Ad agencies from the country and region compete for top honours
AJIT JOHN
PANJIM: The largest advertising festival in South Asia, the Goa Fest 2014, began Thursday with brass band welcoming delegates and over 1,700 delegates registering themselves on day one. This year, the fest will focus on strengthening initiatives like attracting visitors from neighbouring countries and also more clients to participate in the festival.
The three-day event will stress on discussing trends and issues that marketers will have to tackle in the coming months.
On the occasion, the country’s foremost comedy podcasters AIB called upon everyone to be prepared to fight for their right to have their say. It noted how important it was for podcasters to be aware of the laws while uploading content to ensure that it would not give anyone a reason to file a case and have them arrested. Asked to comment on the controversy surrounding the Goan youth whose anti-Modi remark stirred up a hornet’s nest and a demand being made for his arrest, Rohan Joshi of AIB speaking to the Herald said, “Well, I think people have to fight for their rights. The laws of defamation are archaic. The case against the youth should be a civil one and not criminal.”
Later in the evening, Lodestar UM won 11 metals with PHD India grabbing the Grand Prix. A total of 619 entries were received this year. Of these, 150 were shortlisted and 50 were awarded. Compared to 2013, the entries saw a drop of about 20-25 percent. However, the number of media agencies participating in the awards grew from 49 last year to 53 this year. There were 19 entries from various South Asian countries.
However, this year, some of the biggest agencies in the country like Lowe Lintas, O&M, Creativeland Asia, BBDO, Grey, McCann and Leo Burnett did not participate. The festival has been marred by boycott from various agencies in the past with Lowe Lintas objecting to the proliferation of scam advertisements.
