'The Forgotten Team' was the Portuguese campaign that was on the final shortlists in the most categories, and it even won gold, this time in the 'Sports Live Experience' category.
The multi-media campaign, which was the result of a partnership between MEO and Amnesty International and was represented on TV, outdoor, digital and other advertising platforms, was creative by Dentsu Creative, drawing attention to the workers who lost their lives building the stadiums in Qatar, where the World Cup was held.
'The Forgotten Team' gives strength to MEO's performance as a brand of causes, by once again making its resources available to initiatives that promote public debate and encourage the mobilization of the Portuguese to defend and create a more humanized, fairer, more equitable and balanced society.
"Humanization is increasingly one of the most solid pillars of the MEO brand. Leadership is also about taking action, taking risks and being decisive at critical moments. Involvement and the ability to amplify these warning cries only reinforce what is the very purpose of Altice Portugal, which is to connect people to life," says Altice Portugal's Chief Marketing Officer, João Epifânio. "For MEO, for Portugal and for all marketing professionals, it's a great source of pride to receive this recognition, which makes MEO and Amnesty International the only Portuguese brands to be awarded Golden Lions in two successive years at the so-called 'advertising Oscars'. This recognition further raises our ambition, will and commitment to continue giving a voice to causes and for causes that make a difference to society," he adds.
Tomás Froes, CEO of Dentsu Creative, recalls that "Putting Dentsu's creativity and talent at the service of solidarity is also our mission. Winning awards like this only reinforces our conviction that yes, advertising can also contribute to transforming society. Once again, MEO trusted us to say 'humanize yourself', and we couldn't be happier with the result."
The recognition at the Cannes Lion Festival of Creativity comes on top of the 15 awards also won by 'The Forgotten Team' in Portugal at what has been, for 25 years, the most prestigious festival to reward creativity in Portuguese, the Clube de Criatividade Festival.
The award and the recognition it brings are particularly symbolic, as they were announced on World Refugee Day, a day that aims to highlight the power of solidarity and inclusion in a movement to fight this scourge. It was also a day that MEO was keen to mark with the launch of an exclusive documentary starring Chef Chakal (brand ambassador). 'A Comida Une - Uma Viagem Solidária' (Food Unites - A Journey of Solidarity), which was filmed by him and produced by MEO, follows the MEO ambassador's journey from Portugal to the Polish-Ukrainian border, at the start of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, in February 2022. It's a portrait of an action of true solidarity and welcoming those most in need, at a time when thousands of refugees were arriving in Poland fleeing a country at war.
The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity
The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity was created in 1953 by SAWA (Screen Advertising Worlds Agencies) and is currently the world's most important advertising award. Organized by the British company Ascential plc, it is held annually in the city of Cannes, on the French Riviera, recognizing the most creative work in advertising over the last year, at the same time as a conference with around 200 activities including debates and meetings with big names in the sector. The event runs until June 24th.