The State of Creativity 2025 report from Lions Advisory, sister brand of Cannes Lions, found that 13% of respondents rated their ability to develop high-quality insights as ‘very good’ or ‘excellent’, while 51% of companies rated it ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’.

The primary challenge to developing high-quality insights was a lack of understanding and clarity on what constitutes a quality insight, with 18% of brands surveyed and 29% of creative partners citing this as their key challenge.

Other key barriers to quality insights identified by the study were not enough priority placed on insight development and insufficient time for deep insight exploration.

There was also a perception gap: while 26% of brands surveyed rated their ability to generate strong insights as ‘excellent’ or ‘very good’, 10% of agencies agree.

Lions surveyed 1,000 marketers and creatives for the annual report between November 2024 and January 2025.

Over half ( 57%) of brands reported struggling to react quickly to cultural moments, and the study also highlighted difficulty in aligning brand insights with cultural trends as a barrier to being able to respond to the cultural zeitgeist.  

One respondent, quoted in the report, said: “Capturing cultural moments requires real-time data analysis and closely tracking consumer behaviour. However, a lack of data and the reluctance of many brands to embrace change or take risks due to fear of failure can hinder this process.”

The report concluded that these challenges are hampering brands’ creative confidence.

Patrick Jeffrey, vice-president, Lions Advisory, said: “The findings from this latest research show that largely due to a lack of solid insights and cultural relevance, we are seeing less ‘creative risk-taking’, which involves stepping outside traditional boundaries and surpassing category conventions. Addressing these two key barriers will unlock creative confidence and drive better long-term business results.”