Creativeland boycott of Goafest draws mixed reactions

A media statement said the agency would also withdraw its own award submissions from Goafest and abstain from participating in all creative awards in the country.

"In the present circumstance, with all the controversies surrounding the awards and sacking of senior people, all the rumours going around this year's awards and international media looking at India scornfully is depressing," Kurup said in the statement. "It just doesn't feel right deep inside my heart to be associated with awards in any way in our country.

"It is a harsh reminder of how deep-rooted scams are in our country. The double-standardness [sic] of its consequences and our approach to it depresses me. I remember the pressure of winning awards when I used to work for an agency as well. When I got out to start on my own, I decided not to do it again and it has made all the difference in my life. I have won awards thereafter year after year. Fewer, better, and probably more meaningful ones."

The dramatic move comes after controversial work for Ford Figo that was recently entered to Goafest. Fake posters were developed by JWT India creatives and were uploaded to the Ads of the World website before entering the award.

Goafest 2013 will be held on 5 and 6 April, and will be preceded by a conclave on 4 April, at the Zuri White Sands in South Goa. The industry has reacted with a degree of confusion to Kurup's announcement, which was made just a day before the final judging stage. Creativeland members were present in four of the 11 juries—FIlm, Print Craft, Outdoor and Branded Content.

Some have speculated that the pullout was due to a lack of confidence by Kurup in the potential for his agency to win awards this year. The agency had submitted the bulk of its entries to the Digital category. One source who did not wish to be named dismissed the Ford issue as a trigger, saying such a submission was not uncommon and that agencies including Creativeland had submitted similarly dubious entries in the past.

Opinions are somewhat vague as to how to tackle the scourge of scam in India. Prasoon Joshi, chairman and national creative director of McCann Worldgroup India, said the industry should sit down, discuss and improve on the award shows, rather than avoiding them.

“I don’t think award shows are bad,” he added. “It allows you to take a break from what you are doing and learn from others. Having said that, we respect each decision, but I think we should discuss together to make them better.”

He noted that given the large number of awards shows in operation, it was important to examine them closely. But he added that the issue of scam was a "shortcoming within the industry" more than a problem inherent in the awards shows themselves. “Everyone has somehow contributed to scams, or is at least giving a silent nod,” he said. “It is time to make it better and more efficient through dialogue.”

Manish Bhatt, founding director at Scarecrow Communications, suggested that agencies ultimately needed to take a stand by implementing a stricter process internally to root out scam work by ensuring an entry had run. Developing conceptual work specifically for award shows was still commonplace, he said.

Note: This article has been amended. Campaign Asia-Pacific initially stated that Kurup withdrew after the judging was completed. He withdrew prior to its completion. In addition, the agency was represented on four juries, not 11 as previously reported.