MAM
Effies 2015: MullenLowe Lintas crowned Agency of the Year
MUMBAI: It’s that time of the year again when the entire advertising, marketing and creative media fraternity converge together to laud the most effective creative work amongst their peers. The Effie Awards, organised by The Advertising Club, has entered its 15th chapter with much pomp and show.
Even as the Effie Awards 2015 left agencies wanting for more Gold trophies as several categories went without any takers in the category, MullenLowe Lintas was crowned Agency of the Year with the most number of metals to its name. Claiming victory over four different categories and tying with themselves on a single, MullenLowe Lintas took home six Gold Effies, followed by five Silver and 13 Bronze trophies, making their overall count 24. The agency’s winning streak was bagging the Grand Effie for the campaign, ‘Drinks and Memories’ for Paperboat under the Integrated Advertising Campaign category.
Amongst marketers, Hindustan Unilever was named as the Client of the Year for its award winning campaigns for various brands.
A total of 15 Gold, 26 Silver and 54 Bronze statuettes were given away at the Effie Awards 2015.
Defending champions, Ogilvy and Mather (O&M) emerged as the agency to take home the most number of metals — four Gold, four Silver and a whopping 20 Bronze statuettes — taking their award tally to 28.
McCann Worldgroup India was third in line to bag the maximum awards with two Gold, four Silver and four Bronze, followed by DDB Mudra with four Silver and five Bronze. BBDO India took home two Gold, and one Bronze. The last Golden trophy was taken home by Contract Advertising for its campaign for Truecaller under Telecom and related products category.
The Leo Group India bagged two Silver and one Bronze statuettes.
Law & Kenneth Saatchi & Saatchi won Silver for the newly introduced category of New Product or Service – ‘Best campaign for a Start up category’ for their offline to online furniture shopping campaign for Pepperfry.com, while MullenLowe Lintas Group India bagged the bronze for ‘Life Mein Campaign’ for Practo. JWT also took home two Bronze.
The Effie India Awards 2015 were adjudged by an eminent jury panel of 285 industry leaders from across Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore representing agency and clients. Some of the key categories included were consumer products, consumer durable, services, healthcare, small town and rural marketing etc.
“In an era where marketing budgets are under strain and scrutiny, it is extremely heartening that effectiveness has become the mantra of the marketing and advertising fraternity. The overwhelming response to the Effie 2015 is witness to this, with an all-time high participation of 57 agencies and 603 entries. The fact that the Effie award has become the most coveted trophy on the shelves of marketers and agency alike is the greatest joy for me,” said Effie India Awards 2015 chairman Ajay Kakkar.
Elaborating further on the entries, Effie India Awards 2015 co-chairman Vikram Sakhuja said, “The Effies this time too has it all, the power of insight, non-conventional marketing plans and ultimately a great brand success stories.”
“The business environment is constantly changing and it is imperative that we align ourselves these changes to meet the expectations of our clients. I take this opportunity to appreciate and congratulate all the winners and my industry colleagues who are driving and leading this change,” added The Advertising Club president and Colors CEO Raj Nayak in parting.
AD Agencies
Prakash Nair reportedly quits Ogilvy after 23 years
One of the agency’s longest-serving leaders has moved on, with his next destination still unknown
MUMBAI: After more than two decades at one address, Prakash Nair has left the building. The president and head of office, north at Ogilvy has moved on from the agency, according to highly placed industry sources. His next move remains unknown. Ogilvy did not respond to requests for comment.
Nair spent over 23 years at the agency, making him one of its longest-serving senior figures. He was elevated to lead the Gurugram office in April 2022, a role that put him at the helm of Ogilvy’s northern operations at a time of considerable churn across the advertising industry.
Before taking charge in the capital, Nair served as associate president at Ogilvy Mumbai, where he worked on some of the agency’s most prized accounts, including Mondelez, Tata Motors, and BP Castrol. Over the years, he built a reputation for driving modern, integrated, and award-winning work, the kind that wins metals at Cannes and keeps clients from straying.
His departure was marked in style. A farewell gathering was held in Delhi, attended by senior figures from across the advertising fraternity, a signal of the regard in which Nair is held in an industry that does not always pause to say goodbye properly.
Where he goes next is the question the industry is now asking. After 23 years at one of the world’s most storied agencies, the answer, when it comes, will be worth watching.
