Cannes Lions 2022: dentsu Creative Bengaluru, Ogilvy, WPP win big

Fred Levron, global chief creative officer of Dentsu International, said: “The Unfiltered History Tour shows how a disruptive idea, accelerated by the power of technology and social media can change culture and help one of the most progressive media brands, Vice, empower the next generation and provide a balanced narrative.

“We could not be prouder of the work and the hugely talented team in India. This is our first Cannes Lions as Dentsu Creative and it has set the bar. Our thanks also go to Vice Media for their trust and belief. We are nothing without client partnership”. 

Ogilvy, the WPP-owned creative network, won network of the year after amassing 88 Lions throughout the festival including one Titanium Lion, two Glass Lions for Change Golds, 23 Golds, 21 Silvers, and 43 Bronzes.

Ogilvy’s awards haul was another sign of the strength of India’s advertising sector as Ogilvy Mumbai won the Titanium for “Shah Rukh Khan-My-Ad” for Cadbury Celebrations, which used machine learning to put Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan into thousands of ads for small, local stores affected by the pandemic.

Liz Taylor, global chief creative officer of Ogilvy, said: “We are thrilled that Ogilvy has been recognized as the world’s leading creative agency network because we believe that creativity is the great differentiator. Our teams earned this honour by producing work that upends the status quo, that alters the conversation, that creates meaningful change, and reshapes our industry.

“We are so proud that the work honoured spanned so many categories, countries, and clients. It is a powerful demonstration of what defines Ogilvy. It's pervasive creativity. It’s borderless creativity. It’s creativity with impact.” 

WPP’s agencies collected a total of 176 Lions, including one Titanium Lion, four Grands Prix, 36 Golds, 47 Silvers and 88 Bronzes – with winning work from 40 different countries.

Rob Reilly, global chief creative officer of WPP, said: “Creativity is the world’s most valuable asset. It has the potential to address the biggest challenges of our time in the most extreme circumstances. We have had to think differently for the last two years, and I feel this year's Cannes Lions has been a celebration of innovation for our industry. So, I couldn’t be prouder to be part of this amazing global team of the most creative people in our industry.”

Mark Read, chief executive of WPP, said: “Creativity is the most important force in modern business. Being named the creative company of the year is testament to WPP’s power to help our clients succeed, and to the incredible talent of our 109,000 people around the world. Thank you to them and to our clients who entrust us with their brands.”