<FONT COLOR="#FF0033"><B>Countdown to Abby 2006:</B></FONT> David plays the innovation card

“Last year’s productivity at David was pretty average in general,” admits Josy Paul, chairman and regional creative director, David. “So, we will be counting on our innovative entries to do the trick this Abby’s.”

David has sent 10-12 entries in all, only one of them in the Film category: a film for AIS Strong Glass. It shows a 92-year-old woman challenging cricketer Shoaib Akhtar to a cricket match. He dismisses her initially, but she provokes him further. He then bowls to her in full fury, and the ball charges at the old lady. The ball stops short of the lady and the viewer realises that there is glass in front of her, protecting her. The tag-line concludes, ‘See More. AIS Strong Glass’.

In the Press category, David has sent in ‘Fat Lady’ for AIS Strong Glass (which got selected in the D&AD Annual), ‘Carbon Paper’ for World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and a rather unique ad for Emami Memo Plus, a memory enhancing tonic. The last ad had a message on one of the pages of ‘Reader’s Digest’, which said, ‘To remember this page, fold here.’ On folding the page, you saw a message on the other side, ‘Or better still, use Emami Memo Plus memory tonic.’

“Its human behaviour to fold a page to remember which page was visited last,” says Paul. “And our ad used that insight quite well.”

In the Outdoor category, David has entered its award winning work for WWF, ‘Painted Trees’, which bagged a bronze at Young Guns last year and was a winner at One Show, too, and its work for AIS mirrors and IMAX Adlabs.

For AIS mirrors, the area above Powai Lake in Mumbai was studded with hoardings of people as though they were looking into the lake to see their reflection. “The campaign brought out the mirror-like quality of water,” Paul says. The brand name appeared on the hoardings, with the campaign thus signifying the crystal clear image of the mirror.

IMAX Adlabs, on the other hand, had a movie playing, ‘Polar Express’. So, Paul and his team had a few people dress up as Eskimos at Dadar Railway Station in Mumbai, with luggage that carried the message, ‘I’m waiting for the Polar Express’. “It was bound to catch everyone’s attention!” exclaims Paul.

For the Radio category, David has nominated its radio spot for Nitco Tiles, ‘Oh, Caroll’, which bagged a bronze at the Young Guns.

Paul has his hopes pinned on the work done for WWF, ‘Painted Trees’, which had some trees painted with the skins of various animals, driving home the message that trees, too, deserve to live.

“Most of these ads have fetched us awards for their fresh and innovative quality ideas,” Paul says. That’s why he’s counting on them as David’s trump cards this Abby’s.

© 2006 agencyfaqs!