Cannes Lions: contenders from SEA

Campaign Asia Pacifc asked four senior regional adlanders from Southeast Asia for their top picks of the bunch heading to Cannes 2017. Also, see if you agree with our pundits' choices in Australia/New Zealand, Japan and Greater China. 

Suthisak Sucharittanonta, CCO, BBDO Bangkok

• '#ThingsDontJudge' for eBay by BBDO India: This is a concept that sparked conversation in India about the way we are prejudiced towards those who are different. The brand explores many situations in which men and women of all ages are judged by society and firmly reminds people that this behaviour is unacceptable to eBay. It’s a bold message.

• 'Sour Faced Man' for Super Zuper Sour Candy by Hakuhodo Indonesia: These visuals perfectly capture the essence of a sour candy – it shows a dramatic, over-the-top squinting face that only Super Zuper Candy's sourness can bring. Quite an accurate depiction I think! 

• 'Unlimited Stadium' for Nike by BBH Singapore: A giant interactive running track, fusing the virtual and physical worlds, in the centre of Manila. It’s clever in that you have a chance to truly better yourself, using the latest innovations in technology to do so. It’s very cool. 

Nimesh Desai, managing director, SEA, Wunderman

• 'Star Wars: Rogue One' for the Philippine General Hospital Medical Foundation by Globe Telecom and PublicisJimenezBasic: Very human insight with a beautifully shot film and strong cross platform execution. Also a really nice three way tie in between Star Wars and Globe Telecom which sponsors the Philippine General Hospital pediatric ward.

• 'Unlimited Stadium' for Nike by BBH Singapore: Brilliant use of technology to create an avatar that you can race against as you do laps aligning with the core values of the brand.

• 'Hearing Rescue' for the Thai Health Promotion Foundation and Deaf Association of Bangkok by BBDO Bangkok: An interesting use of innovation that has an important practical purpose but at the same time helps raise awareness for specific cause.

Ranga Somanathan, CEO, OMG Singapore and Malaysia

• 'Loving the Night' for McDonald's by TBWA\ Bangkok: Despite Bangkok’s reputation for vibrant nightlife, many neighbourhoods still shut down after dark. To extend its ‘Loving the Night’ campaign and drive people to the nearest 24-hour outlet, McDonald’s wanted to keep the night alive for the night owls of Bangkok. McDonald’s created a multi-site street art menu that came to life every night on the shutter doors of neighbourhood businesses. Painted by legendary local graffiti artists, each Night Menu item featured directions that led consumers on a street art tour through the entire menu offering, ultimately sending them to the nearest 24-hour McDonald’s, and with the campaign itself becoming Bangkok’s newest late-night attraction. Why it deserves to win? For being contextually highly relevant, using location based targeting and creating a new media ecosystem. 

• '#HelpAChildReach5' for Lifebuoy by Lowe Lintas: Why it deserves to win: while the 'future me' idea has been done in the past, it is very high on emotional engagement driving behaviour change. 

• 'Hearing Rescue' for Thai Health Promotion Foundation and Deaf Association of Bangkok by BBDO Bangkok: According to the Ministry of Social Development and Human Society, there are 321,063 people with a hearing impairment in Thailand (2016). BBDO Bangkok conducted a survey and found that 100 percent take out their hearing aid at night, with 35 percent of them stating they experience accidents at night because they cannot hear any sounds. Recognising the dangers hearing impaired people face in the night, BBDO Bangkok created ‘Hearing Rescue’ – the world’s first hearing aid that can transform into a wristband and alerts people to danger while they sleep. Developed from a normal hearing aid, the built-in sound recognition detects danger sounds and activates the vibrating function to alert the wearer. A simple and meaningful idea anchored on consumer insights and product usage. 

Phil Townend, CCO, Unruly Asia-Pacific

• 'A.I. Defence System' for Lifebuoy by PHD Singapore: This was run across multiple markets in Asia, including SEA, in early 2016. They undertake social listening across various search streams and use AI to detect unusual spikes in activity - indicating a disease outbreak. The system aims to keep mothers one step ahead of the game by then delivering highly targeted ads to the right people, at the right time, with the right message i.e. all about disease prevention.

• 'Unlimited Stadium' for Nike by BBH Singapore: BBH's Nike Unlimited Stadium campaign is a fantastic example of the highly innovative work coming out of Southeast Asia. It's a perfect example of how brands can fuse virtual and physical reality. The campaign saw Nike build a physical stadium in the heart of Manila where runners can engage in a virtual race against avatars of themselves. The avatars run further and faster - pushing runners to really test their limits.