Yasmin Ahmad aids LB to Gold Lions

LEO BURNETT   MCYS   YASMIN AHMAD   CANNES

• LB Singapore picks up Film Craft Gold Lions at Cannes
  
• The late Yasmin Ahmad was involved in the winning work
  
• MCYS's "Funeral" awarded Gold Lions for Direction and Copywriting
  

Malaysia - Leo Burnett Singapore has picked up Film Craft Gold Lions at Cannes for the work it did in partnership with the late Yasmin Ahmad.

The work was called "Funeral" and was done for Singapore's Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS). It was a collaborative effort between Leo Burnett offices in Singapore and Malaysia.

MCYS launched "Funeral" in early 2009 following the successful "Family" campaign it rolled out in 2008. Ahmad, Leo Burnett Kuala Lumpur's executive creative director, passed away from massive bleeding in the brain following a stroke in July 2009.

Cannes awarded "Funeral" Gold Lions for Direction and Copywriting in Film Craft.

"[It] is not just a Leo Burnett win but a win for MCYS, the advertising industry and the country. It shows that when we work together, great things happen. In this case, an insightful and impactful communication campaign," Tan Kien Eng, CEO for Leo Burnett / Arc Worldwide Singapore and Malaysia said.

"Credit goes to the ministry, the minister Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, director Mr. Richard Tan and his team. They deserve a commendation for being a partner in producing communication with a human purpose that matters to people," he said.

Tan also reserved special praise for Ahmad and his Leo Burnett team.

"Not forgetting the Leo Burnett Singapore and Malaysia brilliant partnership between our late Yasmin Ahmad, Chris Chiu, and Saurabh Varma. Discovering a simple insight on love and marriage amongst Singaporeans and translating that into great relevant story telling," Tan said.

Central to "Funeral" is the theme 'Beautifully Imperfect' which MCYS used to foster stronger family ties. The creative involves a woman speaking at the funeral of her husband and describing the ways they were beautifully imperfect for one another. The campaign's Facebook component proved to be a hit with Singaporeans. Not long after its launch, over 100,000 people visited the site and 14,000 became fans.

"For me although I am proud of the win, I am truly proud of the fact that the MCYS Funeral TVC and facebook campaign has changed perception. In a recent interview about Asian POV about love and marriage in an Asian TV News Channel. A Singaporean couple unaided and unprompted mentioned the phrase 'beautifully imperfect' in the interview. This is close to a year after the TVC campaign ran. To me this is amazing," Tan said.

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