MAM
Digital agencies eye GoaFest 2014
MUMBAI: While the 2013 edition wasn’t exactly the best, with the controversy around ‘scam ads’ and a couple of heavyweights like Ogilvy and Creativeland Asia bowing out, this year’s Goafest promises to be a definite improvement over its predecessor.
The ninth edition has been postponed to May because of the ongoing elections and will revolve around the theme ‘Brand Baaja Baraat’. The fest will focus on macro-economic issues affecting advertising. There will be a first-of-its-kind leadership summit addressed by an interesting line-up of speakers. Among other changes, Goafest 2014 will have a new category ‘promo activation and PR’ while adding Broadcaster and Publisher Abbys to the existing list of awards.
Speaking of awards, taking a cue from last year’s fracas, the committee has introduced changes to the judging process after feedback from creative professionals. The selection process will comprise two rounds with a gap of 10 days in between. Short-listed entries from round one will be put up on the Goafest official website. Complaints backed by evidence will be considered for review by jury chairman for that particular category.
Significantly, the ‘digital’ category – which caught the industry’s attention last year – promises to be even bigger this year. Goafest 2014 chairman Srinivasan Swamy said he would be able to give the exact number of digital entries post 23 April, the extended deadline for submission of entries.
It can be noted that in the Media Abbys’ category which received 660 entries, 40 – 45 per cent of them came from digital-related categories. The organisers had expanded the digital category to include relevant sub-categories in the 2013 edition. This year there are around nine sub-categories in digital, two in mobile, six in digital craft and nine in best use of digital media
Though the likes of Leo Burnett, Ogilvy and Creativeland Asia are not participating, lots of digital agencies are really looking forward to the fest.
Ahead of Goafest 2014, ad2campaign co-founder and managing director Madan Sanglikar tells indiantelevision.com, “Last year’s Goafest got everyone talking about the burning issue of ‘scam ads’ rather than brush it under the carpet. Scam ads are a reality and we need to have regular debate and discussion to keep them under control.”
Sanglikar went so far as to suggest ways to curb scam ads. “Firstly, by creating a separate category called ‘proactive ads’ that would showcase ads which were never released but could have made a difference because of their innovative appeal. This would give creative people due recognition while acknowledging that these ads did not constitute real campaigns. Secondly, by instituting an open rating/meter which shows how many brands have been participating in questionable tactics. The assumption here is that clients are usually in cahoots with creative people in the making of scam ads,” he explains.
Speaking of digital agencies, Sanglikar says, “Digital is main-stream by now. So digital agencies are no different from other agencies and if there is a fest for the advertising industry, it cannot be complete without digital agencies. Having said that, there have lately been too many award shows for digital agencies, so Goafest will also have to create a better differentiation.”
ibs, which won the Grand Prix last year for its Tata DoCoMo digital campaign, is eager to participate in Goafest this year too. “We are letting the younger lot to lead this year. We are allowing them to enter their work and make the submissions with absolute freedom and empowerment. Given this change, we are hopeful that the rank and file of the agency will get more deeply involved in the Goafest. While we are optimistic of some of our work getting noticed, winning awards is not the most important objective for us at Goafest this year”, says ibs MD Sabyasachi Mitter. He adds that success at Goafest would help draw the immediate attention of the entire advertising fraternity.
According to sources, while a few mid-sized digital agencies are giving the fest a miss as they are cutting down budgets and will be selective while entering awards. On the other hand, a few big digital agencies are submitting a good number of entries and are positive about being recognised for their good work.
Brands
Beep App launches Gen-Z career platform, clocks 30,000 plus placements
Pune startup turns scrolling into career action with learn-explore-earn model
PUNE: Beep App has rolled out its newly positioned career-focused app aimed at Gen-Z users, as it looks to bridge what it calls a growing gap between exposure and employability among young Indians.
Formerly known as EventBeep, the platform is built around a simple but timely idea: turning everyday scrolling into meaningful career action. The app targets students and early professionals, offering a unified space to explore career options, learn relevant skills and access internships and job opportunities.
At a time when short-form content dominates screen time, Beep is attempting to flip the script by embedding structured, career-oriented insights within a familiar scroll-based interface. The idea is not to disrupt user behaviour, but to redirect it.
The platform spans a wide range of fields, including artificial intelligence, product management, design and data analytics. It provides users with insights into role expectations, required skills and step-by-step career pathways, supported by inputs from industry practitioners.
At the heart of the offering is a “learn, explore, earn” model that integrates discovery, skill-building and hiring into one ecosystem. The company says this closed-loop approach is already gaining traction, with over 30,000 placements facilitated so far.
“Gen-Z does not lack ambition; what they often lack is structured direction,” said Beep App founder and CEO Saurabh Mangrulkar. “The Beep App is designed to organise that exposure into actionable pathways so users can move from intent to execution with greater confidence.”
The launch comes amid a broader shift in India’s job market towards skills-first hiring, where practical experience and demonstrable capabilities are increasingly valued alongside academic qualifications.
Founded in 2021, Beep App has grown steadily within the student ecosystem, connecting over 6.5 million users with opportunities across more than 1,500 colleges and 7,800 hiring companies.
Looking ahead, the company plans to deepen its content across emerging sectors, expand its hiring network and build more personalised career pathways tailored to user behaviour.
As Gen-Z continues to navigate a complex and fast-evolving job market, platforms that can turn curiosity into clarity may well shape the next wave of career discovery.
