Dentsu Creative bags third Grand Prix on day four of Cannes Lions 2022, a first for Indian advertising

Indian ad agencies won a total of 19 metals from five Lions categories on Thursday.

Dentsu Creative, after winning its third Grand Prix at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity 2022, has gone where no other Indian agency has ever gone with The Unfiltered History Tour for Vice Media.

The campaign won the Grand Prix and a Silver metal in the Social and Influencer Lions category. It also captured a Bronze in the PR Lions category.

The Unfiltered History Tour has, till now, won 11 Lions, including three Grand Prix, a Gold, four Silver and three Bronze. It is currently leading India’s Lions haul.

"We're bloody happy. That's it. That's the quote,” remarked PG Aditya, co-founder, Talented, and ex-CCO at Dentsu Webchutney.

Amit Wadhwa, CEO India, Dentsu Creative said, “And it's a hat-trick. 3 Grand Prix in 4 Days! I still have to come to terms with this. Not a single day here can be equated to another. Each day has been unique. And thriving. Today, we add yet another Grand Prix, 1 Silver and 1 Bronze to our wins."

"And yet again, kudos to each and every one of our present and ex-teammates for the dedication, brilliance, and excellence that they have put in and into this journey to get us here. This belongs to them. All of them. We have 1 day more to go and we are getting a bit greedy now!"

Ajay Gahlaut, Group Chief Creative Officer India, Dentsu Creative, “Here we are almost towards the end of this Grand Festival, and we win a Third Grand Prix today along with a Silver and Bronze. We are definitely writing history here. I am extremely proud of how we have fared so far. And there’s still a day to go. We’re not done yet!”

Indian agencies had their best outing yet, winning 19 Lions in a day. They won these metals out of 50 shortlists from five Lions categories.

1. Social and Influencer Lions – 14 shortlists

2. PR Lions – 13 shortlists

3. Media Lions – 12 shortlists

4. Direct Lions – nine shortlists

5. Creative Data Lions – two shortlists

Ogilvy Mumbai won two Gold Lions and a Bronze Lion for its entry Shah Rukh Khan - My Ad for Cadbury Celebrations which was made in collaboration with Wavemaker, a media agency. The agency won a Gold in the Creative Data Lions category. It also won a Gold as well as a Bronze in the Direct Lions category. It also received a Silver for Perk Disclaimers for Cadbury Perk in the Media Lions category.

“We were hopeful that some more brave work we have done for big brands, would have converted (into wins). We are happy that one of the most talked-about campaigns from India, has been liked by various jury members at Cannes,” said Sukesh Nayak, chief creative officer, Ogilvy India.

“When we create work, we don’t think of accolades. We think about if it will help the business first. Second, we consider if it is imaginative enough for people to enjoy. Awards are the end result of a brave campaign like this one,” he added.

Nayak is hopeful that on the last day of the festival, Ogilvy will bring home more Lions. “We want to bat till the very end. We have a shortlist in the Titanium Lions category (for the same entry), which is huge. We are hoping that also converts (to a win).”

FCB India had a fruitful day too. It, along with FCB Chicago, won a Gold in the Direct Lions category for its Nominate Me Selfie campaign for The Times of India and Political Shakti (an NGO).

The same campaign won a Silver in the Media Lions category. FCB India and FCB Chicago also won two Bronze metals in the PR Lions category for their entry Unbox Me for UNAIDS and the entry won a Bronze in the Social and Influencer category too.

FCB India, along with Kinnect India and FCB Chicago, notched up six Lions for the Chatpat campaign it produced for SOS Children’s Villages of India. It won a Gold and a Silver in the Media Lions category, and a Bronze in the Direct Lions category. The campaign also won a Gold, Silver, and Bronze in the Social and Influencer Lions category.

Speaking on the momentous wins, Rohit Ohri, chairman and CEO, FCB Group India, said, “These wins are testimony to our great partnership with Kinnect in India. I'm also grateful to FCB Chicago for helping us hone our campaign. #Chatpat is a breakthrough idea for garnering corporate funding for NGOs. What I'm truly delighted about is that SOS Children's Villages met their corporate funding objectives through this campaign."

“While I understand the power of celebrity culture, I have resented the economics of it. This campaign uses a 10-year-old from the streets who teaches the truly rich how to give. This must be the only donation campaign in the world that gives you something even before you give them a cent,” adds Swati Bhattacharya, creative chairperson, FCB India.

BBDO India opened its Lions account with a Bronze for See Equal #ShareTheLoad (Integrated) campaign for P&G’s Whisper. The campaign was covered in more than 1900 publications in India and globally.

"To catalyse the change, Ariel also released an open letter on the front page of leading national dailies calling advertisers, media partners and content creators to join the movement to change the imagery in their communication," says Josy Paul, chairman at BBDO India.

Also Read: Ariel’s #ShareTheLoad appeal to advertisers, content creators

The brand then went one step further and transformed its packs into a silent protest. For the first time in its history, Ariel changed the name on its pack to the names of Indian men. "By doing so, it brought the message of ‘share the load’ right into people's homes," says Paul.