Idea Cellular 'Ullu' campaign wins Warc Grand Prix for Asian Strategy
The campaign was conceptualised by Mumbai's Mullen Lowe Lintas Group. Seventeen entries from across the region pick up awards, with India emerging as the most awarded market
BestMediaInfo Bureau | Mumbai | October 30, 2015
A campaign for Idea Cellular has won the Grand Prix at the Warc Prize for Asian Strategy awards, held in Mumbai last evening.
The Warc Prize for Asian Strategy celebrates the very best in strategic marketing in Asia. Entries are judged on the quality of strategic thinking and the results it delivers. More than 135 campaigns from across the region entered the 2015 Prize, with half of the shortlisted entries hailing from India.
The Grand Prix-winning case study shows how Idea Cellular made mobile Internet more popular in India with a humorous campaign. The campaign used TV, print, radio and out of home ads, along with social media. The rate of growth of data subscribers for Idea was nearly twice the rate of growth of data subscribers for the company's biggest market competitor.
Entries were judged by a panel of senior marketers and agency-side strategy experts, chaired by BV Pradeep, Unilever's Global Vice-President of Consumer and Market Insight.
“Idea Cellular's campaign 'No Ullu Banoing' was outstanding because it was based on a powerful and universal cultural insight that worked across the whole of India, across urban and rural populations and across socio-economic classes. The strategy expanded the market, strengthened brand equity and drove growth of sales revenues. To achieve all three deliverables with one campaign was really amazing,” said Pradeep.
Seventeen campaigns from across the region picked up Gold, Silver and Bronze awards at the Prize event in Mumbai. Five award-winning campaigns came from India with work from Bangladesh, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam and the Philippines also represented in the prize list.
The Grand Prix comes with a $5,000 cash prize. Five other entries won Special Awards, each worth $1,000.
Cash prize winners
Grand Prix ($5,000 cash prize)
Idea Cellular: The 'fool-proof' internet service
(Mullen Lowe Lintas Group India / Aditya Birla Group / India)
Market Pioneer Special Award ($1,000 cash prize)
Government of People's Republic of Bangladesh: Anti-urinal campaign 'language matters'
(Grey Advertising Bangladesh / Ministry of Religious Affairs Bangladesh / Bangladesh)
Research Excellence Special Award ($1,000 cash prize)
Visa: Get Lost challenge
(BBDO China; Proximity China; OMD China / Visa China / China)
Channel Thinking Special Award ($1,000 cash prize)
MasterCard: The Priceless Engine
(TBWA\Digital Arts Network, Carat / MasterCard / Singapore)
Local Hero Special Award ($1,000 cash prize)
Havells: A woman is not a home appliance
(Mullen Lowe Lintas Group India / Havells India / India)
Asia First Special Award ($1,000 cash prize)
Whisper: Touch the pickle
(BBDO India / Whisper / India)
Regional winners: Multi-Market
Silver
MasterCard: The Priceless Engine
(TBWA\Digital Arts Network, Carat / MasterCard / Singapore)
Regional winners: East Asia
Gold
Visa: Get Lost challenge
(BBDO China; Proximity China; OMD China / Visa China / China)
Silver
Volkswagen: Project Polo – turning probationary drivers into professional ones
(DDB Group Hong Kong / Volkswagen Hong Kong / Hong Kong)
Bronze
McDonald's Hong Kong: Repairing a relationship in 12 weeks
(DDB Group Hong Kong / McDonald's Hong Kong / Hong Kong)
Bronze
AIDS Concern: Can coffee melt stigma?
(TBWA Hong Kong / AIDS Concern / Hong Kong)
Regional winners: South Asia
Gold
Idea Cellular: The 'fool-proof' internet service
(Mullen Lowe Lintas Group India / Aditya Birla Group / India)
Gold
Government of People's Republic of Bangladesh: Anti-urinal campaign 'language matters'
(Grey Advertising Bangladesh / Ministry of Religious Affairs Bangladesh / Bangladesh)
Gold
Whisper: Touch the pickle
(BBDO India / Whisper / India)
Silver
Voluntary Compliance Encouragement Scheme: A crash course in recovering taxes from stubborn defaulters
(McCann Worldgroup / Government of India / India)
Silver
Havells: A woman is not a home appliance
(Mullen Lowe Lintas Group India / Havells India / India)
Bronze
Mawbima: The newspaper that stopped dengue in its tracks
(Leo Burnett Solutions / Ceylon Newspapers / Sri Lanka)
Bronze
Tata Tea: From packaged good to packaging good
(Mullen Lowe Lintas Group India / Tata Global Beverages / India)
Regional winners: Southeast Asia
Silver
CebuanaLhuillier: Re-meet
(Ace Saatchi & Saatchi / CebuanaLhuillier / Philippines)
Bronze
OMO: Reunion champions
(Lowe + Partners / Unilever / Vietnam)
Bronze
Tiger Beer: How a brand that had lost its way found its way home
(BBDO Singapore / Asia Pacific Breweries / Singapore)
Bronze
McDonald's Singapore: Wake me up before you go go… for breakfast
(DDB Group Singapore / McDonald's Singapore / Singapore)
Bronze
IKEA: 2015 Bookbooklaunch
(BBH / IKEA / Singapore)