System1 analysis finds increased humour in UK and US Cannes Lions winners

Three-quarters ( 75%) of US or UK Cannes Film Lion winners used humour, rising from 52% in 2023.

Meanwhile, adverts System1 defined as ‘purpose ads’ made up 13% of the winners, suggesting that brand purpose has fallen out of favour with Cannes Lions jurors.

The analysis also found that there was a small increase in average performance among the UK and US film Lions winners, to 2.3 stars (out of a possible 5.9 ).

From 2021 to 2023, the UK and US Lions winners scored a flat 2.1 stars on average with the public, according to System1’s analysis, meaning they performed roughly in line with the average TV ad.

The winner of the Silver Lion was ‘Best Friends’ from Uber One and agency Mother, featuring Robert De Niro and Asa Butterfield. The advert (embedded below) scored 3.8 stars in System1’s analysis, out of a possible 5.9.

System1’s platform tests participants’ emotional responses throughout an ad, assigning creative a score of 1.0 to 5.9 stars based on ‘long-term brand-building potential’. 

Jon Evans, chief customer officer at System1, said: “We know that funny ads tend to be more effective, and it’s likely the increase in laughs is helping the star rating rise slightly. Now marketers and juries aren’t scared of making people laugh, the next step is to make sure the ad feels good too – in the US and UK we're seeing a lot of humour driven by awkward or uncomfortable situations which can leave viewers feeling uncomfortable too.”