Eye for the outcome

Time of India

6 days ago

The
Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity
acknowledges creative work across various award levels, including silvers and bronzes, in addition to Grand Prix winners. As part of '
BE Extraordinary
,' a series with
Harsh Kapadía, CCO, Grey India
, we examine campaigns notable for their execution and outcomes. This segment focuses on the
Creative Business Transformation
category, presenting initiatives where creativity contributed to significant changes in business models, operations, or market presence, resulting in measurable effects for brands.
Cars to Work - Renault, Publicis Conseil
Renault, in collaboration with Publicis Conseil, executed a comprehensive, long-term strategy that exemplifies "Creative Business Transformation." Facing a significant loss of traditional market share and encountering public resistance towards electric vehicles, Renault made a strategic decision to fundamentally shift its primary focus towards electric car production.
Prior to the mass launch of its new electric car models, Renault undertook various strategic initiatives designed to build market momentum and cultivate a strong public association with electric vehicles. These included the establishment of widely accessible charging stations, a move aimed at alleviating range anxiety and infrastructure concerns.
They also proactively shared comprehensive crash test data for electric cars, addressing safety perceptions and building consumer confidence. Furthermore, Renault actively participated in developing fully electric urban zones, demonstrating the practical application and benefits of electric mobility in real-world environments.
This comprehensive and integrated approach aimed to effectively position Renault as a pioneer and a leader in the electric mobility sector, systematically preparing the market for their upcoming vehicle rollout, and fundamentally transforming public perception of the brand's profound commitment to electric technology.
The Other Hand - Cheetos / Frito-Lay, Goodby Silverstein and Partners
The campaign titled "The Other Hand," developed by Frito-Lay in collaboration with Goodby Silverstein and Partners, represents a key component of a broader, multi-year creative business transformation strategy for Cheetos. This initiative ingeniously re-positioned a commonly perceived drawback of eating Cheetos — the distinctive orange, cheesy residue left on fingers, officially termed "
Cheetle
" — into a central and celebrated brand asset.
Instead of attempting to eliminate this characteristic, which might have been viewed as messy by some consumers, Cheetos strategically embraced and highlighted it as an integral and unique part of the product experience. Their sustained approach involved officially naming this orange powder "Cheetle" to give it a recognised identity.
"The Other Hand" and subsequent campaigns humorously illustrated various scenarios where having "Cheetle-covered fingers" could be advantageous, such as providing a convenient excuse to avoid undesirable tasks by relying on the clean "other hand." Another facet explored how the very concept of "hands-free" technology was playfully presented as being inspired by the need to avoid getting Cheetle on things.
This consistent and creative strategy successfully shifted a potential negative perception into a highly positive and distinctive brand identifier, significantly contributing to consistent brand growth and fundamentally transforming how this unique product trait was perceived by consumers.
(At BE Extraordinary, a series about the winners at Cannes Lions in collaboration with Harsh Kapadia, CCO, Grey India, we peer outside the Grand Prix, and look at clutter breaking work that picked the silvers and the bronzes, but don't often get discussed.)