MANILA, PHILIPPINES — Noise pollution has long been an issue that has continued to be a problem globally. Perhaps not seen as something as serious as air pollution, loud noises, particularly those caused by drivers and commuters on streets, are no less bothersome to residents of huge cities.
In the case of the Mumbai Police, they did something about it and the resulting campaign from FCB Interface Mumbai can now call itself a winner at the 2021 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Dubbed “The Punishing Signal,” the campaign emerged as the lone winner from the Asia-Pacific region for the Outdoor Lions category at this year’s festival.
As the Mumbai Police noticed that the vehicles on the streets of Mumbai have a seeming love for honking their horns even when the stoplight is clearly red, they partnered with FCB Interface Mumbai to do something about it. Connecting several signal lights around the city to sound level meters, if the decibel levels reached 85, the signal lights would reset and prolong their wait in traffic even longer.
It was a radical idea but it was something deemed necessary to battle the traffic, the noise, and the rudeness of those drivers around Mumbai. For being daring enough to pull this off, both the agency and the Mumbai Police were rewarded in Cannes. Entry no. 02028 was awarded a Silver Lion while 02029 and 02030 each won a Bronze Lion for Outdoor.
Emerging as Grand Prix winners in Outdoor Lions were “Shutter Ads” by Publicis Milan for Heineken and a collaboration between Burger King in Miami / INGO in Stockholm / DAVID in Miami / Publicis Romania, Bucharest for Burger King.
Celebrating creativity out of home, entries for Outdoor Lions needed to demonstrate ideas that engage in-the-field; work that leveraged public spaces to communicate a message, or immersed consumers in a brand experience.
For a highly competitive category such as this that values work outdoors, perhaps this past year was the most difficult due to global restrictions brought about by the pandemic. Campaigns that could have been executed on a grand scale out of homes and offices were either completely shuttered or cast aside. For that reason alone, this year’s 2021 Outdoor Lions winners should be recognized for their courage and creativity.
