Micromax has announced the appointment of Creativeland Asia (CLA) as its creative agency on record. As a part of this partnership, CLA will handle the entire integrated design and communication mandate for Micromax globally. The decision to partner together was taken after an intense multi-agency pitch process, held last month.
Micromax will be handled out of Creativeland’s Mumbai and Delhi offices. Creativeland is also putting together a global design team from Amsterdam and New York to work on the mandate.
Confirming the news, Shubhajit Sen, Chief Marketing Officer, Micromax Informatics said, “We are delighted to bring CLA on board as our creative partner to help us take the brand to the next level. The agency has demonstrated great understanding and passion along with a clear vision and articulation for way forward on the brand. We look forward to their creative excellence to help enhance our consumer connect and create some unconventional campaigns as we get into our next growth phase.â€
Said Sajan Raj Kurup, Founder and Creative Chairman, Creativeland Asia, “This is perhaps the most exciting product category to be associated with anywhere in the world right now. And when someone ambitious like Micromax who is one of the world’s largest mobile phone makers have mandated us to take them to the next level across the globe, things can’t get more exciting. The fact that Micromax has been challenging giants and doing the unthinkable in the last decade is in itself a philosophical wave-length match for us. We ready to bring the best out of us.â€
Eight-year-old independent Creativeland Asia (CLA) known for its benchmark work on large brands like Cinthol, Frooti, Audi, Mercedes and MTS telecom is back with a bang.
CLA has signed on integrated mandate for Domino’s Pizza, Godrej No1 soaps, the Rs 1000 cr soap brand from Godrej, the Indian Express Newspaper, She comfort Sanitary Napkins from Emami and the digital mandate for Jet Privilege.
The total spends size of all these brands put together is estimated at Rs. 250 cr. The pure revenue to CLA could be estimated at Rs 21 to 25 cr which would not only compensate for the Parle Agro split in January but actually adds more than double the revenue it lost.
Sajan Raj Kurup
On the big wins, Sajan Raj Kurup, Founder & Creative Chairman of Creativeland Asia said “We stepped up the game when it was required. Every one did their bit as planned and the results are quite obvious. We have added substantial new business in the first two quarters of the year. Not a bad way to start a year I suppose. We have surpassed our target for the year in the first two quarters, so we have decided to opt a slightly different business strategy for the rest of the quarters.
For Domino’s the apart from mainline work, Creativeland has been entrusted with integrated marketing duties which includes precision marketing and digital mandates as well.
Said Harneet Singh, VP Marketing, Dominos: “We needed more strategic and creative minds to work with us, as partners,  to grow the brand and hence we selected CLA as our new agency partner in addition to our incumbent creative agency. We believe the strengths of CLA are very complimentary to our thinking and approach and together we can do some very interesting work on brand Domino’s.â€
For Godrej No1, Creativeland has been entrusted with integrated marketing communications mandate and to design and grow the No1 range including soaps face-washes and other NPDs.
Sunil Kataria, Head of Sales & Marketing, GCPL said: “We have been working with CLA since 2011 and one of the things that I really appreciate about them is the ability to come up with genuinely creative ideas for the big moments . One of the reasons they are able to do this is because the top leadership themselves get involved into understanding the brand essence and tonality in depth and that makes a difference.â€
For Emami, Creativeland will be relaunching their newly acquired She comfort Sanitary napkins, Apart from Integrated marketing communications, CLA has been entrusted the responsibility of redesigning and revamping the brand including its packaging design.
CLA has also been entrusted the responsibility of revamping brand Indian Express with their integrated marketing communications mandate. Their multimedia campaign which involves print, TV and digital will hit later this week.
Currently, Creativeland has 14o-odd people working across disciplines and offices. On this new phase of the agency, Raj Kurup elaborated: “As most organisations that are born in the internet generation, Creativeland has always been in a constant state of reinvention. We have had eight awesome years, where work has always been Centre-stage. During these years, we had also sown seeds of our own ventures that are outside of advertising and design. CLA 2.0 is going to be Creativeland in a different gear. We are preparing for the next 10 years. We have made some fundamental changes in our organisational structure and added a Culture & Marketing team. Our technology team is all set. We have also spun out or Digital production department into a separate tech company called Creativeland Technologies which now houses end to end tech solutions spanning front-end and back-end solutions with a CLA edge. Our design team is looking beyond brands and identities alone and venturing into retail, space, environment and infrastructure design.
In terms of people, we are a diverse set. From technologists, to economists, to UI designers, to writers, to designers, to sociologists, we have them all. And that’s key to CLA 2.0’s ambitions.
Our new office in Bandra-Kurla Complex one of the fastest growing, global business hubs in India, is well-appointed to keep the team motivated. Conscious of the long hours and the intense pressure the nature of our work commands, we are making amends by making our environment fun and rejuvenating. From a leisure room with a pool table, a table tennis table and a foosball table, to a spa with massage chairs and hair treatments, and a pantry that is the size of our first office, the office has everything one may want.
MTS India is back with the Internet baby ad campaign to announce its new offering. Last year, the MTS Internet baby campaign drew around 30 million eyeballs on YouTube alone and one reason for this was the truth it told – for kids and digital natives internet connectivity is more than a want, it is a need.
Amitesh Rao, Director Brand & Media, MTS India, says, “After the success of ‘Born for the Internet’ campaign launched last year and looking at overall response we knew that consumers strongly connect with the MTS Internet baby. So we wanted to continue building on this brand proposition and expand the market place.â€Â He added, “As the name suggests, the Homespot Instant wi-fi provides plug and play access to multiple internet users simultaneously. This launch marks a strategic shift in focus for MTS from being primarily a dongle driven data company to a wi-fi solutions provider.â€
Speaking about the campaign thought, Sajan RaJ Kurup, Founder and Creative Chairman, Creativeland Asia, said, “In this campaign, the MTS internet baby personifies the ever demanding internet generation that see wi-fi as a basic necessity just like food and shelter. Creatively we planned it like a prequel to our last year’s most talked about MTS Baby TVC and set it from a time before he was born.â€
The commercial opens with a mother, doctor and nurse in a birthing room, all waiting for labour pains to begin, when suddenly, the baby bump vanishes. Everyone in the room is amazed. Next a pram rolls amidst heaven and stops in front of an occupied God. The baby starts to reason with God about the cruelty of sending him into a home that is not setup for wi-fi. The baby argues ‘God is toying with his future.’ He exclaims ‘No wi-fi! No go!’
There is a sudden satirical change where God appears as a salesman for MTS Homespot Instant WiFi. He enlists the many benefits of the product. This is when the baby feels convinced to be born. The commercial ends with the baby asking his parents for the wi-fi password.
The integrated campaign was launched during the World Cup Cricket 2015 on the day of India v/s Pakistan game via a television commercial and is supported via print, radio and digital. The commercial is produced by Earlyman Films.
On the occasion of World AIDS Day, Durex, the global leader in sexual wellbeing has taken a step further in promoting the message of safe sex by partnering with Creativeland Asia and MTV to launch a nation-wide campaign. The campaign features a 360 integrated campaign, which will leverage the campaign thought ‘Make love without fear’ through the brand ambassador Ranveer Singh.
After making the nation groove to #DoTheRex, Durex brand Ambassador Ranveer Singh launched the campaign by encouraging the youth all over the country to break the silence and engage in an open conversation around safe sex. As a part of the campaign a reality show ‘Rex Talk’ will also be aired on MTV.
Commenting on the campaign, Nitish Kapoor, Managing Director – RB India said, “As a global category leader, Durex is passionate about sexual wellbeing and understands the importance of connecting with youth in the country. Through this campaign we aim to encourage the youth to engage in an open conversation around safe sex and raise awareness around the subject by demystifying the stigma attached to it.”
Sajan Raj Kurup
On the creative execution of the campaign thought Sajan Raj Kurup, Founder and Creative Chairman, Creativeland Asia, “We are excited to partner Durex in this new strategic direction of encouraging the youth to engage in open conversations around safe sex. What better way to start than to take over the front page of Newspapers and news portals with a powerful message of protecting oneself against bad news.”
To further the messaging and encourage a positive attitude toward sexual well-being, Durex is making available condoms at Re. 1 through the official company website and through online partners Snapdeal and Flipkart.
Cinthol Confidence+ has unveiled a new campaign for the soap that assures 99.9 per cent germ protection with an ‘insta-deo’ fragrance feature. The campaign has been conceptualized and created by Creativeland Asia.
While the Cinthol Confidence+ kick-started their digital campaign on Independence Day, the television campaign has just been unveiled and is an inspiring video that captures the spirit of young and dynamic India. Be it professionals in the armed forces, health camps, heritage sites or mega infrastructure development sites, they go about their job confidently, undaunted by dust, grime and germs. The campaign puts the young inspiring professionals under the lens of ‘Alive is Awesome’, Cinthol’s brand promise.
Sunil Kataria, Chief Operating Officer, Sales, Marketing and SAARC, GCPL shared, “Currently, the health soap market is focused mainly on kids. However, it is not just children, but even youth who need protection as they battle dirt and grime while following their passion. However, current health soaps are incomplete without great sensorials. Cinthol Confidence+ soap, breaks the norm of the regular health soap by offering 99.9 per cent germ protection while being infused with great insta-deo fragrance. Cinthol Confidence+ is a “complete health soap” which perfectly fits the youth expectation, being an aid to their aspirations.”
Sajan Raj Kurup
Sajan Raj Kurup, Founder and Creative Chairman, Creativeland Asia, said, “The communication comes from a simple insight that dirt, crowd and germs are fundamental obstacles that come in the way of every Indian’s journey to success. The campaign idea is symbolic of people’s confidence, which empowers them to go on in their daily lives despite the tough conditions in their external environment. The messaging in the health-soap category is largely restricted to protection from germs. We have gone beyond touching upon this functional need of the product and addressed the attitude with which people fight the on-going battle of dirt, crowd and germs.”
On the eve of the launch of its compact sedan – CLA 45 AMG – next week, luxury car maker Mercedes-Benz India has announced the launch of its ‘Ah My God’ communication campaign in India. The highlight of this campaign, conceptualised by Creativeland Asia, is that it is the first ever India specific TVC that has been launched by Mercedes-Benz.
Globally AMG is synonymous with high performance motoring and cutting edge technological innovations. In India, the AMG brand has an impeccable stature for introducing high performance cars and enjoys immense popularity among customers, auto aficionados and motoring enthusiasts.
With the launch of the new CLA 45 AMG, the brand intends to open up to new target groups and reach out to more people. In order to connect with a larger audience, “AMG” brand is being communicated in a simple and relevant manner. This communication has been done by connecting AMG with a creative expression- ‘Ah My God”. This is the strong feeling that current owners or brand enthusiasts get when they get inside an AMG car.
‘The Ah My God’ communication has been coined to capture the indescribable feeling of driving the car. The communication starts with a TV commercial where viewers are asked, ‘When was the last time you felt something you just couldn’t put into words? This feeling is further drawn parallel by getting behind the wheel of an AMG. It is this indescribable feeling which is put in words, through the expression - Ah My God!
Eberhard Kern, Managing Director & CEO, Mercedes-Benz India commented, “The success of our New Generation Cars in India only gives us more reason to believe that, the CLA 45 AMG will fascinate our young customer groups. With this launch, Mercedes-Benz will be pioneering the ‘Compact Performance Sedan’ segment in India, similar to the introduction of ‘Compact Luxury’ in India. As the CLA 45 AMG will reach out to a whole new young customer group, we are launching the ‘Ah My God’Â campaign which includes the first-ever India specific TV Commercial. The excitement and buzz already generated in the digital space even before the car’s India launch, is a testimony of the inherent strength of brand AMG and the bright prospect of the CLA 45 AMG.”
Sajan Raj Kurup
Sajan Raj Kurup, Founder and Creative Chairman, Creativeland Asia, commented, “Ah My God’ is a simple yet self-explanatory expression we have used to deliver the power of the CLA 45 AMG. We are excited to have been able to create the first ever TV commercial of Mercedes-Benz produced in India.”
Internet and broadband solutions company MTS has launched a quirky campaign that delves on the benefits of its latest offering – MTS 3GPLUSâ„¢ Network.
Conceptualised by Creativeland Asia, the campaign features a new born baby who is familiar with technology and is seen exploiting the internet straight from birth. The TVC opens in a labour room, where a woman is being coaxed by the doctor to ‘push’, as the father and the nurses watch anxiously. Suddenly, the baby’s hand pops out from under the cover and gestures everybody to stop.
The baby crawls from under the sheet and sits on the mother’s chest. From here on the baby does a series of activities that leaves people in the room shocked. He searches for ‘how to cut the umbilical cord’ and then cuts it, takes a selfie with the nurse on a mobile phone and posts it to Instagram, creates accounts on multiple social networking sites and broadcasts himself, makes a video and even uses the GPS system to navigate out of the hospital.
Amitesh Rao, Director – Brand & Media, MTS India, said, “We needed a campaign to reinforce our strongest differentiator – the fact that we have designed and optimized the MTS 3GPlus network specifically for data. At the same time we needed to be true to the MTS brand that talks to today’s 24×7, always-on, data hungry consumer for whom the internet is the biggest opportunity platform there is. The challenge of course was to do all of this in an engaging and entertaining manner, which is what the story of a new-born baby going online to announce himself to the world does perfectly.”
Sajan Raj Kurup
Speaking about the TVC, Sajan RaJ Kurup, Founder and Creative Chairman, Creativeland Asia, said, “The script for the film began with the simple insight that today’s kids seem so comfortable with technology, devices and the internet even as babies. When I see them (including my own daughter) handle tablets, mobiles and laptops, I have always joked that they look like they were born with it. We just pushed that thought a little further. It took six months of painful labor. And the baby is finally out there. ”
The TVC has been produced by Smuggler films and directed by Guy Shelmerdine.
Creativeland Asia has been signed on as Mercedes Benz’s Digital Agency on Record. The leading independent  agency will be the auto-maker’s full-service digital agency handling the creative and media mandate. Creativeland will work closely with the team at Mercedes Benz to develop a fresh digital strategy for the brand, notes a communique.
Said Eberhard Kern, CEO and Managing Director, Mercedes-Benz India: “We look forward to Creativeland partnering us in our various digital initiatives. We are confident that they shall be able to deliver seamless and integrated digital solutions for our brand.”
Sajan Raj Kurup
Added Sajan RaJ Kurup, Founder & Creative Chairman, Creativeland Asia: “We are immensely excited to partner with Mercedes Benz. To work with a brand that exudes ‘Excellence’ is prestigious and closer to our DNA.”
Said Sajan RaJ Kurup, Founder and Creative Chairman, Creativeland Asia, “I was looking for someone who is not jaded by traditional advertising. In Kay, I found this person who is as passionate as me about the ability of design and technology to influence the future of brands.â€
On the appointment, Kay Khoo, Chief Innovation Officer, Creativeland Asia says, “I’m excited by the prospects of being able to influence change. Since inception, Creativeland has been nurturing a brilliant creative culture and is an exciting place to be at, where the young creative culture is all ready to create meaningful changes to brand conversations of the future. I see the opportunity to strengthen this further through design and innovations within the culture.â€
Sajan Raj Kurup
Prior to joining Creativeland, Mr Khoo was co-founder of Kyoorius, where he was responsible for numerous projects that were launched, including one of the world’s top annual design conferences, Kyoorius Designyatra, the Kyoorius Awards and the widely circulated design industry magazine – Kyoorius Magazine. Kay has also been part of Addikt (Amsterdam) Mumbai office, and Figtree Design (Malaysia).
Acknowledging the role that Kay Khoo played in various Kyoorius initiatives, Rajesh Kejriwal, CEO and founder of Kyoorius, told MxMIndia that Mr Khoo will continue to be associated with Kyoorius. “Kay is family, and he will always be part of Kyoorius Designyatra, the awards etc,†Mr Kejriwal said.
While the advertising industry has been abuzz with rumours on Law & Kenneth selling a majority stake to Publicis Groupe since last year, there are mixed sentiments on yet another independent agency (that is not a part of an global media services network) succumbing to the pressures. We asked two agency heads – Sajan Raj Kurup who continues to be an independent and says he will never sell stake to a international superpower and Santosh Padhi whose Taproot aligned with Dentsu two years back for their views.
Sajan Raj Kurup, Founder & Creative Chairman, Creativeland Asia
While each agency will have its own reasons, how do you react to one more independent agency getting aligned with a big network?
Every agency has its reasons to sell. To each his own. As long as they are happy who are we to judge.
Is this something that you at Creativeland are also looking at now or eventually?
If I wanted to start a place to one day sell it as an advertising agency and cash out, I would called it adland. Fortunately or unfortunately, I am not adland. I am Creativeland. And I have a plan 🙂
In fact with each passing day I am lesser and lesser of an advertising agency. And I still enjoy what I am doing. There is a good chance I may fail and what an epic failure it would be. There is also a good chance I may succeed. But I am not thinking about it.
Some of the reasons why L&K decided to sell stake was to increase scale, get better funded and increase its set of clients. Is that something that’s a huge pull as the agency size grows?
Obviously scaling up and investments are a part of any business. Mine is no exception. I am not averse to conversation for strategic investments. But I am reluctant to talk with advertising networks. They are myopic. They don’t invest. They buy to kill and devour. Not to grow. That is not my game.
Santosh Padhi, Co-founder and Chief Creative Officer, Taproot India
Santosh Padhi
While each agency will have its own reasons, how do you react to one more independent agency getting aligned with a big network?
Different people have different needs and priorities, but in most cases coming together means strengthening your strength. Since I ran the recent Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon, let me put the same analogy here :). On a long run you can decide to maintain a speed and decide to run the same speed throughout or you decide to speed up but run out of energy and momentum when you are pushing beyond your limit, where you need the right energy drink to add to your momentum and achieve the goals faster, without getting tired. It’s completely up to an individual or the agency to decide how fast one wants to finish the game.
Some of the reasons why L&K decided to sell stake was to increase scale, get better funded and increase its set of clients. Is that something that’s a huge pull as the agency size grows? Were these the reasons why Taproot sold stake to Dentsu?
While someone from L&K can address the issue of why they sold stake, we at Taproot joined hands with Dentsu for 2-3 reasons:
a.Management control, a creative agency should always have this as that reflects in your output. Other department support as we were only focusing on creative product and limited to just Mumbai, but at times clients do look for many necessary support and we did not want to lose business just because of the lack of it. Dentsu’s multiple offices and departments have been very handy for us.
b.Globally, Dentsu is an innovator when it comes to digital and sooner or later we all will be in this sea, and they will be of great help when India gets into such action.
And, most importantly, c. We felt comfortable at a human level and that’s very important in a people’s business
If there’s one advantage that you think Taproot has derived post Dentsu, what would it be?
It has been a wonderful two-year journey. We have worked together on many projects like Nurishco, Dulux, Himalaya etc. We complement each other very well.
Ridden by charges of plagiarism, scam ads and boycotts, the Creative Abby conducted by the Advertising Club now has another force to contend with: the D&AD-backed Kyoorius Advertising Awards.
The awards gain respectability even as they are announced as they are backed by none other than D&AD. Kyoorius, a not-for-profit initiative by Transasia Fine Papers, has been organizing the Designyatra, a design conclave since 2006. Last year, it revived the design awards with a D&AD-supervised jury process (*See Disclosure).
The alliance between Kyoorius and D&AD continues with the Advertising Awards that are scheduled to be held in late May 2014. The Call for Entry will start on March 20.
Said Rajesh Kejriwal, Founder-CEO, Kyoorius: “The Blue Elephant aims to be the most aspired trophy to be won nationally and will enhance the winners credentials globally and the Black Elephant will be the epitome of achievement for any creative person. Kyoorius’ mission, vision and most critically – our passion has been to provide a platform for the communicators. Everything we do is fuelled by this passion.”
Tim Lindsay, CEO of D&AD added, “D&AD are proud to be partnering with Kyooriuis in India. We share a lot of aims and values – the main one being to stimulate, enable and award creative excellence in advertising and design and to inspire and support the creative community particular in the area of creative education. D&AD is famous for the integrity and quality of its judging process and its jurors – qualities we will bring the same to the Kyoorius Advertising Awards as we advise and collaborate on categories, jury composition, judging and event management. Both organisations are neutral, and the awards will be decided entirely on merit against the three D&AD criteria; is it a great idea? Is it beautifully executed? Is it relevant to its context?”
Tim Lindsay
Meanwhile, although a meeting was held with various stakeholders last fortnight, no date has been announced for either the Goafest or the Abby awards at the time of writing this report. There are unconfirmed rumours that some leading creative agencies may stay away if some conditions are not addressed.
*Disclosure: MxMIndia is a Media Partner of Kyoorius
We will go the critic route rather than the popular route: Kejriwal
By Ravi Balakrishnan
R Balakrishnan
For D&AD, it’s a chance to raise its profile in India. In an interview in December 2012, Tim Lindsay, its CEO was aware that the award had lost traction particularly with the younger lot. Indian entries have been on a decline. And so, this is the first time the D&AD is backing an award in a different country. Given Lindsay’s agenda for revival, it’s not likely to be the last. What nobody intends changing though is the notoriously tough - some would say almost frustrating - standards that the work is measured against. The D&AD is globally reckoned to be among the stingiest award bodies. It’s gunning for a similar exclusivity in India. “We will go the critic route rather than the popular route,” Mr Kejriwal admits. “I’d rather not have an award in a category than reward something that’s not up to scratch.” The awards will be run by the D&AD using its judging formats and backend. For the first time, Indian work will face an 18-member jury with a 60:40 split in favour of international judges. While subject to tweaking, the main categories include print/print craft, outdoor, film/film craft, radio, direct marketing and activation, integrated and art direction.
More importantly for an industry where scam has become the filthiest four letter word in some circles, it will include D&AD’s stringent policies to whet entries. As well as additional ruses to throw off persistent scammers. Kyoorius is toying with the idea of showcasing the shortlisted work in galleries across Mumbai, Delhi or Bengaluru, which could help weed out scams. It’s also considering an online gallery. Elephants are standing in for the pencils, D&AD’s much sought after trophy. The best of show gets a black elephant, the rest of the winners get blue and students stand to bag a red. Such an enterprise doesn’t come cheap. Entries are to be priced between Rs 7,000 and Rs 10,000. As long as all the criteria are fulfilled with approvals in place, anyone from individuals to marketers and agencies can submit work.
Rajesh Kejriwal is certain the entries won’t touch the numbers seen by the Abby, but believes more is not necessarily good. He says, “If quality means a lesser number, so be it. I’d be happy to get around 1,500 to 2,000.” In keeping with the mission of the D&AD which is involved in industry training and coaching sessions in the UK, Mr Kejriwal says money from the awards will be ploughed back into talent development programmes, seminars and workshops.
The Kyoorius advertising awards are timed to grab an industry that’s at least for the moment, severely disillusioned with its longest running show, the Abby, as well as its festival Goafest. Mr Kejriwal believes, “There’s space for a popular award and a critic award. Every country needs a festival and if it has an award, so much the better. But what is the purpose? How do you make it relevant and content rich? How can it go beyond beaches and beer?”
Josy Paul
Sajan Raj Kurup
Most creatives we spoke to are optimistic about the Kyoorius advertising awards. Josy Paul, chairman and creative chief BBDO India says, “Whether we will participate in Abby is still up for discussion. But I would like to enter an award from D&AD. They have evolved into a show that’s looking at substantial market changing work.” Adds Sajjan Raj Kurup, founder, Creativeland Asia, “I haven’t taken an anti awards stand but an anti not-so-reputed awards stand. As long as jury members are credible, it doesn’t matter where they are from. It’s better than mandatory judges from every agency even if they are not qualified.”
Mr Balki whose disdain for awards is well known remains contrarian. Asked if he will participate, he says, “I am not enthusiastic about D&AD in London why would I be about it in India? It’s not the name or the institution. What are the judging criteria? If D&AD cracks this, it will be successful. But I’d first want to know what they’ve cracked. It could be the Tibetan advertising festival; if they figure this out first, we’d sign up.”
What happens when an industry loses its faith in its own awards? In the case of Indian advertising, agencies seem to have found a solution by launching inhouse awards.
While Lowe and Partners launched ‘The True Show’ a few years ago, Ogilvy & Mather just held its first internal award, the Envies.
With other agencies too planning their own inhouse celebrations, does this mean that the days of the industry awards such as the Abby are numbered? “I don’t think so,” says Arvind Sharma, president of Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) that organises Goafest where the Abby awards are conferred.
“The last 25-30 years that I have seen, big agencies tend to pull out of award shows. In ad award shows big agencies don’t count.
It is the creatively hottest agencies that matter. People have come and gone in Goafest. While that decision should be respected, it has no bearing at all on the future of the show. The show will go on.” But the advertising industry remains divided.
Piyush Pandey
Piyush Pandey, executive chairman and creative director at Ogilvy & Mather India and South Asia, says that his and other agencies are sending out a message to the organisers of industry award shows by holding their own in-house awards. “If the industry comes up with an award show which is believable and credible then we will participate,” he says.
R Balakrishnan, chairman and chief creative officer of Lowe Lintas, says that message has been going out for a while, but the ad fraternity hasn’t got it yet.
R Balakrishnan
“Advertising has a purpose and how creative you are is that purpose. Who better than the agency that has created it to judge it,” he says, predicting that winning an Envie will make creatives at O&M happier than winning an industry award.
Raj Kurup, founder and creative chairman of Creativelandasia, which pulled out of Goafest this year, has been vocal about scam ads in Goafest and how the event has lost its focus. “Whether it is an internal award or an industry award, I would welcome anything that celebrates fantastic real work that has made difference to the business,” he says.
Sajan Raj Kurup
Leo Burnett, which has a global assessment team and a unique scoring pattern that evaluates the agency’s internal work, has planned something special for its Indian winners in 2014.
“We have very big plans for Cannes Lion 2014 and we are planning to send 25 people including creative, account management and planners.
Saurabh Varma
Teams that will score high in internal assessment will be a part of this, so will be the employee of the month and the previous Cannes Lion winners,” Saurabh Varma, CEO at Leo Burnett India, says.
While a senior official in Leo Burnett says that the agency will not participate in Goafest 2014 because it has shifted its focus to Cannes Lion 2014, Mr Varma says, “We are still making up our mind on Goafest.”
In fact, there are many in the industry who believe that while internal award shows of Lowe and O&M make a great statement, the industry award shows will co-exist. Josy Paul, chairman and chief creative officer at BBDO India, believes the two should not be combined.
“This is O&M seeking external input and I think it’s gonna be respected for that. If more people do things like this, it just shows the industry is more united,” he says.
Rohit Ohri, executive chairman at Dentsu India Group, says the Goafest is a larger forum for discussing industry issues.
“So there is nothing like loosing sheen. But yes the competitive spirit that agencies like Ogilvy bring about will be missed,” he says. Agrees Vandana Das, president at DDB Mudra Group.
“Old forums such as Goafest are places where great minds get together to celebrate great work. But it is not necessary that there will be only one such forum. There can be more,” she says. Like all other issues, the Indian advertising industry will remain divided on this one.
But if there is one agenda where they unite, it is that the industry bodies should introspect the reason for the plight of the agencies from the award shows and try and bring them back.
By A Correspondent
On the occasion of World AIDS Day, Durex, the global leader in sexual wellbeing has taken a step further in promoting the message of safe sex by partnering with Creativeland Asia and MTV to launch a nation-wide campaign. The campaign features a 360 integrated campaign, which will leverage the campaign thought ‘Make love without fear’ through the brand ambassador Ranveer Singh.
