The Official Cannes Lions Wrap-Up 2024: Creative Impact

Heinz’s stance on simplicity and creative commitment over time has paid off: ‘It Has To Be Heinz’ won the Creative Effectiveness Lions Grand Prix. Over the last five years, Heinz has grown its US retail sales by nearly 50% to reach $851m in 2023. Jury President Harjot Singh, Global Chief Strategy Officer at McCann and McCann World Group, praised the work for being current and enduring: “There’s a temptation to abandon something vs optimising what you have. This is unforgettable work with undeniable impact.”

Dove’s Gold Creative Effectiveness Lion winner ‘#TurnYourBack’ mobilised 68 influencer partners across eight markets to take a stand against the face-distorting Bold Glamour app. With the campaign going live within 72 hours of Bold Glamour going viral, it demonstrated how a clear positioning can allow a brand to react quickly to cultural moments.

Silver Creative Effectiveness Lion winner ‘Bring Home The Bud’ was a last-minute pivot by Budweiser that helped it become one of the most-talked-about brands around the 2022 Qatar World Cup. The comeback earned $400m in earned media, showing how to turn a challenge into a high-stakes storytelling moment.

Business platform Workday won a Bronze Creative Effectiveness Lion with a campaign that saw musicians reclaiming the word ‘rock star’ from the corporate world. It grew leads by 50% and helped lift Workday’s share price. Juror Laila Mignoni, Global Vice President of Creative at Bacardi, commented: “For a brand that does not have a face, humour humanises the brand”.

Food delivery app PediodsYa sent a push notification to Argentina to mark the delivery of the football World Cup trophy. For every dollar spent on production, the brand achieved a return of $6, netting it a Gold Creative Effectiveness Lion. Juror Islam ElDessouky, Coca-Cola’s Global VP of Creative, described it as “product communication on steroids. It could have been seen as intrusive. Instead, it’s a fresh response to culture.”