The best marketing campaings of 2024
published on 13.01.25
At the prestigious Cannes Lion festival, held in June 2024, the most outstanding campaigns in the industry were honored, celebrating their ability to captivate audiences and set new benchmarks for creativity. These award-winning projects didn’t just sell products; they told stories, sparked conversations, and challenged conventions.
In this article, we revisit some of the most remarkable campaigns recognized at Cannes Lion, highlighting their innovation, impact, and lasting influence.
Andalusian crush
From Ogilvy for Turismo Andalucia.
This campaign represents a significant shift in the promotion of Andalusia, moving away from the traditional focus on sun and beach tourism.
Andalusian Crush elevates its message by highlighting the region’s cultural richness. The piece is centered around the emotional impact of visiting Andalusia, using a cutting-edge aesthetic that brings attention to historical heritage and the most iconic figures of Andalusian culture. This innovative approach has successfully connected with diverse audiences, solidifying Andalusia as a comprehensive and enriching tourist destination.
meet marina prieto
From David Madrid for JCDecaux.
As fewer and fewer companies choose to advertise in metro ad spaces, JCDecaux launched a campaign to highlight the significant impact of this medium. They reached out to a 100-year-old Spanish woman and promoted the 54 photos she had posted on her Instagram account, displaying them across hundreds of spaces in the Madrid Metro.
The goal was to show brands the effectiveness of these advertising platforms. As a result, by the end of the campaign, more than 150 brands decided to return to advertising in the metro’s ad spaces.
michael cerave
From Ogilvy PR New York for CeraVe.
For the 2024 Super Bowl, Ogilvy PR New York launched a creative campaign for the skincare brand CeraVe. Through fake news, a rumor was spread on social media suggesting that Canadian actor Michael Cera was the creator of the brand. This rumor gained traction through newspaper articles, podcasts, memes, and skincare influencers, amplifying its reach.
Finally, during the Super Bowl broadcast, an ad featuring Michael Cera was revealed, promoting CeraVe creams. The strategy not only significantly boosted the brand’s sales but also skyrocketed CeraVe search queries by 2200%.
The misheard version
From Golin London for Specsavers.
For the campaign they created, a version of the iconic song “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Rick Astley was made, incorporating some of the most common hearing mistakes. With this clever reinterpretation, it aimed to encourage society to reflect on hearing problems and the importance of early diagnosis. In addition to its creative success, it managed to position the term “hearing aid” as the number 1 trending search term on Google in the UK, demonstrating its impact and ability to raise awareness about hearing health.
Women’s Football
From Marcel Paris for Orange.
For the promotion of the 2023 Women’s Football World Cup, Marcel Paris created an ad in which they replaced the male players of the French national football team with female players from the national women’s team. The goal was to show that both categories can be equally exciting and raise awareness about the importance of providing the same opportunities to women’s football.
The ad went viral, reaching over 200 million organic searches and 2 billion impressions. This impact contributed to the 2023 Women’s World Cup becoming the most-watched one to date.
The everiday tactician
From McCann London for Xbox.
To promote the release of the video game Football Manager 2024, Xbox partnered with Bromley FC, a club from the lower tiers of English football. As part of the campaign, a job offer was posted for the position of sports analyst, but with a special condition: only people who played Football Manager could apply.
The goal was to demonstrate that the video game accurately reflects the reality of tactical and strategic analysis. The initiative was not only a promotional success but also had a real impact: the selected candidate helped Bromley FC improve their position in the league by applying the knowledge gained while playing Football Manager. Additionally, the campaign drove a 190% increase in the number of players of the game, solidifying its popularity and commercial success.
recycle me
From Ogilvy for Coca-Cola.
In a bold reinterpretation of its iconic logo, Coca-Cola distorted its design to symbolize the recycling process, sending a clear message about the importance of recycling packaging after consuming the beverage. With this initiative, the brand not only captured consumers’ attention but also reinforced its commitment to sustainability, encouraging concrete actions to protect the environment.
Handshake Hunt
From Gut Sao Paulo for Mercado Libre.
Instead of the typical Black Friday ads, Mercado Libre developed software capable of detecting all the handshakes appearing on screen, a gesture representative of its logo. In collaboration with the Globo TV network, the campaign made it so that when handshakes appeared, a QR code with the corresponding discount would appear on screen. The strategy was a resounding success, leading to a significant increase in Mercado Libre’s sales compared to previous years when traditional ads were used.
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