Alma, We Believers, The Community and Wing Are Big Winners
The U.S. Hispanic market won 16 awards at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, driven by the eight Lions won by Omnicom's Alma for three very different brands and four Lions awarded to We Believers' "Edible Six Pack Rings" for Saltwater Brewery.
New York-based startup We Believers picked up gold Lions in PR and Innovation, silver in PR and bronze in the Promo & Activation category.
"Edible Six-Pack Rings" is an answer to the discarded plastic rings that hold together six-packs of beer and are then discarded and end up in the ocean. Wildlife can be strangled by the rings, or eat the plastic and then starve to death as their digestive systems are clogged.
What if those six-pack rings were edible? Working with Saltwater Brewery, a Florida craft beer brand targeting surfers, fishermen and ocean lovers, We Believers developed edible six-pack rings, made from wheat and barley. They are safe for wildlife to eat, and sturdy enough to support the weight and handling of the cans. An initial small batch of edible and biodegradable six-pack rings was introduced to consumers in April on Saltwater's main brand IPA at local events and venues, including the Saltwater Brewery Beer Garden and nearby points of purchase.
We Believers co-founders Gustavo Lauría and Marco Vega were walking around the Cannes festival last week with a small stack of the first mass-produced edible six-pack rings, which can now be manufactured affordably enough for it to be financially feasible to widely replace the plastic rings used in beer packaging.