DDB leads Singapore Effie finalists

• DDB Worldwide heads off Ogilvy
• PHD and Zenith share media spoils
• Awards held on 15 July

Singapore - The Academy of Institute of Advertising Singapore (IAS) has unveiled the list of finalists for the sixth Effie awards, with DDB Singapore topping the list with nine finalist nominations and Zenith Optimedia and PHD sharing the media spoils with eight apiece.

DDB pipped Ogilvy which finished with seven nominations, the same number as Mindshare. JWT and OMD received four finalist nominations, and BBDO\Proximity got three. Other agencies that picked up finalist positions include iris, Publicis, Bates 141, McCann Worldgroup, Universal McCann, TBWA\Tequila, Leo Burnett, Mediaedge:cia, Y&R, Kinetic and Starcom.

This year, 36 entries from 16 categories made it to the finals, out of a total of 80 entries from 35 categories.

According to Chief Effie judge and Bates 141 executive regional planning director Frederique Covington, the quality of judging "is definitely higher this year thanks to our stricter process for recruiting high quality judges".

"With the Academy of Judges comprising a total of 72 agency leaders, creative talent and regional Asia marketers, with a collective experience across all marketing disciplines, we feel very confident that the finalists selected will garner much more interest and notice," she said.

Overall the judges were tougher, awarding a lower score average this year compared to 2008.

"What this means is that the finalists are part a select elite, making way for great conversations at the event on who will be the winners of Bronze, Silver and Gold," Covington said.

Finalists will be invited to present their cases on 15 July at the Singapore Management University. The finalists will each showcase their campaigns, starting with a four-minute video, followed by a six-minute live commentary highlighting the main points of the campaign, and ending with an open discussion with the audience.

Winners will be announced at the end of the event, and awarded Bronze, Silver and Gold. The sixth Effie awards will be held as part of the larger Singapore International Advertising Congress (SIAC) - a one-day event comprising a keynote and master class, as well as six sessions of presentations.

For more information, visit the ias.org.sg/ website.