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For Vikram Pandey, aka Spikey, the Chief Creative Officer at Leo Burnett, being selected as a jury member at Cannes Lions 2025 is both a personal milestone and a creative reckoning.
“Judging at Cannes is a completely different ballgame,” he says. “I’ve been on juries at Clio and AdFest, and those were amazing too, but Cannes… it’s just something else. The sheer volume of entries and the people in that jury room, some of the best creative minds on the planet. It’s daunting and exciting at the same time.”
Spikey’s excitement is palpable as he talks about his fellow jurors. “One of them is the client behind Suncorp’s ‘One House to Save Many’. That campaign won everything a few years ago, and rightly so. Another juror from Poland is behind ‘MasterCard: A Room for Everyone’, which I personally loved. Just the fact that I’m in the same room with people like that, I’ve grown up looking at their work and wondering how they did it. If I can say this, I have a professional crush on all of them.”
Asked about some of the most exciting new additions to the festival, Spikey notes how Cannes Lions is keeping pace with the industry’s rapid transformation. “The new categories speak volumes about where advertising is headed. There’s a growing focus on sustainability, inclusion, and solving real problems. It’s not just about product storytelling anymore, it’s about purpose and impact.” He adds that digital transformation and AI are becoming central to how campaigns are crafted. “AI isn’t just a buzzword. It’s being used to build real, meaningful solutions. But the best work still puts the human story first.”
On what makes a campaign truly deserving of the Grand Prix, Spikey is clear: Authenticity. “It needs to move you. You should feel something when you see it. The insight has to hit home, and the execution has to be so seamless that the technology or technique never overshadows the idea itself.”
Reflecting on India’s standing this year, Spikey acknowledges that while the Indian advertising community is contributing strong entries and winning metals, there's still a gap when it comes to visibility on the global stage.
“We’ve had some individuals shine, people like Piyush Pandey, and a few others who’ve spoken on the main stage, but as a country, we’re still not fully represented in the larger conversations. I really hope Cannes gives us more opportunities to take the stage and share our perspective. We’re at a point where the world is looking to India for answers, especially in marketing. It’s time we heard more,” he says.
For young creatives aiming to make a mark at Cannes Lions 2025, his advice is simple but powerful: “Don’t mimic. Bring your truth. Be original. Use technology if it adds value, but don’t let it drive the idea. The best work I’ve seen is the kind that’s rooted in where you come from.”
He also shared the moment that lit the creative fire in him, watching Sony Bravia’s iconic ‘balls’ commercial for the first time. “It gave me goosebumps. I thought, if this is what advertising can be, then what are we doing? Back then, we were stuck in templates, two people talking, a product shot, done. That film blew my mind. I knew then that this is what I want to do.”
Before signing off, Spikey offered one last, heartfelt insight. “There was a time in the early 2000s when we tried chasing global trends, and it didn’t work for us. Our breakthrough came when we embraced Indianness with campaigns like Happydent and Fevicol. We were honest about who we were. Today, we’re doing tech and data-driven work, but I feel we aren’t applying it enough to real Indian problems, things like farmers’ issues, menstruation taboos, or even the scale of our population. If we take our creativity and solve for India, the global industry will sit up and take notice. That’s when we’ll be truly original and truly world-class.”
With passion, humility and sharp creative instinct, Spikey’s reflections from Cannes aren’t just about the festival. They’re a call for the Indian industry to claim its rightful place on the global stage by staying truer to itself than ever before.
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