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Mumbai , Aug. 28

GREAT creative products are also effective: that was the underlying theme at the Effie Awards 2003 (for effectiveness) last week in Mumbai. The lone gold (consumer products) went to McCann-Erickson's popular `thanda matlab' campaign for Coca-Cola, which also won the Grand Effie. Ogilvy & Mather, which swept the Abby Awards earlier this year, took home four silvers and one bronze, while Lowe won two silvers and two bronzes. FCB-Ulka, Euro RSCG and Interface Communications won a silver each, while Leo Burnett and Rediffusion DY&R got a bronze each.

"Advertising is essentially about selling, and in that sense the Effies are the most important recognition," said Mr Niteen Bhagwat, Executive Director & CEO, Interface Communications, who was among the judges. "The quality of work was definitely superior, and the case-studies were all very good. And the judging process ensured that there was a high correlation between a product doing really well in the market and its getting an Effie."

The judges included a panel of about 25 people from the creative, media and planning functions from ad agencies, as well as representations from the client's side. The judging process is an internationally proven process, which takes care of all individual biases, and ensured that strategy is judged rather than just creative, Mr Bhagwat said. Representatives from the client's side further ensure that strategy is judged objectively, rather than just a layout or a design, he added.

O&M won silver for its campaigns for Center Shock, Sprite, Asian Paints - Exterior Emulsions, and Pulse Polio Immunisation Programme and the bronze for Prudential ICICI Mutual Fund. Lowe won silver for its work for ICICI Prudential Life Insurance and Population Services International (`Balbir Paasha'), and bronze for Lifebuoy and LG Electronics. Except for the consumer products category, no golds were awarded in consumer durables or services.

"Good advertising is supposed to be effective, but at times creative people can become too focused on just the work," said Mr Prasoon Joshi, National Creative Director, McCann-Erickson, which also won the Campaign of the Year award at the Abbys this year. "But we're hired to create advertising that works in the market, and create something that is exciting and different from what the consumer is used to. For all of it to happen in a campaign is rare, but it did in the case of Coca-Cola."

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