Madison Media repeats knack for telco awards

Monday, 3 March 2014 02:06 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Madison Media Ltd once again proved its mettle in the fiercely fought telco category by clinching a bronze award for its innovative ‘what’s inside your smart phone’ campaign developed for Bharati Airtel Lanka Ltd at the recently concluded Effie Awards. The Effie marks Madison Media’s second win for Bharati Airtel Lanka Ltd since 2011. The ‘What’s inside your smart phone’ also known as the ‘gadol’ campaign was rewarded for its innovative content advertising strategies where the Airtel brand was subtly introduced to viewers beyond the conventional commercial and across multiple media platforms like youth magazines, talk shows, popular teledramas and reality TV shows. The Effie’s judging criteria focuses on the effectiveness of the communication campaign, media execution, innovation, clutter breaking, content advertising and the overall achievement of the target audience.

Madison Media’s contribution and team spirit in taking the concept for the ‘what’s inside your smart phone’ campaign beyond the conventional media has raised industry standards in innovative and insightful advertising that is both unconventional and relevant to our youthful audience. “If you take the telco category, the largest number of innovations has come from Madison Media. Rather than just running a commercial, we try to take the commercial concept into diverse content areas,” Madison Media Chief Executive Officer Monika Weerasinghe, said. “We always encourage something innovative for our clients, something beyond the conventional commercial because innovation and creativity always has a greater impact on the viewer,” she said. In a highly competitive and congested telco category working with limited budgets is a challenge. With its most recent Effie award, Madison Media has proved that it can beat the odds and deliver effective campaigns within competitive budgets that are both impactful and award winning. “The drive to think out of the box helped Madison Media overcome comparative budgetary limitations and take the brand’s communication strategy to the target audience through effective and innovative communication strategies. In a challenging and congested media landscape, the ‘what’s inside your smart phone’ campaign helped us to take on the big boys in the telco category,” Madison Media Accounts Manager Gawshik Sathiyashiva said. Madison Media’s knack for telco awards mirrors the performance of its parent company Madison India, the first agency in India to have repeatedly won awards in quick succession at the prestigious Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. It is this culture that Madison Media aims to emulate in Sri Lanka. “All credit to a great client who is open to suggestions and a solid team spirit that prevails on the account. Madison Media Sri Lanka has built a reputation for this type of service levels right across its portfolio,” Weerasinghe said. The Effie Awards, founded in 1986 by the American Marketing Association’s New York Chapter is the only international advertising awards held in Sri Lanka. Conducted by the Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM) in partnership with the Accredited Advertising Agencies Association (4As), the award scheme provides opportunities and recognition for the most effective communication campaigns in Sri Lanka. Madison Media Sri Lanka is a joint venture between India’s largest independent media buying arm, Madison India and the Media Factory Group. The Media Factory Group is one of the biggest media buying cartels in Sri Lanka.