The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity kicks off in a month's time on 17 June 2024. Manifest's coverage for the festival kicks off with an 'India at Cannes' series. This series will showcase all of India's entries to this year's festival, speakers giving a sneak peek of their talks, and those attending the festival sharing expectations. 

In this piece, we showcase FCB Kinnect's entries for this year's festival. The agency has shared three entries.

HDFC Bank - Lulumelon EOSS
Categories entered in: Direct, PR and Social and Influencer Lions

Online financial fraud is rampant during festive and sale seasons, and fraudsters are now employing AI to scam innocent people. Traditional PSAs fail to engage with Indians as they harbour an optimism bias. India's first fraud awareness influencer, Vigil Aunty from HDFC Bank had to protect, awaken, and empower the masses.

During this end-of-season-sale, Vigil Aunty in collaboration with Nora Fatehi replicated the modus operandi of fraudsters by crafting an entirely fake brand - Lulumelon. Fake social media pages, fake websites, and even ads where Vigil Aunty deepfaked herself into Nora, they did it all! 

Those who clicked on these ads (planted with red flags) landed on the reveal website, where they realized how easy it was to get scammed. They learnt how to identify fake websites and deepfake videos. They were encouraged to join the Vigil Army, a WhatsApp community of fraud fighters constantly updated with the latest frauds and safe practices.

1.4 million people fell for Lulumelon’s EOSS. 750 thousand people joined the Vigil Army. 350+ media outlets organically covered the campaign. Despite its notorious reputation, we used deepfake AI technology on social media positively to send out an important message and start a conversation.

Lenovo - Brave New Art
Category entered in: Entertainment Lions

Lenovo Yoga is a creator-first laptop series. But while our competitor’s market share was growing 2x year-on-year in India our laptop share remained stagnant. We decided to remind creative individuals that an Intel-powered Lenovo Yoga is not just a laptop—it's a creator's best friend. For our audience the creative process is gold. Apart from the artwork they want to see the creative thinking that goes into making something.

We created a reality series that is a one-of-a-kind product video. Artists from various mediums came together for 'Brave New Art',  a two-part series. Our audience watched them take up creative challenges using Lenovo Yoga laptops. A martial artist joined hands with a VR wizard, while an AI expert jammed with a 3D artist for never-imagined-before fusion. The series was offered a spot on one of India's top 3 OTT platforms - Disney+ Hotstar. Additionally, we made it widely accessible on YouTube.

The series got 40 million video views across platforms with a 9.5 IMDB rating. The business result - 88% YoY increase in sales for Lenovo Yoga in Q3. Performance on OTT - significant uplifts of +6% & +4% on brand awareness and brand favourability.

Tata.ev - Perry Powerful Punch
Category: PR Lions

In the second season of the TATA Women’s Premier League, a moment of accidental brilliance became the catalyst for a groundbreaking marketing strategy. When Ellyse Perry shattered the window of a Punch.ev display car with her powerful shot, it wasn't just a mishap—it was an opportunity to celebrate women's cricket and challenge stereotypes. 

Turning adversity into triumph, a specially crafted award, the 'PerryPowerfulPunch', was presented to Perry, made from the shattered glass in just seven days. The swift execution of this idea garnered widespread attention, with the news reaching over 18.22 million people organically and earning INR 2.3 million in media coverage. 

Notably, the final match witnessed record-breaking attendance, marking it as the most attended women's sports event globally. 

The campaign resonated across diverse audiences, including fans of men's cricket, sports enthusiasts, and aspiring young female cricketers, effectively boosting interest in both TATA WPL and Punch.ev. 

This initiative not only celebrated a moment but also championed the empowerment of women in sports, leaving a lasting impact on the sporting landscape.