Stay Scrappy to Humanize Brands and Build Cultural Relevance.
Imperfection, Participation, and Agility Strengthen Brand Trust, Cultural Resonance, and Growth.
Scrappiness Over Perfection
The LIONS Creativity Report Series 2024: Be Scrappy demonstrates why audiences are rejecting perfection and gravitating towards brands that show flaws, humanity, and authenticity. Drawing on Cannes Lions Festival case studies, award winners, and expert insights, the report reveals that brands earn more cultural trust when they drop polish and embrace imperfection. Riccardo Fregoso, CCO at Dentsu Creative, summed it up: “More imperfection means more powerful stories.” .
Comedian Munya Chawawa echoed this cultural mood on the Terrace stage: “We’re making AI so that stuff can be perfect. But some of the best stuff is actually quite imperfect.” . His observation underlines the contradiction: while technology pursues perfection, people crave raw, human imperfection. This is not a creative shortcut, it is a cultural necessity.
Authenticity Over Aesthetics: Real Stories Win
Shona Heath, Oscar-winning production designer, stressed that “Often in perfecting something, you can take away its soul.” . In 2024, winners proved this point by rejecting slick perfection in favor of authenticity, building stronger cultural connections:
Coca-Cola “Thanks For Coke-Creating” (VML, New York): By celebrating local shopkeepers’ hand-drawn signs and community adaptations, Coca-Cola reframed brand infringement as brand love. The result: 95% increase in brand love and sentiment, bodega owners becoming community celebrities, and sales growth without media spend . Deputy Global CCO Rafael Pitanguy explained: “Values come before visuals.” The cultural takeaway: humility and community inclusion build deeper trust than strict guideline enforcement.
Heineken “150 Years of Whateverken” (Le Pub, Milan): For its 150th anniversary, Heineken embraced decades of mispronunciations by printing bottles with misspelled labels . Instead of dictating brand meaning, it acknowledged cultural ownership. The campaign reframed imperfection as proof of longevity and belonging.
IKEA “Life Is Not an IKEA Catalogue”: IKEA flipped its pristine catalogue image by showing furniture wrecked by vomit, pets, and parties . Campaigns like “Guilty Pets” depicted chaos in relatable homes, humanizing the brand. The result: cultural honesty that positioned IKEA as relevant to real life, not unattainable ideals.
These cases prove imperfection strengthens cultural purpose. Authenticity is not anti-brand—it is the modern brand standard.
Embrace Mistakes: Turning Flaws Into Cultural Fuel
Outdoor Lions Juror Anusheela Saha captured a critical lesson: “It’s okay to make mistakes… when a disaster strikes or something embarrassing happens, give it a positive spin.” . Lion-winning campaigns show how errors can create cultural momentum when brands pivot fast:
NotMayo “Mayo Haters” (GUT, Miami): NotMayo sought out self-declared mayo-haters on Reddit, filmed their disgust, and used it as proof of authenticity. This scrappy honesty boosted purchase intent by 14% . The brand didn’t fight hate, it embraced it as a cultural conversation.
Wendy’s “Enters the Chat” (VML, Kansas City): By mimicking chaotic Facebook mom tropes with typos, oversharing, and blurry photos, Wendy’s achieved 235% organic reach growth year-on-year and the highest share of voice among restaurant brands . The cultural win: self-deprecation built relatability.
Pot Noodle “Sorry for Slurping” (adam&eveDDB, London): When provocative slurping ads sparked backlash, Pot Noodle leaned in with apologies and trigger warnings. This bold embrace of outrage generated a 399% increase in online conversations , proving controversy can be reframed into cultural energy.
Coors “Lights Out” (Rethink, Toronto): When Shohei Ohtani shattered a Coors ad with a foul ball, the brand turned the accident into commemorative cans that sold out in under 24 hours . Sentiment: 100% positive. Lesson: speed plus scrappiness transforms accidents into cultural icons.
These examples prove mistakes are not crises but cultural assets, if brands move with agility.
Participation Over Control: Communities Define Culture
The report underscores that culture belongs to communities, not corporations. Coca-Cola’s Pitanguy made the point: “Culture is bigger than brands… projects like this redefine what creators are.” . By elevating shopkeepers’ creative adaptations, Coca-Cola demonstrated cultural humility. Instead of policing guidelines, it celebrated grassroots creativity as authentic expressions of love.
The cultural shift is stark: control isolates, participation empowers. Brands that embrace community-driven adaptations embed themselves in culture. Those that resist look authoritarian and outdated.
Scrappy Economics: Culture Without Costly Gloss
Scrappiness also proves economic efficiency. Karandeep Kapany, Duolingo’s Regional Marketing Director, stated: “Stay scrappy. Good content doesn’t mean expensive content.” . Campaigns like NotMayo’s Reddit experiment, Wendy’s chaotic Facebook play, and Coors’ fast-turn Ohtani cans cost far less than polished ads but delivered disproportionate cultural and commercial returns.
The economic takeaway: scrappiness democratizes creativity. Smaller brands can compete with giants, and global brands can prove humility and humanity by rejecting polish. Scrappy work signals relevance, agility, and purpose.
Recommendations: CEO-Level Imperatives
Ban perfectionism. Replace polish-obsessed reviews with authenticity-first standards. If it’s too slick, it’s too weak.
Institutionalize cultural pivots. Build systems to turn mistakes into campaigns within 72 hours. Speed transforms flaws into cultural currency.
Empower communities. Redefine consumers as co-creators. Elevate grassroots adaptations as cultural proof points.
Fund scrappiness. Shift budgets from polished ads into participatory experiments. Scrappy ≠ cheap; scrappy = agile.
Redefine measurement. Prioritize cultural KPIs: brand love, positive sentiment shifts, organic conversation spikes, alongside commercial metrics.
Bottom Line: Scrappiness Is Cultural Power
The LIONS Creativity Report 2024 confirms that imperfection, mistakes, and community participation are not risks but cultural strengths. Coca-Cola, Heineken, IKEA, NotCo, Wendy’s, Pot Noodle, and Coors demonstrate that scrappy creativity builds cultural trust, human relevance, and commercial growth. In today’s market, polish isolates, scrappiness builds cultural purpose and long-term resilience.
