The Weber Shandwick Collective Is Most Awarded PR Agency at 2023 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity
The Weber Shandwick Collective (TWSC) was awarded 41 Lions at the 2023 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in partnership with its clients, including two Grand Prix, seven Gold Lions, 12 Silver Lions and 20 Bronze Lions. The agency network was the most awarded PR agency this year, with wins across 19 categories and 18 campaigns from 10 offices, including five idea Lions. Overall, the network was credited on 119 shortlists, including 22 as idea agency. This year’s wins bring The Weber Shandwick Collective’s cumulative total to over 190 Cannes Lions.
“We are on a mission to make bold, meaningful work that wins for our clients by contributing value to business and society – and that ambition was certainly on display in Cannes this year,” said Gail Heimann, CEO, Weber Shandwick. “Huge congratulations to our teams and clients for the work that was acknowledged and celebrated. Not only on the recognition but on making the kind of moves that make an enduring impact.”
The Work that Worked: Captivating and Earned at the Core
Iberdrola’s “Turnstile Turbines,” conceived by Weber Shandwick Paris, earned a Silver Brand Experience & Activation; a Bronze Sustainable Development Goals; and a Bronze Outdoor Lion. The European leader in wind energy, Iberdrola had recently expanded to France and needed to raise brand awareness about its commitment to make renewable and local energy accessible. They created the first ever underground wind turbines in the Paris subway, giving a new purpose to the turnstiles and transforming it (and the commuters) into a new source of energy and ensuring the attention of media, people and stakeholders.
Visit Sweden’s “Spellbound by Sweden,” conceived by Prime Weber Shandwick, earned a Silver Radio & Audio Lion for the world’s first travel campaign that attracts tourists by scaring them off, using audio to unlock a new dimension of traveling. Tapping into interest around mysticism and the occult, and the trend of Dark Tourism, international iconic horror writer John Ajvide Lindqvist created a haunting audio story that redefined traveling from mere sightseeing to feeling, immersing tourists in Sweden’s rich mythology-steeped nature. The campaign earned global attention and provided rich ground for new travel experience ideas and turned into a business development platform for the tourism industry.
Husqvarna’s “Happy Birthday from Earth,” conceived by Prime Weber Shandwick, earned a Bronze Radio & Audio Lion for its campaign to generate brand awareness by tapping into the 10th anniversary of the Mars Curiosity Rover. The new software update given to their robotic lawnmowers allowed the 100,000 devices to sing “Happy Birthday” and allow users to participate in a truly global event. The campaign generated incredible earned reach and significant brand exposure.
Mars Skittles’ “Apologize the Rainbow,” led by DDB Chicago with Weber Shandwick Chicago credited as PR, earned a Gold Entertainment Lion, a Gold PR, a Silver Film, and a Bronze Creative Effectiveness Lion. Skittles launched a tongue-in-cheek ‘apology tour’ for swapping out its lime flavor for green apple, a move that disgruntled fans took to social media to bemoan.
Michelob Ultra’s “Dreamcaster,” led by FCB New York with 3PM Agency/Weber Shandwick credit as PR, earned a Grand Prix Entertainment for Sport; a Gold Media Lion; a Silver Design; a Silver Media Lion; a Silver Radio & Audio; a Bronze Digital Craft; and a Bronze Entertainment for Sport. Michelob Ultra worked to develop an accessible, innovative A.I. language model that will help all blind and visually impaired people to fully and deeply understand all the intricacies of basketball. Additionally, Michelob Ultra took home a Silver Entertainment and a Bronze Creative Data Lion for their “McEnroe vs. McEnroe” campaign, also led by FCB New York with 3PM Agency/Weber Shandwick as PR.
Junge Helden’s “OptInk,” led by McCann Paris & McCann Frankfurt and Weber Shandwick Berlin as PR, earned a Gold Social & Influencer; a Silver Direct; a Silver PR; a Bronze Direct and a Bronze Media Lion. The campaign created an organ donation tattoo that would serve Germany’s policy of explicit consent, designed to be scalable, easily adapted into an artist’s own style or incorporated into a preexisting piece. Now, over 400 tattoo studio locations across Germany have this offering, and 4,000 tattoos have contributed to 28,000 potential lives saved.
adidas’ “Runner 321,” led by FCB Toronto with Current Global Chicago supporting with PR efforts, earned a Grand Prix Direct; a Gold PR; a Silver PR; a Silver Health & Wellness; a Bronze Social & Influencer; and a Bronze Brand Experience & Activation. adidas believes that when you see yourself represented in sports, you begin to see the possibilities—so they called on the world’s largest organized marathons to hold Bib #321, a number representing trisomy 21 in the Down syndrome community, for a neurodivergent athlete to ensure their representation in mainstream sports. All six of the world’s major marathons (Berlin, Boston, Chicago, London New York and Tokyo) have now reserved Bib #321 for a neurodivergent athlete.