The Oscars of advertising is all set to roll next week. About 15,000 marketing and advertising professionals are estimated to be at the French Riviera for the 70th edition of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity from June 19th to 23rd.
Several top Indian executives and independent creative shop founders have left for Cannes with a lot of optimism. However, there is a dip in the total number of entries sent by Indian agencies. 809 entries were sent to Cannes this year, down from the 921 entered last year, a 11 percent dip.
Indian agencies have sent most entries in Media (80 entries), Brand Experience & Activation (77 entries), and Direct (71 entries). 69 entries were sent in the Film, a category that popular among Indian agencies. These are categories that are primarily perceived as traditional and a safe play. Social & Influencer is a category where India sent a total of 52 entries. That’s a category where Indian agencies are innovating the most in the last one year. The entry numbers indicate a few observations. Indian agencies have definitely cut back on Cannes indulgence. Most indie agencies have stayed away due to high entry cost. A few others have saved up all year to put all their bets on Cannes. A bunch of agencies from network companies have tightened their purse strings because of slow growth.
2022 was a historic year for India at Cannes Lions. Indian agencies got home 48 Lions last year, compared to 22 in 2021. Dentsu Creative Bengaluru won Agency of The Year. The agency picked three Grands Prix for Vice Media’s Unfiltered History Tour campaign. Ogilvy’s Shah Rukh Khan My Ad and Leo Burnett India’s The Missing Chapter, a campaign for P&G, also won a Grand Prix each.
Even if entry levels have dropped, will India create a big show at Cannes? We’ll have our answer next week.