Creative Data Fuelling New Frontier of Creativity, Says FCB’s Tina Allan

Creative data is “fuelling the new frontier of creativity”, pushing traditional boundaries and driving innovation of the boldest, most innovative work in the world, says FCB’s global chief data and intelligence officer Tina Allan.

This year’s jury president of Cannes Lions’ Creative Data Lions is, along with her jurors, looking for transformative work that strikes a symbiotic balance between creativity and data, and drives impact through “humanity, connection and craft,” she says. "The show will be a celebration of work that is so fresh, original, and evergreen, it makes us all jealous. Work that doesn’t just inform but transforms brands and business.”

From the moment Tina learned of her jury presidency, she has been deep in discovery and research, digging into the past years of award-winning work across numerous shows, such as The One Show, ADC and the Clios, as well as deep dives from prior juries and “LBB’s feature articles.”

She and her jury have begun to outline the criteria and will continue to refine and define as a team. “Here’s a sneak peek: we’re looking for ideas that demonstrate humanity, craft, transformation, impact, and simplicity.”

​Last year’s Grand Prix winner, Mastercard's 'Room for Everyone', set the bar high, says Tina. “Leaning deeply into humanity, the data goes beyond traditional metrics to truly empower people, communities, and countries through connections. Offering solutions for small businesses using their own brand data, it’s a great example of a brand that shifted their data from utility to service and offered it at scale to have a real, measurable impact on people’s lives.”

With AI increasingly shaping how agencies and marketers collect, interpret and act on data, Tina is hoping to find humanity in the 2025 crop of Creative Data work. “Does the work stay rooted in human truths? Is it joyful, emotional, and consumer first? Not just data for data’s sake,” she says. “Does it show an understanding of AI’s role in changing behaviour and creating impact?

“We don’t want to see ideas that fall into the sea of sameness, tech, and jargon. The role of AI should be to offer a fresh, inspiring, and positive way to push the category and solve traditional barriers.”

She adds that the risk-reward ratio when AI is applied is complex. She is excited about the industry’s ability to use technology to get to precision, personalisation, performance and prediction. “We can move beyond assumption and drive accuracy,” says Tina.

“All that said, AI is a tool that empowers the creative and curious. You can’t just deliver the output – you need the humanity, creativity, and craft to truly elevate the work. It’s not data-driven work, it’s a creative idea that uses data to elevate beyond what we thought could ever be possible.”

Collecting consumer data comes with responsibility, and Tina is pleased to be seeing more work designed with “embedded trust signals”, like a detailed explanation of data use, clear opt-ins, and respectful and innovative personalisation. The best work, she says, demonstrates a commitment to using data to solve real world problems. “Being compliant with requirements isn’t a constraint – it’s an opportunity to show how the canvas for creativity is broader than ever.”

More widely, Tina sees ample potential for brands to shift their data from utility to service, by offering it at scale, open and accessible for all. “Overlooked and undervalued places and spaces present a treasure trove of opportunities for brands and agencies to collect data ethically and responsibly. That, when combined with big, bold ideas, is the tipping point which allows us to use creativity to solve real world problems.”

​Read more interviews with 2025's Cannes Lions jury presidents here.​

​Read more from Addison Capper here.