At Cannes Lions 2025, India has already secured 65 shortlists till now, surpassing last year’s total of 59. This impressive performance reflects the growing global impact of Indian creativity, with agencies continuing to craft world-class campaigns that earn international acclaim and raise the bar on the global stage.
Here are our top picks from the campaigns that we at e4m and IMPACT believe have the potential to bring home the Lions.
1. Lucky Yatra Campaign: Indian Railways x FCB India
Tackling the widespread issue of ticketless travel in Indian Railways, which transports over 24 million passengers daily. The campaign takes a refreshingly positive approach. Rather than relying on penalties, it incentivises compliance by turning every purchased train ticket into a lottery entry, offering passengers a chance to win exciting prizes.
2. Takeoff Takeover: Cathay Pacific x Publicis OOH
‘Takeoff Takeover’ by Cathay Pacific was the hyper-targeted airport campaign powered by real-time flight data. Rather than outspending competitors, Cathay used less than 1% of the typical media budget by leveraging live flight and aircraft data, real-time airport analytics, and complaint insights gathered from years of social listening. The airline then delivered context-aware, creative messages to travellers, often timed perfectly at boarding gates, just as rival flights were taking off.
Watch the campaign video on social media here.
3. Nature Shapes Britannia: Britannia x Talented
‘Nature Shapes Britannia,’ created by Talented for Britannia Industries, outdoor advertising lets nature take the lead. Rather than removing or bypassing trees that obstruct billboards, the campaign embraced them, custom-designing each billboard to fit around the tree. In doing so, the trees became the ‘art directors,’ visually reinforcing Britannia’s commitment to sustainability and turning each obstruction into a powerful symbol of eco-conscious creativity.
4. Eye Test Menu: Titan Eye Plus x Ogilvy
The ‘Eye Test Menu’ campaign by Titan Eye Plus and Ogilvy India flipped the script on eye care for truck drivers, many of whom avoid clinical settings. Instead of asking them to visit eye clinics, the campaign brought vision screening to their everyday environment. Traditional dhaba food menus were replaced with creatively designed ‘Eye Test Menus,’ developed in collaboration with optometrists. These menus featured varying font sizes, vibrant colours, and motifs inspired by Indian truck art, turning a casual glance into a simple, effective eye test.
5. Cover-up Coupons: Flipkart x DDB Mudra
The ‘Cover-up Coupons’ campaign by Flipkart and DDB Mudra cleverly tapped into the Gen Z mindset during the Big Billion Days sale. With 82% of Indian Gen Zers living with parents who often question their online shopping habits, Flipkart offered a cheeky solution. Enter ‘Cover-up Coupons,’ fake scratch-and-win vouchers designed to look like the user won the product, not bought it. These playful decoys gave young shoppers a fun, guilt-free alibi to shop freely without parental scrutiny.
6. Too Yumm To Cheer: Too Yumm x FCB Kinnect
‘Too Yumm To Cheer’ by FCB Kinnect was a budget-conscious campaign that tapped into India’s cricket obsession to boost brand visibility during a high-profile season. With minimal marketing spend, the campaign focused on tactical outdoor activations that maximized visibility and engagement.
Watch the video for the campaign here.
7. Project Early Periods: P&G Whisper x Leo Burnett Mumbai
‘Project Early Periods,’ a campaign by Leo Burnett Mumbai for P&G Whisper, tackles the critical issue of early menstruation awareness among pre-teen girls in India. With a proactive and sensitive educational approach, the campaign aims to break deep-rooted taboos, empower young girls with essential knowledge, and bring caregivers, especially parents and teachers, into the conversation.
8. ‘Chai Basuri - Tea Flute’: Brooke Bond Taj Mahal x Ogilvy Mumbai
‘Chai Basuri – Tea Flute’ is a groundbreaking sensory installation that turns the act of brewing tea into a live musical performance. At its heart is a specially crafted giant kettle, where rising steam activates an actual bansuri (flute) to play the Hansdhwani Raaga, a revered Carnatic melody. The music isn’t pre-recorded; it’s created in real time through the natural interplay of stream and the instrument. Blending the soothing aroma of tea with the soulful sounds of Indian classical music, the installation offers a truly immersive, multisensory experience.
9. Great In-Game Wedding: BGMI x DDB Mudra
To shift the perception of gaming in India, from being seen as addictive or violent to a vibrant, social space where real connections form, the campaign staged a groundbreaking moment: a real-life couple’s wedding inside BGMI, the game where they first met. Recognising that players spend three times more time in the in-game lobby than in active gameplay, the lobby was transformed into a grand Indian wedding venue, celebrating not just their love story but the power of gaming to bring people together.
10. Bassi vs Men’s Face: Garnier x BBH India
The campaign features popular Indian comedian Anubhav Singh Bassi, who humorously voices his reluctance and scepticism around skincare routines. Garnier Men cleverly turns this hesitation into a relatable and entertaining narrative by challenging Bassi to try their TurboBright Facewash. His signature wit helps the brand connect with young men who are often hesitant about skincare, making self-care feel approachable, light-hearted, and real.
11. UV Lync: Ultraviolette x tghtr
India is home to over 260 million fuel-powered two-wheelers, making them a major contributor to urban air pollution. While electric bikes present a cleaner, greener alternative, their adoption has been slow, largely due to range anxiety, the fear of running out of charge because of limited charging infrastructure. Interestingly, electric cars in India already benefit from a much more widespread charging network.
UV Lync is a compact, eco-conscious adapter that solves this infrastructure gap. It transforms any Type-2 EV car charging point into a standard three-pin socket compatible with electric bikes. By unlocking access to India’s 104,000+ AC car charging stations, UV Lync significantly expands the charging possibilities for e-bike users, removing a key barrier to adoption and accelerating the shift toward cleaner mobility.
