
Opinion
Some clear creative trends have emerged from this week’s Outdoor Lion winners, while the medium is growing in prominence alongside retail media.
The word on the OOH street is that, once again, the Cannes Lions Outdoor category proves the channel punches above its weight when it comes to ideas.
Ideas that are sharp, executions that are confident and a medium that thrives in the real world.
As always, this year’s winners had plenty to say about the role of data, tech, retail media, programmatic, AI and the creative opportunities they unlock.
But beyond the headlines and hashtags, what does great OOH look like right now?
Creativity that sticks in the memory
To start, congratulations to all the shortlisted and award-winning campaigns — the breadth and ambition of this year’s work is genuinely impressive. Looking across the entire Outdoor shortlist, three distinct creative trends emerged.
First and foremost, clients embraced simple and bold product visuals, often using extreme zooms or tight crops, and leaning in to distinctive brand assets. It’s a reminder that immediacy matters on the street.
Heinz (pictured) and Cornetto are great examples of this approach. One brand leader put it best during a panel: “Using these assets well isn’t down to luck. It’s years of creative consistency and media investment, keeping them fresh and fused with meaning for new audiences.”
In fact, Heinz was one of the most-talked-about winners. Its unapologetically simple yet bold use of extreme close-ups meant it could have fun with the logo and still be instantly recognisable. By using familiar codes, it has reminded everyone that owning your brand look isn’t boring. It’s memorable.
Alongside this, we saw brands leaning in to data and tech to make their creative more relevant and responsive. Contextual targeting, location-based triggers and dynamic messaging made even the simplest ideas smarter.
It was surprising not to see Adidas “Billboard Run” from Sweden awarded — a campaign that blended utility, movement and digital storytelling to reach runners in real time. Still, its inclusion on the shortlist shows how creativity and tech are continuing to evolve together.
Finally, cinematic lifestyle photography made a bold return, not for indulgence but to tell stories people could see themselves in. Corona, KitKat and Stella led the way with beautiful art direction and storytelling that placed people at the heart of the frame.
It’s clear that creatives have fun with our channel and, when they’re trusted to deliver like this, it truly delivers. But it must run in the right spaces.
The best campaigns always remember the basics: outdoor isn’t just a medium; it exists in countless places and spaces. You can’t afford to whisper.
In Bauer Media Outdoor’s Powerful Posters series, great OOH design entails sharp copy, legible type, logo confidence and the discipline to say less but better. Or as one creative director told us this week: “Simplicity is hard.”
Retail media and programmatic: OOH’s new friends
One major undercurrent throughout conversations and talks at Cannes was the growing intersection between OOH and retail media.
With Sainsbury’s Nectar360 leading the charge, it’s clear that brands are beginning to see public screens and high-footfall spaces as extensions of the shopper journey. As FMCG and retail brands want more precise targeting, programmatic digital OOH is becoming the bridge.
Clients are asking: how can these new ways to plan and buy help me across the funnel?
The creative opportunity is vast. When planning and creativity sync, powered by data that understands not just who but where people are, campaigns gain a new kind of edge.
We saw that in several shortlisted entries — time, place and relevance lifted otherwise simple executions into something compelling.
In several independent agency conversations, there was a lot of chat about getting back to the craft of planning — and great media owner and agency relationships are critical for that.
Collaboration is key for 2026
Reflecting on a week along the Croisette, it’s been brilliant to have our teams meeting, greeting, dancing and hosting our partners from across the industry. One of the key themes that came up time and again was the need for stronger collaboration. That naturally takes us forward to the next 12 months of work.
With new colleagues across audio and publishing to get to know, collaborating with them to benefit our valued partners is our priority.
Success in Cannes next year will mean looking back knowing we’ve created a compelling proposition where advertisers and agencies can see creativity thriving. And perhaps bringing their Lion along to Bâoli again.
A simple ambition
Great creativity belongs in OOH. As one chief marketing officer reminds us, “people don’t give a f*** about your brand”.
It’s the perfect reminder why making well-crafted work that is smart, interesting and attention-grabbing should be the sole ambition for us all.
And, most importantly, make it memorable.
Richard Bon is UK managing director and Europe commercial lead at Bauer Media Outdoor
Adwanted UK is the trusted delivery partner for three essential services which deliver accountability, standardisation, and audience data for the out-of-home industry.
Playout is Outsmart’s new system to centralise and standardise playout reporting data across all outdoor media owners in the UK.
SPACE is the industry’s comprehensive inventory database delivered through a collaboration between IPAO and Outsmart.
The RouteAPI is a SaaS solution which delivers the ooh industry’s audience data quickly and simply into clients’ systems.
Contact us for more information on SPACE, J-ET, Audiotrack or our data engines.