The Hindu Business Line : A tingle down the spine

Cannes, June 18 I write this having witnessed a historic moment from an Indian perspective. I confess to feeling a high that at times felt surreal. It certainly felt better than any that comes from the other more mundane sources that are aplenty at Cannes. The fabulous tiranga fluttered proudly on stage as the JWT team picked up India’s first ever Cannes Grand Prix. The large Indian contingent stood as one and applauded the landmark achievement. The red carpet outside also bore a distinct Indian look as the contingent continued to celebrate post the Direct and Promo Lions award ceremony.

The Lead India Grand Prix will surely funnel greater global interest in Indian advertising. I choose to say advertising and not just creativity on purpose. Lead India is a great example of teamwork between client and agency. I am tempted to give as much credit to the publication as to the fabulous team from JWT India lead by Agnello Dias.

It was an ambitious programme conceptualised on a huge scale, it kept on building layers and in the end moved an entire nation to collective action. The orchestration of the exercise was integral to the success of the campaign. Creativity added on to it like icing on a cake. It also signifies the power of a huge idea. An idea which, by itself, was so pristine, powerful and well done that it stood atop in the global reckoning.

India has had other reasons to celebrate with the tally standing at ten metals post day two and shortlists approaching the century mark with gusto. The other big winner on both days was HBO’s Voyeur promotional campaign. A wonderful campaign that used a building exterior to project a series of films. The films themselves were shot like a voyeur would and gave the viewers a feeling that they were peeping into the houses in the building. I also particularly liked the wishing tree initiative of Madrid city council. A worthy gold winner, it saw citizens putting their wishes on gas balloons that were then held together in a gigantic poly bag. The massive balloon tree was soaring way above the cityscape. What a fabulous sight it would have made!

I must make a mention of the black boy wanting water initiative of Studio Brussels, another brilliant example of an idea that needed no mega production execution. An aspect that suggests that the world is now truly besotted by the power of an idea. And that it is definitely moving away from mega productions that defied glory for the Asian nations till now. The playing field is levelling out as manifested by the big wins that Asia had in the outdoor category.

Y&R Israel’s Internet Shut down idea to commemorate the first anniversary of two missing soldiers also brought this aspect alive. What a simple powerful message! So did the brilliant live hoarding of Fresh Salads from McDonald’s. Worthy gold winners both.

The excitement and partying continue unabated as we head towards the business end of the week. There are huge Indian expectations today from the Press and Design Lion awards. We are keeping our fingers crossed, counting down and ahead of the tally of 12 that we brought home last year. Amen!

(The writer is President, Rediffusion DY&R)