Sporting goods brand Decathlon scored the Cannes Lions 2022 Creative Strategy Grand Prix for assembling an e-cycling team—from a group of incarcerated citizens. “The Breakaway” aimed to promote the Decathlon brand through an e-cycling team composed of six anonymous prisoners in the country’s Oudenaarde prison, Belgium.
Each inmate was given a bike, a connected trainer and other necessary equipment from Decathlon. Throughout the campaign, the team raced with thousands of riders in the outside world and could be followed by the public on virtual platform Zwift.
Moreover, a podcast documented The Breakaway team’s journey and progress, and elaborated on the experience’s positive impact on their mental health. Decathlon said that The Breakaway aims to tackle the barriers for prisoners in reintegrating back into society and generate conversation about the role of prisons within the justice system.
The campaign was praised for bringing a new lens to inclusivity and accessibility. It invites a broader discussion about our views around marginalised communities, and about what inclusion really means.
We are all familiar with the concept of sustainable packaging innovation. Being 100% biodegradable is an excellent result, but some brands have managed to evolve even further. The Indian brand identity and communication agency that has appeared on the market with “The Killer Pack,” a sustainable packaging for both men and the environment, is a prime example.
VMLY&R Mumbai won a Health & Wellness Gran Prix at Cannes 2022 thanks to its packaging innovation for Maxx Flash. The Killer Pack is a mosquito coil with 100% biodegradable packaging that kills mosquito larvae when discarded in garbage dumps and stagnant water.
The coil’s pack combats life-threatening diseases such as dengue and malaria in India, where mosquitoes are responsible for an estimated 400 million dengue cases. Landfills are the most conducive environment for the proliferation of mosquitoes, which require only one centimetre of water to lay their eggs. Changing the complex landfill situation in India is difficult, but preventing mosquito reproduction in landfills is already a huge step forward. A step forward in terms of human health, environmental sustainability, and design innovation.
HelloFresh, the world’s leading meal-kit company with operations in 17 countries, has launched the New Original Twitch Series. Unleash the Feast features popular Twitch streamers taking on theme-based cooking challenges with HelloFresh meal kits and ingredients.
During the live 75-minute show, viewers will be able to participate in the Unleash the Feast tournament via Twitch’s interactive and community-based features. This includes being able to criticise the contestants alongside the hosts and judges and voting for their favourite dishes. Throughout the live broadcast, participants will have the chance to win prizes and exclusive deals.
It’s an innovative “brand experience strategy” for HelloFresh, as well as a new digital frontier for one of the world's most popular streaming platforms, combining the TV series, the cooking show theme, and the desire of users to become more involved and interactive.
“Unleash the Feast showcases the fun and creativity consumers experience when cooking a HelloFresh meal,” said Jens Reich, Chief Marketing Officer and Managing Director of HelloFresh US, “We’re excited to engage with consumers and fans on Twitch by creating entertaining and original content they can view and interact with.”
“Under the constitution, the definition of marriage does not extend to partnerships between people of the same gender,” an Osaka court ruled a few weeks ago, reiterating that same-gender marriages are not legally accepted in Japan. While anime genres such as “Boys Love” are fairly popular among fans, the country as a whole tends to shy away from allowing everyday same-sex relations to receive any kind of legal support.
In defiance of the country’s laws, Nintendo Japan recognises same-sex marriages. The gaming giant has announced that employees in domestic partnerships with a same-sex partner will receive the same benefits as those in opposite-sex unions.
“We want to create a work environment that supports and empowers each and every one of our unique employees,” stated Nintendo Japan in an update to its corporate social responsibility guidelines. Additionally, the update notes that Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa sent a note to employees on gender diversity, asking workers to understand that their words and action can cause emotional pain, even if there was no harm intended. Initiatives like this taken by influential corporations are more than just declarations of intent; they are concrete support actions, whether environmental, social, or cultural.
