At this year’s Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, one of Thailand’s biggest wins came from an industry that rarely commands the spotlight. VML Bangkok earned the country’s first-ever Gold Lion in the Creative B2B category with “Soil Stay,” a long-term initiative for Tra Mongkut Fertilizer that reimagined what a business relationship with farmers could look like.
The campaign stood out in one of the festival’s most competitive categories, where only two Gold Lions were awarded from hundreds of entries. More importantly, it demonstrated that B2B creativity can be just as emotionally resonant and culturally meaningful as consumer-facing work.
Instead of positioning fertilizer as the answer to every farming challenge, “Soil Stay” addressed a more fundamental issue: the health of the soil itself.
Across Thailand, years of intensive farming have left many fields depleted, forcing growers to rely more heavily on chemical inputs just to maintain productivity. For Tra Mongkut Fertilizer, the solution wasn’t to encourage greater consumption. It was to help farmers restore the land that sustains their livelihoods.
Developed as an ongoing platform rather than a one-off campaign, “Soil Stay” provides farmers with practical guidance on soil regeneration and sustainable cultivation. By sharing knowledge and supporting better agricultural practices, the brand shifted its role from supplier to long-term partner. The idea was simple yet powerful: healthier soil leads to healthier harvests, creating lasting value for both farmers and the business.
That approach resonated with the Creative B2B jury, which has increasingly rewarded work that solves genuine business challenges while making a tangible difference in people’s lives. Rather than relying on flashy technology or spectacle, Soil Stay succeeded by reframing the relationship between a fertilizer company and the people it serves.
For Park Wannasiri, Chief Creative Officer of VML Bangkok, the recognition represents the culmination of a long-term commitment shared with a client willing to invest beyond traditional marketing.
“Winning Thailand’s first Gold Lion in Creative B2B is a huge honour. We’re incredibly proud that a long-term platform built to strengthen the relationship between farmers and our client has been recognised on the world’s biggest creative stage. All the credit goes to our brave client, who believed in making a real commitment to Thai farmers. We hope this inspires more brands across Asia-Pacific to see that the best B2B ideas can be as creative as they are transformative—creating lasting value for people, business and the planet.”
The win also marks an important milestone for Thailand’s creative industry. Thai agencies have long been recognised for work that blends cultural insight with strong storytelling, but Soil Stay expands that reputation into a category where commercial objectives and social impact often intersect. It shows that even the most technical sectors can produce ideas with global relevance when creativity begins with a real understanding of people’s needs.
At a time when agriculture is under growing pressure from climate change and soil degradation, the campaign feels especially timely. Brands are increasingly expected to contribute something meaningful beyond the products they sell, and Soil Stay demonstrates how sustained commitment can become a competitive advantage.
For VML Thailand, the Gold Lion is more than a historic first. It reflects a broader shift in creative thinking, where the strongest ideas promote a better, more sustainable future.