McCann Beograd Agency of the year, while a project by McCann Skopje and their client Coca-Cola won the Award for courage.
McCann Beograd was named Agency of the year at the BalCannes, which was held during the Weekend Media Festival in Rovinj. At the regional best campaigns’ festival McCann Beograd had three projects in the finale: “Baby chooses where”, “I do not disown my child” and “#StayClean” which was realized in cooperation with Drive agency. Apart from McCann Beograd, the campaign created by McCann Skopje “Coca-Cola Love is always the right way!” won the first-ever Award for courage, which contributed to the overall success of I&F Grupa, within which both of the agencies work.
“The Award for the Agency of the year at the BalCannes means a lot to us because it opened the festival season in the best possible way. We worked hard and it is very important that, apart from the business results, our campaigns were recognized by the industry and our clients. The key to success is a combination of trust given to us by the clients and the commitment and energy of our team. We have proven that persistence, creativity and smart planning give business results as well as awards. This beginning inspires us and we can’t wait for the rest of the festival season”, said Jelena Jazić, director of McCann Beograd about the Agency of the Year Award.
The “Baby chooses where” campaign was created and realized for the Rosa brand. “This award is a great acknowledgement of our long-term mission which is to support families in the most important period of parenthood. As water intake is recommended by paediatricians, together with some credible partners, we have been supporting babies and parents for more than a decade. Our movement BABY CHOOSES WHERE moves boundaries, breaks taboos and encourages numerous moms to breastfeed their babies in public, which means we have instigated changes in our society. Rosa sees the award as an additional motive to continue in the same path, always supporting true values”, said Jovana Milovanović, Rosa’s Brand Manager.
The campaign for life without drugs, which was initiated by the EXIT foundation with the support of the Ministry of Health, was created by McCann Beograd in cooperation with Drive agency. “Every year, drug abuse takes thousands of young lives all around the world and represents a social issue which is always current and relevant. Numerous companies, even in Serbia, have pointed out this problem, but the results have been meagre. That is why we, together with the EXIT foundation, opted for a different, more intriguing approach, which allowed us to talk to young people in a more open, direct way about this topic, with the aim of preventing, educating and raising awareness about this important social issue. For the entire team which worked on the #StayClean project, to be one of the best 25 companies at the BalCannes is a confirmation that we have fulfilled our goal and represents an incentive to deal with this issue with the same commitment and passion in the future”, said Vladimir Kondžulović, copywriter at Drive.
“The “I do not disown my child” campaign showed that the LGBT+ people have parents who love and support them. The message was sent to all the parents whose child is lesbian, gay, trans, intersex or queer, that the only shame is not loving your child and “disowning it”. We, in the “Da se zna” (Let it be known) organization, are especially pleased because of the positivity the campaign has created when it comes to the LGBT+ community in the Serbian society. Positivity is surely also the result of the sensibility and commitment of the people from McCann and Da se zna who worked on the realization of the campaign”, said Dragoslava Barzut, director of Da se zna! organization.
Coca-Cola’s “Love is always the right way” campaign won the Award for courage at the market, which was awarded for the first time by the expert jury. “This campaign is a story about courage, the importance of support and how Coca-Cola, together with McCann Skopje, supported to the first Pride in Macedonia. It is a story about being brave enough to be who we are and stand behind something we believe in, about the courage of a big brand supporting what it believes in, no matter the circumstances. When you have the opportunity to take a stand for equality, freedom and love, it gives our work dignity and meaning. Then you are doing something important. And it is important to be there for each other, and show people we understand them and let them know that, for us, they have never, and never will be, wrong, no matter whom they love”, said Vladimir Simić, Creative director of McCann Skopje.
The agencies were awarded by a jury of experts made up of representatives of advertisers, agencies and journalists, with more than 115 selected projects in the running. The organizers of BalCannes are HURA (The Croatian Association of Communications Agencies) and Weekend Media Festival.
You can see the awarded campaigns at the links below:
Rosa Baby chooses where
Exit StayClean
Da se zna I do not disown my child
Coca-Cola Love is always the right way
