Leo Burnett continues to revolutionize the marketing communications industry in Sri Lanka

Leo Burnett Solutions Inc., (LBSI) recently held a review of 2014 to reflect the success of the last year and to gear itself for the challenges of 2015. Leo Burnett marked the end of yet another successful year in Sri Lanka, celebrating its 15th anniversary in Sri Lanka this year and its 79th global anniversary. The agency continued to make a significant contribution to Sri Lanka’s dynamic marketing communications industry and also made history for the country by securing many first-ever gold awards at some of the world’s most prestigious advertising festivals. The agency’s global HumanKind philosophy places purpose and changing behaviour through creativity at the heart of all its communications and it is this approach that has helped Leo Burnett craft ground-breaking campaigns that have uplifted and yielded gratifying results for numerous brands that are part of the company’s roster.

Commenting on the agency’s successes, Ranil de Silva, Managing Director, Leo Burnett Sri Lanka stated, “Leo Burnett has enjoyed a year filled with many important milestones, achievements and awards. I would like to congratulate the entire agency team for delivering an exceptional performance this year and for bringing Leo Burnett Sri Lanka great recognition and success. The dedication and hard work of each and every team member has helped us to deliver impressive results, world-class work for our clients and some truly memorable campaigns. As we look ahead to 2015, we hope to continue uplifting the brands we work with whilst simultaneously contributing to the local and international advertising industry at large.”

Bringing a divided nation together with the ‘Unity Paper’: Leo Burnett used creativity to inspire a fervent desire for social harmony in a nation that had suffered the detrimental effects of a 30-year war. Although Sri Lanka is home to people from many cultural, ethnic and religious backgrounds, the war had created a divide between ethnicities and at the time, language was one of the biggest barriers of communication that people faced. Leo Burnett in collaboration with its media-buying arm Starcom and the team at Ada of Wijeya Newspapers, created the ‘Unity Paper’. As a teaser campaign, similar sounding letters of the Tamil and Sinhala alphabets were merged into one entangled symbol as a consolidation of unity and were used by hundreds of people as profile pictures and cover photos on Facebook. This idea helped transform Ada, a mass-market daily newspaper, into Sri Lanka’s very first bilingual newspaper. The ‘Unity Paper’ was created out of an understanding that despite people’s differences in language and religion; unity is a state of many acting as one. The newspaper was published on the day of the Tamil and Sinhala New Year and helped bring people of different ethnicities together, as part of a new era of peace, integration and mutual understanding.

Leo Burnett’s ‘Unity Paper’ campaign went on to be a finalist at the Local Effies, and thereafter won a silver award at the festival of Asian Marketing Effectiveness and Strategy (AMES) in the Publication and Media category. What followed next proved to be an even bigger victory as the campaign successfully secured multiple awards at ADFEST 2014: including Leo Burnett’s first gold at the festival in the Promo Lotus category, and the campaign was also one of only six winners of the Lotus Roots award. The ‘Unity Paper’ also received a finalist award in the Innova Lotus Roots and Design categories. The ‘Unity Paper’ went on to create history for Leo Burnett at the One Show by winning the first merit award from Sri Lanka in the Design category: Design for the Greater Good. The campaign was also placed as a finalist in the Creative Effectiveness category at the Spikes Asia Festival of Creativity.

Combating dengue in Sri Lanka with the ‘Mosquito Repellent Newspaper’: The spread of dengue in Sri Lanka, the deadly mosquito borne disease, had reached epidemic proportions with over 30,000 people being affected by the disease in 2013. The disease affected everyone across the country, from children to the elderly and was having a serious impact on the health of communities. At the time, Leo Burnett observed that most people read the newspaper in the early mornings and evenings, the same time the dengue mosquito is known to strike. This then led to the creation of the ‘Mosquito Repellent Newspaper’ for leading local publications, Mawbima and Ceylon Today. The campaign began with striking print advertisements that featured illustrations of vernacular letters blocking out a mosquito, this was then shared extensively on Facebook. This concept was also used in posters to reach people at prominent bus stops and the posters were coated in citronella essence to protect the people at the bus stops from dengue mosquitos. Furthermore dengue prevention patches with an initial were given to school children and articles about how to prevent dengue ran in the newspaper to help inform people across the nation. And finally, on World Health Day, citronella oil, a natural mosquito repellent, mixed with newspaper printing ink was used to print the Mawbima and Ceylon Today Newspapers and the world’s first-ever mosquito repellent newspaper was created.

The ‘Mosquito Repellent Newspaper’ was a campaign that was deemed an avant-garde initiative on both a local and international level and won a variety of awards from around the world. The campaign received a finalist award in the Media Lions category at Cannes 2014. Thereafter the campaign went on to secure two bronzes at the CLIO Awards, one in the Design/ Poster category and the other in the PR/ Corporate Image category. The next score of wins rolled in at AD STAR 2014, where the agency scooped up the gold award in the Promotions category. It also won Sri Lanka’s first gold award in the Public Relations category. Leo Burnett Sri Lanka also walked away with a silver award in the Media and Branded Content categories.

Leo Burnett’s triumphs for the ‘Mosquito Repellent Newspaper’ did not end there. The agency went on to secure five different metals and three finalist awards at the prestigious Spikes Asia festival. These included a gold award in PR for Corporate Responsibility followed by four silvers for Media-Use of Magazines/ Newspapers, Promo & Activation -Consumer Services, Branded-Content & Entertainment – Use or Integration of Printed Content and Healthcare – Education & Awareness. The campaign was also placed as a finalist in the categories of Media – Consumer Services, PR – Consumer Services and Healthcare – Education & Awareness. The ‘Mosquito Repellent Newspaper’ then secured a bronze award at the Red Apple for Best Use of Mixed Media and also won a silver award at the London International Award show in the Non Traditional Production – Media and Promo and Print – Public Services/Social Welfare.

The ‘Mosquito Repellent Newspaper’ generated extensive media hype and received attention from many media houses from around the world and the cyber sphere. Earning kudos from bloggers, newspapers, TV channels and even a congratulatory tweet from Bill Gates, the story reached all corners of the globe. It was also amplified via 90 media outlets in 12 countries. An additional five publications also joined the fight against dengue, and replicated the idea, making it one of the team’s most recognized and awarded campaigns to date.

Bringing glory to Sri Lanka and the local advertising industry: In a truly memorable end to the year, Leo Burnett was the most awarded advertising agency at the prestigious Agency of the Year awards which took place in Mumbai, India. Arc Worldwide, Leo Burnett Sri Lanka’s integrated PR arm, won Sri Lanka’s first gold at the festival for Best Corporate Communications Team of the Year. Sithum Walters was also awarded a gold award for Young Achiever of the Year. Leo Burnett also went on to win silver for the Digital Agency of the Year award and bronze awards for the Creative Agency of the Year and PR Agency of the Year. Adding to Leo Burnett’s string of accolades and awards for 2014, Ranil de Silva, Leo Burnett’s Managing Director, was named a finalist under the category of South Asia Agency Head of the Year and Trevor Kennedy, Leo Burnett’s Chief Creative Officer was nominated as a finalist for South Asia Creative Head of the Year award. Leo Burnett’s talent team was also listed as a finalist for South Asia Talent Management Team of the Year.

A year filled with training, exposure and new experiences: Training has always been an integral part of life at Leo Burnett Sri Lanka, and this year various employees from all tiers of the company were provided with training to further strengthen their skills. A total of 37 team members were selected from the agency to attend the AFFA’s Fast Track programme in Kuala Lumpur, the Leo Burnett PMP programme in Hong Kong and the APPIES in Singapore to name a few. Additionally Leo Burnett also facilitated several tailor-made training and educational programmes throughout the year that provided specific and comprehensive training opportunities for all its team members.

Making a mark in the industry with the Masterclass: In 2014, the second Masterclass programme was held for 15 young interns from diverse backgrounds. Most of the interns were undergraduates who had specialized in different areas of study and had graduated from several world-class educational intuitions such as the University of Wales, the Chartered Institute of Marketing, the Open University of Sri Lanka, Imperial College, the University of Nottingham and the University of London. The interns spent five weeks in a cross functional internship programme tailored to suit their individual interests. They also spent time working in different agency departments as well as at multiple client organisations, print and TV media houses, research agencies, production houses, event companies and many other organisations. Each intern was assigned a mentor and buddy from the agency team to guide and support them. During the final week of the programme, the interns were divided into four teams and assigned a project brief to which they had to respond within 48 hours. These presentations were then judged by a jury of senior agency members. The interns were given the opportunity to discuss their interests with the agency’s Managing Director and Head of People and Culture and receive their advice and guidance over a cup of tea. The programme culminated with a graduation ceremony that included the participation of agency team members and other industry partners.

A journey around the pearl brings mobility to 1000 children with cerebral palsy: The ‘Around the Pearl’ initiative by ‘Wheels for Wheels’ was a 1427 km bicycle ride around Sri Lanka which was conducted to raise funds for 1000 wheelchairs to aid children with cerebral palsy (CP). A total of 12 business professionals participated in the initiative and cycled around the entire perimeter of Sri Lanka, creating awareness about cerebral palsy and raising funds for the cause. Leo Burnett created an integrated campaign to support the initiative, which helped amplify the cyclists’ efforts and enabled them to raise enough funds to buy 1000 wheelchairs for children affected by the disorder. The ‘Around the Pearl’ initiative was conducted in collaboration with the Cerebral Palsy Lanka Foundation which not only created awareness about cerebral palsy across the country, it also provided 1000 children suffering from the disorder with greater freedom, mobility and a better quality of life.

A brand new global website and great new look: This year, Leo Burnett launched its new website to further strengthen its global online presence. The new website is designed according to international network standards and showcases Leo Burnett Sri Lanka’s diverse range of award-winning work, its impressive client portfolio and the agency’s world-class team of professionals. The new website also shines a light on life at Leo Burnett and provides the latest updates on agency activities, accolades, training and development initiatives, the Masterclass internship programme and career opportunities. This concise and easy to navigate site highlights Leo Burnett’s customs, traditions and key celebrations and provides a window into the world of Leo Burnett’s vibrant and dynamic culture. The website showcases 15 years of excellence in work and awards, and highlights the agency’s most effective and powerful creative communication campaigns. The website also features the agency’s management team which consists of the country’s best communications specialists in the areas of management, brand management, brand planning, creative, PR, digital, media, events and activations.

Celebrating 15 years of success in Sri Lanka: Leo Burnett celebrated its 15th anniversary in Sri Lanka with a series of ongoing activities and events that brought the entire team together. The celebrations began with a champagne brunch on the day of the anniversary, the entire team also travelled to Jetwing Lighthouse in Galle for its annual PlayShop, one of the most highly anticipated team events of the year. This annual trip included a combination of activities and team building exercises which enabled team members to bond with each other. Commemorating 15 years of success in Sri Lanka, the Leo Star Awards were also hosted at the PlayShop to celebrate the agency’s best work and the brightest stars. The agency recently reconnected with former Burnetters by hosting the ‘Ex on the Beach’ alumni party. The event saw a large number of former Burnetters and current Burnetters gathered for a fun filled night of reconnecting and laughter.
As Leo Burnett celebrates its 15th year of operations in Sri Lanka and looks ahead to a new year, the agency will continue to focus on its HumanKind approach to help build powerful brands and meaningful partnerships with its clients while delivering gratifying results and gaining peer recognition in the industry. The agency was also recently recognized on the top 50 overall creative agency rankings list in Asia and was named the Creative Agency of the Year for Sri Lanka by Campaign Brief Asia.