On January 24, the Advertising Club (TAC) India hosted the 24th edition of the Effie India Awards 2024, a prestigious event that recognizes excellence in advertising effectiveness, creativity, and strategy. This year’s awards attracted a remarkable 1,152 entries from 75 agencies.
Mondelez India emerged as the ‘Effie Client of the Year,’ securing the title with an impressive 152 points, followed by PepsiCo India Holdings (128 points) and ACKO General Insurance (114 points). Meanwhile, Ogilvy Group India was named ‘Effie Agency of the Year,’ a distinction earned through a dominant performance, accumulating 537 points. Leo Burnett India (495 points) and McCann Worldgroup India (390 points) completed the top three.
Ogilvy Group India’s standout achievement of the evening was winning the ‘Effie Agency of the Year’ title.
Reflecting on Ogilvy’s success, advertising veteran Piyush Pandey shared his thoughts with Storyboard18, emphasizing that the agency’s accolades are a testament to the lasting impact of their work. “It’s a sense of achievement,” he said, “showing that the work is making a mark.” He went on to discuss the changing expectations of clients, noting that today’s brands are increasingly focused on maximizing impact while optimizing spending. Pandey credited Ogilvy’s long-standing success to its ability to consistently deliver high-quality work that generates tangible results.
“Clients want the most impactful work for their money,” Pandey explained. “And Ogilvy has been ahead of the curve for over 30 years, delivering better work that ‘works’ for clients and keeps them loyal.”
Pandey also touched on the evolution of creativity, pointing to Ogilvy’s longstanding partnership with Pidilite Industries, a client the agency has served for over three decades. He highlighted how the brand consistently achieves significant impact through innovative, long-format commercials that defy industry conventions, thus maximizing the value of their media spend.
He said, “They don’t follow the standard rules that many people follow. We do long commercials. We don’t follow the rule book or what the media says – ‘Make seven seconds, 10 seconds ads’. We run the commercials fewer times and get greater impact.”
Concluding his remarks, Pandey offered valuable advice for aspiring communications professionals: “For a campaign to succeed, the focus should always be on understanding the audience’s needs, rather than catering to personal ambitions or client egos.”