Tribes Communication’s DIY Campaign for Kansai Nerolac Heads to Cannes Lions

Kansai Nerolac’s creative leap into self-expression through color heads to Cannes Lions, capturing attention with its bold and relatable message.

After dominating at Abby’s 2025 with the most wins for a single campaign by an independent agency, Tribes Communication’s standout initiative “Dukaan It Yourself” is now setting its sights on the global stage at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

Created in partnership with Kansai Nerolac Paints, the campaign debuted at the Maha Kumbh Mela, one of the world’s largest human gatherings. Its innovation lay in turning large Nerolac foldable paint shade cards into full-fledged DIY shop kits for underserved street vendors. These eco-friendly kits came equipped with counters, signage, hooks, and display shelves, giving small-scale sellers a stronger retail presence and a renewed sense of pride.

Beyond branding, the initiative uplifted communities and gave micro-entrepreneurs a dignified space in the marketplace. One vendor shared, “Earlier, we displayed good products on the ground, but people didn’t respect us. Now that we’ve been elevated, it feels like we’re proper shopkeepers.” This transformation extended far beyond business metrics and deeply resonated on a social and cultural level.

With zero media spend, the campaign still reached over 100 million people, achieved more than 1 million engagements, and drove a 300 percent increase in sales for participating vendors. It also contributed to five UN Sustainable Development Goals and cut emissions by 89 percent compared to traditional MDF shops. The project proudly maintained an inclusive vendor ratio of 7 women to every 3 men.

Gour Gupta, Chairman and Managing Director of Tribes Communication, remarked, “Dukaan It Yourself is proof that purposeful design doesn’t need to be complex to be powerful. With sustainability, simplicity and scale at its core, this was design for impact. We didn’t just create a medium, we created a platform for real engagement.”

Now, with its sights set on Cannes Lions, the campaign is poised to bring India’s local innovation and socially rooted creativity to a global audience.

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