Here's who made their mark at the inaugural Marquees 2017

The Advertising Club (TAC), India hosted the inaugural edition of the "Marquee Awards" at a five star hotel in Mumbai. The event was flagged off by Honourable Minster of Textile, Information & Broadcasting, Government of India, Smriti Irani, who was present at the event as chief guest of honour. TAC hosted the ceremony to award brands for their excellence in marketing, and building sustainable and path breaking brands.

L To R: Partho Dasgupta, Smriti Irani and Raj Nayak at Marquees 2017Hindustan Unilever won the coveted Green Marketer Award, which honours brands that have strived and conquered, by keeping a close focus on environment sustainability. The Special Award for "Conquering an impregnable fortress" was won by Bira 91. Pro Kabaddi League was recognised as the brand that "Traversed unchartered waters" and Paytm was recognised for "Riding on an emerging wave". Honda Motorcycle & Scooter was awarded for "Breathing new life into a category", Indian Accent was recognised for "Creating a Global Impact" while Oppo was recognised for "Carving out a Niche" for themselves in a highly competitive category.

Award ceremony at the Marquees 2017Speaking at the Marquees 2017, Irani said, "My congratulations to all the award winners and thanks to the jury that made this great selection. It fills me with a sense of deep gratitude and privilege that I stand here today as the Minister of the Information & Broadcasting. I am what I am today thanks to this industry."

She further added "The advertising industry inspires millions across this nation. Having been a part of this journey, I have just one appeal this evening - while we sell dreams to the nation and world, there are many amongst us who wither away with the passage of time. All I implore, today, to the industry stalwarts, is that we now, in a systemic fashion, build a platform that takes care of those who need help, especially from the creative faction of the industry, so that the world does not accuse us of selling dreams but living a lie. I hope that one day, on this stage, some of us will stand to applaud an Indian media company that has made it at the global stage."

Raj Nayak, president, The Advertising Club said, "Marquees 2017 has emerged as the gold standard in marketing awards. I thank the Honourable Minister for Textiles and Information & Broadcasting, Smt. Smriti Irani for gracing the maiden edition of Marquees 2017 as chief guest and enhancing the prestige of the Marquees. I also thank the jury chair Sanjiv Mehta and the distinguished jury for their indulgence and commitment in making the awards robust, transparent and credible."

Partho Dasgupta, CEO, BARC India was also present at the event. He said, "The debut edition of Marquees has set a new benchmark of excellence by recognising brands that have challenged the communication archetype in the industry, thus appealing to the evolved consumer of today. These awards through their differentiated scope, right from the jury panel to representation to categories has ensured that they are a marketer's dream."

The awards are as below.