Cannes 2010: What went behind Creativeland Asia and Mudra winning Silver Lions in Outdoor?

The jury president, Tay Guan Hin, reveals to afaqs! why CLA's Frooti and Mudra's Road Safety campaign deserved to win

Creativeland Asia and Mudra have bagged a Silver Lion each in Outdoor, for their campaigns for Frooti and Bengaluru Police. Besides, Creativeland Asia has won a bronze for Medimix and Ogilvy another bronze for The Economist. In fact, except for Bates 141 and Taproot India, all other finalist Indian agencies have managed to win a metal in this category.

Cannes 2010: What went behind Creativeland Asia and Mudra winning Silver Lions in Outdoor?

This year, so far, India's best performance has been in Outdoor. However, last year's performance in this category was better, when India bagged six metals - three silver and three bronze.

The Frooti campaign was very close to bagging a gold, and lost by only one or two votes in the last round. Though, the jury president, Tay Guan Hin (regional ECD, South East Asia, JWT) seems to be quite impressed by the campaign. "Though the stunt was a bit cheeky, the good part was that it did not offend people. Which is why, it could manage to engage people in a disruptive way that builds relevance for the brand."

When asked if this campaign would have been as successful without the support of the television commercial, he clarifies, "Some outdoor activities are ongoing; but the ones like Frooti and Heineken are made of one or two big stunts, which can be spread through other potential media, be it television or social media. In such cases, capturing the right expressions is important, as it's a one in a million chance. It's only then that people want to see it over and over again."

However, given the costs attached, television can be used only by the big-budget clients; whereas social media has allowed many small brands to spread such activities effectively.

In the case of Mudra's Road Safety campaign for Bengaluru Police - where explicit visuals were used to convey the message - the jury found it to be stunning. Hin says, "There are many 'Do not' ads in this category; but this one stood out because of its unusual image and for the relevant message -- not to the driver, but to people who were calling the driver. So, it was the switch in point of view that made it a brilliant piece of work."

Ogilvy's campaign for The Economist, which bagged a bronze, comprised three creatives -- Baby, Bag and Vulture. Each creative used images superimposed on each other; and each of these elements played with the others to tell an interesting story. The idea was to have the reader figure out the connections and interpret the whole picture.

This year, there were two Grand Prix awarded in Outdoor:

the Diesel campaign

by Anomaly New York got the Grand Prix - campaign; while Inbev Beer bagged the Grand Prix - solo.

The Diesel campaign is simple and bold and goes against controversial thinking. Hin says, "Even though the ad was quite traditional, it needs guts to have such strong messaging. It has redefined the way people look at things -- being stupid is being brilliant."

The numerous controversies surrounding this brand have also succeeded in creating a buzz about it.

It is learnt that the agency may have been fired by now, but Hin says, "Hats off to the agency for trying something so bold."

The Inbev Beer campaign bagged the solo Grand Prix for its superb innovative idea. The jury unanimously remarks, "It went beyond the idea. Many beer brands claim to understand the consumer; but this one went ahead and innovated a device, which helped to people to find an alibi for having beer."

On the general trend of entries in Outdoor, Hin says, "The first parameter of judging was to find out ideas that could relate to human insights and emotions. The second was to look at new technologies, be it a new printing technology or an innovative medium."

The jury remarked at the end: if ambient and digital are coupled together, the buzz created increases the PR value for the campaign.

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