Goafest strives to stay young, stay relevant

The advertising, media and marketing convention pulled out the stops to attract the young with unconventional speakers and a slew of features

In an industry where the pressure to stay forever young is immense, the annual ad jamboree, Goafest worked very hard this year, to keep its years from showing. Although the fest is just 11 years old, the team behind the fest did everything it could to keep the fare fresh and the growing band of young ad professionals, engaged. Its calendar of events this year was skewed towards the audacious, with a cricketer making it to the list of speakers for the first time. And selfie corners, a special app for the festival and cash prices for best questions asked during knowledge sessions were quite the rage even as some top ad agencies stayed out of the fest. The absentee list this year included Ogilvy & Mather, Mullen Lowe Lintas, which has stayed out for over a decade, BBDO, Leo Burnett, Grey and Creativeland Asia.

FEST FACTS

• Two new categories, Young Abby and Gender Sensitive Abby introduced
• Easy-to-download Goafest app launched for the first time
• Selfie corners scattered across the venue
• Rs 25,000 cash prize for winning questions posed after special sessions
• Speakers such as former-cricketer Arjuna Ranatunga and film-maker Karan Johar roped in for their youth appeal

One of the high points was a discussion between ex-cricketer Arjuna Ranatunga and journalist Rajdeep Sardesai. The audience was asked to post questions following the session with a chance to win a cash prize of Rs 25,000 for the best one. The hall was packed to the rafters and the buzz around the event was so high that it filtered into conversations on Twitter, Facebook and other media long after it was all done. Nakul Chopra, chairman, Goafest Organising Committee 2016, said, "The challenge was to make it exciting. I think we have, with the varied speakers this year or initiatives such as the cash prize for the winning questions or the app we launched for the first time or by tapping into the selfie craze. The endeavour was raise excitement levels especially of the young."

While the fest has managed to shrug off the bad press that followed after McCann and many more walked out following the Ford-Figo controversy three years ago, the organisers were aware that they needed a new spin to keep the festival relevant for a young audience. Incidentally, McCann is back, it sent in entries and Asia-Pacific chairman Prasoon Joshi was a juror this year.

Ad experts say the standout factor in the last three years has been the growing influence of the young even as the seasoned hands choose to give it a skip. This year, however, saw ad gurus R Balki, group chairman, Mullen Lowe Lintas and Piyush Pandey, executive chairman & creative director, O&M, return to the fest as speakers and special guests. Balki came in the capacity of a film-maker, while Pandey was felicitated for receiving the Padma Shri this year from the Government of India.

Film-maker Karan Johar were star attractions at Goafest 2016

  Krishnan Subramanian, chief strategy officer, TBWA India, who attended along with the agency CEO Govind Pandey said he was struck by the number of young people around. "I think it is an experience for them when they come for festivals such as these. Unlike seasoned professionals like me, who've been around and have a reference point to most pieces of communication displayed or discussed, the youngsters don't. This helps in their learning process," he said.

Prashant Godbole, co-founder of Mumbai-based agency ideas@work, who was also a juror at the fest said, "There was an attempt to improve the quality of speakers. That was interesting. The show is increasingly becoming a destination for the young, it is a must therefore to address their needs otherwise they won't come back."

The fest, which saw a 25 per cent jump in delegates in 2016, touching 2,300 versus 1,900 last year, was led largely by the young brigade, persons in the know said. While the break-up of delegates over and above 35 years of age was not available, the organisers had ensured that the under-35 age bracket was addressed with the introduction of the Young Abby this year. Ramesh Narayan, chairman, Awards Governing Council (AGC), the core unit overseeing the Abbies at the Goafest said, "This is the first year of its introduction and the process of selection is akin to all other categories."

The inaugural year saw 15 entries for the Young Abby, which is expected to go up in the coming years. Additionally, the organising committee introduced the Gender Sensitivity Abby in response to a growing industry need. "Gender sensitivity is a burning issue also within the ad industry, with fewer women at the top. There is need to improve awareness levels to this issue and giving an award to creative people who've addressed it is one way of focusing attention to it," Narayan said. In all, this category had 20 entries this year.

Overall, the number of entries at the Goafest also jumped this year, it was the highest in 11 years. While organisers did not indicate whether the growing attendance of youngsters had a role to play in the spurt in entries, anecdotal evidence suggests that the young are increasingly becoming the festival's driving force.