Kenya
Kenyan Agency Makes History at Cannes Lions with Grand Prix-Winning ‘Paid Sick Leave for Cows’ Campaign: In a landmark moment for African creativity, Kenya has secured its first-ever Grand Prix at the prestigious Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity .The historic achievement marks the first time a Sub-Saharan African nation outside South Africa has claimed the festival’s highest honor.
The award-winning campaign, “Paid Sick Leave for Cows,” was created by The Partnership Agency for Kenyan dairy brand Too Good. The campaign captured the Grand Prix in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) category, surpassing entries from some of the world’s biggest brands, including Apple, Google, IKEA, Heineken, and L’Oréal.
At the heart of the campaign is a simple yet transformative idea addressing a critical challenge faced by Kenya’s dairy farmers. When cows receive antibiotic treatment, their milk cannot legally or safely be sold until the medication has completely left the animal’s system. For thousands of small-scale farmers who depend on daily milk sales for their livelihoods, this often forces an impossible choice: sell contaminated milk to earn an income or discard the milk and lose their daily earnings.
To solve this problem, Too Good and The Partnership Agency introduced a groundbreaking “Paid Sick Leave for Cows” initiative. The program compensates farmers for the income they lose while their cows recover, enabling them to follow safe dairy practices without suffering financial hardship.
The initiative has delivered multiple benefits, including safer milk for consumers, greater financial security for farming families, and improved food safety standards across Kenya’s dairy industry.
Sandeep Madan Co-founder & Chief Executive Officer, The Partnership Agency | Publicis
“We won a 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝘅 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗗𝗚 𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 “𝗣𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝗦𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝘄𝘀”, created by Deepesh Jha, Megha Dutta, Rakesh Jha, Sally Sawe supported by Ankush Chawla and their teams for Too Good Foods Kenya. It is 𝗞𝗲𝗻𝘆𝗮’𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝘅 𝗮𝘁 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗟𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, and the 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝘼𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙮 𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙎𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙝 𝘼𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙖 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙖𝙡’𝙨 𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮.”
Reflecting on the achievement, Megha Dutta, Executive Creative Director at The Partnership Agency, said:
“For years, the conversation has been about whether African creativity can compete globally. We think that conversation is over. This Grand Prix isn’t validation—we never needed permission to believe in our ideas. It’s evidence that when we solve our own problems with honesty, ambition and craft, the world pays attention.”
The creative team behind the campaign included Deepesh Jha, Megha Dutta, and Rakesh Jha, with key execution led by Ankush Chawla and Sally Sawe.
The victory also contributed to Publicis Groupe Africa being recognized as the Regional Network of the Year at Cannes Lions, underscoring the growing influence of African agencies on the global creative stage.
Industry observers say the success demonstrates that breakthrough ideas are not driven by massive advertising budgets but by deep understanding of local challenges and innovative problem-solving. By turning a uniquely Kenyan agricultural issue into a globally celebrated creative solution, The Partnership Agency has shown that purpose-driven marketing can create meaningful social impact while earning international recognition.
Kenya’s historic triumph at Cannes Lions represents more than a prestigious award—it signals the arrival of African creativity as a powerful force in global advertising, proving that world-class ideas can emerge from anywhere when they are rooted in authentic human insight and executed with excellence.
