India 'Ink' strikes gold on day 1 of Cannes Lions 2025
The
Cannes Lions
International Festival of Creativity 2025 has seen India secure awards and shortlists across various categories. Indian agencies have shown capabilities in Outdoor, Health and Wellness, Pharma, and Print and Publishing.
As of day 1 and day 2 announcements, India has received two Gold, four Silver, and three Bronze Lions, bringing the total medal count to nine. This indicates India's continued presence at the festival.
Awarded Campaigns:
Gold Lions:
FCB India received a Gold in the Outdoor category for "Lucky Yatra" for Indian Railways. This campaign addressed ticketless travel by linking train tickets to a lottery.
Havas Creative India was awarded a Gold in Print and Publishing for "Ink of Democracy" for The Times of India, a campaign related to voter participation.
Silver Lions:
Talented, Bangalore, earned a Silver in Outdoor for "Nature Shapes Britannia" for Britannia Industries, noted for its use of sustainable billboard design.
FCB Kinnect, Mumbai, secured a Silver in Outdoor for "Too Yumm! To Cheer!" for Too Yumm!, involving edible cheer signs to work around stadium snack restrictions.
Godrej Creative Lab received a Silver in Health & Wellness for the "Naga Saint Eye Test" campaign for the Eyebetes Foundation, focused on eye screenings at Kumbh 2025.
Lowe Lintas, Mumbai, took a Silver in Pharma for "Dawai Reader" for Alkem Laboratories, an AI-powered tool designed to interpret handwritten prescriptions.
Bronze Lions:
FCB India also received a Bronze for "Lucky Yatra" in the Outdoor category.
Ogilvy Mumbai secured two Bronze Lions in Outdoor: one for "Chai Bansuri – The Tea Flute" for Unilever's Brooke Bond Taj Mahal Tea, an installation that combined tea culture with Indian classical music, and another for "Vi Guardian Beads" for Vodafone Idea, which used engraved beads for locating missing persons.
Shortlist summary:
India's overall shortlist tally stands at 76 shortlists across 20 categories. This year's submission count from India was 982 entries, an increase from 826 in 2024.
Agencies with multiple shortlists include:
Ogilvy India
FCB India
Havas Creative India
Talented
Leo Burnett
Lowe Lintas
Shortlisted campaigns cover themes such as social behavior, sustainability, cultural engagement, and the use of technology in
advertising
. India's presence is noted across various Lions categories, including Design, Direct, Entertainment for Sport and Film Craft.
Further award announcements are expected as the festival continues.
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