This is one global meet where India and China are not dominating the discussions. It is unlikely that these markets don’t produce good communicators… The only deduction one can draw is, maybe, they end up making advertising which sells products rather than win awards, writes Ashok Venkatramani, CEO, Media Content Communication Services, exclusively for exchange4media.

Ashok Venkatramani Jun 23, 2010 4:49 PM

This year was a tough one for Media Lions. There were lesser number of awards handed out, and India managed to get only one Bronze Lion – a considerable fall from the eight Lions last year. India media agencies did not get even a single award. Ravi Kiran, CEO, Starcom MediaVest Group, South Asia, who was also a member of the Media Lions 2010 jury, explained what Indian entries expected when they put overloud ‘Kaminey’ track, or Sardarji jokes in the media entry presentation.

Noor Fathima Warsia Jun 23, 2010 4:45 PM

The shortlists for Cyber Lions and Design Lions were announced on June 22, 2010, the third day of the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival 2010. There are no Indian entries in the Cyber Lions shortlist. Seven pieces of work have made it to the Design Lions shortlist.

Noor Fathima Warsia Jun 23, 2010 9:27 AM

“We believe in integrated marketing communications. We believe that the customer is at the heart of all propositions and it is, therefore, imperative that we propose a PR programme that supports the business objectives of organisations. Norms rendering PR as distinct from marketing are no longer appropriate in this age of consumerism, in which consumers aggregate all messages in making a decision to interact with the brand or company,” says Archana Jain, Managing Director, PR Pundit.

exchange4media Staff Jun 23, 2010 9:26 AM

There are many speakers sharing their take on the future of marketing communication and the slant was on ‘social media’. The only thing that didn’t go down well with me is their attitude, most speakers came from the developed nation and considered developed nation equals the world. While social media is a reality, the impact of that in a country like India is nowhere near the first world countries, writes Amit Ray, President, Lintas Media Group.

Amit Ray Jun 23, 2010 9:24 AM

The seminar programme at Day 3 at Cannes was a bit of a ‘mixed bag’. Some really good sessions and some that were, in my opinion, a big ‘let down’, writes Pratap Bose, COO, Mudra Group and CEO, Mudra Max, in his blog exclusively for exchange4media.

Pratap Bose Jun 23, 2010 9:23 AM

So far, India has won one Silver PR Lion, two Silver Outdoor Lions, two Bronze Outdoor Lions, one Bronze Promo Lion, one Bronze Radio Lion, one Bronze Media Lion. By this time last year, India had over 20 metals in its pocket. The results of Media Lions have been most disappointing for Camp India. However, as they say, the meetings, party-ings and Gutter bar-ings continue.

Noor Fathima Warsia Jun 23, 2010 9:21 AM

“The good news is marketing is everywhere. The bad news is consumers care less and less about marketing.” These were the opening remarks of Michael Fassnacht, Global Chief Strategy Officer, DraftFCB, while speaking during the session on ‘Capturing Consumer Attention in the Critical 6.5 Seconds that Matter’ on Day Three of the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival 2010.

Dhaleta Surender Kumar Jun 23, 2010 9:20 AM

After four years of holding the wildfire ideas together with Leo Burnett at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival, this year, Contagious partnered with the Publicis Groupe for a session on ‘Contagious Conversations’. With Publicis Worldwide’s COO Richard Pinder and Contagious Communication’s Paul Kemp-Robertson leading the conversation, the four-point mantra that emerged was that brands should Ignite, Own, Confront and Subvert conversations.

Noor Fathima Warsia Jun 23, 2010 9:19 AM

In a session at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival, Malcolm Hunter, Chief Strategy Officer, Aegis Media, pointed out that consumers were more interested in brands today than ever before. They were engaging with brands at different levels. But this was not to say that they were interested in the brand’s advertising, and one way of looking at the new age conversations with consumers was by starting in a different place.

Noor Fathima Warsia Jun 23, 2010 9:18 AM

The last session of the third day at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival 2010 turned out to be a crowd-puller even though it may not have been the best. The attraction was comedian, actor, writer, film director and producer Ben Stiller. To give him company was director Jeff Goodby of digital agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners. The session, ‘Laugh, Connect and Debate with Jeff Goodby and Ben Stiller’ was moderated by Elisa Steele, Chief Marketing Officer, Yahoo.

Dhaleta Surender Kumar Jun 23, 2010 9:17 AM

Close on the heels of bagging the MaxWorth Realty account, Pune-headquartered full service agency Xebec has won two more businesses – DC Design and Weiner Berger. The cumulative size of the business is pegged at Rs 4 crore. While Weiner Berger and MaxWorth Realty will be handled out of Bangalore, DC Design will be handled out of the Mumbai office of Xebec.

Tuhina Anand Jun 23, 2010 9:15 AM

The Kolkata High Court on June 18 vacated the interim injunction put on Bloomberg UTV’s ad campaign, which contained Greek words and bore a striking resemblance to the ads for business daily Mint. The interim decision implies that Bloomberg UTV can continue to use Greek words in its ads without any restriction.

Akash Raha Jun 23, 2010 9:15 AM

Leaving the comfort of a big agency, and taking the big leap towards creative entrepreneurship is a challenge across markets. In a session that heard from these creative entrepreneurs of various markets, India was represented by TapRoot India’s Agnello Dias, who shared the examples of TransAsia Paper and Aman ki Asha. After Piyush Pandey, Agnello Dias is the only other speaker from India who spoke at the Cannes Lions stage.

Noor Fathima Warsia Jun 23, 2010 9:14 AM

The second day of Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival began with one Silver Lion in the Radio category. The winning agency is Leo Burnett India for the work done for Bajaj Electricals. Jury member Manohar Nayak, Managing Director, Lingo India, said that India should not be happy with the performance and asked, “Why are we seeing only English entries? The only deviation that comes is Hindi ads – what about Tamil, Bengali, Marathi – where is the local work?"

Noor Fathima Warsia Jun 23, 2010 9:13 AM

It was yet another year when creative agencies won the awards battle against media agencies in the Media Lions category. Unlike last year, when media agencies had managed to make a mark in the Media Lions category, this year, the majority of awards were dominated by creative agencies. The case was no different in India. Leo Burnett won the single award given to India in the category – a Bronze Lion for its work done for Tide. At the overall level, Ravi Kiran, CEO, Starcom Mediavest Group, SMG, says that the work has to improve.

Noor Fathima Warsia Jun 23, 2010 9:11 AM

While India managed to get just a metal each in Radio and Media Lions on Day Three of the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival, maximum cheer for the country came only from Outdoors, where it won two Silver Lions and two Bronze Lions.

Dhaleta Surender Kumar Jun 23, 2010 9:10 AM