For the second year in a row, a campaign out of India has taken home the Grand Prix in the Glass Lion competition in Cannes.
Red Label‘s “6 Pack Band” earned the prize this year in the competition introduced in 2015 to award advertising that tackles gender issues. “Touch The Pickle” by BBDO India Mumbai took home the Grand Prix in the competition’s inaugural year.
The sole Canadian entry shortlisted in this year’s competition, “Ladyballs,” was not awarded. That campaign, crafted by Grey Canada for Ovarian Cancer Canada, did however win a Silver Lion in the Health & Wellness competition.
“6 Pack Band” is the brainchild of Mindshare Mumbai. For the campaign, the agency created what it billed as India’s first transgender pop group on behalf of Brooke Bond Red Label Tea. The resulting group of six transgender performers infused Indian popular culture by appearing on televised pop music award shows, releasing a series of singles and digital videos and meeting with some of India’s most popular celebrities.
In addition to increasing visibility for Red Label, the pop group opened up a conversation about the rights of transgender people in India, where the LGBTQ community faces significant adversity. The “6 Pack Band” campaign also came at a time when transgender issues were part of the national conversation in India. In 2015, the country introduced a bill providing legal protection for transgender people, and in March the southern Kerala state decided to introduce free gender-reassignment surgeries in government hospitals.
The Glass Lion jury was headed by Madeline Di Nonno, CEO of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media. Speaking at a press conference Monday, Di Nonno called the Grand Prix winner “incredibly inventive” and “wildly impactful.”
“For us, it hit all of the check marks we could possibly want for a Glass Lion,” she said.
Addressing the press moments after the jury’s selection was revealed, Cannes Lions CEO Philip Thomas noted the “6 Pack Band” was an example of how the Glass Lion competition can shine a light on work tackling a diverse set of gender issues.
The mandate of the competition, Thomas said, was to award work that tackled social issues relating to gender, not just those that affect cisgendered women. “Gender issues, full-stop. That means all genders,” he said.
While the festival has just begun, gender has already emerged as a significant theme. In addition to a panel exploring how brands represent gender in their ads, Cannes mandated its juries be comprised of at least 40% female members this year.
There were 151 entries to the Glass Lion competition. In total, six Glass Lions were handed out this year.
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