Tag: Leo

Abby Awards 2025: Round 1 shortlist unveiled, Leo Burnett and Enormous Brands lead the creative charge

MUMBAI: The AdClub has revealed the Round 1 shortlist for the Abby Awards 2025, powered by One Show, with industry heavyweights Leo Burnett, Enormous Brands, FCB, VML, McCann, Famous Innovations, and Havas leading the charge in the creative categories.

A star-studded lineup of creative powerhouses and brands has made the cut, including Good Morning Films, Tribes Communications, Atom Network, Cheil, Schbang, Mudra Max, Y&H, Grey Group, Hogarth Studios, Vanilla Films, Mindshare, BBH, and Tilt Brand Solutions.

The client roster shines just as bright, with AIS, Jaguar, P&G Whisper, Manifest, The Times of India, Axis Bank, Coca-Cola, Finolex, Reliance General Insurance, Durex, Flipkart, Lays, and Dream11 all vying for glory.

Digital dynamos like Schbang, BC Web Wise, Digitas, and Interactive Avenues have carved out their space, while design virtuosos Open Design, Hyphen Brands, and Tree Design have made their mark.

Video craft maestros—Good Morning Films, Vanilla Films, Bang Bang, Kitchen Video, and Superfly Films—add a cinematic edge to the shortlist.

The broadcast and publishing giants aren’t left behind, with Bennett Coleman, ABP, Jagran Prakashan, Viacom, Star India, The Hindu Group, and Zee Entertainment staking their claim for the trophy.

Start-up agencies like Y&H, tgthr, Brave, and Believe Trinity have also entered the spotlight, proving that fresh talent can compete with the best.

Awards governing council chairman Ajay Kakar expressed his delight: “The shortlist for the Abby Awards 2025—across both creative and media categories—is now out. It’s heartening to see the breadth and diversity of agencies, clients, brands, publishers, and broadcasters who have made it through the first round of rigorous jury evaluation. This wide representation is a reflection of the vibrancy and depth of talent in our industry. With the second and third rounds of judging ahead, we now look forward to seeing the best rise to the top. All roads lead to the awards nights between 21 and 23 May.”

The round 2 and round 3 judging are already underway, with the final winners set to be crowned at the much-anticipated Goafest 2025.

May 7, 2025
Leo Burnett, Mondelez, & Ogilvy grab top honours at Ad Club’s Effies 2024

MUMBAI: It was a noisy, raucous evening to say the least with agency executives screaming, blowing hard into their whistles, cheering as award after award was announced. But the Ad Club Mumba’s Effie Awards also left behind a lot of happy faces at the Sea Lawns at the Taj Land’s End Hotel in Mumbai’s Bandra suburb on the evening of 24 January .

The winner of the Grand Effie for 2024 was Leo Burnett India for their work on Acko General insurance. The agency along with McCann Erickson definitely deserved another award: that of being the loudest bunch in the evening.

The brand that walked away with the client Effie of the year was Mondelez India which is the third consecutive year it has managed this feat. Kudos to it for creating memories for siblings, for special occasions with its confectioneries, chocolates along with its agencies.

The agency of the year was shockingly grabbed by Ogilvy India. It looked to be nowhere in the running. But it made a last minute dash taking home enough golds and silvers towards the last batch of awards to win the prestigious accolade. All in all it was a glorious memorable evening for Ogilvy India’s creative god Piyush Pandey who hesitatingly walked towards the stage amidst the melee of young executives who made a run for the stage when master of ceremonies Brian Tellis announced it as the winning agency .

The highlight of the evening was a tribute to Bhaskar Da or Dr Bhaskar Das or BD which was offered by Ad Club president Rana Barua. What was great was the noisy crowd went completely silent when Rana spoke about what made Bhaskar Da so special and his long association with the Ad Club and the media industry as a whole. A short film by Pradyuman about Bhaskar Da with Tellis providing the voice over moved Rana to tears as he finished his tribute.

The Effie India awards stand out as a unique celebration of creativity, strategy, and effectiveness, recognised not just by industry peers but also by clients and academics. This year, the awards attracted 1,152 entries from 75 agencies, affirming Effie India’s position as the second-largest Effie globally in terms of participation.

With a rigorous judging process involving 486 jury members, including 254 marketing professionals, the evaluation took place across Mumbai, Delhi, and Bangalore, ensuring top-notch standards for this year’s campaigns.

The Advertising Club president and Havas India group CEO Rana Barua remarked, “The Effie India awards exemplify the power of strategic creativity and impactful storytelling. With over 1,152 entries, this year continues to set benchmarks for the industry. Congratulations to all winners for their innovative campaigns that resonate deeply with audiences and drive measurable impact. These awards reflect the collaborative brilliance of our industry.”

Effie India awards chairperson Mitrajit Bhattacharya noted, “The evolution of the Effie India awards over the past 23 years is incredible. The awards not only celebrate creativity but also showcase the collaborative efforts from 75 agencies and 486 experts on the jury. It’s inspiring to see the industry push boundaries with remarkable campaigns that deliver tangible outcomes. Thank you to the jury and participants for making this edition memorable.”

Effie India awards co-chairperson Pradeep Dwivedi added, “The Effie India Awards have become a cornerstone of the advertising and marketing landscape, uniting the best minds in the business. Congratulations to all the winners for pushing the limits of creativity and strategy. Your work inspires and shapes the future of brand communication.”

Globally recognised, the Effie Awards honor brands, agencies, and marketers that excel in driving business growth and delivering impactful campaigns.

To go through the list of the winners of the various Effie awards click here

To take a look at the total points tally of the client of the year click here.

To take a look at the total points tally of the agency of the year click here

(When the window pops up, you can zoom in on the pdf file to see the results)

January 24, 2025
Publicis Groupe fuses Leo Burnett & Publicis Worldwide to give birth to Leo

MUMBAI: Giant firms all over the world are collapsing into each others’ arms and forming even larger behemoths as the corporate world looks for scale. And even more scale.

Everyone expected something to give even in the advertising world with Omnicom announcing its intent to acquire the Interpublic group in December 20024. A spate of mergers and acquisitions was predicted to follow.

At least one has, hardly 15 days into 2025. And it’s coming from the Publicis Groupe which announced a bold initiative that merges two of its iconic networks into a powerful new entity called Leo, symbolising the strength of collaboration through the Power of One. This strategic union aims to address contemporary global brand challenges by delivering enhanced creativity, personalised content, and connected brand experiences.

Leo Burnett, famously known as the brand of Humankind, and Publicis Worldwide, recognized for driving transformation, will unite under the Leo banner. The redesigned Leo Burnett logo features an expansion that links the branding prowess of one of advertising’s most recognizable names with the roar of a lion, representing a formidable creative force comprising 15,000 professionals across 90 countries.

Together, Leo brings together the expertise of 8,000 creative minds from Leo Burnett and 7,000 from Publicis Worldwide, boasting an impressive track record with eight agencies of the year and over 400 major creative awards.

The new entity will be co-led by Marco Venturelli and Agathe Bousquet, who previously drove Publicis Conseil to win the Cannes Lions 2024 Agency of the Year. They, along with chief strategy officer Gareth Goodall, will oversee Leo’s global creative community and culture, ensuring that local teams leverage the Groupe’s data, technology, and media assets.

Publicis Groupe Canada CEO Andrew Bruce joins as chairman of Leo North America. The Leo constellation will operate alongside Publicis Groupe’s existing creative brands, including Saatchi & Saatchi, BBH, and Fallon, enhancing the group’s diverse creative roster.

Publicis Groupe chief strategy officer Carla Serrano emphasised: “Through Leo, we are doubling down on our strategy of strong creative brands connected to the industry’s only data, media, and tech ecosystem.” Agathe Bousquet added, “Leo’s global spirit will thrive at the local level, powered by premier data and technology to create tailored solutions for clients.”

Marco Venturelli remarkedd:“Creativity remains a messy human process, and Leo will foster a global community of creative and strategic talents dedicated to human-centered creation at scale.”

Publicis Groupe CEO Arthur Sadoun concluded, “Leo embodies the belief that creative efficiency does not mean fewer brands. By uniting these creative communities, Leo will be more impactful and accessible than ever.”

With this launch, Publicis Groupe is set to redefine the landscape of advertising and creative services in the coming year. Once again predictions are that this is just one of the upheavals that’s going to hit the industry in 2025. Expectations are that a tsunami of selloffs, acquisitions and mergers are going to totally transform how the advertising landscape looks in the next 12 months. Stay tuned in.

January 14, 2025