Google launches inaugural Indian edition of YouTube Works awards

Recognizing the adaptability of marketers to a digital-first mindset, the first India edition of YouTube Works awards has now begun accepting submissions.

With Kantar as the official partner of the judging process, the Awards will select campaigns released on YouTube between October 2019 and February 2021 that demonstrate creativity across media planning, storytelling in 6-seconds, longform, and multi-video formats, strategic and creative collaboration between Brand & Creator, and work that is able to demonstrate business results.

The submission form is now open, and marketing, media, creative, and agency teams can submit their innovative digital campaign entries through this link free of cost. The last date for submission is February 28, 2021. Winners will be announced in April 2021.

The YouTube Works awards will be judged by a distinguished panel comprising some of the most respected business leaders and marketers in the country. Jury members include Aditi Shrivastava, Co-founder, Pocket Aces; Agnello Dias, Chairman and Co-Founder, Taproot; Amer Jaleel, Group CEO and Chairman, MullenLowe Lintas Group; Anita Nayyar, Head, Customer Strategy & Relationships, ZEE5; Harman Dhillon, Vice President - Haircare, HUL; Josy Paul, Chairman and Chief Creative Officer, BBDO India; Nandini Dias, CEO, LODESTAR UM; Narayan Sundararaman, Head of Marketing, Bajaj Auto; Priti Murthy, CEO, OMD India; Rajdeepak Das, Chief Creative Office & CEO – South Asia, Leo Burnett; Ravi Santhanam, Chief Marketing Officer, HDFC Bank; and Sukesh Nayak, Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy India.

The YouTube Works awards will be judged under six categories: Media Innovation, Multi-video Storytelling, Long-form Storytelling, 6-second Storytelling, Best Collaboration, and The Ruby, which will be judged for its use of creativity, innovativeness, and data with demonstrable business results. In addition, the Grand Prix will be awarded to one category winner that demonstrates excellence throughout the entire process, from identifying critical consumer insights and building creative ideas, to executing the campaign through effective media buying, and powerful messaging in all assets and formats.

Introducing the awards, Aditya Swamy, Director, Marketing Partnerships, Google India, said, “With the massive scale that YouTube delivers and the multiple formats that drive business impact, it's an exciting time to bring You Tube Works to India. An awards program that recognizes work that works. We look forward to shining the light on the advertiser, the creative and media agencies who inspire us.  Together, we raise the bar on the work that thrives on YouTube and build a mobile video first thinking in the industry.”

Speaking about the Awards, Agnello Dias, Chairman and Co-Founder, Taproot, and Jury Member, said, “Good creative work is simply good. Great marketing campaigns must deliver performance, how so ever marketers define that for their business. These awards are placed at the intersection of creativity and technology, supported by YouTube’s insights. I am pleased that the categories for compete are varied enough for all kinds of formats from the 6-seconder to longform storytelling. I am looking forward to seeing some great work come through and, together with my fellow jury members, selecting the very best.”

Jury Member Aditi Shrivastava, Co-founder, Pocket Aces, said, “In the digital content creation landscape, content creators must constantly strive to remain relevant to their audiences and keep experimenting, reinventing and diversifying. These can be achieved only through consumer insights and backed with data. YouTube provides a rich environment for fostering both. I am looking forward to these Awards recognizing the big strides our fraternity has made towards understanding the diversity of ways consumers consume branded content, especially during a time of enormous reset."

The Awards, held in 20 countries, including the US, UK, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, and Vietnam, are differentiated by their emphasis on showcasing the impact of a creatively, strategically and effectively leveraged YouTube in achieving demonstrable business results.

Amongst some of the recent YouTube campaigns awarded are:

- Samsung Electronics, Starcom, R/GA and Digitas North America, "The Next-Level Hijack" campaign that drove a 557% increase in overall purchase consideration, US 2020, Video

- Gillette, Procter & Gamble and Grey Group. "We believe" campaign that drove 15Bn media impressions, US 2020, Video

- Quaker Oats, PepsiCo and AMV BBDO. The campaign that drove 122% lift in brand interest, UK 2019, Video

- Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, ThinkJam and Mindshare. The "Dead Pool 2" campaign that drove 60% VTR for final piece of content, UK 2019, Video

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