Cannes Lions and Ketchum Announce Winners of Young Lions Marketers Competition

CANNES, France and NEW YORK, June 22, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Afonso Ferreira and Francisca Oliveira of Continente in Portugal won the Gold Lion for the third-annual Young Lions Marketers Competition at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. This year's competition, sponsored by Ketchum, challenged 16 teams of young in-house marketers from around the world to develop a creative brief for a product or service that would benefit Room to Read, a global organization seeking to transform the lives of millions of children in the developing world by focusing on literacy and gender equality in education. Competitors then presented their communication plans to a panel of industry leaders, which was led by David Gallagher, Ketchum senior partner and CEO of Europe.

Ferreira and Oliveira developed the winning brief to win the Gold Lion. The Silver Lion went to the team from Australia, Helen Luoung of Audi Australia and Sirisha Pulapaka of the government of New South Wales, and Brad Canario and Aaron Nemoy from Campbell Company of Canada won the Bronze Lion.

Of the judging, Gallagher said, "Ketchum is a strong supporter of Room to Read's belief that world change starts with educated children. The ideas presented by the competitors today to help further that mission were impressive, creative and inspiring, and it is my belief that this generation of young marketers will use their tremendous skills for both the betterment of the marketing communications industry and the world at large."

Participants were given 30 hours to develop their product or service concept before showcasing their communication plans in a two-page written brief and short presentation to the judging panel. In addition to Gallagher, the Young Lions Marketers Competition jury included Sarah Ivey, EVP and director of communication planning worldwide at Initiative, and Tom Hauser, CCO of interactive at Jung von Matt. The winning teams will be recognized at the Cannes Lions' Integrated Awards Ceremony on Saturday, June 23.

In addition to the three winning teams, the other finalists are:

AUSTRALIA
Helen Luoung, Audi Australia
Sirisha Pulapaka, Government of New South Wales

AUSTRIA
Marija Paponjak, Nikon
Reiner Reitsamer, freelancer

BELARUS
Liliya Apiok, Velcom
Tatiana Shaurko, Velcom

BRAZIL
Mayara Lico, Brasil Foods
Leonardo Longo, AmBev

CANADA
Brad Canario, Campbell Company of Canada
Aaron Nemoy, Campbell Company of Canada

COSTA RICA
Rebeca Barzuna, Telefonica
Paola Fatjo, Nestle Costa Rica

FINLAND
Hetti Niemela, Berner Ltd. Finland
Annika Ratsula, Berner Ltd. Finland

GERMANY
Ulrike Geisemeyer, Dr. Oetker Germany
Sigrid Svendsen, Dr. Oetker Germany

INDIA
Avantika Kapoor, HDFC Life
Aditi Mediratta, HDFC Life

ITALY
Fabio Corona, EBuzzing U.K.
Silvia Olla, Unilever

THE PHILIPPINES
Rodrigo Salvador Sotto, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies

POLAND
Magdalena Plichta, P4 Sp. z o.o.
Małgorzata Zakrzewska, P4 Sp. z o.o.

PORTUGAL
Afonso Ferreira, Continente
Francisca Oliveira, Continente

SPAIN
Marco Antonio Brazzoduro Bermudez, Danone
Patricia Caneque García, ING Direct

SRI LANKA
Dinal Francis Dias Edirisinghe, Aitken Spence PLC
Wishmini Perera, Aitken Spence PLC

TURKEY
Selen Ertem, Vodafone
Hande Kozlu, Vodafone                                                                                                       

About the 59th Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity
The International Festival of Creativity, also known as Cannes Lions, is the world's leading celebration of creativity in communications. Founded in 1954, the Festival takes place every June in Cannes, France. As the most prestigious international annual advertising and communications awards, over 28,800 entries from all over the world are showcased and judged at the Festival. Winning companies receive the highly coveted Lion trophy honoring the most creative Film, Print, Outdoor, Interactive, Radio, Design, Promo & Activation, Film Craft, Mobile, Branded Entertainment and Integrated advertising, as well as the best Media, Direct, PR, Titanium and Creative Effectiveness ideas. The Festival is also the only truly global meeting place for advertisers, advertising and communication professionals. Close to 9,500 delegates from 95 countries attend seven days of exhibitions, screenings, as well as 57 high-profile seminars, 20 workshops and master classes presented by renowned worldwide industry leaders. As the networking and learning opportunity of the year, Cannes Lions is the must-attend event for anyone involved in brand communication.

About Ketchum
Ketchum is a leading global communications firm with operations in more than 70 countries across six continents. Named 2012 PR Agency of the Year (PRWeek) and the winner of an unprecedented three consecutive PRWeek Campaign of the Year Awards, Ketchum partners with clients to deliver strategic programming, game-changing creative and measurable results that build brands and reputations. For more information on Ketchum, a part of Diversified Agency Services, a division of Omnicom Group Inc., visit www.ketchum.com.

About Diversified Agency Services
Diversified Agency Services (DAS), a division of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC) (www.omnicomgroup.com), manages Omnicom's holdings in a variety of marketing communications disciplines. DAS includes over 200 companies, which operate through a combination of networks and regional organizations, serving international and local clients through more than 700 offices in 71 countries.

About Omnicom Group Inc.
Omnicom Group Inc. (www.omnicomgroup.com) is a leading global marketing and corporate communications company. Omnicom's branded networks and numerous specialty firms provide advertising, strategic media planning and buying, digital and interactive marketing, direct and promotional marketing, public relations and other specialty communications services to over 5,000 clients in more than 100 countries.

SOURCE Ketchum Public Relations

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