Cannes Lions Day Two: 5 metal-haul takes Indian tally to 9; Early Man Film, Leo Burnett, VML & Ogilvy win

The Indian contingent missed out on a Gold Lion.

No yellow metal made its way into the hands of Indian agencies on day two of Cannes Lions 2024. They failed to win a single Gold Lion and only managed to win a Silver and four Bronze Lions.

At the end of the second day at Cannes Lions, the country’s metal tally stands at nine. Last year, it was six. In 2022, it was 10.

Early Man Film, Leo Burnett, VML, and Ogilvy were the agencies that won metals yesterday (June 18, 2024).

They won from these categories:

Entertainment Lions

Entertainment Lions For Music

Entertainment Lions For Sport

Film Craft

Early Man Film was awarded a Silver and Bronze Lion in the Film Craft category for Jindal Steel – The Steel of India, an ad film made for Jindal Steel.

The two minutes long ad, through visuals and steel sounds in the background, aimed to show the grit of the Indian populace.

VML struck its first-ever metal after it scored a Bronze in the Entertainment Lion For Music category. The agency won for its work on Coca-Cola. The campaign is titled Sing to Remember.

“This is the kind of work that makes a dent in culture. Super proud of the team for getting this recognition for real brand-building work. This is the result of months of sweat and blood. And ever grateful to our clients for dreaming hard, pushing hard and making big things happen,” said Mukund Olety, chief creative officer, VML India.

Ogilvy, after winning a Bronze and a Silver Lion on day one, won only a Bronze metal. It was for Erase Valentine’s Day, a campaign the ad agency made for Cadbury 5 Star, competing in the Entertainment Lions category.

The chocolate brand is known for its work that celebrates the mood against Valentine’s Day. Building on its past works, Cadbury 5 Star built a time machine that lets one skip the day of love.  

Ogilvy chief creative officers Kainaz Karmakar, Harshad Rajadhyaksha, and Sukesh Nayak issued a joint statement after the win:

“We’re very happy that the bravery of the idea, and the bravery of the client are being rewarded. The executive creative director (ECD) of 5 Star, Karunasagar Sridharan and the entire team have put in months and months of work to bring this idea to life.”

“It is one of those seemingly impossible ideas that can be set aside as a joke. But sometimes those are exactly the ideas that the brand needs and can make a great impact.”

A Bronze Lion was also awarded to Leo Burnett. It was in the Entertainment Lions for Sport category for Gatorade.

The campaign Turf Finder used Google Maps data to find out at what times certain spaces in Mumbai, New Delhi, and Bangalore turn empty. Once they did, Gatorade would put a turf there so that people, cramped for open play areas in cities, could find a respite.

No Indian agency won a Lion in the Design, Digital Craft, Entertainment Lion for Gaming, and Industry Craft categories whose winners were also announced on day two of Cannes Lions.