Ted Lasso and Fifa Mash-Up Scores Brand Experience and Activation Grand Prix at Cannes

Last year, EA Sports welcomed Ted Lasso into the world of Fifa. Now the unprepared coach of fictional team AFC Richmond just won video game publisher and Apple a Cannes Lions Grand Prix in the Brand Experience and Activation category.

Lasso, the fictional star of the Emmy-award winning Apple TV+ series, became a playable character in the Fifa 23 game alongside other popular figures from the show. The game’s trailer features testimonials like, “He didn’t know a thing about football, but that didn’t matter” and “He’s someone you can’t help but root for.”

After the game was released, Lasso strengthened his ties to the big leagues by sending members of the U.S. Mens National Soccer Team handwritten letters of encouragement and pasting them on billboards.

“In a short time and with limited prior experience, Ted Lasso has become a cultural phenomenon, bringing the passion of football and the power of belief to life for millions of fans across the globe,” David Jackson, vice-president of brand for EA Sports Fifa, said in September.

Brand Experience and Activation Gold winners

• Vaseline | “See My Skin” by Edelman (U.S.).
• Pedidos Ya | “World Cup Delivery” by GUT Buenos Aires (Argentina).
• Korean National Police Agency | “Knock Knock” by Cheil Worldwide (South Korea).
• Heineken | “The Closer” by Publicis Italy and Le Pub (Italy).
• Muskrat Magazine | “Missing Matoaka” by BBDO Toronto (Canada).
• CALM x ITV | “The Last Photo” by adam&eveDDB (U.K.).
• Airtel Telecommunications | “Airtel 175 Replayed” by Leo Burnett Mumbai (India).
• Microsoft | “ADLaM–An Alphabet to Preserve a Culture” by McCann NY (U.S.).
• Regal Spring | “Heaven Fish” by Ogilvy (Honduras).
• Raid | “Certified Care” by Energy BBDO (U.S.).

Innovation Lions

Jurors recognized tech company Augmental and agency Wunderman Thompson with an Innovation Grand Prix for their efforts in digital accessibility.

Catering to individuals with spiral cord injuries, the agency wanted to offer people with disabilities a heightened level of autonomy when using technology. It introduced MouthPad^, which allows users to control electronic devices with their tongue. Providing an alternative to accessible technologies that still come with limited mobility, Wunderman Thompson stresses that the product offers the same level of dexterity as a finger.

“We saw an incredible innovation that allows people who are disabled specifically people who are quadriplegic or experiencing paralysis, to engage with the world,” said Grace Francis, Innovation Lions jury president and global chief creative and design officer at Wongdoody. “This work also encompasses what it means to feel completely alive.”

Innovation Gold winner

• Koushi Chemical Industry | “Shellmet” by TBWA\Hakuhodo (Japan).

Mobile Lions

Argentinian delivery app PedidosYa and agency Gut Buenos Aires won a Mobile Lions Grand Prix after sending out 6 million messages guised as faulty order confirmations.

Instead of tracking the status of a meal they didn’t order, the app queued the notification for the exact moment the Argentina team’s plane from Qatar left the ground, allowing fans to follow their journey home in real time. On the day of the campaign, #PedidosYa racked in 32% more social mentions than #LioMessi.

Shannon Washington, Mobile Lions jury president and U.S. chief creative officer of connected communications at R/GA USA, admired the brand’s “bravery” in executing a campaign of this reach without media investment.

“You don’t see Messi anywhere in the experience, but what you see is the ability to use mobile technology and a native feature at that to tap into the heart and soul of a nation,” she said.

Mobile Gold winners

• Renault | “Plug-Inn” by Publicis Conseil (France)
• Congresso Em Foco | “Transparency Card” by AKQA (Brazil)

Follow all of Adweek’s Cannes Lions coverage  here.