This year’s Ketchum sponsored Young Lions Marketers Competition, challenged 16 teams of young international marketers to develop a creative brief for a product or service that would benefit Room to Read, a global organization aiming to increase literacy and gender equality in education. The Gold Lion was awarded to Afonso Ferreira and Francisca Oliveira of Continente in Portugal.
Direct Agency of the Year: Serviceplan, Munich
Given 30 hours to create a concept, participants later showed their communication plans in a two-page written brief and short presentation to the judging panel. A panel of industry leaders, which was led by David Gallagher, Ketchum senior partner and CEO of Europe determined the winners. Other awards included the Silver Lion to the team from Australia, Helen Luoung of Audi Australia and Sirisha Pulapaka of the government of New South Wales, and Brad Canario and Aaron Nemoy from Campbell Company of Canada won the Bronze Lion.
Gallagher commented on the promise of the event: “Ketchum is a strong supporter of Room to Read’s belief that world change starts with educated children. The ideas presented by the competitors today to help further that mission were impressive, creative and inspiring, and it is my belief that this generation of young marketers will use their tremendous skills for both the betterment of the marketing communications industry and the world at large.”
In addition to the winning teams, other finalists include:
AUSTRALIA
Helen Luoung, Audi Australia
Sirisha Pulapaka, Government of New South Wales
AUSTRIA
Marija Paponjak, Nikon
Reiner Reitsamer, freelancer
BELARUS
Liliya Apiok, Velcom
Tatiana Shaurko, Velcom
BRAZIL
Mayara Lico, Brasil Foods
Leonardo Longo, AmBev
CANADA
Brad Canario, Campbell Company of Canada
Aaron Nemoy, Campbell Company of Canada
COSTA RICA
Rebeca Barzuna, Telefonica
Paola Fatjo, Nestle Costa Rica
FINLAND
Hetti Niemela, Berner Ltd. Finland
Annika Ratsula, Berner Ltd. Finland
GERMANY
Ulrike Geisemeyer, Dr. Oetker Germany
Sigrid Svendsen, Dr. Oetker Germany
INDIA
Avantika Kapoor, HDFC Life
Aditi Mediratta, HDFC Life
ITALY
Fabio Corona, EBuzzing U.K.
Silvia Olla, Unilever
THE PHILIPPINES
Rodrigo Salvador Sotto, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies
POLAND
Magdalena Plichta, P4 Sp. z o.o.
Małgorzata Zakrzewska, P4 Sp. z o.o.
PORTUGAL
Afonso Ferreira, Continente
Francisca Oliveira, Continente
SPAIN
Marco Antonio Brazzoduro Bermudez, Danone
Patricia Caneque García, ING Direct
SRI LANKA
Dinal Francis Dias Edirisinghe, Aitken Spence PLC
Wishmini Perera, Aitken Spence PLC
TURKEY
Selen Ertem, Vodafone
Hande Kozlu, Vodafone
A Mobile Relations workshop