Natalie Lam showcases her top 10 Cannes Contenders from Publicis Groupe APAC
Last year, Publicis Groupe APAC enjoyed its best-ever year at Cannes Lions with Grand Prix wins for Leo Burnett India (Whisper, The Missing Chapter) and Leo Burnett Australia (Suncorp, One House to Save Many). This year, Campaign Brief Asia asked Natalie Lam, Chief Creative Officer at Publicis Groupe APAC & MEA, to select 10 Cannes contenders for 2023 created by Publicis Groupe across the Asia Pacific.
Leo Burnett Australia
‘Bundy Mixer’
Client: Bundaberg (Australia)
Many sports fans underestimate the skill level of female athletes, even though their stats are just as good and sometimes better than male athletes. In partnership with NRL, Bundaberg and Leo Burnett Australia created the world’s first mixed-gender fantasy competition so rugby fans can pick the best of the best, not the best of blokes. Because you can’t argue with stats, and stats have no gender.
Leo Burnett Australia
‘Resilience Road’
Suncorp (Australia)
Leo Burnett and Suncorp took one of Australia’s most vulnerable streets and made it more resilient, taking the learnings of One House to Save Many and applying them to real homes. By embedding resilience into the public discourse, Suncorp and Leo Burnett are helping Australians to withstand and recover from future extreme weather events, while putting resilience at the heart of Suncorp’s business model. Resilience Road has just made the cut for the Innovation Lions shortlist.
Leo Burnett India
#BringBack2011
OREO (India)
OREO launched in India in 2011. India won the Cricket World Cup in 2011. By recreating Oreo’s 2011 launch, could India win the Cup again? When cricketer MS Dhoni walked into a press conference and introduced OREO in India for the ‘first’ time, it inspired other brands to #BringBack2011, too. Sometimes, to create history, we need to recreate history first.
L&K Saatchi & Saatchi, Mumbai
Indian Stretchable Time
Zepto
India is notorious for long wait times, so much so, Indian Standard Time (IST) is often called Indian Stretchable Time. Zepto’s campaign plays off this idea by showing customers waiting in a restaurant, airport, and clinic, where renowned classical singers, famous for stretching notes when singing, keep stretching the time in their signature singing style – a hilarious reminder that if you’re fed up with people stretching time, Zepto always delivers on time.
VIEW THE KAILASH KHER FILM
VIEW THE USHA UTHUP FILM
VIEW THE SHANKAR MAHADEVAN FILM
Leo Burnett Group Manila
Unbranded Menu
McDonald’s Philippines
McDonald’s and Leo Burnett challenged gamers to hunt for McDonald’s ‘food-alikes’ inside their favourite games and then swap these inedible discoveries for actual McDonald’s items. With more gamers and streamers joining and tagging their discoveries #ThisIsMcDonalds, the hunt was officially on. Now, when gamers find fast food hidden within their games, they think #ThisIsMcDonalds.
Leo Burnett Taipei, Taiwan
‘Donation Wallpaper’
McDonald’s Taiwan
In Taiwan, receipts aren’t just receipts – they’re a ticket to a government-run lottery. Most Gen Z donate their receipts, so their prize money goes to charity. But in the digital age, physical receipts have all but disappeared. To increase donations to RMHC, McDonald’s and Leo Burnett Taiwan created a series of downloadable wallpapers where each design is more than art – it’s a digital lottery ticket. Not only does this idea transform Taiwan’s receipt donation system, it makes it easy to do good in a digital world.
Publicis Q
Project Moonshot
INFINITI (Japan)
Moonbows are so rare that most of humankind will never experience one. Their rarity inspired INFINITI to create a truly inimitable pigment to launch its three-row SUV QX60: Moonbow Blue. But how to get people to experience this beautifully complex colour? INFINITI and Publicis Q teamed up with Ouchhh Studio in Istanbul to embark on ‘Project Moonshot’ – an immersive design experience that brings the brand’s stunning new color to life. Created using astral data from the moon, sun and stars, the result is 16 ever-evolving creations that capture the ethereal nature of Moonbow Blue.
Publicis Groupe Hong Kong
Art Care
AXA
Asia is home to some of the most overworked and stressed-out markets in the world. This series of deceptively simple eye, breathing and stretching exercises created by Japanese artist Yoshirotten brings self-care to everyone in the most prominent way possible. Located in high-traffic, high-stress CBD areas, AXA’s digital out-of-home didn’t push for sales or purchase consideration – they did the opposite, simply asking passers-by to relax, breathe, and focus on themselves for a moment.
BBH Singapore / Publicis Italy | LePub
‘Heinekicks’
Heineken
After inventing a new beer, Heineken Silver, Heineken promoted it not in an ad but in a unique physical product… a sneaker. Enter Heinekicks. Created in collaboration with The Shoe Surgeon, a highly-respected figure in the sneaker industry, the highlight of the red, green and silver sneakers with a hidden beer opener was undoubtedly the real Heineken Silver sloshing around in the clear soles. This limited-edition sneaker drop sent people into a frenzy. Sales skyrocketed, making it the biggest success for a product launch and promotion in all of Heineken’s history.
Leo Burnett India Mumbai
Airtel 175 Replayed
Airtel
Kapil Dev is a legendary cricketer whose famous innings (175 not out versus Zimbabwe during the 1983 Cricket World Cup) never made it to air due to a strike by broadcasters that day. So, when Airtel challenged Leo Burnett Mumbai to position the company as an innovative player in the tech space and show the power of 5G, the agency recreated this missing piece of national pride using technology and data – and just three historic images. To fill in the gaps, Leo Burnett India interviewed fans and players who were there that day, including Kapil himself, mapping over 1,000 data points relating to all 175 runs. It then recreated the match as a 5G immersive event, hosted by Kapil’s hologram, giving Indian cricket lovers the chance to witness history again.
