DDB Worldwide was awarded 70 Lions across 16 offices in 11 countries
DDB Worldwide came in second globally and was given multiple top honours at this year’s Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity with a combined 70 Lions including one Titanium, 15 Gold, 24 Silver, and 30 Bronze awards, spanning more than 10 categories.
“The credit for our outstanding performance at this year’s festival belongs first to our brave and creatively-driven clients across the world,” said DDB Worldwide Chief Executive Officer Wendy Clark. “In partnership with them, our teams were able to showcase a range of work from our truly globally-connected community of smart, hardworking people.”
Winning ideas came from multiple agencies across the network. A prestigious Titanium Lion was given to “Uncensored Playlist” for Reporters Without Borders from DDB Germany (shown above). The campaign turned 10 previously-censored articles by five journalists into uncensored songs. The music was uploaded onto streaming sites that are freely available in the countries where press is still highly censored.
Mars Wrigley Confectionery‘s Skittles brand earned 12 total Lions: 4 Gold, 5 Silver, 3 Bronze for “Broadway the Rainbow” from DDB Chicago. The one-night-only Broadway show, starring American actor Michael C. Hall, was performed on Super Bowl Sunday, bypassing a traditional TV spot in the game, yet attaining the brand the most talked about advertising of the Super Bowl.
John Lewis & Partners won 14 total Lions: 1 Gold, 4 Silver, 3 Bronze for “The Boy and the Piano;” and 3 Silver, 3 Bronze for Waitrose and Partners‘ “Bohemian Rhapsody,” both from adam&eveDDB. This year’s heralded Christmas campaign played out the life of Elton John in reverse, starting with a current-day John sitting at a piano playing ‘Your Song’ as he recalls moments in his life, finally concluding with the Christmas when he received his first piano.
“I could not be prouder of our teams around the world,” added Clark. “In this highly-disruptive business landscape, it is essential we have talented people with the creative ingenuity and competitive drive to help thoughtfully solve our clients’ biggest challenges. I am thrilled to see us come together and perform across categories, agencies, countries, and regions.”
The DDB network’s outstanding showing at the 2019 Cannes Festival follows being recognised as the 2019 “Network of the Year” at The One Club Show, an honour given to the network whose agencies have the most cumulative points for One Show Pencils won across all disciplines.
