Susie Walker is VP of awards and perception at Cannes Lions. Here, she explores the developing fashion of Lions winners that took more and more more neighborhood processes to triumphing innovative campaigns.



Even earlier than the pandemic iced up lifestyles as we knew it, human beings internationally have been embracing their lives in neighborhood groups and neighbourhoods. This developing purchaser fashion, defined as “localism,” disrupted retail, and modified how human beings fed on and engaged with manufacturers.

Localism is a purchaser desire for manufacturers and companies positioned geographically close by that have interaction the unique desires and behaviors of neighborhood groups and faucet into location-unique subculture.

This developing fashion, defined as “localism,” disrupted retail, and modified how human beings fed on and engaged with manufacturers.

What’s extra, shopping for regionally additionally correlates with shopping for ethically. The shift towards localism changed into additionally pushed with the aid of using a upward thrust in aware consumerism, as human beings sought to make moral shopping choices, wanting authentic, regionally and sustainably made merchandise that supported neighborhood companies. According to marketplace studies corporation IRI’s 2018 European Shopper Insights Survey, 55% of respondents favored to shop for neighborhood manufacturers to assist aid neighborhood and small producers.

Driven as a lot with the aid of using the need of lockdowns as with the aid of using ethics, the localism fashion expanded for the duration of 2020, as we have been compelled to live in our neighborhood areas. In May 2020, studies company Kantar suggested that COVID-19 had pushed a surge in localism globally. It observed that almost two-thirds (65%) of clients favored to shop for items and offerings from their very own country, whilst 42% universal stated they now paid extra interest to the beginning of merchandise.

At the Cannes Lions Awards, we’ve visible latest innovative paintings that embraces the localism fashion win Lions. This year’s awards persevered that fashion.

Driven as a lot with the aid of using the need of lockdowns as with the aid of using ethics, the localism fashion expanded for the duration of 2020, as human beings have been compelled to live of their neighborhood areas.

For the Creative eCommerce Lions, the award that recognises innovative e-trade, charge solutions, and innovation, a Grand Prix changed into presented to “Tienda Cerca,” a hyperlocal e-trade platform with the aid of using Anheueser-Busch InBev that linked neighborhood community shops to clients in Bogota, Colombia, in the course of the COVID-19 crisis.

And for Glass: The Lion for Change, the award that celebrates subculture-moving creativity, “I am,” with the aid of using VMLY&R Brazil in São Paulo took the Grand Prix for reworking a neighborhood Starbucks right into a registry workplace in the course of Pride 2020 in order that trans human beings should legally extrade their names, freed from charge, growing a secure area wherein they could constantly sense welcome to visit.

The Grand Prix withinside the Outdoor Lions, celebrating creativity skilled outdoor the home, went to Renault’s “Village Electrique,” which grew to become the maximum faraway city in France into the primary 100%-electric powered-car vacation spot withinside the world, proving that going electric powered can show up outdoor city areas.

Throughout 2021, whilst many components of the sector started to open up, localism has now no longer declined. Instead, we’re witnessing a renewed dedication to neighborhood groups. As metropolis people retain to work at home offices, they’re spending extra time of their neighborhood areas.

Throughout 2021, whilst many components of the sector started to open up, localism has now no longer declined. Instead, we’re witnessing a renewed dedication to neighborhood groups.

And extra human beings than ever care approximately sustainability and the provenance of the products they consume. Following the COVID-19 outbreak, “almost 95% of survey respondents stated they believed their private moves should assist lessen unsustainable waste, address weather extrade, and guard natural world and biodiversity,” in a latest BCG survey.

To win hearts and minds, international manufacturers are rethinking their techniques with the aid of using adapting to a extra localised approach. They’re locating network connections and embracing neighborhood satisfaction and thinking, all whilst including a hyperlocal lens to innovative paintings.

At Cannes Lions, we added a Culture and Context class throughout 10 Lions awards to recognize the upward thrust of culturally unique innovative paintings that embraces localism and demonstrates the significance of subculture to have interaction audiences. In 2019, 65% of triumphing paintings on this class targeted round neighborhood network, whilst 24% galvanised groups to have fun their neighborhood vicinity and sense a experience of satisfaction and belonging.

Global manufacturers are locating network connections, and embracing neighborhood satisfaction and thinking, all whilst including a hyperlocal lens to innovative paintings.

Work like Nike’s “Air Max Graffiti Stores,” winner of the 2019 Media Lions Grand Prix, tapped into the neighborhood graffiti subculture in Brazil, the usage of geolocation, and elevated neighborhood social engagement with the aid of using 22% and neighborhood income with the aid of using 32%. The Brand Experience and Activation Bronze Lion–triumphing “Philly Forever” with the aid of using Anheueser-Busch InBev linked with clients in unique approaches unique to the metropolis, yielding a 1.8% marketplace proportion benefit in Philadelphia, amounting to almost 2 million extra Bud Lights sold.  

Global emblem activations designed to play out throughout mediums, borders, time zones, and touchpoints now no longer see the identical impact. But underpinning all this innovative paintings are geographical attention and the utilisation of very unique cultural and social behaviours. “The Parisian Rendez-Vous,” created with the aid of using Le Drugstore Parisien, elevated in-shop foot visitors with the aid of using 50% with the aid of using geolocating self-carrier scooters in the front of the boutique, bringing human beings proper to its door.

It may be thrilling to look how this purchaser fashion develops and whether or not destiny Lions winners will lean into neighborhood subculture with the aid of using bringing wonderful neighborhood character to storytelling. Whether on-line or offline, certain with the aid of using location, interest, or situation, loyalty and price are unlocked whilst manufacturers have interaction in neighborhood groups and subculture.