Cannes Lions 2026 unveils the Brand Experience & Activation Lions shortlist

Cannes Lions 2026 has released the shortlist for the Brand Experience & Activation Lions category, one of the Festival’s broadest and most strategic competitions for recognising ideas that connect brands with audiences through memorable experiences, activations, retail, technology, events, participation and 360 engagement.

The Brand Experience & Activation Lions celebrate comprehensive brand-building through experience, interaction and touchpoint design, recognising work that demonstrates how the customer journey, brand experience and optimisation of every interaction can drive affinity, participation, commercial success and cultural value.

The 2026 Jury President for Brand Experience & Activation Lions is Rafael Pitanguy, Deputy Global Chief Creative Officer at VML, Global. His leadership brings one of the industry’s strongest creative perspectives to a category where ideas must move beyond communication into action, experience and real-world impact.

The Brand Experience & Activation Lions 2026 shortlist includes 158 shortlisted entries, distributed across 32 subcategories covering brand sectors, touchpoints, technology, mobile, gaming, retail, promotions, customer acquisition, live brand experience, guerrilla marketing, brand-owned experiences, sponsorships, launches, 360 campaigns, local brands, challenger brands, social behaviour, humour, corporate purpose, market disruption and cultural engagement.

The selection confirms that brand experience has become a central discipline in contemporary creativity. This year’s finalists show that brands are no longer simply communicating benefits; they are designing participatory moments, interaction systems, cultural activations and experiences capable of generating response, conversation and preference.

Among the most represented brands in the shortlist are Heineken, Apple, Heinz Ketchup, KITKAT, Skittles, Vaseline, KFC Canada, IKEA, BCP, IKEA Alsulaiman, Huggies, Tecate, Columbia Sportswear, Club Deportivo Municipal, Mercado Livre, Xbox, Suncorp Insurance, Corona, Frontier Airlines and Cif. The range of finalists confirms the category’s relevance across consumer goods, technology, retail, services, entertainment, healthcare, sport, travel and social impact.

The United States leads the shortlist, followed by the United Kingdom, Brazil, Canada, the United Arab Emirates, Spain, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Peru, Singapore, Australia, France, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Denmark, Argentina, Greece, Paraguay, the Netherlands, Colombia, Sweden, Belgium, Poland, India, Thailand, South Africa, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Indonesia.

**In Consumer Goods, shortlisted work includes “Protect the Peanut” by Mars Snacking; “Expensive Sh*t” by Huggies; “Art’s Missing Period” by Kotex; “Heinz Dipper” by Heinz Ketchup; “Welcome Back, Paisano” by Tecate; “Chupa Chups Impossible” by Perfetti; “KITKAT Security Detail” by KITKAT; “Gaming Flute” by Skittles; “Expedition Impossible” by Columbia Sportswear; and “No Frame Missed” by Apple.** This section shows how consumer brands are using activation, technology, culture and experience to build memorability.

In Healthcare, the shortlist features “Glowing Relief” by Alivia Health and “Vaseline Verified” by Vaseline. These campaigns confirm that brand experiences can also open conversations around health, personal care, accessibility, wellbeing and trust when utility and sensitivity are central to the idea.

Travel, Leisure, Retail, Restaurants & Fast-Food Chains includes campaigns such as “IKEA Preowned” by IKEA; “Field Barcode” by Mercado Livre; “The Wedding Rice” by Etihad; “The Golden Zone” by McDonald’s; “The Big Redemption” by KFC; and “Sheep Happens” by Penny. These works show how experiences can intervene in the purchase journey, mobility, commerce, travel, food service and everyday consumer relationships.

In Media/Entertainment, shortlisted entries include “The Thousand Sponsors of Muni” by Club Deportivo Municipal; “The Rock Star Experience” by The Recording Academy; and “Dirty Business” by Channel 4. These cases show how experience can turn brands, platforms and cultural properties into spaces for participation, community and public conversation.

The Touchpoints & Technology sections include Social Engagement, Mobile, Website/Microsites, Digital Installations, Gaming-Led Brand Experience, Audio & Voice Technology, Tech-Led Brand Experience and Cross-Platform Digital Experience. This breadth demonstrates how modern activation blends technology, digital platforms, social behaviour, physical interaction and utility.

Among the standout technology and digital-led works are “Firecatchers” by Sapeurs Pompiers de France; “Deliver the Rainbow” by Skittles; “SOS POS” by BCP; “Delulu Is the Solulu” by Hansa Pilsener; “Brainrot Translator” by Duolingo; “Instant Checkout” by Ralph Lauren; “Game On Ball” by True Hockey; “Donate to Play” by Grupo Pulsa; “Interactive Asphalt” by Technovation; and “F1 Haptic Trailer” by Apple. These entries confirm that technology creates value when it improves experience rather than simply decorating it.

Retail Experience & Activation also plays a major role in the shortlist, with work including “Coupong” by Coupang; “Heinz Dipper”; “Step Buy Step” by IKEA Alsulaiman; “The Coupon Coup” by Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen; “SOS POS” by BCP; “The Dinner Auction” by Heinz Ketchup; “IKEA Preowned”; and “The Abandoned Cart”. The category shows how retail has become a platform for creativity, data, participation and conversion.

In Customer Acquisition & Retention, shortlisted work includes “The Big Redemption” by KFC; “Oreo Cows” by Oreo; “Day of the Undying Businesses” by WhatsApp; “Regen Squad” by Bayerische Motoren Werke; “Table Turners” by Uber Eats; “Step Buy Step” by IKEA Alsulaiman; and “The Abandoned Cart” by Carrefour. These entries show how experience can attract, retain and reactivate consumers through creative mechanics connected to real behaviour.

Live Brand Experience or Activation is one of the strongest subcategories in the shortlist, with finalists including “The Second Chance” by Buchanan’s; “See a Seizure” by Jazz Pharmaceuticals; “The Unburied Casket” by R.I.P. Medical Debt; “Witnessing Futures: Biofabricating Reef Species for Reef Recovery” by Australian Institute of Marine Science; “Welcome Home” by Specsavers; “The LEGO Formula 1 Season & Drivers’ Parade”; “The Running Towards Exhibition” by Puma; “Baked by Distance” by Subway; and “The Fish Language” by Oister Global.

The strength of Live Brand Experience confirms that live activations remain a key tool for impact. When an experience is precisely designed, it can become content, news, community, product proof, social participation and brand memory.

In Guerrilla Marketing & Stunts, the shortlist features “IKEA Buddy” by IKEA; “Discount Chants” by Mercado Libre; “Adaptive Ad” by Frontier Airlines; “Wi-Fi World Wide Tour” by EE; “Cif Clean My Name” by Cif; and “The Chosen Fan” by Cerveza Águila. The selection shows that unexpected interventions still have power when they are connected to a sharp insight and recognisable cultural behaviour.

Brand-Owned Experiences includes work such as “The Slooowest Vending Machine in the World” by KITKAT; “There’s a New King and It’s You” by Burger King; “The Big Redemption” by KFC; “Step Buy Step” by IKEA Alsulaiman; “Pepsi Street Club” by Pepsi; and “Penny Living Pages” by Penny. These cases show how brands are building their own spaces for interaction beyond paid media.

Brand Partnerships, Sponsorships & Collaborations includes “A Minecraft Movie Meal” by McDonald’s; “Bad Bunny Halftime Show Campaign” by Apple; “Field Barcode” by Mercado Livre; “The Thousand Sponsors of Muni” by Club Deportivo Municipal; “Missing Managers” by Xbox; and “Rooftop Revival” by Heineken. This section confirms that the most effective partnerships create shared value for the brand, the cultural property and the audience.

In 360 Integrated Brand Experience, shortlisted campaigns include “No Frame Missed” by Apple; “Oreo Cows” by Oreo; “The Big Redemption” by KFC; “Lucky Fan Index” by Wisła Kraków Football Club; and “Haven” by Suncorp Insurance. These campaigns prove that the strongest experiences do not depend on a single touchpoint, but on an architecture that integrates media, technology, content, activation and results.

Mexico has a relevant presence in the shortlist with “Welcome Back, Paisano” and “Playa Tecate Access” by Tecate, created by LePub Mexico City, alongside “Oreo Cows” by Oreo, with participation from VML Mexico City, and “The Last Coke in the Desert” by Coca-Cola, with participation from VML Mexico City. This presence confirms the strength of the Mexican market in brand experience, culture, retail, entertainment and regional activation.

Among the most repeated campaigns in the shortlist are “Heinz Dipper”, “Kyle Fcking Connor”, “SOS POS”, “Could Have Been a Heineken”, “Step Buy Step”, “Expensive Sht”, “KITKAT Security Detail”, “Expedition Impossible”, “No Frame Missed”, “Vaseline Verified”, “The Thousand Sponsors of Muni”, “Missing Managers”, “Haven”, “Lime Guides”, “The Big Redemption”, “Cif Clean My Name”, “Oreo Cows” and “Tocayos”. Their presence across several subcategories highlights the versatility of the strongest brand experiences.

Brand Experience & Activation Lions 2026 arrives at a decisive moment for the creative industry, as brands need to prove that they can turn attention into participation, experiences into preference, activations into results and culture into growth.

With this shortlist, Cannes Lions 2026 confirms that experience is no longer a tactical extension of a campaign. It is a strategic discipline that combines design, media, technology, retail, events, community and purpose to build more active, relevant and memorable brands.

Shortlist Consumer Goods

PROTECT THE PEANUT

MARS SNACKING, BBDO

Shortlist Consumer Goods

EXPENSIVE SH*T

HUGGIES, McCANN

Shortlist Consumer Goods

ART’S MISSING PERIOD

KOTEX, DAVID

Shortlist Consumer Goods

HEINZ DIPPER

HEINZ KETCHUP, RETHINK

Shortlist Consumer Goods

WELCOME BACK, PAISANO

TECATE, LEPUB

Shortlist Consumer Goods

CHUPA CHUPS IMPOSSIBLE

PERFETTI VAN MELLE, BBH

Shortlist Consumer Goods

KITKAT SECURITY DETAIL

KITKAT, COURAGE

Shortlist Consumer Goods

GAMING FLUTE

SKITTLES, TBWA\CHIAT\DAY CHICAGO

Shortlist Consumer Goods

EXPEDITION IMPOSSIBLE

COLUMBIA SPORTSWEAR, adam&eve\TBWA

Shortlist Consumer Goods

NO FRAME MISSED

APPLE, TBWA\MEDIA ARTS LAB

Shortlist Healthcare

GLOWING RELIEF

ALIVIA HEALTH, DE LA CRUZ OGILVY

Shortlist Healthcare

VASELINE VERIFIED

VASELINE, OGILVY SINGAPORE

Shortlist Automotive

OWNERS REUNIONS

PORSCHE LATIN AMERICAN›, THE COMMUNITY

Shortlist Automotive

DUOBELL

SKODA, ABBOTT MEAD VICKERS BBDO

Shortlist Travel, Leisure, Retail, Restaurants & Fast-Food Chains

KYLE F*CKING CONNOR

KFC, COURAGE

Shortlist Travel, Leisure, Retail, Restaurants & Fast-Food Chains

IKEA PREOWNED

IKEA, McCANN SPAIN

Shortlist Travel, Leisure, Retail, Restaurants & Fast-Food Chains

THE THOUSAND SPONSORS OF MUNI

CLUB DEPORTIVO MUNICIPAL, McCANN

Shortlist Travel, Leisure, Retail, Restaurants & Fast-Food Chains

FIELD BARCODE

MERCADO LIVRE, GUT

Shortlist Travel, Leisure, Retail, Restaurants & Fast-Food Chains

SCRATCH YOUR DATA

MERCADO LIVRE, GUT

Shortlist Travel, Leisure, Retail, Restaurants & Fast-Food Chains

BUILD YOUR OWN SUPER BOWL COMMERCIAL

UBER EATS, SPECIAL

Shortlist Media/Entertainment

DIRTY BUSINESS

CHANNEL 4, 4CREATIVE

Shortlist Media/Entertainment

MISSING MANAGERS

XBOX, McCANN

Shortlist Media/Entertainment

THE MOST EPIC WATCH PARTY GROUP

LAY’S, SLAP GLOBAL

Shortlist Consumer Services/Business to Business

HAVEN

SUNCORP INSURANCE, LEO AUSTRALIA

Shortlist Consumer Services/Business to Business

SOS POS

BCP, CIRCUS GREY

Shortlist Consumer Services/Business to Business

BREASTMILK MONEY

HERCONOMY, SERVICEPLAN GERMANY

Shortlist Consumer Services/Business to Business

THE WEDDING RICE

WIKIFARMER, McCANN ATHENS

Shortlist Not-for-Profit / Charity / Government

SANTA MARIA PUEBLO HOTEL

SENATUR, ONIRIA\TBWA

Shortlist Not-for-Profit / Charity / Government

FIRECATCHERS

SAPEURS POMPIERS DE FRANCE, HAVAS PLAY

Shortlist Not-for-Profit / Charity / Government

BEDTIME DONATIONS

ROYAL SOCIETY FOR BLIND CHILDREN, INNOCEAN BERLIN

Shortlist Social Engagement & Integration for Live Experience

DELIVER THE RAINBOW

SKITTLES, TBWA\CHIAT\DAY CHICAGO

Shortlist Social Engagement & Integration for Live Experience