Apple will receive the 2025 Cannes Lions Creative Marketer of the Year at this year’s Cannes Lions event. But though the award is meant to celebrate the iPhone maker’s iconic body of advertising work over the years, it comes as Apple faces backlash over recent campaigns.

It's the second time that Apple has received the Creative Marketer of the Year award, first winning it in 2019. The honor went to Unilever in 2024 and to AB InBev in 2023.

“Apple has fostered a culture that prioritises creativity and innovation, and that shows up in its deep understanding of meaningful marketing," said Simon Cook, Lions' CEO in a statement announcing the award in March.

Recent misses: Though it’s a notable award for Apple, its creative marketing has received rare, vocal backlash over the last year.

• Apple's May 2024 iPad Pro "Crush!" ad campaign featured a hydraulic press slowly demolishing a wide variety of creative and musical tools including cameras, a piano, and an arcade cabinet. The ad caught wide-ranging criticism for its perceived destruction of artistic devices.
• Last July, Apple was criticized across social media for a promotional video set in Thailand that many viewers felt did not represent the modern experience of the country.

Apple apologized for both ads. Tor Myhren, vice president of marketing communications at Apple, told Ad Age that the company "missed the mark" with the "Crush!" spot. And Apple expressed regret for "not fully capturing the vibrancy of Thailand today” in a statement for the promotional video.

Additionally, Apple was hit with a false advertising lawsuit this spring. The class action suit alleges that in delaying its Apple Intelligence features, the tech giant falsely advertised them by saying they would be available in the upcoming iPhone lineup.

The big picture: Advertising hiccups aren't the only headwinds Apple has experienced over the last year.

• President Donald Trump's tariffs have shaken up Apple's supply chain, and CEO Tim Cook said they expect the trade war will cost them $900 million in the current quarter.
• Last month in Epic Games' longstanding antitrust case against Apple, a federal judge ordered Apple to loosen its control over its App Store and allow developers to offer alternative payment options.

The bottom line: From Apple's classic "1984" commercial to its long-running iPod "Silhouette" campaign, the tech giant has made an undisputed mark on the advertising landscape. Even if the last year has been uneven.

• Myhren will deliver a keynote during Cannes Lions and will receive the award for Apple on June 20.