MxMIndia

Category: ADVERTISING

  • Behind every great commercial is super strategy. Every week, MxMIndia will bring you the brief and the strat as given by the client and whatever else that went into creating a winning ad

    AdStrat: Titan: Keeping tags on time

    Somprabh Singh, Marketing Head, Titan

     

    Name of the campaign/ad: Tagged

     

    The Brief: Titan, now a 25-year-old brand, has constantly reinvented itself to remain young and exciting to consumers. From the kind of watch designs it has introduced, to opening up gifting as a platform for buying a watch, to demonstrating how watches can be coordinated with outfits; the brand has always led the way for consumers by staying just ahead of the curve. In the last three years, Titan has renewed its focus on the brand, gradually re-crafting it to become more vibrant, free-spirited, and exploratory. This is reflected in Titan’s new collection, ‘tagged’. This is a collection made keeping today’s 25-year-old in mind – vibrant, youthful watches with colourful dials and straps.

     

    The brief was to present this collection to the 25-year-olds in a manner that connects with their life.

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”220″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYfMi_WnM5c[/youtube]

    Research insights: This is undoubtedly one of the most connected generations. Easy access of internet and mobile devices has made it easy to keep in touch with dear ones. In fact, social networking and instant messaging are the favourite activities among today’s youth. However, pan-India research conducted by Ogilvy revealed a different dimension. Perhaps the greatest contradiction is that the most social generation ever is also the loneliest. Inside the so-called social animal is a recluse. The fast-paced urban life has limited most interactions to the online world. As a result, relationships are getting superficial, lacking in meaning.

     

    The thought process behind the creative: The film reflects the importance of staying connected with dear ones, offline. It reflects the importance of sharing special moments with those you love – the only way to build meaningful relationships. It presents Titan’s point of view, that one has to take time out from one’s busy life to spend time with those who matter the most.

     

    ‘Tagged’ by Titan is an attempt to capture the fascination of the young by juxtaposing the online phenomenon of ‘tagging’ into the physical world with the Titan watch as the key device.

     

    Media vehicles chosen: TV, Internet, Print, Cinema, Radio.

     

    Key issues kept in mind while executing the ad: The brief was to showcase the new ‘tagged’ collection; hence key consideration was to tell an engaging story with the watch at the heart of the plot.

     

    What is the differentiating factor about the ad? The music, while it complements the film beautifully, also has its own identity. This is standout feature not only in this Titan film, but also for most Titan films. We were clear that the product should be made integral to the core narrative so that it enjoys certain omnipresence in the film rather than a disjointed product section in the end.

     

    Client comment: Ajoy Chawla, Vice President, Titan Industries Limited says, “Tagged by Titan is an attempt to capture the fascination of the young professional by using the social phenomenon of ‘tagging’. The film has in a very interesting manner used our products to build on this insight. Titan watches in this commercial are seen being used as a hook to bring together like-minded individuals to share special moments.”

     

    Agency comment: Joono Simon, Executive Creative Director, Ogilvy & Mather, South says, “The Titan film ‘Tagged’ taps into the collective spirit of the young and their need to be a part of something greater than themselves, to set off a game of offline ‘tagging’.” He further added, “The act of ‘tagging’ has certain virality to it and we’d be happy to see young people ‘tagging’ themselves in real life, much like the characters in the ad.”

     

  • The people who will actually queue up to cast their votes will, as usual, come from the lower or very lower classes. They have no interest in the social media chatter, they give a damn about who tweeted what

    Anil Thakraney: The Feku/Pappu tamasha

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Two stories from last week caught my attention. One, as the battle of Feku (NaMo) and Pappu (RaGa) got raging on the social media, with both their followers (many of them fake) getting into a mudslinging match, the television media got busy discussing the social media’s impact on politics. On whether all the fan following (or hatred) on Twitter will affect the fortunes of the netas in the next elections. Well, all they had to do was ask me, and save themselves a lot of precious airtime. The answer is a big NO. And I don’t say that because a vast majority (over 95%) of Indians aren’t connected on social media, that would be the obvious explanation.

     

    I say that because a vast majority of those who are, are likely to be from the Great Indian Middle Class. The class that cribs heavily but never goes out to vote (me included!). The kind of people who have opinions on politics but don’t wish to engage with the process. These people are having fun on the internet, and all they want to do is outsmart each other on the ‘retweet’ value, have a good laugh, and then forget all about it. The people who will actually queue up to cast their votes will, as usual, come from the lower or very lower classes. They have no interest in the social media chatter, they give a damn about who tweeted what. They will vote for the same reasons they always vote: Regularization of their bastis, a new bore well, electricity connection, etc. And they will vote keeping caste, religion, language, etc, in mind.

     

    In short, enjoy all the outpouring on the internet. It’s fultoo time pass, and nothing more.

     

    The other story was that ‘super exclusive’ on Times Now. Which involved bowler Sreesanth giving the channel a soundbite, which had him ranting about the ‘Slapgate’, an incident that happened five long years ago! What was funnier was Arnab babu excitedly announcing that ‘this is the biggest cricket controversy’. Wow, Mr Goswami, you call a slapping incident post an IPL match a bigger controversy than the assorted match fixing scandals? Anyway, Sreesanth is upset it’s still being called ‘Slapgate’, he claims he was never actually slapped. Apparently, our man was struck by Bhajji, with the latter using the back of his palm, and not the front. Therefore, according to Sreesanth, that can’t be called a slap. Haha. Two things: One, Arnab babu needs to dig harder for real stories if trash like this is getting him fired up these days. Two, mental Sreesanth needs urgent help.

     

    ***

     

    PS: Interesting campaign by The Guardian for its US launch. Using graphic design, each ad puts out two sides of a heated political debate. The flip side of the ad reveals the flip side of the argument, so to speak. Fantastic work by the art director.

     

  • Has the advertising industry become so blase that scams no longer have the power to shock? MxMIndia cuts to the chase

    Scam and scandal in the family

     

    By Meghna Sharma

     

    Goafest is over but the controversies that surrounded it will take a while to die down. The last month or two saw a lot happening in the advertising industry in the country – first, Ogilvy not participating in Creative Abby because it didnt ‘energise’ them enough, then the whole JWT-Ford fiasco with high-profile exits, and the latest being Leo Burnett withdrawing two of their award-winning entries.

     

    Scams have been around and are almost a given every year, or so it seems. Hardly anyone seems shocked, though the end result is a bad name for the advertising industry. Is it a fact that scandal is part and parcel of the ad game? Should we shrug and get on with things, or can something be done, asks MxMIndia.

     

    Priti Nair, Director, Curry Nation

    It’s not just here but scams and controversies are part and parcel of award shows all across the globe. According to me, unless certain rules are changed nothing can be done to avoid them. Also, shows should treat the creative awards just like fashion shows wherein we recognize and applaud creativity. The whole thing of it being published before has to gotten rid of. It is indeed sad when such things happen, but the worst part is that it sometimes leads to bad blood among the industry and finger-pointing starts. The awards are meant to showcase creativity and the focus should be only that!

     

     

    Viral Pandya, CCO, Out of the Box

    There are pros and cons to scam ads, or rather two ways of looking at the issue.

     

    First the cons. A lot of clients are not evolved, and let us accept it, reluctant to buy edgy work. Therefore quite a few agency creatives, particularly the junior lot, are frustrated. So sitting in one quiet corner of the office, they get their jollies by churning out scam. The process gives them release, but in the bargain they don’t get to learn how to understand a brief, how to sell one’s work to the client, or even how to do effective advertising.

     

    As the adage goes, bad currency drives out good currency. Likewise, scam ads are chasing away good, real ads. If only agencies put as much time, money and resources behind genuine work! What is unfortunate is that today there are clients, particularly those possessed with the entrepreneurial spirit, who demand great work. This is not to forget that agencies like Taproot and Ogilvy do sterling work on regular clients, but they are an exception rather than the rule.

     

    Now for the pros. Proactive work created for awards pushes the envelope and celebrates ideas. Often you come across work so brilliant that you don’t give a damn whether it’s scam. And the ads specially created for award shows do win us metals globally and bring us glory. Personally I can understand and relate to the urge to prove to the world that we in India are second to none in the creative race. Only, I wish that instead of pulling each other down, we could support and promote each other and present a united front to the world.

     

    So where does that leave us?

    Here’s my solution. At GoaFest, let us award real work, and by real work I don’t mean work that meets the legal definition of released work, but ads that agencies can put their hand on their heart and say are genuine. Let us also have a category for proactive work which celebrates creativity and ideas, but does not split hairs about how genuine it is. And let us ensure that there is a clear distinction between the two. That way we eliminate the unfair competition between genuine ads and proactive ads. And everybody wins.

     

    Nisha Singhania, Co-founder and Director, Infectious

    Scams have been part and parcel of the industry for quite some time now, but the series of events which have happened in past couple of weeks will surely make everyone more careful. Also, I think as a whole the industry needs to take a call about how they can pit and end to this. After all, the feeling of winning an award of something genuine is far more than on a scam ad.

     

     

     

    Dhunji Wadia, President, Everest Brand Solutions

    It is difficult to justify something that is wrong. The Ford controversy was covered in world media including some of the biggest news channels. We got our 30 seconds of fame globally but for all the wrong reasons. The controversy has made us a laughing stock throughout the world. I guess today there is pressure on agencies to win at award shows. Questions that come to mind are -‘How far would you want to go?’ and ‘Would you want to sell your soul for this?’ If you want to make a Faustian bargain, then learn to deal with the consequences too.

     

    Today, there is a lot of talk of having a separate category for this kind of work. But I think that is just side-stepping the issue. The persons wanting to win will want the real McCoy. They are not going to settle for anything less. Instead the auditing companies can have a larger role here. All major award forums have auditors for this very purpose. Henceforth, it should not be enough for clients to merely endorse the work that is sent for award forums. They should also have paid for it and the work should be part of their marketing plan. I am sure the auditing companies would have dealt with much more complex issues. This verification should be a piece of cake for them.

     

  • ‘Superjury’ to decide on Creative Abby complaints

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Goafest 2013 Awards Governing Council (AGC) has decided that all the complaints received against some Creative Abby award-winners will now be taken up by a ‘superjury’ comprising the chairpersons of the Creative Abby award categories.

     

    It is learnt that not everyone among certain agencies was happy with the way complaints filed against their award-winning creatives were being handled. They were upset that some junior members of the fraternity were ruling against their work for close resemblance to some other internationally produced creatives (read: plagiarism).

     

    According to Shashi Sinha, chairperson of the AGC, the meeting will be held within three to four days… as soon as it is possible to get all the ‘superjury’ members.at for its Grand Prix winning ad. The decision to have chairpersons of the various creative juries will, it is hoped, ensure that erase all charges of favouritism and juniors taking critical decisions.

    It may be noted that the superjury will not take up complaints or issues of the procedural kind (like the one impacting Leo Burnett), but those which concern the creative process, specifically the charges of plagiarism.

     

  • The zoozoos are still cute, but the situations can do with more laughs. The new crop of TVCs bring a little smile to your face, but they aren't hilarious

    Debrief: Vodafone: Zoozoos don’t make you LOL

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    The IPL is here and so are the zoozoos. I think Vodafone is doing absolutely the right thing. By not overdoing these creatures, they’ve ensured the idea remains fresh. And unleashing them during the IPL makes a lot of sense, given the ‘full family’ audience this chaddi cricket attracts.

     

    The new season arrives with a slew of new ads. And this time they’ve come up with a new addition: Midget zoozoos, so to speak. In one TVC, the midgets transport an opera singer right to a fan’s doorstep. This sells music on the phone. Another ad features them indulging in celebrity gossip. Yes, it’s the same strategy; Zoozoo antics tied to a specific Vodafone offering. This route has worked for the advertiser in the past, no reason why it won’t work again.

     

    However, there’s a problem this time: In the ads I have watched so far, I found the humour quotient to be low. Of course, the zoozoos are still cute, but the situations can do with more laughs. The new crop of TVCs bring a little smile to your face, but they aren’t hilarious. I’ll give you an example: I still recall one of the earlier ads, where a family of zoozoos is seen howling and shrieking as they rush out of a room. We later discover one zoozoo has applied a face mask, and this drives them crazy. This ad promoted beauty alerts. It was just too good, I still laugh when I think of that situation. That’s the kind of fun Vodafone needs to revive if they want the zoozoos to pack in the same impact.

     

    A tip for the creatives: Write these ads from inside a pub, and not from your office.

     

    Rating: (On a scale of 1-5): 3. Still cute, but humour needs to be upped

     

  • The Goafest 2013 Awards Governing Council decides to set up a 'superjury' comprising the chairpersons of the 11 Creative Abby categories

    These 11 members of the Creative Abby ‘superjury’ could decide the future of Indian advertising! [Updated]

    By A Correspondent

     

    Running the Awards Governing Council (AGC) is a thankless job. Getting gaalis for no real fault and innumerable doubts being raised on their credentials.

     

    Ever since Goafest 2013 ended, the AGC has been working overtime with procedural errors and complaints. At first it was the Leo Burnett radio spots which the client Tata Chemicals got the agency to pull from the awards. And then started a series of complaints alleging sameness in the creative (read plagiarism). One of these on DHL Express created by BBDO Proximity was even taken up the AGC and some metals were withdrawn leading to BBDO chief Josy Paul lambasting the decision.

     

    The Proposed Superjury
     

    Integrated: Prasoon Joshi (McCann)

    Film: Senthil Kumar (JWT)

    Film Craft: Piyush Panjwani (Equus)

    Print: Agnello Dias (Taproot)

    Print Craft: Josy Paul (BBDO)

    Brand Content: K S Chakraborty (DraftFCB Ulka)

    OOH: Sonal Dabral (DDB Mudra)

    Design: Rakhshin Patel (M&C Saatchi-i)

    Radio and Radio craft: Nitesh Tiwari (Leo Burnett)

    Design: Prashant Kalyankar (KA Advertising)

    Digital: Carlton D’Silva (Hungama)

     

    The complaints kept coming in, forcing AGC chairperson Shashi Sinha to ask the media to put in a notice that no complaints would be allowed after the evening of Friday, April 12.

     

    However, what possibly led to this decision of setting up a ‘superjury’ by the Awards Governing Council comprising the chairpersons of the 12 categories that constituted the Creative Abby (see box), was that not everyone among certain agencies was happy that complaints filed against their award-winning creatives were judged by junior members of the fraternity.

     

    According to Shashi Sinha, chairperson of the AGC, the meeting will be held within three to four days, though one industryperson told us it could even take over a week. The decision to have chairpersons of the various creative juries will, it is hoped, ensure an end to all charges of favouritism and juniors taking critical decisions. While the ‘superjury’ will discuss and deliberate on each of the disputed creatives, the final voting will be via secret ballot. Note: the ‘superjury’ will only look at the complaints on creative issues like a certain ad being similar to another released earlier.

     

    MxMIndia was unable to ascertain whether all the 11 members of the proposed superjury have agreed to be part of this extraordinary meeting.

     

  • What got my anger on the boil, more than the US bombings, is something that happened in our own backyard: Cruel apathy shown by many motorists during the horrible Jaipur road accident, and the resultant tragedy

    Anil Thakraney: CCTV footage should be used to kill apathy

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    I can understand why the Indian media got into a tizzy over the Boston bombings. It’s not because lives in America are more precious than, say, those in Pakistan and Afghanistan (bombings in these nations are now a routine event), but because the latest attack has demolished the perception many have harboured for a decade: That the US, post 9/11, has been able to lick terrorism on its soil. Now that we know even that nation is unsafe, it means there is no safe place left in this world, and that’s an unsettling thought.

     

    However, what got my anger on the boil, more than the US bombings, is something that happened in our own backyard: Cruel apathy shown by many motorists during the horrible Jaipur road accident, and the resultant tragedy. Here’s a link, in case you missed the story:

     

    Clearly, it isn’t an isolated case, this happens all over the nation, we seem to have turned into a nation of billions who don’t give a shit about the lives of fellow citizens. This is completely shameful, and it has to be dealt with, we simply cannot ignore it with a shrug. My thinking is that the television media should closely examine the CCTV footage, and with the help of the concerned RTOs, expose every single motorist who coolly drove past the accident spot. Perhaps the best way to tackle such unforgivable selfishness is by naming and shaming. Let’s put out the faces of the people who refused to help. Of course, one can’t legally punish them, but the threat of shaming will help in energizing others, the next time such a deathly road accident happens.

     

    With the possibility of terror attacks on the rise, various state governments are installing CCTV cameras on many roads/streets/junctions. The media must use this opportunity to help in exposing callous, insensitive people. And simultaneously, honour those good men and women who stop to help. This is the only way to shake up this apathetic nation.

     

    We’ve got the technology, now let’s use it to kick the indifferent dolts. And help save lives in the future.

     

    ***

     

    PS: Hmm. This is a national icon who arrives each evening in our living rooms to sells us gold, insurance policies, noodles, cold creams, cars… it’s a very long list. If this report is accurate, then DD would surely have got the footage erased a long time ago, leaving no trace of any evidence. The bigger tragedy of the 1984 riots was that there was no private TV channel at the time. Many powerful people would have been nailed had that been the case.

     

    Link: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/1984-riots-Why-nobody-noticed-Amitabh-Bachchan -spewing-venom-in-India/articleshow/10429011.cms?intenttarget=no

     

  • Targeted at 6-12-year-olds and set up from scratch with a development spend of Rs 3 crore, Worldoo promises entertainment and education through an interactive experience

    Focus advt sets up Worldoo, an online ecosystem for kids

    By A Correspondent

     

    L-R – Mr Rahool Talukdar, Head Experience and Design;Mr. Harsh Wardhan Dave, Head Experience and Brand

    Advertising and digital media agency Focus has launched ‘Worldoo’ (www.worldoo.com), an ever-evolving online ecosystem, targeted towards 6-12-year-olds in India. Worldoo would offer the kids a unique interactive experience where they can live, express and play. Kids can consume the most popular content from their world of interests and earn virtual currency in the form of Stars. They can then express their creativity and ownership by designing their home and spend their earnings in a virtual store. Worldoo would create engaging experiences for kids to offer activities, interaction and content.

     

    Monish Ghatalia, Managing Director, Focus Circle Group at the launch of ‘Worldoo’, said, “With conventional activation mediums, it is challenging for brands to reach out to a large chunk of target audiences at a single point, and even more difficult to sustain the engagement. We are confident that Worldoo will provide an edge for brands, to engage with the right target audience. It offers the right platform for brands to achieve much more than just impressions and clicks.” Worldoo has been set up at a cost of around Rs 3 crore, informed Mr Ghatalia. A marketing budget of around Rs 2 crore has been earmarked. Promotions start immediately with digital partners and on television early next month.

     

    Worldoo aims to become kid’s favourite destination as it promises to offer ‘Something new, always’ through content that imparts both excitement and education, all in a single platform. The website would offer games from Miniclip, The Gamebox, Zapak; cartoons from Cartoon Network & Chota Bheem; animals, environment and conservation from National Geographic and JeffCorwinConnect; movies and trailers from Warner Bros, Shemaroo, Sony Pictures, Reliance Big Flix. Edutainment from ZeeQ, books and comics from Amar Chitra Katha, Crosswords, Landmark, Dreamland, Britanica Books, Robinage and Champak.

     

    Realising the gap, the brands have associated with Worldoo through seven content sources (landmarks) nestled in an island that’s designed to be a refreshing visual treat.
    Juhi Ravindranath, VP Ad sales South Asia, Turner International India, said in a communique, “At Turner, our aim has always been to push the boundaries and deliver innovative and entertaining content and experience across various platforms. Worldoo is a unique idea and we are happy to partner with Focus in a bid to create the right brand experience for consumers.”

     

    Through Worldoo, kids can follow brands and also get tips from brands. The brands can become a part of a user’s journey, for instance, a breakfast brand can place a bowl of cereals in a Kids Home at Worldoo or a car brand can be driving through the roads of Worldoo and more such tailor-made innovations.

     

    Harsh Wardhan Dave, Head Experience and Brand, Worldoo, concluded, “Advertising for kids, online, has always been restricted to banners, contest pages, micro sites. There is no innovation in this space in terms of customer engagement. The launch of Worldoo is a very proud moment for us, as we fill this gap for brands to think out of the box and create a real life engagement with kids through our digital platform. With all of this we are about digital engagement and not just digital marketing.”

     

    Senior media sales professional Niloufer Dhundh who is consulting with Worldoo is set to ink sales deals with some major brands. “We have had a fantastic response to the platform and brands are bullish about the engagement opportunities on offer.”

     

  • Shashi Sinha, Abhinay Deo and Sabbas Joseph are among those in the juries for the Design, Film Craft, Media, Promo & Activation, and Radio Lions categories

    Cannes Lions announce remaining jury line-up

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, which this year celebrates 60 years of creative excellence in advertising and communications, has completed the jury line-up by naming the members of the Design, Film Craft, Media, Promo & Activation, and Radio Lions categories.

     

    The remaining five juries will be led by Jack Klues, Chairman, Vivaki (Media Lions); Joe Pytka, Director, Joseph Pytka Productions, USA (Film Craft Lions); Mary Lewis, Creative Director, Lewis Moberley, United Kingdom (Design Lions); Ralph van Dijk, Founding Creative Director, Eardrum, Australia (Radio Lions); and Rob Schwartz, Global Creative President, TBWA Worldwide, USA (Promo & Activation Lions).

     

    Philip Thomas, CEO of Lions Festivals, said, “It is a privilege to have an assembly of such esteemed industry professionals in Cannes to judge and award the best work. And we are particularly delighted to count on 11 past Cannes Lions jury presidents amongst the total 308 jury members taking part in this year’s 16 different juries. The time, commitment and integrity applied to their task ahead will have a profound effect on moving the industry forward at a global scale.”

     

     

    The extended deadline for submitting entries is 19 April. Information and tips on how to enter are at http://www.canneslions.com/awards/. Judging and announcements of the shortlisted and winning work will take place in Cannes, France, during the festival week, June 16-22.

     

  • Anil Thakraney presents his views on the latest ads

    Debrief: Fastrack: Irreverence works

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Highly provocative ads from Fastrack. What I like about this brand is that it’s been consistently irreverent in its advertising, they haven’t shied away from controversy, rather, they very clearly court it. The new TV campaign has pushed things further by attacking social taboos.

     

    There are a few commercials on air, I have watched two. One features a lesbian couple coming out of the closet (quite literally). Another one deals with a chap flirting with his girlfriend’s mom. Both situations highly unacceptable in a conservative (at least on the surface!) nation like India. And therein lies the power of the campaign. Because their parents would reject such stuff, the urban youngsters (whom Fastrack targets), will love these ads. Kids today want to ‘move on’ (the brand’s tagline), they want to experiment, to be who they are. In fact, I would say ‘Move on’ is now an intrinsic part of regular vocabulary in Young India. I also like the funky soundtrack, goes well with the taboo situations.

     

    In short, here’s a watch and accessories brand that sells only attitude, they don’t talk technology or aesthetics. Correct approach, and with its consistency, Fastrack has managed to carve out a nice little niche for itself. I am already waiting for next year’s instalment. The creative team should keep an eye on National Geographic’s hot hot  programme called ‘Taboo’. Interesting stories get featured in it. Like a middle class couple who scavenge garbage for dinner, a woman who’s turned her mate into a dog… lots of exciting material to choose from. 🙂

     

    Rating: (On a scale of 1-5): 3.5 Great attitude. Cool execution.

     

  • It's incorrect to ask creative folk to constitute the Creative Abby 'Superjury' to decide on plagiarism complaints, writes Anil Thakraney

    Anil Thakraney | Superjury: Keep the CDs out!

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Ah, GoaFest has decided to constitute a ‘Superjury’ to tackle the issue of plagiarism in advertising. This is a good idea, there has to be a group of people tasked with nabbing ad thieves because copied ads bring a bad name to the entire Indian ad world. So that’s a good development.

     

    However, I have a problem with the people chosen to man the ‘Superjury’. These are chairpersons of the various creative juries, in other words, mainly the senior creative directors. This is crazy I say, because this means the same set of people will now police their own work. Incidentally, I have always had problems with agency creative people judging agency creative work, but one let that pass because of the creative directors’ famous line of argument: That only creative people appreciate creative work, that the nuances and the detailing will go over the heads of the ‘uncreative’ suits. I don’t necessarily agree with this, but most creative directors do, and so the same judging caravan has been chugging along, despite all the ugly controversies.

     

    Now, even if we assume they are right, what I don’t understand is why would the same creative directors also sit on a jury whose job is to catch ad chors? This is a policing job, it needs no creative bent of mind. You put two pieces of work in front of you and objectively judge if the twins are a result of an amazing co-incidence or a result of daylight robbery. You don’t need any creative skills for this. What you need instead is objectivity and neutrality. In fact, having creative directors function as policemen will immediately bring agendas into the picture. For example, many creative directors are buddies in the ad world, many have worked with each other in the past. This can and will invite personal bias, it’s inevitable. On the other hand, if I happen to detest my rival, here’s my chance to settle scores.

     

    My recommendation therefore is this: Form the ‘Superjury’ by all means, but it must consist of neutral umpires. Such as, retired ad agency leaders, trade press editors and clients. That would be fair and correct. The Supreme Court bench deciding on Sanjay Dutt’s act of crime can’t consist of Bollywood stars, right?

     

    PS: Oops! One senior Aussie journalist has been sacked because he dared to write against the policies of his own publisher, and specifically because he dissed the ‘advertorials’. Be careful, people! Turn a blind eye to paid news in your group publications, or risk being kicked out.

     

    Link: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-04-09/fairfax-journalist-sacked-over-critical-crikey-article/4617316

     

  • Percept director Ajay Chandwani is on the jury of the Golden award of Montreux Festival being held in Switzerland this week

    Ajay Chandwani on Montreux fest jury

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Golden award of Montreux Festival in Switzerland is scheduled to have its jury deliberations on April 25 this year in the Swiss resort town of Montreux. Also known for its annual jazz festival, the timing of the Montreux Advertising Festival is such that it is a good precursor to Cannes and Clio. The Festival of Media Global is also being held in Montreux from April 28 to 30.

     

    This year’s Montreux golden awards jury includes Frank Bodin of Havas Switzerland, Peter Sun of Y&R, Mike Sutherland of BBDO London, Luis Dias of Draft FCB Lisbon, Max Posch of Fashion TV and Olivier Teepe founder of Cloudfactory Netherlands.

     

    Ajay Chandwani

    Ajay Chandwani, Director, Percept Limited is also on the jury this year as Asian participation is rising at the Festival. “Montreux is a great place to see the world’s best work before the work hits Cannes and other Festivals .”

     

    BBDO New York and AMV BBDO from UK dominated the golds won last year. Being Pan European in focus with American and European agencies doing well in the past,  the Montreux festival has been gaining awareness in India and Asia.

     

    Last year, Leo Burnett India won 2 golds in Print Craft for Bajaj Exhaust Fans and BBH India won a gold in the TV film category for World Gold Council.  Webchutney also won a gold in the Best Use of Mobile Media category.

     

    Details on www.goldenawardmontreux.com.