By A Correspondent
The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) announced the final awards shortlist for the 2017 India edition of the MMA Smarties Awards, the award that honours innovation, talent and success in the field of mobile marketing. This year’s Awards received hundreds of entries, reflecting the rapidly g
GroupM has won a Silver at the HR Excellence Awards 2017, for its India team’s initiatives to drive work-life balance. Speaking on the win, Rohit, Suri, Chief HR &Talent Officer, South Asia said: “At GroupM India, with its agencies spread over several cities, this commitment has faced unique challenges driven by changing social and business realities. To maintain a positive work-life balance and moving towards work-life integration, it has been our endeavor to make continuous changes to our policies and practices in line with the changing social and business realities. With the help of technology and a stellar team of thorough professionals, we are today one of the most preferred employers in our industry, and this award is a testimonial of the hard work in a people centric business.â€
By A Correspondent
In its fifth year, the APAC Effie awards will accept entries till December 27, 2017.
This year, the awards will sport some category changes. The Shopper Marketing Category has been redefined to Shopper and e-Commerce Marketing to reflect the online presence of brands and how they need to connect the dots both online and offline to seamlessly integrate their message and influence purchasing behaviours. In addition, two new categories will be introduced- Data & Technology and Media Partnership Activation, to keep up with the ever-evolving industry.
“As our industry becomes even more complex, proving that ideas work is absolutely vital. The APAC Effies recognise the best campaigns that deliver clear results for their clients. I look forward to reviewing your entries and being inspired by them,†said Charles Cadell, the 2018 Awards Chairman.
The 2018 edition of the APAC Effie Awards is now accepting entries. Winners will be announced at the Awards Gala in Singapore in April 2018.
By A Correspondent
Havas Media CEO for India and South East Asia Anita Nayyar has been named as Jury President for media at the 56th Annual D&AD Awards to be held in April 2018.
The awards are now open for entry, with two brand new categories announced to celebrate the very best work in an ever-evolving creative landscape. It’s a little surprising that only one advertising biggie from India is heading a jury despite D&AD’s attempts to evangelise the Indian advertising community for some years via the Kyoorius Design and Advertising Awards.
Said Tim Lindsay, D&AD CEO: “In a media environment that encourages the short-term and tactical it’s never been more important to stand up for craft and creativity. Why? Because the good creates better outcomes than the bad – commercially, socially, sustainably, culturally and politically. D&AD’s role in this is stimulation, not congratulation. There’s too much backslapping when what is needed is a focus on and enablement of creative excellence in advertising and design. We are engaged in a war against mediocrity and you are an important ally. Get involved!â€
By A Correspondent​
Kerala’s leading media conglomerate Mathrubhumi bagged the Best International Publisher Award at 36th edition of Sharjah International Book Fair. The group became the first Indian media house to win this prestigious title.
The award by received by M V Shreyams Kumar, Joint Managing Director, Mathrubhumi Printing & Publishing Co Ltd from Sharjah ruler and supreme council member his Sheikh. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi at the inaugural session of SIBF.
Speaking on the occasion, Shreyams Kumar said, “It’s an honour to receive such a prestigious accolade at this time as mathrubhumi just marked its 94th birthday. It’s a great privilege that we have received the award from the ruler who has high regards and fondness for books. The award is a recipient of efforts and hard work put in by our teamâ€.
By A Correspondent
Cannes Lions has launched the 2018 Festival of Creativity, with significant changes to the delegate experience and awards structure. The 65th edition of the festival will run for five days, from Monday, June 18 to Friday, June 22. This will mean that people will find it more economical to attend and the awards will be more in tune with the times (and trends). It may be recalled the Publicis Groupe has backed out of participating at Cannes Lions and other awards events given rising costs. Other agencies and individuals have also been finding attending the Cannes Lions very expensive.
As a result of the reorganisation:
:: The Lions will be organised across nine core tracks to better reflect and support the creative industries
:: The new tracks will simultaneously provide the foundation for the festival’s content programme – speakers, panel sessions and workshops – to help attendees navigate the festival more easily
:: The points allocations for the Special Awards (Holding Company of the Year, Agency of the Year, Network of the Year) have been changed to appropriately reward the very best work
:: 120 Lions sub-categories have been removed
:: Charity and NGO work will now be presented to the jury separately from brand-led work; the first step to separate charity and brand work
:: A new entry cap means that each piece of work can only be entered into a maximum of six Lions
:: Lions Innovation and Lions Entertainment return in their established home in Palais 2, with Lions Innovation extended across the entire week with a full programme of content to reflect the importance of technology as an enabler of creativity
:: Silver metals will now get 7 points (earlier 5), Gold will get 15 (earlier 7), a Grand Prix 30 (earlier 10) and Grand Prix in Creative Effectiveness or Titanium will get 35 instead of 12 points.
Changes to the Lions:
:: The Cyber Lions, Integrated Lions and the Promo Lions have been removed (okay, retired)
:: The Brand Experience & Activation, Creative e-commerce and Social and Influencer Lions will be launched as part of the new architecture
:: The craft categories within Print, Outdoor and Design will be removed from their respective Lions to be judged by a specialist Industry Craft Jury.
Commenting on the 2018 Festival, Philip Thomas, CEO, Ascential Events said: “This is an especially important launch for us. We have spent a lot of time talking to the relevant people to make sure the festival is not only as aspirational as possible, but to also ensure the sentiment behind the Festival is fundamentally founded on the work and those behind it. We have held lengthy discussions in order to curate an updated Festival that puts the creative content back at the heart of Cannes Lions.”
Also, following on from conversations with the City of Cannes, the first in a series of exclusive benefit packages for Festival attendees has also been unveiled. Alongside capped taxi fares and expanded free Wi-Fi facilities along the Croisette, hotel prices will be frozen for 2018, and fixed-price menus will be on offer exclusively for festival badge holders at more than 50 restaurants. The complete pass is now 900 euros cheaper. And Cannes to Nice taxis will cost 80 euros.
Next year’s festival also marks the introduction of a new initiative aimed at nurturing global young talent across the industry. One Young Lions delegate pass will be given free to every office which entered more than 15 entries at the 2017 Festival, totalling over 650 free places for the Festival in 2018.
Next year’s Festival will also mark the first time that every awards show will be available to view for free on all major platforms. As usual, all winning work will be published on the Cannes Lions site.
Speaking to the impact of the plans for the 2018 Festival, Philip Thomas said: “Change has always been part of Cannes Lions and the innovations we’re introducing for 2018 mark an exciting new phase in the story of the Festival. Some of the effects from these changes will be felt immediately, while others represent the start of a longer transitional journey. But what they all have in common is that they refocus the festival and ensure that Cannes Lions continues to be the leading global event for the world’s creative communications industries for many years to come.â€
Passes are already available to purchase through the canneslions.com site.
By A Correspondent
Medulla Communications has been recognised at Clio Awards 2017 with its first ever ‘Grand’ – for the integrated campaign ‘Last Laugh’. The campaign also received two bronze for Events/Experiential and PR for Health and Wellness. It was also shortlisted for the best ‘Film’ – Branded Entertainment and Content.
Said Amit Akali, ‎Managing Partner and Creative Head – ‎What’s Your Problem: “I’m excited and glad to receive our first Grand award and most of all to make a difference at the way the topic of ‘Death’ is looked at in India.â€
Added Praful Akali, founder-director, Medulla Communications: “Medulla thrives to work on insight based campaigns and is truly being recognised as one of the thought leaders in the healthcare industry globally.â€
By A Correspondent
Coty has awarded the digital mandates of Wella, OPI and Sally Hansen in India to FoxyMoron. The account was won following a multi-agency pitch.
The mandate focuses on building and developing the digital presence of all three brands by highlighting their product offerings and creating a distinct brand personality. The agency will be involved in the strategy, content creation and design across all social media platforms. The main objective will be to build affinity via brand advocacy on digital.
Discussing this alliance, PK Hariharan, General Manager – India Consumer and Professional Beauty, Coty said: “We are pleased to have FoxyMoron as our digital partners. In today’s competitive landscape it’s important we use multiple tools to reach our consumer and digital is a great canvas to showcase just how much the brand has to offer. I am confident that our partnership with FoxyMoron will help us create more resonance with our customers and bring forward the true spirit of our brand. Our digital strategy is aimed to maximise visibility and create high impact across the country, to increase our reach and maintain our focus on building affinity.â€
Added Suveer Bajaj, Foxy Moron co-founder: “With years of experience in the categories of beauty, personal care and make up, FoxyMoron has gladly taken on the responsibility of introducing Coty, a global leader in beauty to the already saturated Indian markets. The brands are chic and edgy and wish to flirt with the young, fun and urban youth of our country. The agency’s approach has always resulted in strong communication that embodies the ethos of each brand. We are excited to on-board this international giant that celebrates and liberates the diversity of each one’s beauty and are confident that we can, with our immense creative richness, help Coty see a path filled with beauty and transformation.â€
By A Correspondent
The fourth CII Marketing & Brand Conclave was held in Ahmedabad with marketers and brand leaders from across the industry verticals, discussing and sharing experiences on the nuances of new age communication, technology-enabled ‘TECHNO cating†across genres of product services.
Elaborating further, Piruz Khambatta, Deputy Chairman – CII Western Region and CMD, Rasna Pvt Ltd, said, “Brand extensions are flourishing for a number of reasons. More and more companies today, realize that one of their most valuable assets is the brand and not just their tangible assets and has a multiplier effect on your valuation. A strong brand commands loyalty, emotions, preference and associative powers, which are hard to duplicate by the competition. The brand is the USP for many products today.â€
In his inaugural comments, Sam Balsara, Managing Director, Madison World & Madison Communication, said:“A right story, right content, right medium, right partner, right category, right time, right pricing, and right controls makes a successful model. The opportunities in content marketing are limitless. We have only seen a trailer in India.’
Some of the keynote speakers included Kiran Khalap from Chlorophyll, Senjam Raj Sekhar from Flipkart, Jayen Mehta from Amul India, Anirudh Pandita from Pocket Aces, Devasis Chattopadyay from Adfactors, Amit Doshi from Divya Bhaskar, Siddharth Desmukh and Falguni Vasavada Oza from MICA, Glen Dsouza from MSLGroup and Chandan Nath from Ideas2Brands.
By A Correspondent
Chitralekha Group launched the international award-winning novel ‘Daggers Of Treason’ (The Curse of the Mughal Series) by Niraj Srivastava in Mumbai on Monday. Superstar Amitabh Bachchan graced the occasion as chief guest. The high-tea evening, hosted by ex-senior bureaucrat, Ashok Kacker and Chairman Chitralekha Group, MaulikKotaksaw theatre and film director, playwright and screenwriter, Firoz Abbas Khan reading excerpts from the book.
On associating with the book launch, Chitralekha group President and Publisher Mitrajit Bhattacharya said: “We are delighted to be a part of this launch. The book is thoroughly researched and well-presented and can easily be an international bestseller. Mr. Bachchan having agreed to launch the book added so much meaning to the whole event.â€
By A Correspondent
The India Chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA) has called for entries for its prestigious Olive Crown Awards. There is no entry fee.
Said Ramesh Narayan, President, IAA India: “The Olive Crowns are very close to my heart. This is the ninth edition of this unique award which salutes creative excellence in communicating sustainability. It is the only one of its kind in Asia.†This year efforts are being made to attract entries from across Asia. This award is endorsed by the Asian Federation of Advertising Associations (AFAA).The Olive Crown awards signify all that is good about our industry. This time the creatives for the Call For Entries campaign have been created by Raj Nair and his team at Madison BMB. They are based on Hollywood hits and provide a nice touch to the awards.”
Added Megha Tata, Vice President, IAA India: “I have been closely associated with these awards over the last two years. We will spare no effort to deliver a great show on March 6, the day these awards would be presented. A great jury will judge these awards and we will announce the names shortly.”
Along with the creative awards these are two special Olive Crowns, one for a Green Crusader, and the other for a Corporate Social Crusader. For entry forms and rules, visit iaaindiachapter.org. The last date for submission of entries is January 31, 2018.
By A Correspondent
It was the Big Night for Effectiveness in advertising. The Advertising Club’s premier event for rewarding advertising effectiveness was held on Friday, January 5 in Mumbai. The venue was the usual – the lawns of the Taj Lands End, except this time there was lesser noise and hooting given the absence of the Mullen Lowe Lintas group. The agency did not officially enter the awards officially though some of its work did find its way.
But it would be unfair to say that Lowe’s absence saw IPG group sibling McCann rise. The agency did have some good work to showcase and although its tough to say what the final roster would’ve looked like had Lowe and all the Publicis Communications agencies participated – especially Leo Burnett which had bagged the Grand Effie last year.
Also, the margin with which McCann won over runner-up Ogilvy was significant.
Other than being runner-up in the final rankings, the agency also bagged the Grand Effie for work done on Star Plus’ NayiSoch campaign.
One 97 Communication Limited (PayTM) was adjudged as the Effie Client of the Year with long-time winner Hindustan Unilever coming second. Here the margin of win for the top rank was just 10
Speaking  about winning the  Effies, Vikram Sakhuja, President of The Advertising Club and Chairperson, EFFIEs  said: “With the bar raised higher year on year,  winning an Effie has become more competitive and rewarding. This year we are seeing a new Client of the Year and a new Agency of the Year. My congratulations to them and all the 93 winners.†Adding: “The four pillars of effectiveness are Strategy, Idea, Execution and Results. To win an Effie we are finding that Effectiveness in Advertising is getting increasingly medium agnostic. Accordingly, ideas are being brought to scale in a remarkable number of ways. The one area I would like to further challenge us all is in the description of results.â€
Elaborating on the entries. Mitrajit Bhattacharya, Co-chairperson, Effies 2018 said: “The Effies 2018 once again witnessed  patronage from industry veterans and category leaders , establishing its eminence  as a  coveted industry award that recognizes great ideas and superior execution. Effies2018 saw  the entire fraternity come together to laud and celebrate successful campaign stories that are  ahead of the curve on innovation and engagement.â€
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