LIONS’ SHARE: A handful of fashion and beauty brands were honored at last week’s Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity for their innovative and unexpected approach to advertising.
The 73rd edition of the communications-specific award event bestowed its Grand Prix on Adidas, Columbia Sportswear and The Ordinary for the Innovation, Brand Experience and Activation, and Health and Wellness categories, respectively.
Columbia Sportswear took home the prize for its “Expedition Impossible” campaign, a provocative ad challenging flat earthers to find the edge of the world outfitted in the brand’s gear. It comprises images and a short video fronted by chief executive officer Tim Boyle.
The American sportswear company’s campaign netted a total of 10 Lions, making it the most awarded marketing activation at this edition of the event. They include the Dan Wieden Titanium Lion, the festival’s highest honor.
Adidas won the jury over, taking home the Grand Prix for its “Supernova Adaptive” campaign, developed for the eponymous running sneakers, entirely designed for athletes with disabilities, and the result of a multiyear collaboration with athlete Chris Nikic, the first person with Down syndrome to complete an Ironman challenge. The campaign highlights how sporting brands typically adapt existing designs for people with disabilities rather than pouring R&D from the get go.
The Adidas Supernova Adaptive campaign.
Courtesy of Adidas
The German sportswear giant also took home two Lions Grand Prix in the Entertainment and Entertainment Music categories for “Original Forever,” a campaign tied to Adidas’ collaboration with the British music band Oasis for their hyped return to the stage in 2025.
Beauty brand The Ordinary won the Grand Prix in the Health and Wellness category for its campaign titled “The Periodic Fable,” aimed at debunking fake news in the beauty industry. Set in a dystopian future, soon-to-be beauty experts are attending a classroom and being taught the 49 elements of the periodic fable, a pun on the periodic table, each one representing a marketing-driven word used in skin care and makeup, frequently disguised as science evidence — such as pore-less, medical grade, fat freezing, eternal youth.
The Ordinary’s The Periodic Fable campaign.
Courtesy of The Ordinary
As reported, Moncler brought home the Luxury Grand Prix at the Cannes Lions for its 360-degree campaign “Warmer Together” fronted by the two legendary friends Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, who appeared for the first time together in an ad.
The Cannes Lions comprise more than 30 awards handed out at the festival, billed as the world’s largest gathering of the advertising and creative communications industry.
