Created in partnership with IMPACT BBDO, the campaign transformed the UAE’s presence at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity into an open invitation for creatives, entrepreneurs, and innovators whose boldest concepts may have been rejected elsewhere. Rather than promoting a destination, the campaign promoted an environment where ambitious ideas could find the opportunity to become reality.

For the third consecutive year, the UAE established a strong presence across Cannes through a series of strategically placed out-of-home installations. Positioned around the Palais des Festivals and along the Croisette, the billboards addressed one of the advertising industry’s most familiar experiences: seeing promising ideas dismissed before they have the chance to be realised.

The campaign featured striking headlines including “The Ideas They Reject, We Build,” “The Idea Wasn’t Wrong. The Room Was,” and “Don’t Reduce the Idea. Change the Place.” Together, the messages reinforced the UAE’s long-running “Impossible is Possible” positioning while presenting the country as a place designed to support experimentation, innovation, and execution.

According to Khaled AlShehhi, Executive Director of Marketing and Communication at the UAE Government Media Office, the campaign drew inspiration from an experience shared by many creative professionals.

“Every creative professional understands what it feels like to have an idea questioned or dismissed,” he said. “Some concepts fail because they are not ready, but others simply arrive before the people evaluating them are prepared to embrace them. Our message is an invitation to those ideas that still deserve the opportunity to become reality.”

The campaign extended well beyond traditional billboards. Developed with IMPACT BBDO, it appeared across large-format outdoor advertising, digital screens, building wraps, and indoor media placements throughout the festival. Its visibility across key Cannes locations helped make the installations part of conversations taking place both inside and outside the official festival programme.

The campaign also generated significant engagement on social media, where delegates frequently photographed and shared the installations, helping the message reach audiences beyond Cannes itself.

Ali Rez, Regional Chief Creative Officer for IMPACT BBDO group of companies, said the work reflected the country’s broader ambition.

“The campaign represents a nation that believes bold thinking deserves bold action,” he said. “It’s an invitation to creators looking for a place where ambitious ideas have the opportunity to be realised.”

With this year’s Cannes presence, the UAE once again used one of the creative industry’s biggest stages to present itself not simply as a destination, but as a partner for ambitious thinkers. By focusing on ideas that never made it beyond the pitch room, the campaign challenged creatives to consider a different perspective: perhaps the idea was never the problem. Perhaps it was the place where it was presented.

This campaign is about:
UAE Government Media Office, UAE Cannes Lions Campaign, Cannes Lions 2026, Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, IMPACT BBDO, Outdoor Advertising, OOH Campaign, Creative Billboards, Brand Campaign, Innovation, Advertising, Creative Industry, Marketing Campaign.

This remarkable campaign, produced by FCB India for STIR, was conceptualized by the talented duo Rohit Chawla and Swati Bhattacharya. It not only dazzled festival attendees but also ignited critical conversations surrounding the Mahsa Amini protests in Iran.

A Campaign with a Cause

The Cannes Lions Festival, held from June 19-23, served as a global platform for creative excellence, and Untangling the Politics of Hair stood out for its poignant message. This campaign effectively used art and journalism to spotlight the protests that erupted following the tragic death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who lost her life after being arrested over a strand of hair escaping her hijab.

With support from UN Resident Coordinator in India, Shombi Sharp, this campaign has exemplified how art can serve as a powerful medium for social change. Amit Gupta, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of STIR, expressed gratitude for the recognition, emphasizing the campaign’s role in challenging societal norms.

The Power of Art and Solidarity

Hair and Her, an exhibition showcased at the India Art Fair 2023, was the birthplace of this impactful campaign. It featured haunting visuals that depicted the struggle women face due to patriarchal standards of hair-grooming. The thought-provoking video, produced by Veneet Raj Bagga and Onions Creative Media, featured a poignant Bengali song that articulated the silent cries of women bound by societal expectations.

This artwork didn’t just aim to be seen; it urged viewers to engage. Attendees were invited to leave a lock of their hair in a donation box, standing in solidarity with victims of what Chawla refers to as “hair apartheid.” This interactive element transformed passive viewers into active participants, further amplifying the campaign’s reach.

A Voice for the Voiceless

While world leaders often remained silent on the Mahsa Amini protests, STIR boldly chose to amplify the conversation. The campaign not only addressed a specific injustice but also resonated with broader issues of gender inequality and the societal pressures surrounding women’s appearances.

Rohit Chawla poignantly noted, “Untangling the Politics of Hair doesn’t just provoke you to see the work, but provokes you to do something about it.” This rallying cry encapsulates the essence of the campaign, encouraging audiences to move beyond mere observation and engage in meaningful action.

A Collaborative Triumph

The campaign’s success reflects a powerful collaboration among creatives united by shared values. As Swati Bhattacharya remarked, “This is a testament to what being unfettered can achieve for all of us. We fly when we’re unfettered.” The acknowledgment of diverse voices in the realms of art, design, and journalism highlights the importance of creating inclusive spaces for dialogue and understanding.

In conclusion, the Untangling the Politics of Hair campaign serves as a striking reminder of the intersection between art and activism. It showcases how creative initiatives can spark crucial conversations and mobilize public solidarity. With its recent recognition at Cannes Lions 2023, this campaign is set to inspire future endeavors that challenge the status quo and amplify the voices of the marginalized.

This campaign is about:
Cannes Lions 2023, Untangling the Politics of Hair, Mahsa Amini protests, FCB India, STIR, Rohit Chawla, Swati Bhattacharya, Art and Activism, Gender Equality, India Art Fair 2023.

Clubfoot, a congenital condition that affects the mobility and quality of life of those afflicted, predominantly impacts individuals living below the poverty line. While it is classified as a birth defect, numerous environmental and economic factors contribute to its prevalence. The high cost of surgical or specialized footwear solutions often makes them inaccessible to low-income families. Consequently, living with clubfoot not only impairs mobility but also strips individuals of opportunities and dignity.

Recognizing this pressing issue, Buckaroo’s and McCann Worldgroup have developed an innovative solution that not only addresses the medical needs of individuals with clubfoot but also ensures the solution is cost-effective, widely distributable, and scalable. Their groundbreaking initiative, the Fit My Feet kit, was specifically designed to leverage the extensive network of street cobblers across India.

Innovative and Inclusive Design
The Fit My Feet kit is the result of a collaborative effort involving orthopedic doctors and footwear designers. Developed late last year, the kits underwent rigorous testing with street cobblers earlier this year. After finalizing material testing and incorporating valuable feedback, the kits were launched in a test market in Mumbai.

Since February, the initiative has seen remarkable success. Over 228,000 custom flip-flops have been distributed, transforming the lives of many individuals with clubfoot. The kits are now in use by more than 4,500 street cobblers, with plans to expand nationwide by the end of the year.

Affordable and Empowering
One of the standout achievements of the Fit My Feet initiative is its affordability. Each pair of custom flip-flops costs just USD 2.40, making them accessible to those who need them most. Moreover, the initiative has created a new revenue stream for street cobblers, empowering them economically.

Prasoon Joshi, chairman of McCann Worldgroup Asia Pacific and CEO and chief creative officer of McCann Worldgroup India, expressed his pride in the project, stating, “Fit My Feet weaves threads of compassion along with innovation for individuals affected by clubfoot and India’s cobbler community.”

A Vision for the Future
The success of the Fit My Feet initiative highlights the potential for innovative, compassionate solutions to address complex social and medical issues. By creating a sustainable, scalable model, Buckaroo’s and McCann Worldgroup have set a precedent for future projects aimed at improving the lives of disadvantaged populations.

As the initiative prepares to expand across India, it brings hope and opportunity to thousands more individuals affected by clubfoot. The collaborative effort stands as a testament to what can be achieved when creativity, compassion, and practicality come together in the service of humanity.

Credits
Agency: McCann Worldgroup India
Client: Buckaroo

This campaign is about:
McCann Worldgroup India, clubfeet, footwear designers, Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Cannes Lions 2024, Buckaroo, Fit My Feet, Custom Footwear, Footwear DIY, Customized flip-flops for Clubfeet.

1 out of 8 women has breast cancer. Yet, more cases could be detected early if more women are self-checked. Because we know how hard it can be to talk about breasts or cancer, traditional Lebanese baker Um Ali helps us demonstrate how to self-check in total respect of our culture and intimacy: kneading and pressing dough.

Award: Cannes Lions 2021 PR Grand Prix, Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity

Credits
Advertising Agency: McCann Health, McCann Paris
Production Company: Satellite my love / Paris, Octopus, Craft
Client: Spinneys Supermarkets, Lebanese Breast Cancer Foundation
Tags: American University of Beirut Medical Centre, British Islamic Medical Association, Weber Shandwick, World Cancer Day, Breast Cancer

“The Gas Saving Burner” is only shortlisted Product Design – B03 Solution category at 64th Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, 2017 and awarded two Grand Prix at 8th Commward 2018 from GREY Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Credits
Advertising Agency: Grey, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Chief Creative Officer: Syed Gousul Alam
Head of Planning / Servicing: Salahuddin Shahed
Creative Director: Jaiyyanul Huq
Art Director: Muhammad Mustafizur Rahman Khan
Copywriter: Waleed K. Rajamiya
3D Imaging: Yousuf Al Mamun Razib
Senior Visualizer: Aminullah Bin Mahmood
Client Service Director: Masud Parvez
Account Manager: Chowdhury Rahman Rayhan
Account Executive: Nakib Ahmed
Associate Planning Director: Bitop Das Gupta
Sr. Planning Manager: Ummiya Rahman
Planning Executive: Saurav Das

 
Credits
Brand: Vision Zero Project
Campaign: The Impactful Reminder
Award: Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity 2019
Agency: Sid Lee
Executive Creative Director: Alex Bernier
Creative Director: Jonathan Lavoie
Copywriter: David Allard
Art Director: Jonathan Lavoie
Client Services Director: Marie-Julie Cossette
Agency production: Marie-Pier Lavoie

Director: Alex Miglierina
DOP: Benoit Jones Vallée
Camera Assistant: Alexane Bouvrette
Steadicam: Mathieu Charest
Grip: Alain Tremblay
Editor: Sarah Bérubé
Motion design: : Gérardo Manjirrez, Isabelle Vouligny
Social media strategy: Odile Archambault
Social media management: Anne Murray-Potvin
Interviews: Caitlin Walsh Miller
Researcher: Annick Charlebois
Public relations: Katia Aubin, Kristel Dupont
Sound mixing: Frédéric Laurier – BLVD
Web production: Simon Arnold, Maxime Daoust, Alsu Kurbanova, Caroline Royer, Alex Pilon, Vincent Paradis
Web design: Jonathan Pinard
Computer graphics: Sarah-Jeanne Turgeon

Production: Sud-Ouest
Executive producer : Simon Lavoie
Producer: Guillaume Bilodeau
Production Director : Anthony Martino Maurice

And yet despite its status as a disaster-prone nation, its people have low awareness of disaster preparedness, with surveys showing that 2/3 of the population can say they are not adequately prepared for disasters.

In particular, those who have never experienced disasters find it difficult to imagine what specifically their circumstances would be like. We saw that this led to low levels of disaster preparedness, and wanted to let everyone know the preparations required for each person in evacuation shelters.

To get across the idea that every individual’s post-disaster needs are unique depending on their characteristics and living environments, we incorporated individual experiences as well as the media, celebrities, government and other public organizations in our message to generate greater awareness among the public. We set up a website that everyone could access, a hands-on event with illustrated cards depicting emergency kit items, and a special elementary school lesson to promote early awareness and understanding. And to symbolize the diversity involved in disaster preparations, we had opinion leaders in celebrity, media, and government promote the project to the population to gain wider reach across social media.

Immediately after an earthquake or other disaster, media coverage and interest among the government, corporations and populace focus on the afflicted area. But few take into consideration the diverse characteristics and living environments of people forced to evacuate. It is a little-known fact that many people in post-disaster shelters suffer from declining health, or even lose their lives. For this reason, we wanted to make it easier for people who have never experienced a disaster to immediately take action by clearly presenting the kinds of emergency kit items that people would need for themselves and their living environments.

The launch of the project was timed to the week before the anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami when reporting and awareness about disasters and disaster preparedness are highest in Japan. Our approach was to present a new concept that emergency kits are unique for diverse types of people. We communicated this through a website and hands-on events with illustrated cards that show how different kinds of people should prepare for disasters. These were covered in numerous online articles and TV reports. Participants posted positive comments about the project on social media. This widespread recognition contributed to greater awareness about disaster preparations. Celebrities, government agencies, international NGOs and others saluted our new concept and began promoting it on their own.

The project received widespread media coverage, along with support from Japan’s Cabinet Office, the United Nations Information Centre, UNICEF, and other government and international non-governmental organizations. The Japanese government has begun studying ways to use this project to promote awareness among the public. Participants posted many positive comments about it on social media, and the public started packing their emergency kits with consideration for themselves and those around them.

Campaign: Diversity In Disaster Preparation
Client Yahoo!, Japan
Product / Service: CSR
Category: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) / Corporate Image
Entrant: Dentsu Inc.

This campaign is about:
Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Social media campaign, Digital campaign

The film focuses on women’ reviews of prostitutes and is based on men who read real reviews from a site similar to what we know from, for example, TrustPilot. But they do it through a bunch of undressed women, who appear vulnerable and voiceless. It gives us an insight into a cold and offensive view on women and into what women in prostitution must tolerate.

On the dark web, closed prostitution forums flourish, and men share reviews of sexual encounters with trafficked women, with no legal repercussion. NEWLIVES wanted to be a mouthpiece for these women by using the reviews of their abusers. It went undercover on the dark web and extracted hundreds of reviews and the names of authors, then had actors and real sex workers lip-sync them un-edited in a very explicit film that exposed both words and usernames of each reviewer for the world to see.

About NEWLIVES
NEWLIVES ‘aim is, through career coaching, empowerment tools and other activities to strengthen both foreign and Danish prostitutes to get out of prostitution. We do this by focusing on the women’s personal skills and potentials in new ways.

NEWLIVES also aims to increase awareness through innovative campaigns that prostitution and human trafficking also takes place in Denmark, create debate and get more help to prostitutes and victims of human trafficking.

Credits
Advertiser Brand: NEWLIVES, Unseen Uk, Sohoptimist,
Entrant Company: No Sleep
Production Company (additional): Uitch Iscratch
Executive Creative Director: Martin Nørgaard Furze, Jacob Salling
Director: Martin Nørgaard Furze
Art Director: Camilla Ploug
Art Director: Martin Nørgaard Furze
Copywriter: Camilla Ploug
Director: Mette Carla Albrechsen
Producer: Kate Kagawa, Oliver Raben
Cinematographer: Jacob Møller
Editor: Jens Høll, Andreas Krogh Rasmussen
Grader: Hanibal Lang
Composer: Esben Valløe, Tim Panduro, Simun Mohr
Sound Designer Nis Nørgaard
Voice Over Talent: Emilia jasmin
Production Design: Freja-Ulla Krebz

Source

This campaign is about:
Health, Wellness, Lifestyle, Anti trafficking, Copenhagen, Denmark, Awareness Campaign, NGO, Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Non-profit, Public Interest, EU International Anti-trafficking day, The One Show, NEWLIVES, Human Trafficking

Dutch music agency Sizzer and German animation studio Sehsucht didn’t give in to the cancellation of Cannes Lions but interviewed 60 (!) people via Zoom, created an awesome music video and organized the virtual release party last week instead. The theme: that what binds us all, love. ‘It was so great to catch up with everyone!’

Credits
Advertising Agency: Sizzer & Sehsucht, Amsterdam, Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Germany
Music House: Sizzer
Music Supervisor: Nitzan Hoffmann
Business Designer: Ivan Flugelman
Office Manager – Jack Of All Trades: Dion Holla

Tags:
Zoom Video Call, Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Agency Self-Promo, Music, Sizzer & Sehsucht, Technology, Innovation, Digital

Khalsa Aid is a UK-based NGO that aims to provide humanitarian aid in civil conflict zones and disaster areas around the world.

We live in troubled times, and you see these troubles and crises populate our social media in the form of hashtags. But hashtags do little more than provoke debates and conversations.

Hashtags don’t heal seeks to move readers from arm-chair activism to making a real difference to the lives of the affected; by supporting the efforts of Khalsa Aid, through donations.

The campaign uses actual pictures from Syrian war-inflicted areas and the message itself is strung together with actual hashtags used around the issue.

Credits
Agency: DDB Mudra Group, India
Creative: Rahul Mathew, Shagun Seda, Ashish Phatak, Manish Darji, Prasad Rao, Tushar Sawant, Rahil Arcot, Amol Jadhav, Ravindra Ambavkar
Business management: Ellina Rath, Ankita Choudhary

Tags:
Cannes Lions, Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity 2019, Khalsa Aid, Hashtags Don’t Heal, NGO, Print advertising, Creative Print Ads, Print campaign, Creative Advert, Syria

The agency collected data about pollution from each beach in Mexico and made it visible in our packaging. Each can come with a specific beach name and its level of contamination.

The more contaminated water on each of the beaches, the less blue in the cans. Our call to action was simple, we must recover the blue of the seas using less plastic.

That’s way, when people took our beer they also took away conscience about the situation happening in our beaches.

Credits
Brand: Corona
Campaign: Losing Blue
Agency: Leo Burnett Mexico
Leo Burnett Worldwide Chief Creative Officer: Mark Tutssel
Leo Burnett Mexico Chief Executive Officer: Horacio Navarro
Leo Burnett Mexico Chief Creative Officer: Federico Russi
Leo Burnett México General Creative Director: Diego Ortiz
Leo Burnett Australia Creative Director: Jim Walsh
Leo Burnett Australia Creative Director: Blair Kimber
Leo Burnett Australia Copywriter: Ellie Dunn
Leo Burnett Australia Art Director: Stacy Karayannis
Leo Burnett Mexico Art Director: Raquel Jauregui
Leo Burnett Mexico Art Director: Alejandro Castro
Leo Burnett Australia Planner: Andrea Nelson
Leo Burnett Mexico Producer Director: Roberto Collazo
Leo Burnett Mexico Producer: Liliana Valdespino
Leo Burnett Mexico – Account Director: Hugo Rivapalacio
Production House: Bionica TV

Tags:
Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Leo Burnett Mexico, Losing Blue, Corona, Beer, Leo Burnett Worldwide, Mexican beaches, Integrated Campaign, Mexico, Alcoholic Drinks, OOH Advertising, Best Outdoor Advertising Campaigns, Best OOH campaigns, Best Outdoor Ads

In order to make people of Switzerland realise that the new Galaxy S8 should be perceived as an iconic design marvel during its launch, it came up with an idea that made design the hero to gain traction in the iPhone dominated Swiss market. It launched the Samsung: The Newspaper Design Edition campaign.

We think that Samsung must have had two tasks in front of them to make the launch of Samsung Galaxy 8 a hit. First, it had to persuade citizens of a country to believe that Samsung’s design has changed. Second, it had to do that in a way such that their message reaches the citizens of Switzerland in a single stroke. Samsung decided to change the design of something that the 1.2 million people of Switzerland handle on a day-to-day basis. It’s 20 MINUTES, Switzerland’s most popular daily newspaper.

To mark the launch day of the brand new Galaxy S8, a brand new design was created and adapted to the largest Swiss daily newspaper. Many changes were done to the newspaper. For example, the type area was changed, the typography was new, a uniform concept was devised for photography, and new icons were designed for every section. Basically, everything was re-designed from the horoscope to the weather map. In the process, the design always focused on the Samsung Galaxy S8. The people of Switzerland were completely taken by surprise as you can see in the ad!

Credits
Advertising Agency: Jung von Matt/Limmat, Switzerland
Design Company: Studio Feixen
Media Agency: Starcom
Film Studio: TeamTumult
Music / Sound Company: Miteinander Musik
Chief Creative Officer: Dennis Lück
Creative Directors: Lorenz Clormann, Samuel Wicki
Art Director: Matthias Fürst
Copywriter: Lukas Amgwerd
Account Executive: Vanessa Zwinselman
Public Relations: Daniela Chiani
Designers: Raphael Leutenegger, Felix Pfäffli, Daniel Peter
Cinematographer: Marwan Abdalla
Sound Designer: Manuel Fischer
Media Planner: Natalie Grichting

Tags:
Print, Switzerland, Electronics, Technology, Samsung, Jung von Matt, Starcom, Studio Feixen, Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Innovation, Newspaper, Newspaper Design, Galaxy S8, Samsung Galaxy S8, Samsung Campaigns, Samsung Ads

D&AD Awards are recognised globally as the ultimate in creative excellence, while D&AD Impact celebrates great, transformative, creative ideas that have had real impact and make a positive difference to the world. #GiveHer5 was recognised as one of those ideas on 27th September 2017 when it was awarded the coveted Graphite Pencil at the D&AD Impact ceremony in New York.

A much spoken about the campaign, #GiveHer5 is the crowdfunding initiative that aimed to draw attention to the 5 days over 350 million girls in India (nearly 80% of the country) miss every month, just because of their period. That’s 60 days lost a year, 3.9 years over a lifetime. Just Rs.150 could give her 5 of those days back. #GiveHer5 was the movement that did just that.

Follow the campaign here: www.giveher5.org

Watch D&AD Impact Awards 2017 Winners

Campaign related to:
D&AD Professional Awards 2017, #GiveHer5, crowdfunding initiative, Law & Kenneth, Saatchi & Saatchi, Glass Lion, Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, D&AD Impact Awards, creative ideas, Digital campaign, D&AD Pencils, Creative Advertising, Design Awards, Graphite Pencil in D&AD Awards, Reusable Protection, Saafkins, sanitation, school, video spot, LivingGuard technology, Sanitary Napkins, sanitary protection, Girl education in India, Ammada Trust, menstruation, Female sanitation, Give Her 5, sanitary pads

Casta Diva Group makes its presence known at the 2016 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity with a Silver Lion in the Print & Publishing- Media & Publications and a Bronze Lion in the Use of Ambient Outdoor category for “Flights”.

Produced by Casta Diva Buenos Aires for El Cronista Comercial (agency Grey Argentina, and directed by Marcelo Szechtman), “Flights” makes economics and the economy come alive for people who lack expertise in the subject.

El Cronista Comercial, Argentina’s principal financial newspaper, invited the followers of its new Facebook profile to an airport just outside Buenos Aires.
Here, El Cronista Comercial let the people enjoy an aerobatic flight at 15,000 feet that provided a metaphor for the highs and lows of interest rates, exchange rates and share prices, helping to make the unfolding of the 2001 Argentine financial crisis, the 2012 Greek default and the bursting of the dotcom bubble in 2000 all more comprehensible to the ‘newbies’ present.
The succession of aerobatics, designed to reflect real economic trends, also generated in the audience the same adrenalin that courses through the veins of those who work daily in the financial markets.

“Those are the 14th international award which Casta Diva Group has won since the beginning of the year,” declare Andrea De Micheli and Luca Oddo, the group’s
respective CEO and President. “Our international network, present in thirteen countries, allows us to achieve these results, thanks to the fact that we always put
at the disposal of our clients the best directors and the latest technology, taking our branded content to the highest levels of excellence.”

Credits:
General Creative Director: Diego Medvedocky
Creative team: Hernán Kritzer, Lisandro Cardozo, Alejandro Devoto, Martín Stuart
Production company: Casta Diva Buenos Aires
Director: Marcelo Szechtman
Executive Producer: Marcos Hernández
Audio / video Producer: Valeria Magrini