Cannes, France: After a relatively quiet Day 2, Indian agencies reclaimed their creative prowess at Cannes Lions 2025 with a spectacular performance on Day 3, clinching a historic Grand Prix and four coveted Gold Lions. This strong showing brings India’s overall tally to 26 metals as the festival heads into its final stretch.
FCB India etched its name in history books by winning India’s first-ever Grand Prix for its breakthrough campaign Lucky Yatra for Indian Railways. The campaign, rooted in behavioural insight and cultural relevance, transformed mundane train journeys into hopeful, transformative experiences. It also earned the agency two Gold Lions — one each in the PR Lions and Direct Lions categories.
Leo India and Ogilvy India also struck Gold on Day 3. Leo’s win came for Tailor Test for ACKO Insurance in the Creative Data category, while Ogilvy picked up Gold for Erase Valentine’s Day, created for Mondelez International, under Social & Creator Lions.
In addition to the Grand Prix and Golds, Indian agencies secured 2 Silvers and 7 Bronze Lions across a wide range of categories, including Social & Creator, Media, Creative B2B, Direct, Creative Data, and PR.
The Day 3 performance marked a significant comeback for Indian agencies after a sober Day 2, where only three Lions — 2 Silver and 1 Bronze — were won across Entertainment for Music, Sports, and Design categories.
By contrast, Day 1 had already set an optimistic tone with 2 Golds, 4 Silvers, and 3 Bronze Lions coming in from the Outdoor, Health & Wellness, and Pharma categories.
With India now sitting on 1 Grand Prix, 6 Golds, 8 Silvers, and 11 Bronze Lions, the country’s creative industry is making its mark felt strongly at Cannes Lions 2025 — and eyes are set on what the remaining days may bring.
On awarding Grand Prix for Lucky Yatra campaign for Indian Railways PR Lions Jury President Tom Beckman, Global Chief Creative Officer, Weber Shandwick, said: “The Grand Prix winner is a reflection of this main theme – twisting the design of their service to address a major business problem. It had engagement, likeability, talkability and integration. Selecting the Grand Prix didn’t take long.”
