Industry Craft: Cannes 2023 Decoded

Ogilvy and Grey have both been awarded Silver and Bronze Lions respectively in the Industry Craft category for their campaigns for Relate and Dole Sunshine Company.

The Industry Craft Lions celebrate the creative artistry, talent and skill required to deliver executed solutions and bring creative ideas to life.

Ogilvy's work for relationship charity Relate saw the agency create a series of vegetable-themed condom packet designs to combat a rise in STIs among the over 65s. The tongue-in-cheek illustrated condoms were showcased at garden centres in a bid to break down taboos and get people talking about later life sex.

Grey took home a Bronze Lion for its 'Unforbidden Fruit' campaign for Dole Sunshine Company.

To help fight the issue of malnutrition and promote a healthier diet, the agency and brand wrote a tongue-in-cheek open letter to His Holiness, Pope Francis, to help reverse the 'biggest PR disaster fruit has ever faced: the calamity of Original Sin'. The stunt sought to restore the good name of the ‘forbidden fruit’ after thousands of years of slander.

Uncommon also bagged one Gold and one Bronze Lion for its 'A British Original' campaign for British Airways.

The creative explored the individual and original reasons behind people's travel excursions, centred around the common question travellers are asked when they land in a new destination: "What is the purpose of your visit?"

As for the Grand Prix in the category, Dentsu Inc won the big prize and an additional Gold Lion for its 150th anniversary railway campaign for JR Group.

Four other Gold Lions were also awarded: McCann's 'Adlam: An Alphabet to Preserve a Culture' for Microsoft; FCB India's 'Untangling the Politics of Hair' for Stir; DDB's 'Lap 1, 122, 559 & 826' for Honda Moto France and Colenso BBDO's 'Phone It In' for Skinny.

A total of 28 Lions were awarded in the Industry Craft category - one Grand Prix, six Gold, eight Silver and 13 Bronze.

The Judges said....

Mario Kerkstra, Creative Design Director at AMV BBDO, and one of the judges in this category observed:

"One of the key things I noticed this year was seeing more projects getting awarded that weren't necessarily purpose led. Just proper brands doing great and meaningful work. And of course there was the inevitable rise of AI led entries. I think one of the main things that all the jurors seemed to agree on for Industry Craft was that the level of craft on those projects wasn't quite up there compared to some of the other entries.

• Advice to marketeers

It's all about the detail in this particular category. From the idea, to the way it's executed, to what the project is trying to say and do and everything in-between. The projects that won Golds and the Grand Prix all stood out because they were all so well thought out, considered and executed beautifully. The attention to detail was a level above some of the other entries.

• GP winner

For me the Grand Prix winner stood out from the start. The level of detail and consideration was just exceptional. From the general idea, its numerous conceptual layers, what the project actually did, its scale and the way it was all executed. From a craft point of view it set the benchmark and it was truly second to none. It was one of one those projects that made me think to myself 'I wish I'd done that'."