My favourite Cannes Grand Prix: Rajiv Rao

The Cannes Lions International Festival Of Creativity commences on Sunday. As we pack our bags for a week of taking in the best creative work from around the world, we caught up with Rajiv Rao, national creative director at Ogilvy India, to ask him which Grand Prix winner from the past is his favourite.

Rao's first choice was the Budweiser 'Whassup' campaign that won a Grand Prix in Film Lions in 2000.

Watch one of the 'Whassup' commercials (story continues below)

He said, "The campaign really took a leap, and it just doesn't look like advertising where one has to make a point and sell a product. It broke all the rules and just went ahead and had fun with one word, 'Whassup'. The product was integrated so well into the films, that it made Budweiser cool."

Rao also spoke about the much-watched Honda 'Cog' commercial that bagged a Gold in Film Lions in 2003. It was the hot favourite to win a Grand Prix that year, but lost out to Ikea's 'Lamp' commercial.

He explained, "The Honda 'Cog' film was a piece of art that just blew your mind. It's almost like the pieces of a puzzle that came together. The way it's made, it's amazing how every single part of the car is so well-designed and perfect that it all comes together. The film wasn't (just) seen on some website, it was almost like a viral, because I remember getting a mail with the link to watch it."

Watch the commercial

And, because we're excited about Cannes and about celebrating great work that has won Grand Prix, here's the Ikea 'Lamp' commercial:

Credits for Budweiser 'Whassup' (courtesy www.canneslions.com):

Advertiser: Anheuser Busch
Product: Budweiser
Entrant Company: DDB, Chicago
Country: USA
Year: 2000
Award: Grand Prix

Credits for Honda 'Cog' (courtesy www.canneslions.com):

Advertiser: Honda UK
Product: Honda Accord
Entrant Company: Wieden + Kennedy
Country: United Kingdom
Year: 2003
Media: Film Lions
Award: Gold

Credits for Ikea 'Lamp':

Advertiser: Ikea
Entrant Company: Crispin Porter + Bogusky
Country: USA
Year: 2003
Media: Film Lions
Award: Grand Prix