Reckitt Wins First-Ever Gold Lion & Total of Six Wins at Annual Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity

Gold Lion awarded in coveted Creative Strategy category for
Me, My Autism & I campaign
Fabrice Beaulieu recognized as Brand Advertiser of the Year by Act Responsible

CANNES, France, June 23, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reckitt, the company behind some of the world’s most recognizable and trusted consumer brands, was awarded six Cannes Lions – including its first-ever Gold Lion - at the 70th Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, the most prestigious international advertising and creativity showcase. 

Reckitt’s winning work includes: 

• GOLD in Creative Strategy: Vanish Me, My Autism & I (U.K.)
• SILVER in Film, Craft, Casting: Vanish Me, My Autism & I (U.K.)
• BRONZE in Health & Wellness: Durex The Art of Sex (POL) 
• BRONZE in Media: Mortein Suraksha Ka-Teeka (IND)
• BRONZE in Film Craft, Sound & Design: Vanish Me, My Autism & I (U.K.)
• BRONZE in Brand Experience & Activation: Mortein (IND)

Vanish, a Gold Winner in the Creative Strategy category, created a campaign, in partnership with Havas, that addressed unrecognized truths about autism - that for most autistic people, familiar and consistent clothing can help with sensory regulation and provide a source of comfort. The campaign set out to nurture a conversation that breaks down myths and broadens the public’s understanding of autism - particularly in girls - through powerful stories.

DE&I & SUSTAINABILITY 
Reckitt’s presence at the Cannes Lions Festival focused on championing the value and transformative power of creative work to advance societal change, as well as move business goals forward. 

On Thursday, June 22, Fabrice Beaulieu, Global Chief Marketing, Sustainability and Corporate Affairs Officer at Reckitt, was recognized as Brand Advertiser of the Year, by ACT Responsible, a global association that promotes the best advertising campaigns concerning social and environmental issues from around the world. 

"Reckitt’s recognition at Cannes is a very important milestone for our entire organization," Beaulieu said. “Our commitment to putting sustainability efforts at the core of each of our brands has unleashed creativity to solve the world’s most critical challenges through behaviour change that creates value, drives effectiveness and leaves a positive impact on communities.”  

Reckitt’s commitment also helped to influence the wider Cannes community, with its Global Creativity and Diversity & Inclusion Director, Marketing, Efrain Ayala, serving on the Glass Lions jury, for the first time, where he brought the perspective of how brands should be creating authentic, systematic change. With his role as a WFA Global Diversity Ambassador, in tandem with his role at Reckitt, Ayala was able to bring his expertise to Cannes and impart its most valuable aspects to the industry at-large.

The Glass Lions celebrates culture-shifting creativity and work that explicitly addresses issues of gender inequality or prejudice, through the conscious representation of gender in advertising. 

ONSITE ACTIVATIONS
Reckitt’s auto dishwashing brand Finish hosted a #SkipTheRinse activation within the Palais de Festivals. This included a branded pop-up space featuring visuals of regions around the world that are at risk from water scarcity. Reckitt invited creatives to pitch ideas for how to further evolve the #SkipTheRinse campaign through a competition to crowdsource creativity. The winner will receive a fully paid trip to Cannes Lions 2024 and may have their idea adopted by Reckitt.

As part of Reckitt’s speaker line-up, Afropop sensation Yemi Alade took to the Palais stage as Global Ambassador of the WiNFUND. Alade shared how she supports women entrepreneurs across Africa to improve access to healthcare through the WiNFUND, which provides investment, business support and mentoring for women-led start-ups and entrepreneurs working to improve community access to healthcare.

“Reckitt and WiNFUND remain committed to empowering women-led health innovation with meaningful impacts in local communities,” said Patty O’Hayer, Global Head of External Communications & Affairs, Reckitt and WiNFUND co-founder.

Tickets are now on sale for a concert streaming event on 1 July with Yemi Alade. Tickets may be purchased online here: https://winfundnft.org/new-event/

http://www.reckitt.com/thisisreckitt

NOTES TO EDITORS:
About Reckitt:
Reckitt* exists to protect, heal, and nurture in the relentless pursuit of a cleaner, healthier world. We believe that access to the highest-quality hygiene, wellness and nourishment is a right, not a privilege.

Reckitt is the company behind some of the world’s most recognisable and trusted consumer brands in hygiene, health, and nutrition, including Air Wick, Calgon, Cillit Bang, Clearasil, Dettol, Durex, Enfamil, Finish, Gaviscon, Harpic, Lysol, Mortein, Mucinex, Nurofen, Nutramigen, Strepsils, Vanish, Veet, Woolite and more.

Every day, more than 20 million Reckitt products are bought globally. We always put consumers and people first, seek out new opportunities, strive for excellence in all that we do and build shared success with all our partners. We aim to do the right thing, always.
We are a diverse global team of c. 40,000 colleagues. We draw on our collective energy to meet our ambitions of purpose-led brands, a healthier planet, and a fairer society. Find out more, or contact us at www.reckitt.com

* Reckitt is the trading name of the Reckitt Benckiser group of companies