India's Cannes Lions slump prompts look at 'buri nazar' as ad muse for Titan Eye Plus, SUGAR

Opinion piece ties India's weak 2026 Cannes Lions tally to a broader creative reflection, spotlighting how the 'evil eye' cultural motif has featured in campaigns from Titan Eye Plus, SUGAR Cosmetics, Set Wet, Tata Nano and Mortein.

— Source publishedWed, 1 Jul, 2026, 12:34 IST·First seen Thu, 2 Jul, 2026, 09:30 IST·Source ET BrandEquity

What happened

Titan Eye Plus · Opinion piece on India's weak 2026 Cannes Lions tally and how the 'buri nazar' (evil eye) cultural motif has been used in Indian brand

Key facts

  • 5 Lions
  • 32 Lions
  • 47 Lions

Why this matters

The piece flags a creative-reflection moment for Indian consumer brands but offers no deal-relevant catalyst, so monitor only as context on the strength of culturally-native brand IP like SUGAR and Titan Eye Plus.

What to watch

  • Any brand announcing a new campaign explicitly built on cultural superstition motifs
  • Agency network commentary on India Cannes strategy for 2027
  • Consumer social sentiment on repeated evil-eye advertising
  • CMO statements linking cultural insight to media/creative spend
  • Titan Eye Plus and SUGAR lean into cultural-insight framing in upcoming brand storytelling
  • Agencies pitch 'rooted-in-India' creative decks to CMOs ahead of next award cycle
  • Trade press runs follow-up debate on India's creative pipeline and Lions strategy
  • Smaller D2C brands test evil-eye/superstition motifs in social-first campaigns

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