Phoenix wins silver at the Goa Festival

Phoenix Ogilvy, the first Sri Lankan agency to win several international regional awards, scored yet another first last Saturday when they won the coveted silver award at the Goafest 2008 for their campaign for the Sri Lanka Federation of Visually Handicapped.

No Gold was given out in the public service and charity category, making the win even more significant. This entry competed against all South Asian entries including India to achieve this status.

This is the second occasion that a campaign for the visually handicapped created by Phoenix Ogilvy won a regional award. In the year 2005, Phoenix won a silver award at the Abby awards for their campaign ‘Don’t be blind to the blind’. In this year, Phoenix Ogilvy also won three Gold awards at the Abby’s for their campaigns against sexual and gender based violence for UNHCR.

The campaign which won the silver award at Goafest last Saturday did touch an emotional cord with the Sri Lankan public when it hit the media in December last year.

“Moved by the campaign, the audience expressed their appreciation with thunderous applause. It was very satisfying to collect this special award on behalf of Phoenix Ogilvy and to hear the words of praise afterwards from the Jury President of the Integrated Campaign Category Agnello Dias, National Creative Director JWT and other colleagues in the Indian advertising fraternity, for the Sri Lankan campaign,” said Sumanto Chattopadhyay Executive Creative Director of Ogilvy South Asia.

Phoenix Ogilvy is the only Sri Lankan agency to be adjudged as a finalist in Cannes and the 20th London International Advertising Awards at Hammersmith. “It is really heartening we won this Award at Goafest amidst intense competition among South Asian countries. It is indeed a worthwhile award about which we can be justly proud,” commented Mr. Irvin Weerackody, Chairman of Phoenix Ogilvy.