Why Indian PR still sits out Cannes

Picture this: It is a regular Tuesday in a PR agency office. Akshay, an account executive, has an idea. It is a bold, culture-first approach to a long-standing client brief. It is earned-first, impact-led, and could spark real conversation.

Dhun, his account director listens intently, nods, and then says, “It’s brilliant. But you know they won’t pay for it. Let’s just go with what we know works.”

Sounds familiar?

In agencies across India, ideas with the potential to turn heads and win global recognition are quietly shelved in favour of safer, serviceable outputs.

That is one of the reasons why, despite our creative muscle, Indian PR has barely registered at Cannes Lions. Advertising shows up; PR still hesitates.

There is no denying India’s creative presence at Cannes, especially in the advertising world. Indian agencies have steadily climbed the ranks with work that pushes boundaries.

PR, though, has had a quieter run.

Over the last three years, a few Indian campaigns have made it to the Cannes PR shortlist, and even fewer have won. Most of these have come not from standalone PR firms, but from integrated creative agencies.

A rare exception is PR Pundit Havas Red, which won a Silver Lion in 2022 and was shortlisted again in 2023 and 2024, proving it is possible for traditional PR shops to break through. But they are still the exception, not the norm.

Why Cannes matters more than ever

It is easy to dismiss Cannes as an advertising spectacle. But the festival is more than getting additions to one's trophy cabinet; it is where global narratives are shaped.

It tells the world what counts as creativity. It forecasts the themes that will define our business; and more importantly, it signals who is leading those conversations.

Right now, Indian PR isn’t.

With the festival just round the corner, it is a good moment to reflect on why Indian PR continues to stay underrepresented on this stage, and what we can do to change that.

Why are we falling short?

We are not telling our best stories globally. Indian PR is doing impactful work. But much of this ends up buried in end-of-campaign reports and decks.

Cannes-worthy work doesn’t just deliver; it resonates, surprises, challenges, entertains, and moves people.

We celebrate execution, not insight. Our award culture still leans heavily on volume—be it coverage reports, event reach, or social media metrics. Cannes, on the other hand, rewards bold and strategic thinking that reframes the problem entirely.

We play it safe. The best PR work globally often walks the line. It’s uncomfortable, and deeply personal.

Indian PR still shies away from tension, afraid to offend or polarise. But tension is often where truth and brilliance live. We under-invest in creative storytelling.

Great ideas are one thing. Crafting them into Cannes-worthy stories takes time, effort, and a different muscle—one we need to build consciously.

When it works, it really works

Take Coke Studio’s ‘Sing to Remember’, led by PR Pundit, a campaign that combined cultural nostalgia with brand emotion. It wasn’t just media-worthy. It was human.

Or Dentsu Webchutney’s ‘Unfiltered History Tour’ (2022). Entered in advertising, yes, but at its core, it was earned-first, participatory PR. It stirred conversations globally, not because of its production budget, but because of its point of view.

Lesson? You don’t need the biggest budget, but the boldest intention and the sharpest insight.

What should shift, if we want to get there?

From where I sit, a few patterns have started to emerge, not as sweeping truths, but as recurring themes worth reflecting on:

• Cannes-worthy ideas don’t happen by accident: The campaigns that end up on the shortlist rarely start with ‘Let’s win an award’. But they do begin with strong insight, something rooted in culture, tension, or human truth. The most compelling work often feels like it was built for conversation, not just conversion. That shift, from outcome-first to idea-first, seems to make all the difference.

• Success might need a broader definition: In many pitches and reviews, the focus still tends to be on reach, impressions, and media value. All important, but I wonder if we are asking enough: Did the work change something? Did it surprise, provoke, or stick in the mind? The jury at Cannes tends to reward work that does.

• The best ideas aren’t always coming from within PR: Some of the most powerful earned campaigns in recent years have been crafted by people outside the traditional PR ecosystem—artists, architects, filmmakers, etc. Perhaps it’s time to open the gates a little wider. The role of a PR agency may not be to own every idea, but to spot, shape, and scale the ones that matter.

• Creativity needs champions: This one’s tricky. Most agencies have people with great ideas. But very few have a structure that protects, nurtures, and fights for them. Not just creative departments, but creative leadership. The kind that can sit across from a CMO or a film director and hold their own.

That’s still a gap in many places.

Let’s acknowledge the elephant in the room: cost. Submitting to Cannes Lions isn’t cheap. Entry fees, case film production, jury-ready decks, international travel-it all adds up.

For independent Indian PR firms, especially those working in the social impact space, this can be a serious deterrent.

But here is the thing: global players budget for this. They treat it as an investment in talent, visibility, and positioning. If we want Indian voices at the table, we have to start thinking the same way.

Cannes isn’t the goal; influence is

A Cannes Lion doesn’t change the world. But the ideas that win often do. If Indian PR wants to be part of shaping global narratives, we need to show up where those narratives are being judged, shared, and celebrated.

The talent is here. The impact is real. What we need now is the collective will to take more risks, dream a little bigger, and back the kind of creativity that earns its place on the world stage. I’m looking forward to seeing how this year’s festival pushes the conversation forward.

— Girish Balachandran, founder and managing director, On Purpose.