Cannes Contenders 2025: When TOI’s ‘Ink Of Democracy’ reminded India to vote

The campaign was conceptualized by Havas Creative India

by e4m Staff
Published: Jun 3, 2025 4:24 PM | 2 min read

The stage is set, the stakes are high, and India’s creative powerhouses are once again ready to dazzle at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity 2025. This year, the spotlight is on bold vision, disruptive thinking, limitless innovation and storytelling that transcends borders.

As the Indian contingent steps into the global arena, we take an early look at the campaigns set to make waves on advertising’s grandest stage. Today’s pick is The Times of India: Ink Of Democracy by Havas Creative India.

Indian General Elections 2023 witnessed an absence of 33% eligible voters. The reason -laziness, lack of awareness, and political alienation, resulting in 7,500 litres of unused electoral ink. The Times of India and The Economic Times, just before the 2024 elections, printed pages in purple ink instead of black. For every 132 absent voters, one page was printed, totalling 2.28 million prints. The ink—a mark of democracy—became a reminder to defend it. Post the campaign, India witnessed a world record of 642,000,000 voters turning up to cast their vote.

Talking about the campaign, Anupama Ramaswamy, Chief Creative Officer & Joint Managing Director, Havas Worldwide India, shared, “The magic of this idea lies in its simplicity. It didn’t rely on grand visuals or complicated storytelling—just a powerful medium used in an unexpected way, sparking a meaningful change. In this case, we used India’s most read English daily to remind the citizens about their duty and help shape the future of India, the world’s largest democracy.”