TBWA HAKUHODO Wins Silver at Cannes Lions 2026 with 'RADIO TIME MACHINE'

TBWA HAKUHODO Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Wataru Uchida) has won a Silver award at the world's largest advertising festival, the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity 2026, for 'RADIO TIME MACHINE,' a project conceptualized and developed by the company. Additionally, a pair of employees from TBWA HAKUHODO representing Japan won a Bronze award in the Media category of the Young Lions competition, an official contest for global representatives under the age of 30.

Cannes Lions is one of the world’s largest international festivals for advertising and creativity. The Innovation category (Early-Stage Technology category), where 'RADIO TIME MACHINE' earned its Silver award, is one of the most challenging at Cannes Lions, rigorously evaluating not just technological novelty but also the practicality and quality of creative implementation in solving real-world societal issues.

'RADIO TIME MACHINE' is a new AI-powered device that automatically generates and delivers audio content resembling a radio program—featuring news and hit songs from a specific year—when users tune into a past year. The device combines text-generation AI and voice-generation AI in a proprietary system, developed with insights from 'reminiscence therapy,' a non-pharmacological approach that helps prevent dementia by revisiting past events. It is designed to address deep societal challenges such as elderly support in a super-aging society and fostering intergenerational communication.

An observational study conducted as part of a pilot project at elderly care facilities operated by Nichii Gakkan Co., Ltd., a nationwide provider of healthcare, nursing, and childcare services, evaluated user experiences with 'RADIO TIME MACHINE.' The study compared participants' behaviors during and outside device usage through methods including facial expression analysis. Results showed an average 8.7% increase in smiling and a 10% increase in gesturing during use.

The project was internationally recognized for its visionary approach in elevating generative AI beyond mere operational efficiency into 'Human Innovation' that enriches human relationships, as well as for its technical excellence and strong commitment to real-world social impact.

In the Media category of the Young Lions competition, which showcases the next generation of top creatives, the TBWA HAKUHODO pair of Eriko Yokota and Riko Uesugi, who advanced through Japan’s national selection to represent the country at Cannes, won a Bronze award. During the final round, they developed a media campaign titled '#HandsUp4Uncounted' within a limited timeframe to address the social challenges of metastatic breast cancer, a brief issued by the international organization 'ABC Global Alliance.' Among elite participants from around the world, the pair achieved an outstanding third-place finish.

Additionally, in the PR category, the team of Hajime Sunada from TBWA HAKUHODO and Tomoyoshi Uchiyama from Happy Hours Hakuhodo reached the shortlist as Japan’s representatives, demonstrating world-class creativity on the global stage.

Young Lions Japan Representatives: (from left) Riko Uesugi, Eriko Yokota, Hajime Sunada

This achievement underscores how TBWA HAKUHODO’s philosophy of 'DISRUPTION® (Disruptive Creation)'—finding new visions beyond conventional thinking—is being widely practiced across teams, from those driving innovative projects to the next generation of young creatives.

Details of the awards are as follows:

【Award-Winning Work: RADIO TIME MACHINE】

Client: Nichii Gakkan

◾️ Silver Lion

Innovation Category – Early-Stage Technology

【Young Lions Awards】

◾️ Bronze Lion

Media Category

Winners: Eriko Yokota, Riko Uesugi

◾️ Shortlisted

Winners: Hajime Sunada, Tomoyoshi Uchiyama (Happy Hours Hakuhodo)

About TBWA HAKUHODO

Established in 2006 as a joint venture between Hakuhodo and TBWA Worldwide, TBWA HAKUHODO is an integrated advertising agency. The company fuses Hakuhodo’s philosophies of 'consumer-centric thinking' and 'partnership approach' with TBWA’s global 'DISRUPTION®' methodology to deliver high-quality solutions that drive client business growth. 'DISRUPTION®' represents TBWA HAKUHODO’s philosophy of breaking conventions, challenging norms, and discovering new visions. Beyond marketing, the agency uses disruption as a lens to generate ideas that evolve businesses and brands across all areas of commerce.

https://www.tbwahakuhodo.co.jp