Warc 2012: Nine out of 32 shortlists are from India

The latest season of the event saw 160 total entries, of which 44 were from India. After India, Singapore and China have the highest number of shortlists.

Warc Asia 2012 has seen the highest number of entries from India as compared to any other market. Nine out of the total 32 shortlists are from Indian brands and agencies, followed by Singapore with seven shortlists and China with six shortlists.

Matching the previous year's analysis, India has again gathered a large share in the shortlists. Out of the total 135 entries in 2011, about 45 were Indian entries. Moreover, nearly 12 out of the 25 shortlists were Indian entries in 2011. Also, three out of the total 10 finalists were Indian entries.

Thirty two case studies have been shortlisted out of the total 160 entries submitted in June for the Warc Prize for Asian Strategy 2012, the cash prize for the most insightful marketing strategy in the region.

Entrants were asked to specify the media channels used in their cases. On an average, the shortlisted campaigns used nine channels each, higher than the average of 7.5 used across all entries. Television was the most commonly used channel in the shortlists, with 22 cases employing this channel. The same number used events or experiential work, while social media was used by 20 of the 32 shortlisted entries.

Warc, the marketing intelligence service, gives US$5,000 prize money to the region's best strategy case study, and US$2,000 prize for the best example of low-budget strategy.

The Indian shortlisted entries (agency/client) include 'Jaani Na' (I Don't Know) by BBH Communications India/Nihar Naturals; Shave Sutra - Or, How To Turn A Mundane Solitary Chore Into A Pleasurable Duet by BBDO India/Procter & Gamble; The Power of Silence by DDB Mudra Group/Big Cinemas; The Value Of Dirt by Lowe & Partners/Unilever; Whisper Gives You Wings by Leo Burnett Mumbai/Procter & Gamble; Be Idiot Safe with CEAT Tyres by Ogilvy & Mather/CEAT Gripp; Drive into the Big League by Ogilvy & Mather/Vodafone; Hero Pleasure: Question Marks by Draftfcb Ulka/Hero MotoCorp and Getting India to love chocolates by Ogilvy & Mather/Cadbury.

Shortlisted entries came from eight different markets around Asia, and from a mix of major networks and local independents. The awards, now in its second year, saw a 20 per cent rise in entries in 2012.

The decision of the judging panel, made up of senior client-side marketers and agency-side strategy experts, will be announced at an event in Singapore on September 20.

Charles Wigley, chairman of BBH Asia-Pacific and chairman, Warc 2012, says, "The number and overall quality of the entries have both been very high. At BBH, we talk of 'ZAG thinking' when we see something that breaks with convention in a brilliant way. There was enough of that in the entries this year to feel that the industry is very much coming of age from a strategic perspective in Asia."