The Big Boys of adland were in attendance till the very end. Leaving many in the audience wondering what the outcome was going to be. Piyush Pandey and Prasoon Joshi and almost their entire top decks of Ogilvy and McCann were in attendance.
And finally when emcee announced that it was a joint winner, there was an uproar. And relief in some quarters. Both Ogilvy and McCann were doing fairly well in awards announced and it was difficult to determine right till the end on who the winner would be.
The Effie Awards of the Advertising Club India was held with much fanfare on Friday in Mumbai. Hindustan Unilever Limited and Star India Pvt Ltd were adjudged joint winners as Effie Client of the Year, while McCann Worldgroup India and Ogilvy Group were named Effie India Agency of the Year. The coveted Grand Effie was won by the EightyTwo Point Five Communications for the Bisleri Packaged Drinking Water – “Samajhdar Jante hai”.
Speaking about winning at the coveted Effie, Partho Dasgupta, President of The Advertising Club said: “I would first like to congratulate all the winners of the awards. Winning an Effie has always been a matter of great pride for every marketer and each of the winners are truly deserving of this recognition. Effie India Awards 2020 continues to be the highest honor in innovation and effectiveness and with this award we continue to be committed towards recognising and rewarding thought leadership showcased by brands and advertisers.”
Elaborating on the awards Mitrajit Bhattacharya, Chairperson, Effie Awards 2020 said: “Like every year, this year to we saw some of the best and game changing work being entered for the awards. The superior quality of work has led to the marquee award categories like i.e. Client of the Year and the Agency of the Year for the first time in the history of the Effie being won by not one by two winners each. We are sure that the continuous evolution of the awards to reflect the changing media landscape by adding new and relevant categories will ensure that the awards continue to stay relevant and highly coveted.”
Life Insurance Council announced the launch of the Indian insurance industry’s first joint awareness campaign titled ‘Sabse Pehle Life Insurance’, stressing upon the need for life insurance.
Said S N Bhattacharya, Secretary, Life Insurance Council: “There is a need to make all Indians aware of the fundamental need of life insurance. Many a times Indians buy life insurance for peripheral benefits, without really understanding why it is imperative in our lives. We hope the larger Indian population will identify with this thought provoking campaign and be encouraged to opt for life insurance as their primary protection instrument.”
Added Prasoon Joshi, Chairman, McCann Worldgroup – Asia Pacific, CEO & CCO McCann Worldgroup India: “The campaign is trying to inculcate responsibility towards financial planning at an instinctive level. ‘Sabse Pehle Life Insurance’ is a simple, relatable and culture-rich idea that people can easily identify with.”
Himanshu Saxena has joined McCann Mumbai as Executive Vice President and Head of its Mumbai operations. Saxena will additionally work closely with the management on various brand integrations as the Head of Integration Mumbai.
Said Prasoon Joshi, Chairman, McCann Asia Pacific and CEO & CCO McCann Worldgroup India: “I am really happy to have Himanshu back in McCann family again. This is the testimony of the fact that culture of McCann India is unique and conducive to nurturing great talent. Himanshu comes with a wide range of experience, his passion for creative solutions that drive effectiveness will add a new dimension to our valued client relationships in our Mumbai operation.”
Added Saxena: “I am absolutely thrilled to be part of McCann’s highly respected leadership. McCann is the most respected, awarded and recognized creative communication agency in India. McCann’s rich client portfolio and talent pool is ripe with opportunities to take its game to the next level of creative excellence and effectiveness through integrated solutions delivered by the McCann Worldgroup specialist practices across advertising, Digital, CRM, Experiential and Healthcare.”
Pattaya Adfest is my favourite advertising-communication festival. The 2019 festival came to an end last Saturday. Due to some personal emergencies, I had to cancel my trip at the last moment.
India won 16 Lotus awards, and we are aware of the work.
I have been following the fest online and keeping a tab on the winners. Here I am sharing some of the Lotus awards winning creative that I personally liked.
‘FriendShit’, ‘Disgusting stories’ and ‘Speak-up’, won the Gold Lotus for Film. Prasoon Joshi, Audio and Film Jury President, Adfest Pattaya had this to say about these winners: “‘Friendshit’ stood out because the direction, casting and writing is fantastically done. ‘Disgusting Stories’ is a timeless idea, while ‘Speak Up’ is of the moment – it encourages people to do more than watch, share or like a video but to take action.”
So, in the era when Social cause is becoming the new celebrity of brand association and communication, Prasoon Joshi made a valid and hugely relevant comment. “If we were awarding pure craft only, we would have had a lot more winners. I would like to encourage younger generations to pay equal attention to the idea and execution. Not many entries married both. There was a time when our industry felt Public Service Announcements for charity work should not win Grande awards. The time has come to reconsider this. A lot of brands are partnering more with charities. What we need to understand is that this work is brand related. We are living in a world where people do care about what their favourite brands are doing for humanity at large – they are not just consuming their products but also their brand philosophies.”
‘FRIENDSHIT’ won the Grande Lotus for Branded Entertainment. The jury said “We found one supreme example in ‘Friendshit’. It connected the brand, Kasikorn Bank’s K PLUS app, to people in a unique and engaging way. A brilliant and highly entertaining idea that created human value and rewarded people for their time.”
In the category ‘Branded Entertainment’ the two gold Lotus were won by Publicis Singapore for Vicks India ‘One in a Million’ and J. Walter Thompson, Bangkok for Sunsilk ‘Hair Talk’.
Mark Tutssel, Jury President; Branded Entertainment, Effective and Integrated Lotus explained: “The jury was looking for work that was brilliant in its thinking and innovative in its execution. We wanted to shine a light on the bravest, most transformative creative ideas in the region,”
My favourite winners at Adfest Pattaya.
‘Girl From Nowhere’
The series tells the story of Nanno, a mysterious schoolgirl who takes the audience on an extraordinary tale of revenge. Powered by women to empower women, the IP is co-owned by the agency and client. (‘Girl From Nowhere’, Sour Bangkok for GMM Grammy – winner Gold for Effective Lotus- watch the series trailer ).
https://youtube.com/watch?v=0vN-qJReZQg
Mark Tutssel sums it up: “The agency created a new business model by turning themselves, ‘the creative agency for women’, into an insightful content creator. The series created incredible social impact.”
It is entirely a new dimension, and I personally would have loved to be part of such an engaging initiative in any capacity.
The Unforgettable Bag.
The world’s oceans are drowning in plastic; the vast majority are single use. On average, every Malaysian uses 300 plastic bags per year, 9 billion bags in total. To accelerate the reduction in single-use bags and reinforce Tesco as a leading sustainability champion created the Unforgettable Bag. By simply adding a barcode, they transformed the bag into an on-going discount, an incentive that creates behaviour change on a mass scale. Creating a life-saving behaviour every time we shop. (Unforgettable Bag, Grey Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur for Tesco Malaysia – Winner INNOVA LOTUS)
‘Al Umobuwah: Putting ‘Mum’ Into ‘Parenthood’.
And when you look for change and contribution, you cannot miss the INNOVA Gold winner ‘Al Umobuwah: Putting ‘mum’ into ‘parenthood’. It’s a brilliant thought. In Arabic, words representing parenthood are all derived from Father. So the agency created a new inclusive word for its client ‘Babyshop’. This new world for Parenthood is inclusive and has ‘Mum’ in it. It also won LOTUS roots, representing a work that draws on the different histories and cultures of the countries and people of Asia Pacific and MENA regions. (FP7 McCann Dubai for Babyshop ‘Al Umobuwah: Putting ‘mum’ into ‘Parenthood’)
Impressive Winners at Adfest Pattaya.
Also winning in the Innova Lotus was BWM Dentsu, Sydney for The ALS Association ‘Project Revoice’, Leo Burnett Colombo / Leo Burnett Toronto for JAT Paints ‘Petal Paint’ (also winner Gold Lotus Roots). Here link to a wonderful Brand experience and engagement lotus winner, the AIG Pride Jersey.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=7sLLEdBgYYY
Hot and spicy KFC (Outdoor and print craft), McDonald’s- All-nighters (outdoor), Kill one kill all- for Freeland foundation (Print Craft), And the NARCOS outdoor.
Here is the BBDO Bangkok work for Mercedes-Benz Vans ‘The Universal Language of Pain’ . Simple, original, relevant and one where the impact is global.
Do watch the outdoor winner, Super Air-down drone attack.
The above creative represents a small part of the Lotus awards. Being at the Adfest Pattaya gives you an opportunity to see all the entries and not just the shortlist or only the winners. One of the prime reasons for me to appreciate and attend the Adfest Pattaya.
In case you are interested in scanning other winners, you can access the list here and then search for them individually on the Internet. Happy hunting.
Last year, Abby Awards 2019 had announced a Master Jury that would judge all the entries in the Creative Abby. The move was hailed as an attempt to raise the level of the adjudication. This year too, the Advertising Club has announced that master jury for juding entries for the 2019 edition.
Prasoon Joshi
The master jury comprises: Prasoon Joshi, Chairman Asia Pacific, CEO & Chief Creative Officer India, McCann World Group; Arun Iyer, former Chairman & CCO, Lowe Lintas; Agnello Dias, Chief Creative Officer & Co-Founder, Taproot Dentsu; Abhijit Avasthi, Founder, Sideways Consulting; Bobby Pawar, Chairman & CCO, Havas; KV Sridhar, Founder & CCO, HyperCollective; Manish Bhatt, Scarecrow M&C Saatchi, Founder Director; Rajdeepak Das, Chief Creative Officer & Managing Director South Asia, Leo Burnett; Raj Kamble, Founder & CCO, Famous Innovations; Swati Bhattacharya, Chief Creative Officer, FCB Ulka; Prashant Godbole, Founder, ideas@work; Sandipan Bhattacharya, Chief Creative Officer, Grey Group; and Santosh Padhi, Chief Creative Officer & Co-Founder, Taproot Dentsu.
Shashi Sinha
Said Shashi Sinha, Chair of the Awards Governing Council, Abby Awards 2019 said: “We have always believed that awards are as credible as the jury. We have hence curated a master jury constituting of the best creative minds and thought leaders from the industry, each of who have been icons in their area of work. The versatile and visionary jury will ensure that only the most deserving, ground breaking and effective campaigns emerge victorious. With such veterans at the jury panel, we are all set for an inspiring and ingenious edition of the Abby Awards 2019.”
Coca-Cola India has taken the ‘Share a Coke’ campaign further with #SayItWithCoke. The cola has signed Bollywood star Ranbir Kapoor as the new brand ambassador for the campaign.
Said Shrenik Dasani, Vice President, Sparkling Category at Coca-Cola India & South West Asia at The Coca-Cola Company: “Coca-Cola always seeks to uplift everyday moments and make them special. In India, songs have always had a way of expressing emotions in a special, memorable way. This is what inspired us to bring to consumers our latest campaign #SayItWithCoke, which invites them to share a Coca-Cola with someone to express their heartfelt emotions through the words of their favorite songs. Whether they do this physically or digitally, we are sure they will make many moments sparkle. What’s more, our brand ambassador Ranbir Kapoor joins us in extending this invitation in a way only he can, and together we hope to bring a smile to fans everywhere.”
Highlighting the thought behind the ad, Prasoon Joshi, Chairman, McCann Worldgroup Asia Pacific and CEO & CCO, McCann Worldgroup India added: “This campaign is our unique take on relationships with charming storyline and innovative use of songs and lyrics which am positive will strike a chord not only with younger audience but with people at large.”
Adfest has announced that Prasoon Joshi, CEO and Chief Creative Officer of McCann Worldgroup India and Chairman of McCann Worldgroup Asia Pacific, will be Jury President at Adfest 2019 for the Audio Lotus and Film Lotus categories. Joshi is the only Indian jury president at Adfest 2019 (to be held in Thailand from March 20 to 23).
Said Joshi: “I’m delighted to be overseeing two of Adfest’s most intriguing categories: Audio, which in the midst of a major revival, and Film, which reflects the richness of local cultures in the Asia Pacific and Middle East regions. ADFEST is one of my favourite shows and a proud advocate of creativity that’s inspired by local insights – it will be an honour to return to Thailand next March.â€
Added Jimmy Lam, President of Adfest: “Prasoon completes a truly magnificent line-up of Jury Presidents for Adfest 2019. He played a huge role in putting India on the map creatively by creating defining work for mainstream brands that combines deep local insights with a global understanding. Time and again his work has infiltrated and inspired India’s popular culture. We are humbled that Prasoon is taking time away from his many responsibilities at McCann to join our Jury Presidents at Adfest 2019.â€
Ashish Chakravarty has moved on from Contract and to join McCann as Executive Director and Head of Creative, India. He was till recently Chief Creative Officer of the WPP agency, overseeing creative output of Contract Advertising, iContract, Designsutra, and Core Consulting.
Chakravarty will report to Prasoon Joshi, Chairman McCann Asia Pacific and CEO & CCO McCann Worldgroup India. Said Joshi on the appointment: “Ashish is a rare breed of creative talent who is backed by solid strategic thinking. He’s constantly rediscovering himself and genuinely interested in creating work with depth and effervescence at the same time. Moreover, he is a great team builder , am really looking forward to Ashish joining McCann back.†In his earlier stint at McCann, Chakravarty worked with Prasoon Joshi and helped build McCann Delhi as one of the top leading operations in Delhi market, notes a communique.
Said Chakravarty on his joining McCann: “There is a certain degree of familiarity, and fondness that I have for McCann, having spent over a decade there. I enjoyed a fabulous run in my last stint, and it always felt good to see it continue from strength to strength. On a personal note, I have a huge regard for Prasoon, both as a creative leader, and for the person that he is. Our bond runs deep, and we have a quirky chemistry of sorts; one that is maddening, and magical at the same time. And almost always results in some very good work. So, when the opportunity came to get back into the thick of it, and also in a more substantial way than before, I found it hard to resist.â€
With the theme ‘Iss Diwali, Har Dil Bola Tere Naam Ki Coca-Cola’, the new Diwali campaign of Coca-Cola India has launched a new TV commercial which has been created on the core message of connecting cultures, featuring actors Ayushmann Khurrana and Anupriya Goenka.
Said Shrenik Dasani, Vice President- Sparkling Category, Coca-Cola India, “Diwali is a special time of the year which we seek to celebrate at home, with those we love and consider ‘our own’ people. Sometimes though, we find ourselves away from home and while we celebrate, we are always thinking about that feeling of being among ‘our own’ people – our family, friends and those who share our cultural background. With this in mind, Coca-Cola’s Diwali campaign brings to audiences a message of sharing and celebrating moments of joyful human connection. It gives a festive call to take that small step and make someone’s Diwali more special, so that they are among ‘their own’ people no matter where they happen to be!â€
Added Prasoon Joshi, Chairman – Asia Pacific and CEO and CCO India, McCann Worldgroup: “India is a beautifully diverse country and specially when it comes to festivals, we have a lot to celebrate and share. This campaign is trying to suggest that let’s know each other’s festivals better and celebrate them together for a more united and connected world.â€
The second edition of the MTV India Music Summit will happen in Jaipur next week (Oct 12-14), allowing attendees to discover interesting sounds, engage in exchange of ideas and savour music through a series of concerts and conversations.
Said Raj Nayak, COO, Viacom18: “Our association with MTV India Music Summit is reflective of our brand promise to offer differentiated, enriching and relevant content to our audience. In its second edition as well, we intend to identify, experience and bring forth versatile artists and varied sound forms that are deserving of global acclaim. We are happy to have trusted sponsors on board who also believe in the transcending power of music. I urge any and every one with the slightest musical bent to be a part of MTV India Music Summit and have an experience of a lifetime.â€
Speaking about the Summit, Prasoon Joshi, who is playing the role of a mentor to the summit: “Right from its inception, Musiconcepts has been working hard to create a platform to bring India’s diverse musical heritage together – a showcase like no other which allows for free-flowing conversations, debates, exchange of views and a joint celebration of our musical heritage. Raymond presents MTV India Music Summit is the culmination of months of thoughtful curation of sessions and performances. A truly immersive musical experience, the summit promises to have everything from Sunrise concerts, to Baikthakis, to Jugalbandis, to riffs and jams, Sundowner alaaps and much more!â€
Added Mala Sekhri, co-founder of Musiconcepts: “The richness of the content that we have for Raymond presents MTV India Music Summit is evident from our pick of topics, genres and artists. Each session has been carefully curated to highlight a particular aspect of Indian music. I’m sure the audiences will appreciate our effort as they get to witness the likes of Shujaat Khan, Usha Uthup, Kailash Kher, Dr. L Subramaniam, Shankar Mahadevan, Bhimsen Joshi, Suresh Wadkar… and many more stalwarts of Indian music, performing life and engaging in lively discussion and debate about music.†A spokesperson for the organisers clarified that in the case of Bhimsen Joshi, who passed away in 2011, it will be a tribute.
Said Gautam Hari Singhania, CMD, Raymond Group: “Our long-term partnership with India Music Summit strategically binds in our vision of nurturing, promoting and curating different forms of national art and craft in diverse fields like khadi, sports, music and cinema.â€
McCann World Group India is the most awarded Indian agency at the Global WARC Awards 2018. The WARC Awards 2018 were given across categories Effective Content Strategy, Effective Social Strategy, Best use of Brand Purpose & Innovation shortlisted from Global case studies.
McCann Worldgroup picked up five awards including two golds, one silver and two bronze awards. It won gold in the Innovation category for its campaign IDFC – Bank in a Box.
Commenting on the wins, Prasoon Joshi – Chairman Asia Pacific, CEO & CCO India said in a statement: “We at McCann Worldgroup India take immense pride in creating solutions which are strategically sound and have great craft. These work are a testimony of our belief which strikes the chord with the target audience “
The 22nd Promax India BDA Awards was held in Mumbai last week with a line-up of speakers across industries and platforms..
Speaking about the success of the event, Rajika Mittra, Country Head, India, Hong Kong and Philippines, said: “We realise that storytelling is evolving and creativity has to be platform agnostic. That’s the reason, we brought in eminent personalities from across the globe who can share their dynamic experience across multiple platforms with this eclectic group. The idea was to take the game higher and challenge the Indian creative industry even
Promax BDA introduced three new categories this year: Most Outstanding Marketing Initiative (inhouse and out-of-house) and Most Outstanding Design In Promotion where the best of the best competed to win a Gold trophy. This year, these prestigious awards were taken home by Star India, Zee and Star Movies.
Said Prasoon Joshi, Conference Chair, Promax BDA, 2018 looking at the award-winning categories: “It’s amazing how year after year, TV networks and creative agencies are tapping into the Indian cultural kaleidoscope and coming up with ideas that are fresh, cutting-edge and shareworthy on all platforms. Promax is a unique forum that understands this changing dynamic and encourages them to push the envelope every year.â€
There were many firsts for the Promax BDA India awards this year, notes a communique. New categories that included Best VOD Service Promo, Best use of digital and Best direction. Further, a successful boot camp with three creative musketeers- Rob Middleton, Arnab Chaudhri and Pete Bishop – who super-charged the atmosphere with [V] machine, a hand- on creative drill that covered everything to create award-winning promos for a 360 audience.
This year, The Promax BDA Awards gave away 60 Golds and 57 Silver metals.
Pattaya Adfest is my favourite advertising-communication festival. The 2019 festival came to an end last Saturday. Due to some personal emergencies, I had to cancel my trip at the last moment.
The second edition of the MTV India Music Summit will happen in Jaipur next week (Oct 12-14), allowing attendees to discover interesting sounds, engage in exchange of ideas and savour music through a series of concerts and conversations.