Gearing up for Cannes, top executives at Omnicom’s DDB hosted a press event last Thursday at the très élégant Fouquet’s New York to showcase some of the most Lions-worthy work the agency network has created over the past year. 

And when I say top executives, I mean tippy top, including Global CEO Alex Lubar, Global Chief Creative Officer and President Chaka Sobhani as well as North America CEO Caroline Winterton, NA Chief Growth Officer Laura Cona and senior director, marketing & communications, DDB Worldwide & NA Regina Chung Loy.

Top creatives were also on hand to introduce the work that was screened including Brynna Aylward, CCO, adam&eveDDB NA, Katie Bero and Brian Culp, group creative directors, DDB Chicago and Gabriel Reyes, creative director, alma.  

Their presence alone I think is one indication of how invested Adland remains in the annual creative festival which this year runs from June 16-20.  

Lubar said as much in his introductory remarks noting that winning a Lion is an “indicator of creative success.” The true value of creativity, he added, is the ability to forge a connection with people and “make them feel something.” 

One radio ad, from alma DDB made a handful of on-air personalities feel something as they took the plunge into a tub of ice water as part of a campaign for Coors Light and the thermochromic ink on its can labels that turns blue when the beer reaches optimal drink temperature (42 degrees give or take). 

The ground rules are not quite set yet, but one executive at the event committed to taking an ice water plunge for each Lion won by the network’s North America agencies. Details like how long each dip will last and whether a wet suit can be worn remained to be ironed out. A wet suit seems a bit unfair—the radio personalities didn’t do that. That would mute the reaction don’t you think? We’ll see. 

Also showcased was an experiential campaign for McDonald’s called “Winter Takes On Colors” from DDB Warszawa. The idea was to inject some color and fun to the normally dreary and gray Polish winter and promote the return of the Drwala Burger at the same time.   

The agency transformed a restaurant in Wrocaw into a life-sized coloring book. Its façade, surroundings, and interior were wrapped in black-and-white illustrations inspired by classic coloring books. Using a custom digital interface, visitors could color the building in real time — turning the fast-food space into an interactive, ever-changing urban installation.  

An ad shortlisted for the Glass Lions (Glass: The Lion For Change) was created for the Paralympic Games Paris 2024 called “Game Changing Announcement,” that reinforced the idea that the athletes in the games are competitors, not merely participants which is a common misperception.  

See more of the showcased work below.