 "Goafest: Several more awards, but no Grand Prix winner this year")
Ad agencies JWT, Taproot Dentsu and Contract were the three big winners by tally of Creative Abbies on the final day of the Goafest, much like Mindshare was in the media segment two days ago. But what stood out was the complete absence of Grand Prix winners, both in creative and media this year.
Last year, for instance, there was a Grand Prix in direct marketing, the year before there was a Grand Prix in media and direct marketing respectively, but this year there was a drought throughout the three-day show. This came even as the 2016 edition of the Goafest saw the most number of entries in both creative and media in the history of the festival - a total of 4,460.
Are judging standards therefore going up or the quality of entries going down?
Ashish Bhasin, chairman & CEO, South Asia, Dentsu Aegis Network, who oversees all of the Japanese network's operations in India, including creative and media, says that he sees the judging standards going up. "This is the trend globally. Jurors are increasingly raising the bar and it is getting tougher for agencies to bag golds or even Grand Prixs."
Says Bobby Pawar, managing director & chief creative officer, Publicis Communications, "There is a message that jurors in general are trying to convey: that if you don't up your game, chances are you won't win big." Pawar was chairing the print vertical this year at the Goafest.
How strict jurors were this year can be gauged from this fact: there were only 38 golds in the Creative Abbies, against 71 last year. On the media side, the number of golds were 11 this year against 12 last year. Typically, Grand Prix, which is the best of the best, is selected from the gold winners in any category.
Since there were no Grand Prix winners this year, the Goafest Organising Committee opted to give what it calls a "Best in Category" award, which is above a gold, but lower than a Grand Prix.
"This is selected from gold winners, but it is not what a Grand Prix is where you look at an idea that is big, that straddles across media, that makes a big difference to the client etc," says Ajay Chandwani, member, Awards Governing Council, the core unit overseeing the Abby Awards at the Goafest. "We decided to introduce the 'Best in Category' in response to the needs of the creative community, who had articulated this to us," he said.
The "Best in Category" award was given in the film segment to Publicis Communications for a commercial called " A Giant's Story" for Ambuja Cements.
JWT's total tally was 47 metals on the final day following announcement of awards in key categories such as print, film, film craft, digital, integrated, out-of-home, ambient and design. Taproot Dentsu followed next with a total of 40 metals, while Contract had 26 metals respectively. In terms of golds, the big winners included JWT, DDB Mudra and Publicis Communications. JWT bagged five golds, while the other two had four golds each. Taproot had two golds, while Contract had one respectively.
Last year, for instance, there was a Grand Prix in direct marketing, the year before there was a Grand Prix in media and direct marketing respectively, but this year there was a drought throughout the three-day show. This came even as the 2016 edition of the Goafest saw the most number of entries in both creative and media in the history of the festival - a total of 4,460.
Are judging standards therefore going up or the quality of entries going down?
Ashish Bhasin, chairman & CEO, South Asia, Dentsu Aegis Network, who oversees all of the Japanese network's operations in India, including creative and media, says that he sees the judging standards going up. "This is the trend globally. Jurors are increasingly raising the bar and it is getting tougher for agencies to bag golds or even Grand Prixs."
Says Bobby Pawar, managing director & chief creative officer, Publicis Communications, "There is a message that jurors in general are trying to convey: that if you don't up your game, chances are you won't win big." Pawar was chairing the print vertical this year at the Goafest.
How strict jurors were this year can be gauged from this fact: there were only 38 golds in the Creative Abbies, against 71 last year. On the media side, the number of golds were 11 this year against 12 last year. Typically, Grand Prix, which is the best of the best, is selected from the gold winners in any category.
Since there were no Grand Prix winners this year, the Goafest Organising Committee opted to give what it calls a "Best in Category" award, which is above a gold, but lower than a Grand Prix.
"This is selected from gold winners, but it is not what a Grand Prix is where you look at an idea that is big, that straddles across media, that makes a big difference to the client etc," says Ajay Chandwani, member, Awards Governing Council, the core unit overseeing the Abby Awards at the Goafest. "We decided to introduce the 'Best in Category' in response to the needs of the creative community, who had articulated this to us," he said.
The "Best in Category" award was given in the film segment to Publicis Communications for a commercial called " A Giant's Story" for Ambuja Cements.
JWT's total tally was 47 metals on the final day following announcement of awards in key categories such as print, film, film craft, digital, integrated, out-of-home, ambient and design. Taproot Dentsu followed next with a total of 40 metals, while Contract had 26 metals respectively. In terms of golds, the big winners included JWT, DDB Mudra and Publicis Communications. JWT bagged five golds, while the other two had four golds each. Taproot had two golds, while Contract had one respectively.
| GOAFEST SIDELIGHTS |
| Gender equality in advertising Gender equality was a recurring theme on the final day of the Goafest 2016, with author and columnist Shobha De kicking off the debate saying the need of the hour was gender "neutrality". Speakers to follow, such as Denstu-owned digital agency Isobar's Global CEO Jean Lin and IPG Group-owned ad agency FCB's global CEO Carter Murray, agreed that the need to empower women was even more important, since advertising had a poor track-record in this regard. "There are hardly any women at the top in global or local ad agencies. This is simply outrageous," said Murray. Indian Army needs a story teller When asked how the advertising world could help the Indian Army, ex-army man, founder of the NATGRID and group president Reliance Industries, Raghu Raman said that soldiers are story makers, not story tellers. "I would request you guys, who are brilliant storytellers, to help us tell our story," he said. Changing face of advertising Jean Lin, global CEO of Isobar, one of the speakers on the final day, felt that in the world we live, ideas were no longer just ads. Ideas are solutions to a problem that can be advertised, she said. Alasdair Lennox, executive creative director at international ad agency Fitch agreed that advertising as a word would soon die, replaced instead by experience and conversations. Compiled by Urvi Malvania |