Print & Publishing Lions: Cannes 2022 Decoded

There was a single Grand Prix winner in the Print & Publishing category, with Impact BBDO Dubai landing the top prize for its 'The Elections Edition' work for AnNahar Newspaper.

For the first time in its nearly 90-year history, the newspaper stopped its printing presses for a day in order to donate ink and paper to polling stations during a vital election in the Lebanon.

Ogilvy London triumphed with the award of a Gold Lion for the 'Reverse Selfie' campaign for Unilever's Dove brand. The work, which also landed four Silver Lions in the category, aimed to stop the damage retouching apps are having on girls’ self-esteem.

Winning three Gold Lions was ALMA DDB Miami, working with PepsiCo Purchase on the 'Better with Pepsi' campaign that matched Pepsi with burgers to highlight their compatibility.

Meanwhile adam&eveDDB London, with DDB Chicago, took home a Bronze Lion for the Skittles 'Recolour the Rainbow' campaign.

Creative Salon asked Owen Lee, chief creative officer at FCB Inferno, and a judge in the category, for his thoughts.

What trends did you notice in the category?

The Print & Publishing category was smaller than expected and, as a jury, we were keen to recognise both excellence in the print medium, but also excellence in publishing. The Grand Prix was awarded to 'The Elections Edition' for that very reason. The boldness of a national newspaper actually choosing not to publish to help allow the elections in Lebanon go ahead seemed a fitting Grand Prix in the category. It’s fresh, it’s the boldest possible statement in the print and publishing category, and demonstrates that this is a category that should be growing if it’s approached in an original way.

Print and Publishing remains one of the core disciplines of our industry and the jury was passionate about celebrating that fact in a modern way.

What other work really stood out for you, and why?

Across the board we were looking to award work that drove commercial business, not just purpose-driven work. The Pepsi campaign is a great example of that tackling an acute business problem in a very creative way. 'Draw Ketchup' [Heinz] is a refreshingly simple idea for a household FMCG that could have only been done by that brand and that product. And both Dove’s 'Reverse Selfie' and Ikea’s 'Trash Collection' are perfect examples of how you can drive commerce with purpose. The two should never be mutually exclusive.