Week at a glance: Goafest 2024; ABBYs winners; Naresh Gupta on 12 yrs of BITM

ABBY Awards 2024: Leo Burnett is Creative Agency of the Year; VML, FCB shine

On Day 3 of the Abby Awards 2024 Powered by One Show, a total of 4 Grand Prix, 35 Gold, 52 Silver, and 123 Bronze metals were awarded. Leo Burnett India won a Grand Prix in Creative ABBY and another Grand Prix in Audio Visual TV, Cinema, Digital, OTT (Below 1 min duration) for Spotify India for the campaign ‘Feel the Music with Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy’. The agency was declared – ‘Creative Agency of the Year’, ‘Brand Activation and Promotion Specialist Agency of the Year’, and ‘Branded Content & Entertainment Specialist Agency of the Year’.

ABBY Awards 2024: Leo Burnett gets top honours; FCB shines; ZEE leads Broadcaster ABBYs

Day 2 of Abby Awards 2024 saw a total of 2 Grand Prix, 18 Gold, 56 Silver, and 70 Bronze Metals were awarded. Leo Burnett India walked away with top honours on Day 2 bagging the coveted awards for – ‘Digital Specialist Agency of the Year’, ‘Technology Specialist Agency of the Year’, ‘Mobile Specialist Agency of the Year’, and ‘Direct Specialist Agency of the Year’. Leo Burnett’s total metals tally stood at 26.

At the vanguard of transforming creativity - Leo Burnett celebrates ABBYs wins

Reacting to the agency’s strong show, Rajdeepak Das, CCO, Publicis Groupe South Asia, and Chairman, Leo Burnett South Asia, “The best thing about our win is that we are not winning in one category, but across multiple categories ranging from direct to tech to mobile to digital, and it really shows the depth and variety of work Leo Burnett creates.”

Media ABBY Awards: Wavemaker India is Media Agency of the Year

Day 1 of Goafest 2024, held in Mumbai, culminated with the announcement of the winners of Media ABBYs and Publisher ABBYs. With total points of 98 and 16 metals, Wavemaker India was declared Media Agency Specialist of the Year. The agency’s metals’ tally included – 4 Golds, 9 Silvers, and 3 Bronzes. Wavemaker won the four Golds for client Cadbury.

Publisher ABBY Awards 2024: ABP adjudged Publisher of The Year

Publisher ABBYs saw a total of 20 metals being awarded, which included: 2 Golds, 6 Silvers, 6 Bronzes, and 6 Merits. ABP Pvt Ltd was adjudged Publisher of The Year, garnering total points of 28 and winning 5 metals, which included – 1 Gold, 2 Silvers, and 2 Bronzes. ABP won the Gold for Cadbury Dairy Milk for the campaign titled ‘Cadbury Gaane Mishti Folk Fusion’.

Amazon in final stages of acquiring MX Player from Times Internet for over $100M

After months of delays and speculation, e-commerce giant Amazon is in the final stages of acquiring the video streaming platform MX Player from Times Internet. According to media reports, Amazon is acquiring MX Player in an all-cash deal for slightly over $100 million.

We wanted to build something of our own: Naresh Gupta on BITM’s 12-year journey

In an exclusive interview with Adgully, Naresh Gupta, Founder & Managing Partner of Bang In The Middle, reflects on the 12-year journey of the independent advertising agency. Gupta shares the inspiration behind starting the agency, the lessons learned, and the distinct culture that sets them apart.

The battle between bots and creativity - Part 1: Can AI ads be original enough?

A new trend is emerging that could significantly impact the AI gold rush in the creative realm of advertising. Some brands in the West are now incorporating “No AI, No How” clauses in their contracts with ad agencies, effectively banning the use of generative AI in their creative processes. Why such a drastic move?

Battle between bots & creativity - Part 2: Why brands are saying No Thanks to AI in Ads

For decades, the magic formula for advertising success relied on a potent mix of human ingenuity, creativity and consumer insights. But with the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), a new ingredient is stirring the pot – and some brands aren’t so sure they like the taste.

From controlled messaging to transparent strategies - Why authenticity is crucial for PR

Amid the rapid transition to Digital and the emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Augmented Reality, Machine Language, human touch continues to retain a great degree of meaningful connections and bring in authenticity in brand communications and in Public Relations.

How Motorola is strategising to enhance content consumption on smartphones

In this week’s exclusive interaction with Adgully, Shivam Ranjan, Marketing Head, Motorola APAC, delves into Motorola’s debut in the True Wireless Stereo (TWS) category with two new products. He elaborates on the creative process and inspiration behind the “Sound of Perfection” campaign and “Song of India”, involving five music artists across India.

How ice cream brands are vying for market dominance amid enhanced competition

The Indian ice cream market is a scoop of good news, valued at over $3 billion in 2023 and projected for significant growth, as per industry reports. Analysts predict a healthy Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 13.49% between 2024 and 2030. Moreover, according to IMARC Group, the Ice Cream Market in India reached Rs 228.6 billion in 2023 and is expected to grow to Rs 956.0 billion by 2032, exhibiting a CAGR of 17.4% from 2024 to 2032.

Focus East: How 125-year old Keventers is driving brand loyalty among GenZ

Keventers has had a chequered and interesting history in India. The company aims to take the legacy of over 130+ years in FMCG to new heights, while remaining committed to Edward Keventer’s philosophy and beliefs. In conversation with Adgully, Suparna Mucadum, Head of Marketing and Brand Custodian, Keventer Agro Limited, delves into the current trends in the beverage industry in the East market and more.

Kunal Sharma decodes India Gate Food’s ‘No Compromise’ agenda this poll season

Premium Basmati rice brand India Gate launched Phase 5 of its ‘Apne Vote Se #NoCompromise’ campaign, aimed at raising awareness and encourage civic engagement. In an exclusive interview with Adgully, Kunal Sharma, Head of Marketing & Business Head for Modern Trade and Ecommerce at KRBL, elaborates on the campaign’s objectives, as well as the broader vision for India Gate Foods.

P&G Shiksha serves up humour with a punch to highlight learning gaps in kids

In an exclusive interaction with Adgully, Abhishek Desai, Vice President - Brand Operations and Category Leader for Grooming, P&G India, delves into the intricacies of P&G Shiksha’s compelling #StandUpForLearningGaps campaign, providing insights into its innovative approach and strategic collaborations.

Our aim is to be the Shah Rukh Khan of Generative AI: Saket Dandotia

In conversation with Adgully, Saket Dandotia, Founder and CEO, Onetab, shares the origins of Onetab, challenges in the current market environment for AI-based SaaS solutions, the landscape of the Indian startup ecosystem, and much more.

Practicing gender equality is not just a moral imperative: Mansi Sharma

In an exclusive interaction with Adgully, Mansi Sharma, Founder of The Honest Tree and Co-founder, Boddess Beauty, speaks about the role and scope of women leaders in today’s market ecosystem, emotional intelligence, maintaining a successful work-life balance, fostering a culture of diversity and inclusion, and more.