Naga DDB creates history yet again with Malaysia's first Asia-Pacific EFFIE Award

KUALA LUMPUR, 1 MARCH 2008: Naga DDB Malaysia has once again flagged an advertising industry international milestone by clinching the country's first-ever Asia-Pacific EFFIE Award in recognition of its 'ViVA Loves You' campaign for Perodua at the inaugural World Effie Festival 2008 held in Singapore recently. The win tops its achievement of securing Malaysia's first and only D&AD Yellow Pencil in 2005.

Organized by the New York American Marketing Association and the Institute of Advertising Singapore, the EFFIE Awards are a highly coveted global symbol of creative effectiveness held on a yearly basis to honour outstandingly creative marketing and advertising campaigns that meet or exceed their objectives, as demonstrated by strong storytelling and persuasive evidence.

Winners are those who excel at all the essential disciplines of a marketing program, namely planning, media, creative, market research and account management, and combine them with a strong client/agency relationship to ensure the effective creation, management and building of a brand. The World EFFIE Festival marks the first time the event has been held outside of New York since its inception in 1968.

Naga DDB's Executive Creative Director, Ted Lim said, "After bringing home the world's top creative advertising award (the D&AD Yellow Pencil), we are delighted to now win the world's top advertising effectiveness award (the EFFIE). This proves that creative and effective work are not mutually exclusive, and that in the right hands, Creative is Effective."

"The EFFIE win is all the more satisfying as Perodua and Naga DDB have been business partners for over a decade. It takes the trust and support of a brave and committed client like Perodua to make this possible. It's clear why Perodua is Malaysia's top car manufacturer," he added.

The groundbreaking 'ViVA Loves You' campaign was born from the need to promote Perodua's new car to a flagging car market weary of repetitive, uninspired claims regarding performance, features and functions. After adding this consideration to the fact that the car's broad target audience covered both sides of the social spectrum, from young city singletons to those with families who need space and many generous extras, Naga DDB and Perodua jointly decided that it was time to redefine the playing field.

Taking the path of emotion over function, the campaign was designed to be a re-romancing of a jaded generation, a reminder to people of the forgotten pleasures of owning a car. It would show people that the car listens to their needs, and provides flexibility while still being within the average citizen's reach. To accomplish this, and to ensure relevancy to its diverse audience, the universally appreciated theme of love was placed at its core.

Naga DDB's Managing Director, Chit Quah commented, "Creativity has to result in sales and the building of brand value. This is the only reason that clients hire us, and we are proud of the fact that we have won more effectiveness awards than any other agency."

Encompassing a love-themed teaser phase, as well as broadcast, print, online, outdoor and direct marketing channels, the campaign helped propel Perodua to sell over 15,000 units of the ViVA within the first 3 months of its launch, a figure that exceeded the combined sale of its 3 other competing models at the time. This in turn further cemented Perodua's status as Malaysia's top car manufacturer, as the company achieved a top ten ranking at the recently held Malaysia's Most Valuable Brands 2007 with a brand value of nearly RM2.5 billion.

Perodua's Manager of the A&P and Marketing Division, Puan Sulasi said, "It is a great honour to receive Malaysia's very first EFFIE Award for the 'ViVA Loves You' campaign. Naga DDB combined ViVA's USP with a winning strategy and creativity to drive real business for Perodua, and that made it a clear winner."

Naga DDB's historic EFFIE win follows a slew of other landmark feats, including Malaysia's first and only D&AD Yellow Pencil (the Oscar of the advertising and design world) for a groundbreaking Nikon camera advertisement in 2005, Gold and Silver wins at the 2006 Asian Marketing Effectiveness Awards for the DiGi Yellow Coverage Fellow campaign, 4 Silver Cannes Lions in the past 3 years, consecutive No. 1 creative rankings in Malaysia for 2005 and 2006, plus a Top Ten ranking in Asia for 2006 by Campaign Brief Asia.