Reggies again as ad industry reaches new level

The Reggie Candappa Craft Awards are back to celebrate and recognize the genius of craft in creativity – and it’s happening as the advertising industry struggles to move away from the past of constant bickering over awards. This is the fourth year of the foundation’s awards ceremony organized by the Reggie Candappa Foundation for the Arts.

As plans get underway for an event that, the organisers say, is welcomed by all and sundry without any bias, the advertising industry is also eagerly awaiting the first Effies awards by the Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM).

In recent years, the industry has clashed over issues of creativity or effectiveness in the search for excellence in awards-taking and the often-bitter debate continued until sections of the industry moved away from the SLIM ad awards to launch the Chillies, some three years ago. This event, intended to profile creativity, triggered controversy at the last awards and saw some parting of the ways amongst the organisers. However, industry sources say, the launch of the Effies which measures effectiveness of marketing has given some breathing space and provides a kind of level playing field for those seeking recognition in both creativity (Chillies) and effectiveness (now Effies). Add to this the Reggies, which the daughters (Neela and Sriyani) of ad guru - the late Reggie Candappa says brings in the entire fraternity in a celebration and showcasing of talent and skills of the creative people behind ads, and then one would see some common ground to reflect different perspectives of the industry.

Will there be a cooling off period now with the emergence of three events to celebrate and reward industry workers? “I believe so,” noted Neela Marikkar, when she was asked about these issues during a press conference to spell out details of the Reggies.

Entries for the Reggies itself, which close on November 12, are now open to all agencies, production houses, individuals and freelancers involved in advertising and allied fields to present and be recognized and rewarded for their most skillfully crafted advertising art forms.

Entries will be judged by 15 local specialists in their relevant craft, drawn from the ad industry in Sri Lanka. The Creative Awards will encompass a television category with awards being presented for Concept and Art Direction, Cinematography and Direction, and for the first time this year there will be a category for Radio for best Concept, Direction, original composition, and use of sound effects. The Graveyard Category, for best copywriting and art direction in print, recognizes exceptional creative efforts which have not had the opportunity to be executed.