Media moments of truth- Cannes Lions top picks: BE Extraordinary
The
Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity
recently showcased campaigns that redefined how brands connect with audiences through exceptional media usage. Among the standout Media Lions picks, Kleenex's "Kleenex Score" ingeniously integrated their product into the entertainment world while Cathay Pacific's "Takeoff Takeover" demonstrated a savvy, data-driven competitive approach, while Mercado Libre's "Coupon Rain" offered a truly innovative media hack, effectively turning spontaneous content into direct commerce opportunities.
Kleenex Score, VML
One standout idea came from Kleenex, which recognised a universal truth: movies often make us cry. Instead of focusing solely on colds or runny noses, Kleenex ingeniously linked its product to emotional movie experiences. They partnered with IMDb to create the "Kleenex Score." By typing "Kleenex score" into IMDb, users could discover a movie's "cry rating," indicating just how much a film was likely to induce tears.
This seemingly simple concept was a stroke of genius. It was an unobtrusive, yet highly relevant, integration into the entertainment sphere. While star ratings tell you about a movie's quality, the "Kleenex Score" provides a unique, utility-driven metric directly tied to the product's use case. It didn't just remind people to use Kleenex when they cried; it actively helped them anticipate the need, subtly owning a space within entertainment that couldn't be bought through traditional media. It transformed the act of crying during a movie into a contextual moment for Kleenex, showcasing an innovative and native use of media.
Cathay Pacific, Takeoff Takeover, LEO
A highly effective campaign, originating from Asia (credited to India and potentially other regions), demonstrated an aggressive yet data-driven approach to
competitive advertising
. Cathay Pacific executed a "Takeoff Takeover" by leveraging real-time flight data at airport terminals.
When competitor planes were at their gates, preparing for departure, Cathay Pacific's digital ads strategically appeared on screens nearby. These hyper-targeted advertisements highlighted specific advantages of Cathay Pacific flights heading to the same destination. Using data on aircraft models, age, and passenger feedback, the ads would compare legroom, entertainment options, or other amenities, effectively showing passengers what they were "missing out on" by flying with the competitor.
This tactic, powered by real-time flight data, was impossible to ignore. Operating with just a fraction of competitors' budgets, Cathay Pacific outsmarted them by appearing at the precise moment of truth: the boarding gate. It masterfully turned readily available flight information into compelling, personalised comparisons, making flyers regret their current choice and showcasing Cathay Pacific as the superior option.
Mercado Libre, Coupon Rain, GUT
A truly fun and innovative media hack came from Mercado Libre, an e-commerce giant in Brazil. Recognizing the iconic confetti showers at major sporting event finals, particularly in soccer, Mercado Libre sponsored the confetti itself. Instead of traditional paper, the confetti was replaced with tiny discount coupons.
When the celebratory blasts occurred, showering the field and players, millions of these promotional coupons flew through the air. Every photo and video of the event, broadcast globally, now featured these redeemable discounts. Viewers, especially with the help of influencers, were encouraged to zoom in on images and freeze frames to spot and redeem the coupons. This genius idea turned a fleeting moment of celebration into a widespread, interactive promotional event. It effectively "hacked" editorial and broadcast media, turning spontaneous content into direct commerce opportunities, and ensuring that Mercado Libre was not just seen, but actively engaged with, by millions.
(At BE Extraordinary, a series about the winners at Cannes Lions written in collaboration with Harsh Kapadia, CCO, Grey India, we peer outside the Grand Prix winners, and look at clutter breaking work that picked the silvers and the bronzes, but don't often get discussed.)
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Time of India
16 hours ago
- Time of India
Media moments of truth- Cannes Lions top picks: BE Extraordinary
The Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity recently showcased campaigns that redefined how brands connect with audiences through exceptional media usage. Among the standout Media Lions picks, Kleenex's "Kleenex Score" ingeniously integrated their product into the entertainment world while Cathay Pacific's "Takeoff Takeover" demonstrated a savvy, data-driven competitive approach, while Mercado Libre's "Coupon Rain" offered a truly innovative media hack, effectively turning spontaneous content into direct commerce opportunities. Kleenex Score, VML One standout idea came from Kleenex, which recognised a universal truth: movies often make us cry. Instead of focusing solely on colds or runny noses, Kleenex ingeniously linked its product to emotional movie experiences. They partnered with IMDb to create the "Kleenex Score." By typing "Kleenex score" into IMDb, users could discover a movie's "cry rating," indicating just how much a film was likely to induce tears. This seemingly simple concept was a stroke of genius. It was an unobtrusive, yet highly relevant, integration into the entertainment sphere. While star ratings tell you about a movie's quality, the "Kleenex Score" provides a unique, utility-driven metric directly tied to the product's use case. It didn't just remind people to use Kleenex when they cried; it actively helped them anticipate the need, subtly owning a space within entertainment that couldn't be bought through traditional media. It transformed the act of crying during a movie into a contextual moment for Kleenex, showcasing an innovative and native use of media. Cathay Pacific, Takeoff Takeover, LEO A highly effective campaign, originating from Asia (credited to India and potentially other regions), demonstrated an aggressive yet data-driven approach to competitive advertising . Cathay Pacific executed a "Takeoff Takeover" by leveraging real-time flight data at airport terminals. When competitor planes were at their gates, preparing for departure, Cathay Pacific's digital ads strategically appeared on screens nearby. These hyper-targeted advertisements highlighted specific advantages of Cathay Pacific flights heading to the same destination. Using data on aircraft models, age, and passenger feedback, the ads would compare legroom, entertainment options, or other amenities, effectively showing passengers what they were "missing out on" by flying with the competitor. This tactic, powered by real-time flight data, was impossible to ignore. Operating with just a fraction of competitors' budgets, Cathay Pacific outsmarted them by appearing at the precise moment of truth: the boarding gate. It masterfully turned readily available flight information into compelling, personalised comparisons, making flyers regret their current choice and showcasing Cathay Pacific as the superior option. Mercado Libre, Coupon Rain, GUT A truly fun and innovative media hack came from Mercado Libre, an e-commerce giant in Brazil. Recognizing the iconic confetti showers at major sporting event finals, particularly in soccer, Mercado Libre sponsored the confetti itself. Instead of traditional paper, the confetti was replaced with tiny discount coupons. When the celebratory blasts occurred, showering the field and players, millions of these promotional coupons flew through the air. Every photo and video of the event, broadcast globally, now featured these redeemable discounts. Viewers, especially with the help of influencers, were encouraged to zoom in on images and freeze frames to spot and redeem the coupons. This genius idea turned a fleeting moment of celebration into a widespread, interactive promotional event. It effectively "hacked" editorial and broadcast media, turning spontaneous content into direct commerce opportunities, and ensuring that Mercado Libre was not just seen, but actively engaged with, by millions. (At BE Extraordinary, a series about the winners at Cannes Lions written in collaboration with Harsh Kapadia, CCO, Grey India, we peer outside the Grand Prix winners, and look at clutter breaking work that picked the silvers and the bronzes, but don't often get discussed.)
Time of India
a day ago
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Dwyane wade's wife Gabrielle Union unleashes bold elegance in viral white dress at Cannes Lions
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