Leo Burnett wins Sri Lanka’s first D&AD Pencil

Leo Burnett Solutions Inc. (LBSI), the local office of the global advertising network Leo Burnett Worldwide recently won a Graphite Pencil at the D&AD (Design and Art Direction) Awards 2015. The Graphite Pencil was awarded to LBSI in the White Pencil – Creativity for Good category which recognizes creativity for service innovations. The award was won for the ‘Mosquito Repellent Newspaper’ – an innovative campaign which the agency created to combat dengue in Sri Lanka. Leo Burnett is the first agency from Sri Lanka, to win a Pencil at the prestigious D&AD Awards. A D&AD Award is acknowledged globally as the ultimate creative accolade, and only the very best ideas from around the world receive this recognition.

The D&AD Awards recognize, celebrate and nurture outstanding work in design and advertising and the event also brings together a vibrant gathering of creative professionals. With a reputation for being one of the most challenging award shows to receive recognition at, the D&AD Awards are one of the world’s largest advertising events. A D&AD Pencil is the pinnacle of creative achievement for agencies and only the very best work from across the globe is awarded.

Commenting on Leo Burnett’s success at the D&AD Awards, Ranil de Silva, Managing Director, Leo Burnett (LBSI), stated, “Winning a Graphite Pencil at the D&AD Awards is most definitely a significant achievement, as a D&AD Pencil is the most difficult award to win.  I am extremely honoured that our team has once again brought glory to the country and the local advertising industry with this accolade. The ‘Mosquito Repellent Newspaper’ is a simple but powerful idea that has won over 20 awards for Leo Burnett from around the world.  I am very honoured that the D&AD Awards bestowed this honour upon us.”

The ‘Mosquito Repellent Newspaper’ addressed one of the country’s most challenging health concerns in a creative and innovative manner. Dengue, the deadly mosquito-borne disease had reached epidemic proportions in Sri Lanka. With over 30,000 people infected in the country in 2013, the disease had claimed too many lives, including the lives of many young children. People read the newspaper in the hours of the morning and in the evening – the very time the dengue mosquito is known to strike. This led to the idea that if the ink used to print the newspaper was infused with citronella oil – a natural mosquito repellent, each letter of every word printed in the newspaper would help eradicate the threat of dengue.  On the last day of National Dengue Prevention Week, which was also World Health Day, the world’s first mosquito repellent newspaper was published in an effort to communicate and demonstrate how to prevent dengue. Newspapers are traditionally a source of information, but for the first time in the world a newspaper carried both information and an active method of dengue prevention.

The ‘Mosquito Repellent Newspaper’ has won a string of highly acclaimed accolades helping to reinforce Leo Burnett’s position as the leading creative agency in the country. The campaign was selected as a finalist at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity and secured two bronzes at the CLIO Awards, including the country’s first metal in the category of PR/Corporate Image. The campaign also won two silvers at AD STARS 2014 as well as two golds, including Sri Lanka’s first-ever gold metal in the Public Relations category.  The campaign won five metals at the Spikes Asia Festival including a gold in PR for Corporate Responsibility and four silvers in various other categories. The ‘Mosquito Repellent Newspaper’ also secured a bronze at the Red Apple and a silver at the London International Awards. Leo Burnett was also the most awarded agency from Sri Lanka at ADFEST 2015 and secured one silver Direct Lotus award and two silver Press Lotus awards for the ‘Mosquito Repellent Newspaper’.

As Leo Burnett celebrates its 15th year of operations in Sri Lanka and looks ahead to the future, 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.