Cannes Lions : Marion Bouvet, Junior Project Manager, decipher her favorite campaign

When the words are not enough, sometimes you need to use deeper ressources.

It is a sad reality, and a lesson that the advertising agency GForce teaches us in its campaign “Ruh Fighting Championship The National Sport of Kazakhstan”, awarded a Cannes Gold Lions in the Social and Influencer category of the 2024 edition.

While the topic of domestic violence is becoming increasingly important, and bringing with it a significant wave of awareness in many countries, it is not the subject that matters most to Kazakh men. For many years, Kazakhstan has been plagued by a relentless rise in domestic violence. But what Kazakh men really care about are the results of the ultimate combat sports, which are very popular in the country. So, in a bid to raise awareness, Ruh Fighting Championship has moved domestic violence from the kitchen to the professional MMA ring.

Concretely : a Men vs. Women MMA fight broadcasted live on social networks. Many reactions from men appeared, insisting on the unnatural aspect of the event, calling for its cancellation. “But what’s already happened can’t be canceled”. 3, 2, 1 and the live show begins. Just when viewers thought they were witnessing an MMA fight, they are confronted with real scenes of domestic violence. A shocking and incisive campaign that provoked thousands of reactions, and subsequently enabled Kazakhstan to pass a law against domestic violence through Parliament on February 28, 2024.

Of all the campaigns presented at this edition of Cannes Lions 2024, this is the one that caught my attention. In just a few seconds, this video gave me a mixture of anger, empathy and deep reflection on the methods used to raise awareness of such serious subjects. The GForce campaign has the merit of forcing the viewer to look this horror in the face, without detour or embellishment. I see it not just as an example of creative advertising, but rather as a demonstration of the impact that bold, well-thought-out actions can have on society. And what I’m wondering now is, is it really necessary to use such extreme methods to provoke a reaction?