Phoenix Ogilvy and Ogilvy Action secure six awards

Phoenix Ogilvy and Ogilvy Action secured six awards out of eleven at the maiden Effies 2008 at the Waters Edge on Thursday.

It included two silvers and four bronze.

Eleven awards which included silvers and bronze were presented while there were no gold awards. Grant Maccann Erickson won two silvers while J. Walter Thompson and Minds Draft FCB won a silver each. Triad Advertising (Pvt) Ltd won a bronze for the Api Wenuwen Api campaign.

Buckinghamshire University UK Prof. Loraine Watkins Mathees, the chief guest said that the advertising industry will face challenges due to the financial crisis.

Therefore, look for opportunities to face the threats and most importantly think different.

Commenting on the agency's success at the Effies, Chairman Ogilvy Group of Companies, Irvin Weerackody said, "We sell or else.

We live by this credo. We are in the business of persuasion and communication sans effectiveness could be the negation of our own very being.

One great thing about the Effie Awards is that the real judges are not the panel of judges. The market is both judge and jury."

Weerackody said, " The panel of judges meticulously scrutinises all the credible information and data relating to a campaign with a fine tooth comb."

CEO of Ogilvy Action, Sandya Salgado said, "Great Work that Works" is in our blood at Ogilvy Action. We steadfastly believe in it, follow it and action it. The awards we got at the Effies are proof of the fact that we walk the talk."

It was sponsored by Sri Lanka Telecom while the print media sponsor was the Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited (Lake House).

Here the winning team from O&M after receiving the award from Executive Director SLIM Nimal Weerasekera and Joint Managing Director Triad Varuni Amunugama Fernando.