Maxus bags top spot at Goafest 2010 Media Abbys with 11 metal haul

The Media Abbys at Goafest 2010 saw Maxus walking away with the maximum number of awards, leaving Lodestar Universal and Mindshare to occupy the second and third spot, respectively, in the final tally. There is no official points weightage given to Golds, Silver and Bronzes, so we have decided not to interpret them on our own.

A total of 39 awards were given out this year, out of a pool of 81 shortlisted entries, across 14 categories.

Maxus bagged one Gold, five Silver and five Bronze metals taking its total tally to 11 metals. It won its Gold in the ‘Best use of radio’ category for its campaign 'From awareness to conversion' for Vodafone.

Said an elated Ajit Varghese, managing director, Maxus India, "This is clearly the result of Maxus putting a consistent effort to deliver a better product to its clients. We won two Cannes metals last year, Agency of the Year in Bangalore for two consecutive years and now maximum numbers of awards at Goafest; it is a proof of consistent performance, incredible team work and most importantly, of creativity being a critical part of the Maxus product."

Added Vikram Sakhuja, CEO, Group M, South Asia, "From a Group M stand point, the idea is to provide an enabling ecosystem in which agencies can flourish and create some spectacular work; the fact that we have won half of the total number of awards given, is a validation of just that."

Lodestar stood second in the final tally with an impressive haul of nine metals comprising three Golds, four Silvers and two Bronzes. All of its three Golds came from campaigns done for its client, Tata Nano, in ‘Best use of newspapers & magazines’; ‘Best use of radio’ and ‘Best use of mixed-media’ categories. Said Nandini Dias, COO, Lodestar Universal, "We are proud of the quality and quantity of awards we have won this year, especially in the mixed media category. That we have bagged both Gold and Silver in mixed media demonstrates that our product is truly integrated and that the way we are structured delivers results."

Mindshare bagged a total of seven metals including two Golds, two Silvers and three Bronzes. Both its Golds came from campaigns created for Nike in ‘Best use of Internet & digital media’ and ‘Best use of never before media’ categories. "While we have been focusing on the new media and digital, we have been slipping in categories such as radio and OOH. Competition is heating up across multiple categories and Mindshare is competing against some very good launches like Nano and Docomo. This is a wake-up call for Mindshare and has made us realise that we cannot take our seats for granted. That said, we are fast learners and now have the Emvies to look forward to," said Gowthaman Ragothaman, leader, Mindshare, South Asia.

Mudra Max scooped six metals comprising three Golds, two Silvers and one Bronze. Its Golds were won in the coveted ‘Best use of television’ category for Big Pictures – PAA movie; ‘Best use of outdoor & ambient media’ category for Aircel and ‘Best use of special events and stunts advertising’ category for Aircel too.

Pratap Bose, COO, Mudra Group and CEO, Mudra Max said, "This achievement is a result of the pure passion that the teams evoke in their day-to-day work. Mudra Max is a year and a bit old and this is an incredible feat for the agency. That said, it is now the question of pushing the envelope higher and winning double next year."

Said Shashi Sinha, jury chairman of the Media Abbys, on the quality of the entries, "We saw some incredible work done in mixed media, print, digital and outdoor. The branded content, sponsorships, pro bono marketing and youth marketing categories saw mediocre work."

“However," added Sinha, speaking about scam work, "What is heartening is that it is really the big brands and their highly visible campaigns that have swept away all of the media awards. The metals have been given to real work, done for real brands."

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