Glass Lion: Cannes 2024 Decoded

Ogilvy Singapore have snapped up the Grand Prix in the Glasss Lion category.

Vaseline launched the Transition Body Lotion, the first skincare product clinically proven to benefit transgender women. This innovation was driven by the specific skin needs of transgender women during the transitioning process, a significant concern in Thailand, which has a large transgender population. The product, developed over two years with beneficial ingredients like niacinamide and isoflavones, was introduced on the International Transgender Day of Visibility in collaboration with Ogilvy Singapore.

The campaign achieved 158 million impressions in Thailand and saw the product quickly sell out in many stores, significantly increasing purchase intent.

The single Gold Lion went to AKQA Amsterdam for Degiro UN Women's 'Pink Chip'.

Pink Chip is a new financial tool designed to prove the power of women-led businesses. Despite evidence showing that companies with female leaders are more profitable, only six per cent of CEOs globally are women, and female-led companies often see a stock price drop upon appointing a female CEO. Pink Chip tracks the performance of exceptional women-led businesses globally, aligning with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 5.

The initiative launched on International Women’s Day and quickly attracted 14,500 new investors, leading to a 6.7 per cent increase in the stock price of Pink Chip companies and outperforming market benchmarks.

Other wins include Silver for Leo Burnett Mumbai and TGTHR Mumbai with PHD San Jose, TBWA\RIOT San Jose, IMPACT BBDO, Dubai, ALMAPBBDO ao Paulo taking Bronze.

The Judges said ...

Sue Unerman, chief transformation officer at EssenceMediacomX was one of the jurors and this is what she had to say...

Why did the winner win?

A demonstrable commitment to long-term impact.

A product solution to the advertising brief which took two years to develop and was co-created with the community who were the intended audience ( following the approach, to quote jury president Cindy Gallop: " nothing about us, without us).

It was not a campaign about raising awareness alone, it was a product not just a protest, and the work drove equity for an underrepresented community and profit for the brand.

⁠Were there any trends you noticed in this year's category?

The most impressive work focused on real tangible impact over awareness

Based on the entries you review - what advice would you give to anyone hoping to win next year?

Focus on the criteria for this award, as the jury did: "the power of creativity that has a positive impact on businesses and brands and the world at large"

Prove legacy and impact, my fellow jury Koo Govender put this beautifully: "Success is important, significance is more important ".

The live presentation is important, we changed our initial scores after the Q&A. Storytelling and the dynamic between the co-presenters make a difference. For an award that is specifically about positive, progressive, gender-aware communication, this must be reflected in the live presentation, ideally, this then is evidence of the people and process behind the work.

I'd like to thank Lisa Berlin for selecting me to be included in such an amazing jury and our president.

A total of seven Lions were awarded in the Film Craft category: one Grand Prix, one Gold, two Silver and three Bronze.

What the Judges Said:

Jury President of Glass: The Lion for Change, Cindy Gallop, founder & CEO of MakeLoveNotPorn, Global: “Vaseline’s ‘Transition Body Lotion’ impressed the entire Glass Lion Jury with its demonstration of how driving social change is good business.

"The two-year R&D process conducted in close collaboration with the target customer on the principle of ‘Nothing about us without us’, the innovation of isoflavones, and the delivery of product efficacy while making its customers feel seen, respected and included represent a holistic approach to gender equality at its finest and made it an easy unanimous decision to award Vaseline the Glass Grand Prix.”

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