Postcard from Colombo

“The best named advertising show in the world,” announced John Merrifield to the assembled throng at the first of two Judges Forums. That’s not all he had to say that night, but perhaps that story is best left for another day, lest I end up embroiled in a libel case.

As far as advertising festival names go, the Chillies is a good name. Easy to remember, relevant both to Sri Lanka and to the aspirations of an industry determined to challenge the status quo. It’s also a tabloid journalist’s dream, lending itself to no end of puns and cheesy word plays. A no-go zone, though, for us lesser mortals who ply our trade in advertising. As such, I’ll endeavor to avoid using any of the following or combinations thereof: heated (argument/debate), red-hot (creative/controversy), spicy (gossip), burning (issues/questions), blistering (attack), steaming (?).

The logo’s not bad either. In fact, just about everything associated with this event, from the booklet advising the judges on what was expected of them to the day to day running of the festival, was absolutely first-rate and in danger of putting many of the better-known shows to shame.

But one thing above all else really impressed me—the commitment of agencies and clients alike to unite behind a common goal of improving the quality of the country’s creative work. The Chillies was first and foremost a creative award festival and not a marketing conference with an award show tagged on. Even so, it seemed to me that there were just as many clients helping out with the organization of the Chillies than agency folk. Those that weren’t directly involved, turned up to the forums, attended the speeches and played an active role in the workshops. A far cry from a festival a little nearer to home, me thinks.

Enough of the show; what about the work?

Before I say anything, it’s worth pointing out that the standard set by the steering committee was high, very high. If a piece of work was to be awarded a Gold at the Chillies, it should stand a fighting chance of winning a Bronze at AdFest or the Spikes. With this in mind, we set about our task of judging the 150 or so TV entries, 140 radio, 300 ambient/non-trad media and the 350 print pieces.

I think it’s fair to say that the TV was probably the weakest of the categories, and by the end of the judging, we had only awarded nine Bronzes and a single Silver. Not a result that would endear the jury to the local ad community and guarantee free beer for the rest of our natural lives. That said, we felt it to be an honest appraisal of the body of work.

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Silver winner: Leo Burnett’s self-stirring tea cup for Odel Department Store

Did any of it show potential to go further? Absolutely. We saw a number of pieces that had at their centre very nice ideas that simply weren’t pushed far enough in the execution. Either the chosen filmic approach was clichéd, the crafting of the details weak, and/or the production was fiscally hampered. The spot from Leo Burnett that won the only Silver, for example, could, in the hands of a world-class director (supported by a world class director’s budget, I might add), have made it to Gold…and possibly beyond.

In the other categories, there were a number of real gems. The ambient piece for Harry Potter, again from Leo Burnett, will, I’m sure, make its mark at the international shows. A telecoms campaign for Hutch from Ogilvy One stood out in print. A multi-touchpoint campaign from Burnett, the scale of which I haven’t seen before, couldn’t fail to impress, and a beautifully executed radio and outdoor campaign for the Blind Association proved that its still possible to find a fresh approach to an age old brief. The only Gold of the Show went to the local agency, Triad, for their powerful social responsibility campaign encouraging the residents of Colombo to stop dumping household trash on the streets. Although some members of jury felt that it was a little similar to an idea seen last year in India, it was deemed different enough to warrant the only Gold of the Show. No Best of Show was awarded.

And that, as they say, was that.

Of the foreign jury members, only John Merrifield stayed for the award show—rather brave of him under the circumstances. The rest of us headed for the airport.

From a personal standpoint, I left feeling uplifted and inspired. Leo Burnett Sri Lanka, led by Ranil De Silva and Trevor Kennedy, dominated the show winning 30 percent of the metal (they would have probably won more if I had been less tough on them). I met some exceedingly talented and warm-hearted people. And I took away with me a valuable lesson in client-agency collaboration.
Will the Chillies ever be more than a great name? If the intent and passion is there, which it most certainly is, then world-class work will surely follow.

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