PHD wins Big at Cannes 2014

With four gold awards, PHD, part of Omnicom Media Group, has picked up the most number of Gold Cannes Lions awards compared to any other media network. A further 20 Lions were awarded to PHD as the credited agency, bringing PHD's total number of awards to 24. That much for the global show.

The Kan Khajura Tesan (Centipede Station) campaign helped Hindustan Unilever reach the 'media dark' rural populations in India, by creating a dedicated entertainment platform on mobile. It was a media first for India and Unilever, bringing mobile operators and content providers together to create an innovative entertainment platform on mobile. In a mere six months, the mobile-based channel has evolved to become the biggest entertainment platform in Bihar and Jharkhand, where it was launched.

The branding identity was deployed using a catchy jingle, an appealing mnemonic and am easy-to-remember number - 1800 3000 0123. The promotional message makes the process of connecting with the channel crystal clear: "Missed Call Lagaao, Muft Manoranjan Pao" translating to "Give Us a Missed Call and Get Free Entertainment!"

The initiative has, since, been extended across India. Those who give a missed call on the number mentioned, get a call back from Kan Khajura Tesan with pre-programmed content that consists of popular local music, Hindustan HUL advertising spots, jokes and an RJ to host the show.

Commenting on the win, Susana Tsui, CEO, PHD APAC, says, "Beyond creating media firsts and new channels, we married creativity and technology to innovate on existing channels. By applying this in a locally relevant context, we reached a wider mass audience that other mainstream channels, in a very technologically challenged region, cannot. I am extremely proud of the PHD-Asia Pacific teams, especially because we are putting Asian work onto the international stage and how creativity is no longer dominated by creative agencies." PHD UK was also awarded two golds for Warner Bros' All LEGO Ad Break campaign in Use of Branded Content & Sponsorship and Publications & Media.

Mike Cooper, CEO, PHD Worldwide, says "We were the second most awarded media agency at Cannes last year, with a total of eight awards after a huge haul for Dove Sketches amongst others. We didn't think we could beat that. We're delighted that this year has been even more successful with 24 awards and the teams should be very proud, given the calibre of the work it takes to get awarded."