Key Messages
- Serviceplan Group achieved eight Lions at Cannes 2026 – including Gold – with historic first-ever wins for Serviceplan Spain and Saint Elmo's, marking a landmark year of creative excellence across markets.
- "The Period Uniform" for Somos Martina stood out as the campaign of the festival, earning one Gold Lion and three Bronze Lions for tackling period stigma and school absenteeism through a scalable, design-led solution.
- Beyond the awards, Serviceplan Group strengthened its industry leadership by launching the first-ever European CMO of the Year Award and actively contributing to the global creative conversation through panels, talent programs, and the Serviceplan Backyard.
Cannes, June 26th 2026 - At the 73rd Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Serviceplan Group’s presence was not only defined by winning eight Lions including one Gold Lion. This year’s appearance stood out through a series of first-of-their-kind achievements across markets, reinforced by the Group’s continued investment in talent and industry exchange.
Among the highlights were three key firsts across the Group:
Serviceplan Spain received its first-ever Cannes Lion for “MOVING LANDSCAPES” for BMW, awarded Bronze in Industry Craft. The campaign turned static outdoor placements into dynamic visual narratives by integrating motion into traditional landscape formats, bringing emotional storytelling back into focus in a category increasingly shaped by rational messaging.
Saint Elmo’s also secured its first two Lions with “Sheep Happens” for PENNY, earning Bronze in Social & Creator and Brand Experience & Activation. Built together with Serviceplan Make, Serviceplan Innovation and Charles & Charlotte around an unexpected real-life moment - when sheep wandered into a supermarket - and amplified through creator-led storytelling and humour, the campaign reframed everyday food decisions as shared cultural behaviour, making them more relatable and, ultimately, harder to ignore.
A third outstanding case, awarded one Gold Lion in Sustainable Development Goals and three Bronze Lions in Brand Experience & Activation, Creative Commerce and Creative Strategy: “The Period Uniform” for Somos Martina. Crafted by Serviceplan Innovation, Serviceplan Make and Mediaplus it tackles period stigma and school absenteeism by rethinking a familiar system: by integrating period underwear directly into official uniforms, the initiative made menstrual care accessible by design, reframing it as a standard rather than a sensitive add-on – and turning a product into a scalable solution for educational equality.
In addition, the Serviceplan Group introduced a new industry benchmark with the first-ever European CMO of the Year Award, presented during Cannes Lions.
More than 800 marketing leaders from 15 countries participated in the nomination process, recognizing Julia Goldin, Chief Product & Marketing Officer of the LEGO Group, for expanding the LEGO brand beyond its core category into entertainment, sports and gaming, and for building culturally relevant brand platforms with global reach.
Sun, sand and one shared spirit
Beyond these first-time achievements, the Cannes Lions remain the best platform to both gain and offer new perspectives, insights and connections.
From Serviceplan Group’s very own SPARK Academy welcoming many of the Group’s emerging young talents from all over the globe for their first visit to the world’s most creative coastline to the Serviceplan Backyard as a central meeting point during the festival – the shared spirit of exchange and excitement spread widely.
Not to forget more than 20 experts of the Group actively contributing to the broader industry dialogue, sharing perspectives across panels, stages and editorial formats on topics ranging from creativity and AI to the evolving role of marketing.
An industry’s impact
Beyond its role as a consistent driver of creative excellence, Cannes Lions 2026 also highlighted the broader role the festival plays for the industry — bringing it together at a time of constrained budgets, rapid technological change and wider societal shifts.
Alongside recognition, networking and upskilling, it provides space to think freely, speak openly and explore ideas beyond immediate priorities — something that remains as relevant for the future of advertising as it is for society at large.
Cannes 2026 – Overview on Serviceplan Group results
Gold Lion:
- “The Period Uniform” for Somos Martina in Sustainable Development Goals by Serviceplan Innovation, Serviceplan Make and Mediaplus
Bronze Lion:
- “MOVING LANDSCAPES” for BMW in Industry Craft by Serviceplan Spain
- “Sheep Happens” for PENNY in Social & Creator by St. Elmo’s, Serviceplan Make, Serviceplan Innovation and Charles & Charlotte
- “Sheep Happens” for PENNY in Brand Experience & Activation by St. Elmo’s, Serviceplan Make, Serviceplan Innovation and Charles & Charlotte
- “The Period Uniform” for Somos Martina in Brand Experience & Activation by Serviceplan Innovation, Serviceplan Make and Mediaplus
- “The Period Uniform” for Somos Martina in Creative Commerce by Serviceplan Innovation, Serviceplan Make and Mediaplus
- “The Period Uniform” for Somos Martina in Creative Strategy by Serviceplan Innovation, Serviceplan Make and Mediaplus
- “Price Packs” for PENNY in Media by Serviceplan Neo, Serviceplan Make, Serviceplan PR & Content and Serviceplan Innovation
This could also be of interest to you:
About Serviceplan Group
Serviceplan Group SE & Co. KG is Europe’s largest owner-managed agency group (Source: W&V / GWA 2025). Founded in Munich in 1970, it now employs over 6,500 people at more than 40 locations in 24 countries. In the 2024/2025 fiscal year, the group generated fee revenue of €866 million, representing a 6% increase over the previous year and significantly exceeding the market average.
At the core of the business model is the internationally established House of Communication model, which fully integrates strategy, creation, media, data and technology under one roof and has been rolled out worldwide. 62% of clients receive integrated, cross-group support, enabling consistent execution across the entire marketing value chain.
The Serviceplan Group’s performance has been validated externally on numerous occasions: 19 Cannes Lions (2025) as well as awards for Independent Network of the Year and Independent Agency of the Year. Further recognition includes top placements at D&AD, ADC, Clio, Webby, and Eurobest, as well as leading positions in national and international agency and media rankings. Ad Age ranks the Serviceplan Group among the 15 largest agency groups worldwide. Furthermore, a client satisfaction rate of 87%, achieved for the third consecutive year in 2025 and based on the annual, independent survey of 2,761 clients, confirms the group’s high performance.