“Knock Knock,” a campaign by Cheil Worldwide Seoul, South Korea, for the National Police Agency of Korea, earned the Grand Prix in Glass: The Lion for Change at Cannes Lions 2023. This recognition celebrates culture-changing creativity. Inspired by Morse code, the strategy offers a solution that allows victims of domestic violence to alert the police without saying a word. After dialing 112, they simply tap any number twice and receive a link that immediately enables the police to track their location, identify the scene, and communicate discreetly. The work also won a Gold in Brand Experience & Activation and a Bronze in Direct.

Before introducing the next piece, it’s important to know that the tradition of collecting woodblock-style stamped images in a travel album has a long history in Japan. It dates back to the country’s shrines and temples, where visitors can obtain the official “seal” of a shrine or temple stamped in their travel album as a way to commemorate their visit. Collecting such seals has become somewhat of a national passion, and from this fact emerged “My Japan Railway” by Dentsu, INC. for Japan Railway, the backbone of public transportation in Japan. The railway lines in Japan have been operating for over 150 years and are so fundamental to the daily lives of the Japanese that they often go unnoticed. The idea behind this campaign was to reconnect Japan Railway with its customers in a more intimate and emotional way, encouraging them to use the train and explore the 47 prefectures it passes through.
To achieve this, they designed an app to collect digital stamps of the routes. These “stamp routes” have become a popular way to encourage people to visit all the points of interest in tourist destinations, leveraging the traditional culture of stamp collecting to engage with customers interactively. This strategy motivates users to collect as many stamps as possible. This fabulous idea earned a Grand Prix in Industry Craft, a Gold in Industry Craft, and a Gold in Design.
Other triumphs for Japan include the campaigns “Shellmet,” which won Gold in Design and Innovation, and “A Train of Memories,” which received two Golds in Film Craft. Both campaigns were created by SIX INC., Tokyo; GOOD DESIGN COMPANY, Tokyo; HAKUHODO INC., Tokyo; and HAKUHODO KETTLE INC., Tokyo.
Additionally, India made its mark with a couple of standout campaigns. “Untangling The Politics of Hair” by FCB Gurugram won Gold in the Industry Craft category, and Leo Burnett Mumbai’s piece, “Airtel 175 Replated,” earned a Gold in Brand Experience & Activation.
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