Ear and Now: Cannes Lions audio special
At the
Cannes Lions
International Festival of Creativity, it's very easy to pick the Grand Prix winners and just celebrate that. At
BE Extraordinary
, a series about the winners at Cannes Lions in collaboration with
Harsh Kapadia, CCO, Grey India,
we peer outside the Grand Prix, and look at clutter breaking work that picked the silvers and the bronzes, but don't often get discussed.
Nosotras: Me Feat. Me, DDB Chile
A prominent menstrual hygiene brand in Chile, driven by its mission to empower and support all menstruating individuals regardless of gender, recently unveiled a truly remarkable campaign. This initiative centered around an artist who had recorded a song prior to their gender transition.
The concept was simple yet profound: the artist performed a duet live on stage. What made it so captivating was the ingenious use of technology. Their past self, as recorded before the transition, was projected onto the stage, singing alongside their present female self. This created a powerful and moving harmony, a duet between two versions of the same individual – the current female self and the transitioning male self.
The performance beautifully encapsulated the journey of transition, highlighting not only the harmony within an individual's evolving identity but also the societal tensions that can sometimes arise. On the surface, it was simply a stunning duet. Yet, once the audience understood the story behind it, the depth and emotional resonance of the performance became even more apparent.
This campaign stood out for its innovative use of audio. While many brands support transgender individuals through visual storytelling, often focusing on the challenges and mental health aspects of transition, this project leveraged the power of sound. It showcased the changing voice as a testament to the journey, offering a refreshing and deeply impactful narrative. The brand, in collaboration with DDB Chile, harnessed the unique power of audio to tell a story of transformation, acceptance, and the beautiful, evolving harmony of self.
Brahma Beer: From hurt to hit, Africa Creative, DDB
This is the story of turning heartbreak into harmony. In Brazil, where alcohol
advertising
often navigates a "dark market" by associating brands with music and events, one particular beer brand, Brahma, found an incredibly innovative way to connect with its audience. Brahma had long been a prominent sponsor of
sertanejo
music, a popular Brazilian country genre known for its poignant lyrics about heartbreak and betrayal. While the brand also sponsored major events like soccer and Carnival, its connection to
sertanejo
ran deep.
Traditionally, when celebrities faced personal hardships, they would often release songs detailing their struggles, turning their pain into profit. Brahma, however, envisioned something different. They wanted to shift the focus from famous stories to the everyday experiences of their fans.
The brand launched a groundbreaking campaign that leveraged artificial intelligence. They invited individuals to share their own stories of heartbreak. These personal narratives were then transformed into unique songs using AI, and subsequently uploaded to Spotify. The remarkable aspect was that the individuals whose stories were used then earned royalties from these AI-generated tracks.
This initiative marked a beautiful transition for Brahma. Instead of merely celebrating established musicians and famous narratives, the brand empowered every fan in the crowd to become an artist in their own right. Given that sertanejo music deeply resonates with themes of heartbreak, this campaign was particularly impactful.
Brazilians, it turns out, often shy away from openly discussing their experiences with heartbreak or infidelity. Through this light-hearted yet deeply personal approach, Brahma facilitated a conversation that had long remained unspoken. They managed to turn personal hardship into a positive and engaging experience, all while making brilliant use of audio to transform individual pain into personal gain.
Coors Brewing Company - Cold Activated Announcers, Alma Advertising
Coors has always been synonymous with one thing: ice-cold beer. Their commitment to chill is so well-known that even their cans famously change color, signaling the perfect temperature for enjoyment. When it came time to record radio advertisements, the challenge was clear: how could they translate that signature "chill" into an auditory experience?
Instead of relying on studio trickery or simulated cold environments, the brand opted for an immersive, and quite daring, approach. They wanted their voiceover artists to truly
feel
the cold, to infuse their voices with an authentic shiver.
The solution? Ice plunges. The announcers were asked to step into tubs filled with icy water, transforming them into what the brand playfully called "cold-activated announcers." As anyone who's experienced an ice plunge knows, the extreme cold naturally alters your voice, introducing a subtle tremor, a shiver, and an undeniable sense of urgency.
This unconventional method yielded remarkable results. The performances captured a genuine, visceral coldness that simply couldn't be faked. It elevated the radio spots beyond mere spoken words, adding a layer of raw, authentic emotion. This commitment to craft, pushing beyond typical recording techniques to embody the very essence of their brand, showcased a dedication to detail that resonated deeply. They could have used a freezing room or an outdoor setting, but by immersing the artists in 42-degree water and recording them directly from the tub, Coors truly made the chill palpable.
Burger King - Burger to King, Happiness, a FCB Alliance
Burger King's AI commentary hack was a savvy play in Gaming sponsorships. Fast-food brands have long recognised the lucrative potential of the gaming world, a space where players spend hours immersed in virtual worlds, often with a craving for convenient meals. Burger King devised an incredibly clever strategy to infiltrate this market, especially in the context of soccer video games.
They noticed a unique linguistic opportunity: the presence of players named "Burger" and "King" within the game itself. This simple observation sparked an ingenious idea. With the release of EA Sports FC 25, which boasts enhanced audio commentary powered by dynamic AI, the brand saw its chance.
They launched a promotion encouraging gamers to strategically maneuver players named Berger and King so they would pass the ball to each other. When "Berger" passed to "King," the in-game commentator would inadvertently utter the brand's name: "Burger to King!" By encouraging this repetitive action, they effectively tricked the game's algorithm into having its commentators mention "Burger King" hundreds, even thousands, of times.
This was a brilliant, no-cost sponsorship hack. While their main competitor, McDonald's, held the official sponsorship rights with FC 25, this challenger brand found a way to organically integrate itself into the game's audio landscape without paying a cent. It's a testament to how creativity can hack technology, even when AI is driving the experience. This innovative approach demonstrates how brands can work alongside, or even cleverly circumvent, technological advancements to achieve their marketing goals, offering a compelling example of how AI can evolve opportunities rather than diminish them for creative minds.
Budweiser: One Second Ads, Africa Creative DDB
The only Grand Prix winner to feature in this showcase. Budweiser, understanding their fans' deep connection to music, leveraged this passion for a truly innovative campaign. They recognized that true music lovers can identify a song within its very first beats. This insight led to a brilliant concept: an "unskippable" audio challenge.
The brand launched a promotion where commercials would play just the opening second of a famous song and the commercial would immediately end. This entire campaign was built around the power of audio, featuring dozens of well-known songs.
Instead of crafting lengthy, intricate advertisements or playing full tracks, Budweiser opted for an engaging, interactive approach. The result was phenomenal. People weren't just passively listening; they were actively guessing the songs and, more importantly, sharing their guesses on social media. What began as a pre-roll or audio campaign quickly transformed into a highly viral social phenomenon, driven by the sheer joy of musical recognition.
If you think the
audio category
at this year's Cannes Lions featured any other outstanding work that could find its place here, do reach out to us on
prasad.s@timesinternet.in
with the subject line: '
Cannes Lions 2025
- BE Extraordinary'
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