Cannes Contenders: 10 of the Best from Leo Burnett

As Cannes Lions 2024 quickly approaches, Publicis Groupe's global agency network Leo Burnett has shared its top 10 highest hopes for taking away some Lions at this year's Festival of Creativity. Including work for the likes of KFC, McDonald's, Samsung, Fiat and the NBA, this selection of projects represents the wide international array of agencies at "the home of populist creativity".

To see all of the campaigns - from the US, UK, Germany, Italy, Brazil, the UAE, Canada, Spain, Australia and India - and some comments from Leo Burnett's creative leaders, read on below!

KFC - Fiiiiiinger Lickin' Good (Chicago)

"Ideas like this really prove the power of long-term brand building. The equity that KFC has spent decades building into its tagline creates a kind of cultural shorthand that you can cash in when you want to activate quickly. No other brand could have done this idea. We’re grateful to everyone who touched this brand before us." - Britt Nolan, co-president and CCO at Leo Burnett Chicago.

Pizza Hut - Pepperoni Hug Spot (Toronto) 

"Often, real-world experiences are turned into online versions of it. What I love about 'Pepperoni Hug Spot' is that it took an online experience, some crazy AI video, and made it something people could enjoy together in real life. Take that, AI! On top of that, the speed that we made this happen was impressive. If we waited a week or two... the brand would have been late to the conversation.” - Steve Persico, CCO at Leo Burnett Toronto.

McDonald’s - Pre-Nug Agreement (UK)

“When something is so delicious, that agreement to share needs a little officiation. It’s a complex issue – do you go 50/50? Who gets custody of the BBQ dip? Honestly, we’ve been creative partners for a long-time and it’s still up in the air on whether we’ll share.” - James Millers and Andrew Long, ECDs at Leo Burnett UK.

AXA - Victoria 285 (Madrid)

“The difference between seeing a number and watching a woman actually aging until she is 285 years-old, is what makes data useful. It makes it human and relatable, and it instantly makes you think about yourself, your daughter or a friend that won’t be able to live in an equal world.” - Gastón Guetmonovitch, CCO at Leo Burnett Madrid.

Samsung - Galaxy Time (Germany)

“We basically had to rethink the concept of time and clocks. Because clocks are made for the time on Earth, not for planets where a day lasts less than ten hours or much longer than on our home planet. The complex data were translated into a minimalist design. With the 'Galaxy Time' watch face, we once again show what is possible with data. We are grateful for the collaboration with the scientists at ESA who made the project possible." - Viktor Kislovskij, senior creative technologist at Leo Burnett Deutschland.

FIAT - No Grey (Italy)

"Colourful, funny, disruptive and 100% Italian. Yes, that’s what we love about Fiat 'No Grey'. And yes, also the fact that we dipped Fiat’s CEO in 10,000 litres of paint was pretty cool." - Enrico Pasquino, creative director at Leo Burnett Italia.

Diageo | Bundaberg Rum - The Wedding That Fans Built (Australia)

"Little could prepare us for some of the suggestions we received from our pool of 400,000+ Bundy fans we tasked with planning a wedding. But those were the rules. To prove their love for Bundy, we gave one ‘lucky’ couple an all-expenses paid wedding at the Bundaberg Rum Distillery, but on the condition that whatever their fellow fans proposed, they’d say ‘I do'. Everything from the groom’s haircut, catering, decorations, rings, outfits and even the couple’s vows were crowdsourced from our weird and wonderful Bundy Rum followers in a hilarious and engaging spectacle that captured the hearts of Heartland Australia." - Tommy Cehak, group creative director at Leo Burnett Australia.

Oreo - Kintsugi Oreo (Brazil/Mexico)

“Inspired by the centuries-old Japanese art of mending broken pottery with gold, we present the 'Kintsugi Oreo'. Now, if your Oreo breaks, it's easy and fun to fix it: just use our famous vanilla cream to join the pieces and make the world's most beloved cookie even more delicious.” - Vinicius Stanzione, CCO at Leo Burnett Tailor Made.

NBA - JUMP (Dubai)

“'JUMP' is a narrative that encompasses the journey of a young girl from India, as she moves from her existing reality to her deserved reality, via the game of basketball. It's a poetic film, carried by spoken word poetry that captures the raw, natural poetry of basketball in the streets, through the lanes and rough courts of India. We are excited to see it do well in award shows globally and now at Cannes in Film, Film Craft and Entertainment." - Tahaab Rais, CSO at Publicis Groupe Middle East & Turkey

Gatorade - Turf Finder (India)