Why Emotion-Driven Brand Experiences Win: Key Insights from Cannes Lions

Lasting impressions don’t come from clever ads alone, they come from experiences people never forget.

That was the consensus from an ADWEEK House Cannes Lions Group Chat co-hosted with Sparks, where leaders from top global brands gathered to explore how modern experiential strategies are reshaping the marketing landscape. The takeaway? Bold, emotionally resonant brand moments are no longer a nice-to-have, they’re essential.

Key Takeaways:

• Memorable experiences drive lasting brand love.
• Emotional connection begins with human-centered design.
• Creativity requires risk–and courageous teams.
• Scalable experiences succeed through meticulous execution.

Brand Experience is Human First

Great experiences don’t begin with a product—they begin with people.

“It’s truly a human connection, face to face,” said Robin Lickliter, Chief Experience Officer at Sparks. “When your brand has experience, you’re evoking emotion, joy, your senses—things you can’t access without real interaction.”

It’s that emotional spark that transforms a passive audience into loyal brand advocates. But emotion alone isn’t enough—it must be backed by strategy. Adam Charles, Chief Growth Officer at Sparks, emphasized the importance of knowing your audience intimately. “Who are you talking to, and what do you want them to do?” That clarity guides every creative decision that follows.

Unilever’s Nuria Hernández Crespo shared a powerful example: the unexpected Dove x Crumbl Cookies collaboration. It wasn’t a gimmick—it was a response to what their community asked for. “We were giving the brand to our consumers,” she said. “Letting them choose what they want to see.”

Risk-Taking Fuels Talkability

Emotion may build loyalty—but risk creates talkability.

Georgia-Pacific’s Super Bowl spot for Angel Soft dared viewers to walk away during the ad. It worked. The campaign created buzz by subverting expectations and acknowledging a universal human truth.

“The insight came from how much your bladder can actually hold,” said Laura Maness, Global CEO at Grey. “We found the perfect moment in the game when people were ready for a break.”

Unilever’s Axe brand thrives on risk. “If there’s no risk, there is no Axe,” said Crespo. “You have to play on the edge to stay relevant.”

Execution Is Everything

Even the boldest ideas fall flat without careful execution. As JPMorganChase’s Leanne Fremar explained, scaling intimacy is the key: “Being able to make that one-on-one connection in your neighborhood can help a big brand feel deeply personal.”

This ethos powers global activations as well. At Diageo, the Johnnie Walker Experience in Edinburgh blends storytelling, hospitality, and local culture to foster deep community connection.

For Disney, authenticity is non-negotiable. “We’re bringing IP into the picture and lending that to our partner brands,” said Danielle Brown, SVP at Disney. “We ensure every activation is consistent and emotionally aligned with the Disney experience.”

Behind Every Experience Is a Village

Creativity is only as strong as the team behind it. In the words of Sparks’s Adam Charles:

“Attention to detail matters. It’s the whole customer experience from end to end—and it takes a village.”

Cross-functional collaboration, shared risks, and strong communication are what make bold ideas executable and scalable.

Even nonprofit organizations like She Runs It rely on this truth. “Everything we do is experiential,” said CEO Lynn Branigan. “We exist to keep our community strong—and that means showing up, even when we have to do it virtually.”

Final Thought

In a world saturated with digital noise, brand experiences offer something more profound: memory, meaning, and emotional connection. They are the heartbeat of modern marketing—and they succeed only when grounded in strategy, fueled by creativity, and delivered through flawless collaboration.