Case Studies for the 2023 Cannes Lion Grand Prix Winners
Whether your love or hate ad awards, these case studies are a masterclass in business storytelling
Let’s get this out of the way: I think advertising awards shows are a huge waste of time and resources.
And Cannes Lions is the most bloated, crassest money-grab of them all. This year, they received 26,992 entries. My back-of-the-envelope math suggests that’s north of $40M on entry fees, alone. (I have strong feelings.)
BUT…setting aside the ad industry’s grotesque spend to pat itself on the back, the best creative work IS inspiring and worth celebrating.
I compiled links to all the case studies for the 2023 Grand Prix winners in all categories. They’re worth watching.
Because, when it comes to winning ad awards, a great case study film is (sadly) more important than a great campaign. This year’s winning case studies are a masterclass in the genre. (I put a ❤️ by my favorites.)
Even if you don’t give two figs about trophies, lots of us make our living telling business stories.
“Did it work?” is a question we get asked all the time. The ability to make a clear, compelling case—in two minutes or less—that “Yes, it worked like gangbusters” is something we should all learn to do.
Cannes Lions 2023 Grand Prix Winners
Radio & Audio: Skinny — Phone It In ❤️
Brand Experience & Activation: EA Sports/Apple — FIFA 23 x Ted Lasso
Outdoor: British Airways — A British Original
Print & Publishing: AnNahar — Newspapers Inside The Newspaper
Entertainment | Entertainment for Gaming: Clash of Clans — Clash from the Past ❤️
Digital Craft: Nike — Never Done Evolving, ft Serena
Industry Craft: Japan Railway Group — My Japan Railway ❤️
Entertainment for Sport: Michelob ULTRA — Dreamcaster
PR: DoorDash — Self-Love Bouquet
Media: Dove — Turn Your Back
Direct: Adidas — Runner 321
Creative Data: Stella Artois — The Artois Probability ❤️
Design | Creative Business Transformation: Microsoft — AdLam
Creative B2B: TERR4 — B3 Stock Exchange & U.N. Global Impact
Social & Influencer: Samsung — Flipvertising ❤️
Health & Wellness: Partners Life — The Last Performance
Health Grand Prix for Good: MSK Cancer Center — Working with Cancer
Pharma: Europharma — Scrolling Therapy
Innovation: Augmental — MouthPad
Mobile: PedidosYa — World Cup Delivery ❤️
Creative Effectiveness: Mondelez — Sha Rukh Khan-My-Ad
Creative Strategy: Renault — Plug Inn
Creative Commerce: HungerStation — The Subconscious Order
Titanium: Government of Tuvalu — The First Digital Nation
Grand Prix for Good: Fondation Anne de Gaulle — Paris Anne de Gaulle
Sustainable Development: Mastercard — Where to Settle
Glass: Korean National Police Agency — Knock Knock
Film: CALM x ITV — The Last Photo (case study) | CALM x ITV — The Last Photo (the film)
And these next few winners aren’t case studies, but simply links to the winning work. (Yes, in some categories, they let the work speak for itself!)
Film: Apple — R.I.P. Leon
Film Craft: Kendrick Lamar — We Cry Together
Entertainment for Music: Michael Kiwanuka — Beautiful Life & Apple — The Greatest
WANT MORE? Click here for links to the 2023 Gold, Silver, and Bronze Cannes Lions winners
MORE: The 10 Commandments of Award Show Case Study Videos
Here’s a quick breakdown of the entries and winners in each category:
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
John Kovacevich is a creative director and the founder of Agency SOS. He writes a weekly email newsletter highlighting three bits of creative inspiration for modern marketers. You should subscribe.
