<font color="#FF0033"><b>Abby 2005 Countdown</b></font>: Big names, large spread in Rediff’s arsenal

Last year, there seemed to be a consensus about Rediffusion | DYR making it to the top three. Adrian Mendonza, vice president and executive creative director, in an interview to agencyfaqs!, had said that it was the best work in five years that the agency was hoping to leverage at the ABBY.

While the agency drew a blank in Gold, it did manage to win five Silver and lost out in the top 3 by virtue of a single point. Readers may recall, Rediffusion had entered the Thomson work under sister agency Paragon Advertising, which won two Silver. Count those two, and Rediffusion would have beaten Leo Burnett and rmg david (joint winners) to the third slot.

With 22 nominations, Mendonza is looking at a slightly different list this year. “Unlike last year when we had nominations for only two brands, our spread is definitely much better this time,” he told agencyfaqs! “Though our chances are good this year, at the end of the day, knowing awards, we may not win a single one,” he adds.

The cynicism is short-lived and Mendonza is all fired up, when talking about the strong contenders in the lineup. There are six nominations for Indian Oil (Xtra Premium and Xtra Mile) alone, while the others are for Eveready, Colgate (print) Apple iPod (Rediffusion, Bangalore), Airtel (radio and print) and the Tata Corporate film.

According to Mendonza, Tata Corporate has a very “strong chance” of winning. Next in the rung would be Indian Oil, Eveready and Colgate, which “have a decent chance of winning”. The work for Apple and Airtel too are good, says Mendonza.

When it comes to other agencies, Mendonza appreciates the work that has come out of Ambience this year. “They have some great work both in mainstream and niche,” he said. “I have a feeling they will hit a purple patch.”

Mendonza also draws attention to sister agency Everest’s work for Tortoise. “We are all pretty hopeful that Tortoise will make an impact.”

Industry Buzz: The Tata Corporate film is a very strong contender, even though it has some heavy-duty rivals on the other side. The work for Eveready and Colgate has also been noticed by the industry, improving Rediffusion’s chances. The agency is seen as improving its draw steadily and quietly. Saturday shall put all speculations to rest.

© 2005 agencyfaqs!