Go bold gold

Asia’s marketing community has a reputation for shunning controversy. But the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is all about bold, boundarybreaking work — which is why Asia’s best prospects this year are coming from those agency/client partnerships that know that being different pays. Here, Angel Guerrero, founder, president and editor-in-chief of adobo magazine, shares some of her top picks for this year’s competition

AS FURPHY/Thinkerbell’s ‘What

The Truck’ demonstrates, Asia Pacific client/agency partnerships aren’t afraid of standing out from the crowd and showing how smart, solid ideas can cut through wherever they are seen. It’s good to see a return to humour in many of these ideas and how many large consumer-goods advertisers are taking advantage of it. For client and agency teams who want to do well at this year’s Cannes Lions — and next year, for those who don’t make it in 2023 — the lessons seem clear: be bold, be distinctive and don’t be afraid to have some fun. These contenders are showing the way with their exceptional creative talent and ambition. The industry is showing all the signs of a new direction and a revival of optimism after the difficult years of the pandemic. If work like this is showing the way, then the creative future of Asia is a promising one…

Furphy’s ‘What The Truck?’ by Thinkerbell Australia

This classic example of outrageous Outdoor created consternation on the street and then set the internet on fire. Furphy beer took a truck and turned it on its side between two buildings in downtown Sydney, causing everyone who passed it to wonder how on earth it had got there (it was lifted into place in the middle of the night, of course) and then to share it on social media for likes and shares. When one commenter said, “Is it Banksy?” the agency said: “We knew we must be doing something right...”

Mondelez India’s Oreo

‘#BringBack2011’

by Leo Burnett India

Based on nothing more substantial than the coincidence that the cricket World Cup was won by India in the same year that Oreo launched in the country, ‘#BringBack2011’ takes this slender thread and weaves comedy gold. It cleverly taps into the superstition of hardcore cricket fans that the omens are right for India to stage a repeat victory — thanks to Oreo. When asked about Asia’s conservative performance on the awards-show circuit, Rajdeepak ‘Raj’ Das, CEO and chief creative officer of Leo Burnett

South Asia, the agency behind ‘#BringBack2011’, told adobo magazine: “I don’t know about Asia but India is performing amazingly. It’s because [of the country’s] growing economy and healthy creative culture. The entire creative industry is inspiring each other in a good way and turning the country into a new creative powerhouse.”

Suntory Tennensui’s ‘Endless Dawn’ by Dentsu Tokyo

Faced with Japan’s saturated mineral-water market, flooded with low-quality products, Suntory decided to introduce a pure, highquality water. In order to tell a distinct story and highlight Suntory Tennensui’s quality commitment to web influencers and those who believe ‘all water is the same’, Dentsu used advanced web design and a 3D model to create an immersive, navigable space, tracing the path of the water through Japan’s beautiful Northern Alps. By merging formats (MP4 and WebGL), the agency developed a seamless experience around the unending flow of a ‘water’ character. This content was also repurposed for cinema advertising.

Monde Nissin/Voiz’s ‘The Innocent Eyes’ by Ogilvy Group Thailand

Bangkok with Factory01 Bangkok

Thailand is rightly famous for its humorous video productions and ‘The Innocent Eyes’ campaign from Ogilvy Bangkok for Voiz Waffle Choco continues the tradition with what the agency describes as a “quirky and hilarious” campaign. It features a young couple who only have eyes for... the product. The eyes themselves become characters in the drama, morphing into naughty kids who betray the secret desires of their owner. ‘The Innocent Eyes’ comes to Cannes on the back of a triumphant run at several other global shows.

McDonald’s ‘Unbranded Menu’ by Leo Burnett Philippines

The ‘Unbranded Menu’ saw Leo Burnett Manila hijack the gaming multiverse with an open challenge to gamers to go hunt for McDonald’s ‘food-alikes’ — and then swap their inedible discoveries for actual McDonald’s items. It all started with the Philippines’ most popular gaming personality, Alodia Gosiengfiao, finding a Big Mac lookalike inside Grand Theft Auto V and posting a screenshot of it. She then challenged her eight million followers to join the mission. To fuel the hunt, McDonald’s food, gaming credits, consoles and other gaming merchandise were given away in exchange for screenshots of food-alikes.