NEW YORK – DM9 JaymeSyfu’s has added yet another heavy metal to its shelf, bringing home the Grand CLIO in Direct for Smart Communications’ ‘TXBKS’.
The campaign, which turns surplus SIM cards into feature phone-readable textbooks for public school students, also won a Gold CLIO in Innovative Media and a Silver CLIO in Content & Contact.
Prior to the CLIO Awards,’TXTBKS’ had already won a slew of metals, including the country’s first Cannes Grand Prix for Mobile in 2013, as well as a D&AD Yellow Pencil.
The agency accepted the award from actress Whoopi Goldberg, who hosted the CLIO awards.
“On behalf of my DM9 family, my partners and my client Smart communication, I would like to thank the CLIO for this dream. Yes, a dream come true. We are making history tonight since this is the very first Grand Clio for our country, the Philippines! And I’m happy that it recognized an idea that showcased creativity for humanity,” DM9JaymeSyfu chief creative officer Merlee Jayme said in her acceptance speech.
“Today, this idea has helped poor schoolchildren in our country and in the world , starting with Limpopo Africa. This award will surely inspire us more to create life changing ideas in the future,” she added.
At the same time, the agency’s chief adviser Alex Syfu told adobo: “It was just so surreal…I think we were the smallest agency to win a Grand Clio that evening and I believe the only Asian agency. Merlee was laughing at my serious face while up on the stage and I told her, it’s different when you are on the same stage as Whoopi Goldberg, with 700 worldwide creative big shots in a setting which is like Oscars. Not to mention that you share the stage as a winner together with Blondie and Jerry Seinfeld!”
“The audience was in awe of Merlee’s short but meaningful speech. A senior client from Samsung US who is Pinay approached us after the awards and said she was so proud to be Filipino,” he recalled.
The win places DM9JaymeSyfu alongside other Grand CLIO-winning agencies from around the world, such as Forsman & Bodenfors, adamandeveDDB, and Leo Burnett Toronto.
Find out who the other grand winners are here, or view the full list on the CLIO website.
Meanwhile, several Philippine agencies also took home metals at the 2014 CLIOs, including Leo Burnett Manila, Lowe Philippines, Ace Saatchi & Saatchi, and TBWA\Santiago Mangada Puno.
Leo Burnett Manila won two metals: a Gold in Print for ‘Iceberg’ for World Wide Fund for Nature, and a Bronze in Content & Contact for ‘Aid Couture’ for Procter & Gamble.
Lowe Philippines bagged three wins: a Bronze in Out of Home for the ‘Plastic Bags Cause Floods Campaign’ for sM Eco Bag, and another Bronze and a Silver in Print Technique for one of the campaign’s singles,’Plastic Dudes.’
Ace Saatchi & Saatchi also won three awards: a Silver in Out of Home and a Bronze in Direct for ‘Cebuana Family Remeet’ for Cebuana Lhuillier, and a Silver in Branded Entertainment for ‘ZZZ Radio’ for Pampers.
TBWA\ Santiago Mangada Puno won a Silver in Design for ‘Koi Fish Feed Invite’ for Ayala Land.
The winners were awarded in a ceremony in New York on October 1.
