Mumbai: The Abby Awards 2024 powered by One Show will take place during Goafest 2024 next week in Mumbai.
Speaking to Medianews4u.com Ajay Kakar – Chairperson of Awards Governing Council Abby Awards 2024 powered by One Show and Managing Committee Member, The Advertising Club said that the quality of an award is not judged on the basis of the entries but on the basis of the judges who are gatekeepers of the work:
He noted that there are 23 jury chairs for 23 categories, There are 204 jurors and out of them 26 per cent are new, young, award winning members. “They may be young by age but by recognition and experience they are not young” he said, There are 78 women judges. Nine of the jury chairs are women. Diversity for him is not about perception of the awards but it is about keeping it relevant and contemporary. Health is a new vertical that has been added this year.
He also noted that some agencies have either returned or are supporting the awards show in a bigger manner. These include Lowe Lintas, McCann WorldgroupIndia, DDB Mudra, Famous Innovations. He mentions that the awards show every year has an Open House where the industry gives their feedback which is incorporated. This year entries did not come only from agencies. PR companies, corporates, NGOs, design companies, broadcasters also participated. 20 per cent of entries came from new age, digital, mobile, tech companies.
He said the One Show fully participates and this shows that it endorses the process including the judging. One Show brings an international sheen to the awards. KPMG does independent verification. He further noted that companies that win an Abby award powered by One Show also do well at Cannes Lions and the One Show. It is seen as a stepping stone. The Abby Awards give a broad direction of what works and what does not.
He also said that all media whether it is print, TV, digital is alive and kicking. The decision of what media to use in marketing depends on the category, the audience and the market that one is trying to reach. So if one is trying to reach the interior of the country then one has to use traditional media as digital may not have penetrated there. Media he pointed out is a derivative not a starting point.
Participating companies and entries:
• Participation from media agencies – 73 this year against 63 last year
• Participation from creative companies – 198 this year against 181 last year
• Entries from media agencies – 1258 this year against 1019 last year
• Entries from creative companies – 2248 this year against 2282 last year
• Total entries – 3506 this year over 3301
• 55th edition of the Abby Awards 2024 Powered by One Show
• The introduction of three new age categories – Digital, Mobile, and Technology, has collectively garnered 626 entries from 75 companies
• Panel of 23 Jury Chairs and 204 jurors across 23 categories
• 68 female judges contributing to a ratio of 33:67
• Out of the 23 Jury Chairs, 9 were women, reflecting a ratio of 40:60
• 53 new, young, award-winning judges were introduced to the process, making an impressive 26% of jury, this year
• Returning agencies – Lowe Lintas, McCann WorldgroupIndia, DDB Mudra, Famous Innovations, among others
• The Abby Awards 2024 powered by One Show said that it employs a rigorous judging process, combining the One Show system of shortlist and award rating with independent verification by KPMG
• New categories:
o Introduced Best Use of AI sub-category in both digital and technology verticals. Additionally, Copywriting for web and digital craft has been added in still digital and digital verticals
o A new vertical called Health has been added this year with sub-categories such as OTC Oral Medicines, OTC Products, Nutraceuticals among others. A new specialist agency award being introduced is Health Specialist of the Year for the best performance by a company in this vertical
