Hakuhodo creatives look through the Cannes crystal ball for potential winners

Ahead of the 2025 Cannes Festival of Creativity this month, creative agencies in APAC share their top picks for standout work from the region and which ones will stand a chance to win a Lion.

 

Today, senior creatives from Hakuhodo share their predictions for this year’s Lion contenders, highlighting standout ideas that showcase creativity in fresh ways. From Hyundai’s groundbreaking short film shot entirely with cameras embedded in a car to an underwear campaign featuring models alongside real snakes, spiders, lizards, and a crocodile, these examples illustrate how innovative thinking can challenge expectations and open new possibilities for storytelling.

 

Campaign: Night Fishing

Brand: Hyundai Motor Company

Cannes Lion category: Film / Entertainment

 

 

'Night Fishing' is a 13-minute short film created by Hyundai in collaboration with Innocean, shot using cameras embedded in the IONIQ series vehicles. Instead of a traditional advertisement, it was released as a ticketed theatrical experience, with audiences paying a small fee to watch. The film's production quality and narrative attracted attention, generating media coverage and increasing brand preference for Hyundai’s all-electric IONIQ line. This campaign represents a move toward content-led marketing, combining entertainment with brand storytelling, and offering an alternative to conventional product promotion.

Pathida (Jern) Akkarajindanon, executive creative director, Wolf BKK, says: "A short film shot entirely through the eyes of a car?! That's the kind of fresh thinking that just blows you away. It's a dramatic reinvention of what's possible. And they didn't just do it—they crafted a genuinely entertaining piece of film, with the car's features as the central element throughout! It's like the brand and pure entertainment had this amazing, dramatic collision that just WORKS."

 

Campaign: Philips Fixables

Brand: Philips

Cannes Lion category: Innovation 

 

 

Fixables is an initiative developed by Philips Personal Health and 3D printer manufacturer Prusa Research, designed to promote sustainability by providing consumers with open access to 3D-printable files for select Philips accessories. This approach supports Philips’ circular model by enabling users to repair and maintain their products without sacrificing quality. The campaign, featuring real users and makers, was launched through a global content platform, with a PR film shot in Prague and CGI assets created in Milan. It showcases the repair process and encourages consumers to take an active role in product maintenance.

 

Chandu Rajapreyar, group executive creative director, Hakuhodo International Vietnam, says: "Philips Fixables isn’t just a sustainability initiative—it’s a brand act that lives in the in-between of tech, storytelling, and human relevance. It rewires the typical consumer narrative from throwaway culture to repair culture, turning customers into co-creators of longevity. That’s already a solid ‘What if?’ turned ‘Why not?’ The idea of fixing instead of replacing isn’t just environmentally progressive; it reframes the product experience as something ongoing and evolving—like beta software with soul. There’s also a quiet rebellion in there—against obsolescence, against the norm. That’s where the creative tension lives. And yes, it's bold without being preachy. It’s not a campaign; it’s a mindset."

 

Campaign: Made for Down Under

Brand: Bonds

Cannes Lion category: Outdoor

 

 

The 'Made for Down Under' campaign by Bonds features Australian conservationist Robert Irwin and hip-hop artist Tkay Maidza wearing Bonds underwear alongside real snakes, spiders, lizards, and a crocodile—highlighting the brand’s comfort and connection to Australian wildlife. The campaign embraces Australian themes such as dangerous animals and laid-back humour, was filmed entirely without CGI, and uses authentic storytelling and personality-driven marketing to introduce its underwear and the Australian lifestyle to the U.S. market.

 

Vimoha Bagla, executive creative director, Hakuhodo Sync, says: "I’ve always believed that the strongest work is born from the human heart, and from the truths we often overlook. Take the Bonds campaign, Made For Down Under. It takes two cultural truths: the famously relaxed Aussie spirit and the country’s equally famous collection of creatures that could kill you, and marries them beautifully. Why are Australians so laid-back even when face to face with danger? Maybe it’s the underwear. Now that’s storytelling. By roping in iconic Aussies like Robert Irwin and blending humour with authenticity, Bonds invites Americans not just to wear a product, but to adopt an attitude. Visually, it’s unmissable. Strategically, it’s sharp. And emotionally, it’s bang on."

 

Hakuhodo's own pick: 

 

Campaign: Uncle KFC'S Rice Bowl

Brand: KFC Thailand

Cannes Lion category: Film / Entertainment / Social Film

 

 

The 'Uncle KFC's Rice Bowl' campaign by KFC Thailand reimagines Colonel Sanders as a relatable Thai 'Uncle' selling affordable chicken rice, a staple of local cuisine. The campaign uses a humorous 5-minute film blending Thai cultural elements and light satire to depict a common lunch dilemma, and features consistent branding across outdoor, online, and in-store channels. Beyond advertising, KFC partnered with local vendors to form the Chicken Rice Association and launched a guidebook highlighting popular chicken rice spots, aiming to connect with Thai culture and position KFC as part of the everyday food experience.

 

Akkarajindanon says: "Forget Colonel Sanders as you know him! Not as a fast-food figurehead, but as the warm, relatable figure of 'Uncle KFC', tapping into the Thai tradition of naming local eateries after family members, evoking a sense of affordable and comforting meals. The film delivers entertaining humour through a riot of relatable Thai scenarios, fueled by a dash of slapstick, forging an instant connection with the audience. By grounding an international brand in a recognisable cultural context, the campaign builds brand affinity and positions KFC's rice bowl as an accessible and comforting everyday option rather than a special treat."