From Prediction to Reality: Incivus' Predictions Shine at Cannes Lions 2024

Last week, the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity celebrated the best in advertising. Before the event began, we at Incivus conducted a special project and released a blog. We tested over 40 global ad campaigns to predict their success at the festival based on their Creative Effectiveness scores. Amongst the top 10 ads we outlined, we are thrilled to announce that many of the campaigns did exceptionally well at the festival, including one that received a hat-trick of awards. Let's dive right in.

Day 1

On the festival's first day, Molson Coors Beverage Company 's Coors Light "Lights Out" ad went viral after Shohei Ohtani hit a baseball onto their screen ad last year, winning a Bronze Lion under the Outdoor category. Why is this great? This ad led to a packaging redesign and social media buzz with the help of Rethink . Earlier when Incivus tested the ad, it scored an impressive 91.01 in Creative Effectiveness. Wait, there is more!

The Entertainment category awarded 欧莱雅 's CeraVe, a witty Super Bowl ad featuring Michael Cera humorously highlighting its dermatologist-made moisturizer. The ad garnered 12.2 million Instagram views and widespread discussion. With a high Creative Effectiveness of 91.39 when tested on Incivus, the ad secured a Golden and a Silver Lion.

Day 2

On day two of the event, Digital Public Library of America 's "Banned Book Club" ad tackled the issue of rising book bans with geo-targeting to provide digital access in affected communities and won a Bronze Lion under the Social & Influencer category. Scoring 94.44 on Incivus' Creative Effectiveness scale, it ranked at the top of our list. The campaign sparked controversy and applause, leading the list as a powerful social change initiative. In the Film category, Orange 's 'Women's Football' campaign secured both a prestigious Golden Lion and a Silver Lion. This powerful ad boldly challenged societal norms by placing the women’s football team front and center, sparking widespread sharing across social media platforms.

Film Lions Jury President Tor Myhren, VP of Marketing Communications at 苹果 , enthusiastically praised Orange’s campaign, “Sometimes the idea wins over everything. This was hands down the best, most empowering idea in film this year. To see it is to love it, and we fell in love the first day of judging.” Myhren's words underscore the campaign's profound impact, affirming its status as a standout example of creativity and empowerment in advertising. Overall, this campaign won a hat-trick of Grand Prix, a rarity at the Cannes Lions.

Day 3

On Day 3, 奥美 's ad featuring Michael Cera for CeraVe humorously applied moisturizer everywhere, even on mountains, emphasizing its three ceramides. This unconventional approach reached out to millions of eyes on Instagram. Rightly predicted by Incivus, the campaign's witty and silently hilarious tone appealed to Gen Z while boosting attention for a dermatologist-tested brand. While this ad captured eyes, it swept CeraVe a Gold Lion in the Media Lions category, Bronze Lion in PR Lions, Silver Lion and Grand Prix in Social & Influencer Lions Category, marking a standout achievement at the festival.

Day 4

On day four, as predicted, Coors Light's "Lights Out" by RETHINK, Toronto, was awarded the dual prizes of Gold and Silver Lions under the Brand Experience & Activation Lions category. This exceptional ad ingeniously transformed a potential flaw—unofficial sports censorship—into an opportunity by appointing Shohei Ohtani as Coors Light's brand ambassador. In 48 hours, their ad broke the internet with solid comments and views, which led Coors Light Out to swiftly earn recognition as "one of the top 5 best marketing campaigns in sports history." Incivus meticulously tracked these insights, accurately predicting this ad among the top 10 at Cannes Lions.

Day 5

On Day 5, two Bronze Lions were awarded in the Films category: Orange's Women's Football ad and CeraVe's Michael Cera. The "Rights Against the Right" ad by Laut Gegen Nazis made a profound impact by tackling hate speech and violence head-on while securing Bronze Lions in Sustainable Development Goals Winners. Featuring a former neo-Nazi testimonial and powerful visuals of protest, the ad effectively highlighted the consequences of supporting hate through purchases, leaving a lasting impression on viewers and advocating for social change, when tested on Incivus the ad scored 90.85 on the Creative Effectiveness score.

At Incivus, we are shaping the future of digital advertising with our cutting-edge GenAI-based technology that accurately forecasts campaign effectiveness, as evidenced by our spot-on predictions at the 2024 Cannes Lions. ?If you want to create award-winning ad campaigns, skip the guesswork and test your creativity based on effectiveness, only on Incivus. Book a demo today!