Cannes Lions 2013: 'Taproot has created history with TOI's Farmers' Suicide campaign'

Santosh Padhi, aka Paddy, tells BestMediaInfo.com that Taproot has not only repeated the success of 2010 when the then one-year-old agency won a Gold and a Silver Lion for its Conqueror Papers campaign, but it has achieved a four times bigger success in its fourth year by winning four Gold and a Silver Lion

BestMediaInfo Bureau | Delhi | June 24, 2013

Paddy receiving Press Gold Lion with Indian Flag at Cannes Lions 2013

Taproot India has created history in Indian advertising by winning four Gold Lions for its Farmers' Suicide campaign done for The Times of India at Cannes Lions 2013. This year, Taproot has not only repeated the success of 2010 when the then one-year-old agency won a Gold and a Silver Lion for its Conqueror Papers campaign, but it has achieved a four times bigger success in its fourth year by winning four Gold and a Silver Lion. It may be recalled that Taproot's Conqueror Papers campaign emerged as a Gold winner at every international competition it was entered into.

A delighted Santosh Padhi, a.k.a. Paddy, Chief Creative Officer and Co-Founder, Taproot India, told BestMediaInfo.com over phone from Cannes, "This is a fabulous year for India and Taproot. More for Taproot as we kept becoming better and better in the last few years. The whole of last year has been one of our best years when we talk about creativity. In the beginning of the year we were awarded Campaign's Best Creative Agency of the Year and South Asia's Best Creative Agency of the Year, followed by Adfest Creative Agency of the Year, the first Indian agency to have got this title in the history of advertising!”

"And now, four Gold medals at Cannes Lions! This is the biggest win in the history of Indian advertising as no Indian agency or campaign has ever won four Gold Lions in a year at Cannes," Paddy said excitedly.

The Farmers' Suicide campaign for The Times of India was awarded nothing less than a Gold in almost every category, be it Outdoor, Press or Design. A four-year-old agency with just 40-odd people winning four Gold Lions shows the depth of the agency. As Paddy pointed out, “It's not about how many people you have, it's about what kind of people you have.”

Out of a total of 8 Gold Lions for India, Taproot alone contributed with 50 per cent of the Gold Lions tally – all coming from the Farmers' Suicide campaign. On Taproot's association with The Times of India, Paddy said, "The Times of India has always been the voice for many issues in our country. They have always done very bold and brave work in the past. Taproot is extremely happy to have a brand like TOI in its portfolio.”

Taproot had tasted great success even when it was just one year old. "The Conqueror Papers created history winning many Gold medals at Cannes, Adfest and Spikes. It was also rated among the world's 11 most awarded print campaigns in 2010 by Gunn Report – no Indian campaign has ever been rated so high," Paddy pointed out.

Comparing both the campaigns, Paddy explained that they were both developed using portrait “where we used our own formula, visual grammar and technique with different ideas” which is only important thing in advertising. Said Paddy, “In 2010, Conqueror Papers had completed 10 years in India and the campaign was developed using their product to celebrate their presence by showcasing the vibrant colours of India. The campaign was a true case of pure execution. Cut to 2013, Farmers' Suicide campaign is a far bigger idea. We created the portraits of farmers who committed suicide and auctioned them in exhibitions to help their families. The campaign has just begun and it will return after the rains. Adding to the print and outdoor campaigns, we will be shooting a TVC for this campaign in July-August. Besides, there will be a lot of on-ground activations across Maharashtra.”

The next phase of the campaign will return to Cannes Lions next year in Integrated, Promo & Activations, Effectiveness and Direct categories.

FARMERS' SUICIDE AD:

2013 Gold Lion Winner FARMERS' SUICIDES. Click on the image to enlarge.

CONQUEROR PAPERS AD:

2010 Gold Lions Winner CONQUEROR PAPERS' ad - Kathak. Click on the image to enlarge.

Paddy also mentioned with pride how he was greeted with an Indian flag while going up on the stage to receive the Press Gold Lion. "When I was walking towards the stage to receive the third Gold on the second day, Mandeep Malhotra of DDB Mudra walked in front of me, handed over the wonderful Indian flag and cheered me to the stage. They were not winning a gold but he still carried a flag as he was hoping some Indian will win and he will get his share of joy at Cannes by seeing the Tricolour on stage. Many thanks to Mandeep for this wonderful gesture, this is what this nation needs more often, the bonding, brotherhood. Soon we will become the new Brazil on such platforms," concluded Paddy.

Info@BestMediaInfo.com

Info@BestMediaInfo.com