Mixed Media: Now, let’s work towards a clean Abby...
The fraternity must welcome and support the compromise struck between the Ad Club Bombay and the Advertising Agencies Association of India towards holding the Abbys at GoaFest, writes Pradyuman Maheshwari.

As the nation celebrated the 62nd Republic Day with renewed optimism, there was a fair reason for smiles in the adfrat. The news of the Great Abby Compromise started doing the rounds in the morning yesterday and was confirmed by the exchange4media.com website and SMS alert around noon. The trade could heave a sigh of relief that the country’s most prestigious recognition of creative (and media) talent will not be pulled out of the annual jamboree conducted on the beaches of Goa every April.
At play were a variety of egos and strange illusions of who should be giving away the awards every year.
First, some background. There have been several issues marring the reputation of the Abbys as a clean, fair award. One, agencies won metals for ads of obscure products and services released in little-known media. And then there were many who felt that not all was well with the judging process of the Abby resulting in big boy Lowe pulling out of the Abby for some years now. Last year, it was also discovered that the process of judging itself was not entirely ethical, forcing the Ad Club to write to those found guilty to voluntarily return the awards. All of this concerned only the Creative awards and not the Media Abby.
The AAAI started GoaFest in 2006 on beach-y environs a la Cannes with its own awards do. The trade was divided on which awards are bigger or better to participate in, and finally the Ad Club bosses were convinced that holding the Abby in Goa mein hi samajhdaari hai. As it happened over the last few days over email and in tete-a-tetes across the corridors of power.
So, is all resolved for GoaFest and the Abby? Well, the fun has just about begun. GoaFest is scheduled to happen just 70 days from now, and sources tell me that the Abby process is still not streamlined. While Lodestar UM CEO Shashi Sinha has organised the Media awards without a blemish over the years, the Creative Abby will require Sinha to employ all his organisational skills to cleanse the system. As an insider in the system told me, it’s not easy handling the creative top guns.
Although Ernst and Young personnel were directed by the Ad Club not to speak to the media, sources in the Firm told me that none of their recommendations to correct the judging process have been followed in the past and their role is limited to being mere tabulators of scores.
While the new Awards Council may find it tough to police scam ads as the rules allow for entry of an ad that has been displayed even once, regardless of the profile of the media. Like every year, the second half of last month saw Mumbai’s Free Press Journal flooded with ads from leading agencies for obscure and some well-known brands and services.
The Council, meanwhile, has to grapple with two other worries. One, ensuring that judging rules are strictly adhered to, with jury members not voting for their own work. And two, plug all the holes that have resulted in the results leaking to The Economic Times for all of the years that the Abby has partnered with GoaFest.
For now, Abby 2011 will be jointly ‘owned’ by the Ad Club Bombay and the AAAI with the casting vote being exercised in case of unresolved issues by the Chairperson, who is an Ad Club nominee. GoaFest, meanwhile, continues to be governed only by the AAAI. While there are a few who believe that the Ad Club shouldn’t have given in to the demands of the AAAI, most industry people are relieved that the impasse has ended and we do not have two sets of awards.
Whether the new dispensation will be able to prevail upon Balki and Lowe to participate remains to be seen, though for now I am quite bullish that Shashi Sinha and his Abby Awards Governing Council will be able to put up a clean act. Take it from me... ;-)
(The views expressed here are my own. Post your comments below or email me at pradyumanm@exchange4media.com or tweet me at @pmahesh.)
Also read:
Abby continues at GoaFest; Awards Governing Council created with Shashi Sinha as Chairman
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E4M Our strategy is to target younger audiences through Sports: Rajiv Dubey, Dabur
The Head of Media at Dabur India spoke exclusively to exchange4media on the World Cup, associating with Indian Idol, the company’s digital spending and much more
With quirky campaigns, memes and moment marketing, timed with the ongoing World Cup and particularly the India-Pakistan matches, Dabur India has got considerable consumer attention for its popular brands – Red Paste, Cool King Hair Oil, Chyawanprash, Dabur Vita and the recently launched Bae Fresh Gel toothpaste.
The 140-year-old company is going big on key sporting events, World Television Premiere (WTP) movies and reality shows. It is now gearing up to become the title sponsor of popular talent show ‘Indian Idol’ on Sony TV for the first time, shared Rajiv Dubey, who leads the media strategy at Dabur.
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Swapan Seth's new book 'COOL' is out
The book is a reflection of the author's 'eclectic taste across categories'
Advertising professional and art collector Swapan Seth has announced the launch of his new book COOL. The book is described as "a ready reckoner to the hip and the happening, of the known and the very unknown."
The book is a reflection of the author's "eclectic taste across categories: from boltholes to exotic hideaways."
COOL has been published by Simon & Schuster India and is available on Amazon.
Seth is an ad veteran with a long and illustrious career in the industry. He became the youngest-ever Creative Director at Clarion at age 24. He was VP at 26 at Trikaya Grey. Two years later, he started his agency Equus.
He writes for publications such as The Economic Times, Hindustan Times and India Today. This is his second book and he has previously published THIS IS ALL I HAVE TO SAY.
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Disney Star signs 9 sponsors for Asia Cup PAK
Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up come on board
e4m Staff Disney Star has signed nine broadcast and digital streaming sponsors for the upcoming Asia Cup.
Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up have come on board for the upcoming tournament.
As reported earlier by exchange4media, Disney Star has sought Rs 26 crore for the co-presenting sponsorship on TV and Rs 30 crore for Disney+ Hotstar.
According to industry sources, the associate sponsorship on Star Sports has been priced at Rs 19.66 crore, whereas for the ‘powered by’ sponsorship on Disney+ Hotstar, the broadcaster is seeking Rs 18 crore.
As per the information available with exchange4media, Disney+ Hotstar has three sponsorship tiers-- co-presenting (Rs 30 crore), powered by (Rs 18 crore) and associate sponsorship (Rs 12 crore). The broadcaster is offering an estimated reach of 120-140 million for co-presenting sponsors, 90-100 million for powered by and 60-70 million for associate sponsorship.
A spot buy for 10 seconds has been priced at Rs 25 lakh for the India vs Pakistan matches, while for the non-India matches, the ad rate for 10 second is Rs 2.3 lakh. The India matches plus the final for ODIs has been priced at Rs 17 lakh per 10 seconds.
Asia Cup is scheduled to be held from 30 August, 2023, to September 17, 2023.
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Sorted 360 wins creative & social media mandate of Reliance Mall
The agency will manage offline and online campaigns for Reliance Mall
Sorted 360, an integrated creative and social media agency, has won the mandate to providing brand solutions for Reliance Malls across India.
“Sorted 360 is set to enhance Reliance Malls' market presence with their unparalleled creative prowess and strategic thinking,” read a press release.
“Sorted 360's commitment to pushing the boundaries of creative communication aligns perfectly with Reliance Malls' ethos. With a pan-India presence spanning across 19 cities and growing, Reliance Malls has consistently captivated customers by offering an array of Reliance brands and third-party fashion & lifestyle brands. The mall has established an unparalleled connection with its patrons through superior quality, a remarkable value proposition, and an unmatched shopping experience,” it read further.
"We are thrilled to welcome Sorted 360 as our trusted partner in advancing our brand presence across the nation," said the Head of Marketing at Relaice Malls. "Their proven expertise in retail, shopping center management, and innovative creative strategies make them the perfect fit for our vision."
"Partnering with Reliance Malls is a testament to our commitment to shaping extraordinary brand experiences," remarked Prerana Anatharam, Co-founder of Sorted 360. "We are excited to leverage our strategic and creative acumen to further elevate Reliance Malls as the epitome of convenience, choice, and excellence."
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KlugKlug onboards Hemang Mehta as Country Manager for Indias
Mehta was most recently Head of Agency Relationships at Network 18 Media & Investments
KlugKlug has appointed Hemang Mehta as its Country Manager for India.
Mehta will play a pivotal role in driving KlugKlug's growth and expansion within the Indian market and be responsible for Sales & GTM Strategy
Prior to that, he has also represented organisations like Exponential (now VDX.tv), India Today Digital and Rediff.com. His expertise spans various domains including digital media sales, mobile marketing, media planning, and buying, social media marketing, and more.
Hemang Mehta expressed his enthusiasm about joining KlugKlug, saying, "I am thrilled to be a part of KlugKlug, a forward-thinking platform that is reshaping the influencer marketing landscape. As much as I look forward to collaborating with the exuberant team at KlugKlug, I am super excited to interact with the brands to deliver powerful data-backed Influencer solutions that will guarantee business outcomes."
Commenting on the appointment, Kalyan Kumar, Co-Founder and CEO of KlugKlug, stated, "We are excited to welcome Hemang Mehta to our team as the Country Manager for India. His extensive experience in digital media sales and marketing will be instrumental in driving our efforts to provide influencer marketing solutions to our clients. We believe Hemang's leadership will be key in scaling our operations and expanding our reach within the Indian market."
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