The Official Cannes Lions Wrap-Up 2024: Insights and Trends

Titanium Lions Grand Prix ‘DoorDash All-The-Ads’ promised Super Bowl viewers the chance to win products from all 76 ads aired during the game. As brands announced their ads, the prize cart grew, helping DoorDash amass 8bn impressions before the event had started. “It hijacked a cultural moment, making people look at the company in a fresh way,” said Jury President Debbi Vandeven, VML’s Global Chief Creative Officer.

‘Life is Not an IKEA Catalogue’ subjected IKEA furniture to vomit, dog pee and reckless partygoers. By disputing the glossiness of its own catalogue, it highlighted the practicality and durability of IKEA products and helped in-store and online traffic reach an all-time high. It shows how brutal honesty can bring you closer to your audience.

Small businesses were breaking Coca-Cola’s brand guidelines with unofficial versions of the soft drink giant’s iconic logo. Rather than regulate them, the brand used these scribbles to prove its relevance in local markets. It reached 3.78 billion people across the world, demonstrating how to give people a platform to play with your brand.

Dutch telco KPN helped pass the Dutch Sexual Crimes Act by partnering with singer MEAU to create a song inspired by real stories from her young fans. “This was driven so deep in culture, phenomenally so. It reframed society's understanding of a misunderstood issue,” said Jury President Vita M Harris, Global Chief Strategy Officer at FCB. It won the Creative Strategy Lions Grand Prix.

Demonstrating how to put creativity at the centre of celebrity partnerships was Social & Influencer Lions Grand Prix winner CeraVe. The skincare brand embraced a Reddit thread claiming that it was developed by Michael Cera, then used the Super Bowl to make its message clear: CeraVe is developed by dermatologists. It resulted in 32bn earned impressions and a 2200% increase in search for CeraVe. This demonstrates how brands can leverage internet culture and unlock meme potential.