Mumbai: The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has announced that David Lubars, former Chief Creative Officer of BBDO Worldwide, will be awarded the Lion of St Mark, the festival’s highest honour for lifetime achievement, in June 2025.
With a career spanning over 40 years, Lubars has won more than 600 Lions, shaping some of the most iconic campaigns in advertising history. Under his leadership, BBDO was named Network of the Year at Cannes Lions a record-setting seven times, ultimately earning the title of Network of the Decade in 2020.
Speaking about Lubars’ impact, Simon Cook, CEO of LIONS, said: “Throughout his career, David has been a true force for creativity. We have welcomed him onto our Juries seven times – five of those as Jury President – and his ground-breaking piece of work for BMW served as a catalyst for the creation of the Titanium Lions. ‘The Hire’ went on to win our inaugural Titanium Lion, a piece of work so iconic that it is part of MoMA’s permanent collection in New York City. As a creative leader, he has shaped the industry landscape, and his visionary creativity has resulted in some of the world’s most impactful and compelling work. We’re delighted to be recognising David’s expansive body of work and significant contribution to the industry at Cannes Lions this year.”
Lubars is behind some of advertising’s most awarded campaigns, including:
- ‘You’re Not You When You’re Hungry’ for Snickers, which ran in over 70 countries and increased market share in 56 of 58 markets in its first year. The campaign has won 47 Lions since its 2010 Super Bowl debut.
- ‘HBO Voyeur’, an immersive storytelling experience that won two Grand Prix, five Gold, two Silver, and one Bronze Lion in a single year.
On receiving the Lion of St Mark, Lubars reflected, “Great brands possess a certain kind of magic, but it’s not always expressed. The goal is to surface that magic, mine it, and turn it into something tangible that resonates worldwide. You do that by injecting creative air into the culture rather than mediocre media pollution. It’s the challenge that fantastic clients and agency partners have been chasing with me for 43 years—and it’s why Cannes is Cannes.”
Lubars’ career began in 1982 as a copywriter before moving to Chiat\Day LA to work on Apple. He later became a partner at Leonard Monahan Lubars, led BBDO West as CEO & CCO, and transformed Fallon in the late 1990s with BMW Films, before rejoining BBDO in 2004, where he remained for two decades.
David Lubars will receive the Lion of St Mark at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and will speak in the Lion of St Mark seminar on 20 June. The festival will take place from 16 to 20 June in Cannes, France. Further details on awards, entry submissions, and attendance can be found at www.canneslions.com.
