Our Cannes Acceptance Speech: When Creative Vision Meets Responsible AI Innovation

[ standing at the podium, holding the award]

Thank you. When we stand here today—with a D&AD Wood Pencil, three Clios, and four Cannes Lions for the Lidlize campaign—we're not just celebrating awards. We're celebrating what happens when creative courage meets technological innovation.

This journey began when the brilliant minds at Marcel, a Publicis agency, approached us with an audacious vision: to transform Lidl's brand swagger into something the world could play with. They didn't just want a campaign—they wanted to democratize creativity itself. And they needed partners who could make it happen responsibly, at scale, without compromising their creative integrity.

That's where Bria's AI platform and Starcom's digital expertise came into play.

The Power of Partnership

Marcel brought the creative genius—the idea that fans could "Lidlize" anything, wrapping everyday objects in Lidl's iconic red, yellow, and blue DNA. Starcom masterfully architected the digital strategy to scale this app experience globally. But turning that vision into reality? That required an AI platform that could:

• Generate 1.7 million unique visuals in just three weeks
• Render each image in under 2 seconds, even during viral peaks
• Ensure every single creation was brand-safe and copyright-compliant
• Support multiple languages for a truly global experience

And here's the moment we knew we'd created something special: In the first few hours after launch, traffic exploded so dramatically that both our team and AWS thought we were under cyber attack. Out of those 1.7 million creations, 1 million happened within just a few hours. That's not viral—that's volcanic.

The Revenue Revolution

However, what truly sets this campaign apart is that Lidl didn't just let people play—they manufactured the most popular user-generated items and drove shoppers to their stores to purchase them. A folding bike someone "Lidlized" online could end up on actual store shelves. A bouncy castle design could become a real product.

This proved that ideas like this aren't just quintessential branding exercises—they're revenue-driving activities that transform digital engagement into physical products and real sales.

What we built together wasn't just a campaign—it was a blueprint for the future of creative work.

Why This Matters

Today, we also celebrate our own Cannes Lion—not just for the technology, but for proving that responsible AI isn't a limitation. It's a liberation.

When you remove the typical risks of AI development—such as copyright concerns, brand safety issues, and compliance headaches—you free creatives to do what they do best: create. Marcel didn't have to worry about the technology. Starcom didn't have to worry about scalability. They could focus entirely on the magic.

The Technical Magic Behind the Creative

Our platform provided:

• Custom fine-tuning that embedded Lidl's brand DNA into every pixel
• Multi-layered moderation that kept the experience fun and safe, crucial when you're manufacturing real products
• Scalable infrastructure that handled those tsunami-like traffic surges without breaking a sweat
• Built-in compliance with licensed training data and EU AI Act-ready audit trails

But here's what matters: all this complexity was invisible to the millions who played with Lidlize. They just typed "folding bike" or "bouncy castle" and watched the magic happen.

Lessons for Our Industry

This campaign taught us three crucial lessons:

First, when you put creation tools in people's hands, they become your marketing department. Nearly 2 million product concepts, zero media spend, actual products on shelves.

Second, responsible AI isn't a nice-to-have—it's what transforms risk into recognition. Our guardrails didn't limit creativity; they unleashed it.

Third, in the age of AI, speed is a key factor in engagement. Sub-2-second generation times aren't just a technical achievement—they're what keeps people playing, sharing, and coming back.

Looking Forward

To Marcel: Thank you for trusting us with your vision. Your creativity pushed our technology to new heights.

To Starcom: Thank you for the digital expertise that turned a great idea into a global phenomenon.

To Lidl: Thank you for having the courage to let your brand live in the hands of millions—and then bringing their creations to life in your stores.

And to everyone here: This is just the beginning. When creative agencies embrace responsible AI platforms, when brands dare to co-create with their communities and turn that creation into commerce, when technology serves imagination rather than constraining it—that's when we redefine what's possible.

These awards belong to everyone who believes that the future of creativity isn't about AI replacing humans. It's about AI empowering humans to create at the speed of imagination, with real business impact.

Thank you.

[Raises award]

Here's to the next campaign, perhaps we can try for a Tony award?