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2021 Cannes Lions Proves That Audio Campaigns Are Innovating More Than Ever

The Radio and Audio Lions at Cannes has generally been a lower tier affair, with fewer entries and less fanfare. While (arguably) modern advertising was born on radio, Cannes Lions has always been mostly about TV spots. The radio and audio category is usually a few music campaigns with recording artist-tie ins, or clever traditional radio campaigns being dominated by a handful South American agencies.

But looking at the shortlists and winners of 2021, it’s really clear now there has been a big shift in the audio media space, particularly with some unique innovation and new technology.

This might be the first year where we are seeing some really interesting ad creative that aren’t limited to 15- and 30-second radio spots. Included in entries this year was some prominent use of voice technology, streaming music platforms, podcast content and even crossmodal science! In addition this year, an audio concept not only won the Radio and Audio Grand Prix, but also won a Pharma Grand Prix, which is definitely something we’re not used to seeing.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise. Audio media has been on the rise for years, but the 2020 pandemic and lockdown really accelerated audio consumption—even giving us the emergence of new audio platforms in the social space. People are listening more than ever before, and brands and agencies are really starting to take the space more seriously.

10 innovative campaigns that highlight audio’s creative potential

In case you missed it, here’s our 10 favorite entries from this year’s Radio and Audio Lions that are tangible evidence that audio is now at the centerstage of creative strategies:

Sick Beats by Area 23 x Woojer
Grand Prix

This is one of those perfect for Cannes submissions. Sick Beats is the world’s first music-powered airway clearance vest, using the clinically proven modality of soundwave therapy in an awesome audio-powered treatment experience for those with Cystic Fibrosis. The Sick Beats vest syncs with a smartphone to pull therapeutic 40Hz frequencies from specifically chosen music playlists and sends them to the chest. Amazing use of audio technology for a great cause.

Becks Frequency from AKQA Sao Paolo
Gold Lion

This is a neat concept applying crossmodal science—using one sense to change the way we perceive other senses. And in this case, using sound to change the way we perceive bitterness. The brilliance here is getting a population that is not used to bitter beers, Brazil, to introduce them to a bitter beer without having to have an actual bottle of Becks. Great use of the brain hack.

A Jingle for a New Era by Good Humor
Gold Lion

You know that old ice-cream truck tune, “Turkey in the Straw”? Turns out the song has racist roots from the days of minstrel shows. So Good Humor got RZA of Wu-Tang Clan to develop a new ice cream truck jingle—creating a joyful, mesmerizing melody that responds to systemic racism. Another use of audio for good.

Sneezing Into Bumping Elbows for Burger King by David Madrid
Gold Lion

This simple and hilarious spot plays on the tropes of the “somber piano Covid ad.” It highlights the absurdity of life in the pandemic and makes it akin to the confusing idea of a Whopper burger that isn’t made of meat but tastes just like a Whopper. This works really well in audio as the humor creeps up on you. Great execution on this one.

Action Audio by AKQA Melbourne for Tennis Australia
Silver Lion

This is my favorite use of tech innovation in audio at Cannes this year. AKQA Melbourne and Tennis Australia built a system that takes the live ball tracking data and converts it into 3D audio so visually impaired people can follow the game live.

Bedtime Stories by FCB Chicago for Walmart
Silver Lion

A powerful use of voice and audio, Bedtimes Stories connects incarcerated parents and their children through the power of reading. The program simulates for the child the experience of reading together with their separated parent through a specially created app.

Barilla Playlist Timer by Publicis Italy Milan
Bronze Lion

A super simple execution to combine the cooking of perfect al dente pasta with great music. Playlist Timer is composed by a series of playlists that last exactly as long as the cooking time of different pasta shapes.

Lego Playwaves by Akcelo Sydney for Lego
Shortlisted

This is a fantastic mashup of real-world play and the audio voice assistant, giving kids a new way to play and interact with Lego blocks they already own and without the use of a screen or tablet.

Silence by AKQA Sao Paolo for Deezer
Shortlisted

A rather powerful and bold attempt to connect people and get them to reconcile through the simple act of listening. Deezer contacted Emicida, the Brazilian master of words, and asked him to add one extra track to his upcoming album: a track with no lyrics and no beat, just silence. The sound was based on Schumann Resonance (SR), a common frequency to all living beings that sparks a collective state of mind.

Who We Are by Vox for Ben & Jerry’s
Shortlisted

It’s about time we see some podcast content make it to Cannes Lions, and it doesn’t surprise us that it’s coming from Vox. It’s a rather impressive six-episode series commissioned by Ben & Jerry’s. Based on the acclaimed presentation of the same name by Jeffery Robinson, former ACLU Deputy Legal Director and former director of the ACLU Trone Center for Justice and Equality, the podcast explores the aspects of American history that most of us didn’t learn about in school.

What’s next?

While this is an incredibly inspiring list of work that is indicative of the direction of audio media, we think this is only just scratching the surface of what is to come.

In Cannes 2022 we expect to see more amazing creative in the audio space and an expansion in the audio categories. What I would personally love to see is for Cannes to break out the radio and audio categories into radio, streaming audio, voice technology and podcasts. This would bring more opportunity for breakthrough audio creative work in media to keep up with the progression of audio technology and showcase the true power of audio.