Procter & Gamble had a Grand time at the Cannes Film Lions competition on Friday (6/22) as two of its efforts garnered Film Grand Prix honors: P&G’s “The Talk” directed by Malik Vitthal of The Corner Shop for BBDO New York; and the “It’s A Tide Ad” Super Bowl campaign helmed by the Traktor collective via Rattling Stick for Saatchi & Saatchi, NY,
“The Talk” is part of P&G’s continuing My Black Is Beautiful initiative. The piece features different African-American parents having “The Talk” with their kids about racial bias and how it can make life more difficult–and at times even more dangerous. In one of this piece’s most poignant moments, a girl behind the wheel of a car insists she’s a good driver and her mom doesn’t need to tell her what to do if she gets pulled over. The girl has no intention of getting pulled over because she obeys the speed limit and the rules of the road. Mom doesn’t doubt that but she has to explain to her daughter, “This is not about getting a ticket. This is about you not coming home.”
Damon Jones, VP, global communications, P&G, said, “This honor reinforces the power and the responsibility of brands to be the courageous change we want and need in the world. We’re humbled that ‘The Talk’ sparked dialogue, opened hearts and changed minds.”
Meanwhile, P&G's Tide detergent shared the Film Grand Prix with “The Talk” for hijacking the 2018 Super Bowl by turning every ad into a Tide ad. It kicked off with actor David Harbour establishing that whenever the viewer sees clean clothes, it’s a #TideAd. He then appeared six more times in stereotypical Super Bowl ads, send-ups of several infamous past Super Bowl spots, and even as part of the broadcast. #TideAd trended on Twitter immediately, with people even generating their own #TideAd content.
That social dynamic additionally landed the “It’s A Tide Ad” campaign a Titanium Lion.
In the Film Lions, 2,158 entries were received and 74 Lions awarded: 10 Gold, 20 Silver and 42 Bronze.
In addition to the Film and Titanium Lions, Cannes closing night ceremonies also included the Sustainable Development Goals Lions, the Creative Effectiveness Lions and Glass: The Lion for Change.
The Titanium Lions drew 154 entries and 5 Titanium Lions were awarded. The Grand Prix went to “Palau Pledge,” by Host/Havas, Sydney, Australia, for Palau Legacy Project, Australia. The “Pledge” campaign is for the Palau Legacy Project, which requires visitors to Palau to sign a passport pledge to act in an ecologically responsible way on the island. Titanium is just one of three Grand Prix honors bestowed upon “Palau Pledge–the others being for the Sustainable Development Goals Lions and earlier in the week “Palau Pledge” topped the Direct Lions.
In the Sustainable Development Goals Lions, 898 entries were received and 29 Lions awarded: 3 Gold, 10 Silver and 15 Bronze.
Titanium Lions jury president Colleen DeCourcy, chief creative officer of Wieden+Kennedy, said of “Palau Pledge” winning the Titanium Grand Prix, “It won our hearts, not because of the good it did but because of the good it was. If our job is capturing attention and transferring it from mind to heart, ‘Palau Pledge’ was constructed as an incredibly effective vehicle. Truly inspiring work that will have a lasting legacy.”
In Glass: The Lion for Change, 218 entries were received and 11 Lions awarded: 2 Gold, 3 Silver and 5 Bronze. The Grand Prix winner: “Bloodnormal,” by AMVBBDO, London, for Essity, is a powerful work that challenges perceptions of female menstruation.
In the Creative Effectiveness Lions, 169 entries were received and 18 Lions awarded: 2 Gold, 6 Silver and 9 Bronze. The Grand Prix went to “Savlon Healthy Hands Chalk Sticks,” by Ogilvy Mumbai, India, for ITC, described by the jury as an authentic cause collaboration that drove results.
Special Awards
The Palme d’Or, presented to the most awarded production company, went to: MJZ, USA in first place; second to Revolver/Will O’Rourke, Australia; and third to The Corner Shop, USA.
Agency of the Year went to: adam&eveDDB, London; second to AMVBBDO, London; third to BBDO New York.
Network of the Year went to: BBDO Worldwide, second to Ogilvy, third to DDB Worldwide.
Independent Agency of the Year was given to: Jung von Matt, Hamburg; second to Droga5, New York; third to Wieden+Kennedy, London.
Holding Company of the Year was given to: Omnicom, second to WPP, third to Interpublic Group.
Google was named Creative Marketer of the Year, honoring the brand for inspiring innovative marketing of their products and services. Google’s chief marketing officer Lorraine Twohill collected the award.
Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever, accepted the Cannes LionHeart Award for his continued commitment to putting long-term, sustainability at the heart of Unilever.
Brothers, Piyush and Prasoon Pandey, were honored with this year’s Lion of St. Mark award for outstanding contributions to the industry. Piyush Pandey is executive chairman and creative director of Ogilvy South Asia. Prasoon Pandey is one of the most awarded directors in India. He is credited with directing the first Indian campaign to win a Lion, for Ericsson’s “One Black Coffee” in 1996.
The Grand Prix for Good was presented to “Project Revoice,” by BWM Dentsu, Sydney, for The ALS Association, Australia.
Young Lions Film Competition winners were announced as–1st place: Andreas Arnaa, MediaCom Beyond Advertising and Jesper Sichlau, MediaCom, Denmark; 2nd place: Andreas Servan and Martin Ruud Andersen, Knowit Experience, Norway; 3rd place: Elnara Ialaltdinova and Vladimir Vaulin, Zebra Hero, Russia
Young Lions Digital Competition winners were announced as–1st place: Julian Robert Barrantes and Esteban Molina Vasquez, Madison, Costa Rica; 2nd place: Nicholas Bakshi and Erika Reyes, BETC, France; 3rd place: Shelia Losada Lopez, Publicis and Sara Collazo Duran, Y&R Mex, Mexico
Winning work from Cannes Lions is available to view here.
