INDIAN INDIAN GOAFEST 2009 FINALLY ENDS

As the curtains finally came down on three days of high energy and celebrations at Goafest 2009, the Indian advertising and marketing fraternity applauded some of the best work produced over the past year. Over 2300 delegates attended this impressive event which witnessed a whopping 4500 entries in the creative Abbys and 441 in the media Abbys; both of which were 10% higher than last year.

Ogilvy & Mather swept the Creative Abbys by winning 50 metals, while the Grand Prix of this year was won by JWT for its Teach India campaign, for The Times of India, in the Direct category. In the medals tally O&M were followed by JWT with 24 and Leo Burnett with 17 Abbys respectively. Other noteworthy winners included Mudra and ideas work with 14; McCann and Publicis with 13; Contract with 12; and Rediffusion Y&R with 10 Abbys.

In the Media Abbys, Mindshare secured top honours with 10 metals; closely followed by Madison, Mudra and Maxus with 5 metals each and TME with 4 Abbys.

Thanking the solidarity displayed by all participants, Colvyn Harris, Chairman, Goafest 2009 and CEO, JWT said, Goafest 2009 has been very successful and it was rewarding for the entire committee to see the delegates making the most out of the three days.

Goafest was kicked off with a sizzling inauguration ceremony which witnessed two of India’s most celebrated ad-men Colvyn Harris and Madhukar Kamath, making a Bondesque entry emerging from the ocean on jet skis. India prestigious advertising awards festival then proceeded to recognize and fête creative excellence during the three day long carnival. Simultaneously, knowledge sessions, interactions with living legends of advertising and networking, enhanced the learning experience for the delegates in sunny Goa. Elaborating on the theme of Goafest 2009 Why waste a good recession, Bhaskar Das, President of The Advertising Club Bombay and Executive President of Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. said “Great opportunity always comes in the midst of great crisis. The global challenging environment poses an opportunity to exceed and excel. The sessions are focused to help brands plan actions and initiatives that will help them emerge winners.

Goafest 2009 witnessed a galaxy of global advertising icons including Sir John Hegarty, Co-Founder and Worldwide Creative Director of Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH); Sean Finnegan, Chief Digital Officer, Starcom Mediavest; Dan Weiden, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Wieden Kennedy (WK); Jean Marie Dru, Global Chairman, TBWA and Neeraj Nayar, President, Contagious Communications; who exemplified on why today’s crisis is too good an opportunity to be missed.

Renowned industry leaders like Pawan Goenka, President, Mahindra & Mahindra; Vineet Taneja, Head of Marketing, Nokia; Shailesh Rao, MD – Sales & Operations, Google India and Roshan Tamhane, Associate Partner, McKinsey Asia Financial Services Practice; also shared their perspectives on how they are handling and even capitalizing on the current challenging environment.

However it was not all work and no play at Goafest Paragliding, a rain dance and groovy parties to celebrate the winners, with DJ Aktar, DJ Ashrafi and Jalebee Cartel spinning the tracks, more than made up the fun quotient.

In its fourth year, it is heartening to see that Goafest is already gaining global recognition. With more and more global agencies setting up shop in India, we believe we could work with them closely to enhance the reputation of Goafest globally, said Madhukar Kamath, MD & CEO, Mudra Group. Here is looking forward to Goafest 2010

About Goafest 2009: Currently in its fourth year, Goafest is Indian most prestigious national advertising awards festival, organized by The Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) in association with The Advertising Club Bombay. More than 3000 delegates from the advertising and allied industries attend the event to witness the high-profile seminars, workshops and listen to keynote speakers from across the globe. Over 4500 ads from all over the country are showcased and judged at the Festival. Goafest is India’s largest intellectual & information exchange in the world of Advertising & Media and provides an opportunity for professionals in marketing and advertising to meet, exchange ideas and recognize creative talent.

About Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI): The Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) is the official, national organization of advertising agencies, formed in 1945, to promote their interests. The Association promotes professionalism, through its founding principles, which uphold sound business practices between advertisers and advertising agencies and each of the various media. The AAAI today is truly representative, with a very large number of small, medium and large-sized agencies as its members, who together account for almost 80% of the advertising business placed in the country. It is thus recognized as the apex body of the advertising industry at all forums – advertisers, media owners and associations, and even Government, as the spokesperson for the advertising industry. Only such agencies that are independent, unbiased, objective, committed to advertising, ethically operated, financially sound and who offer professionalism and expertise in order to fulfill their obligations to consumers, advertisers and media are accepted as a members of AAAI

About The Advertising Club Bombay: The Advertising Club Bombay, which was incorporated in the year 1954, is arguably the biggest Advertising Club of its kind in the world. It has over 1600 members from the Advertising, Marketing, Public Relations, Media and Research fraternity.

The Ad Club endeavour is to Help raise the professional standards of the Indian Advertising Industry, and the Club attempts to do this through awards, seminars, meetings and more.

Besides the ABBYs, EFFIEs, EMVIEs, Ad Review, Media Review, M.Ad Quiz and Young Achievers’ Awards, the Ad Club is also involved in a number of other activities. Over the years, Ad Club has become a catalyst in developing the industry. It routinely organizes CEP Workshops and events for industry professionals and students. It has become a dynamic platform for professionals from different fields to interact and gain from each others expertise. This Club maintains a high level of activity and, unlike other clubs, has no bars.