Cannes Contenders: Culture jams and cover-ups mark DDB Mudra Group’s 2025 line-up

When the advertising world packs its bags for the Riviera each June, it’s not just chasing Lions—it’s chasing relevance. Cannes has long moved past being a shiny reel of spectacle; it now demands cultural fluency, bold storytelling, and commercial clarity in equal measure.

Enter DDB Mudra Group, which is turning up with a slate of work that spans the gamut—from menstrual taboos to gaming lobbies, from Gen Z spending hacks to musical fries. The agency’s 2025 Cannes entries are scattered across an eclectic mix of categories—Health & Wellness, Gaming, Music, and Creative Commerce included—mirroring the shifting landscapes brands must now navigate.

“Some of our biggest clients have really leaned into the idea of brave work this year,” says Rahul Mathew, chief creative officer, DDB Mudra Group. The submissions include campaigns for McDonald’s, BGMI, Flipkart, Stayfree and Volkswagen—each grounded in a different slice of culture, and collectively designed to travel well beyond the Croisette.

Campaign Name: #BetaStayfreeLeAana

Brand: Stayfree

Cannes Lions categories: Health & Wellness, Glass—The Lion For Change

Stayfree spotted a glaring blind spot: period shame doesn’t begin with girls—it begins with boys. Their insight? A woman’s discomfort around menstruation is often a reflection of the men around her squirming at the topic.

Tracing this awkwardness back to childhood conditioning, the brand—via DDB Mudra Group—decided to take an unexpected detour. Since 2022, Stayfree has used Daughter’s Day not to spotlight girls, but to engage sons. The mission: normalise menstruation for boys so it stops being taboo for girls.

Forget headline-hunting stunts—instead, the agency opted for low-key action. Stayfree urged parents to casually add a pack of pads (any brand, not just theirs) to the grocery lists their sons carry. Just like toothpaste or bread.

The idea: buying sanitary pads should be as routine as grabbing milk. It's a behavioural nudge, not a campaign burst—and a clever play to shift attitudes, not just impressions.

Campaign: Great In-Game Wedding

Brand: Krafton Inc.

Cannes Lions categories: Entertainment Lions For Gaming, PR, Design

Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) may be India’s biggest gaming platform, but it’s also been battling a persistent narrative: that gaming breeds addiction and violence. To counter this, BGMI and 22feet Tribal WW decided to spotlight the softer, human side of the game—where players spend nearly three times more time in lobbies than in actual combat.

These virtual waiting rooms aren’t just holding zones; they’ve become digital town squares where friendships bloom, advice flows, and in rare cases, romance sparks. One such story ended in a wedding—literally. A couple who met through the game tied the knot where it all began: inside the BGMI universe.

The result? India’s first Great In-Game Wedding, streamed live to an audience of fans. It wasn’t just a brand stunt—it was a cultural statement. Gaming isn’t just about winning; it’s about connecting. And sometimes, those connections come with pheras.

Campaign: Shakashaka

Brand: McDonald’s

Cannes Lions categories: Entertainment Lions For Music, Social & Creator

To bring the Gen Z crowd back to its iconic fries, McDonald’s India leaned into the rhythm of internet culture—memes, music, and moments that matter. Tapping into a simple yet oddly universal fan truth—“If you haven’t shaken your fries, have you even eaten them right?”—they reimagined Shake Shake Fries not just as a snack, but as a sensory experience.

Enter Shakashaka—a fictional percussion instrument born from the ritual of shaking fries in their seasoning bag. With DDB Mudra Group in tow, McDonald’s built a mockumentary-style universe where fries weren’t just food, but beat-makers.

The campaign spanned quirky films and interactive in-store activations, turning outlets into spontaneous jam sessions and the internet into a Shakashaka soundboard. By giving fries their own backbeat, McDonald’s didn’t just serve food—they stirred up a movement.

Campaign: Big Billion Days - The Cover Up Coupon

Brand: Flipkart

Cannes Lions categories: Brand Activation & Experience, Creative Commerce

To convert India's Gen Z into high-frequency shoppers, Flipkart knew discounts alone wouldn’t cut it. The twist? While Gen Z might hold the phone, their parents still hold the power—and the purse strings. With 82% of Indian Gen Z living under their parents’ roof, every online delivery risks triggering a mini budget sermon.

So, for Big Billion Days, Flipkart didn’t just slash prices—they got strategic with psychology. Enter Cover-up Coupons: decoy scratch cards that made every purchase look like a prize.

These cleverly camouflaged "wins" could be ordered ahead of the actual product via the app, arriving first to soften the blow. With Dentsu Creative behind the campaign, Flipkart turned shopper’s remorse into parental applause. By helping Gen Z mask spending as luck, they didn’t just move product—they moved perception.