- performance against brand metrics (e.g. awareness, engagement)
- change in consumer behaviour (e.g. attitudes, frequency, penetration)
- indications of short-, medium- or long-term sales success (e.g. donations, shareholder value, profit, revenue, ROI, sales, share)
- brand health improvement (e.g. consideration, preference)
- potential changes in government regulations or societal/economic events (e.g. changes in economic, political, social factors).
The word limit for this section is 150 words.
This question is compulsory.
- Yes
- No
This question is compulsory.
I would like the Jury to see this response when judging this work (tick box)
Please outline how this piece of work has aligned with the brand’s sustainability strategy. This could involve either operational measures to reduce the impact on the environment, and consumer strategies to encourage positive behaviour change, or both.
Please provide details of the benchmarks used for measuring the success of this piece of work’s contribution to the overall strategy. This could include, but is not limited to, targets around advertising business operations - advertising production - media planning and buying.
This question is optional.
I would like the Jury to see this response when judging this work (tick box)
Based on the brief, what consideration was given to representation and diversity of the team(s) involved?
What consideration was given to accessibility in the work and what role did DEI thinking play throughout the development of the work?
This question is optional.
If there are additional results you wish to disclose to the Jury but prefer to keep confidential, please enter them below.
The word limit for this section is 150 words.
This question is optional.
Category Specific Questions
Please comment on how the brand resonated with a specific target audience in a single locality or market.
The word limit for this section is 150 words.
This question is compulsory for F01.
Please tell us how the work challenged or was different from the brand's competitors.
The word limit for this section is 150 words.
This question is compulsory for F02.
Please tell us how the work was designed/adapted for a single country / region / market.
The word limit for this section is 150 words.
This question is compulsory for F03.
Please tell us about the social behaviour that inspired the work.
The word limit for this section is 150 words.
This question is compulsory for F04.
Please tell us about the humour insight that inspired the work.
The word limit for this section is 150 words.
This question is compulsory for F05.
Budget Details
Please provide budget details that show how the campaign achieved breakthrough results on a limited budget. Consider:
- the overall budget
- the breakdown of costs
- how the campaign maximised reach vs expenditure
- the significant impact this adjustment had on the campaign's effectiveness.
We recommend providing as much context as possible to understand the budget spend. However, we understand that different cases will have different types of results.
*(Any confidential information should be entered in the confidential information field)
The word limit for this section is 150 words.
This question is compulsory for F06.
Please tell us how the brand purpose inspired the work. - Explain how the purpose is ingrained in the core values and mission of the brand’s DNA.
- Discuss the impact of these initiatives on communities, society or the environment.
The word limit for this section is 150 words.
This question is compulsory for F07
Please tell us how market disruption inspired the work
The word limit for this section is 150 words.
This question is compulsory for F08.
Please tell us about the specific cultural insight that drove the nuanced engagement behind this work.
The word limit for this section is 150 words.
This question is compulsory for F09.
STRONGER | THE RIKY RICK FOUNDATION | TBWA\HUNT\LASCARIS, JOHANNESBURG | SILVER, SOCIAL & INFLUENCER LIONS | 2024
Contact us
Everything you need to know to enter
For more detailed information on how to use the entry site, craft a compelling submission or submit your work we have a whole range of resources.
From Entry Guides that give you a step-by-step overview of the entire process to the Entry Kits that provide all the detailed rules and requirements for each and every category.
We are here to help
As Awards Experts, we know the Lions inside out. We can help with:
- Sharing the updates to the Awards for 2025
- Offering best-practice advice on how to craft a compelling entry
- Discussing your work and relevant categories
- Scheduling regular catch-ups to answer any questions that arise throughout the entry process.
Whether you have a specific query or would like expert advice, get in touch today.
Email: awards@canneslions.com Helpline: +44 0 20 7046 1155