AKQA Wins the Grand Prix and Gold Lion at Cannes Festival of Creativity

(BUSINESS WIRE) -- To commemorate Serena William’s 27th and final year as a professional athlete, Nike and AKQA harnessed the power of AI and advanced machine learning to create Never Done Evolving, displaying Serena’s evolution of championship like never before. Pitted against her former self, the final gameplay of Serena 1999 vs. Serena 2017 was broadcasted to the public via a YouTube livestream, reaching over 1.69 million of Nike’s subscribers.

Winning a Gold Lion for Congresso's em Foco’s Transparency Card underscores the importance of work that addresses vital societal issues.

Every year, Brazil loses about $40 billion to corrupt political spending, data that is accessible to Brazilians but complex to monitor. AKQA partnered with Congresso em Foco, an independent Brazilian digital news portal, to create the Transparency Card. Designed to be seamless, the Transparency Card turns every phone’s digital wallet into an information tool, syncing real-time data from a governmental site to track when and how public money is being spent by politicians.

The project’s innovative approach and dedication to transparency has upwards of 430,000 active cards and 20 million notifications sent to date.

Awarded a Bronze Lion for Abebe Bikila’s Neo Icarus signifies the prominent impact of using digital technology, transcending barriers of access to music, art and culture.

Two thousand years later, the myth repeats itself. Launching the Brazilian rapper’s new album, AKQA Coala.LAB presents a modern Icarus, where the metropolis becomes the stage for modern tragedies. Using the art of augmented reality, Abebe Bikila sings an unreleased track embedded in a framed oil painting, using the same painting techniques from Ancient Greece, through an immersive experience.

The painting was exhibited for three days at the Art Museum of Rio de Janeiro, receiving more than 6,000 visitors, and Abebe Bikila garnered over 2 million views in 24 hours.

Digital Agency Global Network of the Year 2023

In May 2023 AKQA was named Digital Agency Global Network of the Year in Campaign’s Global Agency of the Year Awards, recognising the world’s most accomplished agencies.

Judges were impressed by the “excellent business performance, exceptional industry contribution, and extreme creativity of work.”

The Awards are judged by a panel of global and regional chief marketing officers, with the process audited by PwC.

Top Ten Global Most Loved Workplace 2023

In June 2023 AKQA was regonised by Newsweek as a Top Ten Global Most Loved Workplace. The certification is backed by analysis from the Best Practice Institute.

Newsweek commented: “AKQA’s culture is built on trust, recognition and accountability for living the company values. The culture calls for actions over words, stresses transparency and respect, and encourages collaboration and growth. Employees are empowered to create their own work through the AKQA Framework. There are ample opportunities for employees to collaborate with the aim of making the customer’s life better.”

About AKQA:

AKQA is a design and innovation company that employs over 6,500 professionals across 20 countries. Named Digital Agency Global Network of the Year in Campaign’s 2023 Global Agency of the Year Awards, AKQA was also awarded the Cannes Lions Grand Prix for Design in 2021. AKQA is a winner of Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas in 2022 and also led Gartner’s research into global marketing

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