Day 3 of Cannes Lions 2025 saw independent agencies dominate across six categories: Creative B2B, Creative Data, Direct, Media, PR, and Social & Creator. Indies captured a Grand Prix and demonstrated their strategic and creative prowess with 65 Lions total.
The day’s awards showcased indie agencies’ particular strength in integrated campaigns that span multiple categories—proving that when you’re not constrained by silos, creativity flows freely.
The Grand Prix Winner
GoDaddy + Quality Meats – Creative B2B Grand Prix
Campaign: “B2B: Act Like You Know” In a remarkable achievement, GoDaddy’s in-house team partnered with Chicago independent Quality Meats to claim the Creative B2B Grand Prix. The campaign for GoDaddy Airo showcased how indies can collaborate with brands to create category-defining work in the B2B space.
Indie Agency News Members Shine
Giant Spoon (Los Angeles/New York)
The experiential powerhouse earned a Media Gold Lion for “Raise Your Banners” for HBO, demonstrating their continued excellence in creating immersive brand experiences that resonate across media channels.
Tombras (Knoxville)
The Tennessee independent made waves with their PR Bronze Lion for “BARK Air: 100% Real Airline for Dogs” for BARK Air—proving that breakthrough ideas can come from agencies anywhere, not just coastal hubs.
OBERLAND (New York)
The IAN member earned a Creative Data Silver Lion for “So Many Dicks” for e.l.f. Beauty, showing how provocative creativity and data can combine for breakthrough results.
Serviceplan Group (Munich/Hamburg) – 5 Wins
The German independent continued their Cannes winning streak from Day 1 with:
- Creative B2B Silver Lion: “Animal Alerts” for PetPace
- Creative Data Silver Lion: “Breastmilk Money” for HerConomy
- Direct Gold Lion: “Price Packs” for PENNY
- Direct Silver Lion: “Breastmilk Money” for HerConomy
- Direct Bronze Lion: “Price Packs” for PENNY
Their “Price Packs” campaign, which won the Print & Publishing Grand Prix on Day 1, continues to earn honors across categories.
Special (Los Angeles/Auckland) – 5 Wins
The bi-continental independent scored big with their integrated campaign:
- Direct Gold Lion: “Football Is for Food” for Uber Eats
- Direct Bronze Lion: “Football Is for Food” for Uber Eats
- Media Silver Lion: “Football Is for Food” for Uber Eats
- Media Bronze Lion: “Football Is for Food” for Uber Eats
- PR Bronze Lion: “Export Ultra Cold Call Back Service” for Export Ultra
Non-Member Indies Dominate Multiple Categories
Rethink (Toronto/Vancouver) – 5 Wins
The Canadian independent demonstrated integrated excellence:
- Direct Gold Lion: “U UP?” for IKEA
- Direct Silver Lion: “U UP?” for IKEA
- Media Gold Lion: “Can’t Unsee It” for Heinz Ketchup & Mustard
- Social & Creator Gold Lion: “U UP?” for IKEA
- Social & Creator Bronze Lion: “U UP?” for IKEA
UZINA (Lisbon) – 4 Wins
The Portuguese agency showed data-driven creativity:
- Creative Data Gold Lion: “IKEA Hidden Tags” for IKEA
- Creative Data Bronze Lion: “IKEA Hidden Tags” for IKEA
- Direct Gold Lion: “IKEA Hidden Tags” for IKEA
- Direct Silver Lion: “IKEA Hidden Tags” for IKEA
VCCP (London) – 3 Wins
The UK independent scored with their AI-powered campaign:
- Direct Bronze Lion: “Daisy vs Scammers” for O2
- PR Gold Lion: “Daisy vs Scammers” for O2
- PR Silver Lion: “Daisy vs Scammers” for O2
Other Notable Indie Winners:
Edelman (London) – 4 wins including PR Gold for “Progresso Soup Drops”
ARTPLAN (SĂŁo Paulo) – 2 wins for “Re-Commerce Atacama” for VTEX
Slap Global (Buenos Aires/Los Angeles) – 2 wins for “Lay’s Bar Crawl”
OBERLAND (New York) – Creative Data Silver Lion for “So Many Dicks” for e.l.f. Beauty
AMPFY (SĂŁo Paulo) – Creative Data Bronze Lion for “The Missing Portraits”
JUDAS (Lisbon) – Direct Bronze Lion for “Drinkable Anthem”
The Bigger Picture
Day 3’s results reinforce several key themes:
1. Integration Wins: The most successful campaigns won across multiple categories, showing that great ideas transcend silos.
2. Global Indie Strength: Winners from Portugal, Germany, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, and beyond show that indie excellence is truly global.
3. Data + Creativity: The Creative Data category highlighted how indies are using technology and insights to fuel breakthrough creative.
Day 3 By The Numbers
- Total Indie Wins: 65 Lions
- Grand Prix: 1 (GoDaddy/Quality Meats)
- Gold Lions: 10
- Silver Lions: 13
- Bronze Lions: 41
- Winning Agencies: 20+ independent agencies and in-house teams
- Countries Represented: 10+
Looking Ahead
With Design, Digital Craft, Film Craft, and Industry Craft Lions coming on Day 4, indies have more opportunities to showcase their craft excellence. The strong showing in integrated campaigns across Day 3’s categories signals even more indie victories ahead.
Indies are proving that creativity, strategy, and effectiveness thrive in independent environments. When ideas matter most, indies deliver.
Tracking indie agency wins all week at Cannes Lions 2025
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