MxMIndia

Tag: Kyoorius Awards

  • Into a wake-up call for the entire ad industry

    W+K on Kyoorius awards initiative

     

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    This yea, Kyoorius Creative Awards has introduced a special initiative to empower younger, growing agencies. For the first time, participants whose entries don’t make it past the first round of judging have a special incentive – they will get back 50% of their entry fee, per entry. This is also the year when newer kinds of participation are being encouraged, be it for regional or pharma.

    Kyoorius’s agency, Wieden+Kennedy India, felt this was an apt opportunity to take this brief to the next level. Said Santosh ‘Paddy’ Padhi, CCO of Wieden + Kennedy India: “Kyoorius has grown beyond an award, it has become the industry’s voice. That’s why this year’s campaign isn’t just about the award, it’s about addressing the uncomfortable realities in advertising and igniting the change it needs.”

    Added Rajesh Kejriwal, Founder of Kyoorius: “When I heard of Paddy’s brainchild, ‘Give Back’, it struck a chord with me. I know the world of Indian advertising is going through its toughest challenges and if we all don’t take ownership of our problems, if we don’t introspect and evolve, then who will?”

    Said Yogesh Rijhwani, ECD of W+K Mumbai: “Our creative team found a way to express each hard-hitting message through some stunning typography, which has become the visual voice of the campaign. We enjoyed the love, especially for craft, in the comments sections of these posts.”

  • Kyoorius Creative Awards will donate 2,000 PPE kits on behalf of the advertising community of India to help health workers fight Covid-19

    Kyoorius Creative Awards in digital form. Entry fee: 1.5k+GST

    By A Correspondent

     

    Kyoorius Creative Awards are happening, albeit in digital form.

    Punit Goenka

    Said Punit Goenka, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited: “We understand and acknowledge the challenges faced by the entire creative fraternity and this disruptive step is being taken to enhance the participation levels while significantly reducing the award entry budgets,”

     

    The entry fee will be Rs 1500 per entry, exclusive of taxes.

    In addition to reducing the fees, Kyoorius Awards will donate a minimum of 2000 PPE kits to authorities in Mumbai, Delhi NCR and Bengaluru on behalf of the advertising community of India. The first consignment of 500 PPEs has been delivered in Mumbai.

     

    Rajesh Kejriwal

    Added Rajesh Kejriwal, founder of Kyoorius: “Obviously, we debated whether the Award should, indeed, be held this year. After much thought, we decided that the Awards should be held, at the same size and scale as previous awards, but taking into account the realities of the post-coronavirus world that we live in,” adding: “The major change will be in the judging process. “While the quality and composition of the jury will be similar to previous years and will see both Indian and international practitioners assessing the work, the jury sessions will be online and virtual… It is a difficult time for all businesses including advertising, and we hope the Kyoorius Creative Awards plays a small role in the upliftment of the mood of the industry and all those who work in advertising and marketing, especially the younger professionals,” added Kejriwal.

     

    The key milestones and dates are as follows:

    Call for Entry Resumes – Monday, June 15, 2020

    Entries Close – July 15, 2020

    Jury Session

    First Round – July 31 and August 1, 2020

    Final Round – August 7 and 8, 2020

    Awards Night – Friday, August 28, 2020

  • His achievements have and will change the way digital advertising is perceived in India

    It’s Sidharth Rao. The MxMIndia Mediaperson of the Year 2019

     

    By Pradyuman Maheshwari

     

     

    Greetings! It’s D-Day all over again. December 20, 2010. The day when we said we would announce the MxMIndia Mediaperson of the Year 2019. Unlike various other awards and presentations, this is done via MxMIndia, not through an event. So we aren’t dictated by the demands (and exigencies) of sponsors and the constraints that venues and budgets put us under. We like to compare it with the Time magazine’s Person of the Year. Just an online announcement. We are sure you will join us in the celebration of who our 2019 Mediaperson of the Year is.

     

    First a quick look at how we are different from various other awards/title presentations:

     

    First, it’s not based on a survey. It’s not based on any industry poll. It is based on a study conducted by us through the year. This makes the decision-making tougher, as we can’t pass the blame on to research. Or the collective view of the industry. Or of a jury.

     

    Second, it’s an A&M industry study. Agreed CEOs of big clients are important, but we are looking at CMOs and not CEOs of well-marketed organisations.

     

    Third, we look at performance through the year, and do not base it on the highs of the last two quarters of a year which tend to influence any voting-based process at the yearend.

     

    Fourth, it’s about performance in the year. The highs and highs achieved in this calendar year.

     

    Fifth, we give you a clear reason why we have chosen the winner

     

    Sixth, we are as sincere and honest about the awards as one can get. A few years back there were suggestions that we should make it an on-ground event. But then that comes with its own set of issues (and compulsions). We even had one large media group expressing its interest four years back. But we think it could’ve influenced our decision-making.

     

    So: the MxMIndia Mediaperson of the Year 2019 is an online presentation. It’s an accolade that’s for the truly well-deserving. And for the True Achiever of 2019 in the Indian Media, Advertising & Marketing arena.

     

    With the backgrounders done, here’s  how we went about our task.

     

    We maintain an online notebook that records important developments of the year. It’s also a drill that ensures one can do recaps etc with ease.

     

    For the Mediaperson of the Year, one reviews names, quarter-wise. This ensures the choice of the winner doesn’t suffer from the recency factor.

     

    We looked at various names. We couldn’t miss the achievements of the various media biggies as they went on consolidating operations.

     

    We had also asked our readers for their nominations, and we added these to the come to a shortlist of five.

     

    Ladies and Gentlemen, We have great pride in announcing that the 2019 MxMIndia Mediaperson of the Year Award is:

     

    Sidharth Rao

    CEO and Co-Founder, Dentsu Webchutney

    Sidharth Rao

    He was all of 19 when he started a digital agency called Webchutney. He was its co-founder and CEO. Six years back (in 2013), the agency was acquired by the Dentsu Aegis Network and hasn’t looked back ever since.

    Dentsu Webchutney was the most-awarded Indian agency at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in 2019. And has won numerous awards – at the Goafest Abby, at the Kyoorius Awards and almost everywhere else. The year also saw the release of Rao’s book ‘How I Almost Blew It’

     

    Rao is also an angel investor, was the co-founder of Network Play, which became one of the largest brand ad network in less than three years and was later acquired by European media conglomerate Bertelsmann AG.

     

    So how did we arrive at our decision: 

     

    The year 2019 has been pretty horrible for the media, advertising and marketing ecosystem. Achche Din didn’t happen. In fact the line that’s used is: Burre din kab jaayenge.

     

    This state of the economy has had a huge impact on the business of media. Profits are down, work has reduced and the bottomlines have been severely impacted.

     

    So we looked at all the small, medium-sized and large companies that did very well in the year. While there has been a fair amount of great work done despite all the odds, we didn’t find an individual’s achievement striking enough for being a ‘Person of the Year’. There is of course the argument that the very ability to navigate and profit in a tough year is by itself an achievement.

     

    We couldn’t agree more. So to the media and advertising industry and all the professionals who are part of it: kudos. You are all super-achievers.

     

    But in all of this, we found Sidharth Rao’s achievements stand out. Digital has been growing over the years, but one of the reasons why it hasn’t grown enough so far is because it’s always been compartmentalised and hence never considered as mainstream advertising.

     

    Rao’s achievements of the year have changed that. And will do that forever. He’s not your pinstriped suitwallah adperson. He’s not a turtle neck T-shirt wallah techie. He belongs to the breed of industryfolk who have done things quietly and have done it over the years.

     

    A truly deserving winner of the 2019 MxMIndia Mediaperson of the Year title.

     

     

  • Veteran musician Louiz Banks awarded Master of Creativity

    Old favourites star ar Kyoorius Awards

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    It was a night when some old favourites came off with flying colours. Ogilvy, which has been winning top honours at the Kyoorius Creative Awards, won 15 Blue Elephants, while Dentsu Webchutney bagged 14 Blue and one Black Elephant. Wunderman Thompson (eka JWT) went home with 11 Blue and one Black Elephant. DDB Mudra bagged 12 Blue Elephants and Famous Innovations won 11 Blue Elephants. The Black Elephant is awarded to work that’s truly exemplary across all disciplines.

     

    Overall 2600 entries were received for the 29 categories. A total of Two Black Elephants, and 302 In-Book Winners were awarded. DDB Mudra Group took home 12 blue elephants. Wunderman Thompson India won 11 blue elephants, and Famous Innovations took home 11 blue elephants. All In-Book winners take home Baby Elephants and are featured in the Kyoorius Awards Annual.

     

    The Kyoorius Creative Awards are organised in association with The One Club of Creativity, organisers of the One Show, the aim of creating a truly neutral and transparent platform to reward the best in Indian advertising, media and digital creativity.

     

    Commenting on the awards, Rajesh Kejriwal, Founder & CEO, Kyoorius said: “We are proud to present the Kyoorius Creative Awards to such talented professionals who have managed to change the way society thinks through their unconventional, out of the box concepts that redefine standards for the advertising industry. We have always positioned ourselves as an organization that rewards and recognises impeccable work that steers public perception. We congratulate all our award recipients and thank the jury for accomplishing the insurmountable task of selecting winners from an exceptional pool of talent.”

     

  • Entries open from March 21, 2018 across 20 categories

    Kyoorius Awards names its jury for fifth edition

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Kyoorius Creative Awards is back in its fifth edition and entries will be open from March 21 to April 23, 2018 across 20 main categories and 280 sub-categories. The Kyoorius Creative Awards night will be held on June 1, 2018 in Mumbai. The entries will be judged by four juries; two for advertising and one each for digital and media from 14th May – 16th May in Mumbai.

     

    The jury chairpersons are as follows:

    ArunIyer- Chairman & Chief Creative Officer, Lowe Lintas – Advertising

    Santosh Padhi- Chief Creative Officer & Co-Founder, Taproot Denstu– Advertising

    Torie Henderson – CEO, South East Asia & India, Omnicom Media Group Asia Pacific – Media

    KunalJeswani- Chief Executive Officer, Ogilvy & Mather– Digital

     

    The other confirmed jurors include: Bobby Pawar – Chief Creative Officer and Managing Director – South Asia, Publicis Worldwide, India, Deepa Geethakrishnan – National Creative Director (HUL), Lowe Lintas, JuhiKalia – Head of Creative Shop India & Global Brands APAC, Facebook, KainazKarmakar- Chief Creative Officer – Ogilvy Mumbai, Ogilvy & Mather, KartikIyer – CEO, Happy McGarryBowen, Kyoko Yonezawa – Creative Technologist, Dentsu Inc., Neil Cooper – Group Creative Director, Publicis.Sapient, Pradyumna Chauhan –Creative Consultant, PreethiMariappan – VP, Executive Creative Director Emerging Experiences, Publicis Sapient, Satbir Singh – Founder & Chief Creative Officer, Thinkstr, Sidharth Rao – CEO and Co-Founder, DentsuWebchutney, Sumanto Chattopadhyay – Chairman & Chief Creative Officer, Soho Square, Ogilvy Group, India, Swati Bhattacharya – Chief Creative Officer, FCB Ulka and Tista Sen – National Creative Director & Senior Vice President, J. Walter Thompson India.

     

    Speaking about the jury and the fifth edition of the awards, Rajesh Kejriwal, Founder and CEO, Kyoorius said: “The jurors at The Kyoorius Creative Awards, with their innate knowledge and experience, will contribute to this vision of acknowledging the finest original and innovative work. We look forward to hosting an insightful and rewarding event that honours the best in advertising.”

     

     

  • As many as five Black Elephants and 96 Blue Elephants were awarded this year

    Ogilvy maxes Kyoorius Creative Awards yet again

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Kyoorius Creative Awards 2017 were presented in Mumbai on Saturday in the fourth edition of the event. A total of five black elephants and 96 blue elephants were awarded across Advertising, Digital and Media categories in an event that was presented with style, as the awards night has been over all its four editions.

     

    While Ogivly won the maxium number of blue elephants, the five black elephants winners were:

    1.Ogilvy & Mather for Savlon Healthy Hands Chalk Sticks

    2. Early Man Films Pvt. Ltd. for The Hindu

    3. Kinetic Worldwide for Mukhota – The life saving mask

    4. FCB Interface for World’s 1st Streets Named after Street Kids

    5. Response India for Fat Feed Fashion | Instagram to Insta-fashion

     

    Said Kunal Jeswani, CEO, Ogilvy India: “What a great night for Ogilvy India at the Kyoorius Awards. Nothing makes me happier than to see such a fantastic width of Ogilvy talent creating so much great work across so many of our clients. There is no shortcut to great work. You need the best talent in the house. You need them to push their own limits, constantly reinvent themselves and play as a team. And you need great clients who trust you and partner you. Today, I am thankful that we have all three.”

     

    Added Prasanth Kumar, CEO, Mindshare South Asia on his agency winning six Blue Elephants: “It’s very encouraging to witness a greater number of elephants being won across clients. Being a platform that celebrates creativity, it is a great recognition for all the disruptive work done across wins. These wins certainly motivates us to do better in the coming years.”

     

    Commenting on the awards, Rajesh Kejriwal, Founder & CEO, Kyoorius said: “This year again has been a successful year for Kyoorius Creative Awards. I am happy with the response that we have got for having a transparent open jury process and we shall continue to do so.”

     

    A total of 1823 entries were received from 304 entrants. The total number of in-book winners were 307, with a total of 88 blue elephants awarded and five black elephants. There were eight Colors awards presented. The winner of the Times of India Power of Print award was JWT with the runners-up being FCB Interface and Havas Worldwide.

     

     

  • Mudra picks up lone Black Elephant for the Zydus Wellness campaign. Ogilvy gets 15 Blues. Contract next with 5 Blues

    DDB Mudra, Ogilvy win the Big Elephants @ Kyoorius

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    In the news for the right reasons, screamed the T-shirts worn by the large contingent from DDB Mudra as they ran up to collect the only Black Elephant for Zydus Wellness Ltd’s Nutralite The Black Elephant is the highest award presented by Kyoorius and is the equivalent of the Grand Prix at the Goafest Abby.

     

    Kyoorius, in association with D&AD, the London-based body of creative, design and advertising communities, held an awards event to announce the winners of the second edition of the Kyoorius Advertising & Digital Awards at Dome, at the NSCI stadium in Mumbai. Over 1,800 advertising and marketing professionals from across India and abroad attended the event held on Friday evening.

     

    WINNERSPEAK:
     

    Piyush Pandey

    Executive Chairman and Creative Director, Ogilvy India

    I am so happy that we won 15 awards because the young people at Ogilvy are taking the tradition forward and making us look good, making me look good, and the brand Ogilvy look better, and they are making their clients look better. It feels good. I didn’t see much of mainline work today and I would like to see more of it next year. There is a lot of work that we as industry practitioners appreciate, but I would like to see more work that consumers appreciated and was good enough for the jury to appreciate as well. I miss some of that work. I think the jury was fantastic. I know many people on the jury; it was a wonderful jury. But I think the Indian jury should be more balanced, to get the sensibilities a little better. They are much better than I’ve ever seen, but we could get even better in the future.

     

    Madhukar Kamath

    Group CEO and MD, DDB Mudra group

    Good work rises to the top, appreciation is wonderful, the team is happy. Full credit to Sonal and his team for all the work they’ve been doing over the last few years. It is a vindication of the belief — work in silence and let success be your noise. It was good to see the quality of work right across different categories and feel happier that some of your work has risen to the top. It was a good body of work.

     

    (Talking about the jury )Every awards show has its own flavour. Globally, that’s also been the scenario. This is the type of jury that a Kyoorius puts together, which is good. I’ve always thought that as long as there is peer group appreciation, it is good.

     

    In India brands have been built over centuries. That does not mean that we’re not doing great work. I’ve never believed that India has been inferior. Here, you do work for India. Right from the beginning, we’ve built great brands here. Indian advertising has always been culturally contextual and it has been wonderful in terms of building brands for the country, because that is what advertising is all about, in terms of content that builds brands and connects to consumers.

     

    Rana Barua

    CEO, Contract Advertising

    The fact that Kyoorius has kept only one colour elephant is a good and interesting format for now. We’ll have to see in the long run how we can sustain something like this. We at Contract won a lot of awards. The quality of work is good, and clients are pushing us to do better, so that’s the big challenge. The jury is very prestigious, very eclectic, interesting. Only that sometimes you wonder whether they get the whole thing, because there is a lot of international jury judging Indian work. With a lot of Indian friends in the jury, I’m sure they understand what is happening. Maybe we need more Indian presence on the jury, because a lot of unique work happens within our country, because our country is a lot more unique than others. I think India is pretty sorted in the way we work, because it appeals to Indians. India itself is a nation of many countries put together. If our campaigns work for such a massive country, they will work anywhere in the world as well.

    (interviews by Dyanne Coelho)

     

    The next level of awards – the Blue Elephant — was presented for Creative (36 winners, 38 if you consider that two of them were shared by two agencies) and Digital Advertising (12 winners). Ogilvy bagged 13 Blue Elephants in Creative and two in Digital. Two of the Ogilvy creative awards were awarded jointly.

     

    From Times Square-inspired sets, to sound and motion graphics, the entire visual experience for the night was created by Dutch and Malaysian specialists. Hosts Suresh Venkat and Mandira Bedi regaled the crowd with witty banter in the 75-odd minute awards presentation.

     

    A total of 1,419 entries (up almost 40% from the previous year) were submitted across advertising and digital categories. Ogilvy, DDB Mudra, Contract Advertising, Ideas@Work, Scarecrow Communications, Soho Square, BBH, BBDO India, Dentsu Webchutney, Madison, Madison BMB, ITSA Brand Innovations, Experience Commerce, Rediffusion Y&R, BBH, Famous Innovations, Havas Worldwide, Fanatics Viscomm, Grey, Linen Lintas, PHD India, Sapient, Web Maffia, River Advertising, Creativeland Asia, Blink Digital, Whyness Worldwide, and TBWA were some of the agencies who were awarded the ‘Baby Elephant’ trophy as ‘In Book’ winners.

     

    Of the 163 In Book winners, also nominees for Blue Elephants, the advertising and digital juries awarded 36 Blue Elephants in Advertising and 12 Blue Elephants in Digital categories.

     

    In the advertising categories, the 36 Blue Elephant winners included campaigns by Contract Advertising, Ideas@Work, Creativeland Asia, Ogilvy, Early Man Film, DDB Mudra, BBDO, Fanatics, Grey, TBWA and Linen Lintas.

     

    In digital categories, 12 Blue Elephant winners included work by PHD India, Pigeon & Co., Quasar, Quidich, Dentsu Webchutney, Experience Commerce, Leaf Design, Madison Media, Sapient and Ogilvy.

     

    DDB Mudra was awarded the lone Black Elephant this year for the direct marketing campaign, Health Cha Shree Ganesh. The campaign for Nutralite, gave the Ganesh idol a healthy makeover – with a physically fit idol and equally fit priest, accompanied by sugarfree modaks and offerings at a pandal in Mumbai. Devotees could participate in Zumba workouts while waiting in line and ‘donate’ calories while working out on a treadmill.

     

    Said Aneil ‘Andee’ Deepak, Executive Director, DDB Mudra Group and Head of Ideas, DDB MudraMax and who now heads the agency’s experiential business after MudraMax President Mandeep Malhotra move on: “The standard of work that has come in this year has really improved and so have the judging standards. The judging is so top notch that winning here means everything. This is the best award show in India. We feel fantastic. I think the move of keeping only the Blue Elephant award, taking away division between categories of winning is a good move. It makes the hungrier survive. If you are hungry for that one black elephant, you better beat everyone else. It’s a great motivation to win the black elephant.”

     

    Rajesh Kejriwal, Founder-CEO of Kyoorius, said on the awards: “We are overwhelmed by the response. Our association with D&AD guarantees a transparent and neutral platform, with the jury representing the best of international and local talent.”

     

    When asked about the trends this year, he said: “We saw a lot of work around gender equality and women’s rights, reflecting the national sentiment on these issues. Plus, of course, in a World Cup year, loads of cricket.”

     

    Tim Lindsay, CEO of D&AD who is associated with Kyoorius for a second consecutive year (or a third, if you include the Design Awards that he is associated with for three years), said: “The Kyoorius Awards continue to grow in size and stature, and are an important indicator of the world-class standards of the Indian creative scene. But the real heroes are the creatives themselves, who are producing ever more engaging, emotional and beautifully-crafted work  D&AD are proud to partner.”  At the international D&AD awards, which were incidentally also held last week, Indian agencies won some ‘Pencils’, as the Metals?? medals?? are called there.

     

    Alongside the Elephant winners, all nominations will be featured in the Kyoorius Advertising Awards Annual and the Kyoorius Digital Awards Annual – distributed to over 5,000 corporates and creatives across India.

     

    The awards night marked the end of a two-day festival of creativity in advertising, media and marketing developed by Kyoorius in partnership with Zee, marketing services giant GroupM and D&AD.

     

  • Of the 1419 entries submitted, 163 entries have been nominated across Advertising and Digital categories

    Kyoorius unveils In Book Winners & Blue Elephant nominees

    By A Correspondent

     

    Kyoorius today announced the In book winners at the 2015 Kyoorius Advertising & Digital Awards. Of the 1419 entries submitted, 163 entries have been nominated across Advertising and Digital categories. These nominated entries, already winners of a ‘Baby’ Elephant, are contenders for the coveted Blue Elephants, and for truly exceptional work, the even rarer Black Elephant.

     

    The complete list of Advertising Awards In Book Winners can be found at: http://awards.kyoorius.com/2015/advertising/in-book-winners-blue-elephant-nominees-2015/

     

    The complete list of Kyoorius Digital Awards In Book Winners can be found at: http://awards.kyoorius.com/2015/digital/in-book-winners-blue-elephant-nominees-2015/

     

    Elephant winners will be announced on Day 2 of MELT 2015 at the Kyoorius Advertising and Digital Awards night on May 22 at the NSCI in Mumbai.

     

    Participating agencies at the 2015 edition of the Kyoorius Awards included DDB Mudra, Ogilvy & Mather,  Madison, BBDO, Grey Worldwide, Contract Advertising, Creativeland Asia, Scarecrow Communication, Linen Advertising, Itsa Brand Solutions, Webchutney, Isobar, RediffusionY&R, Ideas@Work to name a few.

     

    Rajesh Kejriwal

    Said Rajesh Kejriwal, Founder CEO of Kyoorius: “With almost twice as many entries as last year, the jury members were tasked with an immense responsibility to recognise and award all outstanding work submitted to the awards. We’d like to congratulate all the Baby Elephant winners – This is cause for celebration in itself, given Kyoorius and D&AD’s stringent criteria.”

     

    The Blue Elephant is recognised as a symbol of the very highest creative achievement, notes a communique, adding: Kyoorius Awards have no winning tier structure - no gold, silver or bronze, and it is the jury’s prerogative to award one or multiple Blue Elephants in any one category, whereas none in another, if entries are not up to the mark. Alongside the winner all nominations will be featured in the Kyoorius Advertising Awards Annual – distributed to over 5000 corporates and creatives across India – providing an invaluable and unrivaled source of creative inspiration.

     

  • We asked this question to Vicki Maguire and six other international biggies who were in India to judge the Kyoorius Awards

    What international creative gurus think of Indian advertising

     

    When we met her over a drink on Saturday evening, Vicki Maguire, Deputy Executive Creative Director, Grey Advertising, London, seemed ecstatic about what she saw in the four days as Foreman (chairperson) of the Kyoorius Advertising Awards jury. In fact, she said in jest, some of the ideas she saw were very replicate-able internationally. The jury sessions saw Ms Maguire and her team of jurors having a long day at work. Little wonder we could get the responses to our questions only on Friday, the second-last day of the jury meet. The responses were received via mail to questions from Pradyuman Maheshwari

     

     

    How does Indian advertising compare with that abroad? What can we do to improve our awards tally at international fests Cannes Lions and the D&AD? As the jury for the Kyoorius awards concluded their work on Saturday, Dyanne Coelho asked the international jury members gathered for the advertising and digital categories to weign in on the scenario in our country.

     

    Melanie Clancy – Creative Director, BBDO Proximity, Singapore

    There’s been a lot of really interesting work across a lot of different digital touch points. There have been some great social concepts in particular, which I am quite excited to come across. Advertising is such a diverse space, it would be difficult to compare. Based on what I’ve seen, I would advise India to focus more on case study videos, keep the ideas very telescopic, and come up with concepts that you can share in a second. Not ideas that take too long to explain.

     

    Tim Doherty – Chief Creative Officer, Isobar, China

    In China, because of the political situation, there was a long time when there was no advertising. That’s a market that still is catching up. India, on the other hand, has had a long history of advertising. There’s amazing film and print work coming out of the country. China is still sort of coming of age; it’s just the first 15 years of advertising there. It’s my first time looking at so much Indian work, but I think that digital creative isn’t yet as ambitious as traditional creative in terms of craft, production quality, and I think a lot of that has to do with budgets. But the work I’m seeing here is definitely on par with that in China. Great work is always something that connects with your emotions. There’s no faking it. But simplicity takes a lot of effort. You’ve got to push the work and refine it over and over. That’s my advice.

     

    Andy Greenaway – Executive Creative Director, Sapient Nitro APAC

    I think India is very good at storytelling, and that shows. It has found its own voice, and that voice is a part of the things India is known for. That’s the strength of Indian advertising. I think it’s very different. Indian campaigns are bigger and more brand-oriented. Singapore is small, much more retail-focused. Singapore, where I work, is a smaller, but has invested heavily in technology, unlike India. If you look at TV advertising, India is far ahead of Singapore, whereas in digital, Singapore is ahead. D&AD is a very British show, and the Brits are well-known for their innovation and design, animation and graphics. I don’t think India’s known for that. India’s DNA is in words, storytelling and narrative. So it’s just two very different markets. The fact that India has won 19 awards at D&AD is good. But it’s not a numbers game. If you get in, you’re actually doing a good job.

     

    Joji Jacob – Group Executive Creative Director, DDB Group, Singapore

    The process of judging was really refreshing. The organisers at Kyoorius seem determined to set a benchmark with the quality of the work. I think the tie-up with D&AD makes it even better. The awards are big in stature. I was a bit disappointed with the quality of work. I’ve seen a lot of great work come out of India in the last couple of years, but I haven’t seen that this time. The quality of work at Cannes, where also I’ve been a judge, is much better. Here, there is a lot of work that has not been entered, and some work here has been entered just for the sake of entering. A bit of advice would be to provide a proper explanations for your entry. A lot of the entries that were in Hindi, were not properly subtitled. I think it’s important to spend a little more time in preparing the entry.

     

    Juhi Kalia – Executive Creative Director, JWT Singapore

    The work I’ve seen till now is very good, very emotional. Personally, I was happy to see a lot of work that is very positive for women. There was some funny and some well-written work, in Hindi too. I’ve come back to India after a long time, and I enjoyed watching the Hindi pieces. At the same time, like most shows, there were some work that made us say, ‘really, why?’. Indian advertising is at a great level. We’ve done really well internationally, and it’s getting better and better. It’s interesting to see that there is a digital session now as well. India is quite at par with its international counterparts in most categories. As for the D&AD, I think you have bad years and good years. If your work is genuine and authentic, and it comes from a place of honesty, then it will get recognised.

     

    Farrokh Madon – Creative Director, Independent, Singapore

    I started my career in India, but I’ve been out for 22 years. A lot of the advertising in the country has local insights and local backdrops, which is good because there is enough confidence in one’s own culture to do work that’s relevant to the people, and not blindly ape the West. Within that format, it would always be nice to experiment a bit. Things like music, to me, seem very formulaic – like I’ve heard it many times before. So even when one focusses on one’s culture, one cannot lose sight of innovation. One has to try and experiment and do things differently. Also, don’t worry too much about awards; focus on doing work that is fresh and original, and awards will come naturally. Originality should be the Holy Grail, and not the award.

     

    Tim Malbon – Co-founder, Made by Many

    We’ve looked at a number of entries and some of them really stand out. A lot of them are, however, the same. Some of the entries that we didn’t quite like have been talking about what advertising could do for you rather than the original idea and concept. But on the whole, we’ve seen some really strong work. If I had to compare India from a few years ago to the US and UK, I might have said that the US and UK are much farther ahead. But today, I feel that the gap is closing, and there’s no reason it shouldn’t completely disappear over the next few years. One bit of advice is that from what I see, a lot of the entries today seem to be made for the wrong awards. Try and think about entering your ad for the right award, and the right category, so that it gains the right recognition.

     

    Andy Sandoz – Creative Partner, Havas Work Club/ Deputy President of D&AD

    There is an interesting social commentary in Indian advertising, about the role of women in society or how women are perceived or even how men or women should act. Advertising should be a good social product. In digital there isn’t quite the same level of execution in India as it is in the UK. There is some strategic thinking and some good ideas, but not quite the same polish of execution that you might see elsewhere. That simply means they haven’t yet reached their potential. My advice to India from a digital perspective would be to continue to use digital to make the world better. Use digital to create tools of utility and engagement for people to empower themselves, improve their lives and their work. That’s the kind of work that is winning. That’s the kind of future we all want to see. Embrace the craft. Embrace the beautiful ability that digital has, to surprise people.

     

    There’s much anticipation for the second D&AD-Kyoorius Awards. Were there any broad rules – Do’s and Don’ts that you are set out for your jury?

    I’ve just come from judging D&AD in London, I got straight on a plane, so the experience is fresh in my mind. If D&AD and Kyoorius share any rules it’s:  “Good isn’t good enough”

     

    That sentiment holds true here as it does around the world. We’re not just here to celebrate work from the region , we are here to protect standards and champion brave work, talent and clients. To that point there is no room for scam work or for tactical voting. It’s all about the work. the idea. the execution and the relevance.

     

    How familiar are you with advertising in India? Your views on our advertising?

    I’ve worked on global accounts for years so I have a fair idea what’s happening across the world. I’m  also familiar with the Indian  work that has made its way out of advertising and into wider culture. That’s the beauty of the internet and the generosity of the creative community to share ideas that excite them. I’m looking forward to seeing local work that I’m not aware of from the local independent shops.

     

    While India has a rich past of storytelling and our advertising industry has attracted top draw talent, we don’t do very well at the international awards. In fact at the 2015 D&AD Awards, India has bagged only 19 Pencils, down from 25 last year. What would you attribute as the reason for this?

    Yeah, interesting question. I don’t believe it’s down to talent, or the lack of it. My guess  is it isn’t the work, D&AD was tough this year. A lot of work I rated didn’t pick up. I think work that is strong locally has to do itself justice when it’s presented.  If we have no cultural reference it’s hard to judge. So make sure your case studies  do your idea justice and explain  its relevance in your market. I’m seeing work already that I expect to do very well internationally but I’d tweak the case study or take a little more time on the  background set up. I think Tim Lindsey did a talk here last year… could your bronze be a gold. He’s spot on.

     

    I asked this question also to the Foreman last year: what are the values that D&AD brings to an ad award? And what would you say should the winner at the Kyoorius Awards be proud of (given the standards)?

    D&AD and Kyoorius share the same values. they come from the same place. They have the good and the future of the industry at their heart.

     

    A Pencil or Elephant brings a standard and an integrity. Creatives globally strive to reach these standards and  perhaps even more important clients can trust that creativity can be a driving force for their business and not just an agency vanity piece. All my fellow jurors have won at D&AD and want to give picking up an Elephant that same sense of achievement.  But we shouldn’t just see Kyoorius as a D&AD me-too. In many ways it’s faster and more directional than  D&AD. Three out of Eight of my fellow jurors are women. More than any jury I have ever sat on, including Cannes and D&AD.  That says  a lot. If you  win an Elephant, congratulate yourself. They can’t be bought and they are not given lightly.

     

    As the jury foreman of an Indian awards, did you prepare yourself in any way or would you say creativity has no language?

    When you are part of a global network you are used to looking at and interpreting ideas from many countries and many languages. Yes, creativity is universal. The crucial thing is to judge every piece in its context. Our local juries are invaluable. And vocal. Which is good.

     

    One of your jury members is Arun Iyer, who represents Lowe Lintas. The agency doesn’t participate in creative awards. What would be your message to agencies who do not participate in awards like D&AD-Kyoorius?

    A D&AD-Kyoorious award is no vanity piece. They can’t be bought.  The set the standard. They are also recognised by clients locally and globally. Creativity does have a value, great creativity adds value. It can have a dramatic effect on a business’s bottomline.  Of course it’s an agency’s choice, but it’s a no-brainer as far as I’m concerned.

     

    One last question: In India, we don’t have multiple national awards. This is only the second year we are having Kyoorius. Does the existence of multiple awards impact the participation of some agencies because of limited budgets for spends on entries?

    I’d urge any agency to look at quality, not quantity when it comes to carving up their awards budget. I’m a champion of Kyoorius because it is good for the industry. From championing brave work to education. I see a need for another award that does this, but I’ve also found an appetite amongst younger creative and agency folk here. I gave a talk  to some younger members of India’s creative community at Kyoorius, and at the end of the talk I told any member of the audience  they could take my email and keep in touch. I expected a couple to email me in a couple of week’s time. No. I’ve been inundated. How cool is that!

     

  • The new categories will acknowledge emerging areas in advertising and digital

    Kyoorius announces new categories for 2015 Awards

    By A Correspondent

     

    Kyoorius, in partnership with D&AD, has announced new categories and pricing for the 2015 Kyoorius Advertising & Digital Awards. The new categories, based on feedback from industry members will acknowledge emerging areas in advertising and digital design that are gaining popularity.

     

    These new categories will augment the existing roster, and serve to incorporate ever-increasing forms and mediums of creative output, both online and offline.

     

    Rajesh Kejriwal, Founder CEO of Kyoorius, commented: “We are thrilled to announce the schedule for the 2015 Kyoorius Awards. This year we have tried to incorporate more diversity in the type of work that can be entered, in response to industry trends. We are committed to providing a completely neutral and ethical platform that recognises the very best of Indian creative talent, year after year.”

     

    The new categories include:

    – Tactical Advertising (Press & Film) – Rapid response advertising that reacts to current news and events, using popularity to generate maximum coverage.

    – Branded Film Content & Entertainment

    – Show Programme Promotion – Ads that promote a specific TV program, sports event, public events, etc.

    – An expanded list of for direct marketing & activation, including Direct – Mail, Direct Response – Radio & Film Advertising

    – Innovative Use of Radio – Work that pushes the boundaries of the radio medium

    – TV & Cinema Title Sequences

     

    Direct response has also been added to the Kyoorius Digital Awards, to encourage work that drives a specific call to action or targets a specific audience through online banners, social media, apps, and emails.

     

  • The D&AD-backed Kyoorius Advertising, Digital and Design awards are announced. The 2014 Annual were launched with a gathering of creative and assorted media hands on Thursday evening

    Kyoorius announce ad awards on May 29, 2015. Designyatra September 10-12

    By A Correspondent

     

    Aagey, aagey dekho hota hai kya.” These were the famous first words from Rajesh Kejriwal when asked by host Suresh Venkat on how he plans to better the act after Kyoorius stormed the advertising awards scene this year. Mr Kejriwal is aware that all eyes are on how he would better the 2014 act next year. And he did that by announcing dates for the advertising, digital and design awards for 2015 at a gathering of creative and assorted media hands in Mumbai on Thursday evening.

     

    The Advertising and Digital Awards will happen on May 29, 2015 and the Call for Entries will go up on March 2 with entries closing on April 10. In the case of the Design Awards, the Awards Night will be September 12, the last day of the Kyoorius Designyatra and the Call for Entries will go up on May 4 and entries will close on June 5.

     

    All the Awards will continue to be backed by D&AD and the entry and jury processes followed will be that of D&AD.

     

    Meanwhile, along with the announcement of 2015 dates, Kyoorius also released the Annual featuring Black and Blue Elephant winning entries along with all in-book winners from the 2014 edition of the awards. Some 4000 copies of the Annual will be distributed corporates, creatives and all the art and design colleges and institutions in the country to “help stimulate future talent”.

     

    Tim Lindsay

    Said Tim Lindsay, CEO of D&AD, in a statement: “We approach the second Kyoorius Awards supported by D&AD with great optimism concerning the positive impact on the creative community in India. D&AD and Kyoorius are both dedicated to inspiring, celebrating and nurturing the next generation of creative talent – vital for the future health of our industry.”

     

    Details on Kyoorius Awards 2015: http://awards.kyoorius.com/images/KyooriusAwards_Categories_2015.pdf

     

     

  • Until recently head of brand and marketing at the Dainik Bhaskar group, Sanjeev Kotnala confesses that not getting his former brand to associate with the Kyoorius awards was a mistake. Now founder and Head Catalyst, P1P2Solutions, he comments on the Kyoorius Digital and Advertising Awards show held last week, interspersing his tweets while at the awards

    Sanjeev Kotnala: Curious how things will be after #Kyoorius

    Sanjeev Kotnala

    By Sanjeev Kotnala

     

    On the 12th night when I entered the NSCI Stadium, I cannot be faulted for thinking that I have reached the wrong destination. But the miniature Black Elephant magnetically attached to my shirt and the big bold Kyoorius branding made me comfortable. The signs were there – expectations have been raised and the acid test was few minutes away. I was so floored by the whole ambience including minor but relevant thoughtful things – the centresquare bar (already operational at 7pm), the tall tables with the snacks placed under cellophane covers, a designated comfortable smoking area and a very informal scattered seating. There was definitely a style and class statement being made.

     

    My first tweet of the evening was a tribute to the efforts placed by Rajesh Kejriwal and team  and my mistake in not really pushing the brand to associate. This was a business of Trust and Vision and I had come short on that.

     

    “I can say, missing the opportunity to associate with #kyoorius awards the biggest mistake for the brand this year”. And I know here the sponsor has signed a long-term deal and the opportunity has really been lost.

     

    Though the event started a bit later than it should have been, the whole event management made you forgive them on this count. The very short speech, adding to the very comfortable MC’s, who were neither loud nor crass was amplified.

     

    The house announcement on ‘Don’t Drink and Drive’ with Meru cabs available at the end of the function took few worries off people mind and added to the energy flowing. “What a thought, Make me drink with central bar open through the evening and then keep #MERU on call. Nice. #Kyoorius”

     

    The awards were really well-synchronized with no glitches. It’s not their fault if people still do not know their right hand from their left, and in spite of politely announcing would sit at distant corners resulting in inordinate delays. Yes, initially I thought the ramp was a bit long, but then when the presentation AV started, all fell in place. More so, I believe the long walk on the ramp allowed the winners that extra nano movement of enhanced celebration.

     

    Now, this award had already won a few battles. Starting as an outsider, the sponsors were in place, the intent and priorities of the organizers were absolutely right, the entries count was robust, the jury well constructed (maybe needed a bit more Indian touch) and with the Open Jury session (though cramped) won the war on being progressive, transparent and innovative. There were some scam ads, which were withdrawn further adding to the attractiveness. No doubt we had people who have shunned Goafest walk the ramp, with a smile and a fist rising through the air accept the award in all their humility. Seeing industry leaders at the event was a well-appreciated fact. The support that the award could garner was something not missed.  “Seeing people who refused entering Goafest collecting awards at #Kyoorius #Meetmerit places them (Awards) at a league above the rest”. This was summation of thoughts overheard at many conversations.

     

    ‘Now ball is on #abby #AAAi #ADCLUB court. #Kyoorius #meetmerit throws a challenge. Rejuvenate or Die’. Now that maybe too harsh a statement – but in many ways a reality. I have overhead a few people talking in these terms. Goafest 2015 would be a defining year. The hope has been extended – one can use that to climb, set out an agenda and create a new benchmark or could use the rope to…

     

    “#Kyoorius awards. WTF Expression. Well done. Like it already. Set a benchmark’. Did we all not agree that competition is good.

     

    And dear Rajesh, there are a few things that I thought I will discuss with you in person.

     

    Sanjeev Kotnala is Head Catalyst, P1P2Solutions