Anthropic’s Super Bowl spot by Mother was a front runner for a Grand Prix ahead of Cannes, and on the last night of the festival it delivered, taking the top prize in the Film category.
WPP’s Ogilvy was named NETWORK OF THE YEAR, spearheaded by a triple Grand Prix haul in Direct (Uva App, Puerto Rico), Entertainment (David, New York) and Creative Data (Circus Grey, Peru). Another WPP agency, VML, came second, and Omnicom’s TBWA was third.
INDEPENDENT NETWORK OF THE YEAR went to Canada’s Rethink, thanks to all things Heinz, with Mother second and Wieden + Kennedy third. Rethink also won IINDEPENDENT AGENCY OF THE YEAR, ahead of Isle of Any and Mother London.
AGENCY OF THE YEAR went to LePub Italy, driven by its strong partnership with Heineken, with VML second and Rethink third. The US dominated IN-HOUSE AGENCY OF THE YEAR, which was topped by Apple, followed by Google and L’Oreal. The PALME D’OR production company award went to MJZ (Coinbase, On, Gucci), while Heineken was CREATIVE BRAND OF THE YEAR, ahead of KitKat and Ikea.
In the Lions categories aimed at spotlighting more cause-related work, there was a notable absence of global brands winning the top awards. Purpose has quietly slipped down the agenda with agencies too – only one of the four Grand Prix was created by a holding company network.
FILM GRAND PRIX Anthropic “A time and a place” by Mother London. Jury president Pelle Sjoenell, Worldwide CCO of NLS Corp (ex Droga5 Worldwide CCO) admired the “Wit, nerve and craft in every frame. The risk was profound, the execution immaculate… it reshuffled the perceptions.”
TITANIUM GRAND PRIX “Haven” by Leo Australia for Suncorp Insurance. A campaign that turned insurance into a public service initiative, helping Australians prepare their homes for extreme weather.
GLASS LION FOR CHANGE “Nigrum Corpus” for Idomed & Instituto Yduqs by Artplan, Brazil. A medical textbook treats racism as a disease, endorsed by the World Health Organisation
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS GRAND PRIX Too Good’s “Paid sick leave for cows” by the Partnership Agency, Nairobi. Kenya’s first Grand Prix winner crosses the boundaries between labour rights and agriculture, creating a new way to think about work and value in the food systems.
GRAND PRIX FOR GOOD “600K Network” for Comando Con Venezuela by Rainbow Lobster, Mexico. Verifying voters ahead of the 2024 Venezuelan elections.
