In an era where creativity is currency and credibility fuels conversion, LinkedIn is evolving into an unexpected yet powerful playground for creative expression. At Cannes Lions 2025, a high-energy panel hosted by Gina Wolf (Head of Global Creative Strategy, LinkedIn) brought together industry leaders to explore the art of ideation for a platform built on professional intent, emotional depth, and real identity.
The session, titled “Infinite Canvases: The New Age of Creative Expression,” offered a bold vision of how marketers, creators, and agencies are transforming business narratives into brand experiences.
🎭 The Creator-Led Era Has Arrived
The conversation kicked off with a fascinating debate: Brand-led vs. Creator-led. From McDonald’s viral Grimace Shake moment to the wildly successful Pedigree Caramelo campaign in Brazil, the panelists emphasized that modern marketing isn’t about control—it’s about co-creation.
“Do you really want to shut down a version of creativity that feels meaningful to someone else?” asked one speaker. “The most memorable campaigns are born when creators feel like collaborators, not just conduits.”
Creators are not just amplifiers—they are storytellers in their own right. The key? Fit the creator to the message, not the other way around. Authenticity cannot be retrofitted.
📊 AI & Data: Tools, Not Replacements
While AI dominated the Cannes corridor chatter, the panel offered a grounded perspective: AI is powerful, but it’s not a substitute for human insight. From Delta’s SkyMiles campaigns that personalized rewards for frequent flyers to automated customer insights podcasts sent to executives each Monday, the integration of data and storytelling has never been more seamless—or more strategic.
Still, the warning was clear:
“Don’t get lazy. AI is a tool to enhance creativity—not replace the brain behind it.”
One memorable metaphor compared AI to interviewing Napoleon for a school project. It’s not about copying answers—it’s about sparking curiosity and training critical thinking.
💡 Emotion, Identity & the LinkedIn Audience
Unlike other platforms driven by entertainment or aesthetics, LinkedIn rewards substance and sincerity. This creates a unique challenge—and opportunity—for creatives.
Whether it’s targeting B2B buyers who are now millennials and Gen Z or delivering emotionally resonant storytelling in a professional tone, the platform’s audience expects intelligence with heart.
“LinkedIn is becoming the canvas where emotion meets expertise,” remarked Henrique Del Lama of AlmapBBDO.
🌍 From Local Insight to Global Impact
What stood out at Cannes this year was the growing celebration of deeply local, culturally rich ideas. Campaigns rooted in real-world community insight—like Puerto Rico’s Bad Bunny music initiative or Brazil’s Caramelo—showed that hyperlocal creativity can lead to global resonance.
🧠 Final Thoughts from the Croisette
As the sun set over Cannes and cocktails called, the panel closed with parting insights:
- Conrad Persons (Grey London): “The power of conversation remains unmatched—especially when complexity overwhelms clarity.”
- Melissa Berger (Digitas): “In B2B, we forget that our buyers are evolving too. Gen Z is already signing million-dollar deals.”
- Psembi Kinstan (DDB Melbourne): “The weirdos—the divergent thinkers—are more valuable than ever in an AI-shaped world.”
The consensus? Keep it human. Keep it weird. And let your creativity evolve.
🎨 Why It Matters
This isn’t just a philosophical shift—it’s a tactical one. As LinkedIn becomes a primary stage for thought leadership, brand trust, and creative business influence, marketers must learn to speak in the platform’s native language: authenticity, professionalism, and emotionally intelligent storytelling.
Infinite canvases aren’t just about more space to post.
They’re about more freedom to express, connect, and convert.