AB InBev will once again take the Cannes Lions stage with a new milestone under its belt. The International Festival of Creativity has announced that the brewery has been chosen “Creative Marketer of the Year” in 2026, thus becoming the first company in the history of the event to receive this recognition three times.
The award distinguishes advertisers who have accumulated a sustained track record of award-winning work at Cannes Lions and who have demonstrated a consistent commitment to creative solutions capable of generating cultural and commercial impact. In the case of AB InBev, the recognition comes after having obtained 37 Lions in last year’s edition, distributed among campaigns developed in 10 countries and 15 different categories.
The Cannes Lions decision places the company as a case study on creativity applied to business
Cannes Lions’ decision once again positions the company as one of the great contemporary case studies on creativity applied to business. Since 2021, AB InBev has promoted an internal transformation aimed at moving from an inorganic growth strategy to one supported by brand building, placing creativity as a transversal competitive advantage throughout the organization.
“AB InBev has integrated creativity into the way it operates, not just the way it does marketing, and the results consistently demonstrate its superior performance”said Simon Cook, CEO of Lions, in a statement. The manager has also pointed out that the company has prioritized creativity “at the C-suite level” and has developed internal systems to measure creative effectiveness, reinforcing the link between creative excellence and business results.
The festival organization has also supported the recognition with the financial results published by the company in the first quarter of 2026. According to Cannes Lions, AB InBev has achieved historical highs in revenue and growth in beer volume, relying on a consumer-focused strategy and the sustained strengthening of its brands. It currently has 20 brands valued at more than 1 billion dollars.
“Creativity always at the service of growth”, summarized Marcel Marcondes, Global Marketing Director at AB InBev. “Being named Creative Marketer of the Year for the third time in five years reflects our consistent and sustainable approach to building brands that people love. It is also a credit to our creative teams and partners around the world, who are helping us achieve record revenue.”he commented.
From “Contract for Change” to Corona: AB InBev’s creative journey
The relationship between AB InBev and Cannes Lions has been establishing itself for years as one of the strongest on the global scene. Already in 2022, the company received recognition after an edition in which it obtained 40 Lions, including two Grand Prix and two Titanium Lions. Among the campaigns highlighted at the time were “Tienda Cerca”, from Bavaria; “The Match of Ages,” by Corona; “TagWords”, by Budweiser; or “Contract for Change”, by Michelob Ultra Pure Gold.
Precisely this last campaign, developed by FCB Chicago and New York, became one of the great symbols of the company’s creative approach. The initiative promoted the transition to organic agriculture by financially supporting American farmers to transform their crops. The work won the PR Grand Prix and a Titanium Lion, in addition to later becoming an award-winning case in Creative Effectiveness.
A year later, in 2023, AB InBev again received the title of Advertiser of the Year, becoming the only company to achieve the recognition consecutively. On that occasion, Cannes Lions especially highlighted the company’s ability to develop “an integrated and sustainable system and culture” that placed creative problem solving at the center of the organization.
This journey has also been accompanied by recognition in other indices of effectiveness and brand value. The Global Effie Index has placed AB InBev as the most effective advertiser in the world for four consecutive years, while the Kantar BrandZ ranking places eight of its brands among the ten most valuable beers on the planet, with Corona occupying the first position for the last two years.
The case of AB InBev is a reference in the industry for how it has systematized creativity within a global structure
Beyond specific campaigns, the case of AB InBev has become a reference within the industry for the way in which it has systematized creativity within a global structure with hundreds of brands and multiple markets.
The company has defended on different occasions that creativity should not be understood only as a communication tool, but as a discipline integrated into business construction. An approach that connects with the industry’s growing interest in measuring the financial impact of creativity and justifying it as a strategic investment.
The recognition also comes at a time of special relevance for Cannes Lions, in a context in which large consumer companies are redefining their marketing structures under the pressure of efficiency, media fragmentation and artificial intelligence.
AB InBev will officially open the Cannes Lions 2026 program with a keynote scheduled for June 22 at the Lumière Theatre. The group will later be honored during the festival’s final awards ceremony on Friday, June 26.
