N. Shatrujeet
Advertising

<font color="#FF0033"><b>Abby 2004 Countdown:</b></font> Enterprise has limited, but good entries - Bhupal Ramnathkar

Enterprise Nexus has had quite a history of winning at the Abbys. Can the agency maintain its Abby record, despite having a limited number of entries this year?

Step in through the main door of Enterprise Nexus' Agripada office in Mumbai, and the sight that greets you is row upon row of shining metal displayed on a low shelf. Among the assortment of creative awards - from CAGs to a single, prestigious gold Lion - one can find numerous Abby statuettes standing mutely, hands raised heavenward. We may be stretching the point, nevertheless, let it be said that there isn't sufficient place on that shelf for all the Abbys won by the agency over the past decade or so; quite a few these statuettes nestle in sundry cabinets and cupboards all over the office.

That Enterprise has a history of winning at the Abbys is stating the obvious. And as recently as last year, the agency once again stamped its authority over the annual Awards by claiming six silver Abbys (two for NECC, one for The Times of India, and three for The Economic Times) and tying with Mudra Communications for the joint third place in the final tally. "From the day Mohammed (Khan, chairman, Enterprise Nexus) opened this agency, its name has figured in the Abby Awards list," says Bhupal Ramnathkar, executive creative director, Enterprise Nexus. "If you look at any agency's Abby history, you will see it reach a peak, stay there for a few years, then slide. This is not the case with Enterprise. Year on year, it has had a steady presence at the Abbys, and this is a very good indication of the quality of work being produced here."

And Ramnathkar believes that the quality of the work entered by the agency this year should help Enterprise keep its annual tryst with the Abbys. "There were only three entries from Enterprise in the Film category this year - and all three have made it to the Finalist stage," he smiles proudly, adding, "Even in Print, we submitted only a few entries. This year, Enterprise has limited, but good entries." For the record, the agency's film entries are commercials for Killer Worn-out Jeans (‘dhobi'), The Times of India (‘currency') and Femina (‘bride'). And its print entries include campaigns for Killer Worn-out Jeans and Westside Plus, and one-offs for NECC, Godrej Locks and The Times of India. As an aside, may we add that the entry for The Times of India (‘stamp paper') appears to be a winner, given its simplicity and topicality (the ad appeared just two days after the infamous stamp paper scam was exposed).

Speaking about the limited number of entries sent in by his agency this year, Ramnathkar says, "Internally, we decided to enter only that work which we ourselves were convinced was good creative. You have to be a good judge of yourself, and you have to believe that your entries are worth sending for judging - otherwise you are treating creative awards like a lottery. Not only is the cost of entering work prohibitive, you don't want a disgusted jury saying ‘Yeh kaisa kaam bheja hai' about your entries. My point is that if you send good work, even if it does not end up winning, the fact that it was good will be appreciated."

Rating the chances of the work entered by Enterprise, Ramnathkar is also of the opinion that the ‘stamp paper' ad for The Times of India should end up claiming metal. "It's a good ad, and I am pretty sure it will win," he says. "Whether it'll win gold or silver is to be seen." Ramnathkar is also banking on the three film entries. "The feel and treatment of the Killer commercial is completely different from the kind of work that is created in the Fashion category, and it is also a very different creative concept. So it may do well." The films for Femina and The Times of India, he believes, also have a fair chance of winning, although he adds that The Times of India ad faces the additional challenge of being compared with previous Times of India films like ‘Tendulkar' and ‘paper-pusher'. "The Femina film, in comparison, does not have to meet any set standards," Ramnathkar points out. "So it's hard to say which one will win."

As is the case with the bulk of the industry, Ramnathkar too picks Hutch, AirTel and Coke as the frontrunners at this year's Abbys. However, of the less known and seen ads, he picks an entry soliciting funds for the renovation of a Mumbai-based church as one of his favourites. "It was a simple idea with some great art direction. I loved it," he says. (Incidentally, this entry is a creation of McCann-Erickson India.) Ramnathkar also points out that this year, there were a lot of good entries in the Outdoor category. "Till very recently, Outdoor work was basically an adaptation of print campaigns and ideas. However, the trend is changing, with more and more original work happening - work that is created with Outdoor in mind, and which uses the full potential of the medium to communicate ideas. I think this is a positive development." © 2004 agencyfaqs!

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