Cannes Contenders: Ogilvy's purpose-driven and humour predictions

Creative agencies in Asia Pacific share their picks of the region’s most standout work that are up for a Lion at the festival Cannes Festival of Creativity 2024, 

Agencies including TBWA, Cheil and Havas have told us their predictions for which campaigns they think will pick a Lion. Today, Ogilvy’s Reed Collins, chief creative officer of APAC, shares with us his favourite campaigns. 

Campaign: ‘The Plastic Forecast'
Brand: Minderoo Foundation
Cannes Lions category: PR 

The Plastic Forecast is a weather metric that predicts daily plastic pollution levels. Combining atmospheric plastic research with traditional weather forecasts creates interactive 3D plastic clouds to highlight this pressing issue. As plastic production is expected to triple by 2050, this innovative forecast measures plastic content in the rain. It aims to influence change in the UN's plastic treaty, turning daily weather reports into potent reminders of the plastic pollution crisis.

Collins says: “Plastic production is destroying our planet, but big spending lobbyists ensure meaningful change is near impossible. By combining landmark research on plastic in the rain with real-time weather data, Minderoo provided a daily estimate of ‘plastic rain’. Appearing on all major French news networks daily weather reports coinciding with UN climate talks.” 

Campaign: ‘Yellow Canteen’
Brand: Dulux 
Cannes Lions category: Brand Experience / Healthcare 

Dulux introduced ‘Project Yellow Canteen’ in Indonesia to enhance the health standards of school canteens. Based on research indicating that the colour yellow repels flies, the initiative involved painting canteens yellow to reduce the presence of disease-carrying flies. Developed by Innocean, this project aimed to create safer and more comfortable student dining environments, showcasing a creative approach to public health through design.

Collins says: “Flies can transmit up to 65 diseases, including deadly typhoid. Open-air school canteens make children highly vulnerable to flies, and poor mealtime hygiene puts them at risk. Dulux wanted to help. Through research, a solution was found: Flies hate yellow. Transforming school canteens by painting them yellow to create a healthier student dining environment.” 

Campaign: ‘Sammakorn NOT Sanpakorn’
Brand: Sammakorn
Cannes Lions category: Film

In Thailand, Sammakorn, a housing developer, frequently faced name confusion with the revenue department, being mistaken for 'Sanpakorn'. To tackle this, Sammakorn launched a humorous campaign with a film that clarified their role in selling houses, not collecting taxes. They also invited social media users to share their own name confusion stories, effectively engaging their audience through this relatable issue.

Collins says: “Sammakorn created a self-effacing and batshit crazy film asking for sympathy and reminding people that Sammakorn sells houses.” 

Ogilvy’s own pick

Campaign: ‘Transition Lotion’
Brand: Vaseline
Cannes Lions category: Glass

Vaseline introduced the Transition Body Lotion, a skincare product specifically designed for transgender women, addressing their unique skincare challenges during the transition process. Recognising Thailand's sizeable transgender community, Vaseline, in collaboration with Ogilvy Singapore, conducted extensive research over two years to develop this product. The Transition Body Lotion is claimed to be the first clinically proven skincare solution tailored to support the skin health of transgender women.

Collins says: “Transgender women experience unique skin challenges during hormone therapy. So, the agency proposed a groundbreaking solution: the world's first clinically proven skincare product for transgender women, co-created with the community. Tailored for their specific needs, the Transition Body Lotion tackles dryness, dullness, and hyperpigmentation.”