And how has your agency performed at Goa?

Piyush Pandey, O&M

I am a very proud man today as the tradition of the agency goes on. We are 100% ahead of our nearest competitor and that shows we are on the right track and that the youngsters are doing a brilliant job. Not getting a Grand Prix in one category doesn’t matter as our award tally shows the sphere of Ogilvy’s width; we’ve got more Golds, Silvers and Bronzes than anyone else and that is what really matters.

Every function and ceremony must end with the overall results of the ceremony and not pass results from one category at the end of the whole ceremony. I don’t have a problem with the quality of judging, or with any individual. I do have a problem with the order in which the results were given. Grands Prix are awarded at the end of each category, that’s how it happens anywhere in the world.

The end of the show must be what the show was all about, in its entirety. I don’t think there was an agenda behind it. If there was, then people should put their hand on their hearts and do some soul searching. If there was no agenda, then they should question the process and see what they can do to improve next year. Ideally, we should go category by category and end up with a total score card, like its done at Cannes. 

Colvyn Harris, JWT

I am happy that we have been able to do a consistent job. And in the last few years the kind of confidence that we are getting as a team will hold us in great stead moving forward. There is a very talented team behind all this, besides a small element of luck. We do invest in people and training talent and I think getting them to focus around good work are some of the advantages that we are seeing now.

Suman Srivastava, Euro RSCG

We got a Gold after a really long time. We are satisfied with the performance in the print category but highly disappointed with the films category. There were Dainik Bhaskar and Max New York Life films which I thought were clear winners but did not win anything at all. There were very few awards given out this year.

Kamal Basu, Saatchi & Saatchi

My initial reaction would be that our performance could have been better. We did win in a few categories so its not all that bad but surely, we could have been better.

Bhupal Ramnathkar, Umbrella Design

This is the first year that design category has been introduced.  There were six design categories in which four Golds were awarded and we got two of them. So I think we have done a fantastic job. The identity that we created for Bates was not just for Bates India but for Bates Asia. It is interesting that we won an award for work done for a creative agency. Also, winning on real work is a real pleasure. 

Arvind Sharma, Leo Burnett

Our overall performance was decent. However, last year, it was better. I feel that the Bajaj Exhaust Fan campaign, which has performed really well at international award shows including Adfest, hasn’t got sufficient recognition at Goafest. 

Aniruddha Banerjee, Publicis Ambience

On the basis of Golds, we are clear number three as we have won three Golds in total (including the Gold won by Redlion). While it is just one year, this doesn’t make it a standard. However, it clearly shows that there is a huge resurgence of creativity in Publicis. We just need to maintain it now.

Prasoon Joshi, McCann Erickson

We need to be a little more inclusive of the 99% real work that we put our heart and soul behind. We should be a little more considerate. Yes, we need to have international standards, but what works in this country has to be acknowledged and recognised. It is a collective decision so one cannot force one’s decision on this. That’s the reason to avoid. There is a lot of work that has been done with a lot of pain and has really worked for the client, that needs to be recognised. Everything aside, I am happy that everybody participated, though we had a token presence, we sent very few entries.

Mahesh Chauhan, Rediffusion Y&R

I’m very satisfied with the performance of my agency. We have taken a conscious call as an organisation, and entered work which is real. We have won 10 metals, which include two Golds and five silvers and a couple of bronzes as well, and I think it is fantastic. We have a mantra of real work, which I believe has won us metals for our work on Airtel, The Economic Times and Seventymm.

Krishna Kumar, Media2Win

I think the appropriate word to describe how I am feeling right now, is elated. We are excited and very satisfied with our performance, because the concept and idea that we have used for Tata Sky Actve Darshan had the potential to win right from the start. We bagged a Gold from the ten nominations in the category, out of which six were winners. The Abby we won is really special to us. We are also thankful to our client who let us execute this idea.

Sharad Haksar, 1pointsize

We expected more but we are happy with what we have won. I feel that the judging was not consistent. It was very harsh for some of the categories. Every category had a different format for judging. The judging for the Film category was harsh. That is not the way to take it forward. All the judging has to be in one format.

Also, I think it is important to have the Agency of the Year award like all international shows. I was disappointed to see that O&M did not get its fair share.

All the independent offices should send their work individually and also the judges should be divided by 5-6 main cities and not just Mumbai.

Moreover, I want to see how all the winners fare at the international award shows. The winners at Goafest should atleast be finalists or bronze winners at the international shows.