New heights of creativity rewarded
Pikasso D'Or-Lebanon recently held the 12th edition of its award ceremony, for the best billboard campaigns of 2004, at the Biel-Beirut, under the patronage of the minister of tourism, Farid el-Khazen, who awarded trophies to the winners in the presence of leading advertising agencies and clients in Lebanon. Advertising and the environment remain at the core of Pikasso's concerns as it continues its tradition of recognising and rewarding the outstanding creativity of visual messages in billboard campaigns. Pikasso D'Or revelled this year in the ever-increasing standards of excellence in the ideas, design, and execution of the 80 posters (49 campaigns) presented at this year's awards.
Selecting the winning campaigns was put to the task, as always, in Paris, where the jury members were gathered to decide on the winners of the respective award categories. This year's jury members were: Gerard Jean, co-founder and creative director of the Paris agency, Jean et Montmarin; Andrew Rawlins, president and CEO of Epica Awards; Becharra Mouzannar of H&C Leo Burnett, regional creative director and laureate of the Pikasso D'or 2003; Rana Hamarneh, general director and creative director of Adpro - Jordan; and finally, the president of the jury, Alain Weill, international expert in Contemporary Art and Advertising Creation.
The Pikasso D'Or was awarded once again to H&C Leo Burnett for its Azone campaign, which also received the 'Prix Multivisuels' (with Mouzannar excluded of course from voting in these categories). Grey Worldwide won the Silver for its Byblos Bank campaign, 'Tamalak bi Baladak' [Own in Your Country]. The Bronze prize was awarded this year to two agencies for their equally excellent campaigns for wine, H&C for its Ksara campaign, and Saatchi & Saatchi for its Chateau Kefraya campaign, 'Un Et Rose et Blanc' [A Pink and White Summer]. The 'Prix Unipole' went to Horizon agency and client Arope, and the award for the category 'L'afficheur Citoyen' went to Lowe Pimo for its campaign on the prevention of thrombosis.
Pikasso also organised seven conferences in which all advertising agencies and clients were invited to attend. These conferences were aimed at promoting creativity in the poster-advertising field. Alain Weill presided over and presented the conferences entitled, 'The World's Best Poster Advertising 2004' and 'L'Automobile l'Affiche', which was held in collaboration with the Association of Car Importers in Lebanon (AIA).
by Rosie Abdallah
© ArabAd 2005
