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 and The Dan Wieden Titanium Lions.
Special Awards were also announced, and after a strong performance by Apple across the Lions in 2023, the brand won its first Creative Brand of the Year award, a title held by Burger King for three consecutive years. DDB Worldwide won its first Network of the Year award, and Argentina took its first-ever Agency of the Year spot, won by GUT, Buenos Aires.
Topping the production company field with a Palme d’Or win was Somesuch in the U.S. SMUGGLER U.K. finished second in the Palme d’Or derby, followed by Biscuit Filmworks in the U.S., Spoon in Japan and Rebolucion in Mexico, which rounded out the top five.
In the Film Lions, celebrating the creativity of the moving image, 1,867 entries were received and 49 Lions awarded: 6 Gold, 16 Silver and 25 Bronze, and the jury chose to award two Grands Prix: “Relax, it’s iPhone–R.I.P. Leon” for Apple, by Apple, Cupertino, Calif., directed by Andreas Nilsson of Biscuit Filmworks; and “The Last Photo” for ITV X the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) by adam&eveDDB, London, and directed by Max Fisher via cain&abelDDB, the agency’s in-house creative production partner..
The Apple spot opens on a seemingly dead lizard as a heartbroken man sends a text message about the reptile’s passing. Miraculously, the lizard reawakens and breaks into a high energy dance; luckily our gent via iPhone can undeliver the text message with a quick command.
Meanwhile “The Last Photo” film shows a sequence of real home videos of apparently happy people enjoying life–singing to infant children, messing about with mates, and enjoying a day out at the seaside. Towards the end of the spot, titles reveal all are the last videos of people who later died by suicide. This CALM initiative aims to address the stigma often associated with suicide, with people assuming they know what it looks like–reclusiveness, crying, silence–and if they don’t see such traits in someone, they hesitate to intervene. Yet in reality, suicidal behavior takes many forms. Often people can seem happy just moments before taking their own lives so it’s up to us to look and listen in order to help.
Film Lions jury president Bruno Bertelli, global CEO of Le Pub, global chief creative officer of Publicis Worldwide, chief creative officer of Publicis Groupe Italy, Publicis Worldwide, global, said, “The first Grand Prix [‘R.I.P. Leon’]is awarded to the best piece of work in the TV/Cinema section. This winner is a 30-second advertisement that stands out for its sharpness, focused approach, and clever twist. In this case, we aimed to acknowledge simplicity and high-quality crafting. The second Grand Prix [‘The Last Photo’], awarded in the sections that cover online films and other formats, is an incredibly bold idea that required overcoming numerous challenges to execute. Despite this, it remains a straightforward piece of work.”
Glass: The Lion for Change, which honors culture-shifting creativity, received 184 entries and 7 Lions were awarded: 1 Gold, 2 Silver and 3 Bronze and the Grand Prix went to “Knock Knock” for the Korean National Police Agency, by Cheil Worldwide, Seoul, South Korea. Inspired by Morse code, the work offers a solution that allows victims of domestic violence to alert the police without saying a word. After dialling 112, they simply tap any number twice, and a link is sent to them.
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 691 entries. The jury awarded 21 Lions: 2 Gold, 8 Silver and 10 Bronze and the Grand Prix went to “Where To Settle” for Mastercard, by McCann Poland, a platform that enables Ukrainian refugees to check the cost of living and income opportunities in selected cities and towns in Poland.
In The Dan Wieden Titanium Lions, honoring provocative, boundary-busting, envy-inspiring work that marks a new direction for the industry, 176 entries were received and the Jury chose to award 3 Titanium Lions, and the Grand Prix went to “The First Digital Nation” for The Government Of Tuvalu, by The Monkeys, part of Accenture Song, Sydney, Australia.
Titanium Lions jury president David Droga, CEO, Accenture Song, global, said, “How does a nation that is sinking keep its borders, sovereignty and rights? How does its people keep its culture, heritage and identity? By completely reorienting the rules and laws of what it is to be recognized as a nation on the global stage. This is far more than a creative or tech idea. It’s not even about a disposable execution. It is about recognition, policy, and safeguarding GDP. It is also about creating new precedents for dozens of other countries facing a similar future. This work was the highest scored entry from day one of the prejudging, to the very last vote on the Grand Prix on the final day. It is an idea that needed to happen and should live on far beyond any of us.”
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 “Anne De Gaulle” For Fondation Anne De Gaulle Association, by Havas Paris, France.
During the final Awards Show, Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) was awarded as Creative Marketer of the Year; Susan Hoffman, chief creative officer of Wieden+Kennedy was honored with the Lion of St. Mark; and the Cannes LionHeart was accepted by Tyler LaMotte, marketing director, EMEA, Patagonia on behalf of founder of Patagonia, Yvon Chouinard. The inaugural Creative Maker of the Year award was presented to legendary filmmaker, screenwriter, actor and producer Spike Lee.
The following Special Awards were also announced:
Creative Company of the Year
- Omnicom
- WPP
- Interpublic Group
Network of the Year
- DDB Worldwide
- Ogilvy
- BBDO Worldwide
Independent Network of the Year
- GUT
- Wieden+Kennedy
- Rethink
Agency of the Year
- GUT, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Publicis Conseil, Paris, France
- adam&eveDDB, London, United Kingdom
Independent Agency of the Year
- GUT, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Rethink, Toronto, Canada
- Wieden+Kennedy, Portland, USA
Palme d’Or
- Somesuch, USA
- SMUGGLER, United Kingdom
- Biscuit Filmworks, USA
- Spoon., Japan
- Rebolucion, Mexico
Creative Brand of the Year
- Apple
- Dove
- Heineken
Agency of the Year – Classic
adam&eveDDB, London, United Kingdom
Agency of the Year – Craft
Dentsu Inc., Tokyo, Japan
Agency of the Year – Engagement
GUT, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Agency of the Year – Entertainment
Wieden+Kennedy, Portland, USA
Agency of the Year – Experience
GUT, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Agency of the Year – Good
McCann Poland, Warsaw, Poland
Agency of the Year – Strategy
Ogilvy, Mumbai, India
Independent Agency of the Year – Classic
Rethink, Toronto, Canada
Independent Agency of the Year – Craft
pgLang, Los Angeles, USA
Independent Agency of the Year – Engagement
GUT, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Independent Agency of the Year – Entertainment
Wieden+Kennedy, Portland, USA
Independent Agency of the Year – Experience
GUT, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Independent Agency of the Year – Good
Howatson+Company, Sydney, Australia
Independent Agency of the Year – Strategy
Special, Auckland, New Zealand
