Leading Goafest this year is Lintas Media Group?s chairperson and vice-president, Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI), Lynn deSouza. In an interview with FE?s Pritha Mitra Dasgupta, deSouza says Goafest will be different this time, with an emphasis on responsible behaviour. Edited excerpts.
What’s new in Goafest 2011?
This year we are clearly aiming for a cleaner, greener, better and bolder Goafest. Cleaner in every aspect and certainly the awards, which are a very important part of the Goafest. But there are other aspects of Goafest which needed cleaning up. Goafest was coming across to the local government, and certainly the local people, as a wild party. We did a couple of things to change that perception. Third, the International Advertising Association (IAA) was looking for an opportunity to launch the Olive Crown Awards. The purpose behind promoting Olive Crown is to highlight communication that feature sustainability.
We have also tied up with Advertising Standards Council of India. We have already signed up ten agencies which include TBWA, Bates 141, BCB Webwise, Lintas and Lintas India Pvt Ltd, Leo Burnett, Ogilvy & Mather, RK Swamy BBDO and Mudra. Young people will be given unique surfaces to paint a message on a brief that they will receive from ASCI. I would like the community to be creative, to be provocative and to be innovative. And not to lose out on the irreverence that we are all about and at the same time not to be irresponsible.
What are the various topics that international speakers will be speaking about?
The theme of Goafest is ?Ideas are all around. Can you spot one??. So that is really about inspiration. The theme of the seminars is linked to that. We have termed it ?Marketing 3.0?. But every speaker will touch on the changes in marketing behaviour, in the way we communicate.
Will you invite international agencies to showcase their work at Goafest?
Goafest is to celebrate Indian advertising and give our people a chance to showcase their work. Therefore, getting foreign judges is something that we have explored and even in the Festival of Media, Charlie Crow is one of the judges this year. Inviting entries from the region is something that we have on the agenda. But it?s not happening this year.
A number of agencies are not participating. How do you plan to bring them around?
As of now, I am aware of only two agencies that are not participating. One is the Publicis Group and they have publicly declared that they are not participating. Lowe Lintas has a philosphy of not participating in awards. But they will be present at the Olive Crown awards this year. They will be present at the conclave.