Cannes Lions 2025: India falters on day two with a modest haul

India struggled to sustain the momentum of its opening day at the ongoing Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. In contrast to the two Gold, four Silver, and three Bronze Lions it claimed on day one, the Indian contingent secured only two Silver and a Bronze on the second day.

The country’s tally now stands at 12, a slight improvement over the nine metals it had accumulated by the end of the second day in 2024.

VML secured its first Lion at the festival. The WPP-owned creative agency won a Silver in The Entertainment Lion for Music category for The Girl Who Played The Tutari, a tradition-breaking campaign crafted for Coca-Cola’s music platform, Coke Studio Bharat.

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For centuries, only men have played the Tutari, a traditional Maharashtrian instrument. Through this campaign, Nilaksha Borhade shattered that custom, becoming the first woman to play the instrument and transforming it into a symbol of empowerment.

Historically, the Tutari’s sound has heralded royalty, signalled war, and marked moments of triumph.

On VML’s website, its chief creative, Mukund Olety, shares his perspective on the campaign: “The origin, history, and purpose of the Tutari led to a thought-provoking question: Why has it been played by only a certain gender since the 13th century? We challenged the age-old tradition by taking active steps to ensure women are treated equally in all aspects of life, including professional pursuits. In this case, with a focus on art, music, and culture.”

Last year, the agency won a Bronze Lion in the same category for Coke Studio Bharat. On that occasion, its campaign Sing To Remember was conceived not only to mark the return of Coke Studio to India after an eight-year absence but also to revive some of India’s lesser-spoken languages that face the risk of being forgotten.

On the other hand, indie creative agency Talented was awarded its second Silver Lion, this time for Avani's Gold in the Entertainment Lions for Sport category for biscuit brand Britannia Marie Gold. 

To celebrate Paralympian Avani Lekhara’s two gold medals at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games, Britannia Marie Gold tweaked the design of its biscuit to resemble her shooting target, and the biscuit’s packaging for a limited-edition series. 

What’s so impressive about it? Turns out, her target was 4.55 cm, smaller than a Marie Gold biscuit.

For such a feat, one, amongst everything needs terrific eyesight. Unfortunately India’s truckers are far removed from this level eye health; most suffer compromised vision. Ogilvy’s campaign to rectify it for Titan won the agency a Bronze Lion in the Design category.

The Eye Test Menu replaced traditional food menus at the dhabas where truckers stopped for food. To place an order, they had to read the Titan Eye Plus’ menu which gauged whether the reader’s eye health. The brand ensured optometrists at sight to conduct a thorough eye exam. 

The menu resembles the white board on which letters flash in different sizes found at ophthalmology clinics. The only difference is that menu dishes replace the alphabets. It is the design of this board for which Ogilvy was awarded a Bronze metal wrapping up India’s second day at the festival. 

Indian agencies failed to open their metal accounts in five categories: Entertainment, Entertainment for Sport, Digital Craft, Film Craft, and Industry Craft. 

After a quiet second day, India’s hopes still have room to rise with the festival far from over.