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Virtual Marketing India bags 4 awards at PMAA
NEW DELHI: Mumbai-based e-marketing solutions company Virtual Marketing India bagged two gold, one silver and one bronze in the recently conducted Promotion Marketing Awards of Asia (PMAA) 2003, for which the final judging was held in Singapore recently. In all, India picked up six awards – three gold, one silver and two bronze from 16 categories in the PMAA.
Virtual Marketing picked up two gold for its `Bond with Speed’ campaign for Bharat Petroleum Corporation in the `Best campaign using movie and music discipline’ category and `Axeffect.com’ web site for Hindustan Lever in the `Best use of new media’ category.
The other awards included joint silver for `BPCL Speed Run’ in the `Best campaign using sport discipline’ along with Tequila Singapore; and bronze for `William Grant’s Corporate Cricket Tournament’ in the `Best event marketing’ category.
Besides Virtual Marketing, other Indian entrants who ended up winning awards included: gold for MTV India for Colgate Fresh Gel. “Colgate Fresh Energy Gel & MTV VJ Hunt” in the `Best effective long-term promotion marketing campaign’ category; and bronze for HLL for “Bano Toonstar with Scooby Doo Max” in the `Best campaign generating awareness and trial’ category.
Virtual Marketing creative director Carlton D’Silva says: “There is consistency in our work, in terms of delivering marketing solutions. The fact that we won three awards last year (in the same competition) and four this year, proves our consistency. We are marketing solutions provider and each of our solutions has a marketing angle to it.”
Besides four awards, the company also managed finalist certificate for its work on Speed awareness viral marketing campaign in the `Best use of innovative communication strategy’; ESPN `googlee’ boy screen-mate’; Coca-Cola ‘Jeeto India Jeeto’ viral marketing campaign; and ‘Mujhse Dosti Karoge’ viral marketing application in the `New media’ category.
The company has managed to come up with innovative and memorable work in the recent years and officials attribute this success to keeping pace with technology for delivering apt solutions.
“We are moving along with technology. It’s (technology) moving at a fast pace but we manage to deliver innovative solutions whether it’s the Internet or offline. Whenever we are convinced with an idea – whether its event or interactive application – we go full-fledged and work on marketing solution,” says D’Silva.
The company, formed in 1999, is a 60-member team with offices in five cities. Virtual Marketing had won two ‘Gold Abbies’ for its work on the movie Mujshe Dosti Karoge and the `Axe effect’ earlier this year.
According to the PMAA, this year’s 35 PMAA winners will take on the best from Europe, the United Kingdom, the USA, Canada, Australia and South America, in the Marketing Agencies Association Worldwide “Globes” Programme.
The winners of the MAA Worldwide Globes will be announced at the MAA Worldwide Globes Awards ceremony in Miami on 27 October 2003.
NEW DELHI: Hamdard Laboratories gathered a cross-section of India’s achievers in New Delhi on Friday, handing out the Hakeem Abdul Hameed Excellence Awards to figures who have left their mark across healthcare, education, sport, public service and the arts.
The ceremony, attended by minister of state for defence Sanjay Seth and senior officials from the ministry of Ayush, celebrated individuals whose work blends professional success with a sense of public purpose. It was as much a roll call of achievement as it was a reminder that influence is not measured only in profits or podiums, but in people reached and lives improved.
Among the headline awardees was Alakh Pandey, founder and chief executive of PhysicsWallah, recognised for turning affordable digital learning into a mass movement. On the sporting front, Arjuna Awardee and kabaddi player Sakshi Puniya was honoured for her contribution to the game and for pushing women’s participation onto bigger stages.
The cultural spotlight fell on veteran lyricist and poet Santosh Anand, whose songs have echoed across generations of Hindi cinema. At 97, Anand accepted the honour with characteristic humility, reflecting on a life shaped by perseverance and hope.
Healthcare honours spanned both modern and traditional systems. Manoj N. Nesari was recognised for strengthening Ayurveda’s place in national and global health frameworks. Padma shri Mohammed Abdul Waheed was honoured for his research-backed work in Unani medicine, while padma shri Mohsin Wali received recognition for his long-standing contribution to patient-centred care.
Education and social development also featured prominently. Padma shri Zahir Ishaq Kazi was honoured for decades of work in education, while former Meghalaya superintendent of Police T. C. Chacko was recognised for public service. Goonj founder Anshu Gupta received an award for his dignity-centred rural development initiatives, and the Hunar Shakti Foundation was honoured for empowering women and young girls through skill development.
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to former IAS officer Shailaja Chandra for her long career in public healthcare and governance, particularly in the traditional systems under Ayush.
Speaking at the event, Hamdard chairman Abdul Majeed said the awards were a tribute to those who combine excellence with empathy. “These awardees reflect Hakeem Sahib’s belief that healthcare, education and public service must ultimately serve humanity,” he said.
Minister Seth struck a forward-looking note, saying India’s young population gives the country a unique opportunity to become a global destination for learning, health and wellness by 2047.
The ceremony also featured the trailer launch of Unani Ki Kahaani, an upcoming documentary starring actor Jim Sarbh, set to premiere on Discovery on 11 February.
Instituted in memory of Unani scholar and educationist Hakeem Abdul Hameed, the awards have grown into a national platform that celebrates those building a more inclusive and resilient India. For one evening at least, the spotlight was not just on success, but on service with substance.
