In the final Awards Show of the week at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, the prestigious Lions were awarded across various categories. Highlights included Orange’s ‘WoMen’s Football’ scoring its third Grand Prix of the festival and Singapore collecting its first Grand Prix of the year.
Film Lions
In the Film Lions, which celebrate the creativity of the moving image, 1887 entries were received, and 53 Lions were awarded: nine Gold, 16 Silver, and 26 Bronze. The Jury awarded two Grands Prix.
The first Grand Prix went to ‘WoMen’s Football’ for Orange by Marcel, Paris, France. This clever bait-and-switch campaign showcased what first appeared to be the skill of the national men’s French football team, but was revealed to be the prowess of the women’s national side disguised as the men through deepfake technology.
Film Lions Jury President, Tor Myhren, VP Marketing Communications at Apple Inc, said, “Sometimes the idea wins out over everything. This was hands down the best, most empowering idea in film this year. To see it is to love it, and we fell in love the first day of judging.”
The second Grand Prix was awarded to ‘Play It Safe’ for Sydney Opera House by The Monkeys, Accenture Song, Sydney. This foot-tapping music video celebrated the unique architecture and defiant creative spirit of Sydney’s most recognizable landmark, set to an original song that satirically encouraged the audience to avoid risks and ‘Play It Safe’ in life.
Myhren described it as “a celebration of the creative spirit, of brave ideas and taking huge risks in the face of critics and controversy and cultural norms. Quite simply, it’s the best film of the year and makes you proud to be in this industry.”
Glass: The Lion for Change
Glass: The Lion for Change, which honors culture-shifting creativity, received 165 entries. Seven Lions were awarded: one Gold, two Silver, and three Bronze. The Grand Prix went to ‘Transition Body Lotion’ for Vaseline Proderma Transition Body Lotion by Ogilvy, Singapore.
This skincare product was designed to help transitioning women who often experience skin challenges during hormone therapy.
Jury President Cindy Gallop, Founder & CEO of MakeLoveNotPorn, praised it, saying, “Vaseline’s ‘Transition Body Lotion’ impressed the entire Glass Lion Jury with its demonstration of how driving social change is good business.”
Sustainable Development Goals Lions
The Sustainable Development Goals Lions, celebrating creative problem-solving that positively impacts the world, received 593 entries. The Jury awarded 20 Lions: four Gold, five Silver, and 10 Bronze. The Grand Prix went to ‘Renault – Cars To Work’ for Renault by Publicis Conseil, Paris, France. This initiative helps French people in mobility deserts by providing free Renault cars during their probationary work period.
Jury President Gustavo Lauria, Co-Founder, President & Chief Creative Officer at We Believers, said, “The Grand Prix reflects the essential goal we should achieve in advertising. It is an idea that is good for people and good for business.”
REELated:
The Dan Wieden Titanium Lions
In The Dan Wieden Titanium Lions, which honor boundary-busting work, 200 entries were received. Four Titanium Lions were awarded, and the Grand Prix went to ‘DoorDash-All-The-Ads’ for DoorDash by Wieden+Kennedy, Portland, and Superette, San Francisco.
This campaign challenged the assumption that DoorDash is only a food delivery service by hijacking Super Bowl advertisements.
Jury President Debbi Vandeven, Global Chief Creative Officer at VML, remarked, “This idea hijacked a key cultural moment to make the world look at this company in a fresh and broader way.”
The Cannes Lions Grand Prix for Good
The Cannes Lions Grand Prix for Good was awarded to three ads: ‘The First Speech. Russia’, ‘The First Speech. Turkey’, and ‘The First Speech. Venezuela’ for Reporters Without Borders by Innocean, Berlin. These campaigns highlighted the importance of free speech and democracy.
Debbi Vandeven emphasized, “’First Speech’ is a captivating series of films that skillfully combine simplicity and creativity to leave a lasting impact on the viewer.”
Special Awards
The special awards recognized outstanding achievements in various categories:
Creative Company of the Year
- WPP
- Omnicom
- Interpublic Group
Network of the Year
- Ogilvy
- Publicis Worldwide
- DDB Worldwide
Independent Network of the Year
- Rethink
- Edelman
- Serviceplan Agenturgruppe
Agency of the Year
- Publicis Conseil, Paris, France
- Rethink, Toronto, Canada
- Ogilvy, New York, United States
Independent Agency of the Year
- Rethink, Toronto, Canada
- Edelman, London, United Kingdom
- Klick Health, Toronto, Canada
Palme d’Or
- Smuggler, United States
- Revolver, Australia
- Uncharted Limbo Collective, United Kingdom
- O Positive, United States
- Iconoclast, France
Creative Brand of the Year
- Coca-Cola
- Heineken
- Apple
Agency of the Year by Track
- Classic: Lola Mullenlowe, Madrid, Spain
- Craft: FCB, New York, United States
- Engagement: Rethink, Toronto, Canada
- Entertainment: Marcel, Paris, France
- Experience: Publicis Conseil, Paris, France
- Good: Ogilvy, Singapore
- Strategy: Rethink, Toronto, Canada
Independent Agency of the Year by Track
- Classic: Rethink, Toronto, Canada
- Craft: 4Creative, London, United Kingdom
- Engagement: Rethink, Toronto, Canada
- Entertainment: Modern Arts, Los Angeles, United States
- Experience: Rethink, Toronto, Canada
- Good: Edelman, London, United Kingdom
- Strategy: Rethink, Toronto, Canada
Simon Cook, CEO of LIONS, “As we wrap up another year of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, I hope everyone feels an extraordinary sense of pride and a rejuvenated sense of energy and inspiration in our industry. I’d like to congratulate each and every winner – as well as those shortlisted – on being recognized by your peers as demonstrating the greatest, most effective creativity our industry has to offer.”
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