WARC unveils shortlists for 2012 Asian Strategy Prize

A total of 32 case studies have been shortlisted for the 2012 Warc Prize for Asian Strategy, the cash prize for the most insightful marketing strategy in the region. 

 

Warc, the marketing intelligence service, give the $5,000 Prize to the region’s best strategy case study, plus a $2,000 prize to best example of low-budget strategy. 

 

Shortlisted entries came from eight different markets around Asia, and from a mix of major networks and local independents. For the second year running, India supplied the largest number of shortlisted entries (9), though Singapore (7) and China (6) were close behind. 

 

The shortlist of 32 has been drawn from the 160 entries submitted to the Prize in June. The Prize, now in its second year, saw a 20% rise in entries in 2012. 

 

The judging panel, made up of senior client-side marketers and agency-side strategy experts, is currently deciding which entries will be awarded Highly Commended status and which will take home the cash prizes. Their picks will be announced at an event in Singapore on 20th September. 

 

Charles Wigley, Chairman of BBH Asia-Pacific and the 2012 Prize Chairman, commented: “The number and overall quality of the entries have both been very high. At BBH we talk of ‘ZAG thinking’ when we see something that breaks with convention in a brilliant way. There was enough of that in the entries this year to feel that the industry is very much coming of age from a strategic perspective in Asia.” 

 

Entrants were asked to specify the media channels used in their cases. On average, the shortlisted campaigns used 9 channels each, higher than the average of 7.5 used across all entries. Television was the most commonly used channel in the shortlist, with 22 cases employing this channel. The same number used events or experiential work, while social media was used by 20 of the 32 shortlisted entries.