Cannes Contenders: FCB Kinnect’s work is fast, fearless and full of flavor

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. In this piece, we take a look at FCB Kinnect’s entries.

Flipkart Minutes: Q Jumpers

In a market flooded with quick-commerce promises, Flipkart Minutes knew it had to do more than just say ‘fast.’ On iPhone 16 launch day, while Q-comm brands ran ads, Flipkart stood out by delivering an iPhone to someone still in the queue outside Apple’s Mumbai store. A Flipkart-branded t-shirt with a QR code appeared in the crowd. One scan, one Flipkart Minutes order, and seven minutes later, the iPhone arrived, before the customer even stepped inside. With just a t-shirt, Flipkart staged speed and hijacked a cultural moment.

Too Yumm!: Too Yumm! To Cheer

‘Too Yumm! To Cheer’ turned a stadium ban into snackable brilliance. With no sponsorships or in-stadium sales during India’s biggest cricket tournament, it tried to pull off a classic desi jugaad: the world’s first edible cheer signs. Giant chips designed as fan posters with match slogans in edible ink were packed individually and smuggled in by fans. As they munched mid-match, slogans vanished, leaving just two words: Too Yumm! A snack disguised as a poster disguised as an ad, it slipped past rules into the spotlight, a fan-fuelled rebellion that proved you don’t need a billboard to steal the game.

HDFC Bank: Lulumelon EOSS

Online financial fraud spikes during festive sales, with scammers using AI to deceive people. Traditional PSAs fail, as Indians often harbour an optimism bias. So, HDFC Bank introduced India’s first fraud awareness influencer, ‘Vigil Aunty’ to protect and spread awareness. During the 2024 end-of-season sale, Vigil Aunty and Nora Fatehi created a fake brand called, ‘Lulumelon’. With deepfakes, fake sites, and discount ads, they mimicked real scams. Those who clicked were led to a reveal site exposing red flags. As per the brand, 1.4M people fell for it, 750K joined the Vigil Army, 350+ media outlets covered the campaign.

Talking about the campaigns, Rohan Mehta, CEO, FCB Kinnect, said, “Every time we go to Cannes, it’s more than just a celebration of creativity. It’s a checkpoint for our ambition. This year, I’m looking forward to conversations that push the boundaries of what creative problem-solving can do for business. We’ve submitted 3 campaigns that deeply reflect who we are as an agency today: bold, integrated, and relentlessly outcome-driven. I’m excited to see how our work stacks up on the global stage, but more importantly, I’m proud of the journey that brought us here.”