Ogilvy continues to 'envy' with Envies 2014

It was a rocking event that showcased the creative might of Ogilvy India. Along with 25 Envies, there was a new Envy award this year – 'Envy for Good' – recognising the best work done for social good

Sarmistha Neogy | Mumbai | November 4, 2014

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Stepping into its second year, Ogilvy India last evening hosted its own creative awards - the Envies - and awarded the 25 most enviable pieces of work which Ogilvy India had produced over the last year. The gala awards ceremony took place at Hotel Renaissance, Mumbai. So along with 25 Emvies, there was one new entrant 'Envy for Good' and 'the most envied award' this year. Last year, being its launch year, Emvies had 35 winners.

Piyush Pandey

Commencing the beautiful awards night, Piyush Pandey, Executive Chairman & Creative Director, Ogilvy South Asia, said proudly, “O&M has done fabulous work through the years and through decades. Tonight is the night to recognise some great pieces of work and continue to inspire others through our work.”

The Envy jury comprised the biggest names in advertising who aren't working at Ogilvy. They were KS Chakravarthy 'Chax' (till recently NCD of FCB Ulka), Raj Kamble (Strawberry Frog), Josy Paul (BBDO), Vikram Gaikwad (Underdog Communications),  Bobby Pawar (Publicis), Arun Iyer (Lowe Lintas), Malvika Mehra (Grey), Rahul Mathew (DDB Mudra) and Ashish Chakravarty (Contract Advertising).

Arun Iyer

Commenting on the judging experience, Arun Iyer, NCD, Lowe Lintas, through a video recorded message played to the audience, said, “The judging was fun and it went on for a bit longer than what we had expected. The primary reason being we debated and discussed a lot, especially the Grand Envie, which was a topic of huge debate. And I must admit that the beer helped a lot! It was a great experience altogether because when you guys (Ogilvy) produce great work, it surely becomes an envy for others. So keep up the good work and keep motivating others.”

Bobby Pawar

Giving his take on creativity, Bobby Pawar, Director & Chief Creative Officer, Publicis South Asia, explained, “Creativity is something which is there in most people. In the business that we are in, we use creativity for the benefit of our clients. This year's work is damn good, and I believe that if your work can make others jealous, then it is actually worthy of attention.”

Anuraag Khandelwal

Anuraag Khandelwal, ECD and Creative Head, Soho Square, commented, “Envies for me stand for huge pressure as well as an achievement. I have been in this field for almost 14 years now and Ogilvy has been the winner 7 out of 14 times across all major award shows. So for me Ogilvy stands for pride and when I win an Envy, I am sure that internationally I am standing somewhere.”

Abhijit Awasthi, NCD of Ogilvy India who has quit and is now serving his notice period, said, “Envies serves as a guide for us in what we are doing right and where we can do better. It kind of instils in us a sense of pride that our work is being loved and the best part is that it is selected by the very best of the industry.”

The first five awards for the night were given away by Grey's Malvika Mehra. The winners were Dairy Milk for the campaign 'Snow Fight'; Star India for its 'Seatbelt Crew' campaign done with transgenders to spread awareness on road accidents; Vodafone India's 'Rest Break'; HUL's 'The Jump Pump'; Pidilite Industries' 'Crossword'.

The next five awards were given by the man who made the iconic Dairy Milk cricket ad, Mahesh Mathai. The winning campaigns included Dairy Milk (Oh Chit), Vodafone m-pesa (scooter), Vogue India (I Support Vogue Empower campaign), Satyamev Jayate season 3 (Mumkin Hain campaign) and Center Fresh (Madvertising campaign).

The third set of awards was given away by Bobby Pawar. Bangalore Traffic Police/Castrol (The Good Road), the Akansha Foundation (A for Anthem), Mentos Sour Marbels (Dacoits, Eve teasers and Tiger), Google (Pledge to Vote) and Fevikwik (Object Tears) were the winners.

Ad film maker Prasoon Pandey gave away the awards to the fourth list of winners. Brooke Bond Red Label (Taste of Togetherness), Asian Paints (The Ultimate Waterproofing Guide), Fortune Oil (Ghar ka khana, ghar ka khana hota hain), Castrol India (The Biker's Code Book) and Breakthrough Trust (Video Matrimonial) made the cut.

Siddhartha Mukherjee, Director of Chocolates and Media at Mondelez India, gave away the last set of five Envies. Mattel Inc. (Drive- in Theatre), Bournvita (Boxer), Federal Bank (Partnership Campaign), Center Fresh (Gundey), BJP (Abki Baar Modi Sarkar) were the winners.

Piyush Goyal

The Guest of Honour, Power and Coal Minister Piyush Goyal, was all praise for Piyush Pandey and the entire team at Ogilvy who worked for the BJP's winning election campaign this year. He said, “I had first approached Piyush five years back with a request to make a campaign for BJP; he had rejected then. But this time, I had made up in my mind that I am not going to return without making him do the ad. Thankfully he did, and it was a game changer for BJP after that.”

The minister added, “Our initial scepticism was that being an English speaking company, will it be able to reach the length and breadth of our nation. In fact, when Piyush had suggested 'Ab ki baar Modi Sarkar' as the caption, some of the senior party members were not sure whether it will resonate with the audience, but he was adamant because he felt the slogan was colloquial, simple to remember and also that it will resonate with the masses. And it did!”

Goyal concluded saying that Piyush Pandey is “Winner's pride and Loser's envy".

The special award introduced this year was the 'Envy for Good' which was given to the campaign done by Ogilvy for the eradication of polio from the country. Keeping his 'angry' image intact, Amitabh Bachchan was the face of the campaign and his mere presence helped a lot in declaring India a polio free nation. Bachchan along with Piyush Pandey and Ajay Gahlaut were given an Envy for this category.

Breakthrough Trust for its Video Matrimonial campaign also bagged the 'Most Envied Award' title. The campaign was made by the NGO to track the number of underage marriages taking place in our country and to stop the crime at its earliest.

The starry awards night finally ended with a bang and with a promise of a bigger and better award show the next year. Yes, Ogilvy made it amply clear why it is rated as the best creative agency in the country today.

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