On day one of Cannes Lions 2026, AB InBev etched itself into festival history by becoming the first company ever to win 'Creative Marketer of the Year' three times.

Introducing the global brewer, Cannes Lions CEO Simon Cook referred to the brand as ‘creativity pioneers’ who deliver marketing in “a business-driving, passionate, bold, and boundary-pushing way.  

“AB InBev has moved from transformation to a chapter of endurance, proving that creativity at scale can be sustained as an operating system that strengthens brands and delivers performance year after year,” noted Cook.

Marcel Marcondes, global CMO, AB InBev then took to the stage to explain the system behind the trophies and how the achievement was less about accolades and more about culture.

“We come to Cannes always having these three things in our mind. It's all about learning, getting inspired, and connecting with people,” he said. “The most powerful thing that the industry can do is exactly to share what we've been doing, our dilemmas, our learnings, so we can all learn from each other and come back home better.”

Marcondes likened the three victories to Brazil’s footballing legacy.

“When we won Creative Marketer of the Year for the first time, it felt like Brazil winning its first title in 1958. It was all about proving to ourselves and to the world that we could make it.”

Winning again in 2023 felt like Brazil’s back-to-back World Cup triumph in 1962. But the third title, he said, carried deeper significance.

“Just like Brazil became the first nation to win the World Cup three times, we became the first company ever to win Creative Marketer of the Year three times.”

And with that came a cultural shift. “Everybody at AB InBev has creative effectiveness in our blood. This means that as of now, this is who we are.”

Marcondes structured his keynote around five principles that have powered the company’s transformation.

The first: dream big, but stay humble. “Ego and vanity are the number one enemies in our industry,” he stressed.
In 2016, Marcondes recalled, the company had won just two Lions. Yet rather than accept that limitation, it built a creative operating system comprising leadership training, Braintrust sessions, external creative councils and internal celebrations that embedded creativity into everyday business. 

When AB InBev decided to become “the most creative, effective company in the world,” it was hardly an obvious ambition. “It takes the same effort to dream big or dream small, so why dream small?” he said.

But creativity, he warned, becomes dangerous when it exists merely for self-congratulation.

“We are here to solve business and consumer problems to drive growth, and creativity is a great enabler for that if you use it the right way.”

Creativity, he argued, should always serve growth rather than vanity.

His third lesson was perhaps the simplest, and the hardest. “Consistency is one of the most undervalued things in the world.”

As marketers constantly seek reinvention, Marcondes reminded the audience that brands are institutions, not personal canvases.
“We are not the ones that want to leave a mark. We are brand guardians.”

He stressed that ‘consistency’ was one of the most under-rated qualities for a brand. “Consistency compounds over time, and for those who manage to have the discipline of staying consistent in the long run, it is gold.”

He cited Corona’s century-long positioning around outdoor living that exemplified that philosophy, proving that enduring brand platforms can outlast trends.

His next lesson urged marketers to think beyond communications. “Advertising is amazing, but we need to do advertising and beyond.”

AB InBev increasingly evaluates every touchpoint through the lens of experience.

“One thing is to go and tell. Another thing is to live, to experience. That’s the most powerful way for someone to live a time in life with a brand.”

Marcondes reserved his most heartfelt observations for the final lesson: relationships.

Showing a slide featuring agency partners as superheroes, he described the industry as fundamentally human.

“This is a human business. Greatness comes through trust, and trust takes time to build.”

Underscoring that for him, logos mattered less than people, Marcondes said, “More important than the name of the agency is for me to say thank you to the people, because this is a human business and we call our superheroes by name.”

Summing up his philosophy, Marcondes left the audience with a reminder: “Dream big, be humble, use creativity to solve business and consumer problems. It's not about vanity. Don’t forget that consistency is gold. Make sure we always go beyond ads. And last, but never ever least, this is a human business.”

While acknowledging the brand’s achievement as the only three-time Creative Marketer of the Year recipient, Marcondes was clear that the destination matters less than the journey. “The job is never finished,” he signed off.