Same Difference

At the creative Abby Awards 2011 in April, ad agency O&M took home more Golds than other agencies. At the advertising effectiveness awards, Effies 2011 in Mumbai last week, Ogilvy & Mather again topped with a massive tally of 195 points. What swung the deal for Ogilvy in both cases was the same client, Cadbury India, particularly its ‘Shubh Aarambh' campaign. At Effies, Cadbury India also got the ‘client of the year' award.

What is the difference? Creative Abby awards are judged primarily by ad men, while the effectiveness awards jury has a large mix of clients. At Effies, it is not just the quality of the ad that decides who wins, but also its effectiveness in the market place, based on data provided by the agency. Even while judging effectiveness, creative quality matters a lot.

For an industry where inconsistency is the only constant, is the Effies just a showcase to reassure clients that their money is being spent wisely?

STRICTLY BUSINESS

Two Saturdays = about $600 million. That is what analysts are saying is the Infosys calculations. The 150,000 employees of the IT major worked two Saturdays this quarter and the impact on its revenue is expected to be a 1 per cent boost!

(This story was published in Businessworld Issue Dated 26-12-2011)