Ad Club Bangalore hosted the Big Bang Awards 2014 for excellence in communication and media last week at The Ritz Carlton, Bengaluru. As many as 956 entries were submitted across 75 categories spanning creative, media, digital, social media, mobile, healthcare and PR. Apart from these, clients and young professionals also participated for the coveted heads.
Saatchi & Saatchi Focus Network was named Creative Agency of the Year. Maxus was the biggest winner of the night bagging awards for Media, Digital, and Social Media Agency of the year. Saatchi & Saatchi Health & Wellness was the Healthcare Agency of the Year and Aim High Consulting was the PR Agency of the Year. Infosys was awarded the Client of the Year winning across several categories.
The event also featured a book release of Pavan Padaki’s Brand Vinci, a definitive book on the various facets of branding.
The Advertising Club Bangalore has announced that this year’s edition of the Big Bang Awards will be held on September 19, 2014 at the Ritz Carlton Hotel, Bengaluru.
The Club received a record number of 956 entries this year from various cities including Mumbai and Delhi NCR. Speaking on this, Malavika Harita, President, Advertising Club Bangalore said:  “We have received good number of entries almost across all categories. Digital advertising entries are on the rise, in keeping with the general trend in advertisingâ€.
Said Arvind Kumar, Executive Director of the Ad Club: “A unique thing that is being added to the awards night this year, is a panel discussion on the topic ‘Online Killed the Offline Star – True or False’ with the panelists likely to be Colors CEO Raj Nayak, Puneetha Arumugam from Google India with media serial entrepreneur Annurag Batra as moderator.
“The Ad Club roped in close to 40 judges, who are judging the Big Bang entries this year, and each entry is being judged by a group of three judges, who are experts in their field of communication, to ensure there is fairness in the judging process,†Mr Kumar added.
Those interested in getting entry invites to the event can call Mr Manjunath at Ad Club Office on 080-2361 4888 or +9199005 42055
Being backed by a host of leaders and members from the ad industry, The Advertising Club attained another milestone as it announced about 825 out of 1300 members being registered as Life Members.
Bipin R Pandit
Bipin R Pandit, COO, The Adclub shared, “The Adclub Secretariat has its sight set on maximizing the count of Life Members. It is focussed and religiously follows a system that helps us to identify potential members from the industry. Post that we send out an email to them communicating about Adclub, its activities and benefits of enrollment.”
While most of them immediately send their forms, in a few cases the Club has to be relentless in its pursuit, he noted.
Today, the Adclub database has names from the domains of Advertising, Media, Marketing, Research, PR/Communication and Digital.
The first JMC-Ad Club workshop will be held on Tuesday, March 11 by Antony Waddington, Producer/Lecturer who will be joined by a yet-unnamed Indian stalwart from the entertainment/events business. The subject being Entertainment Business Management : Taking Indian creative content onto the world stage. The venue and fees will be revealed soon.
The annual Effie 2013 Awards organized in India by the Advertising Club has received 419 entries, a significantly higher number than the 357 of last year.
Ajay Kakar
Said Ajay Kakar, Chairperson, Effie 2013 Committee, “A growth of about 20% in the number of entries and participation of over 50 agencies shows the growing importance of ‘effectiveness’ of a marketing campaign and its direct impact on a business. In recent years, this has also been one of the key requirements of businesses from marketers and agencies. I am sure that this year we will witness a wide range of ideas that has created a lasting impact on brands across diverse categories.” The Effies judging is being in Delhi as well as Mumbai. Colors is the presenting sponsr, with Zee Media Corporation as the Associate Sponsor. Lenovo is the Technology Sponsor.
The awards event will be held on Wednesday, January 15, 2014 at the Turf Club, Mumbai at 6.30pm.
The Ad Club conducted a town hall meeting with Industry professionals with a view to gain their inputs and buy-in to the categories and rules of the Effie Awards.
The awards for the year – normally held in the last quarter of the calendar year – will be held on Wednesday, January 15, 2014 at the Royal Western Turf Club in Mumbai.
Here are important dates:
Last date to receive entries: November 25
Judging date in Mumbai: December 13 and 14
Mumbai final round: January 7, 2014
Judging date in Delhi: December 20 and 21
Based on the inputs, the Ad Club has brought about the following changes:
Under Consumer Products category, the Sub-Categories are coined as:
A) Beverages / Drink
B) Confectionary and Food
C) Cosmetics & Toiletries – same as last year
D) Others – same as last year
Under the Services Category:
A) Media and Entertainment is newly added
B) Telecom and Related Products – same as last year
C) Financial Services – same as last year
D) Others – same as last year
Introduction of New Categories:
1. Experiential Marketing
2. EFFIE for Good
Removal of Sub Category:
:: From Corporate Advertising, the sub0category Social Cause is removed and the current nomenclature will be Corporate Advertising/ Corporate Reputation.
Video: Video should be limited to a maximum of 3 minutes only.
Eligibility Period: Campaigns that ran in India from July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2013
The Emvies, the premier media awards instituted by The Advertising Club in 2001, are completing 13 years. Celebrating breakthrough innovations in Indian media, Emvies recognizes and awards the most outstanding media initiatives developed over the year gone by. The awards ceremony this year will be held on September 6 at the Taj Lands End, Bandra, Mumbai at 6pm.
The Emvies 2013 will retain the best practices of the past years including the online judging process initiated last year.
The Emvies Committee at the Ad Club after co-opting the participation of media agencies and taking their suggestions on board in an Emvies Town Hall session has introduced the following changes this year.
Launching the first ever judging rounds in New Delhi in addition to Mumbai.
Recognition for the so far ‘unrecognized heroes’ of media agencies with the “Best Implementation Team of the Year” award.
Introduction of new sub-categories in Best Media Innovation-TV, Best Media Innovation-Print, Best Integrated Campaign and Best Use of Research.
Re-introduction of categories like Best Use of Sponsorship.
Announcing the Emvies 2013 date schedule in the entry form.
Entrants may note that the brochure and entry form for the Emvie 2013 Awards can be downloaded from www.theadvertisingclub.net. The last date for submitting entries is July 8. More information is available from the Ad Club secretariat on 23894091 / 23810213.
The Advertising Club in association with the Times group, official representative of Cannes in India, will screen the Cannes showreel on February 11 at the Mayfair Rooms, Worli, at 5.30 pm.
The screening will last for two hours. Beer and snacks will be served during the course of the screening. Those interested may contact the Ad Club secretariat on 23810213 / 23894091 for donor passes.
Team Ogilvy, the 2011 Champions, retained the championship cup when they won the annual 5-A-Side Football Tournament organised by The Advertising Club Bangalore jointly with The Dainik Bhaskar Group.
Team Ogilvy convincingly beat Group M, 4 – 3 in a keenly contested finals this afternoon, at The Powerplay sports Pavilion at Bangalore. The tournament began on Friday, 12th October under flood lights and continued on Saturday 13th October. 18 teams contested in 4 groups on a league basis. The teams were tied at 1 – 1 at the end of the stipulated time and went into extra time of 5 + 5 minutes. During the extra time Sameer of Ogilvy scored with a hatrick. Group M fought back valiantly by scoring 2 Goals but eventually Team Ogilvy won by the one goal margin.
Sameer of Team Ogilvy who scored a total of 28 goals for the Champions, bagged the trophy for the Highest Scorer. Sameer of Team O & M who scored 28 goals and excelled in an all round display of skill & sportsmanship was also unanimously adjudged “Player of the Tournament “. Soumya Das of Group M, was adjudged ” The Best Goal Keeper for his consistent performance in all matches played by Group M.
The tournament, which is into its 21st year, is being jointly presented by the leading national media group Dainik Bhaskar, which has instituted a championship trophy for the winners. Commenting on their association with this tournament, Dainik Bhaskar’s Sr General Manager-south and Business Head – International Raja Mitra said, “We are proud to be associated with this prestigious event which brings together members of the advertising & marketing community in Bangalore. Such events not only help in improving inter-company relations, it also helps in bringing out a competitive spirit, albeit on the football field.”
Anand Bazaar Patrika gave special prizes to the “Player of the tournament”, Top Scorer and Best Goal Keeper apart from the trophies instituted by the Ad Club.
Speaking about the tournament, Arvind Kumar, Executive Director of the Ad Club, said, “This is the 20th year of this five a side competition and we are happy to receive 19 entries, a record for the Advertising Club, Bangalore. I am happy to see the enthusiasm and fair play, displayed by all the teams.”
Jaldi 5 with Shashi Sinha: “The idea is not to emerge as the only Ad Club in India”
Anil Thakraney: Delhi ad guys less cynical than Mumbai frat
At first it may not sound like a big deal. What’s in a name? And what’s in just the shedding of a part of the name? A lot, we think. For, in the context of the Advertising Club Bombay dropping the Bombay from the name, it’s indicative of the changing times.
The attempt  to be more all-inclusive is a welcome sign no doubt. But as the Club’s president told MxMIndia: “Delhi is a key market for the advertising industry with big agencies being housed there and also some big clients too based there. This is definitely one of the main reasons for us bringing Delhi under our purview.”
So is this move a firm indicator that Delhi is emerging as a more challenging player than Mumbai in Advertising and Marketing?
Rahul Kishore
According to Rahul Kishore, Senior VP – Priority Projects at Mogae Media, does not believe in this creative demarcation and would rather see Delhi (“Gurgaon actually”) and Mumbai sharing an equal pedestal.
Mr Kishore said, “I am totally against this Delhi v/s Bombay tussle that keeps happening on and off. It should just be The Advertising Club. As I said there are agencies that are present all across the country but just because a few are headquartered in Mumbai it doesn’t give Bombay to be the leader of sorts. I don’t think that’s a true representation; I think there’s a lot more business that happens out of North India. I can tell you that in North India.”
Satbir Singh
Satbir Singh, Managing Partner & Chief Creative Officer: Euro RSCG India, echoes this view. He believes that Delhi has an edge over Mumbai especially when it comes to clients. He said, “The rate of growth that Delhi has had over Mumbai has been phenomenal, especially over the last four-five years. Delhi has largest spenders: whether it is auto sector, telecom or large scale FMCGs like Reckitt Benckiser, Dabur, Pepsi, Coke etc.”
“Mumbai still scores with financial sector and the fact that large-spending media clients like GECs are based out of Mumbai. One spender that can perhaps tip scales in favour of Mumbai is Hindustan Lever since it equals the large spenders that Delhi has,” Mr Singh added. “But that apart, the sheer number and concentration of large spenders is very heavy in Delhi and this will continue for a long time. Earlier, most of the senior people were based out of Mumbai. But increasingly we see more senior people either based out of Delhi or flying to the capital for meetings and decisions.”
Delhi has the edge, no doubt. Mumbai, though, still has a dominant edge when it comes to creativity – in areas like advertising films etc thanks to the presence of Bollywood and the best post production facilities – but here too the gap is narrowing.
Lloyd Mathias
Lloyd Mathias, Director, GreenBean Ventures, Former President & CMO, Tata Teleservices is originally from Mumbai, but has worked extensively in Delhi and for a bit in recent years in Mumbai too. “I would not say dominant, but Delhi is rapidly moving to equal Mumbai in the advertising and marketing space,” he said. “In certain sectors, such as mobile phones, consumer durables and automobiles, Delhi has already pulled ahead of Mumbai. Given Mumbai’s historical dominance as India’s commercial centre it had the edge with a more professional approach to work; but the with the emergence of MNC’s over the last decade in the Gurgaon/Delhi/NCR region , the gap has narrowed down to a large extent,”  he added.
An industry analyst with a leading consulting firm who did not wish to be named, said, “There has been a massive increase in Delhi , definitely. Delhi team is more efficient at negotiation, is the finding. The Delhi team thinks bigger. They do not approach clients as space-vendors; rather they go as concept-sellers and are able to get higher rates from advertiser.”
Sathyamurthy NP
What has possibly helped Delhi is the increasing professionalism and an improved work ethic. The industry analyst further said, “What has become a norm is that the foreigners come and set up base in Delhi. An MNC set-up brings in systems and processes of evolved advertising markets to Delhi . When you sell to those guys, you sell fancier ideas. All that gets a premium. Advertisers in Delhi are savvy, wherein Mumbai guys are more focused on bottom lines and rates. That is why we also think of servicing a client out of Delhi , for the Delhi team can present better concepts and thus, crack better deals.”
Prathap Suthan
Sathyamurthy NP, President & Head – DDB MudraMax reasoned that we should not be making too much of the move by the Advertising Club. “Though Mumbai will continue to be the advertising hub of India, it’s time we hear the voice of Delhi too,” he told MxMIndia, adding:Â “When it comes to being professional, Delhi is as good as Mumbai.”
The move by the Advertising Club to be more inclusive is decidedly in the right direction. But will it help the industry to keep politics aside and show more participation, only time can tell. Meanwhile, the Mumbai v/s Delhi debate is endless. And, as veteran adman Prathap Suthan told MxMIndia, “intercity rivalry is healthy, positive and must be sustained”.
When I met Shashi Sinha for an interview in February this year, we discussed the Bombay Ad Club’s activities. Sinha was very clear about expanding into Delhi. And I immediately knew it was a good idea, though I didn’t say that to him. This is because during an interview, the interviewer does not offer any opinions; at least that’s my mantra. Though the esteemed Shri Arnab Goswami shall not agree, but I digress.
Well, I am happy to hear that the Advertising Club Bombay will now be called The Advertising Club. And Delhi/NCR is their next stop. This should ideally have happened a decade ago. The Delhi ad market has been booming for a long time now, they boast of many very large local and multinat clients. And the Ad Club Delhi isn’t really a happening body. So a clear opportunity exists for the Bombay club guys.
There’s another reason why I find Delhi a more exciting market, and I say this from personal experience of having worked there. The Delhi ad guys, much like the rest of the Dilliwallahs, are an excitable, exuberant sort, they are lot less cynical compared to the Mumbai ad frat. And they will participate in the Club’s events with gusto. (Provided, of course, the newly named Club delivers cool events.) In the Mumbai ad world, apart from participation in award competitions, I have noticed very little enthusiasm on industry events. Maybe they have gotten tired of seminars, or maybe in Mumbai they just don’t care anymore. Perhaps this also explains the Bombay Ad Club’s hugely decreased activity.
And I will give you another insight on why they’ll find Delhi more responsive to events. This may sound very pedestrian, but it’s a fact of life. Commute in Delhi is lot more easy and joyful compared to Mumbai. This will also play a key role in crowd support in the capital. Just the thought of additional evening commute in a messy, decaying, perpetually traffucked Mumbai is a huge downer.
Mumbaikars would rather go home than listen to an ad guru. Survival, not knowledge, is the priority out here.
***
PS: Outstanding Nike commercial and it must have cost peanuts to produce. The power of the ad is in the words, they are superbly scripted. Reminds me of the good old days when press ads in India used to contain glittering prose. Before the TV boom, before the cow belt guys took control of the desi ad world.
The Emviees, the premier media awards instituted by The Advertising Club Bombay in 2001 – are completing 12 years. The Emvies Committee at the Ad Club after consulting media industry thought leaders has introduced new categories/changes at EMVIEs 2012.
Three new categories have been introduced: Media Client of the Year, Best Ongoing Media Campaign and Young Emvie of the Year. Display and Video has been added as additional sub categories under ‘Best Media Innovation – Digital’. Zoom, the Bollywood channel, has introduced a special award category in the 12th edition of the EMVIES. The special award titled “Best Use of a Bollywood Celebrity in Media” will be given to an entry that uniquely showcases or integrates a Bollywood celebrity in media, creating impact and being relevant to the brand’s communication.
For the first time ever, the entries were submitted digitally.
Befitting the occasion the Ad Club has received an unprecedented response receiving 734 entries across 23 categories an all time record. The Ad Club had received 717 entries last year. The record entries are an indication of the growing media industry and the constantly evolving high standards.
As many as 43 agencies have participated in the competition and their work was judged by 100 top notch media professionals in Round I spread over for three days. The judging was paperless. The Round II will happen on 23rd, 24th & 25th of August in the popular format of Case Study Presentation at Welingkar Institute and will be judged by 21 stalwarts from the marketing fraternity. Only those who will present on or before 10 am will get the ballot paper to exercise their vote. The Case Study Presentation for all three days and the Awards Ceremony will be webcasted live on www.adclubbombay.com.
The Emvies have gone from strength to strength in these years with the very active and enthusiastic support of the entire media fraternity. Not only have these Awards become a matter of honour for media planning and buying houses, but are today receiving tremendous support from media marketers and clients as well.
The Emvies will take place on September 3, 2012 at Taj Lands End, Bandra. The awards ceremony will be attended by over 1000 die heard professionals from Media, Marketing, Advertising, Research & Communications fraternity. An added attraction is the Band Baja Awards which will showcase musical talent within the media fraternity. Some Rockstars will emerge from that evening’s performance.
By Anil Thakraney