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A digital solution for a country facing destruction due to climate change just won one of the ad industry’s most prestigious honors–the Cannes Lions Titanium Grand Prix.
The Titanium jury awarded the Grand Prix to The Government of Tuvalu’s “The First Digital Nation,” created by Sydney agency The Monkeys, part of Accenture Song.
Tuvalu, a low-lying Pacific nation, could be submerged in decades if sea levels continue to rise at the current rate due to climate change. Furthermore, international law dictates that without defined physical territory, a country can’t exist.
The Monkeys collaborated with the Tuvaluan government to create a plan for survival: Tuvalu will become the world’s first digital nation. The agency migrated as much of the country’s assets as possible–including historical documents and records of cultural practices–to the metaverse and the cloud.
The campaign launched last year at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27), where Simon Kofe, the Minister of Justice, Communication & Foreign Affairs of Tuvalu, announced from a digital environment that the country may be forced to move completely online.
The launch reached 2.1. billion people and put pressure on world leaders to act. Nine countries have since recognized Tuvalu’s digital sovereignty.
Why is this a Titanium?
The Titanium category recognizes provocative and boundary-pushing work that progresses the industry. This year it was renamed as The Dan Wieden Titanium Lions to honor the late Dan Wieden, co-founder of Wieden+Kennedy.
Jury president David Droga, CEO of Accenture Song, said the jurors looked to award work that embodied what Wieden stood for: “The Titaniums are about setting new precedents for what our industry can be … They’re more than just ideas or executions, they’re actually solving problems.”
He said the jury also asked: “Are the ideas we’re potentially awarding going to be even better next year, when no one’s looking at them?”
“The First Digital Nation” met those criteria because it proposes a long-term solution to Tuvalu and other countries grappling with the impact of climate change, Droga explained. With The Monkeys working directly with a government to develop a technological innovation for a nation, it also ventured into new territory for the industry, he added.
“This is not a technology idea as such. It’s a problem-solving idea,” Droga explained. “This is an idea about changing perceptions and setting precedents. If you have borders recognized digitally, they can save their GDP as a nation.”
Other Titanium Lion winners
- Budweiser | “Bring Home the Bud” by Wieden+Kennedy New York and São Paulo, Africa Creative DDB (U.S., Brazil).
- Mastercard | “Where to Settle” by McCann (Poland).
- Corona | “Corona Extra Lime” by Draftline and David (China, Colombia, U.S.).