Effie 2003: McCann wins Grand Effie, lone gold; O&M takes six awards

While ‘Thanda matlab…’ won the big awards, O&M won the maximum number of trophies. Lowe, FCB-Ulka, Rediff, Interface, Euro RSCG and Burnett also picked up Effies

If there was one single enduring image that was taken away by all those who attended last evening's Effie 2003 awards ceremony, it was this: the sight of all the eight contending agencies cheering as the awards were being given away, and then partying joyously into the night. The cause for this all-pervasive good humour was understandable. For each and every one of yesterday's Finalists (eight agencies and 16 brands/case studies) ended up picking Effies of various denominations, and no one returned home empty-handed and disappointed.

Not all agencies won an equal number of Effies, true. Not all agencies won big metals either. But a win is a win, and that alone was good enough reason to set off the celebrations. So the smallish teams from Euro RSCG and Interface partied as hard as the more numerous (and more boisterous) ones from McCann-Erickson and O&M… It was almost a celebration of equals.

However, it goes without saying that there were distinct firsts among the equals. McCann and O&M, to name two. And Lowe and FCB-Ulka to a lesser extent. For these four agencies, between themselves, claimed 14 of the 18 awards that were distributed this year. They accounted for seven of the nine silver Effies given away, not to mention the lone gold Effie, the Grand Effie and the People's Choice Trophy.

It was an evening that left everyone pleased, but the day clearly belonged to McCann and O&M. McCann, it may be recalled, had just one entry - Coca-Cola - in this year's Finals, but that one entry did all the magic for the agency. The much-chronicled ‘Thanda matlab…' campaign, which jumpstarted Coke's sagging fortunes in this country, knocked the competition in the Consumer Products category cold and won the only gold Effie to be awarded this year. And as if that wasn't good enough, the campaign also claimed the coveted Grand Effie (the Best of Show), making it one of the most-awarded Indian campaigns in recent advertising history.

If McCann took the credit for picking up the lone gold Effie and the Grand Effie, O&M stamped its authority over this year's Effies by winning the maximum number of trophies - six. The creative powerhouse won four silver Effies, one each for Sprite, Center Shock (both in Consumer Products), Asian Paints Exterior Emulsions (in Consumer Durables) and Pulse Polio Immunization Programme (in Services), and one bronze Effie for Prudential ICICI Mutual Fund (also in Services). The agency also won the popular award - the People's Choice Trophy - for its brilliantly original presentation of the Center Shock case study. Bucking the usual PowerPoint presentation format, the Center Shock presentation cued into Indian film clichés to prove how the brand became the leader in the chewing gum market - with 35-per cent market share - in just six months. It must be mentioned that the weird ‘Center Shock hairdos' that presenters Abhijit Avasthi (of O&M) and Sameer Suneja (of Perfetti Van Melle India) sported had the desired effect on the audience.

Lowe picked up four Effies this year, an even split between silver and bronze. While its campaigns for Balbir Pasha/PSI and ICICI Prudential Life Insurance landed silver Effies (both in the Services category), its campaigns for Lifebuoy (in Consumer Products) and LG Golden Eye (in Consumer Durables) won bronze Effies. FCB-Ulka won a brace of Effies, a silver for Mint-O (in Consumer Products) and a bronze for Tata Indigo (in Consumer Durables).

The remaining four agencies - Interface, Rediffusion | DYR, Leo Burnett India and Euro RSCG - claimed one Effie apiece. While Interface took home one silver Effie for Scorpio (in Consumer Durables), Euro laid hands on another silver for Max (in Services). Burnett won a bronze for Tide (in Consumer Products), while Rediff won its bronze for Daikin (in Consumer Durables).

What is of particular interest is the fact that all the 16 case studies in yesterday's Finals won Effies. Coke's aim of becoming ‘the most preferred cola brand'; Center Shock's 700-per cent growth; Sprite's 62-per cent growth; Mint-O's jump in market share from 5 to 41 per cent in a year; Lifebuoy's 30-per cent growth; Tide's 50-per cent growth in market share in a scenario where competing premium detergent brands declined; the Scorpio selling six times what its competition was selling in just six months; ICICI Prudential garnering a 23-per cent share of the pensions market and achieving sales of Rs 74 crore in six months; Max generating ad revenue of Rs 490 million during the ICC Knockout Tournament; Prudential ICICI Mutual Fund's 33-per cent growth in business… Clearly, this year's jury saw merit in awarding every case of effective advertising that made it to the Finals.

Returning to the agency perspective, Effie 2003 has been good for all eight contending Finalists. For McCann, the gold Effie and the Grand Effie are a definite improvement over last year, considering the agency did not win anything in 2002, although it had a shortlist in Kinley (incidentally, McCann had won a bronze Effie for HSBC Home Loans back in 2001). The same is the case with O&M, more or less. While it won a bronze Effie for Kelvinator in 2001, the agency drew a blank last year, even though it too had a shortlist in Super Selector. Zero to six awards is a good jump for an agency so used to carrying away trophies.

Lowe too had an improved performance this year if one were to measure number of awards won. In the last two Effies, the agency had picked up one award each (a silver for Surf Excel in 2001, and a gold for Pepsodent in 2002), something that this year's haul of four betters. However, this year, Lowe was not able to win a gold Effie, and had to settle for two silvers and two bronzes. An even tradeoff, at best. FCB-Ulka - which won a bronze for Tropicana in 2001, and a bronze for Whirlpool last year - did one better this time by picking up a silver Effie over and above a bronze. Rediff, Interface, Euro and Burnett opened their Effie account this year (for the record, Burnett had two Finalist nominations last year, but failed to convert either).

The agencies that would be disappointed with their showing in Effie 2003 are Contract Advertising, JWT India, Mudra Communications and Orchard Advertising, all winners from last year. Particularly Contract and JWT, both of which have won Effies these last two years. While JWT won a silver for De Beers in 2001, it picked up a bronze for Nakshatra in 2002. This year, it had one shortlist (Lipton Ice Tea) that didn't make it to the Finals. Contract, of course, was the Grand Effie winner on both the previous occasions (for Milk Treat in 2001, and ICICI Children's Growth Bond last year), and has also picked up two gold Effies, one silver Effie and one People's Choice Trophy over the past two years. This year, however, it had just one shortlist (Wipro Technologies) that couldn't move onto the Finalist stage.

The next Effie Awards are a long way off, agreed. But when the time comes next season, it would be interesting to see if Contract makes a strong bid to regain lost ground, or whether McCann, O&M and Lowe further consolidate their position at the top of the Effie pile. Then again, maybe we'll have a new agency breaking into the ‘effectiveness zone'.

The next Effie Awards are a long way off. Till then, it's McCann and O&M leading the pack. © 2003 agencyfaqs!