-By Eleftheria Parpis

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CANNES, FRANCE The first Grand Prix Lions awarded here at the 55th International Advertising Festival tonight went to JWT India for its "Lead India" campaign on behalf of The Times in India and BBDO in New York for its HBO "Voyeur" work.

"Lead India" scored in the Direct competition, while "Voyeur" topped the Promo division.

The 30-member Direct jury, led by Marcio Salem, president and creative director of Salem in Sao Paulo, Brazil, commended "Lead India" for its ability to mobilize the world's largest democracy and get young and older generations involved in the nation's elections.

The campaign began in early 2007 with a single print ad that asked, "Are we going to simply shrug our shoulders, blame our infrastructure, our bureaucracy and our political system?" The effort grew to include TV, Internet, mobile, street-level activation and reality TV.
 
U.S. juror Janet Barker-Evans, svp, group creative director at DraftFCB, Chicago, said the jury, which considered 1,697 entries from 62 countries, came to a nearly unanimous decision on the Grand Prix. "They sold an idea to people who need it...they sold hope," said Barker-Evans, who also saluted the craftsmanship of the effort. "As a writer, it is so beautifully written, you couldn't help but be moved," she said.
 
In the Promo competition, an 18-member jury led by Armin Jochum, chief creative officer of BBDO in Stuttgart, Germany, reviewed 1,103 entries from 54 countries. They mulled four gold winners for the top prize: HBO's "Voyeur"; Speight's "Great Beer Delivery" from Publicis Mojo, Auckland, New Zealand; 7-Eleven's "D'Oh Thank Heaven" Simpsons promotion from FreshWorks/TracyLocke in Dallas (with TPN and Integer); and MTV Australia's "Welcome Snoop" from Lowe & Rivet Australia. Yet once they considered how effectively the 7-Eleven and MTV campaigns traded off the pop-culture resonance of their celebrity stars, they decided HBO and Speight's projects were a cut above. "The differences were minute, but two did not rely on a superstar," said juror Andy Blood, group executive creative director at TBWA\Whybin\Tequila. "They were purely about the brand -- idea-driven work."
 
U.S. Promo juror William Rosen, North American chief creative officer at Arc Worldwide, clarified that while advertising often borrows from pop culture, the group needed to find a way to whittle down the choices for the top prize. HBO's "Voyeur" did a great job in telling a powerful brand story using well-integrated traditional and nontraditional elements, said Rosen, who added that all the elements in the effort were also beautifully produced. "The overall quality of the executions was exquisite," he said.
 
U.S. agencies did not win a single Lion in the Direct competition, but won three in the Promo field. In addition to the Grand Prix, BBDO won a gold Lion for HBO and TracyLocke won two gold Lions for 7-Eleven.

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