The Countdown to Cannes: CPG Takes a Bite Out of Cannes
With the countdown to the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity underway, there’s plenty of buzz about the topics and trends that will take the south of France by storm this year. From a rallying cry for brand building in the age of performance advertising to the rise of AI in the creative process to navigating your brand on digital channels, there’s so much for marketers to share and learn, and of course, we can’t forget about the coveted awards program!
Each year, the Festival draws thousands of entries from around the world, with brands and agencies alike hoping to make their mark with the judges and the wider marketing community. While we eagerly await the shortlists for 2025, I’m taking a look back at some of my favorite CPG campaigns of years past.
A True Work of Art
Coca–Cola; “Masterpiece”; 2023
With the rise of AI, there’s understandably a lot of debate around whether it should be part of the creative process. After all, advertising is meant to drive an emotional response in real people – can we really rely entirely on AI for creativity in the future?
One brand that’s striking the right balance with AI is Coke. The brand’s reimagined trucks campaign at Christmas leveraged AI and scored 5-Stars in both the UK and US markets in System1’s testing, thanks in part to decades of consistency from the brand. The end product didn’t deviate too far from the look and feel of the original creative.
In 2023, the soft drink brand’s “Masterpiece” ad was shortlisted for a Cannes Lion and is yet another brilliant example of experimentation with AI. It was partially created using generative AI, seeing a bottle of Coke journey through famous artworks in a gallery and eventually ending up in the hands of an art student.
Don’t forget to check out the masterpiece gallery that gives a closer look at the artwork highlighted in the film.
Commit to Consistency
Heinz; “Draw Ketchup”; 2024
Not every brand has the power to pull off such a daring campaign. In 2024, Rethink Toronto and Heinz Ketchup asked consumers to draw pictures of ketchup, without prompting them about Heinz specifically. The result? People often draw Heinz bottles. After all, the distinctive glass bottle has been around since 1876 and Heinz know how to lean into their distinctive assets, like the bottle, the ‘57’ and bright red.
Heinz commitment to its distinctive assets has earned it the right to play with these assets, even allowing consumers to get in on the fun. But this isn’t the first time that Rethink and Heinz have experimented with the assets.
“Draw Ketchup” is one part of the broader “It Has to Be Heinz” campaign, which also saw generative AI create different iterations of ketchup, most commonly resembling Heinz. The wider campaign won the Creative Effectiveness Grand Prix in 2024 and “Draw Ketchup” took home a Gold Lion in the Print & Publishing category.
And in System1’s testing, “Draw Ketchup” OOH performed exceptionally well on short-term sales potential and brand recognition. A reminder that marketers shouldn’t tire of distinctive assets – consistency pays off!
Clever Pairings can Work
Pepsi’s “Better with Pepsi”; 2024
Most advertisers wouldn’t want to compete with other brands in the same ad. But Pepsi’s bold “Better with Pepsi” took a risk that paid off. Not only did it win Gold Lions in the Outdoor and Print & Publishing categories, it also performed well among our consumers, as demonstrated by System1’s Test Your Ad results.
The unexpected out-of-home and print campaign saw Pepsi spotlighting its logo alongside major burger chains like Burger King and Wendy’s in honor of National Burger Day. After all, a cold soft drink and a tasty burger go hand in hand.
In System1’s testing, we saw good 3-Star scores for the executions that also had McDonald’s, Wendy’s and Burger King’s branding front and center. While strength of branding was a bit low given consumers had to identify one brand where two brands were featured, that’s ok. The campaign is targeting burger buying occasions, encouraging consumers to choose Pepsi when they’re visiting restaurant chains. Promoting the association between Pepsi and the major burger chains can enable consumers to recall the soft drink as a top choice when they are at the register.
A Bright Idea in a Blackout
OREO’s “Dunk in the Dark”; 2013
In the early days of social media, when organic content still reigned supreme, the quick-thinking team at OREO took a once-in-a-lifetime moment and made it their own. The Super Bowl XLVII power outage caught everyone by surprise. In about 10 minutes, agency 360i and OREO posted its clever “You can still dunk in the dark” tweet, which achieved 10,000 retweets within an hour and reportedly earned more media attention than brands that had spent millions on in-game advertising.
The campaign was honored with a Silver Lion for Best Use of Digital Direct Marketing and a Bronze Lion for Best Viral Advertising. And it’s inspired countless other brands to set up their own social media “war rooms” for the Super Bowl and other major events to ensure that content can get out the door quickly.
In a discussion with Jon Evans, host of the Uncensored CMO podcast, Eugenia Zalis, CMO at OREO, notes that the tweet, while before her time with the brand, is a historic moment that’s still talked about today. Zalis also spoke of OREO’s willingness to engage in cultural conversations and shape culture. With such close ties to culture and what consumers are experiencing in real time, OREO can better lodge itself in memory and be recalled at the time of purchase.
Don’t Underestimate Cute Characters
Pop-Tarts’ “The First Edible Mascot”; 2024
Orlando Wood, System1’s Chief Innovation Officer, often speaks of the importance of fluent devices – recurring brand-owned characters and scenarios that are used consistently across campaigns. For years, Pop-Tarts has brought its toaster pastries to life in its marketing through various animation styles. These characters have agency, they interact with one another, they speak, have movement and bring a sense of humor.
It’s no wonder that many CPG brands with fluent devices have been using them for years, sometimes decades. They quickly signal the brand and are designed to drive positive, intense feelings among consumers to support long-term brand building as well as short-term sales effects.
Fluent devices can also show up in many different ways and places. Pop-Tarts demonstrated this in 2024 with its mascot turning up at the Pop-Tarts college football bowl game. But Pop-Tarts took things a step further that a simple appearance. It “killed off” its beloved character by placing him in a toaster and then had the players on the winning team eat a real, giant-sized toaster strudel on the field. A truly “crazy good” idea in line with the brand’s tagline.
The campaign won a Grand Prix in the Brand Experience & Activation category and serves as a reminder that fluent devices are worth the long-term investment.
The System1 team will be attending Cannes and sharing some exciting research across several stages alongside our partners. We look forward to seeing you there and sharing insights from the Festival. Stay tuned for more!
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