Cannes Lions Day 1: India shines with 2 Grand Prix for VMLY&R & Dentsu Creative

The total tally now stands at 7 Metals, 37 shortlists

by Team PITCH
Published - June 21, 2022
5 minutes To Read
Cannes Lions Day 1: India shines with 2 Grand Prix for VMLY&R & Dentsu Creative

Arguably leading with its best performance at Cannes Lions, the Indian contingent delighted the industry with a seven-metal haul (out of 12 shortlists in said categories) – which includes two Grand Prix, three Silvers and two Bronzes – and 20 shortlists on day one of the Festival of Creativity.  Thus far, the shortlist count stands at 37.

Health & Wellness Lions Winners

Simultaneously, the agency also won one Silver Health & Wellness Lion for ‘Adeli’, a unique campaign by Unipads that put menstruating women, colloquially known as adelis in certain parts of the country, into kitchens. The win came in the Brand-led Education & Awareness subcategory.

As a first step, Unipads launched a limited pop-up restaurant with the name Adeli and collaborated with women chefs, helpers, and servers going through their menstruation days to run it. Unipads invited influential community members, change-makers, activists, and other prominent names to dine at Adeli and become a part of the change. Unipads also invited hotels, restaurant chains, schools, and temples to become a part of the movement by committing to support women having their periods.

The second Health & Wellness Silver went to Leo Burnett for P&G Whisper’s ‘The Missing Chapter’ campaign under the OTC Products/Devices subcategory. The campaign, a part of the brand’s #KeepGirlsInSchool initiative illustrated how lack of period education leads to a girl missing school, and this situation is exacerbated by the absence of timely period education in Indian textbooks.

Radio & Audio Lions Winners

Another Grand Prix came in the Radio & Audio Lions as Dentsu Creative bagged it for the ‘The Unfiltered History Tour’ campaign for Vice Media. The campaign was the only shortlist from India and the category, and had got seven nominations. The Grand Prix came under the branded content and podcasts subcategory.

The campaign also won a silver in the media & entertainment subcategory and two bronze lions in the audio-led creativity and cultural insight subcategories, respectively.

Reacting to the wins, Amit Wadhwa, CEO India, Dentsu Creative, said, “This is a humongous win. A Grand Prix, 1 Silver and 2 Bronze on Day 1 itself indeed make for a perfect fairytale. The Unfiltered History Tour has won several laurels in the past but this one gets us positioned at the very top in terms of creativity. Kudos to each one from our army of artistic folks, both ex and current, who have invested their blood and sweat to build the masterpiece. This victory completely belongs to you and it deserves to be cherished for times to come.”

Shortlists

India’s shortlists spree did not fizzle on day one of the festival as it got twenty more shortlists across five more categories.

‘Master Ji’ , a campaign by BYJU’S produced by Dora Digs, got two shortlists in Film Craft (direction and casting subcategories) and one in Entertainment Lions (talent: film, series & audio).

‘The Unfiltered History Tour’, which has already won four Lions and is shortlisted for the Titanium and Innovation Lions as well, got four more shortlists in the Digital Craft Lions. The shortlists came in the UX & Journey Design, Experience Design: Multiplatform, Personalised Storytelling & Experience, and Innovative Use of Technology subcategories.

Another popular campaign from India at Cannes Lions this year, ‘The Missing Chapter’ got five shortlists one Day 1 of the festival. Three shortlists came under Film Craft Lions in Direction, Casting, and Editing subcategories and two were under Design Lions in Posters and Spatial & Sculptural Exhibitions & Experiences subcategories.

‘Polly the Polar Bear’ for Montessori Schools India, created in partnership by Landor & Fitch Mumbai and Paris got shortlisted under Publications & Editorial Design and Books subcategories under Design Lions.

Vicks ‘Care Lives On #TouchOfCare’, created by Memesys Culture Lab Bambolim and Publicis Singapore got two shortlists in Film Craft (Direction and Casting subcategories).

Another campaign to get two shortlists was Charlie Chaplin Foundation’s ‘A Silent Frown’ created by DDB Mudra Mumbai. It got shortlisted in Industry Craft Lions for Print & Publishing and Design Lions for Special Editions & Bespoke Items.

Lastly, Unaids’ ‘Unbox Me’ by FCB India and FCB Chicago got one shortlist in Design Lions (Promotional Item Design) and ‘Machine-Gun Mouth’ for Battlegorunds Mobile India by Early Man Film Pvt Ltd got one shortlist in Film Craft Lions (Sound Design).

However, India could not secure any shortlist in the Entertainment Lion For Music and Entertainment Lion for Sport categories. Also, the results for outdoor, print & publishing, and pharma lions were announced on day 1, where India had no shortlists.

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