'Second-hand smoke' wins four awards at London International

At the rate at which it is picking up awards at international advertising festivals, the Cancer Patients Aid Association's (CPAA) ‘Second-hand smoke kills' ad (created by O&M) could be on course to becoming India's most-awarded advertising campaign ever. After winning a silver Pencil at the One Show 2002, a bronze Statue at the Clio Awards 2002 and two gold Lions at this year's Cannes International Advertising Festival, the ad has now bagged four awards at the London International Advertising Awards 2002, which were given away early yesterday morning.

The cowboy saddled with a dead horse (sorry, we couldn't resist that one) made a mark in two categories: Outdoor - Billboards, and Print - Public Service/Charity. Even better, the ad impressed the London International jury enough to fetch O&M two Grand Prizes - one each in Outdoor and Print - taking the tally to four. For those not so familiar with London International's awards format, here's what all this means.

Unlike in the case of a Cannes or a Clio, at the LIA Awards (as these awards are also known), there are no gold, silver and bronze awards. In every category, just one award, a statue, is given away - to what the jury believes is the best in the category. The remaining shortlisted entries win Merit/Finalist awards. The Grand Prize is essentially the Best of Show - culled from the award-winning entries - across categories. This year, Grand Prizes were given away in five categories - Interactive Media, Outdoor, Print, Radio and Television/Cinema (this year, the Grand Prize was not awarded for Package Design). Incidentally, Nike's ‘Tag' commercial - by Wieden + Kennedy, Portland - won the Grand Prize in Television/Cinema.

Expectedly, Piyush Pandey, group president & national creative director, O&M India, is thrilled. "What can I say… here's something that has won in every award show that matters, and I'm delighted," he told agencyfaqs!. "I just received a note from Neil French in which he says, perhaps this is the first time that the same ad, by the same office, has won two Grand Prizes."

When asked what, in his opinion, made the ad such a darling among jurors, Pandey replied, "I think it's the pure simplicity of the idea and the inherent satire. The whole imagery of machismo and smoking has been turned on its head, and the effect leaves the viewer stunned." © 2002 agencyfaqs!