BBDO/Proximity and Saatchi & Saatchi pull out of this year’s local Malaysian Kancil Awards

| | 89 Comments

Kancils.jpgUPDATED STORY: The Star Online has reported today that this year’s Kancil Awards has attracted double the amount of agencies submitting work to the award show despite the boycott of two of Malaysia’s leading agencies (see story below). 50 agencies have apparently entered work this year, but despite this the 4A organisers have admitted that overall entry numbers would be down (As is the case with every award show in the world this year – Ed). “Last year there were about 1,000 entries for the event and this year there may be a slight drop due to the unfavourable economic climate and the absence of scam ads,”  said 4A’s president to the Star Online. Read the Star’s full story here.

September 3rd – Two of Malaysian advertising’s shining stars have decided to boycott the local award show this year. Both Saatchi & Saatchi and BBDO/Proximity will not enter the 2009 Kancil Awards, whose entry deadline is tomorrow. Both agencies are questioning this year’s jury selection process which has changed from last year’s merit-based jury.

BBDO/Proximity chief creative officer Ronald Ng, is quoted in The Star Online saying his agency “is not comfortable with the direction of the KancilAwards this year in terms of the change from the previous merit-basedsystem of jury selection to the current system.” In the past fewyears, Kancil judges were chosen from the best performing agencies atprestigious regional and international creative award shows, namelyAdFest, Spikes Asian Advertising Awards, Cannes Lions, Clio, One Showand D&AD.

This year 48 judges will judge the expected 1000 pieces of work.

Saatchi & Saatchi ECD Adrian Miller told Campaign Brief Asiathat he judged 7000 pieces of work at D&AD with nine people: “Wegot through that pretty quickly. 48 judges is useful when you’rejudging 26000 pieces of work. Not 1000 pieces. The results will bedisparate and diluted. Over the last few years we used a point systemto chooses judges. Now, no system. It’s not credible. It carries noweight. Some of the judges have been dormant for quite some time. Itshould be a meritocracy. It should be current.”

“The jury alsoshould contain young up an coming guys like Eddie Azadi, James Yap, IanLee, CK, Paul Lim, KC….etc”, said Miller.

Read the full story in The Star Online HERE.