McCann Worldgroup's 2025 Cannes Contenders
L'Oreal Paris - Ilon Specht
McCann: Fifty years after “Because I’m Worth It” was written, its meaning had been eroded by time. What began as a statement of rebellion had softened into a tagline—spoken everywhere, but rarely felt. Our idea was not to reinterpret it, but to reclaim it. We did so by going back to where the line began, to Ilon Specht, the young McCann copywriter who fought so hard to bring those words to life. We worked with two-time Oscar-winning filmmaker Ben Proudfoot to capture Specht, in her senior years and facing a terminal illness, in her New York apartment. She reflects on making the original ad at a time when so many forces were working against her and all throughout, her fire and unfiltered voice come to life: sharp, defiant and unapologetic. No brand messaging. No products shots. Just truth. The ultimate embodiment of “I’m worth it.” We gave Ilon Specht back her words and her authorship. We didn’t modernize her line. We reminded the world of its original power, and the world listened. The film earned +2.B impressions worldwide, was the first-ever branded content piece acquired by TED and led to a +70% jump in brand consideration for L’Oréal Paris.
Mastercard - From Fan to Featured
McCann: Fans don’t just want to watch—they want to belong. Mastercard empowered fans to move from spectators to co-creators, making priceless moments into an unforgettable shared experience—with Lady Gaga.
Mastercard - Where Priceless Happens
McCann: For over 25 years, Mastercard’s “Priceless” platform has inspired millions, but to maintain relevance in a world that lives at the speed of culture, we needed a refresh. The answer had been hiding in plain sight: the Mastercard logo. Two overlapping circles, a perfect representation of worlds connecting to create something truly priceless. The “Where Priceless Happens” campaign used this brand icon to connect with people at key cultural moments across sport, music, entertainment, and everyday life—sometimes reacting to the headlines, sometimes celebrating shared traditions, but always bringing unexpected smiles. By reimagining our most iconic asset, we turned the logo into a driver of cultural relevance, delivering “Priceless” stories in a strikingly visual and immediate way. Brand attribution reached as high as 79 percent in creative testing and the campaign saw increases in key brand health metrics. In the UK, where investment was higher, purchase intent grew 18.2%.
Mastercard - Public Money ATM
McCann: In Poland, billions in public funds are spent each year with little citizen input. Participation in civic budgeting remains low, at just 11 percent. Mastercard, a brand rooted in financial inclusion, saw an opportunity to empower people where they already feel in control: at the ATM. Public Money ATM lets citizens manage public funds just like they manage their personal funds, through the same machine they use every day. Created with local governments, the initiative turned banking infrastructure into a democratic tool. Over 20 percent of ATM users their neighborhood machine to cast a vote to decide where public money should be invested, proving how behavior can shift when action is simple and familiar. The project is now expanding across Poland. By making civic participation as accessible as checking your balance, Mastercard redefined engagement and positioned itself as a brand that connects financial tools with public impact.
Mastercard - Donor Card
McCann: Germany has the lowest organ donation rate among European countries, and it suffers for it—nearly 1000 people die every year while awaiting a donor. This, despite overwhelming public support (85%) for organ donation. The problem lies in record-keeping. Only 15.3% of German citizens officially document their consent due to complicated and fragmented processes. Leveraging the insight that 86% of Germans carry their bank cards daily, Mastercard creatively embedded legal organ donor registration into the cards, simplifying a lifesaving decision into a routine financial transaction. Strategic collaborations with trusted medical influencers and emotionally resonant storytelling further amplified consumer trust and acceptance. The “Life Donor Card” quickly achieved remarkable results, with approximately 50% of targeted users adopting the card immediately upon issuance. Demonstrating substantial potential scalability across 178 million German bank cards, this innovation significantly increased documented donor consent, fundamentally reshaped public health infrastructure and positioned Mastercard as a leader in purposeful innovation and societal impact.
Xbox - The Cheeky Controller
McCann: The highly anticipated theatrical release of Marvel Studios’ "Deadpool & Wolverine" was an unmissable pop culture moment, and Xbox aimed to capture the attention of the movie’s fan base alongside other brands vying for consumer engagement. By authentically blending Xbox’s technological edge with Deadpool’s irreverent humor, we created a culturally iconic retail promotion with a competition at its core. Rather than rely on predictable character assets, we launched The Cheeky Controller—a limited-edition collectible modeled after Deadpool’s most talked-about body part—as an exclusive prize in a global sweepstakes. This unexpected twist on character merchandising not only ignited fan frenzy and drove massive earned media; it also deepened brand engagement and delivered a 25% sales uplift on the Microsoft Store, proving the power of bold retail competition to cut through.
Stream2Sea - Reef Relief
McCann: Over 80% of sunscreens contain chemicals like Oxybenzone, Octinoxate, and Octocrylene—known to bleach and kill coral reefs. So, we turned the problem into a solution. We created Coral Care, the world’s first sunscreen proven to nourish coral and boost growth by up to 29%, thanks to a unique blend of marine nutrients. Wherever Coral Care went, so did Reef Protection Factor (RPF)—a science-backed certification helping consumers identify sunscreens that are genuinely reef-safe. In collaboration with the University of Derby, we opened RPF testing to other brands, offering a transparent, three-tiered certification to help regulate the industry. We also made Coral Care’s formula available for white labeling. Through partnerships with conservation NGOs, leisure brands, and over 40 global activations, we reached tourists and consumers worldwide—achieving a PR and social reach of 6.1 billion, coverage in 821 publications, and retail presence in over 200 locations.
Puck - Recipes For Change
McCann: As Lebanon faced one of the worst economic and humanitarian crises in modern history, traditional aid models and retail logistics collapsed, leaving displaced women with no income and limited support. Puck, a trusted Middle Eastern dairy brand, saw an opportunity in what remained: the women’s family recipes, passed down for generations. “Recipe for Change” transformed these cultural heirlooms into intellectual property by licensing the recipes to Lebanese and fusion restaurants around the world. Each dish sold generated income, with 50% of profits going directly to the women behind them. The strategy reframed these women not as victims, but as business partners, restoring dignity and agency. Launched during Ramadan, a time rooted in generosity, the campaign created a scalable B2B2C model that connected communities across borders. It not only supported displaced women but also drove new revenue for restaurants and redefined how brands can build equity, empathy, and economic impact during crisis
Banco Do Brasil - The Lost Faces
McCann: Brazil was the last country in the Americas to abolish slavery. Yet racism still shapes daily life—silencing Black voices, denying opportunities, and endangering lives. In a country where 56% of the population is Black, fewer than 20% of its historical icons are. If you search for Brazil’s Black heroines, you'll find the same result: a single, generic image labeled “Black Woman in a Headwrap.” No name. No story. Just an unknown figure. Banco do Brasil decided to fight that erasure. With WMcCann, the bank recovered the faces and legacies of three Black women who helped shape Brazil’s future, telling their stories and showcasing them in media and museums. As a result, their portraits are now being used as educational material in public schools. Through resistance and reparation, we’re rewriting history – because only by teaching the truth can we change the future.
Last Prisoner Project - The Pen To Right History
McCann: Few injustices in the U.S. are more visible yet more ignored than marijuana injustice. Marijuana is legal, but people are still labeled as criminals because of it. A pardon from a politician could erase these injustices, but they tend to ignore the issue for fear of appearing weak on crime. So we needed to make pardoning marijuana offenses look like an act of moral courage. We partnered with Last Prisoner Project on a simple goal: empower politicians to take action—and become heroes in the process. How did we do it? With a humble pen. We named it The Pen to Right History and passed it to mothers, sons and daughters who wrote personal letters pleading for justice for their loved ones. Emotional films, social pressure, and national press amplified the story. And then, the pen made its way to those who could make real impact—politicians. And it worked. On June 17, 2024, Maryland Governor Wes Moore claimed the pen and signed the largest cannabis pardon in U.S. state history—175,000 convictions forgiven.
Enterogermina - The Anti-Murphy's Law Toast
McCann: According to Murphy’s law, toast tends to land butter-side down. Until now. The Anti-Murphy’s Law Toast is the first-ever toast designed to land butter-side up. An experiment by Enterogermina and MRM was designed to kick-start a conversation about gut health by playfully challenging the unfortunate data point around buttered bread—through a unique innovation at the hands of renowned physicist Robert Matthews and master baker Nuño García. Our documentary followed the pair as they endeavored to create a new kind of toast that defied Murphy’s Law. But it didn’t stop there. The toast was made available at Le Pain Quotidien and influencers and journalists could test it, love it and share it. The result: 86% engagement, 91% positive sentiment, and an 8.6% increase in sales during the campaign period.
Allegra - Drowsy Prompts
McCann: Allegra needed to reinforce its non-drowsy claim in a way that felt modern, trustworthy, and shareable. We found the answer in an unexpected source: generative AI. When prompted to “act like” it had taken Benadryl or Zyrtec, ChatGPT produced sleepy, sluggish responses. But when prompted with Allegra, the output was crisp and witty. That unscripted behavioral difference became our creative and data solution. We invited the public to test it themselves. Every interaction became a proof point. Screenshots turned into shareable content. Influencers helped it scale. The campaign ran across TikTok, Radio, Instagram, and Times Square OOH—always featuring real, unedited AI behavior. We didn’t generate ads with AI—we let AI be the message. The result: over 1/2 billion impressions, a +340% above-average view-through rate on paid TikTok, and an engagement rate 430% higher than the industry average. A traditional pharma claim, re-proven by creative data the audience helped generate.
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