<font color="#FF0033"><b>Abby Awards 2004:</b></font> Rajiv Rao, Santosh Padhi make it to Abby Art Director's club

"If only I had the slightest hint of this, I would have asked my family to be here." The regret in Santosh Padhi's (creative director, Leo Burnett India) voice was more than evident as he talked about the prestigious Art Director of the Year title that he (along with Rajiv Rao, senior creative director, O&M India) was awarded on the evening of Abby Awards 2004. "I am today one of the happiest people around, but it saddens me to know that my family couldn't see me receiving the award," he sighs.

Rao, for his part, is beside himself with joy, and is of the opinion that the simplicity the Hutch commercial - "which sets it apart from typical commercials" - got him the award. "The Hutch campaign is closer to life than most," he says. "The best part is that the client always believed in us and gave us creative freedom, which is clearly visible in our campaigns. We did not overdo the idea, and that, I think, worked for the campaign." That the loyal pug has won the hearts of consumers and jury members alike is obvious, and in that context, Rao has an interesting anecdote to tell. "We had decided on a cute-looking dog for the commercial. But on the first day of the shoot, when the trained dog we originally had did not perform up to expectations, we had to find a substitute. In the process, we found this ugly-looking pug, but in hindsight, this one was a real boon for us."

If Rao won top honours at this year's Abbys for the Hutch campaign, Padhi, on the contrary, believes that it was the variety in his work - from Darna Mana Hai to Skoda to Sanctuary Magazine to Johnnie Walker - that helped him get his Art Director award. And while everything that he worked on last year is dear to him, he picks the work for Sanctuary as his personal best. "Of the lot, I feel the Sanctuary print ad is my best work, as that one is a real ‘art director's campaign'," he says. "Unlike in the case of TV commercials, in print campaigns, one gets a chance to express oneself in just a single frame, and to make it distinctive and noticeable from the other 20-odd ads in a newspaper or a magazine is the work of the art director." Interestingly, Padhi reveals that despite entering his name in the Art Director of the Year category, he was not sure he would get the award. "It was a complete surprise," he admits, adding that he is now looking forward to adding a few international awards this year.

Unlike Padhi, Rao says he was fairly confident about winning his Art Director's award. However, he says that the best part of Abby 2004 was the client (Hutchison Telecom) winning the Creative Advertiser of the Year award. "Hutch and Ogilvy won the Campaign of the Year award, which is nice, but the client winning the Advertiser award was a wonderful feeling. I am also happy that my colleague and teammate Mahesh (V) has won the Copywriter of the Year award." © 2004 agencyfaqs!