Warc Prize for Asian Strategy 2018 - Winners announced

2 Nov 2018

Warc has announced the winners of its Warc Prize for Asian Strategy 2018, a search for the best strategic ideas that have driven business results in Asia.

From the 'Touch of Care' campaign for Vicks (India) Publicis Singapore. Image supplied.

Now in their eighth year, the awards were judged by an eminent panel of 23 agency- and client-side experts, who selected 16 winning campaigns for global and local brands, which showcase Asia's smartest thinking of breakthrough marketing ideas.

One Grand Prix, three Golds, five Silvers, seven Bronzes, as well as five special awards honouring specific areas of excellence, have been awarded.

India at the top of the leaderboard

India leads with seven winning campaigns followed by China with three. Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand have all won one award.

Additionally, five special awards were given to honour specific areas of excellence: The Category Disruptor Award, The Early Adopter Award, The Customer Journey Award, The Local Hero Award and The Research Excellence Award.

Mumbai-based agency The Womb, won the Grand Prix, as well as the Category Disruptor Special Award for its campaign 'Why not an innovation for the old?' which saw Saregama, India's oldest music label, create Carvaan, a new 'old looking' radio with digital music pre-loaded to monetise its music archive and appeal to older people.

Commenting on the Grand Prix-winning campaign, jury chair, Shekar Khosla, chief commercial officer, Kellogg's, commented: "This entry captivated the judges – one even bought the product straight away after seeing just one ad.

Judges admired it for the way in which Saregama's agency, The Womb, had challenged the brief and innovated its way out of it instead of taking the easier - and far more familiar - option of producing a campaign. This not only helped people to remember the brand and engage with it, but the success filtered through to younger music lovers who bought Carvaan sets too.

The winners of the Warc Prize for Asian Strategy 2018

Grand Prix

'Why not an innovation for the old?' · Carvaan · India · The Womb + Category Disruptor Special Award

Gold

'India's newest status symbol' · Harpic · India · McCann Worldgroup India
'Touch of Care' · Vicks · India · Publicis Singapore
'Helping India cope with the death of cash' · Paytm · India · McCann Worldgroup India + Early Adopter Special Award

Silver

'Sit Improper' · Whisper · India · Leo Burnett India
'Hijacking the largest shopping festival in the world' · UNIQLO · China · Mindshare + Customer Journey Special Award
'If you can dream it, you can Pylox it' · Nippon Pylox · Malaysia · Ensemble Worldwide + Research Excellence Special Award
'Dead Whale' · Greenpeace Philippines · Philippines · Dentsu Jayme Syfu
'Full-heart support for Gaokao' · McDonald's · China · BBDO China

Bronze

'Welcome to the era of sam-chee' · Mokjang Nadeuli Grill Grill Cheese · South Korea · McCann Worldgroup + Local Hero Special Award
'Defined by our values' · UOB Private Bank · Singapore · BBH Asia Pacific, Zenith
'Capture' · Verena Sure · Thailand · McCann Worldgroup Thailand
'Touch' · Johnson's Baby · Indonesia · BBDO Indonesia
'Sakhi' - SMS to fight sexual harassment · Vodafone · India · Ogilvy Mumbai
'Gamers' Playground' · KFC · China · Mindshare
'Making the Invisible Visible' · Dettol · India · McCann Worldgroup India

View all the winners here. The winners of the Grand Prix and Special Awards share a prize fund of $10,000.

A 'Lessons from winners of the Warc Prize for Asian Strategy 2018' event will be held in Singapore on 21 November.