First Asia Pacific Effie Awards presented

First Asia Pacific Effie Awards presented at World Effie Festival

Singapore, 29th February 2008. The first-ever Asia Pacific Effie Awards, which recognize the most effective advertising and marketing campaigns across the region, were presented in Singapore this evening at a gala dinner marking the close of the inaugural World Effie Festival.

Gold, Silver and Bronze awards were presented to agencies responsible for the successful campaigns in five categories: Food and Beverage; Non-Food Fast-Moving Consumer Goods; Consumer Durables; Consumer Services; and Pro-Bono/Government/Cultural/Issue Campaigns. The most successful agency networks were Ogilvy & Mather and Saatchi & Saatchi, which each won one Gold, one Silver and one Bronze Effie.

The presentation of the inaugural Asia-Pacific Effie Awards marked a fitting conclusion to the highly successful World Effie Festival, the first global event to celebrate effective creativity in advertising and marketing communications. The festival drew more than 1300 delegates to the Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre, and featured a stellar lineup of speakers including global agency heads, creative gurus, business leaders and inspirational figures such as Lord Sebastian Coe, Chairman of the London 2012 Olympics and Singapore’s Minister Mentor, Lee Kuan Yew.

Some 150 campaigns from 18 countries were submitted for the Asia Pacific Effie Awards, some 50% more than expected. Of the 24 campaigns listed as finalists, nine were from countries which do not yet have their own domestic Effie Award programmes.

Judd Labarthe, Chairman of the Asia Pacific Effie Awards and Executive Planning Director, Atletico International and Argonauten G2, said: “The breadth of participation in this year’s competition says that the Effie Awards are understood and respected, not only as proof of the skill and talent of the agencies and clients who win them, but also as evidence of the growing professionalism of marketing communications in Asia. When winning an Effie matters, it means accountability and the spirit of agency-client collaboration needed to demonstrate it are here to stay. ”

The Asia-Pacific Effies were open to winners of national Effie Awards from China, Hong Kong, India, New Zealand and Singapore, together with entries from other countries around the region which do not yet host national Effies. The other participating countries included Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Philippines Thailand, Taiwan, Vietnam and four countries from the Middle East: Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

The Effie programme was launched in 1968 by the New York American Marketing Association to recognize effectiveness in marketing communications and is based on objective evidence of performance against the goals of a campaign. Currently, 39 countries host national Effies.

2008 Asia Pacific Effie Award winners:

GOLD Winners

• Belgiovane Williams Mackey:
“Rabbits” (Client: Telstra BigPond)

• Ogilvy & Mather Advertising, Hong Kong:
“Burning One Calorie is Unbelievably Easy”
(Client: Coca-Cola China, Hong Kong Region)

• Grey Melbourne:
“Wipe off 5 Save Lives” (Client: Transport Accident Commission)

• BBH Japan:
“Axe Japan Launch” (Client: Unilever)

• Saatchi & Saatchi China:
“My Inspiration, My Libang” (Client: Nippon Paint)

• DDB Singapore:
“Smart TV” (Client: Starhub)

SILVER Winners

• Ogilvy & Mather Advertising, Taiwan:
“Why Pay More for the Same Quality” (Client: PX Mart)

• Saatchi & Saatchi, New Zealand:
“Irresistible to Men Since 1889” (Client: DB Breweries)

• Grey Advertising Bangladesh:
“Lost in Translation” (Client: Nokia)

• The Sydney Furnace, Australia:
“Skinning the Competition” (Client: Skins Compression Garments)

BRONZE Winners

• DraftFCB Ulka Advertising, India:
“Guess Who’s Just Heard From Us?” (Client: Info Edge India)

• McCann Erickson, India:
“World Heart Day” (Client: Marico Industries)

• Saatchi & Saatchi Singpore:
“Navy Page-Turner” (Client: Republic of Singapore)

• Ogilvy & Mather Advertising, India:
“People Will Talk” (Client: Motorola)

• Naga DDB Malaysia:
“Viva Loves You” (Client: Perodua Sales)

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