Campaigns from across Australia and New Zealand have started winning at this year’s Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, led by New Zealand’s Colenso BBDO, which won one of two Grand Prix in the Outdoor category on the first day.
Colenso won with its Adoptable By Pedigree campaign, which aims to democratise dog adoption ads using AI to transform the image of a shelter dog into studio-quality photography, in line with the brand’s ongoing ambition to end dog homelessness.
Outdoor jury president Marco Venturelli, chief creative officer of Publicis Groupe, France, said of the two Grands Prix this year: “For the two Grands Prix, I’ve asked my wonderful Jurors to split their tired brains in two.
“On one side, looking for how a beautifully crafted picture and perfectly formulated wording can still make us crazy jealous. On the other, to search for a sign of what the future of Outdoor may hold. Long live Outdoor.”
The outdoor category received 2,053 entries, and 57 Lions were awarded: 10 gold, 18 silver, and 27 bronze.
Dentsu Aotearoa also won a Silver Lion for its Aid Aisle campaign for Freshchoice.
DDB Group Aotearoa won two Bronze Lions, one for its Ad-Ons campaign for McDonald’s and the other for Samsung NZ’s Different campaign.
In the audio and radio category meanwhile – which received 759 entries and awarded 23 Lions: four gold, six silver and 12 bronze – Howatson+Company‘s Touch campaign for Mastercard won bronze.
Ogilvy London and Sydney received one of 13 Bronze Lions in the print and publishing category for its 10 vs 10 campaign for Dove.
Plus VML Melbourne‘s FitChix work for Honest Eggs Co won a bronze Lion in the health and wellness category.
Simon Cook, CEO at LIONS, said: “As we kick off the 71st year of Cannes Lions, we couldn’t be more excited to share the first round of winners across Monday’s Lions.
“I’d like to thank the Jurors who have joined us from all around the world to generously provide their wisdom, time and energy to choose the best creativity our industry has to offer.”
See also: The Monkeys, Ogilvy, and M&C Saatchi among local Cannes shortlists