Cannes Lions 2025: FCB’s Grand Prix leads India’s 14 metal haul on day three

Lucky Yatra, a campaign encouraging the purchase of railway tickets, is living up to its name, particularly for FCB India, the agency behind it. On the third day of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, the Omnicom-owned agency secured a Grand Prix, two Gold Lions, and a Silver Lion for its work.

FCB led India’s collection of 14 metals on the day, a significant improvement from the three the country earned on day two. The agency was awarded the Grand Prix, a Gold, and a Silver in the PR Lions category. The second Gold was won in the Direct Lions category.

“To win a Grand Prix, two Golds, and now a Silver in PR and Direct Lions for Lucky Yatra is truly special. This campaign has travelled far — from a deeply local insight to global creative recognition across disciplines. What makes it even more meaningful is how it’s been awarded not just for storytelling, but for real impact, engagement, and cultural resonance,” remarks Dheeraj Sinha, CEO, FCB Group South Asia.

“Huge applause to the phenomenal team — both at Cannes and back home — and to our client partners for believing in the power of bold, rooted ideas. This is the creative culture we’re building at FCB India,” adds Sinha.

Leo and Ogilvy each added a Gold Lion to India’s growing tally, which now stands at 26. This is more than twice the Lions (12) the country had secured by the end of day three in 2024.

Leo’s Gold Lion was awarded in the Creative Data category for ACKO Tailor Test. The campaign introduced a customised measuring system where tailors, if a customer’s hip and waist measurements crossed a particular threshold, would recommend a heart check-up.

“At Leo, we have always believed in the power of data — but more importantly, in the power of human insight. This campaign is a perfect expression of our Humankind philosophy, where creativity begins not with a brand, but with a deep understanding of people. Sometimes, the most profound insights are found in places we least expect, quietly embedded in everyday behavior,” remarked Rajdeepak Das, CCO, Publicis Groupe South Asia and Chairman, Leo South Asia.

Speaking about the making of this campaign, he said: “We discovered that nearly every Indian family has a trusted tailor — someone who’s not only measured our clothes but inadvertently tracked our health over the years. That simple realization became the heart of a powerful idea. Kudos to ACKO for believing in it, and to the incredible teams at Leo who’ve made it a habit to uncover the extraordinary in the ordinary. This is creativity with purpose, designed to impact lives at scale — true to our belief in ideas that can impact a billion.”

Ogilvy won its Gold Lion for a campaign devised for Mondelez’s 5-Star chocolate bar, which sought to Erase Valentine’s Day. The agency developed a vessel that could manipulate time zones to help consumers skip the day of love entirely. Ogilvy’s Gold was awarded in the Social and Creator category.

India’s success on day three also included two Silver and seven Bronze metals.

Leo secured its second award of the day with a Silver in the Media category for its work on Cathay Pacific. The Takeoff Takeover campaign employed live flight data to deliver personalised messages to travellers at critical moments, including while en route to airports, inside terminals, and as they boarded their flights.

BBH, another agency under Publicis Groupe, won its first metal of the festival with a Bronze in the Social and Creator category. Its campaign for Garnier featured actor John Abraham supporting the brand’s facewash after comedian Anubhav Singh Bassi publicly mocked it.

Speaking on the win, Parikshit Bhattaccharya, CCO, BBH India, said, “Bassi Vs Men’s Face Wash is an iconic campaign. One that started on social and ended up on broadcast. With all the attention the work has already garnered for the brand, a Cannes Lions metal is a great cherry on top. We couldn’t be happier for the teams at BBH and Garnier.”

Ogilvy also collected a Bronze for Box to Beds, a campaign created for Amazon India. The company’s signature cardboard delivery boxes were repurposed into beds for visitors at the Kumbh Mela. This win came in the PR category.

Talented added another award to its tally with a Bronze in the Media category for Nature Shapes Britannia. The billboards highlighted the company’s sustainability efforts and were carefully designed to accommodate the trees growing around them.

Dentsu Creative earned its first metal of the festival, also in the Media category, for Garuda Rakshak. The agency, in partnership with Falco Robotics, developed drones inspired by Garuda, a divine bird in Hindu mythology, to help reunite lost children with their families during large public gatherings such as the Maha Kumbh Mela.

Havas, which won a Gold on day one, added two Bronze metals to its collection. Ink of Democracy, its campaign, was recognised in both the Direct Lions and Media categories.