FCB India’s picks for Cannes Lions

India’s creative industry is all set for the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity 2025. 

The spotlight is on bold vision, disruptive thinking, limitless innovation and storytelling that transcends borders.

We take a look at some of the contenders for this year’s Cannes Lions.

A look at FCB India’s campaigns:

Indian Railways: Lucky Yatra

Indian Railways serves 24 million travellers daily, but rising ticketless travel has led to massive losses. Instead of strict crackdowns, Indian Railways in Mumbai found a smarter solution by tapping into something India loves: lotteries. Indians spend over $30 billion on lottery tickets annually. Thus, Lucky Yatra, a new initiative by Indian Railways Mumbai and FCB India that turns every train ticket into a lottery. The unique number on each ticket becomes the chance to win, giving people a reason to always travel with a ticket. No apps, no behaviour change; just buy your ticket, and you could get lucky.

Navneet: Navneet Colour Blindness Detection Book

Navneet Education, one of India’s leading schoolbook publishers, has launched an innovative initiative to tackle Colour Vision Deficiency (CVD), or colour blindness, an often-overlooked learning barrier. Children with CVD struggle in school, losing confidence early on. In collaboration with FCB India and experts, Navneet created a unique early learning book that not only teaches but also detects CVD. Using Ishihara-style tests within illustrations it helps parents and teachers identify the condition early, ensuring more inclusive learning from the start.

Navbharat Times: Barabari Ki Bhasha

Language is more than just a tool for communication; it shapes culture and reflects societal values. Studies show that representation in language influences societal participation. When professions and roles lack feminine equivalents, fewer women pursue them, reinforcing gender disparities. Barabari Ki Bhasha aims to change this by giving young girls the words to dream, aspire, and achieve because when language acknowledges their ambitions, society follows.

Uber: Uber One, Takes One to Get One

Indian masses have always seen Uber as a foreign brand, never giving the brand true acceptance as their own. Thus, Uber decided to go hyperlocal and found a unique phonetic phenomenon only in India. Millions of Indian names have the sound of ‘one’ in them. And so does Uber’s first-ever loyalty program, Uber One. Enter ‘Takes One to Get One.’ An audacious plan by FCB India to turn these millions of names into free media for Uber. Anyone with a name that has a ‘one’ in it gets an Uber One subscription free. Turns out, everyone loves free stuff!

“At FCB India, our Cannes entries this year reflect work that challenges norms and shifts narratives. From turning train tickets into a movement with Lucky Yatra, to rewriting classroom tools with Navneet’s colour blindness textbooks, to reshaping cultural conversations with Barabari Ki Bhasha and Uber One — these ideas sit at the intersection of creativity and impact. That’s the kind of work we’re proud to take to the world stage,” said Dheeraj Sinha, 

CEO, FCB India and South Asia.