Warc announces 2018 strategy-prize winners

Mumbai-based agency The Womb has won the sole Grand Prix awarded, as well a special award for "category disruptor", in the 2018 Warc Prize for Asian Strategy awards, announced today. 

The Womb helped music label Saregama monetise its back catalog by creating Carvaan, a digital music player in the guise of an old-style radio, which comes pre-loaded with digital music appealing to older people.

In all, the 23 agency- and client-side judges awarded one grand prix, three golds, five silvers and seven bronzes, as well as five special awards honouring specific areas of excellence (the special awards are underlined in the list below).

India had seven winning campaigns, followed by China with three. Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand all had on one.

"Judges admired...the way in which Saregama's agency, The Womb, had challenged the brief and innovated its way out of it instead of taking the easier—and far more familiar—option of producing a campaign," said judge Shekar Khosla, chief commercial officer at Kellogg's. "This not only helped people to remember the brand and engage with it, but the success filtered through to younger music lovers who bought Carvaan sets too."

The winners of the grand prix and special awards share a prize fund of $10,000.

The full list of winners follows:

Grand Prix

• Why not an innovation for the old? – Carvaan – India – The Womb + Category Disruptor Special Award

Gold

• India's newest status symbol – Harpic – India – McCann Worldgroup India
• Touch of Care – Vicks – India – Publicis Singapore
• Helping India cope with the death of cash – Paytm – India – McCann Worldgroup India + Early Adopter Special Award

Silver

• Sit Improper – Whisper – India – Leo Burnett India
• Hijacking the largest shopping festival in the world – UNIQLO ·  China – Mindshare + Customer Journey Special Award
• If you can dream it, you can Pylox it – Nippon Pylox – Malaysia – Ensemble Worldwide + Research Excellence Special Award
• Dead Whale – Greenpeace Philippines  · Philippines – Dentsu Jayme Syfu
• Full-heart support for Gaokao – McDonald's – China – BBDO China

Bronze

• Welcome to the era of sam-chee – Mokjang Nadeuli Grill Grill Cheese – South Korea – McCann Worldgroup + Local Hero Special Award
• Defined by our values – UOB Private Bank – Singapore – BBH Asia Pacific, Zenith
• Capture – Verena Sure – Thailand – McCann Worldgroup Thailand
• Touch – Johnson's Baby – Indonesia – BBDO Indonesia
• Sakhi - SMS to fight sexual harassment – Vodafone – India – Ogilvy Mumbai
• Gamers' Playground – KFC – China – Mindshare
• Making the Invisible Visible – Dettol – India – McCann Worldgroup India