Deconstructing tgthr.’s entries for Cannes Lions 2025

Each year at Cannes, agencies from across the globe present work that doesn’t just sell, but shapes culture. In this series, we spotlight Indian agencies making their mark with ideas that challenge norms, reflect society, and push creative boundaries. The second in the series is tgthr.

Last year, tgthr. picked up a coveted Glass Lion for its Harpic Loocator campaign, which tackled the lack of clean public toilets for women in India. It was a bold debut on the global stage for a young, independent agency. 

This year, the agency returns to Cannes with the aim of celebrating ideas that have made a tangible difference. As tgthr. steps into its second Cannes with growing confidence, here’s a look at the two entries it’s backing.

Ultraviolette Automotive: UV Lync

India is home to eight of the ten most polluted cities in the world—and with 260 million fuel-powered bikes on the roads, two-wheelers are a major contributor to the crisis. While electric bikes offer a greener alternative, they haven’t scaled the way electric cars have. One key reason: range anxiety, driven by a lack of charging infrastructure.

Enter UV Lync, a compact innovation by Ultraviolette Automotive that converts any Type-2 EV car charging point into a three-pin socket compatible with electric bikes. The device taps into India’s existing 104,000+ AC car charging stations, bridging the infrastructure gap and helping more riders make the switch to zero-emission mobility.

Aalap Desai, CCO & Co-Founder, tgthr., explained the genesis of the idea. He said, “Ultraviolette’s UV Lync focused on the insight that EV two-wheeler owners faced range anxiety due to the lack of charging stations while the massive EV car charging infrastructure that dominated cityscapes remained untapped.”

He added that the product is a uniquely Indian solution, embodying a spirit of ingenuity and jugaad:

“UV Lync doesn’t wait for the infrastructure to catch up; it provides a solution. It says, ‘let’s make do, the smart way’, and that’s peak desi attitude.”

He shared that by making 104,000 AC car charging stations across India bike-friendly, UV Lync creates significant business impact by helping current EV bike owners overcome range anxiety, and giving future buyers the confidence to make the switch.

This campaign is being entered in the Sustainable Development Goals Lions category, given its potential to reduce emissions and drive widespread behavioral change.

NPCI in partnership with Times of India: Anti Scam Shala

With digital scams rising by 85% in 2024, the need for user education has never been more urgent. But education in a diverse, multilingual country like India needs more than just public service ads, it needs cultural fluency and contextual creativity.

That’s exactly what NPCI, in collaboration with the Times of India, aimed to achieve with Anti Scam Shala. The campaign tapped into the MahaKumbh, a spiritual mega-event that sees over 660 million people from across India gather in one place. But instead of focusing only on the holy dip, the campaign looked at the bustling marketplace where everyday transactions take place

tgthr. found an ingenious touchpoint, the newspaper pouch used by over 207,000 small vendors to wrap purchases. These pouches were redesigned to feature scam-awareness messages in multiple languages and distributed across the MahaKumbh, turning the daily act of shopping into an educational opportunity.

By meeting users in their language, context, and comfort zone, NPCI aimed to redefine education as activation, creating a 174 million sq. ft. scam-awareness zone.

Desai emphasised the cultural resonance of this medium. He said, “The Anti Scam Shala by NPCI and Times of India leveraged a cultural touchpoint that existed for centuries – the newspaper bag. Seemingly ordinary, it became an extraordinary way to deliver our anti-scam lessons at the Maha Kumbh.”

Further highlighting the scale and ambition of the campaign, he said, “Anti Scam Shala turns one of India’s most deeply rooted cultural events into a moment of digital education. It embeds learning into ritual that too at the scale of 174 million square feet – touching Indians from across the nation. Using Anti Scam Shala envelopes, we turned 207,000+ vendors at the Maha Kumbh into our touchpoints and reached 160 million people - arming them with the confidence and awareness needed to continue using UPI safely and securely.”

This campaign has been entered in the Media Lions category, celebrating its hyper-local, high-impact approach.

What Cannes Lions means to tgthr.

For tgthr., returning to Cannes is more than just about the win. It’s about proving that consistent, culture-driven creativity can come from young, independent voices willing to challenge the status quo.

Reflecting on how far the agency has come in a short span, Desai said, “Last year, as a brand-new independent shop, winning our first Lion (in our first year) wasn’t just a dream come true, but it was a proof. Proof that brave creativity doesn’t need legacy; it needs the right intent and the right people to partner and work with."

He added that this year, the agency’s mindset has evolved, but its core philosophy hasn’t changed. He said, “For tgthr. this time it isn’t about running after metals but about showing consistency. We are no more the underdogs, and we are proud that we have changed that mindset in one year. We’re sending work we believe should win, because it made a difference to culture, to clients, to conversations.”

As tgthr. returns to Cannes with new entries, the work reflects a broader trend among Indian agencies where ideas are rooted in cultural understanding, engineered for real-world impact, and measured not just by reach but by relevance. Whether or not they bring home metal is up to the jury.