India has secured 16 shortlists across five categories out of the seven announced today at Cannes Lions. Notably, Creative Strategy and Luxury categories drew blanks for India.
In Brand Experience & Activation, there are a total of eight shortlists. These include ‘Great In-Game Wedding’ for Battlegrounds Mobile India by DDB Mudra (Gaming-Led Brand Experience); ‘Lucky Yatra’ for Indian Railways by FCB India in three subcategories – Customer Retail/In-store Experience, Customer Acquisition & Retention, and Brand-Owned Experiences; ‘Oreo History In The Baking’ for Oreo by Leo India (Guerrilla Marketing & Stunts); ‘Eye Test Menu’ for Titan Company Limited by Ogilvy India (Brand-Owned Experiences); ‘Too Yumm To Cheer!’ for Too Yumm! by FCB Kinnect (Breakthrough on a Budget); and ‘Acko Tailor Test’ for Acko Health Insurance by Leo India (Corporate Purpose & Social Responsibility).
In Creative Business Transformation, there are three shortlists. These include ‘Lucky Yatra’ for Indian Railways by FCB India in two subcategories – Transformative Strategy and Targeting, Insights & Personalisation – and ‘Project Early Periods’ for P&G Whisper by Leo India (Brand Purpose & Impact).
The Creative Commerce category sees two shortlists, both for ‘Lucky Yatra’ by FCB India, under Innovative Use of Commerce Channel and Customer Acquisition & Retention.
In Creative Effectiveness, two entries have been shortlisted: ‘Dabba Savings Account’ for ESAF Small Finance Bank by McCann (Acquisition) and ‘Erase Valentine's Day’ for Mondelez, Cadbury 5 Star Chocolate by Ogilvy India (Challenger Brand).
Lastly, the Film category has one shortlist: ‘We Broke The Jinx. We Won The World Cup’ for Britannia Jim Jam Pops by The Womb (Challenger Brand).
With the addition of these shortlists, India’s shortlist tally stands at 84. Now leading the tally is FCB India taking the lead with 17 shortlists, following by Ogilvy at 15. Leo India now stands at 11. Both Talented and Havas Creative India have earned 7 shortlists each. DDB Mudra now joins Lowe Lintas and Famous Innovations with 3 shortlists each. Meanwhile, Grey India, TBWA India, FCB Kinnect and VML India have each garnered 2 shortlists. Agencies with 1 shortlist so far include Tribes Communications, Godrej Creative Lab, Tgthr, Studio Eeksaurus, BBH India, Wondrlab India, Dentsu Creative, McCann and The Womb.
With a strong showing across multiple categories, the Indian contingent continues to demonstrate a wide spectrum of creativity and impact at Cannes Lions 2025.
