Singapore - The Saatchi & Saatchi Network proved once again that effectiveness can go hand in hand with creativity by lifting three of the fifteen awards handed out at the inaugural Asia Pacific Effie Awards - Gold, Silver and Bronze.
The Awards, which brought this year's World Effie Festival to a sparkling close, were presented at a gala dinner in Singapore. Saatchi & Saatchi took top spot along with Ogilvy & Mather as the most successful agency networks.
Awards were presented to agencies responsible for the successful campaigns in five categories: Food and Beverage; Non-Food Fast-Moving Consumer Goods; Consumer Durables; Consumer Services; and Pro-Bono/Government/Cultural/Issue Campaigns.
Saatchi & Saatchi's winners were:
GOLD - Saatchi & Saatchi China for Nippon Paint: 'My Inspiration, My Libang'
SILVER - Saatchi & Saatchi New Zealand for DB Breweries' Tui Beer: 'Irresistible to Men Since 1889'
BRONZE - Saatchi & Saatchi Singapore for Republic of Singapore Navy: 'Navy Page-Turner'
Some 150 campaigns from 18 countries were submitted for the Awards, from which 24 were selected as finalists. Nine of those were from countries which do not yet have their own domestic Effie Award programmes.
Judd Labarthe, Chairman of the Asia Pacific Effie Awards and Executive Planning Director, Atletico International and Argonauten G2, said, "The breadth of participation in this year's competition says that the Effie Awards are understood and respected, not only as proof of the skill and talent of the agencies and clients who win them, but also as evidence of the growing professionalism of marketing communications in Asia. When winning an Effie matters, it means accountability and the spirit of agency-client collaboration needed to demonstrate it are here to stay."
Bob Isherwood, Saatchi & Saatchi's Worldwide Creative Director, commented, "This is a fantastic result. Effies in combination with our Cannes success give us the inarguable case for Saatchi & Saatchi to clients."