The Grand Prix for Direct at the Cannes Lions today went to David Madrid and David Miami for Burger King’s “Stevenage Challenge” while two Grand Prix were awarded in the PR category: one to FCB Chicago and FCB New York for AB InBev’s “Contract for Change” and the other to McCann Paris for “The Bread Exam.”

With the “Stevenage Challenge,” BK cleverly achieved big play for its brand in video game FIFA 2020 with a real-life sponsorship of an obscure soccer club called Stevenage. The move turned a relatively unknown team into a sensation within the game as competitors clad in Burger King shirts got picked up by players, helped along with rewards of free food to gamers who participated in a variety of challenges. 

The choice, said Jury President Reed Collins, chief creative officer of Ogilvy APAC, was unanimous. “Everybody thought that this stood above the rest of the work as a benchmark for Direct. It was a spectacular insight, idea and understanding of hacking the system.”

“Contract for Change” impressed the PR jury with its commitment to support certified organic farming, which according to an earlier Ad Age story, currently comprises only 1% of U.S. farmland acreage. For the effort on behalf of Michelob Pure Gold, the brewer pledged to purchase crops from farmers during their three-year transition to organic farming.  In the earlier Ad Age story story, Azania Andrews, Michelob Ultra’s VP of marketing, said that getting certified is “expensive and time consuming,” and that “there is a lot of risk involved. What we are trying to do is help ease that risk by providing resources in the form of financial support, but also education and training.” 

The other Grand Prix was scored by “The Bread Exam,” which ingeniously managed to skirt a Muslim taboo against breast exams by substituting bread dough. The effort for the Lebanese Breast Cancer Foundation included a video of chef Um Ali kneading two mounds of dough to show how women should be examining their own breasts.

“This one was a very simple, very elegant idea,” said PR Lions Jury President Gail Heimann, president and CEO of Weber Shandwick. “It used its simplicity to break through and did so in a way that was beautiful and intimate but also drove change.” 

Some other change-driving ideas were among the 11 Golds awarded in the PR category, including “True Name” for Mastercard from McCann New York, and a perennial favorite, “Moldy Whopper” from Burger King Miami and INGO Stockholm. The latter won and Outdoor Grand Prix yesterday.

“True Name” also took one of the 13 Golds in the Direct category as well as “Contract for Change.” Among the other Golds in the Direct category were “Donation Dollar” and “That Look from Popeyes" (which was also an Ad Age Creativity Award winner). The first, from Saatchi & Saatchi Melbourne for The Royal Australian Mint, was a pledge to mint a "Donation Dollar" for every Australian. The concept was that the specially designed coin would remind its citizens to donate every time they received one in their change. “That Look from Popeyes,” from Gut Miami for the fast-food chain, seized upon the popularity of a clothing line from Beyonce with a similar color palette to its uniforms and offered its own line for sale.

In a press release, Weber Shandwick said it also worked on both PR Grand Prix winners, “Contract for Change” and “Bread Exam.”