Effie2012 first Gold to WORDS Advertising’s Trail Campaign

Monday, 26 November 2012 00:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

WORDS was recognised with Sri Lanka’s first and only Gold EFFIE by the distinguished panel of judges for their work on ‘Trail’.

A pro bono effort on the part of the agency to work in partnership with the Colours of Courage Trust to achieve a dream of walking from the South to the North of the Island to bring a wounded nation together; to build a much needed Pediatric cancer ward at the Jaffna Hospital.

The Effie Awards was founded in 1968 by the American Marketing Association’s New York Chapter, to recognise the most effective advertising efforts across the globe each year. Since its inaugural in Sri Lanka in 2008, the local EFFIE Awards have seen Silver and Bronze being awarded but no entry merited a Gold Award till this year’s award was made for the Trail communication campaign.

Trail was an initiative of two men Sarinda and Nathan. Sarinda to walk from one end to the other end of this island he loved, if ever the war ended and the other to make the walk an effort to raise funds for a cause close to his heart a pediatric cancer ward at the Jaffna Hospital.

An imposing and intimidating goal of U$ two million needed to be collected from sponsors and individual contributors. This meant that every Rupee of every Sri Lankan was critical.

The Agency’s insight was that essentially the majority of Sri Lankans were not racially biased and that if the cause was right they would all support it, with all their heart.

Not just cricket could bring this nation together, was WORDS belief.

The campaign line ‘A journey by the Living. For Life’ was a resounding ‘Call to alms’, strikingly different to the 30 year ‘Call to arms’, and the nation responded.

This award is a celebration of the effectiveness of people united, of agencies working together, of people with a common belief, keenly focused on the task at hand.

WORDS Advertising Managing Director Rohan Rajaratnam said, “We are thankful to the Colours of Courage Trust for giving us the opportunity to work on this soul satisfying campaign that helped us to prove to ourselves that we were capable of a Gold at the EFFIES.