‘Agency of the Year’ – Leo Burnett Sri Lanka: (Left to Right) Kumudini Gomes – Head of People & Culture, Rochelle Jayawardene, Murtaza Tajbhoy – Chief Strategy Officer, Leo Burnett Sri Lanka, Selonica Perumal – Director, Publicis Sri Lanka,Ranil de Silva – Managing Director, Leo Burnett Sri Lanka, Stuart Deckker, Rinesh Jayarathne,  Lalindra Nanayakkara – Executive Creative Director,Arosha Perera – Chief Executive Officer, Leo Burnett Sri Lanka, Roshan Fernando, Ikram Mohideen, Athula Kathriarachchi – Senior Creative Director, Lakmina Ranasinghe

Leo Burnett Sri Lanka, the local office of the global advertising network Leo Burnett Worldwide was recently named the ‘Agency of the Year’ at this year’s Effie Awards Programme. Leo Burnett Sri Lanka added credentials to its standing as Sri Lanka’s leading creative agency by securing the coveted Agency of the Year effectiveness in creative communications, which is revered as a top industry accolade. The award was received by Ranil de Silva and the agency team, in the presence of a distinguished gathering of guests and professionals from across the local marketing communications industry. 

The Effie Awards Programme is renowned by advertisers and agencies alike, as one of the most eminent and prestigious awards shows in the local and global industry. The Effies recognizes any and all forms of marketing communications, that contribute to a brand’s success.  Launched by the Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM) in 2008 in collaboration with the Global Effies, the Effie Awards has become a highlight in the marketing communications industry to celebrate creative excellence which is effective and delivers tangible results for a brand. 

This year, five of the agency’s campaigns which stood out creatively and were successful delivering tangible results were shortlisted by the jury comprising a cross section of industries and was chaired by Imal Fonseka, Group CEO of Fairway Holdings. The campaigns shortlisted were UNICEF’s communication titled ‘Uniting the Country to end Child Abuse’, ‘White Cane Day’ Innovation for the Sri Lanka Eye Donation Society. The corporate campaign for Commercial Bank titled ‘Bank for Your Success’, the national activation conducted for Women’s day by Velvet titled ‘Liyaka Mahima’ and the internationally recognized initiative to manage the garbage issue at Siripada which was termed ‘Merit Bin’.  

‘Uniting the Country to end Child Abuse’ was awarded as a finalist in the ‘Non-Profit’ category,f or the manner in which it rallied the Sri Lankan public to come together to end child abuse across the country. The ‘White Cane Day’ innovation on TV was awarded as a finalist in three categories - ‘Media Idea’, ‘Non-Profit’ and ‘Small Budget’, for being a poignant reminder to the public to register as eye donors. This campaign helped the society to emerge as the ‘Most Effective Brand of the Year’ at the Effies. The ‘Bank for Your Success’ campaign helped strengthen the corporate image of the bank and was selected as a finalist in two categories; ‘Finance’ and ‘Corporate Reputation.’ The ‘Velvet Liyaka Mahima’ campaign was named a finalist in the new ‘Seasonal Marketing’ category. The ‘Merit Bin’was created on behalf of the Ratnapura Provincial Council to find a sustainable and effective solution to address the issue of garbage at Sri Pada. The campaign was submitted in the ‘Non-Profit’ category at the awards show and was awarded a Bronze Effie. 

Commenting on the agency’s success at the Effie Awards, Ranil de Silva – Managing Director, Leo Burnett Sri Lanka said: “This recognition is a very gratifying reward as it reinforces our creative standing as the country’s leading agency with the honour of being results driven. It also proves a very strong belief of ours that outstanding creative work delivers invaluable results to its brands. My team and I are honoured to have been named the ‘Agency of the Year’ at this year’s Effie Awards Programme. This award truly belongs to our Chief Strategy Officer Murtaza Tajbhoy and his Brand Panning team who have tirelessly worked to ensure the efficacy of our communications. At Leo Burnett, our work is rooted in our Human Kind philosophy, a belief that creativity has the power to change human behaviour and to inspire positive action. I would like to thank the jury for bestowing this prestigious accolade, which is an invaluable addition to our awards portfolio.”   

The Effie Awards show strives to cultivate a culture of accountability amongst the advertising fraternity by recognizing communication campaigns that have delivered tangible results. The Effies recognize that the most important objective of all communication initiatives is to build a brand’s equity, which ultimately contributes to a consistent stream of revenue.  Since 1968 clients and agencies around the world believe that an Effie is a global symbol of achievement. Today the award show honours all forms of effective marketing communications that are produced by companies and individuals as the Effies has a long-standing history of recognizing industry movers and shakers who are delivering creative excellence and strong results for the brands under their purview. The Effies are conducted in all six continents and in over 40 countries.

This year, Leo Burnett Sri Lanka celebrates its 18th anniversary. Recently the agency was ranked to be amongst the top 50 agencies in Asia by the industry’s respected magazine Campaign Brief. Over the years, the agency has built many powerful brands and meaningful partnerships with its clients, whilst delivering gratifying results and gaining industry recognition in Sri Lanka, the region and globally. The company handles a diverse portfolio of clients and is one of the world’s largest agency networks and a member of the Publicis Groupe, the world’s third largest communications company.