Brands including Airtel, Maruti Suzuki and Xiaomi were recognised for having excelled in their respective fields by The Advertising Club here in the debut edition of Marquees 2017, a marketing awards event. The jury was headed by Sanjiv Mehta, CEO and Managing Director of Hindustan Unilever.

Smriti Irani, Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting, said: “The advertising industry inspires millions across this nation. Having been a part of this journey, I have just one appeal this evening — while we sell dreams to the nation and world, there are many amongst us who wither away with the passage of time. All I implore today to the industry stalwarts is that we now, in a systemic fashion, build a platform that takes care of those who need help, specially from the creative faction of the industry.

“I hope that one day, on this stage, some of us will stand here to applaud an Indian media company that has made it at the global stage.”

Partho Dasgupta, CEO, BARC India, said: “The debut edition of Marquees has set a new benchmark of excellence by recognising brands that have challenged the communication archetype in the industry, thus appealing to the evolved consumer of today.”

He attributed Marquees 2017 to a marketer’s dream, mainly because of the differentiated scope it offered in terms of award categories, representation and jury panel.

The jury headed by Mehta recognised brands that stood out and built sustainable brand stories. In the categories of personal care, banking and durables, Lifebuoy, HDFC Bank and LIC were the achievers, respectively.

In the special categories segment of the event, Oppo won an award for carving out a niche category while restaurant Indian Accent received an award for creating a global impact.

Raj Nayak, President, The Advertising Club, said: “Marquees 2017 has emerged as the gold standard in marketing awards”

The writer is an intern with the Mumbai Bureau.

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