Leo Burnett, O&M and JWT bring home Cannes Lions

The first two awards -- Media Lion and Lions Direct -- didn’t have anything for Team India to cheer for. Ditto for the Cyber Lions awards. However, the Press and Outdoor segments have brought some good news with three Indian entries bagging a Lion each. The winning agencies are JWT Chennai for a Press award and Leo Burnett and O&M for Outdoor.

In the Press awards, India had ten shortlisted entries. Of these, JWT Chennai’s ‘Give’ for The Indian Red Cross in the category Fundraising and Appeals has won a Silver Lion. Colvyn Harris, CEO, JWT, said, “We are delighted. The win couldn’t have come at a better time, considering we have just instituted ‘The Standard’ at the agency which signifies our current creative philosophy. Not only have we won the Silver, but our entry ‘Ideator’ was also a finalist. We are very happy.”

For the Outdoor awards, which had eight shortlisted entries, there are only two winner. O&M has bagged a Silver Lion in the Entertainment and Leisure category for their entry ‘Birds’ for A:Door. Said an excited Nishi Suri, President of the agency, “I am thrilled and delighted and over the moon.”

Leo Burnett has won a Bronze Lion in the category Savoury Foods for its client Heinz India with the entry titled ‘3 hours’. Arvind Sharma, Chairman & MD, Leo Burnett, is pleased. “It was a simple idea and the simplicity paid off. It is always nice to be recognised on the international picture and we are very proud,” he said.

However, a point to ponder is that India had sent a substantial number of entries -- over 600, across categories – to Cannes. Despite this, only 22 entries were shortlisted across five awards and just three have won. What does this imply for the Indian advertising industry?

Offering a point of view, Harris said, “One has to remember that advertisements are created with only one objective – to move the brand in the market. Many a time, to achieve that, we make ads keeping the Indian consumer and market dynamics here in mind and it is not necessary that it would be understood at the global level. After attempting to achieve efficiency, if the ad is good we send it for awards and if it wins, that is an icing on the cake. On the whole, Indian advertising is improving continually and the aim is to even better.”