MAM
Creative Abbys 2013: McCann and Grey claim a grand prix each
VARCA, GOA: It‘s raining metals at the Abbys in Goa. Joining Interface Business Solutions in the advertising hall of fame at the 2013 Creative Abbys, Grey Worldwide and McCann Worldgroup have each picked up a grand prix for their work in the integrated category (sub category clothing, innerwear, footwear and accessories) and print category (sub category business and home services) respectively.
McCann Worldgroup finished this year‘s campaign with 56 Abby statuettes; seven gold, 15 silver and 33 bronze Abbys apart from the grand prix. Grey pocketed 14 metals in all adding seven silver and six bronze honours to the grand prix.
A total of 442 metals were awarded this year to 73 winning agencies. Calling it a celebration of creativity, Leo Burnett India and South Asia CEO Arvind Sharma said, “It is not only the number of entries that has increased, but the number of agencies participating has also seen a hike. This shows the confidence that every member of the advertising fraternity has in the Abbys.”
And a celebration it is going to be at the Publicis Groupe’s creative hotspot as Leo Burnett picked up 71 metals with nine gold, 35 silver and 28 bronze Abbys, though the grand prix eluded the agency.
The agency won one gold in the integrated (media and publications) category for its work on SET India‘s game show KBC-6, one in the film category (media and publication) for SET India’s Girl Child campaign, one in the outdoor category (public service, appeals and charity) for Indian Red Cross Society’s Gift Blood this Christmas, two in the radio category – one for Tata Salt Lite’s Society campaign in the subcategory food and one for creating the KBC Anthem for SET India in the subcategory media and publications, two in the radio craft category – Tata Salt Lite Society campaign and the KBC Anthem for SET India(subcategory writing), one in the print craft (illustration) for its work on the Heinz Tomato Ketchup brand and one in the design category (environment design) for the reflection of music installation it created for MTV’s Coke Studio.
Leo Burnett Solutions, the creative agency’s digital arm also bagged three metals (two silver and one bronze), taking the network’s tally to 74.
Despite the withdrawal of 13 entries at advanced stages of judging, JWT India bagged 48 Abby metals this year including five gold, 17 silver and 26 bronze awards. ideas@work advertising took home 29 metals with one gold, 14 silver and 14 bronze Abbys.
Other agencies to pocket a gold include Taproot India, The Dentsu Group, BBDO Proximity, Bang Bang Films, Contract Advertising, DDB Mudra Group, Scarecrow Communications and Publicis Communications.
The creative Abbys received a staggering 4300 entries (50 more than last year) from nearly 173 agencies.
This year saw the inclusion of of a new category in the creative Abbys in Branded Content. The category had 12 winners in its first year with two entries winning gold, five winning silver and five winning bronze. JWT India took one gold for Zinkdagi Abhi BAki Hai for Birla Sun Life Insurance and the other went to Scarecrow Communications for the brand B’LUE’s Reveal Yourself: 1 song, 1500 lyricists.
“With the inclusion of this category, we have opened the doors of partcipation to not only creative and media agencies but also entities like broadcasters, content companies and production houses,”said Percept Ltd’s Ajay Chandawani.
This year, the creative Abbys had its fair share of controversies. First leading agency and consistent award winner Ogilvy and Mather declared that it would not participate in the awards. Last year, Ogilvy emerged the leading award aggregator with 51 metals, including a grand prix for its work on Fox Crime. The next scam to erupt was the Ford Figo poster campaign conceptualised by JWT that started the debate on scam ads and the accountability issue in the client-agency relationship anew and saw the exit of Bobby Pawar from his post as managing partner and chief creative officer at JWT India.
JWT India‘s entries for its campaign for Ford Figo were withdrawn from the awards.
As a consequence of this development Creativeland Asia (CLA) founder Raj Kurup decided to withdraw his name from all the juries in the creative Abby judges process and also requested that all entries from his agencies be revoked. The latter request was however denied since the judging process was almost 90 per cent complete. CLA completed its run at the Abbys this year with seven metal – three silver and four bronze.
Summing up the creative Abbys this year Sharma said, “In the end, its been a successful year. Let us look at this way – this year, we have recognised and awarded over 400 creative ideas which i believe is a great thing for the industry.”
We will raise a toast to that! Sante!
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MAM
Atomberg rolls out Jackie Shroff-led campaign for smart purifier
Humour-led film highlights adaptive tech, no-AMC model and app features
MUMBAI: Boil it, filter it… or just let Jackie fix it, Atomberg Technologies is tapping nostalgia and wit to make water purification a little less… dry.
In its latest campaign, the brand ropes in Jackie Shroff to reimagine the tone of old-school public service messaging, borrowing cues from the actor’s iconic polio awareness appearances. The result is a humorous, culturally familiar spin that swaps health warnings for smart water habits, turning a typically functional category into something far more watchable and shareable.
The campaign’s hook lies in simplification. Instead of drowning audiences in technical jargon, it uses comedy to break down how Atomberg’s water purifier works, positioning it as an intuitive, everyday solution rather than a complex appliance. The storytelling leans heavily on recall, using nostalgia as an entry point while subtly educating consumers about product benefits.
At the centre of the narrative is the purifier’s adaptive technology. Designed to automatically switch between RO, UV and UF modes based on TDS levels, the system aims to ensure safe drinking water while retaining essential minerals and avoiding unnecessary RO usage. Features such as Taste Tune for customised water output and Vacation Mode for low-maintenance use further underline its focus on convenience.
Beyond the product, Atomberg is also taking aim at the category’s long-standing pain point: opaque service costs. The purifier operates on a no-AMC, pay-per-need model, replacing traditional annual maintenance contracts with a more transparent structure. Backed by a two-year no-cost warranty and continued coverage on replaced parts, the offering is positioned as both cost-efficient and consumer-friendly.
The campaign, therefore, does more than advertise a product, it reframes how it is understood. By blending humour, cultural familiarity and clear product messaging, Atomberg is attempting to stand out in a cluttered market where most communication tends to be either overly technical or easily ignored.
In a space where clarity is often filtered out, this campaign keeps things simple: safe water, smarter tech, and a familiar face delivering the message with a wink.
