Across the festival, WPP says its agencies collected 168 Lions — one Titanium Lion, 10 Grand Prix, including a Glass Lion for Change, 23 Gold, 53 Silver and 81 Bronze Lions. Mindshare's Grand Prix for Media also marked the first time a media agency has been the sole recipient of the award since 2018
Combating misinformation, Ogilvy's 'Vaseline Verified' for Unilever earned a Titanium Lion and two Grand Prix for Social & Creator and Health & Wellness. The campaign transformed user-generated hacks on social platforms into scientifically validated content, debunking myths, reinforcing Vaseline's "Wonder Jelly" status and generating huge social engagement, adds WPP.
DAVID's 'Haaland Payback Time for Supercell' won the Grand Prix in Entertainment Lions for Sport. The campaign brought footballer Erling Haaland into the Clash of Clans gaming universe, targeting his "haters" by letting them raid his in-game village, says WPP.
VML's 'Preserved Promos' for Ziploc secured the Grand Prix for Creative Commerce. In response to the cost-of-living crisis, Ziploc helped shoppers extend promotional codes by allowing them to upload expired offers and receive a discount on their next food purchase when including Ziploc products, adds the agency.
WPP says that leading with responsible AI, Mindshare's 'Real Beauty Redefined' for the AI Era for Dove won the Grand Prix for Media. This campaign launched 'Real Beauty DNA' on Pinterest, allowing users to define diverse beauty, thereby retraining the platform's AI to champion inclusive beauty and reinforcing Dove's Real Beauty brand platform in the AI age. This was only the latest articulation of Dove's 20-year-old Real Beauty initiative, which received a Glass Lion for Change and a Grand Prix for Creative Strategy thanks to Ogilvy's work to transform a humble soap brand into a global platform for self-esteem.
WPP says its commitment to new solutions for global challenges was also recognised with AKQA's work for the Museum of the United Nations and Spotify, with the 'Sounds Right' campaign earning the Grand Prix for Innovation. This initiative turned nature into an official artist to fund conservation, integrating ecosystem sounds into music tracks and crediting "NATURE" alongside major artists like David Bowie, Ellie Goulding and V of BTS.
Delivering cultural impact, VML and OpenMind also secured the first Grand Prix in the Czech Republic's history at Cannes Lions in the Outdoor category with KitKat's 'Phone Break'. The campaign replaced smartphones with KitKat bars in outdoor visuals, revitalising the "Have a break, have a KitKat" tagline first coined by J Walter Thompson copywriter Donald Gilles in 1957. Similarly, Ogilvy's 'Make Love Last for Viatris' won the Grand Prix for Pharma, based on an unbranded art project using time-lapse photography of real couples to subtly address intimacy in China, adds WPP.
Mark Read, CEO of WPP, says, "Our success at Cannes Lions is a tribute to the extraordinary talent and passion of our people worldwide, and to the clients who entrust us with their brands. It's also a powerful statement about the central role of creative and media excellence in building brands, shaping culture and driving growth, a principle at the heart of WPP and one I'm very proud to see recognised today. Winning Creative Company of the Year is always a huge honour, but celebrating this achievement with our brilliant people at my last Cannes as CEO makes it doubly special. Congratulations and thank you to everyone who made it happen."
Rob Reilly, Global Chief Creative Officer of WPP, concludes, "In a world increasingly shaped by AI, authentic human creativity with integrity commands a growing premium. This year's winners from across WPP brilliantly showcase how our agencies are owning innovation and technology, not to replace creativity, but to amplify it, solve complex challenges for brands and connect with audiences in more meaningful ways. Congratulations to all our teams and fearless clients for these outstanding results."
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*Image courtesy of contributor