Cannes Lions has announced that it will honour Microsoft as this year’s Creative Marketer of the Year. The accolade is presented to an advertiser that has amassed a body of creative and Lion-winning work over a sustained period of time, and has established a reputation for producing brave creative and innovative marketing solutions.

In 2019, Microsoft won 11 Lions, with McCann New York’s ‘Changing the Game’ for the Xbox Adaptive Controller winning five, including a Grand Prix in Brand Experience & Activation as well as a Titanium Lion. Other stand-out winners have included McCann New York’s ‘Make What’s Next’ campaign focused on STEM for International Women’s Day, which in 2017 received a Glass Lion for campaigns addressing gender inequality; McCann London’s ‘Survival Billboard’ for Xbox /Tomb Raider, awarded 17 times in 2016; ‘DELQA’, an immersive installation created by Listen New York; Y&R Colombia Bogotá / Wunderman Colombia Bogota’s ‘FIFA 14’ for Xbox 360;  and ‘Xbox Design Lab Originals: The Fanchise Model’ for Xbox Design Lab, which took seven Lions, including the Creative eCommerce Lion Grand Prix. Microsoft has collected Lions for a broad suite of products including Microsoft Cloud, Microsoft Kinect, Windows 7, Windows Vista, OneNote, MSN, Halo 3 Game and Xbox.

Commenting on the award, Philip Thomas, Chairman, Cannes Lions, said: “What really stands out about Microsoft’s performance at Cannes Lions is that they’re winning Lions across a real breadth of products and geographies, which means they’re pushing creative boundaries throughout their entire business and the world. With CEO Satya Nadella stating that ‘marketing is one of the top drivers of our success’, it’s clear that Microsoft has unlocked its creative potential to drive growth. We continue to see more and more evidence of the power of creativity for business, and that’s why we recognise brands like Microsoft who are actively moving the needle on creative marketing.”

Commenting on the award, Chris Capossela, Chief Marketing Officer, Microsoft said: “It’s a tremendous honor to be recognized for our creative storytelling. Our ambition to amplify the voices of customers and changemakers—from kids who use the Xbox Adaptive Controller to trailblazers like 49ers Offensive Assistant Coach, Katie Sowers—help demonstrate how technology can bring us closer together and inspire meaningful, positive change in the world.”

The Creative Marketer of the Year award was Introduced in 1992, with past recipients including: Apple, Burger King, Coca-Cola, Google, Heineken, IKEA, Mars, McDonald’s, IKEA, Samsung and Unilever, each of whom have demonstrated that outstanding creativity drives business growth and have won multiple Lions at the Festival as a result.

Microsoft will be honoured with The Creative Marketer of the Year Award on Friday 25 June during Cannes Lions Live, which runs from 21-25 June 2021 delivering the global premiere and broadcast of the Cannes Lions Awards and a programme of on-demand content that marks a change for the industry, and beyond.