B.C.’s advertising community has banded together to bring back the Lotus Awards, vowing the event will be a more relevant and selective celebration of the west coast’s best creative work.
The awards will be spearheaded by the Institute of Communication Agencies (ICA), which was asked by its members and the previous organizing body, the Advertising Agency Association of BC (AAABC), to take on the responsibility of bringing back an enhanced awards program.
The Lotus Awards was called off last year due to a lack of interest and funding amid concerns about the integrity of the program in years past, according to industry players.
The relaunch of the awards, to be handed out at a ceremony on Nov. 5 in Vancouver, is an attempt to “revitalize this competition, and return it to its prominent stature,” according to Frank Palmer, the Vancouver-based chairman and CEO of DDB Canada, and new co-chair of the event, alongside 123w’s Scot Keith and Cossette’s Nadine Cole.
“Since 1989, the Lotus Awards has celebrated creativity in Vancouver; however, it has sadly deteriorated over the years,” Palmer said. “We want it to be a show that’s trusted, where creative excellence and innovation is rewarded.”
He also wants it to be an event companies can be proud to take their clients to.
“I want the Lotus Awards show to be the best awards show in the industry,” said Palmer. “I want the the awards that are honoured to be the same ones that get sales results for clients because, as much as advertising agencies love to win awards, they come second with clients. They want sales results first.”
The final adjustments are still being made, but the new format will include additional award categories in areas such as digital and film, and more room for smaller shops to receive recognition for their work.
“There is so much creativity and innovation coming out of B.C.,” said Palmer. “You don’t have to be big to be great. Great work is also coming from small shops.”
The new awards will also have gold, silver and bronze prizes. In previous years work was recognized as a “winner” or “merit” in addition to Best of Show. Each winner will receive a redesigned Lotus Award trophy, which will be a hand-carved wood statue.
“We’re trying to keep it all west coast, as much as we can,” said Palmer.
The judging will also be done online, and the event will include some thought leadership sessions earlier in the day. Confirmed speakers to date include Keith Reinhard, chairman emeritus of DDB Worldwide; Peter Levitan, principal, The New Business of Advertising, and Nick Parish, North American editor of Contagious.
Call for entries begin on June 1 and the deadline for submissions is Aug. 4. The Lotus Awards gala will take place on Nov. 5, at the Fairmont Vancouver Hotel.
