India's Best Bets at Cannes Lions 2017 (Part II): L&K Saatchi and Saatchi, Taproot Dentsu

In the run up to the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity 2017, we take a look at some of India’s Best Bets at Cannes Lions 2017. Over the coming week we will list out some of the entries from India. Today our focus is on two of India’s leading creative agencies – L&K Saatchi and Saatchi and Taproot Dentsu.

Both the agencies L&K Saatchi and Saatchi and Taproot Dentsu led campaigns that sought to make real world differences to real people with real problems. Here are some of their best bets at Cannes Lions 2017.

L&K Saatchi and Saatchi

Brand: Saafkins

India has a crisis no one is talking about. Over 400 million rural women are forced to miss five days of work or school every month just because of their period. That’s 60 days lost a year and 3.9 years over a lifetime. #GiveHer5 is the crowdfunding initiative with Saafkins reusable sanitary napkins that gives her five of ‘those’ days back with reusable menstrual protection for just 150 rupees. To raise awareness about how their world goes dark each time they get their period, they got influential female blogger Miss Malini to go offline with #GiveHer5 and thousands like her followed. It is being entered in Cyber Lions, PR Lions and Glass Lions.

Brand: Pampers

In India 88% of fathers believe that baby-care is the mother’s responsibility. Pampers #ItTakes2 asked a simple question – If it takes two to make a baby, shouldn’t it take two to raise a baby? Even 97% doctors agreed that for happy and healthy development, a baby needs both parents. The film showed Indian dads that they could play the role of co-nurturers and not just the providers in their baby’s lives as babies pick up cognitive skills from them. Online conversations started,followed by diaper changing stations in men’s washrooms so dads can play a role even outside the home and the first ever daddy-baby pack was introduced. Celebs and Mommy Bloggers joined in leading to 99% positive brand sentiment. It is being entered in Cyber Lions, Design Lions, Glass Lions, PR Lions, Promo and Activation Lions.

Brand: Thomas Cook

Despite its rich natural and ethnic background, there is very little social exchange between the North East of India and the rest of the country. Seen as outsiders, tribal or even separatists, the people from the area are often at the receiving end of stereotyping and alienation with the issue even turning violent at times. However, those who have visited these states realise that the culture and people are very different from what they might have assumed. The ‘Turn what you know around’ campaign for Thomas Cook intends to question the myths about the region and is being entered across categories like Film Lions - Travel & Transport, Film Craft - Direction, Use of original music, Radio - Travel & Transport and Casting.

Brand: The News Minute

The News Minute, an online news portal, wanted its followers to think, question and debate rather than just consume. So, the agency took inspiration from a real story shown on a news

channel where the reporter commenting on a footage from a madrasa explained that the kids were being brainwashed and indoctrinated into jihadi ideology when in reality they were

just memorizing the Quran. The agency recreated the scene through their ‘Question More’ campaign to see what the middle class makes of it. As expected, most of them reacted to the visual stimulus, without bothering to question the content. The campaign is being entered in Cyber Lions - Media & Publications, Native Advertising, Social Video; Entertainment Lions - Online: non-fiction under 15 minutes, Audience engagement; Film Lions and Outdoor Lions.

Agency Speak:

“We have looked at campaigns that in some way have made a social impact. That

has been L&K Saatchi and Saatchi’s thrust for the past couple of years. So, all of

these campaigns in fact have that one thing in common in many different areas which is attempting to change perceptions. Like that of P&G, it is a social experiment about making baby care part of the men’s responsibility,” said Rahul Nangia, Jt. National Creative Director, L&K Saatchi and Saatchi.

Taproot Dentsu

Brand: Adidas

Through the ‘Odds’ campaign, the shoemaker was seen offering pairs of shoes containing two lefts and two rights to empower the amputee blade runner community. Santosh

Padhi, Co-founder, Taproot Dentsu says, “This idea doesn’t cost any money, just interchange the shoes and you get a pair, it works because of its simplicity and novelty. We launched it during the Paralympics to celebrate this powerful community which has been doing such amazing things that it makes us feel handicapped.” The agency has entered it across categories like Promo, PR, Direct, Product Design and Film Craft.

Brand: Airtel

In the unfortunate circumstance of an accident, when the victim becomes unconscious or is badly injured, there is no way people can reach out to the victim’sfamily and friends because the contacts are hidden behind the phone’s passcode. That’s where Taproot Dentsu’s big idea comes in handy. Titus Upputuru, Creative Head, Taproot Dentsu, Gurgaon says, “The Life Saving Wallpapers helps everyone make mobile wallpapers with emergency contacts and blood group, so that that information remains accessible without having to unlock the screen. Across India, people are benefitting from this initiative. Who thought Wallpapers can save lives, but in today’s world it is possible.” It is being entered in Mobile and Out of Home categories.

Agency Speak:

“We are really proud of our ‘Odds’ campaign. We have entered it in four award festivals and it has won everywhere and we feel it deserves to win even at Cannes. Having said that, Cannes is all about surprises. I learnt that lesson many a times including last year. Our IOAA campaign ‘Everything works better when it’s Outdoor’ had won nothing less than Gold and Silver in all award functions, but it didn’t do anything at Cannes. So, I am prepared even if they want to surprise us second year in a row,” says Santosh Padhi, Co-founder, Taproot Dentsu.

Disclaimer: The agencies have not been placed in any particular order. Many agencies missing from this list did not want to share information about their top entries.

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