In the final awards show of the week at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, the following Lions were awarded: Film, Glass: The Lion for Change, Sustainable Development Goals, The Grand Prix for Good and The Dan Wieden Titanium Lions.
The Film Lions Jury awarded two Grand Prix honors–one to “WoMen’s Football” for Orange by Marcel, Paris, the other to Sydney Opera House’s “Play It Safe” by The Monkeys, Accenture Song, Sydney.
Among the special award highlights were SMUGGLER winning the Palme d’Or, and Publicis Conseil, Paris being named Agency of the Year (as well as Agency of the Year–Experience).
Simon Cook, CEO, Lions, said, “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.”
In the Film Lions, celebrating the creativity of the moving image, 1,887 entries were received and 53 Lions awarded: nine Gold, 16 Silver and 26 Bronze. The Jury chose to award two Grands Prix. The first went to “WoMen’s Football” for Orange by Marcel, Paris, France. Orange’s clever bait-and-switch campaign showcased what first appears to be the skill of the national men’s French football team but is then 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, Global, said on Orange’s campaign: “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. The foot-tapping music video celebrates the unique architecture and defiant creative spirit of Sydney’s most recognizable landmark, all set to an original song that satirically encourages the audience to avoid risks and “Play It Safe” in life.
Film Lions Jury president Myhren also described “Play It Safe” 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.”
Tara Ford, chief creative officer, growth markets (APAC + LATAM) for Accenture Song, said, “This work is a rambunctious reminder to be creatively brave (just like the Opera House itself) and not ‘Play It Safe’. So, for this work to take out the Cannes Film Grand Prix is so gratifying. It’s not an exaggeration to say this is a dream come true. So many amazing people were involved, thanks to all their grit and talent we pulled it off. Special shout out goes to the wonderful [satirist/songwriter]Tim Minchin and [director] Kim Gehrig [of Somesuch.] Here’s to creativity and its enduring power to move and motivate each and every one of us.”
Glass: The Lion for Change, which honors culture-shifting creativity, received 165 entries, and seven Lions were awarded: one Gold, two Silver and three Bronze–and the Grand Prix went to “Transition Body Lotion” for Vaseline Proderma Transition Body Lotion by Ogilvy, Singapore. The skincare brand formulated a new body lotion that was designed to help transitioning women who often experience skin challenges during hormone therapy.
Jury president of Glass: The Lion for Change, Cindy Gallop, founder & CEO of MakeLoveNotPorn, Global, said: “Vaseline’s ‘Transition Body Lotion’ impressed the entire Glass Lion Jury with its demonstration of how driving social change is good business. The two-year R&D process conducted in close collaboration with the target customer on the principle of ‘Nothing about us without us’, the innovation of isoflavones, and the delivery of product efficacy while making its customers feel seen, respected and included represent a holistic approach to gender equality at its finest and made it an easy unanimous decision to award Vaseline the Glass Grand Prix.”
The Sustainable Development Goals Lions, which celebrate creative problem-solving, solutions or other initiatives that harness creativity and seek to positively impact 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. The new initiative from the automotive brand seeks to help French people who live in mobility deserts–areas where it’s difficult to reach a place of employment by public transport. The brand launched a scheme where people could use a Renault car for free while under their work probationary period and only start paying once they had secured their employment contract.
Sustainable Development Goals Lions Jury president, Gustavo Lauria, co-founder, president & chief creative officer at We Believers, U.S., 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. By helping people get the access they need to secure a job, Renault ends up selling cars and transforms consumers into loyal believers in the brand. It is a great example of a brave brand that cares, takes risks, and gets results.”
In The Dan Wieden Titanium Lions, honoring provocative, boundary-busting, envy-inspiring work that marks a new direction for the industry, 200 entries were received and the Jury chose to award four Titanium Lions, and the Grand Prix went to “DoorDash-All-The-Ads” for DoorDash by Wieden+Kennedy, Portland, and Superette, San Francisco. To challenge the assumption that DoorDash is only a food delivery service, the brand hijacked the period leading up to the Super Bowl by offering people the chance to win an ever-growing prize pool from all the brands advertising on game day.
Titanium Lions Jury president, Debbi Vandeven, global chief creative officer at VML, Global, said: “When work makes the most of a moment in time, it truly reflects groundbreaking creativity. We wanted to award this idea that hijacked a key cultural moment to make the world look at this company in a fresh and broader way. The idea is simple on the surface, yet daring in execution. At its core, it’s a spectacular product demonstration at a scale we’ve never seen before.”
The Cannes Lions Grand Prix for Good recognizes and celebrates the use of creativity to positively impact not only businesses and brands, but also the world at large. The Jury chose to award this year’s Grand Prix for Good to three ads, “The First Speech. Russia,” “The First Speech. Turkey” and “The First Speech. Venezuela” for Reporters Without Borders by Innocean, Berlin. To mark the 30th anniversary of the organization’s existence, Reporters Without Borders, launched a campaign celebrating its dedication to holding accountable those who oppose democracy and the free press. Each of the three videos features the voiceover of a world leader promising their country democracy, freedom and liberty in their inaugural speech to office–each then punctuated with the copy, “The loss of freedom is never obvious at first. Trust the free press. Not pretty words.”
Special Awards were also announced tonight. To demonstrate Cannes Lions’ commitment to transparent and accurate results, the four-stage award process includes PwC as Process Integrity Partner.
Creative Company of the Year
- 1. WPP
- 2. Omnicom
- 3. Interpublic Group
Network of the Year
- 1. Ogilvy
- 2. Publicis Worldwide
- 3. DDB Worldwide
Independent Network of the Year
- 1. Rethink
- 2. Edelman
- 3. Serviceplan Agenturgruppe
Agency of the Year
- 1. Publicis Conseil, Paris, France
- 2. Rethink, Toronto, Canada
- 3. Ogilvy, New York, United States
Independent Agency of the Year
- 1. Rethink, Toronto, Canada
- 2. Edelman, London, United Kingdom
- 3. Klick Health, Toronto, Canada
Palme d’Or
- 1. SMUGGLER, United States
- 2. Revolver, Australia
- 3. Uncharted Limbo Collective, United Kingdom
- 4. O Positive, United States
- 5. Iconoclast, France
Creative Brand of the Year
- 1. Coca-Cola
- 2. Heineken
- 3. Apple
Agency of the Year – Classic
Lola Mullenlowe, Madrid, Spain
Agency of the Year – Craft
FCB, New York, United States
Agency of the Year – Engagement
Rethink, Toronto, Canada
Agency of the Year – Entertainment
Marcel, Paris, France
Agency of the Year – Experience
Publicis Conseil, Paris, France
Agency of the Year – Good
Ogilvy, Singapore
Agency of the Year – Strategy
Rethink, Toronto, Canada
Independent Agency of the Year – Classic
Rethink, Toronto, Canada
Independent Agency of the Year – Craft
4Creative, London, United Kingdom
Independent Agency of the Year – Engagement
Rethink, Toronto, Canada
Independent Agency of the Year – Entertainment
Modern Arts, Los Angeles, United States
Independent Agency of the Year – Experience
Rethink, Toronto, Canada
Independent Agency of the Year – Good
Edelman, London, United Kingdom
Independent Agency of the Year – Strategy
Rethink, Toronto, Canada
