21 Cannes-winning ideas that prove the existence of a soul (or) That time I procrastinated by writing an article on LinkedIn

This is about ideas. Ideas that make you love this business, believe in what's possible, and make the industry better. They aren't just campaigns - but battles and feats - that could only be made by people who care, pain over every detail, and find the humanity in something others would see as mundane.

There's no better time to talk about them than in the afterglow of Cannes. The time of year when we are reminded why we do what we do. Truth be told, it has little to do with the trophies. Sure, they look pretty cool on a shelf. But so do certain plants. The relevance of Cannes lies in our ability to see the work. To get a glimpse at the best of the best in every category, so we can learn, be inspired, and see what's achievable. Believing (sometimes foolishly) that we can top it.

Love it or hate it, Cannes isn't about us. It's about all the people who fast forward, block, or ignore what our industry makes. And the level of thinking we need, to turn the tide. To make them care. And to connect with that something inside that makes them tick. Their 21 grams.

Here are the inaugural 21 picks, from 21GRAMS (21gramsny.com). Though we proudly specialize in health, the campaigns we curated from Cannes Lions 2018 span all categories. The criteria: Ideas that elevated a brand, cause, or the world - by tapping into the human spirit. In no particular order, they are:

1. "Hope" // Sra. Rushmore and Blur Films Madrid for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)

This film will rattle you to your core - with cinematic storytelling, white-knuckle intensity, and an ending that will stay with you for days, if not longer. It's only fault is leaving you to want to do something and not entirely know how. Easily one of my favorites.

2. "Project Revoice" // BWM Dentsu Sydney

For a piece about giving people their words back, there are no words to describe it. Pat Quinn, co-founder of the Ice Bucket Challenge lost his voice to ALS. Technology and a lot of imagination gave it back. This is the epitome of life-changing advertising, that's got nothing to do with copy and art - but creative problem-solving and invention.

3. "Corazón: Give Your Heart" // John X Hannes for Montefiore Hospital

This ambitious campaign used the emotion of cinema to drive organ donation. It did this, while keeping the brand central: Basing it on the true story of a real Montefiore patient. But what I really loved was the the digital followthrough for organ donor sign up, launching the form by placing your phone against your heart. That little interaction makes the audience physically (and emotionally) feel it. It means something.

4. "Welcome Home" // TBWA/Media Arts Lab for Apple HomePod

Not every soul-stirring campaign needs to be emotionally heavy. It just needs to make you feel something. Directed by Spike Jonze, this film is worthy of display in a gallery - from the art direction itself to FKA twigs' dancing. The product is central, but it's not a sell. It's an experience. And the craft is equal parts inspiring and intimidating.

5. "First Steps - Ali" // Ogilvy Chicago for Kiwi Shoe Polish

To be completely transparent, the asshole copywriter in me says I could have written this. I didn't and probably couldn't have. So I envy it. In a world full of big budgets, flashiness, and technology - here's to the return of the long-form copy print ad. If you can pull emotion out of shoe polish, there's no excuse not to pull it out of medicine.

6. "Project 84" // Adam & Eve/DDB for CALM (The Campaign Against Living Miserably)

In a year where we've seen too many public figures take their lives, as well as the billboard success of Logic's "1-800-273-8255" (in which the song's title is the number of the National Suicide Prevention Hotline - a Lion-worthy idea in itself) Project 84 is a relevant, poignant idea that takes on the 84 male suicides each week in England.

Knowing the campaign would have been killed or watered down at most agencies, with one loud voice saying, "not all suicide deaths are jumpers," you get how fragile great ideas are. How they pulled it off production-wise, I don't know - but I'm sure it's a story we can all learn from.

7. "The Tiniest Listing" // Ogilvy Chicago for Cook Country Hospital

Most people think tiny studio apartments in Manhattan are expensive. But per square foot, there's a place that blows the cost of a New York "closet" away. The details are best kept for the case study - but spoiler alert: Some of the most important tenants in the world are getting this room paid for, thanks to an idea that makes us think differently about a common issue.

8. "Blood Normal" // AMV BBDO for Bodyform and Libresse

It's not easy to end a taboo. But Blood Normal gives it a go, seeking to take the stigma out of one of the most natural things every woman experiences (and men can only try to understand): Periods. While it isn't the first campaign to give an honest portrayal - see "No Shame" by Cossette in 2016, here - it's got soul, humanity, and the type of honesty you wish you and your clients were brave enough to fight for.

9. "Blink to Speak" // TBWA/India Mumbai for NeuroGen Brain & Spine Institute and Asha Ek Hope Foundation

When someone has ALS, or any other disease where they lose movement, communication becomes harder and harder. Being that eye movement is the last thing to go - Blink to Speak creates an eye language, so they can communicate again. The simple, problem-solving ability of this campaign makes it special. For fair warning, the case study is slow, but the idea is amazing.

10. "Savlon Healthy Hands Chalk Sticks" // Ogilvy Mumbai

Reminiscent of Lucky Iron Fish in 2015, this idea shows that some of the most important ideas we see at Cannes aren't based on headlines and copy, but invention. In a country where more than 1000 children die every day due to poor hand hygiene - infusing chalk, used for school, with soap (automatically activated with water) made kids wash their hands. Not just raising awareness, but saving lives. Shows just how important ideas can be. Amazing.

11. "Posts into Letters" // Area 23 for Change the Ref

On the heels of yet another year of school shootings, this idea compelled Americans to turn their social media posts on the issue into letters written in Joaquin Oliver's handwriting (one of the 17 students that lost their lives in Parkland). Based on the simple insight that handwritten letters are the most effective way to influence change with government officials - this campaign was a powerful display of relevance, innovation, and emotion.

12. "The Talk" // BBDO New York for Proctor & Gamble

Credit Proctor & Gamble for taking on tough social issues, like racism - in this gut punch of a campaign that highlights The Talk. The Talk, common in African American households, is when parents prepare their children for the bigotry they can face, even in this day and age. It is eye opening, heart breaking, and honest.

13. "Price on our Lives" // McCann New York for March for Our Lives - Parkland Students

How much is human life worth? And what will it take to affect real, meaningful change to finally put legislation in place that stops guns from being in the wrong hands - in school shooting after school shooting? This idea created a wearable price tag to symbolize the money politicians accept from the NRA to stop this legislation from becoming a reality.

By taking the $3.3 Million in NRA donations Senator Marco Rubio received and dividing it by the 3.14 Million students in Florida, the price of life came out to $1.05 per student. It was picked up by the media, and according to the Cannes entry, already started to influence legislation and elections in a few key states. As a dad who worries, this idea is important.

14. "Marmite Gene Project" // Adam & Eve/DDB for Unilever

Who says science and research is boring? To see if people had a genetic predisposition to loving or hating Marmite (a salty, yeasty, strong spread used overseas on breakfast toast) Adam & Eve/DDB embarked on a scientific study. The result? A scientific white paper that announced a surprising discovery: your Marmite taste preference is genetic.

By making it about "you" it captivated a Marmite loving/hating nation. Making people care about Marmite once again. Genius.

15. "Dot Mini. The First Smart Media Device for the Visually Impaired" // Serviceplan Munchen for Dot

Once again, there is nothing more inspiring than advertising as invention. Dot Mini gives visually impaired people the ability to access any digital text and turn it into braille. How it only won a gold, I'm not sure (but sure there were reasons), it is a complex feat of ingenuity that can make life easier for millions.

16. "The Child Replacement Programme" // Colenso BBDO Aukland for Mars

Insightful and funny, The Child Replacement Programme taps into the human spirit by showing parents how they can replace the emptiness they feel when their children become adults and leave home. By giving abandoned dogs a home.

17. "Lighter Blue" // McCann Humancare for Trintellix

First, Blue lived on comic strip-like social media posts about depression. Later he and his circle of friends - including a cat and a fish - became animated. With no voices, just Charlie Brown-esque sounds coming out of the character's mouths, Blue took a light (and off-center) approach to a heavy disease.

Creatively, the campaign built characters and a voice that could rival comics in the funny pages (if those still exist). But most importantly, it helped people understand how depression feels, while showing those going through it that they are not alone.

18. "Soccer Song for Change" // Ogilvy Cape Town for AB InBev

In South Africa, the rate of abuse against women spikes after soccer games, with the #1 excuse being alcohol. By hijacking the South African national anthem during an important national soccer game (with new lyrics calling attention to the problem) a national movement began, sponsored by beer. The connection between insight and solution here is seamless.

19. "TagWords" // Africa Sao Paulo for AB InBev

This one's not exactly soul-stirring, but it's #19. Give me a break, I think it's cool. Through creativity and imagination - this idea highlights the brand (Budweiser) as part of our cultural history - tapping into our sense of nostalgia for the iconic bands we love, and the brand's role in their journey.

Knowing that showing these images would be costly/unwieldy, the campaign used tag words to take you to these moments. Its approach - genius in the way it used old tools for new things - can be applied to most brands, including healthcare.

20. "Help a Dane" // &Co Copenhagen for The Danish Cancer Society & Trygfonden

Thought this one deserved a little bit better than a bronze. In my view, where it succeeded was in knowing it's audience better than they knew themselves. The story: One Dane dies every single day from skin cancer. Yet they continue to come home from holiday with sunburns. Years of safety campaigns didn't work. So they reached out to the 5 countries where Danes vacation most, for help. And suddenly, this stale public safety message became relevant again.

21. "Palau Pledge" // Host/Havas Sydney

Let's finish things up with the Palau Pledge. As one of this year's darlings at Cannes, it's hard not to look like I'm jumping on the bandwagon by including it. But it meets the criteria of this list: undeniably solving a problem by tapping into the human spirit.

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As a final note on Cannes Health, specifically - it felt like a quiet year, in many ways. We didn’t see the iconic, game-changing campaigns that defined the show last year, with Meet Graham and The Immunity Charm (which may have been due to the new rules). And in Pharma, I’d respectfully disagree with some of the traditional print-like campaigns that were awarded (not because they are print, or a print-like object, but because they are good not great).

That said, so many of the great ideas we saw this year were in health. Whether they were entered in Lions Health or not. And that’s a great thing for 21GRAMS and the future of our industry.