POPAI needs some spinach

Just after the POP Asia In-Store Forum ended, the Indian chapter of Point Of Purchase Advertising International (POPAI) hosted the Outstanding Merchandising Achievement (OMA) Awards at the same venue. The OMA Awards are the first ever awards of their kind, and this, their first edition, recognised the most innovative and effective in-store and at retail displays of 2004-05.

The categories included Automobile, IT & Business, Service, Telecom, Sales Promotion, Consumer Durables, Entertainment & Media, Signage and FMCG. These categories were further divided into two subcategories – Temporary (for short-term campaigns of less than six months) and Permanent (long-term campaigns which lasted more than six months).

Only three Golds were given away at the awards ceremony. The first Gold went to Pantaloon Retail for its ‘Central Façade Signage’ in the Signage (Permanent) category. The other two Golds were a tie for FMCG (Permanent), shared by Ramms for ‘Lux Bodywash Gondola’ and Spectrum Scan for ‘Wheel with Power Capsules Motorised Display’.

There were special awards such as ‘Technology of the Year’, but this category had no nominations this year. The ‘Innovation of the Year’ Award, a silver, went to Indigo Business Services for its ‘Pepsi-Kareena Display Stand’. The ‘Marketing-at-Retail Campaign of the Year’ Award, also a silver, was shared by Ramms for ‘Lux Bodywash Gondola’ and Spectrum Scan for ‘Wheel Motorised Display’.

Guy Vaughn, retail marketing services, director, POPAI UK & Ireland; Garry Stasiulevicuis, director, Counter Intelligence Retail, POPAI UK; Harish Bijoor, Harish Bijoor Consultants; NM Mathew, E Mart, India; and Robert Gorrie, Gorrie Marketing Consultants, Canada, were part of the jury that selected the winners.

Entries were not too many in number, so the nominations were few with even fewer awards given away. But the scattered audience in the half-empty Nehru Convention Centre left with the hope that maybe next year, their community would be bigger and stronger and their work would get due appreciation. Sanjeev Malhotra, director, Aliagroup, who is also the vice-chairman of POPAI India, urged the industry members present to improve learning and exchange of ideas through POPAI.

Headquartered in Washington DC, POPAI was incorporated as a trade association in 1936. Today, POPAI has more than 1,600 members in over 30 countries worldwide, with chapters in North America, South and Central America, Europe, Japan, Brazil, Australia and New Zealand.

The Indian chapter of POPAI aims at creating an environment in the marketing-at-retail industry for ethical practices, rapid expansion of business opportunities, protection of economic interests and preservation of industry rights as a commercial communications medium.

© 2006 agencyfaqs!