Lankans do well at Cannes competition
by Rohana Jayalal
Eleven young marketing communication professionals from Sri Lanka
represented the country at the Young Lions Competition and Roger
Hatchuel Academy in Cannes, France recently.
Cannes Lions is the world's biggest annual awards show and festival
for professionals in the creative communications industry, essentially
the Olympics for marketeers where the best of work and greatest
professionals are honoured.
There was a record number of 40,000 entries this year although there
were fewer in the press and outdoor category. Youth from 82 countries
competed.
The event highlighted the need for young professionals in the
marketing fraternity and focussed on the dependence the industry has on
youth, as the marketing industry has always been prone to paradigm
shifts.
Marketing personnel from Leo Burnett Solutions Inc, Digibrush
Productions Ltd., Phoenix O&M, Triad Ltd. and Nestlé Lanka represented
Sri Lanka at this global event.
The participants competed against the teams from around the world at
the Young Lions competitions in the categories of Film, Print, Design,
Cyber and Young Marketeer.
Contestants who competed in the film category had to produce a TV
commercial that created awareness about the importance of proper plastic
waste disposal. The commercial had to change people's attitudes about
waste disposal and inspire them to use and dispose polythene and plastic
waste in a proper manner.
In the print category, contestants had to create an advertising
campaign for a charity called 'Ramp Up Sri Lanka', to convince
architects, prospective building owners and lawmakers on the importance
of leaving allocations for wheelchair access in buildings across Sri
Lanka.
This year, 100 young professionals from the marketing communications
industry took part in the local competition. Infas Nias and Sarah Ramu
of Digibrush Productions emerged winners in the film category while
Rinesh Jayarathne and Hassan Samdin of Leo Burnett Solutions won in the
print category.
The brief in the design category, called on the contestants to tap
into their skills to help recruit young talent into the advertising
industry. The contestants had to use their skills to design material to
move the younger generation to embrace an exciting career change. The
Cyber competition called on teams to showcase a business institute's
superior education product, while capturing the social interaction and
fun aspects that are offered by the institute as well. The contestants
had to develop four activities that could be conducted throughout the
year to engage, inspire and excite potential students.
Dushan Pieris and Chanuka Wijasinghe of Phoenix O&M won the Design
category, while Shehan Samarasinghe and Dilan Ariyarathne of Triad
emerged winners in the Cyber category.
Tasneem Dawoodbhoy of Leo Burnett secured a place to attend the Roger
Hatchuel Academy and Nuwan Rathnayake and Aveen Sathishka Pathirage of
Nestlé Lanka won the local Young Lions Marketeers Competition which was
conducted with SLIM.
The Sri Lankan Representative of the Cannes Lions International
Festival of Creativity Ranil de Silva said, "This year we are proud to
have the largest delegation of youth representing the country at Cannes.
We believe that this opportunity provided our young professionals with a
valuable learning experience that will positively impact their careers
and professional growth."
The event was organised by Metal Factor, the Sri Lankan
representative of the global event, with the International Advertising
Association, the Association of Accredited Advertising Agencies (4As)
and the Sri Lankan Institute of Marketing (SLIM).
This year marks the fourth consecutive year in which the Young Lions
Marketeer Competition was held.
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