“Vendors are no longer suppliers of hardware or space, but partners in creativity.” emphasises Mr KS Chakravarthy, aka Chax
A celebratory evening recognising the outstanding endeavours behind the most innovative and out-of-box brand campaigns in indoor and outdoor advertising and signage industry, Media Expo Excellence Awards (MEA) 2020 garnered presence from the who’s who of the industry to witness the honours at the 46th edition of Media Expo on 20th February 2020 at Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai.
With a fair and transparent evaluation process officially tabulated by Ernst and Young (EY), a jury panel comprising of illustrious figures from the industry assessed the ‘best from the rest’ nominations of brilliant ad campaigns from numerous brands, agencies, and vendors based on the criteria of creativity, originality, and innovation.
After a remarkable demonstration of original ideas, inventive approach, and impeccable execution, the winners of MEA 2020 were awarded for their exemplary works in various campaigns, such as the Raymond’s Apparel Ltd – Creaseless Display Unit by Brandmark Solutions Pvt Ltd which went on to bag the ‘Innovative Display of Brand through POS/POP’ award for their innovative concept and design. Incredible campaign by iBall India executed for their Smart Charge Powerbank won them the honour of ‘Innovative Use of Ambient Media’, owing to their apt choice of location and for producing a captivating chemistry through their creativity and brief which really impressed the jury.
For their brilliant contribution in ‘Save the Girl Child’ campaign, Kalpak Creative Advertising grabbed the ‘Best Vendor’ award for ‘Innovative POP Solutions / Products’. However, the real show stealer of MEA 2020 turned out to be the Times Now LIVE election broadcast campaign by Times Innovative Media Ltd who through a perfect culmination of creative idea and spot-on execution bagged the ‘Innovative Use of Digital Signages’ as well as the ‘Agency of the Year’ award.
Surmising over the significance of creativity in the modern world of business, member of MEA 2020 jury panel, a mega icon and a widely-celebrated ad guru currently serving as the Founder and Chief Creative Officer at HyperCollective, Mr KV Sridhar aka. ‘Pops’, shared: “Today, creativity is the new currency of business. There is no successful business which does not value creativity. Creativity and business have a natural blend.”
A message directed towards entrepreneurs and marketers of tomorrow, Pops further illustrated the significance of building an experiential brand in this modern era: “Experience is equal to a brand today. Therefore, customer experience will be a defining factor to whether your business can survive in the long run or not. My message for them is to ‘Strive to build a more customer centric company’.”
The efforts to equally recognise the vendors as hand-in-hand contributors was applauded by all. A prominent member of the MEA 2020 jury, a creative idol and a formidable leader in the mainstream advertising currently serving as the Co-founder and Chief Creative Officer at Tidal7, Mr KS Chakravarthy, aka. Chax, also shared his insights on this generous initiative: “I absolutely love this effort through MEA. Because as technology and innovation open up new possibilities every day to break through clutter and bring a message alive vividly and memorably, vendors are no longer suppliers of hardware or space, but partners in creativity.”
With lots of takeaways, MEA 2020 emerged as both a rewarding and a learning platform for all its nominees and attendees alike. The event itself received tons of praises for appreciating and magnifying an innovative and creative vision in the advertising industry.
