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Cannes Lions has announced the first Lion winners at the much anticipated Festival returns to Cannes, France, in 2022.
It’s a solid if not an absolutely perfect and unprecedented start for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at the 2022 edition of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.
2 Grands Prix have been picked by Havas Middle East and Impact BBDO Dubai.
The Outdoor Lions received 1,809 entries and 48 Lions were awarded: 10 Gold, 15 Silver and 23 Bronze.
The Grand Prix went to ‘Liquid Billboard’ by Havas Middle East, Dubai, Cultural Insight for adidas. The world’s first swimmable billboard was created to promote the brand’s new inclusive, full-cover swimwear collection.
This ground-breaking outdoor activation, which took place at one of Dubai’s most popular public beaches saw the reveal of an incredible 5-metre high and three-meter-deep swimming pool. The “liquid billboard” could fit around 3,319 adidas shoe boxes and is made of reinforced transparent acrylic.
Havas Middle East has managed to put adidas at the heart of the global conversations around gender equality in swimming, body positivity and inclusivity.
“Making brands meaningful by decoding culture and creating outstanding work is our DNA. I am extremely proud of the immense talent of our teams at Havas Middle East and of our Cannes Lions recognitions on the first day of the awards. The Grand Prix for OOH is a win for the whole region and an acknowledgement of the power of communications. I’d like to thank our clients for their trust and support, and our teams for their passion and relentless efforts,” commented Dany Naaman, CEO Havas Middle East.
The Grand Prix was also complemented by 1 Gold, 2 Silvers & a Bronze in the outdoor category.
In the Print & Publishing Lions, 795 entries were received and 21 Lions awarded: 4 Gold, 6 Silver, and 10 Bronze Lions.
The Grand Prix went to ‘The Elections Edition’ for Annahar Newspaper, by Impact BBDO Dubai, securing a second Grand Prix for the United Arab Emirates.
The coveted award was given to “The Elections Edition ” for AnNahar newspaper, a bold campaign in which the newspaper opted not to print their daily edition but instead donated the paper and ink to print voting ballots on.
Commenting on the Grand Prix, Print & Publishing Lions Jury President, Natalie Lam, Chief Creative Officer, Publicis Groupe APAC & MEA, Hong Kong, SAR, said: "The Elections Edition has the kind of genius simplicity that we often see in Grand Prix winning work. The best work is the least complicated. It cuts through the clutter and hits straight at your heart. The element of innovative thinking also pushes work in the Lion ahead."
Dani Richa, Chairman and CEO IMPACT BBDO MEA, said, “We are very pleased to see Impact BBDO win a second Grand Prix for AnNahar Newspaper at Cannes Lions after having won the first MENA Grand Prix in 2019 – this goes to show the importance of consistency and determination for change. The irony is that it’s a Grand Prix in Print & Publishing when there was no printing at all – something that shows that the power of an idea can transcend design.”
This is the second Grand Prix won by Impact BBDO in the last three years, the previous one being the very first for the region in 2019.
Radio & Audio Lions received 692 entries and 23 Lions were awarded: 3 Gold, 7 Silver, and 12 Bronze Lions.
The Grand Prix went to ‘The Unfiltered History Tour’ of the British Museum, for VICE Media, by Dentsu Creative, Bengaluru / Dentsu Creative, Mumbai / Dentsu Creative, Guragaon, a creatively ground-breaking unofficial podcast guide to the British Museum's disputed artifacts.
In the Health & Wellness Lions, honouring creativity for personal well-being, 1,213 entries were received and 38 Lions awarded: 7 Gold, 11 Silver and 19 Bronze.
The Grand Prix went to ‘The Killer Pack’, Maxx Flash Mosquito Repellent Coil, by VMLY&R, Mumbai. This mosquito repellent, made from 100% biodegradable, innovative packaging which kills mosquito larvae when disposed in garbage dumps, dustbins and stagnant water, helping to break the vicious cycle of threatening diseases like dengue and malaria in India.
Pharma Lions, which celebrate life-changing creativity, from 298 entries, 11 Lions were awarded: 2 Gold, 4 Silver, and 4 Bronze Lions.
The jury awarded the Pharma Grand Prix to ‘I Will Always Be Me’ for Dell Technologies & Intel, VMLY&R, New York.
Jury President, Brett O’Connor, Executive Creative Director, VCCP Health, UK, said: "This piece of work blew our minds, the way in which they manage, through the user experience, to tell a very simple story about their condition to loved ones, friends and family. The genius behind the user experience to decrease the process down from three months to 30 minutes for us was just invaluable, especially at a time in their lives when every second counts."
The Lions Health and United Nations Foundation Grand Prix for Good, which is given to work created for non-profit organisations and charities, has been awarded to ‘Lil Sugar— Master Of Disguise’ for Hip-Hop Public Health (HHPH) by AREA 23, an IPG Health Network Company, New York.
Driven by a music video with a song, co-written and performed by rap sensation Darryl DMC McDaniels from Run-DMC, this highly creative piece of work used rap, storytelling and gaming to make nutrition literacy fun and turn kids into experts on sugar, driving engagement through Lil Sugar app downloads.
The Young Lions Print Gold winner was also announced live on stage: ‘The Protest Cardboard’ by Will Cega and Rafael Quintal, Germany.
This year a total of 25,464 entries from 87 countries is competing to become the global benchmark for excellence in creativity and effectiveness for the year ahead.
