“Surprise and delight” tends to be an overused expression, but every time I attend the Cannes Lions, I am invariably surprised and delighted by some of the winning work.
This year, it was the very clever “The Last Performance,” by Special Auckland for Partners Life insurance, which won Grand Prix in the Health and Wellness Lions; and “The Artois Probability” for Stella Artois by Gut Buenos Aires, which won the Grand Pix in the Creative Data Lions. I thought both were smart and innovative ways to connect with audiences in breakthrough, memorable ways.
I knew Budweiser had run into problems during the World Cup, but had no idea how brilliantly they quickly took an unimaginable setback and turned it into a huge win for the brand. “Bring Home the Bud” by Wieden+Kennedy New York won one of just four Titanium Lions.
And while there was a pronounced theme of awarding real work that actually helps sell product this year, Microsoft’s “Adlam: An Alphabet to Preserve Culture” by McCann New York, felt like a very special project.
It’s the kind of stuff I love, to be honest, and while I understand the fatigue arising from the saturation of brand purpose in recent years, I think brands do need to help solve real world problems. If they do so through brilliant craft and creativity—as Microsoft and McCann did—they should be recognized for it.
That said, I thought almost all of the Grand Prix-winning work was deserving. At the end of a quiet week, we decided to share all the Grand Prix winners for your viewing pleasure. We shared the first batch of winners yesterday, and conclude with the rest of the winners today. Of our favourites mentioned above, only the Budweiser campaign is here, with the other three all in the first post.
Direct: “Runner 321” for Adidas, by FCB Toronto
Media: “#TurnYourBack” for Dove, by Ogilvy London
Social & Influencer: “Flipvertising” for Samsung, by Chep Network Sydney
Brand Experience & Activation: “FIFA 23 x Ted Lasso” for EA Sports and Apple, by Apple
Creative Commerce: “The Subconscious Order” for Hungerstation, by Wunderman Thompson Riyadh
Innovation: “Mouthpad” for Augmental, by Wunderman Thompson Lima
Mobile: “World Cup Delivery” for PedidosYa, by Gut Buenos Aires
Creative Effectiveness: “Shah Rukh Khan-my-ad” for Mondelez, by Ogilvy Mumbai
Creative Strategy: “Renault Plug-Inn” for Renault, by Publicis Conseil Paris
Film: “The Last Photo” for ITV and CALM, by Adam&EveDDB London
Film: “Relax, It’s iPhone: RIP Leon” for Apple, by Apple
Glass: The Lion for Change: “Knock Knock” for Korean National Police Agency, by Cheil Worldwide Seoul
Grand Prix for Good: “Anne de Gaulle” for Foundation Anne de Gaulle, by Havas Paris
Sustainable Development Goals and Titanium: “Where to Settle” for MasterCard, by McCann Poland Warsaw
Titanium Grand Prix: “The First Nation” for the Government of Tuvalu, by The Monkeys (part of Accenture Song Sydney)
As is often the case, very few Titanium Lions were awarded, with just three others handed out in addition to “Bring Home the Bud.” MasterCard’s “Where to Settle” is shown above, while the other winners are below.
Titanium: “Bring Home the Bud” for Budweiser by Wieden + Kennedy New York
Titanium: “Corona Extra Lime” for Corona, by Draftline Shanghai
