More accolades and counting

India seems to have put the past firmly behind it at the Cannes Advertising Festival this year. Indian agencies at the end of three days have taken home 15 metals and a Grand Prix - more than the 13-metal haul (includes a Grand Prix) last year, the country's lowest tally in seven years.

The Grand Prix for India this year came in the Glass Lion category, a segment that is rapidly gaining reputation for being a favourite among Indian agencies. This is the second straight year an Indian agency has bagged a Grand Prix in this category.

But the accolades didn't stop, with two golds coming from the same segment for the Indian contingent, taking its overall gold tally to four after three days.

The gold winners in the Glass Lions included BBDO for its 'Share the Load' campaign for Procter & Gamble's Ariel Matic.

It featured men taking the responsibility of household chores and was received well by the jurors.

The other gold winner was Ogilvy & Mather's popular campaign against acid attacks, titled 'Beauty Tips By Reshma'. This was a local favourite and expected to win big at Cannes this year.

The Grand Prix was even bolder, featuring a transgender musical band called the '6 Pack Band'.

The work was done by media agency Mindshare for Hindustan Unilever's Brooke Bond Red Label.

"This is India's first transgender band, which aims to bring people of this community into the mainstream," Shiva Krishnamurthy, spokesperson for Brooke Bond Red Label, said.

"The tea brand has always stood for togetherness. The band was an initiative in this direction. Music videos of the band, launched in January this year, have so far reached over 25 million on YouTube, speaking of the success it has achieved," Krishnamurthy said.

The other winners of the day included L&K Saatchi & Saatchi with two silvers in the radio category for Thomas Cook. Contract bagged a bronze for Nokia, also in radio.

J Walter Thompson took home a bronze in the press category for the issue of sleep apnea, while Leo Burnett won a bronze in promo & activation for Bajaj V.

Today will be the fourth day of the event and with 17 shortlists in key segments such as mobile, media and cyber (online), Indian hopes continue to be high.

Additionally, segments such as product design and public relations have given the Indian contingent five more shortlists, implying the 20-metal mark is not afar.
GROWING NUMBER

• India's tally has now touched 15 in terms of metals at Cannes
• The country has also won a Grand Prix for the second time in a rows
• This was in the Glass Lion category, rapidly becoming an Indian agency favourite
• Glass Lions also fetched India 2 gold
• This takes the overall gold tally to four
• The accolades tally could go up if Indian manages to convert shortlists into awards
• The gold winners in the Glass Lion category included BBDO for its 'Share the Load' campaign for Procter & Gamble's Ariel Matic
• The other gold winner was O&M's popular campaign against acid attacks titled 'Beauty Tips By Reshma'