L-R: Andres Aguilar and Yousuke Ozawa (UltraSuperNew creative directors)
With Cannes Lions 2025 on the horizon, all eyes are on the most audacious and inventive campaigns from the APAC region vying for glory. Yesterday, David Guerrero, creative chairman of BBDO Guerrero, got the ball rolling with his expert picks.
Today, senior creatives from UltraSuperNew share their predictions for this year’s Lion contenders. From a tongue-in-cheek campaign tackling the stigma around herpes in New Zealand to a musical revival of ancient Chinese bathhouse traditions, these standout ideas remind us that creativity isn’t always about breaking the rules... sometimes, it’s about rewriting them completely.
Campaign: 'Make New Zealand The Best Place In The World To Have Herpes'
Brand: New Zealand Herpes Foundation
Cannes Lions category: PR, Direct, Film
Herpes affects up to 80% of New Zealanders, yet the stigma surrounding the condition continues to cause deep mental health challenges. To address this, the New Zealand Herpes Foundation partnered with Motion Sickness and Finch to create a bold, comedic film series. Featuring local celebrities like Sir Graham Henry, the campaign launched on Global Herpes Awareness Day 2024, aiming to not only destigmatise herpes but also to inject a sense of humor and national pride into the conversation.
Andres Aguilar, creative director, UltraSuperNew, Tokyo, says: "This campaign feels oddly timely, now that chest-thumping nationalisms are making a comeback. What I love is how it spoofs that kind of clichéd patriotic messaging and flips it by inviting New Zealanders to help their country climb one of the most unexpected rankings out there: the Herpes Stigma Index, which tracks where the condition is least stigmatised. Of all the ways they could’ve tackled the brief, this feels the most left-field—and the most likely to ruffle feathers. Colour me jealous."
Yangzhou’s ancient bathhouse culture, with a 1,200-year history, has been gradually fading into obscurity. To reignite interest in this heritage, TBWA Group China teamed up with the Yangzhou Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, TV and Tourism to create the world’s first "Towel Percussion" experience. The campaign reimagined the traditional Qiao Bei (敲背) back-tapping massage by turning bath towels into percussion instruments and producing four original musical compositions inspired by Qiao Bei rhythms. The result? A creative and unexpected way to connect younger audiences with an ancient tradition.
Yousuke Ozawa, creative director at UltraSuperNew, Tokyo, reflects: "When I first saw this, I got excited, because it reminded me that creative ideas can come from literally anywhere. And the good ones are often right in front of your eyes. At first, I wasn’t sure if the idea was meant to be funny or serious. But because they played it so straight, it actually made it even funnier. That said, I’m still not entirely sure what the emotional intention behind it was.
The goal was to get more people to visit bathhouses. But instead of listing out the usual benefits like 'We offer massages with 1,200 years of history,' they took a much more creative route: they made music albums.
Similar to Takasaki Tourism’s Zetsumeshi campaign, it's another creative and unconventional approach to spark public interest!"
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