The Advertising Club hosted the 2023 edition of the Effie’s, one of India’s most coveted advertising awards on Jan 19th. Mondelez India, McCann Worldgroup India and Enormous were the talks of the town.
Enormous took home the Grand Effie for its Jaquar campaign, ‘Unimaginable Brand Extensions.’ This year, the Effies, received a remarkable 1276 entries, the highest since its inception, and saw participation from 79 agencies.
The Effie awards acknowledge the impact though the work done in the form of advertising campaigns by agencies and clients.
At the Effies, Rana Barua, group CEO, Havas Group India and president of The Advertising Club said, “The Effie’s stand as a testament to the power of impactful storytelling and strategic brilliance in our industry. Congratulations to all the winners for crafting campaigns that not only captivate but also leave a lasting impact on our audiences. Your creativity continues to shape the future of our industry. Here’s to another year of pushing boundaries and inspiring innovation in the world of advertising.”
McCann WorldGroup India bagged the agency of the year award with a total of 516 points won across categories and reclaimed the top spot from Oglivy Group India which was in close contention, but finished second with 456 points. Last year’s winners Leo Burnett India placed third with 306 points.
Read More: Prasoon Joshi-led McCann wins Agency of the Year at Effies
Prasoon Joshi, Chairman of McCann Worldgroup Asia Pacific and CEO & CCO, McCann Worldgroup India, told Storyboard18, “I am extremely delighted and proud of McCann winning the Agency of the Year at the Effie India 2023 Awards. Today, In the world’s changing landscape where our industry faces extreme challenges in defining the approach to the future, McCann India is an organisation which holds ideas and thinking at the core of our business and propels our Business and clients forward.”
Joshi added, “Effectiveness comes from this culture of belief in creative excellence driven by strong consumer insights. This is McCann India’s hallmark supported by a robust our McCann Global’s culture of strong creative and strategic leadership. What is remarkable is the width and the diverse set of businesses, we have won awards for Ujjivan Small Finance Bank, Nestle India, MasterCard, Reckitt, Dabur, Hero and others as mentioned.”
Jitendra Dabas, chief operating officer and CSO, McCann Worldgroup India said, “Winning back the pole position is so much more sweeter and special than staying there.. Because it needs resolve to do better and win back… it means refocusing and motivating the teams to fight better. That’s why Agency of the Year for 2023 at the Effies means so much more,”
“5th time in 6 years…. We won an incredible 8 golds, 14 silvers, 16 bronze and 30 finalists… And these wins weren’t limited to 3-4 clients but were for our work for 19 of our clients across 29 categories. A clear testimony to the width of the ideas and campaigns for clients. Take a bow McCann WorldGroup India for this incredible feat… The amazing strategists, creatives & business leaders across our four offices and all the WorldGroup Companies,” he added.
It was a McCann Worldgroup awash in the corporate advertising category, having won both silvers and the gold in the category – for Hero MotoCorp, BharatPe and Ujjivan respectively.
Just like 2022, Mondelez India once again won the ‘Client of the year’, with a total of 172 points. PepsiCo came in second with 138 points and Coca-Cola was in third with 126 points.
Apart from the top three, the other agencies that won gold at Effie’s for their remarkable contributions were The Womb Communiations, Fibbr Consulting, DDB Mudra Group, Havas Worldwide, L&K Saatchi and Saatchi and Dentsu Creative India.
Enormous made history with its win, making it the first-ever Grand Effie won by an independent agency in India. Ashish Khazanchi, founder of Enormous, told Storyboard18, “We’re all really chuffed at the win. Our teams and our clients have worked hard through the year and produced work which has been celebrated by the industry over the years. We were in the top ten last year as well but this year’s big win makes it extra special. Our win this year is significant not just for us but in a way for the industry. It is the first ever Grand Effie win by an independent and it proves that not just Enormous, but the whole eco system of good independents as a very viable alternative for big marketers to work with and do great brand building work with. Two independents in the top ten is probably something that’s never happened before in Effie’s. Definitely heartening to see for me personally. We will continue chasing effective work and Effie’s will continue being a show we’ll always be proud to be participating in.”