With seminars, debates and interactive sessions with world’s marketing experts, an attendance reaching 3,000 and the gorgeous Cavelossim beach, Goafest 2008 was an amazing event that surpassed expectations.
The Grand Prix at Goafest 2008 were awarded to the following agencies: JWT India for Nike Cricket (“Traffic”) under Film Single category and for brand The Times of India (“Lead India Poised”) under Integrated Advertising, Leo Burnett for Luxor Highlights (“Che/Charlie/Hitler”) under Print Single and Out-of-Home and Mudra Communications for Cycle Pure Agarbathies (“Jai Dev Jai Dev”). Production house Nirvana Films also won a Grand Prix for Neo Sports (“Gas”) under Film Craft Direction category.
Ogilvy & Mather (O&M) won the highest number of medals, 58 (five gold, 14 silver, 39 bronze) across different categories, Grand Prix winner JWT bagged 28 medals ( five gold, six silver, 17 bronze) while Leo Burnett took home 35 medals ( two gold, one silver, four bronze). Another notable was Contract Advertising, with 29 medals (one gold, 10 silver and 18 bronze).
Agnello Dias, chief creative officer for JWT India, said, “We were very happy with the work we did for Nike Cricket and so was our client. This campaign had established Nike cricket gear in
This year, Goafest received 3,836 entries for creative awards and 470 for media. But the Abbys lost some of its luster due to speculations about some of the winners, an ill-timed leak of the shortlist, as well as Lowe’s and McCann’s abstention from the creative awards.
According to Jagdip Bakshi, chairman of the Goafest Committee, the main purpose of the festival was not to grade the agencies but to celebrate their creative excellence.
With 3,000 delegates from in and outside
Aside from the Abbys, delegates came for the speakers. Scott Goodson, founder & CEO, StrawberryFrog, spoke on how business had changed in advertising. John Wilkins of Naked Communications held forth on the importance of big but simple ideas that could be taken on viral media. Kevin Swanepoel, president of One Club, took the audience through the best pieces of work produced for the Internet in both viral and banner advertising. Steven Gatfield, CEO, Lowe Worldwide, explained how brands behaved differently with ideas that had made them successful. Shiela Byfield, global director-Insights, Mindshare Worldwide, talked about the “Bluring Effect” of the media landscape as a trend happening across the world. Generosity, good communication and free love weighed heavily on Craig Davis’s mind, Chief Creative Officer, JWT Worldwide. Last not the least, Donald Gunn unveiled his latest Gunn Report.
Goafest generated a great deal of buzz outside of
Of the festival, JWT’s Craig Davis said, ”The festival was lively with so many young creative coming together and celebrating exuberance and energy in one place.”
