Cannes Lions Crowns Procter & Gamble Brand Marketer of the Decade
The CPG giant has won 243 awards at the festival over the last 10 years
The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity honored Procter & Gamble with a new award this week: Brand Marketer of the Decade.
The festival—which draws members of the ad industry from all across the globe to Cannes, France, each summer but was shifted online this year due to Covid-19—released its first Creativity Report of the Decade. Brands and agencies were honored for the cumulative award-winning work that they’ve done over the last 10 years.
In addition to ranking in the top 10 for the festival’s annual Brand Marketer of the Year award every year since 2010, P&G won a whopping 243 awards at Cannes during that time period. That includes seven Grands Prix, one Grand Prix for Good, three Creative Effectiveness Lions, two Titanium, 49 Gold, four Glass, 77 Silver and 100 Bronze Lions. The award-winning work was delivered with “humor and dedication to social and environmental issues throughout,” the festival said in a statement.
Nike took second place in the brand marketing category with Volkswagen landing third.
“It’s as important now, as ever, to continue to use our voice and creativity to be a force for good, a force for growth and a force for change,” said P&G chief brand officer, Marc Pritchard. “On behalf of all of our P&G brand builders and creative partners, P&G is so humbled and honored to be recognized as the Lions Brand Marketer of the Decade.”
Over the past decade, P&G brands have run the gamut from hilariously silly to poignantly somber—and they haven’t shied away from some of the most difficult issues facing cultures in the U.S. and around the globe. From starting conversations on race and gender to pushing to end anti-LGBTQ bias, P&G brands have firmly placed their bets on purpose-driven marketing.
One example of the brand’s work, highlighted during the award presentation, is “The Talk,” which P&G created with BBDO New York. The 2017 campaign highlighted the ways that Black parents prepare their children to live in a racially unjust society.
Since then, P&G has built the campaign out into a series on bias in American culture with several followup spots with similar titles, such as “The Look,” released last summer, and this year’s “The Choice” and “The Pause.”
Several other award-winning campaigns were also highlighted in the presentation, such as “Touch the Pickle,” a campaign against period taboos by P&G menstrual pad brand Whisper. Similarly, the festival pointed out the “Like a Girl” campaign from feminine care brand Always, which opened up a much-needed conversation about gender bias in the U.S. when it aired in 2014. Tide’s 2018 Super Bowl campaign, “It’s a Tide Ad,” was also noted for its ingenuity.
Here’s a full list of winners:
Agency of the Decade
1st place: AlmapBBDO São Paulo
2nd place: Wieden+Kennedy Portland
3rd place: BBDO New York
Independent Agency of the Decade
1st place: Wieden+Kennedy Portland
2nd place: Droga5 New York
3rd place: Forsman & Bodenfors (Years 2010-2016)
Network of the Decade
1st place: BBDO Worldwide
2nd place: Ogilvy
3rd place: DDB Worldwide
Holding Company of the Decade
1st place: WPP
2nd place: Omnicom
3rd place: Interpublic Group
Palme d’Or of the Decade [Production]
1st place: MJZ USA
2nd place: Smuggler USA
3rd place:O Positive Films USA
Brand Marketer of the Decade
1st place: Procter & Gamble
2nd place: Nike
3rd place: Volkswagen
Regional Agency of the Decade—Middle East & Africa
1st place: VMLY&R Dubai née Y&R Dubai
2nd place: TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris Johannesburg
3rd place: Ogilvy Johannesburg
Regional Agency of the Decade—Europe
1st place: adam&eveDDB
London 2nd place: AMVBBDO London
3rd place: Ogilvy Paris
Regional Agency of the Decade—Latin America
1st place: AlmapBBDO São Paulo
2nd place: Ogilvy Brasil São Paulo
3rd place: VMLY&R née Y&R São Paulo
Regional Agency of the Decade—Pacific
1st place: Colenso BBDO Auckland
2nd place: Clemenger BBDO Melbourne
3rd place: Leo Burnett Sydney
Regional Agency of the Decade—Asia
1st place: Dentsu Inc. Tokyo
2nd place: Hakuhodo Inc. Tokyo
3rd place: Ogilvy Bangkok
Regional Agency of the Decade—North America
1st place: Wieden+Kennedy Portland
2nd place: BBDO New York
3rd place: Droga5 New York
