Cannes 2012: Lion ka Shubharambh; Ogilvy wins a bronze in Direct

Out of the eight shortlisted entries in this category, only Ogilvy's Vodafone iFold campaign managed to score a bronze.

Ogilvy India has opened the India account at Cannes Lions with a bronze in the Direct Lions category. There were some eight Indian entries shortlisted in this category but only Ogilvy managed to score a metal.

The iFold campaign was a very simple idea which Ogilvy India had been practicing internally. Now, the concept has been adopted by its few clients including Vodafone, KFC and Coca-Cola.

The idea was to ask people to use a smaller envelope to save paper. The campaign reminds people to ask themselves if the paper can be folded once more. If it can, it means it will require a smaller envelope and thus save paper.

Gideon Amichay, jury president and former chief creative officer, Shalmor Avnon Amichay/ Y&R Interactive Tel Aviv, says, "The greatness in the iFold idea lies in the fact that it required so small effort for a great cause."

Manish Bhatt, founding director, Scarecrow Communications, says, "Direct is all about creating a dialogue, evoking a response and building a relationship and it's judged on the basis of three criteria - creativity, execution and the result."

According to Bhatt, the Saregama entry of McCann India came close and the jury liked the idea as well as the execution. However, at the end, it was felt that such painstaking executions should be used to move a larger segment of people.

The other Indian agencies that were nominated this year are BBDO India - one for India's first DIY Calendar for Johnson & Johnson and the other one for Child Welfare Fund's campaign, World's Youngest Job Applicant; McCann Erickson (Keeping the Legend Alive for Saregama India); Leo Burnett (Ink Pad for Door Step School); DDB Mudra (Growing Trees for Fedrigoni); M&C Saatchi (Limited Edition for Animal Shelter); and Cheil Worldwide (Minus One Project for Samsung Printer).

The Grand Prix winner in this category was Small Business Day Campaign started by American Express to help out the small shop owners. The campaign was also endorsed by US President Barack Obama.

Amichay says, "It's a game changer idea which becomes part of the society for a longer period of time and not just a campaign for another brand. It's not every day that President Obama will say yes for an advertising campaign."