The advertising world is celebrating winners at Cannes Lions 2026 this week. My handpicked list of winners (among the many case study films showcased in ad portals) and few others I noticed over the last week or so form part of my weekly compilation.
John Malkovich for Croatia: hear it’s beautiful
Marketing a country as a preferred vacation spot is tough. The purchase decision is a high-involvement one and often involves many decision makers or influencers including the family. There are many factors at play in placing a country brand into the consideration set: budget, residual imagery of the destination often influenced by popular culture, current news cycle, geopolitical developments. safety perceptions and so on. Just an ad campaign showcasing the beautiful landmarks might not be convincing enough. Even if the marketing efforts get in a new customer, the on-ground ‘brand experience’ has to deliver or exceed expectations. That is dependent on many variables such as experiences at the hotel, transit, commute, restaurants, landmarks and so on.
The primary role of advertising – especially for county brands which may not be though of automatically as a holiday option is to promise a dream. In that context Croatia weaves a charming story in a long format film actor John Malkovich as himself. The meta ‘ad within an ad’ format sees John’s agent informing him of a trip to Croatia which he reluctantly agrees to. Putting on a veneer of simply enduring that place, the film subtly cues how how even the worst skeptics can be won over being a beautiful country. And John Malkovich just being himself, is simply superb.
Commenting on reports about the production budget, Croatia’s Tourism Minister Tonči Glavina said the amount spent was justified when compared with international marketing campaigns involving global celebrities.
Lyft: save the Money
As a claim, ‘we are less expensive than competition!’ runs the risk of coming across as a desperate tactical move and positions the brand as ‘cheap’. A new ad from Lyft in the US highlights the savings from rides through the platform. ‘Give money a better home – your wallet’ frames the proposition very well.
Agency: Zulu Alpha Kilo
Cannes Lions: Select winners
Incidentally, I had included many of the Cannes Lions winners in my weekly compilation earlier – make me a juror already!
KitKat: the heist casestudy
We all remember the theft of 12 tonnes of KitKat when in transit in March this year. It triggered hilarious reactions from brands and regular folks on social media. Some brands would have seen it as negative PR and would have put out a ‘we are doing everything to track the culprits’ kind of stance. Some may have been happy about the media coverage for the brand. But the brand team and the agency went a step further and made the theft a global detective story with consumers asked to help crack the case. They launched “The Stolen KitKat Tracker,” deputising the public to become “chocolate detectives” to find the missing bars.
Instead of burying the story, KitKat and VML went on the offensive. They launched “The Stolen KitKat Tracker,” deputising the public to become “chocolate detectives” to find the missing bars.
Apple TV: re-brand
The quote ‘When you’re a carpenter making a beautiful chest of drawers, you’re not going to use a piece of plywood on the back, even though it faces the wall and nobody will ever see it. You’ll know it’s there, so you’re going to use a beautiful piece of wood on the back‘ is attributed to Steve Jobs. In a way it’s a reflection of all things Apple does. There are many instances when a cheaper, easier ‘process’ would have been adequate. Who pays so much attention to the logo reveal of a streaming service? Typically these are done on computer graphics. Apple and it’s agency TBWA\MediaArtsLab painstakingly crafted the logo using glass and reflective light reflecting (no pun intended) the importance of craft. This won the Grand Prix in Design at the Cannes Lions 2026.
Suncorp Insurance: Haven
Advertising & marketing in the insurance category has mostly been about ‘planning for a rainy day’. Many ads tend to guilt trip consumers into getting into the category by portraying scenarios where one is not prepared to handle due to low or no insurance cover. In Australia, Suncorp Insurance took an interesting approach: they created a digital platform that assesses individual homes’ vulnerability to extreme weather. Apparently nearly 2.7MN homes are at high risk from a natural peril. With Haven, Australian homeowners receive tailored, reports outlining their specific risks for cyclones, bushfires, floods, and storms, along with actionable property improvement tips. The idea is uniquely Australian relevant for their climes.
Uber Eats: build your own Super Bowl commercial
Everything from the big idea of ‘Football is for food’ to the individual spots to changes in the app…all so great. So glad that work for real brands solving real business problems get recognised for the impact they created.
Mercado: field barcode
An e-commerce brand, Mercado Livre saw a ‘pattern’ in football fields – creative designs which look great in television broadcasts. When they got a a chance to sponsor a popular football tournament, they inserted patterns onto football pitches in Brazil, which resembled a barcode – thus linking it back to their business. The best part? The pattens could be photographed in any angle and scanned for discounts on the platform. Loved it.
BCP: SOS POS
Here’s a creative business-solving project which can be replicated across the world. In Peru, more than 4,000 phones are stolen every day. But blocking a card immediately is impossible if one doesn’t have a phone to make a call. So, BCP Bank, the largest bank in Peru came up with a solution, which turned everyday payment terminals at small businesses across the country into emergency lifelines. Costumers can block their bank accounts instantly with no calls, no apps – just by entering their ID and PIN. Now, here’s an idea which could work even in countries like India.
Which one was your favourite? Do comment in.
