AKQA recognised with seven Cannes Lions for work that is defining new standards

The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has awarded AKQA for work that challenges convention and creates new value. The Volvo Cars Safety Standard was honoured with a Design Gold Lion for creating a new cohesive language for safety, while Dove's r/eal reviews earned two Gold Lions in Creative Strategy and Social and Creator for embracing unfiltered community trust over paid endorsement.

Home to the world’s most prestigious annual industry awards, The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity hosts a celebration for innovative work and collaboration across global design and communication.

Gold, Social and Creator, Creative Strategy,

Dove r/eal reviews

To prove the power of the Intensive Repair 10-in-1 Serum Mask, Dove and AKQA went where most brands fear to tread: the unfiltered world of Reddit. The campaign embraced the social platform’s honesty, turning real, unscripted reviews from the internet's most discerning critics into the campaign itself. This bold commitment to transparency, created with DAVID London and WPP Media, generated one billion earned impressions and established a new benchmark for earning customer trust.

The campaign was also honoured with a Silver Lion in Brand Experience and Activation, and three Bronze Lions in Media, Creative Strategy and Social and Creator.

Gold, Design

Volvo Cars, The Volvo Cars Safety Standard

Brought to life in a collaboration between Volvo Cars, AKQA and partners, the brand system bridges a century of life-saving innovation with the future of safety.

Safety has always been at the core of Volvo’s DNA, yet it had never been collected under a unifying umbrella. The Volvo Cars Safety Standard encapsulates the company’s dedication to life through a typeface designed for instant readability, a colour inspired by increased visibility in testing, a reinvention of the iconic safety belt and the Volvo Cars Safety Centre like you never saw it before.