Compilation: "Cannes! Cannes! Cannes!" Part 1 This year's winner, at the pinnacle of 40,000 entries

The 61st Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity took place in Cannes, France, from June 15th to 21st. Approximately 12,000 people from 94 countries and regions participated in the festival, which aims to provide "learning," "networking," and "celebration." It brought together a wide range of advertising professionals, including clients, technology companies, and investors. Beyond the awards ceremony, it offered numerous learning opportunities: seminars presenting cutting-edge communication cases and future trends, and forums deepening insights through dialogue. Outside the main venue, meetings among top management were active, transforming the entire city into a business hub.

(Photo by Getty Images)

---

 

The number of award categories continues to grow annually, with Product Design newly added, bringing the total to 17 categories judged. Entries totaled 37,427 from 97 countries and regions. From Japan's 1,146 submissions, 21 works won a total of 44 awards.

View this year's Grand Prix winners here → http://bit.ly/1iAbtCF

AdAge: Cannes Lions Recap: See All the 2014 Grand Prix Winners

This year's most awarded campaign with 4 Grand Prix wins

The campaign that achieved the most Grand Prix wins this year (four in total: Film, Integrated, Promo & Activation, Press) was British luxury department store Harvey Nichols' Christmas campaign "Sorry I Spent it on Myself." Known as a trendsetter in cutting-edge fashion, the store launched a series of "inexpensive gifts" costing just tens to hundreds of yen, based on the insight that "people want to spend money on themselves, not others." The campaign was recognized for its bold, unexpected marketing that tapped into consumer psychology and its humorously executed media strategy. As a teaser, print ads and online commercials featured five items from the gift series: "Canned Christmas Lunch," "Assorted Pebbles," "Gold Scrubber," "Sink Plug," and "Toothbrush," generating buzz ahead of the launch. Starting on the release date, dramatic TV commercials aired. The gift, bearing the store's name, led recipients to expect something expensive. The humorous commercials—showing families deflated upon opening gifts like "rubber bands" or "toothpicks," or a mother admiring herself in a dress beside her son stunned by a "sink stopper"—became the most talked-about campaign of last year's Christmas shopping season. The 26,000-item series sold out in just three days.

Film/Cyber Division Grand Prix

The "Live Test" series of films demonstrating Volvo Trucks' performance in various conditions won the Cyber Division Grand Prix, while "The Epic Split" from the same series took the Film Division Grand Prix, securing a double win. The Epic Split begins with a close-up of action movie star Jean-Claude Van Damme. As the camera pulls back, it reveals he is standing on the mirrors of two new Volvo FM trucks driving in tandem behind him. As the trucks gradually widen their gap, his legs slowly spread apart, culminating in him maintaining a perfect 180-degree split. This effectively demonstrated the stability and precision of Volvo Dynamic Steering. The use of Enya's music created a spiritual atmosphere. This impactful yet quiet and beautiful video resonated not only with truck buyers but with a wide audience. It spread widely on social media. The outstanding idea, which significantly elevated the appeal of the rugged truck, was highly praised.

Titanium Grand Prix

Honda's "Sound of Honda / Ayrton Senna 1989" won the Titanium Grand Prix, considered the highest honor at Cannes. In 1989, legendary F1 driver Ayrton Senna competed in the F1 Japanese Grand Prix qualifying with a Honda-powered machine, setting the world's fastest lap time at the time. Honda reanalyzed the remaining driving data (throttle opening, engine RPM, speed changes, etc.) and successfully recreated the engine sound and driving trajectory from that time. Hundreds of speakers and LED lights were installed along the Suzuka Circuit track, restoring Senna's driving experience through sound and light, making it tangible. When this footage was released as a 3D experiential content on the company's website, it garnered attention not only in Japan but also worldwide, featuring in media outlets across Senna's homeland of Brazil, Europe, the United States, and beyond. The judges praised it as "a remarkable work that transformed dry data into an emotional piece. It achieved the feat of presenting data in a human-centered way while simultaneously evoking both legend and future."

Grand Prix for Good

Cannes has a rule that works created for charity or non-profit purposes are ineligible for the Grand Prix. The "Grand Prix for Good" is awarded to the most outstanding work among those ineligible for the Grand Prix. This year, "Sweetie" by the Dutch child protection organization Terre des Hommes was selected. Today, "sex tourism"—where children in developing countries are coerced into performing sexual acts via webcam—is spreading, with perpetrators estimated to number 750,000. To combat this, the organization developed Sweetie, a fictional 10-year-old Filipino girl created with CG. Used as a decoy to contact sexual offenders online, she led to the arrest of 1,000 individuals across 71 countries.