7 campaigns from APAC shortlisted for Glass Lions

Cannes Lions has announced its first awards shortlists for 2024 in the categories of Glass: The Lion for Change, Titanium and Innovation. 

Singapore and India each have three nominations in the Glass: The Lion for Change category, while South Korea has one. 

In the Innovation category, there was only one nomination from APAC, which went to DDB Sydney’s ‘Roobadge’. There were no APAC nominations in Titanium, compared to four in 2023.

Here's a breakdown of the shortlisted campaigns from APAC:

Glass shortlists

Campaign: Olay Al-Shu
Brand: Olay
Agency: Publicis Singapore

Olay launched a campaign under its ongoing #STEMTheGap initiative to address gender imbalance in India's STEM fields. The ‘Olay Al-Shu' campaign, created by Publicis Singapore, celebrates historical Indian women in STEM, such as Dr. Anandibai Joshi and Kalpana Chawla. The film aims to highlight the lack of female mentors in STEM and the societal biases that deter young girls from these careers, underscoring the importance of female role models in inspiring the next generation. 

Campaign: Harpic Loocator
Brand: Harpic India
Agency: Tgthr Mumbai

Harpic introduced an app named ‘Harpic Loocator’ to help users, especially women, locate public restrooms easily while on the move. This innovation, created by Tgthr Mumbai accompanies the launch of their ‘#BeFreeToPee’ campaign, which focuses on the challenges women often face in finding accessible public toilets. The campaign and app launch aim to address the significant issue of restroom availability in India, encouraging discussions on this often-overlooked topic. 

Campaign: My Destiny, My Choice
Brand: SK-II
Agency: Forsman & Bodenfors, Singapore

In China, the social media trend called ‘好嫁风’ or 'good for marriage' promotes the idea that women should appear less intelligent or ambitious to be desirable for marriage. This trend amplifies societal pressure on women to prioritise marriage above personal achievements. In response, SK-ll launched 'My Destiny, My Choice', an interactive movie where viewers make crucial life decisions for a female protagonist. Created by Forsman & Bodenfors, the movie is guided by an award-winning actress as the protagonist's friend, and the narrative offers 12 story paths, providing over an hour of content that challenges traditional marriage expectations. 

Campaign: Transition Body Lotion
Brand: Unilever
Agency: Ogilvy Singapore

Vaseline developed a skincare product tailored for transgender women. Recognising the unique skincare challenges faced during the transition process, especially in Thailand which has one of the largest transgender communities globally, Vaseline endeavored to address these needs. After extensive research and collaborative efforts over two years, the brand, with the help of Ogilvy Singapore, introduced the Transition Body Lotion, what it says to be the first clinically proven skincare product designed specifically to support the skin health of transgender women. 

Campaign: Project Farm Equal
Brand: Lay's
Agency: Leo Burnett Mumbai

Lay's created the "Farm Equal" project on International Women's Day 2024 in Uttar Pradesh, with the help of Leo Burnett Mumbai and USAID. This initiative aims to empower female farmers by not just enhancing agricultural productivity but also addressing their specific needs. The program includes the creation of women-centric farming tools, support in navigating legal and financial systems, and access to government social programs. It also provides comprehensive training to enhance their agricultural and financial decision-making skills. 

Campaign: Drug Test Poster
Brand: JTBC
Agency: Cheil Worldwide Seoul

Drug Test Poster (JTBC) - Cheil WW Seoul 2024 from Cheil Network on Vimeo.

The ‘Drug Test Poster’ campaign by JTBC promoted the Korean TV series Strong Girl Nam-soon while addressing the serious issue of drink-spiking in South Korea, particularly in the Gangnam district known for nightlife and drug-related crimes. These posters, created by Cheil Worldwide featured detachable drug test kits, which people can use to check their drinks for tampering. This initiative, linked to the series about a family with superhuman strength tackling crime, is part of a broader effort to raise awareness and provide safety measures against drug-facilitated crimes in social hotspots. 

Campaign: Dabba Savings Account
Brand: ESAF Small Finance Bank
Agency: McCann Gurugam

In India, while 35% of bank accounts are registered under women's names, they are typically controlled by men, especially in lower-income households where women often work in daily wage jobs. These women, lacking financial literacy and access, usually hide their savings in kitchen containers. To address this, ESAF Small Finance Bank created the 'Dabba Bank' project with the help of McCann, providing these women a unique and secure way to keep their personal savings truly safe. 

Innovation shortlists

Campaign: Volkswagen Roobadge
Brand: Volkswagen
Agency: DDB Sydney

In response to the frequent and costly wildlife collisions on Australian roads, particularly with kangaroos, Volkswagen Australia launched a preventive campaign. Working alongside DDB, University of Melbourne and Wires, they introduced the 'RooBadge'. This device, which attaches to the front of Volkswagen cars, emits a signal that alerts kangaroos to oncoming traffic, aiming to reduce accidents that make up about 90% of wildlife-related road incidents in the region.