Chillies puts in place SCAM screening process

The Chillies 2008 Steering Committee, in consultation with the IAA and 4 A's and its representatives, has now introduced a scam screening process that will counter the entry of scam ad and marcom material. This step was taken in response to the advertising fraternity’s concerns about scam advertising winning metals in the Chillies 2007, and the Chillies Steering Committee is confident that the stringent process now in place will mitigate, if not totally eliminate the entry and winning of scam ads, the committee said in a statement.

While endorsing this process, the Presidents of the IAA and the 4 As were also adamant that needless emphasis has been given to the issue of scam at the Sri Lanka Advertising awards. Says IAA President Imal Fonseka, “”We must not lose sight of the big picture, which is about raising the bar in creativity. Scam has currently been blown out of proportion and it is one of the areas we need to address as we perfect the Sri Lanka Advertising Awards.

I believe this year we have developed a sound process to address the concern of participating agencies. I recognize this process may not be perfect but it is a start that we will improve from year to year.” Laila Gunasekera, President of the 4 As endorsed this, “ “I feel the Steering Committee and the evaluation committee are trying their very best to eliminate what they believe was scam, but I think far too much emphasis has been made of just one aspect of the Sri Lanka Advertising awards. We, as agencies, should be applauding and encouraging creativity, “she declared.The Steering Committee will screen all advertising material submitted, which must meet a four point scam busting criteria to be deemed legitimate: namely, whether the advertising is for a genuine client, whether it uses the appropriate media, whether the product warrants this type of advertising, and lastly, if the media schedule for the product is justified. Details of the four criteria are as follows:

1.Legitimate Client & Client Statement
Is it a genuine marketer/ importer/ distributor/ agent for the product being advertised? Agencies will be requested to give the name, address and name of the CEO/ Marketing Director of the client for the entry in question.
Evaluation will also consider whether the client has signed the statement verifying that the ad/ Marcom material presented is genuine, whether a senior level client has signed, and if the client will be able to verify the genuineness of the ad/material entered.

2.Usage of Media
Is the publication, station or placement appropriate?Is the media title a mainstream publication or channel? If it’s a niche medium or fringe media, is the use of this medium appropriate?

3. Rupees and Cents
Does, the product, its market and the opportunities warrant a campaign or ad of this nature as well as the investment for it, both in terms of production costs and media budget?

4. Media Schedule
At what times, over which channels and for what period was the ad run?
If so, is the reason justified? Does this point out to a legitimate ad or campaign or does it signal scam? If the ad looks like a campaign ad, was it run as a campaign over a period of time? If not, why not? (If required further information on the schedule can be obtained.)

Nalin Karunaratne, Chairman of the Steering Committee, Chillies 2008 explains, "The SCAM screening process was implemented for the first time in the award show, and was endorsed by the IAA and the 4 A's, as well as the respective agency heads in the ad industry . The SCAM screening panel, who was also nominated by the respective agencies, objectively reviewed all the entries, as per the four point SCAM criteria.

In the process, certain entries were flagged as suspect scam, and the relevant agencies have been requested to justify and offer proof based on the criteria evaluated. This is being tested for the first time ever in Sri Lanka, will need to evolve and become a robust process, with learnings from this year. "