TikTok ushers in new era of creative courage at Cannes Lions

Creative freedom and the ability to experiment are among the most vital tools in today’s marketing arsenal for achieving success and reaching audiences wherever they are. TikTok is celebrating creators and brands who have elevated creativity on the platform to new heights, while inviting industry professionals to embrace creative courage at this year’s Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

Entertainment has fundamentally changed over the past year, giving consumers more choices and freedom than ever before. The TikTok community is constantly discovering new things, and the diversity of experiences on the platform encourages communities to explore fresh ideas, leading to real-world change and opportunities.

TikTok’s community continues to grow stronger in this new era of entertainment, setting new global standards for synergy, culture-defining moments, and real-world impact. Marketers are reaching audiences wherever they are by adopting TikTok’s innovative and bold approaches, ushering in a new era of best marketing practices.

This new mindset is called “creative courage,” driven by a blend of curiosity, imagination, openness, and bravery.

Blake Chandlee, President of Global Business Solutions at TikTok, said: “Entertainment has fundamentally changed. Consumers now have more choices than ever and are drawn to entertainment to discover all fields. Brands need to move from occasionally showing ‘creative courage’ to embedding it in daily behavior and strategies to stand out on TikTok. Those brands that embrace this boldness in creativity will ultimately achieve the greatest success. We urge marketers at this year’s Cannes Lions to embrace openness, push creative boundaries, and discover how new creative tools and technologies can enable creativity at scale while delivering positive business impact.”

At Cannes Lions, TikTok will demonstrate how marketers everywhere can adopt this creative courage mindset to achieve success and growth on a creative level.

Creative courage starts with culture

The way consumers interact with content is evolving, and the proliferation of media and the rapid pace of culture present a challenge in capturing consumer attention. Creative courage is therefore key to success and standing out.

TikTok sits at the intersection of culture and creativity, bringing the creative courage mindset to life. The platform shapes daily conversations and sets new trends by offering a window into moments that make a cultural impact—from Ramadan to product launches that go viral. Creativity on TikTok inspires more creativity and new forms of storytelling.

Brands that demonstrate creative courage on TikTok will build deeper connections with the community by embracing curiosity, imagination, openness, and bravery. Brands that spark global curiosity are those that will achieve the greatest success, overturn traditional storytelling norms, and build trust with their audiences. While stories can stand alone on TikTok, much of the audience’s enjoyment comes from connecting unexpected stories in surprising and engaging ways.

Brands must be bold enough to be open, allowing audiences to see and participate in the full process, and evolve their mindset to meet new expectations.

Audiences are seeking more than one-off interactions; they look for brands that drive positive change in society and reinforce clear values and trust.

Creators are at the heart of authentic engagement

TikTok is home to a wide range of welcoming communities, such as #BookTok for book lovers, #FashionTok for fashion enthusiasts, and #MomsofTikTok for mothers on the platform. Sharing similar interests and appreciating differences leads to strong connections.

Both communities and creators expect brands to engage and interact with them, but maintaining honesty and authenticity remains paramount. Authenticity is the true driver of content on TikTok, and if brands want to bridge the gap with communities, they must break away from traditional advertising patterns and build genuine connections with audiences.

TikTok has democratized discovery, enabling diverse creators and content makers to emerge and achieve greater success on the platform. Brands can collaborate with this vast and varied creator universe to foster authentic connections with audiences by focusing on co-creation and participation.

Marketers recognize that creators deliver tangible results for their brands, with 58% of TikTok users saying they are more likely to trust brands after discovering them through creators. TikTok has invested in a diverse suite of solutions that allow creators to monetize their content and brands to seamlessly tap into the value creators provide.

Creative courage at scale

Brands must embrace creative freedom and experimentation, producing content that keeps pace with culture to succeed in this new landscape.

TikTok is building for this era of creative courage, offering a suite of solutions and tools to help brands create content at scale, build meaningful connections with audiences, and achieve the best possible results. Marketers need to adopt new creative tools and techniques to unlock creativity at scale—from showcasing brand personalities through music and sound, to collaborating with creators via TikTok One, and leveraging Symphony AI tools for maximum creative impact.

Solutions that make creativity easier

TikTok One: The platform’s comprehensive creative hub gives brands access to nearly two million creators, helps them discover top agency partners, and leverages TikTok’s creative tools. All resources needed to launch and scale a successful TikTok campaign are easily accessible through a single login.

Symphony: Symphony is TikTok’s suite of AI-powered advertising solutions, enabling companies, creators, and organizations of all sizes to combine human imagination with AI-driven efficiency to expand content development, creativity, and productivity on the platform.

Symphony Creative Studio: TikTok’s AI-powered video generator accelerates TikTok content creation using AI-enabled features, producing TikTok-ready videos from just a few inputs.

Symphony Assistant: An AI assistant that empowers advertisers by providing creative insights to easily execute TikTok campaigns.

Symphony Ads Manager Integration: TikTok’s integrated ads manager streamlines the creative process by automatically generating, correcting, and optimizing TikTok ads for better performance.

Symphony Digital Avatars: These AI-generated avatars are digital representations of real people, bringing content to life. Created using licensed footage and TikTok’s advanced proprietary AI technology, these avatars feature a rich range of movements, facial expressions, languages, and voiceovers.

Symphony AI Dubbing: A translation tool that enables creators and brands to connect with global audiences, increasing the reach and inclusivity of their messages.

Symphony Council: An advisory committee that helps guide important discussions on the development and use of AI in creative marketing. The council includes a diverse group of creators and thought leaders who provide feedback on TikTok’s AI marketing solutions and broader industry topics.

Adobe Express: TikTok has expanded its partnership with Adobe, now an official creative marketing partner. TikTok’s commercial music library is integrated into Adobe Express, giving brands easy access to over a million trending tracks directly within Adobe Express to quickly create, deliver, and publish impactful TikTok content.