This year’s ADFEST Lotus Grande winners showcase a region unafraid to push boundaries — where technology meets humanity, culture drives creativity, and craft sharpens every idea. Across categories, the work moves from deeply local insights to globally resonant executions, proving that the most powerful ideas are those rooted in truth but amplified with bold, inventive thinking.
Digital & Social Lotus
“Vaseline Verified” for Vaseline by Ogilvy Singapore
“Vaseline Verified” reimagines brand authority for the creator economy by shifting the spotlight from brand claims to consumer truths. Instead of adding to the noise, the campaign built a self-sustaining Social R&D ecosystem that identifies, tests, and validates real user-generated hacks circulating online. By turning everyday content into verified knowledge, Vaseline seamlessly embedded itself into new communities and use cases far beyond its traditional skincare roots — driving cultural relevance alongside measurable growth, with a surge in brand mentions, e-commerce sales, and retail value.
Effective Lotus
“Active Journalism” for AnNahar by Impact BBDO
“Active Journalism” transforms a legacy newspaper into a living force for change, redefining media from passive reporting to participatory action. Faced with declining trust and relevance, AnNahar rebuilt its role in society by creating acts that didn’t just document history, but shaped it — from blank pages that invited public voice, to rewriting the national anthem, enabling elections, reviving silenced publications, and even introducing an AI president to pressure political reform. Sustained over five years, the platform proves that creativity, when rooted in cultural truth and collective action, can restore credibility, drive societal impact, and deliver long-term business growth.
Film Craft Lotus
“Desi Oon” for Centre for Pastoralism by Studio Eeksaurus
“Desi Oon” is a deeply crafted response to the quiet crisis facing India’s wool economy, using animation to reconnect audiences with the value of indigenous materials and the communities behind them. Working within tight constraints, the team pioneered new stop-motion techniques to bring raw wool to life — an unpredictable medium that demanded experimentation, precision, and ingenuity. The result is a tactile, visually distinctive film that not only showcases exceptional craft but also sparks meaningful conversation around sustainability, heritage, and the future of pastoral livelihoods.
Film Lotus
“Mother Strike” for Snack Jack Ring by Choojai and Friends
Set within Thailand’s deeply rooted culture of strong family bonds and parental authority, “Mother Strike” draws from the everyday tension between Gen Z’s gaming habits and parents’ expectations. The film cleverly uses the symbolic form of the ring — representing “one circle,” or togetherness — to reframe conflict as connection. By imagining a scenario where generational friction comes to a head, the story turns a familiar household struggle into a culturally resonant narrative about empathy, ultimately positioning the product as a bridge that brings families back into the same circle.
Innova Lotus
“Garuda Rakshak” for DSP Mutual Fund by Dentsu Creative Gurugram
“Garuda Rakshak” transforms brand purpose into real-world intervention, responding to the immense scale and chaos of the Maha Kumbh with a solution built for both function and faith. Faced with network blackouts and missing children, DSP developed an offline drone rescue system that uses ultra-low frequency signals to locate and reunite families in real time. Inspired by the mythical protector Garuda, the technology merges cultural symbolism with engineering innovation, turning a drone into a trusted guardian within a sacred setting. By operating beyond communication and into action, the campaign redefines innovation as something that not only solves problems, but earns emotional trust at scale.
Lotus Roots
“Baatan Hi Baatan Mein” for WhatsApp by Fundamental Mumbai
Set against the backdrop of rural India, “Baatan Hi Baatan Mein” explores the deeply human tension of arranged marriages — where near-strangers are divided by distance and constrained by literacy. The campaign reframes WhatsApp’s Voice and Video Notes not as features, but as lifelines, enabling connection where traditional texting fails. By telling the story of a couple whose relationship blossoms through exchanged voice messages, the work highlights how technology can bridge emotional and social gaps.
New Director Lotus
“Kapal Kertas” for The Kancil Awards and Creative Festival by Denhouse Malaysia
“Kapal Kertas” is a quietly devastating coming-of-age story that unfolds through delicate symbolism and restrained storytelling. Set in a Malaysian village, the film follows a young girl whose dreams — once freely imagined and set afloat as paper boats — are gradually reshaped by the expectations of those around her. What begins as gentle guidance slowly reveals itself as a subtle form of societal conditioning, leading her toward a predetermined future of early marriage.
Outdoor Lotus
“Back to Kai Tak” for Cathay by Publicis Groupe Hong Kong
“Back to Kai Tak” transforms the outdoors into a living, sky-bound spectacle, reviving one of aviation’s most iconic flight paths in real time. Timed with the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens and Kai Tak’s 100th anniversary, the campaign saw a Cathay aircraft recreate the airport’s legendary low-altitude approach over Victoria Harbor — a maneuver once known for its dramatic 47-degree turn between city skyscrapers. By turning the skyline into a stage and enlisting the very photographers who immortalized the original landings, the work blends nostalgia with live experience, capturing global attention through both physical spectacle and social amplification.
Print & Outdoor Craft Lotus
“Nikka Whisky” for Nikka Whisky by Dentsu Tokyo
In a market shaped by the mass appeal of highballs and divided between premium perception and everyday consumption, “Nikka Whisky” reasserts the brand’s legacy through refined, disciplined craft. Drawing from its heritage as a pioneer of Japanese whisky, the campaign elevates print and outdoor into quiet statements of authority — focusing on composition, detail, and restraint to reflect the depth and richness of authentic whisky. By shifting focus from price and popularity to provenance and philosophy, the work positions Nikka not just as a product, but as a champion of craftsmanship — inviting a new generation of Japanese consumers to rediscover its enduring legacy.
PR Lotus
“One Noodle” for Haraku by BLKJ Havas
“One Noodle” flips product innovation into a PR engine by embedding the brand directly into gamer behavior. In a category dominated by loud, conventional marketing, Haraku identified a simple but overlooked insight: noodles require two hands, while gaming does not. The solution was both absurd and functional: a single, 3.5-meter-long noodle designed to be eaten with one hand, allowing uninterrupted play. Brought to life through live gaming events, influencer participation, and social amplification, the idea turned a niche product into a cultural moment.
Sustainable Lotus
“Soil Stay” for Tra Mongkut Fertilizer by VML Thailand
“Soil Stay” transforms sustainability from abstract advocacy into lived, practical change by rethinking how farmers learn. Confronting the widespread gap in soil understanding across Thailand’s complex agricultural landscape, the initiative turns education into an immersive, experience-led system by matching farmers with high-performing model farms with identical soil conditions. Inspired by the familiarity of farm-stay platforms, the program replaces theory with hands-on learning, allowing farmers to see, test, and apply soil-specific practices in real time.
adobo Magazine is an official media partner of ADFEST 2026.
