Cannes Lions: Media Winners 2022 /

Sheba has taken home its second Grand Prix, after being awarded the top prize in the Media category for the Hope Reef campaign, created by AMV BBDO, London. Earlier in the week, the Mars-owned cat food brand topped the Industry Craft category.

Hope Reef aims to restore 185,000 square metres of coral reef to the world’s oceans by growing coral fragments on 46-foot-high steel structures, designed to spell the word ‘hope’. The size of the letters is so large that they can be seen from space when using Google Earth. Underwater, the reef is also explorable using Google Street View. 

Although clearly designed to do good in the world, the campaign has a direct link to the brand and product. Using fish as a key ingredient in its pet food, Sheba is reliant on environments where fish can thrive. However, with 90% of reefs facing extinction over the next 20 years, the survival of these ecosystems is intrinsically linked to the survival of the brand. As the campaign’s tagline says, ‘More coral today, more fish tomorrow’.

Describing why it won the Media Grand Prix, jury president Daryl Lee – Global CEO of IPG Mediabrands – said that Hope Reef was, ‘Living media, a powerful message, connected to technology that enhances your experience. To add Google Street View to a living billboard, to be able to see the growth of a media idea, we thought was genius. We tried to find holes in it because we could see that it was so strong, but in our mind, this was the best of all worlds. A beautiful idea, connected to values, connected to a business transformation – and it was media from outer space!’

Speaking about the Media category in general, Lee observed, ‘We understand and deeply connect with audiences and that’s the power that we bring to the creative process. So we were particularly open to brands that were risking things with their audience and were challenging their audience, and thereby creating new conversations in the category.’

Gold Lions Media Winners / 

Samsung iTest for Samsung by DDB New Zealand, and Tribal Aotearoa

Very Gay Raptor for Ford by VMLY&R, London

Chatpat for SOS Children’s Villages India by FCB India, Kinnect, Mumbai, and FCB Chicago

Bride Armour for Carling Black Label by Ogilvy South Africa

Backup Ukraine for Polycam + Unesco by Virtue Worldwide

AAMI Rest Towns for AAMI by Ogilvy Australia

The Ad Break Championship for VW Golf GTI by DDB, Sydney

Breaking Sirens for Amnesty International by Bar Ogilvy

Gun Survivor Reviews for Guns Down America by Energy BBDO, Chicago