Ad Club Calcutta roots for consumers, once again

It’s not your power to make the loudest noise that matters. It’s not media muscle. Not the OTS. Not even the size of your brand. What matters is your idea. If it connects with your consumer, it rocks

The oldest advertising club in the country is once again gearing up to award the best and the brightest in the field. Established in 1952, Advertising Club Calcutta has for the second time committed itself to the cause of the consumer, the real king makers of the advertising industry, with the above-mentioned clarion call. Instituted last year, the Consumer Connect Award seeks to “champion communication that connects with the consumer”. The awards will be held in April this year.

Speaking to agencyfaqs!, Sanjay Dutta, president Ad Club Calcutta and district manager, sales and distribution, ITC, says, “Over time, most advertising awards have come to focus on creativity. It has been a situation where the awards have become a one-way communication for agencies. But what about strategy? After all, the idea, at the end of the day, is to sell the product. This award tries to focus on the end objective.”

Entries are accepted in four categories: FMCG, consumer durables, consumer and public services. They are then passed through the fine mesh of a consumer panel that decides whether the communication has really worked. The entries with the highest Consumer Connect Score (computed by Indica Research on the basis of responses) are automatically selected, although a panel of judges also draws up its own list. The proprietary tool of Indica Research that measures Consumer Connect scores was elaborated by agencyfaqs! earlier.

Selected entries make a presentation on the consumer insight, the creative strategy and the response generated on the final day to bid for the ultimate honour.

“When we introduced this concept last year, we did not get too many entries. Post-event, a lot of people showed a great deal of interest. The concept was a bit slow in the uptake. But this year, we are expecting a much more robust response from the industry,” says Dutta.

The awards seek to decode the process behind the communication as much as focus on the creative. The process is an all-inclusive package that deals with everything from above-the-line and blow-the-line communication that “amplifies the impact of the main campaign”.

The last date for submitting entries is January 31. “After the conclave, where the shortlisted agencies will present their case studies, you can expect some rocking times, in keeping with the theme of the award: If your advertising connects with the consumer, it rocks!,” promises Dutta.

Last year, Lowe’s Balbir Pasha campaign was the winner in the Public Services category as well as campaign of the year. Mudra got one for the Rasna JucUp in the FMCG sector, while Airtel’s A R Rehman from Rediffusion DY&R won in the services category. JWT had got three awards: Pepsi 'Kites', Philips 'Wooks' and the agency of the year award.

The judges this year include Pranesh Misra, Kiran Khalap, Prabhakar Mundkur, Santosh Desai, Mohan Menon, Kurush Grant, Ram Ray and Shiloo Chattopadhyay.

© 2005 agencyfaqs!