Strategy is on the ground in Cannes, bringing you the latest news, wins and conference highlights all week long. Catch all the coverage here.

The Cannes Lions Gold and Grand Prix announcements were saved for the evening spotlight, following the Silver and Bronze prizes, which were handed out earlier in the day in France. Canada had a strong first day at the festival, with five agencies – Klick Health, FCB, VML, Rethink and Courage – earning early wins. While FCB and SickKids picked up a Gold in the Health & Wellness category, Canada had less luck in the Grand Prix department (so far). For those not in town and looking for some Palais inspo, here is a look at some of the work from around the world that earned Grand Prix awards on day one of the festival.

Audio & Radio winner

Budweiser’s “One Second Ads” – created in collaboration with Africa Creative DDB in Sao Paulo, Brazil – won the Grand Prix in the Audio & Radio category. The brand played on the idea that while consumers’ attention spans may be dwindling, they still have an uncanny ability to recognize famous songs from just one second of playback.

Outdoor

In the Outdoor Lions, there were two Grand Prix winners: one in the more traditional OOH stream, the second being considered “ambient.”

KitKat, in collaboration with VML Prague, Czech Republic, won with their work entitled “Crowd.” The idea behind the creative was that consumers can take a break from their screens by taking a piece of a KitKat.

Meanwhile, the “Olympic Games Opening Ceremony Paris 2024” picked up the second Grand Prix in the Outdoor category. The work was done by the city of Paris in collaboration with Paname 24, Auditoire, Double 2, OBO, Havas Paris and Havas Events. The creative juxtaposed images of civil unrest with the hope and inspiration that comes from celebrating diversity and inclusion.

Print & Publishing

“Price Packs,” packaging work for supermarket Penny in partnership with Serviceplan Munich, Germany, won the Grand Prix for Print & Publishing. The Grand Prix winner placed product pricing prominently on packaging to ensure it’s instantly visible and that it always stays the same price, making it resistant to inflation.

Health & Wellness

The Grand Prix in the Health & Wellness category went to “Vaseline Verified” by Unilever and Ogilvy Singapore. The campaign flipped the script on misinformation around its product, with the brand hiring experts to counter or verify influencers’ content around (sometimes dangerous) Vaseline hacks.

United Nations and Lions Health Grand Prix for Good

“The Best Place in the World to Have Herpes” by the New Zealand Herpes Foundation and Finch Sydney, Motion Sickness, Auckland, and the New Zealand Herpes Foundation took home the United Nations and Lions Health Grand Prix for Good. This campaign used humour and directness to inform a global audience around a subject that has been found to make some squeamish.

Pharma

“Make Love Last-Bedroom,” a campaign by Viagra and Ogilvy Shanghai, China, took home the Grand Prix for Pharma. The work expertly portrayed intimate moments while steering clear of censorship.