News

Leo Burnett Ukraine and E-ZOO turned wooden sticks into media. That’s how the PromoStick project was born — the first ad on a stick that dogs bring to their pet parents themselves.

At a time when endless scrolling can disrupt sleep and drain energy, Vodafone, together with creative agency Leo Burnett Ukraine, launched a project that challenges traditional advertising norms. Instead of another commercial, users are offered a pause — a meditative video with calming visuals and soothing music designed to help them unwind and prepare for rest.

“The UEFA European Football Championship ended in Kyiv with Spain’s victory,” “Hurricane Katrina hit the coast of Florida,” “The US dollar exchange rate reached eight hryvnias on the interbank market” — these were the kinds of headlines heard on top TAVR Media radio stations this summer. No, it wasn’t a technical mistake or a retro broadcast. It was part of the ‘Forgotten News’ campaign, created by the creative agency Publicis Ukraine for the Nezabutni Foundation to draw attention to the challenges faced by people living with dementia and to change public attitudes toward them.

You’ve probably already heard that Pavlo Zibrov signed a contract with a famous football club and saw his debut game. Yes, it was Leo Burnett Ukraine who filmed the rise of this “pop legend” onto the football field — and it was truly spectacular! What’s more, it’s telling that Vodafone users were the ones who benefited most from the contract.

Since 2024, Publicis Groupe Ukraine, in collaboration with the global research company Global Web Index, has been conducting the Brand Compass study across 42 countries, including Ukraine. One of the key dimensions explored in the study is how consumers perceive brands within selected categories, focusing on: Brand Love, Trust, “A Brand for Me” (Emotional Closeness), and Social and Environmental Responsibility.

Despite the full-scale war in Ukraine, the advertising industry continues to evolve. New agencies are emerging, Ukrainian creative projects are winning international awards, and local agencies are consistently featured in the news and industry rankings. Yet, many stereotypes about the Ukrainian advertising business persist. I’ve spent 20 years in the industry — on both sides of the table (client and agency), ran my agency, and now I’m part of the international communications group Publicis Groupe Ukraine. Having gathered what I call a “360-degree perspective,” I’m ready to debunk five common myths about Ukraine’s advertising industry.

Tetiana Slyvko, Managing Director of Saatchi & Saatchi Ukraine, Olena Bakum-Ramola, Chief Creative Practice at Publicis Groupe Ukraine, and Olga Buzunova, Director of Publicis Groupe Content, shared their insights from the Cannes Lions.

In June 2025, the Minefield Honey project won Ukraine’s first-ever Cannes Lions Gold. In 2026, honey harvested from Ukraine’s mined meadows may be sold in German supermarkets. The teams from Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the agricultural holding Kernel, and the agency Saatchi & Saatchi Ukraine had been working toward this since 2023, when the first batch of honey was bottled. How much has it raised for demining?

Saatchi & Saatchi Ukraine made history as the first Ukrainian agency to win a Cannes Lions Gold for the ‘Minefield Honey’ project. The team received the award in the category ‘Sustainable Development Goals: Decent Work and Economic Growth’ at the prestigious Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity 2025.

The second season of the Minefield Honey creative campaign — a collaboration between Saatchi & Saatchi Ukraine, Kernel, Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Dronarium — earned a Bronze at the 2025 Cannes Lions advertising festival. The project was awarded in the ‘Corporate Purpose & Social Responsibility’ category, according to the festival’s official website.