Progresso Soup Drops—the first ever “soup you can suck ”on”—continued to dominate the cold and flu conversation this week, earning a Gold Lion for PR and a Silver Lion for Brand Experience & Activation at the 2025 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.
While most folks flock to the cough drop aisle at the first sign of a cold, this past January, Progresso said, “Hold my spoon!” and moved out of the soup aisle to offer the classic, hearty flavor of Progresso Chicken Noodle Soup in a SOUPrising new format.
“At General Mills, we’re focused on building iconic brands with bold, culturally relevant ideas. Progresso Soup Drops were the spark of joy fans were looking for during cold and flu season, and while their response certainly showed we got it right, to be recognized among the top 1% of creative campaigns globally is an incredible honor.”
– Doug Martin, Chief Marketing Officer, General Mills.
The savory, hard candy drops were available only during National Soup Month—the height of cold and flu season—to remind consumers of the comfort found in a bowl of soup. And fans loved the creative approach, selling out the limited-edition drops in just minutes and generating more than two weeks of conversation across social media and from morning shows to late-night talk shows.
“At General Mills, we’re focused on building iconic brands with bold, culturally relevant ideas. Progresso Soup Drops were the spark of joy fans were looking for during cold and flu season, and while their response certainly showed we got it right, to be recognized among the top 1% of creative campaigns globally is an incredible honor.”
– Doug Martin, chief marketing officer for General Mills.
In addition to the Gold and Silver Lions, Soup Drops was shortlisted across the Creative Strategy, Direct, PR and Brand Experience & Activation categories. In partnership with an agency roster led by Edelman, alongside Knechtel Inc., Yaniv Consulting, The Social Lights and Promotion Management Center across product development, paid influencer and website development, Soup Drops and Progresso dominated sick season this year. The cheeky drops were conversation drivers and attention grabbers that served as an entry point to the Progresso Soup portfolio, driving an increase in top-of-mind awareness, brand association and ultimately sales for the brand.