Havas India secures 3 shortlists for ‘Ink of Democracy’ campaign at Cannes Lions 2025

Havas India has earned three shortlists at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity 2025, all for its impactful campaign ‘Ink of Democracy’ created for The Times of India.

The campaign, submitted by Havas, Mumbai, has been recognised across three distinct subcategories within the Print & Publishing Lions:

Innovative and Adapted Use of Print & Publishing
Single-Market Campaign
Corporate Purpose & Social Responsibility

Executed for Bennett, Coleman & Co., the campaign reflects a multi-layered narrative that resonated with jurors across both creative innovation and brand purpose-led communication.

‘Ink of Democracy’ is the sole campaign representing Havas on the shortlist tally so far, but its presence across three competitive subcategories positions the agency as a strong contender in the Print & Publishing category this year.

Developed in partnership with The Times of India and the Election Commission of India, ‘Ink of Democracy’ tackled chronic voter apathy head-on. During the 2024 Indian General Elections, 33 percent of eligible voters abstained, leaving an estimated 7,500 litres of unused electoral ink. To turn this statistic into action, the campaign printed newspapers, including The Times and The Economic Times, entirely in purple ink, the same shade used to mark voters’ fingers. For every 132 absent voters, one full purple‑ink front-page was issued, resulting in 2.28 million pages urging readers: “Don’t waste a drop of electoral ink. Don’t waste the power of democracy.”

The Cannes Lions Awards will be announced between June 16 and June 20, 2025, with more shortlists from other categories expected to be released in the coming days.