Cannes Contenders: 72andSunny Shines a Light on Its Lions Front-runners

72andSunny have been living up to their name, judging by the joyfully sunny collection of creative campaigns that they’re hoping will perform will at the upcoming Cannes Lions. Creative leaders across the network have picked out their favourite campaigns from the past two years by their colleagues in other offices. With playful work for brands like Spotify and World of Warcraft and Trojan, the 72andSunny agencies have been leaning into upbeat work at a time when the world needs a bit of cheering up.

Lauren Smith, Group Creative Director, 72andSunny Los Angeles: “You know, at week 4 of quarantine I was four months pregnant and locked in a house with my husband and a toddler and no nanny. I was sexting.... no one. However, the New York office's campaign for Trojan - "Sext Us Instead" - still got a real live LOL outta me. A campaign where people could sext Trojan instead of their ex as a way to keep horny people from breaking quarantine. Proof you can do good in times of crisis, and do it with a laugh, and also be smart AND sexy at the same time.”

Creative Credits:

Brand: Trojan Brand Condoms

Creative Agency: 72andSunny New York

Social Agency: Razorfish

Media Agency: Wavemaker

Cannes Lions Year: 2020

Zach Hilder, Executive Creative Director, 72andSunny Los Angeles says: “Let's face it, human hands were not genetically engineered to keep our nuggets warm on-the-go. That's why I'm such a fan of the LikeMeat Nugget Pocket. A vested, incubating nugget attaché redefines what it means to be "fashion forward," righting the wrongs of six million years of human evolution. And it looks cool, too.”

Agency: 72andSunny Amsterdam 

Director: Arthur Couvat 

Production Company & Music: HECHO

Sound: Stainless sound

Vest Design & Production: LEW Studio Amsterdam (Kim Leemans and Merel Wicker)

Cannes Year: 2021

Jimmy Smith, Creative Leader at 72andSunny and Chairman, CCO of Amusement Park:“Not Tom Brady. Not LeBron James. Not Mookie Betts. Not Black Panther. Not Spider-Man. Not Thor. The Real Heroes were the First Responders and Hospital Workers during the pandemic. Those are the folks who deserved the capes. If you looked to Heaven you might have even heard Stan Lee saying his immortal words ... NUFF SAID!!!”

Johnny Tan, Executive Creative Director, 72andSunny Singapore says: “Super simple yet powerful flip; Turning how we worship our sports heroes to them saluting the frontline heroes. Amidst all the Covid initiatives that came out last year, this idea really stood out. It had the potency, scale and reach in popular culture. It was easy to participate too"

 Cannes Year: 2020

Sherina Florence, Group Creative Director, 72andSunny New York: "Surprising. Well-crafted. Fun. Unexpected. Boldly creative. On strategy. The playfulness of both the visuals and the track come together to surprise and delight in a way that is truly fun for the whole family. The first thing that captured me was the unexpected representation depicted. A Black family, dressed in Victorian garb, rolling down the highway, top down, waving their wrists regally to classical music. Then to a completely swagged out vibe. This spot showed the spectrum of music taste in such a delightful way. From Gaga to J Balvin to Lil' Yachty, it's fun surprise after fun surprise. And it delivers a clear and memorable message for the brand. Where is the sequel?"

Creative Credits: 

Client: Spotify  

Creative Agency: 72andSunny New York

Film Production Company: Somesuch

Editorial Company: Final Cut

Sound Design Company: Wave Studios

VFX Company: Method Studios

Color Company: Company3

Photographer: Lois Cohen

Retouching: Hecho Studios, LA 

Cannes Lion Year: 2021

Jimmy Smith, Creative Leader at 72andSunny and Chairman, CCO of Amusement Park

“It's not your typical video game campaign where it's just stuff blowing up or people using swords. It's inside baseball, all the while inviting people from around the world who don't know what they don't know. I mean c'mon ... who doesn't wanna blow a dope assed ancient horn from B.C. times?!?!?!”

Creative Credits

Brand: Blizzard Entertainment

Creative Agency: 72andSunny Los Angeles

Director: Rob McElhenney

Production: Raucous Content

Editorial: Cabin

Sound: Lime

Finish: Digital Domain 

Cannes Lions: 2021

Ida Gronblom, Group Creative Director, 72andSunny New York: “2020 was a bag of lemons for our industry, couped up at home in creative paralysis during lockdown. Use stock footage, I was told by clients and colleagues. Yuck stock, I thought! But stock footage isn't just ladies laughing while eating salad, it's actually a powerful artistic source for anyone who is willing to use it creatively. Adobe Stock festival proved the creative industry wrong by showing that stock footage is in fact lemonade."

Creative Credits

Brand: Adobe 

Creative Agency: 72andSunny Los Angeles

Post Production: HECHO Studios

Music: Epidemic Sound

Cannes Lions year: 2021