Goafest 2014: "KPMG has ensured the winning work is authorised by the advertiser and exposed in the media": Srinivasan Swamy

As Day Two of Goafest kicks in, we bring you an interview with Srinivasan Swamy, chairman and MD, R K Swamy BBDO and chairman of Goafest 2014.

Edited excerpts.

Edited Excerpts

The first new thing is the theme itself. The earlier themes focused on the 'awards'. This year, the focus will be broader. It will be on the 'advertising festival'. Brand Baaja Baaraat is about celebration, just like weddings, where everyone attending is part of the celebrations, and not just the bride and groom. By analogy, it means it's not just the people winning the awards who are part of the Goafest celebrations.

There are many 'firsts' to this year's Goafest. Apart from the Knowledge Seminars and Advertising Conclave, there will be a Leadership Summit. Fun activities include aqua zorbing, foam and rain dance, and beach sports competitions.

Participants can dance late into the night while seniors can meet in the comfort of the CEO lounge and decide what needs to be done for the industry and the direction it should take.

The display zones where the shortlisted work can be reviewed will be quite engaging.

There are 12 verticals for the Creative Abbys, with the introduction of Brand Activation & Promotion and Public Relations this year. Last year saw the introduction of the Branded Content & Entertainment category.

The new verticals are on the lines of well-known international festivals. There has been a long-standing demand to include Brand Activation & Promotion and PR. Broadcasters were developing some good promotions for their shows, which also needed to be celebrated. And we cannot leave publishers behind. They also use innovative methods to increase their relevance with the audience.

We have about 150 entries for the Broadcaster and Publishers Abbys, and another 150 or so for the PR and Promotion Abby - approximately, I would say 250-300 from all these new categories.

The judging process has been made more robust.

KPMG will ensure that the winning work has been duly authorised by the advertiser and has been exposed in the media.

We hope there will be no complaints of plagiarism or scam this time.

Goafest has always attracted delegates from across India. This year, we have about 150 people from outside Mumbai and Delhi, same as always.

With inputs from Ashwini Gangal.