Filipino Excellence on the Global Stage: Grab PH, Gigil win at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity

Grab continues to blaze the trail, not just in tech and consumer experience, but also in marketing and advertising as it bags a Silver in the Viral Film subcategory of the Cannes Film Lions, a pillar of the prestigious Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, for its No Sweat Summer Online Video. Spearheaded and produced by Grab and creatives agency Gigil, the film secured the highest placement the Philippines has gotten in the Cannes Film Lions.

The “No Sweat Summer” video made huge waves in the online sphere, with the majority of netizens praising it for being funny, unconventional, and above all, authentic – with a beloved touch of odd yet relatable storytelling.

Distributed across a multitude of social media platforms, the film garnered more than 32 million views and has been shared close to 100,000 times – catapulting it to viral status not only in the Philippines but also across Southeast Asia, including Singapore and Thailand.

A testament to the power of effective and creative storytelling, the No Sweat Summer video successfully convinced more passengers and consumers to rely on Grab for their summer escapades and regular day-to-day endeavors during the hottest season in the Philippines. This led to a six-week streak of record-breaking transactions for GrabFood and GrabCar following the release of the video in the first week of April.

Grab Philippines Country Marketing Head J-Anne Aruta shares, “Our commitment is to always capture how Grab uplifts the everyday reality of our users. The overwhelming positive reception of the “No Sweat Summer” video can be attributed to the strong consumer insight that the campaign amplified – which is the portrayal of the hassles of summer heat that we as Filipinos have learned to weather over time. However, every Filipino has a partner in Grab, showing us that indeed a no-sweat summer is possible and achievable, even in a tropical country like the Philippines.”

Relate na Relate sa Pawis: Banking on a Shared Truth

The award-winning film showcases the story of a Filipino as he beats the Summer heat in the Philippines through the convenience of GrabCar’s smooth rides and the refreshing experience offered by GrabFood’s wide selection of coolers. Reinforcing the relatability of the video is the shared truth depicted in the film, where a random Kuya is seen (literally) sweating buckets as he goes about his day. Several commenters shared how this perfectly captures the experience of regular Filipinos during summer.

“Init is pawis – both undesirable whether you’re heading to work or simply trying to unwind at home. As fellow commuters and consumers, we’ve experienced the hassle of having to leave the house in the scorching midday heat, especially during the summer. We know that most Filipinos would prefer to avoid this, especially considering the record-breaking heat indices this year. And this shared truth, which we hoped to have captured in the film, resonated strongly with our audience,” Aruta adds.

[L-R] Bev Lubid, Dana De Leon, and Nanais Hernandez from Gigil accept the award on behalf of Grab and the agency at the recently held Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity

Gigil Creative Director Leslie Cua has highlighted the importance of strong insight as the backbone of the campaign. “The foundation of our successful collaboration with Grab is our mutual respect and emphasis on substantial and truthful insights. Grab has a deep understanding of their users, and this is consistently reflected in the narratives we amplify and showcase. Collaborating with brands that have a clear vision of their values, the problems they solve, and their audience is always a rewarding experience. And lastly, we love the boldness of brands like Grab who consistently embrace authentic, albeit slightly unconventional, storytelling.

In the summer of 2024, Grab launched the “No Sweat Summer” campaign in the Philippines, which then was experiencing its hottest summer on record. The campaign emphasized the convenience and ease of using Grab’s services to avoid the intense heat. As a result, the affordable mobility option, GrabCar Saver, saw an average increase in transactions of nearly 30 percent in areas such as Metro Manila, Pampanga, Bacolod, and Iloilo. Additionally, many food enthusiasts turned to Grab to help them cool down, with a noticeable increase in orders compared to the summer of 2023 – with the most popular cooling orders being Halo-Halo, Spanish Latte, and Milk Tea from April to May.

The award-winning campaign at Cannes was spearheaded by the marketing team of Grab Philippines, which includes Wenzel De Guzman, Bea Bravo, Jam Fradejas, Mau Mauricio, Maggie Bongon, and J-anne Aruta. They collaborated with the talented team at Gigil, whose members are Badong Abesamis, Herbert Hernandez, Jake Yrastorza, Leslie Cua, Jeremy Palac, Zion de la Peña, Tria Casas, Heninah Salud, Micco Balana, Nanais Hernandez, Jordan Constantino, Angel Lyka Agustin, Demy Pangilinan, Shash Recon, Leila Joshua Valle, Agatha Ramos, Lee Cepeda, Fritz Dalawampu, and Jeigh Santarina. Supporting the production of the film is Factory 01 Bangkok, led by Director Wuthisak “Un” Anarnkaporn. This marks a significant milestone as it’s Grab’s inaugural recognition at Cannes, while it’s the third for Gigil.