Got an idea so unignorable that even your client’s biggest competitors will want to adopt? Pitch it. That campaign could be your ticket to a Cannes Lions Grand Prix.

Just ask FCB and Adidas.

The agency and brand team left the Palais this evening with a Grand Prix Lion for the 2023 Direct jury for an initiative that led to collective action.

“Runner 321” is a campaign that got hundreds (278 so far) of major marathons – which are heavily sponsored by Adidas competitors like Nike, Asics and New Balance, and would need to agree to participate – to hold the “321” runner’s spot for a person with Down syndrome. The number is from the chromosome that causes Down syndrome, and by calling on major running events to participate, they can help athletes with Down syndrome see themselves in mainstream sports.

The partnership with competitor brands to drive the campaign on a global scale is part of what led to “Runner 321” winning the Grand Prix. Chaka Sobhani, global CCO at Leo Burnett and Direct jury president, said in a press conference Wednesday morning prior to the big reveal that the idea was scalable and truly authentic to the brand’s value.

“Adidas has been consistent in terms of making sure that they are in front of equality for all and they are a brand that represents absolutely everyone every single day,” she said.

The work, however, did not win without a fight. The Direct jury was in a bit of a “tussle” between two campaigns when it came to awarding the Grand Prix, said Sobhani. The other piece was Mastercard’s “Where to Settle” by McCann Poland, where the brand and agency used credit card, HR and real estate data to help refugees from Ukraine compare cities and towns (showing jobs, places for rent and local product pricing) to figure out where to resettle after being displaced during the war with Russia.

“They’re both absolutely fantastic,” she told strategy, adding that “Where to Settle” was equally global in nature, being used by refugees in all parts of the world, and also just as authentic to the brand’s DNA as Adidas’ campaign. “There was literally like a feather between the two… But, ultimately, what it came down to is what moved our heart the most.”

Of the 1,939 entries (Cannes Lions second biggest category), only 60 were medalled, making the win a major coup. It also means winning any other level of award in the category is an impressive feat, one which Rethink and Dentsu Creative can claim, each taking home a Bronze for Heinz’s “Ketchup Fraud” and SkipTheDish’s “Inflation Cookbook,” respectively. Rethink’s “Ketchup Fraud” has already taken home a Gold and a Silver in Outdoor, plus a Bronze in Industry Craft, and a Bronze in Print & Publishing, while this is the first Lion for Dentsu’s “Inflation Cookbook.”

The Work

Direct