Cannes Lions 2024 so far has been a slow but steady season for the Indian contingent. However, day 04 turned out to be quite muted for the country as only two metals came her way on the awards night.
The first win came for Leo Burnett that won a silver in Creative Effectiveness Lions under single-market campaign subcategory for Oreo’s #BringBack2011 campaign.
OREO's campaign recreated their 2011 India launch, tied to the nation's World Cup win that year. Featuring MS Dhoni, it aimed to revive the victorious spirit and bring luck to Team India for the 2022 World Cup. The campaign was driven by a simple insight that Indians are quite superstitious, especially when it comes to cricket and the World Cup. Therefore, the nostalgic and patriotic campaign evoked memories and excitement among cricket fans for the 2022 World Cup. Dhoni’s appearance with his 2011 look added charm, hoping to inspire another victory.
Elated with the win, Rajdeepak Das, CCO, Publicis Groupe South Asia and Chairman, Leo Burnett South Asia commented, “When you win for one of your biggest brands and for the biggest campaign, you know that we're trying to do something right. Effectiveness is the tiger’s category as you have to win 2 years in a row. I am proud of our partnership with Mondelez”
This is Leo Burnett’s third metal at the ongoing Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity. The previous wins came in the form of a gold and a bronze metal for its Gatorade ‘Turf Finder’ campaign in Creative Data Lions and Entertainment Lions for Sports.
The second win of the day was reserved for Ogilvy under Creative Strategy Lions. The agency picked a bronze for ‘Vi Human Testing Network’ campaign created for Vodafone Idea Ltd. for market disruption.
For the campaign, Vi collaborated with Mumbai's renowned dabbawalas, known for their efficient delivery system. They tested and reported on Vi's GIGAnet 4G network across various city locations. This initiative aimed to highlight the network's extensive coverage and reliability. By using the dabbawalas' trusted reputation and extensive reach, Vi demonstrated the robustness of their service in real-world conditions.
Celebrating the win, Kainaz Karmarkar, Harshad Rajadhyaksha, Sukesh Naik, Joint CCOs, Ogilvy India, said, “The Vi Dabbawalas idea of ‘Human Network Testing Network’ is deeply rooted in our culture and in our Mumbai city. It therefore pleases us immensely to see it get recognised on the world stage with a Cannes Lion win. There are a big bunch of happy hearts who have strived to make this work shine. Our compliments to Rohit, Abir, Nikhil, Debaleena, Krishnakant, Priyanka and the whole team at Ogilvy, and also our production partners at Hungry Films, and client partners at Vodafone-Idea (Vi). A heartfelt special thanks goes out to the amazing and iconic Dabbawalas of Mumbai, for helping us deliver this idea as efficiently as any of their dabbas.”
This was Ogilvy’s fourth win at the festival after picking a bronze for ‘The Impossible Choice’, a silver for ‘Taj Mahal Megh Santoor’, and another bronze for ‘Erase Valentine’s Day’ campaigns.
The country could not secure any wins in the Brand Experience & Activation Lions, where it had six shortlists. Other awards announced today were Creative Business Transformation, Creative Commerce, Innovation, and Luxury & Lifestyle Lions where India had no shortlists.
Here’s how the overall metal tally looks like for India at the end of the fourth day at Cannes Lions 2024:
