Chillies 2009 – a success says IAA, 4As

Celebrations and cheers, drama and jeers, Sri Lanka’s advertising industry gathered en masse for the Chillies last Saturday for a night dedicated to celebrate and recognise the creativity of the agencies in an awards ceremony the industry heads call “an astounding success.”
The Chillies or Sri Lanka Advertising Awards exceeded expectations this year with 11 agencies awarded 133 metal and finalists from a pool of 20 agencies compared to 109 metal and finalists awarded to 13 agencies in 2008.
The points tally this year was topped off by the most creative agency in Sri Lanka, Leo Burnett with 121 points with 2 Gold, 11 Silver, 14 Bronze and 10 Finalists. Triad Advertising came second with One Grand Prix, 2 Gold, 6 Silver, 11 Bronze and 14 Finalists (101 points) and JWT was next with One Best of Show, 5 Gold, 3 Silver and 4 Bronze (74 points).
Accredited Advertising Agencies Association (The 4As) President, Laila Gunasekere Martenstyn said, “The Chillies this year brought out world class work by the Advertising Industry in Sri Lanka and despite having less glitter and glamour compared to other times it was wonderful to see so many agencies recognised for their work.”
International Advertisers Association (IAA) President Surith Perera added that despite the challenging year, the Chillies this time displayed an increase in the standards of the advertising industry. “The Chillies 2009 was an astounding success in a year where many awards shows have been significantly scaled down. Chillies continued to honour creativity and innovation and also focussed on learning through a series of workshops that were wonderful.”
The Chillies this year were different to previous years with the change from an Olympics system of medal tallying to a point system initiated by the Chillies Blueprint 2009, a document ratified by all accredited agencies encompassing the Accredited Advertising Agencies Association (The 4As) of Sri Lanka and the International Advertising Association, Sri Lanka Chapter. The point system allocates 12 points for Best of Show; 10 points for Grand Prix, 7 points for Gold award, 5 points for Silver, 3 points for Bronze and 1 point for a Finalist.