Ogilvy Mumbai wins two awards at Young Guns

Ogilvy Mumbai has won two Young Gun awards in the YGA 2013 Awards and is the only agency in India to have won YoungGuns 2013.

Commenting on the wins, Abhijit Avasthi, National Creative Director, Ogilvy & Mather India said, “Both the ideas work so well because they are simple yet charming. And they are both unconventional in the sense that they have used social media in new ways. :{to:) CleftToSmile is a typable logo that anyone with a keypad can use to spread much needed awareness about cleft treatment in India. Message Barter on the other hand is a cheeky way to get the country’s biggest celebrities to spread awareness for Akanksha, an NGO. We’re really glad both these ideas have done well on the international stage.

Ogilvy Mumbai’s  YoungGun Award winning entries:

:{to:) CleftToSmile – Design – General Graphic Design – Logo

One in ten will die before their first birthday. It brings a life of pain, hardship and ridicule. A million children in India alone are affected by it. Yet most people know nothing about the cleft and why a cleft charity like Operation Smile India has struggle for support. Ogilvy found an idea in the beautiful work that Operation Smile does every day – the simple 45 minute surgery that changes clefts to smiles.

The idea is a ‘typable’ logo to bring the cleft to the public eye by making it the world’s most tweeted logo – :{to:) CleftToSmile. On April 1st, they asked India to tweet to support the cause. Soon, major celebrities joined in and began tweeting the logo to millions of their followers, spreading awareness for Operation Smile exponentially, not just in India but across the world. The Ogilvy Mumbai Young Guns Team on :{to) Cleft to Smile were Eugene Rebello, (pictured top) Laukik Golatkar and Rahul Mahajan.

Akanksha, an NGO, needed teachers but didn’t have funds for advertising.

Ogilvy tried an experiment called “Message Barter”. Akanksha’s kids conducted activities to spread promotional messages for top celebrities at prominent public places. They then sent a video of these activities to the respective celebrities, asking them to spread a message for Akanksha in return. The celebrities tweeted about Akanksha’s need for teachers and the barter was complete. They reached 18 million people at no cost. Traffic to Akanksha’s website and teacher applications shot up. The Ogilvy Mumbai Young Guns Team on Akanksha were (pictured L-R) Rakesh Jha, Parth Gadhia, Jigar Fernandes.

One of the above entries actually received a special mention from Johnny Dantonio , a Jury member at YGA, 2013. Johnny Dantonio, Jury Member, YGA 2013 said” Many Young Guns submissions deserve special recognition, but one in particular left an impression on me. India’s branch of Operation Smile provides free cleft treatment for those affected. Their Cleft to Smile campaign aims to raise awareness through a logo: :{to:)”.

“The execution of the logo itself is both simple and poignant, and the idea of providing the public with an accessible icon is refreshing. It allows anyone with a phone or keyboard to simultaneously be a steward for the brand and an advocate of cleft treatment. In addition to immediately communicating the purpose of Operation Smile, the use of relevant symbols create a call to action without a single word, providing an opportunity to raise cleft awareness globally through public amplification in the social space.”

Navin Talreja, President – Ogilvy Mumbai & Kolkata commented,  “I am proud that two of our entries have achieved international acclaim. What’s more is that both these ideas were led by the young talent in Ogilvy Mumbai. Our digital capability has also been established in the idea and execution of Operation Smile and Akanksha. YoungGun Awards are a much sought after recognition for younger talent and to be the only winners in India is quite something. Congrats and kudos to the winners.”

YGA is now in its 12th year of recognizing young talent globally. YGA is the only show that truly focuses on young talent, providing a window to the creative leaders and influencers of tomorrow.