The 23rd edition of the Big Bang Awards hosted by the Advertising Club, Bangalore, saw The Social Street and Mindshare dominating the awards night.

Mindshare bagged four of the top nine awards, while The Social Street once again bagged the award for the Creative Agency of the Year. The awards attracted over 1,150 entries from across categories, sending a strong signal to the ad world about the emergence of the new talent pool in the sector and the city’s growing presence in the business.

The Big Bang Awards for Excellence in Communication and Media were given away at a grand function on Friday night (September 28), with the who’s who of the industry in attendance.

Hemant Mallik, Chief Executive ITC Foods, delivering the keynote address, said: “The advertising agencies have a bigger responsibility in the Internet era. The challenges posed by social media can undo a great ad campaign. The agencies have to learn to respond to such challenges, quickly and aggressively.”

Commenting on the awards, Malavika Harita, Chairperson, Big Bang Awards Committee said, “We have made every effort to recognise talent and acknowledge it. The fact that the jury had a tough task at hand was evident from several new faces amongst the winners. Keeping in line with the #FortheLoveofAdvertising, the participants displayed it’s not merely a profession but a creative platform.”

Hindustan Lever Ltd won the client of the year award, winning across several categories.

Fireside Chat

Another highlight was the presence of film director, R Balki. In his interaction with Sridhar Ramanujam, Balki recalled his early years in the advertising world, when digital support was minimal and creativity more crucial. Balki said: “The advertising industry is going through a churning, it sends ripples across, but the industry should stabilise in a maximum of two years.”

A panel of 46 senior advertising, marketing, media, PR and digital industry experts and thought leaders were deployed by Ad Club for the awards. “We are the only Indian ad club that uses a sophisticated online jury process. Every jury member scores independently, based on the facts presented in the entry form. No jury member knows who else is in his group and the identity of the entrant,” explained Arvind Kumar, Executive Director of The Ad Club Bangalore. The club uses a modern online platform in association with Global Best Awards of the US to receive, collate and judge entries online, on a par with other international awards.

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