India opened its account at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity with two prestigious Gold Lions on Day 1, securing wins in the Print and Publishing and Outdoor categories.
India began its Cannes Lions 2025 journey on a high note on day 1, securing a total of nine metals across key categories. The wins include two Gold, four Silver, and three Bronze Lions in Print and Publishing, Outdoor, Pharma, and Health and Wellness.
FCB India bagged a Gold Lion in the Outdoor category, under Social Behaviour sub-category, for its ‘Lucky Yatra’ campaign, which cleverly turned train tickets into lottery tickets to discourage ticketless travel. By positioning ticket buying as a chance to win, the campaign tapped into India’s deep-rooted fascination with luck and lotteries.
With over 7.5 million commuters using Mumbai’s local trains daily, ticketless travel remains a major source of revenue loss for Indian Railways. The initiative offered a creative solution to this ongoing issue and also earned a Bronze Lion in the same category.
The second Gold of the day was won by Havas in the Print and Publishing category, under Corporate Purpose and Social Responsibility sub-category, for its ‘Ink of Democracy’ campaign created for The Times of India.
The ‘Ink of Democracy’ initiative used a powerful visual statement- the front page of The Times of India was printed entirely in purple ink, symbolising the large reserves of unused electoral ink from past elections. This striking metaphor highlighted the missed potential of every unmarked finger and uncast vote, powerfully emphasising the importance of voter participation in India’s General Elections.
Day 1 Agency Metal Tally Overview
|
Agency |
Gold |
Silver |
Bronze |
Total |
|
FCB India |
1 |
1 |
2 |
|
|
Havas |
1 |
1 |
||
|
Ogilvy |
2 |
2 |
||
|
Talented |
1 |
1 |
||
|
FCB Kinnect |
1 |
1 |
||
|
Godrej Creative Lab |
1 |
1 |
||
|
Lowe Lintas |
1 |
1 |
||
|
9 |
The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, which started yesterday, announced the winners of the Health and Wellness, Outdoor, Pharma, Print and Publishing and Audio and Radio Lions on day 1.
Winners of the Lions will be announced at the Award Shows taking place each evening throughout the Festival, from 16 to 20 June 2025.
