Spikes Asia and Dubai Lynx, the advertising awards show for the Asia Pacific and Middle East regions, took place last month (march, 2024) and both of them had something that’s been missing from Cannes Lions for a while – campaigns that swept the boards.

Having started out my nonprofit adventure on the founding team of UNICEF Kid Power, the world’s first wearable for good that counted steps and turned them into lifesaving impact (nutrition), I was tickled speckled pink to watch VML Melbourne’s “FitChix” campaign for the Honest Eggs Co who built the world’s first wearable step counter for chickens!

They printed eggs with the average step count of the chickens that laid them to demonstrate the brand’s commitment to animal welfare.

Campaign notes:

• “By tracking our chickens and sharing their steps we brought honesty to a misleading industry, empowering every day people and farmers to help change the egg industry for good.”
• Australians consume 6.6 billion eggs a year
• Most eggs come from enclosed battery farms
• The campaign created social media accounts for the chickens, attached the wearables made from hen-friendly material and put their workouts on Strava
• Achieved 493% increase in online conversation
• Achieved 222% increase in stockists and started selling out

“FitChix” won five Grands Prix in total, in Brand Experience & Activation, Creative Commerce, Healthcare, Integrated and Outdoor.

Dentsu Tokyo’s digital stamp-collecting campaign for Japan Railways Groups (My Japan Railway) also went on a winning streak, taking Grands Prix in the Industry Craft, Digital Craft and Direct categories.

Leo Burnett Jeddah’s campaign for Saudia Airlines “ProtecTasbih” was inspired. They created the world’s first dual purpose prayer beads that sanitize hands to promote hygiene at one of the world’s largest gatherings of people – in Makkah for Hajj pilgrimage and Umrah season. Sans alcohol, tea tree oil was the secret sauce! And at Dubai Lynx they won four Grands Prix in the Brand Experience & Activation, Design, Direct and PR categories.

Of the three, FitChix and My Japan Railway are too old to be entered into any category at Cannes this year except Creative Effectiveness (which rewards long-term results), so this list isn’t much help when it comes to predicting where the big Lions are going to go in June. 

Still, it’s interesting (and I find it energizing) to see the kind of work that gets rewarded in regions beyond Europe and the US!