India kicked off its Cannes Lions 2026 campaign with four wins on day one, spanning Audio & Radio, Health & Wellness, and Pharma Lions at the 73rd edition of the festival.
Leo India claimed Silver in Audio & Radio for Sting’s “The Unofficial Official Sound of F1,” a PepsiCo campaign built on its Formula One partnership that turned engine roar into a brand asset, sparked by DJ Armin van Buuren’s claim of hearing “Sting” in the sound. Leo South Asia CCOs Vikram Pandey and Sachin Kamble called it especially meaningful as the agency’s first global project with PepsiCo.
Campaign 1: https://youtu.be/qut667FRCLY?si=t7iA9PJmTpYCgric
Campaign 2: https://youtu.be/BX7MymulSJ4?si=M16u8MBEtf4WKbcn
Campaign 3: https://youtu.be/2M4fyVQrwcQ?si=zUg_nBaI9Q-N-uRf
Campaign 4: https://youtu.be/Hc-gIBOMsjE?si=Sn2029BVV1glIcFk
Health & Wellness was India’s strongest category at the shortlist stage, and it delivered two wins. The Refinery Mumbai and Brand David Communications won Silver for Colgate’s “Indianis Dentris,” which staged a five-day exhibit at a Mumbai botanical garden revealing a striking “newly discovered flower” to be a worn-out toothbrush. Ogilvy Mumbai picked up Bronze for “Renu vs The City,” a film for St. Jude India ChildCare Centres following a young cancer patient living on a Mumbai footpath, aimed at driving donations for safe-stay support.
In Pharma Lions, Delhi-based Humour Me won Bronze for Tata 1mg’s “Sawaal Uthao,” encouraging patients to question doctors rather than defer silently. Founder Prashant Tandon called it a movement toward healthcare transparency.
With India’s shortlist down to 18 this year from 85 in 2025 amid tighter entry rules, the festival’s later rounds will determine if last year’s haul of 32 Lions can be matched.
