Campaign for India’s Idea Cellular snags Warc Prize Grand Prix

Seventeen campaigns from across the region picked up gold, silver and bronze awards at the Prize event in Mumbai. Five award-winning campaigns came from India with work from Bangladesh, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam and the Philippines also represented in the list of winners.

The Warc Prize for Asian Strategy celebrates the very best in strategic marketing in Asia. Entries are judged on the quality of strategic thinking and the results it delivers.

The Grand Prix-winning case study, by Mullen Lowe Lintas Group, shows how Idea Cellular, made mobile Internet more popular in India with a humorous campaign. The campaign used TV, print, radio and out of home ads, along with social media.

As a result, the rate of growth of data subscribers for Idea was nearly twice the rate of growth of data subscribers for the company’s biggest competitor.

A panel of senior marketers and agency-side strategy experts judged entries, chaired by BV Pradeep, Unilever's global vice-president of consumer and market insight.

“Idea Cellular’s campaign ‘No ULLU Banoing’ was outstanding because it was based on a powerful and universal cultural insight that worked across the whole of India, across urban and rural populations and across socio-economic classes,” said Pradeep. “The strategy expanded the market, strengthened brand equity and drove growth of sales revenues. To achieve all three deliverables with one campaign was really amazing."

More than 135 campaigns from across the region entered the 2015 Prize, with half of the shortlisted entries hailing from India.

The Grand Prix comes with a US$5,000 cash prize. Five other entries won Special Awards, each worth US$1,000.