Ann Nurock explores the power of human creativity and rise of the creator economy

Source: © La Petite Marseillanais La Petite Marseillanais Fresh from her trip to the Cannes Lions, Ann Nurock explores the two trends of the enduring power of human creativity and the rise of the creator economy

AI dominated the conversation on and off the stage, yet the winning work rarely reflected this. Tension between human emotion and AI reveals a striking truth: while AI is set to revolutionise and democratise creativity, it’s the human touch that brings true magic.

Tor Myhren, Apple’s VP of Marketing Communications and Creative Marketer of the Year, calls AI “the most exciting creative tool we’ve seen in our lifetime” and “mind-blowing,” predicting it will be “woven into every single aspect of what we do".

Still, he stressed, “The human touch is our superpower… and the path to long-term brand love.”

Marketing, he said, is about “touching hearts and making you feel something — and people are so much better at this than machines".

His conclusion, “AI will neither kill nor save advertising. We've got to save ourselves… by believing in what has always made this industry so special, which is human creativity.”

Similarly, P&G’s Marc Pritchard noted, “Technology has always created potential for new sources of creativity,” but reinforced that “at the heart of building brands is humanity".

Unilever’s Esi Eggleston Bracey echoed this: “Humanity is not our limitation, it’s our superpower.” She emphasised emotion as the key to “disruption and desire".

VML Intelligence’s The Future 100: 2025 supports this view: 76% believe tech will never replace human creativity.

Debbi Vandeven, VML’s Global CCO, put it simply, “No matter what we do, we must remember a person is at the centre of what we are creating… not at the expense of the creative.”

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The creator economy is here

The second major trend—what many called the festival’s overarching theme—is that the “creator economy is here”. Creators were front and centre, from beachside talks to the Palais stage.

Unilever’s new CEO Hans Schumacher, announced that 50% of their media spend now goes to social-first and creator content, with an 800% increase in influencer use since 2023.

Why is this working? “They talk to us like humans,” says Creative X’s Anastasia Leng. These ads spotlight real people and real stories. It’s about “authenticity over perfection,” brand alignment, and relationship-building.

But even amid this creator boom, control and strategy still matter.

As one leader noted, this is “a tactic, not a strategy,” and “lots of littles must map back to the big".

In what feels like a gold rush, brands must move fast.

As TikTok’s Sophia Hernandez said, creator content is vital “in a world where half of people are saying they don’t like ads,” especially Gen Z, who demand relevance over polish.