WOW Awards 2010: Mudra Max, Encompass Events and Wizcraft bag the most awards

The second edition of the WOW Awards, which is aimed at recognising excellence in event and experiential marketing across industries, was held recently at the Andheri Sports Complex in Mumbai.

This year, the WOW Awards received 711 entries from 95 entrants, with work done on 270 brands across 32 categories. In all, 24 gold, 27 silver and 15 bronze trophies were awarded.

Mudra MAX topped the winners' list, taking home nine trophies in all -- six gold, two silver and a bronze. The gold awards were won for TVS Scooty Institute Women on Wheels (college contact programme of the year); Castrol All Rounder Mechanic (dealer/trade education programme of the year); Wrigley's Mumbai Smiles (event/experience of the year for dealer trade associates); Shell's Khidki Amma - Gossips Through Window (rural marketing programme of the year); HT Opinion Poll (small budget on-ground promotion of the year) and Zapak.com World Gaming Day (new event property of the year).

Pratap Bose, CEO, Mudra MAX says, "The WOW awards celebrate the best in the business of events and experiential advertising. What was incredibly satisfying is that we won against the best names in the business."

Anurag Gupta, president - strategic initiatives and integration, Mudra MAX adds, "This win is very special, because it demonstrates our width of expertise ranging from rural, mall activations, in metros, trade marketing and emerging areas like gaming."

Encompass Events won seven awards -- including four gold, one silver and two bronze. The gold trophies were for its work on Mitsubishi Motors' The Great Driving Challenge (new event property of the year); Toyota's The Green Showcase @ the IETF (exhibition presence of the year); Gillette's Mach3 Shave India Movement (on-ground promotion of the year for sampling) and again for Gillette's Mach3 Shave India Movement (in-mall/ in-store promotion of the year).

Encompass won the silver trophy for its work Disney Diva Bus (activation of the year by a media brand with on-ground connect); while the two bronze awards came for Red Ribbon Express Awarness Against HIV (community contact programme of the year) and Godrej Aladin Make a Wish Offer (on-ground brand association with a film).

Wizcraft won six awards -- three gold and three silver. The gold awards came in for IIFA Awards (live entertainment event of the year); NDTV- Toyota Greenathon (CSR event / property of the year) and Red Bull Speed Link (on-ground youth connect of the year).

Two of the three silvers were won for IIFA Awards in separate categories, namely live event of the year in a foreign location and televised event of the year. The third silver was for the Audi Q5 Car Launch Event (launch event of the year).

Other big winners included Cineyug, which won one gold and three silvers; RC&M, which took home one gold, two silvers and one bronze award; Candid Marketing that won two silvers and a bronze; Fountainhead, which also won two silvers and a bronze; and Red FM, which won a gold and two bronzes.

For the complete winners' list, please click here.

Commenting on the wins and the awards, Deepak Oberoi, CEO and director, RC&M says, "It's a good platform for showcasing the various innovations that are being carried out in BTL by various agencies. It truly encourages and motivates the teams working on the various accounts. The acknowledgment by WOW of the best talent will surely go long way in sharpening the skills and getting the best in the industry. RC&M is thankful for being rewarded with four awards and thinks ahead of contributing the best to the industry and the fraternity."

He adds, "The exponential increase in the number of entries and participants is a reflection that BTL is of significant importance in the spends, media mix and giving first-hand experience to the target audience of the respective products. BTL has gained momentum by spearheading the uncluttered domain in advertising and promotions."

Over the past month, the jury for WOW Awards 2010, comprising marketing heads from across industry segments, evaluated the live brand experiences entered at the Awards. Lloyd Mathias, president and CMO, Tata Teleservices, chaired the jury. The other jury members were: Pradeep Pandey, director-branding and communication, AEGON Religare Life Insurance; Vinay Bhatia, customer care associate and VP - marketing and loyalty, Shopper's Stop; Anuj Pasrija, country head - Arogya Parivar, Novartis India; Himanshu Khanna, marketing director, Wrigley India; Sajid Shamim, director - marketing and product, Reebok India and Aniruddha Haldar, head - marketing, Mahindra Holidays & Resorts India.

The evening also saw the launch of 'Entertainers Connect' -- a B2B website meant to connect event organisers and entertainers. At the same time, a new award, the 'WOW paradigm of the year' was instituted to reward path-making paradigms.