Albert Einstein is often quoted (accurately or not) as saying, “Creativity is intelligence having fun.” At the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, creativity is both fun and foundational.
During a CMO spotlight panel, Gülen Bengi, Lead Chief Marketing Officer for Mars, Incorporated, said something that stuck with the crowd: “Creativity is a verb.” Bengi went on to explain that it’s not a job title or a department; it’s an action that everyone in the industry is responsible for.
This shift is especially meaningful for communicators, because it signals that PR is no longer just a channel for amplifying campaigns. PR professionals are part of the creative engine itself—leading ideas, shaping narratives and creating cultural value in real time.
At a time when brand storytelling must be fast, flexible, and fearless, PR must step into a more central, strategic role. Here are three ways "creative" is showing up as a verb in the PR industry:
From Awareness to Action: Speed as a Creative Differentiator
Technology hasn’t just reshaped consumer behavior. It’s collapsed the gap between idea and execution. At Cannes Lions 2025, speed became a creative differentiator.
In a world where relevance can have a shelf life of minutes, PR professionals must be embedded in the earliest stages of campaign planning. Communicators are the ones trained to identify cultural flashpoints, react in real time, and extend an idea far beyond its original concept or format.
This year’s winning Cannes Lions campaigns weren’t solely defined by long-lead press coverage or media impressions alone. Success was measured in scrolls, shares and reactions. Resonance, not just reach, is the new benchmark, and resonance is driven by speed.
For PR, that means evolving from downstream execution to upstream strategy. The industry is not just supporting campaigns; it needs a seat at the table to shape them. From platform ideation to cross-channel amplification, communicators are critical creative partners with a tactical toolbox sitting at the intersection of cultural moments and technology.
Co-creation: Letting Talent Be the Storyteller
Kansas City Chiefs's tight end and podcast host Travis Kelce summed it up best at a panel at the Amazon Port: He prefers to work with brands he genuinely uses, relates to or feels excited about.
His brother, retired NFL center, podcast host and ESPN commentator, Jason, added that their most engaging content is off-the-cuff, unscripted Instagram Reels that don’t feel like ads. Vinny Rinaldi, Vice President of Media and Marketing Technology at The Hershey Company, echoed this, citing that their most successful partnerships come from relinquishing control, leaning into collaboration and co-creation, and letting talent be themselves.
For communicators, this is a shift in mindset. Earned media today can start anywhere. From a solid media pitch, to a viral user generated content (UGC) video, to a podcast integration or a live event, a PR pro's role is to help shape authentic brand-talent collaborations while resisting the urge to over-engineer. When these moments go viral, earned media opportunities follow, and that’s exactly how to architect it.
But be mindful: if the content feels too polished, it may not perform.
AI: Shaping, Not Just Using
Of course, no conversation at Cannes 2025 would be complete without AI. The topic was ubiquitous, but the narrative clearly shifted at Cannes. AI is no longer just framed as a tool for automation. It’s being recognized as a true creative collaborator. Terms like “adversarial agents” surfaced in sessions, emphasizing the importance of not just using AI, but interrogating and shaping its outputs.
For communicators, AI isn’t just about efficiency. It’s about exploration. It helps test ideas, pressure-test messaging, and push creative further—with a broader, more informed view of how content will land across platforms, cultures, and audiences.
AI is helping PR teams and creatives future-proof campaigns. It enables PR experts to anticipate perception risks, identify who might resist a message and build contingency narratives before launch. It’s not just testing the creative—it’s helping to see around corners.
The message was clear across Cannes: Don’t just use AI as a shortcut. Use it as a strategic partner. Shape it, challenge it, and let it expand what your creativity can do.
PR as the Integrators
Cannes 2025 made one thing undeniable: PR is no longer just the amplifier. It’s the integrator. It's the connective tissue between creative ideas, cultural conversations and earned business value. Our work shapes how brands show up, who they collaborate with and how campaigns move through the world.
Creativity is no longer a title. As Bengi said, it’s a verb. And in this new era of earned-led innovation, communicators are fluent in the language of action.
Rachel Heringer is Group Senior Vice President, Marketing at MMC.