Cannes Contenders: Top Picks from Worldwide Partners Independent Agencies

All eyes are on independent agencies this year at Cannes, as these innovative, agile, and impassioned teams continue to make headlines and win over brands from larger firms. 

Some of the most creative and successful work is coming from indies, and it’s no surprise – in an always-on world with increasingly discerning and demanding consumers, the work needs to stand out and hit home in fresh ways. Whether that’s leveraging (and exposing) new technologies, swiftly tapping into cultural movements and emotional connections, or calling out unjust practices and rallying support to break barriers, indies are driving brand growth, driving cultural change, and driving the industry forward. 

Here are Cannes contenders from ten of our independent agencies that are making a difference by doing things differently.

Alzheimer’s Research UK - Change the Ending

Agency: The Beyond Collective

Location: UK

With budgets a fraction of other charities, The Beyond Collective had to quickly make people care about finding a cure for dementia, and then switch this interest into action – shifting perceptions from passively supported to actively invested in Alzheimer’s Research UK’s success, most potently by increasing desire to donate.

The outcome was 'Change the Ending,' a heart breaking two-minute long, part live-action part animation film voiced by Oscar-winning actor Olivia Colman. It follows the story of a prince and princess whose fairy tale is destroyed after the prince develops dementia. The conclusion brings viewers into the real world and sees the princess kissing her prince one final time as he passes away.

This film was the anchoring point for a new brand platform designed to empower the nation to help tackle the disease for a cure, resulting in a 300% increase in donations. 

Canac - Dignity Denim

Agency: LG2

Location: Canada

​In collaboration with LG2, the hardware store Canac launched an unexpected campaign based on the best-known cliché about plumbers: the famous butt crack! Canac developed a new kind of jeans called Dignity Denim. These unique pants protect the dignity of their wearers by covering up their backsides when they bend over. With this first-ever 'butt-breaking' garment, the Quebec company is keeping its promise to help for real.

Anchored by a 60-second video released on social media, the campaign featured plumbers taking part in a fashion photo shoot. Dressed in Dignity Denim and looking their very best, the plumbing professionals kneel on the ground without shame, well protected by these new jeans, exclusively branded and designed by the hardware store. The campaign was the most successful to date for the company, with more than 1,100% earned media, over 300M impressions throughout 32 countries, an 850% increase in social media traffic, and 520% more demand than expected.

Cetaphil - Game Time Glow

Agency: /prompt. - the new Lippe Taylor

Location: US

The NFL had a boost from an unlikely audience this past season. Thanks to Taylor Swift’s relationship with Travis Kelce, viewership among girls aged 12 to 17 increased 53%. While some American football fans were annoyed about Swift stealing the spotlight at games, many fathers embraced the opportunity to connect with their young daughters in a new way. This was the inspiration for /prompt.’s Cetaphil Super Bowl LVIII campaign, titled Game Time Glow. 

By casting a real father and daughter that bonded during the NFL season and dropping in plenty of Swift-related easter eggs, /prompt. created an authentic spot that didn’t push the brand or product, but rather told a real story of that moment a father and daughter were able to connect again.

Gay Group of Bahia - Dismissal 

Agency: Propeg

Location: Brazil

​Challenged by Gay Group of Bahia with creating a campaign that encouraged companies to promote a more inclusive environment in their workplaces, Propeg created a powerful advertising film using a “dismissal” metaphor, where the protagonist says goodbye to her 'old' self and beings a new journey as her true self. 

Propeg cast Daniele Macedo, a transgender actress, to star in the film and worked with Ayô Tupinambá, an artist who identifies as trans, and Nanda Dias, a cis, black, and bisexual woman to write and record the soundtrack. The film wraps with moving testimonials from trans women sharing their feelings in different social contexts.

Hackergal - A Real Voice for Women in Tech

Agency: FUSE Create

Location: Canada

​As of 2023, women still only made up 23% of the tech sector - a number that hasn’t gone up since 1984. Hackergal, a not-for-profit located in Toronto, Canada, is dedicated to helping young women break through gender barriers so they can code, create, and become the tech leaders of tomorrow. 

We can all rattle off names like Mark Zuckerberg and Tim Cook, but fewer of us can name influential women in the tech world - with one exception: smart speakers. Women make up less than a third of the tech sector but voice almost 100% of our robot assistants. Knowing this, FUSE Create developed a campaign that played off this irony to help drive interest in Hackergal (via website visits) and donations, to help give women a voice in tech.

Through posters, social posts, and guerrilla in-store tactics, FUSE’s campaign asked readers to consider why the most famous women in tech are the ones living in their devices and encouraged them to help give women a real voice by supporting Hackergal.

Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority - Excessive Celebration

Agency: R&R Partners

Location: USA

​Las Vegas, host to Super Bowl LVIII, is a city purpose-built for excessive celebration. Unfortunately, the NFL continues to fine and penalize players for just that. R&R Partners believes, in Vegas, everyone should be able to celebrate freely no matter if they are on the Strip, in the stands, or on the field.

The independent agency let their stance be known to the sports world with a campaign that launched with a petition at Change.org/Celebration. They took things further by teaming up with the NFL’s most legendary celebrator and a Grammy-nominated artist to release a music video showcasing what Las Vegas is all about, Excessive Celebration by Tobe Nwigwe ft. Ochocinco. Las Vegas native and Jimmy Kimmel Live! host Jimmy Kimmel jumped in to support on his live show.

San Francisco Ballet - Mere Mortals

Agency: The Shipyard

Location: USA

To attract new audiences, San Francisco Ballet premiered 'Mere Mortals,' an immersive performance with ground breaking electronic dance music and production techniques. The show reimagines the myth of Pandora as a parallel for AI proliferation. 

Who better to promote a show that grapples with the influence of AI than AI itself? So, The Shipyard asked ChatGPT to review 'Mere Mortals.' Despite its initial inability to appreciate the arts (“I don't have feelings or emotions, so I don't experience any emotional responses to things like ballet or any other form of art or entertainment”), with creative prompting the independent agency was able to elicit surprisingly emotional critiques, proving that anyone can be moved by ballet, even AI.

Their campaign helped generate the highest revenue for a repertory season bill program since 2005, averaging 82% paid capacity, and brought over 2,100 first-time attendees to the San Francisco Ballet (the most for a mixed bill since 2008). 

Screwfix - Don’t Stop. Sprint.

Agency: Five by Five

Location: UK

​“How do you get a 60-minute delivery service for the trade talked about across the UK’s building sites?” 

That was the challenge when Screwfix approached FiveByFive with the objective of raising awareness of Sprint, a nationwide 60-minute delivery service (think Uber Eats but for tools, parts & materials for tradespeople), amongst an audience of UK tradespeople.

The Don't Stop. Sprint. campaign delivered a 65% increase in downloads of the Sprint app and a staggering 60% increase in sales through the app. 

Steak-umm - Deap Steaks

Agency: Tombras

Location: USA

​To warn the public about misinformation online and the risks of AI technology, Tombras created a campaign that seemingly turns vegans into carnivores through deep fake technology. The campaign features a PSA-style video directed by Jason Woliner ('Borat Subsequent Moviefilm') with a fake focus group of 100% real vegans, who eat vegan cheesesteaks but AI is used to alter their reactions as if they ate real meat. The vegans were then filmed watching their altered reactions as 'meat-eaters,' which naturally led to disbelief and in some cases outrage. 

It’s a bold and clever campaign that shows how this technology can impact anyone, not just celebrities and politicians, while demonstrating Steak-Umms commitment to “100% real.”

Under Armour - Armour Up

Agency: Zambezi

Location: USA

The Women’s World Cup is bigger than sport. It’s culture and countries going head to head on the world’s biggest stage. When two Under Armour athletes – USA’s Kelley O’Hara and England’s Alex Greenwood – prepared to face off, it deserved hype that matched the moment. So Zambezi created a music video pairing the players with two female music artists from their home countries that paid homage to the journey, rivalry, and mentality that led Kelley and Alex to the top of their sport. “Armour Up” captures female power and sport like never before.