Warc 2015: 21 out of 39 shortlists from India

With 21 case studies, entries from India made up more than half of the shortlist. Singapore claimed four shortlist spots, while Hong Kong and Philippines claimed three each.

A total of 39 entries, from eight markets across Asia, have been shortlisted for the 2015 Warc Prize. The cash prize for the most insightful marketing strategy in the region is USD 10,000.

Warc, the marketing and advertising intelligence service, will award the USD 5,000 Grand Prix to the region's best strategy case study, and five special awards of USD 1,000 each. The Warc Prize for Asian Strategy will be presented in Mumbai, India, on October 29.

With 21 case studies, entries from India made up more than half of the shortlist. Singapore claimed four shortlist spots, while Hong Kong and Philippines claimed three each. Case studies from the emerging markets of Vietnam, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Indonesia also made it.

Now in its fifth year, Warc Prize received more than 130 entries from across the region. The shortlist came from eight markets and from a mix of major networks and local independents, with budgets ranging from under USD 500,000 to more than USD 20 million.

"This shortlist shows the best of Asian strategy," says David Tiltman, Warc's head of content. "What struck me was the variety of work - from small but smart ideas to major brand-building work across multiple markets. What unites these entries is fresh thinking that delivers real results," he adds.

The judging panel of senior marketers and agency-side strategy experts, chaired by BV Pradeep, Unilever's global vice president of consumer and market insight, is currently finalising which entries will be awarded gold, silver and bronze awards, and which will take home the cash prizes.

The Indian shortlisted entries (agency/client) include Britannia Cake 's 'Innocent Bribes' (Grey Group), Clinic Plus for 'Acts of inspiration' (Mindshare), Coca-Cola's 'Taking on formality to enter Indian homes' (McCann WorldGroup), Good Knight Fast Card 'How a two cent product became the most successful insect repellent launch in history' (JWT), Havells' 'A woman is not a home appliance' (Mullen Lowe Lintas Group India), HCL Technologies' '#aMileForHer', Idea Cellular's 'The fool-proof internet service' (Mullen Lowe Lintas Group India), Johnnie Walker's 'The Journey' (BBH Communications India), Lifebuoy's 'Appealing to a mother's basic instinct' (Mindshare), Lux's 'Perfume Portraits' (JWT), MakeMyTrip's 'Tapping into people's holiday ambitions - Dil To Roaming Hai' (Publicis Communications), McDowell's No.1 for 'Celebrating brotherhood - future-proofing an Indian icon' (DDB Mudra), Meswak 'How a tiny toothpaste brand turned its loyalists into its sales force' (McCann Worldgroup), Mountain Dew's 'Real Heroes' (JWT), Nestle's 'Share your goodness' (McCann WorldGroup), 'How Orient Electric broke its own shackles of the past' (McCann Worldgroup), Saffola Masala Oats' 'Tukdon Pe Jeena Chhodo (McCann Worldgroup Mumbai), Tata Tea's 'From packaged good to packaging good' (Mullen Lowe Lintas Group India), Titan Raga's 'Her life, her choices' (Ogilvy Advertising), GOI's Voluntary Compliance Encouragement Scheme for 'A crash course in recovering taxes from stubborn defaulters' (McCann Worldgroup) and Whisper's 'Touch the pickle' (BBDO India).

The full shortlist can be viewed on the website where Warc subscribers can also read the shortlisted papers. All cases that win an award will be showcased in the Asia Strategy Report, a study of smart strategic thinking in the region.

Warc.com is an online service offering advertising best practices, evidence and insights from the world's leading brands. Warc helps clients grow their businesses by using proven approaches to maximise advertising effectiveness. Warc's clients include advertising and media agencies, research companies, universities and advertisers.

In addition to its own content, Warc claims to feature advertising case studies and best practices from more than 50 industry sources, including: ARF, Effies, Cannes Lions, ESOMAR and IPA. Warc hosts three annual case study competitions, namely Warc Prize for Innovation, Warc Prize for Social Strategy and Warc Prize for Asian Strategy.

Founded in 1985, Warc is privately owned and has offices in UK, US and Singapore.