Business
Honk, honk, award please
"Awards only push the boundaries of what advertising can do… They spur one to think, ‘I wish I can do something like that for my client,’” Ferzad Variyava, group creative director at FCB Interface told Parsiana on July 4, 2021, after the advertising agency’s campaign "The Punishing Signal” for the Bombay Police brought home seven "metals.” They won one gold, three silvers and three 
bronzes at the 2021 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity that ended on June 25. Involved in the packaging of this advertisement, presenting and fine tuning the idea and coming up with the case study, Variyava stated that it was a "group” effort, giving credit to vice chairman and chief creative officer Robbie Mathew and creative director Mukesh Jadhav. "The Chicago office was involved too,” he told us. This was the agency’s first award at the Festival. Indian advertisement makers got home a total of 22 awards at this year’s Lions, according to news reports.
Meaningful advertising has to be "more than just a campaign… It has to change lives… call for action, change behaviors,” stated Variyava. The campaign aims at deterring Bombay’s honkers who toot their horns even when the traffic signal is red. To curb the rise in noise pollution levels in the city, the police department installed decibel meters at strategic places in the city in January 2020. When the noise level crossed 85 decibels, the signal timer reset itself to red. "Thus, those who ‘honk more, wait more,’ is the punishing message that is flashed at such noisy signals,” stated a communique from the agency when the advertisement was released. A lovable Bombay cop played by a professional actor, visuals of jam-packed signals and annoyed motorists and riders, catchy music all made for an easily recallable video which has garnered over 1,40,000 views on YouTube (YT). The advertisement was promoted "primarily on YT and WhatsApp. Other medium pushes would have been ancillary efforts,” noted Variyava.
With FCB Interface since March 2017, Variyava has served India Bulls, Volkswagen and Twitter from multiple advertising agencies, reads his curriculum vitae.
bronzes at the 2021 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity that ended on June 25. Involved in the packaging of this advertisement, presenting and fine tuning the idea and coming up with the case study, Variyava stated that it was a "group” effort, giving credit to vice chairman and chief creative officer Robbie Mathew and creative director Mukesh Jadhav. "The Chicago office was involved too,” he told us. This was the agency’s first award at the Festival. Indian advertisement makers got home a total of 22 awards at this year’s Lions, according to news reports. Meaningful advertising has to be "more than just a campaign… It has to change lives… call for action, change behaviors,” stated Variyava. The campaign aims at deterring Bombay’s honkers who toot their horns even when the traffic signal is red. To curb the rise in noise pollution levels in the city, the police department installed decibel meters at strategic places in the city in January 2020. When the noise level crossed 85 decibels, the signal timer reset itself to red. "Thus, those who ‘honk more, wait more,’ is the punishing message that is flashed at such noisy signals,” stated a communique from the agency when the advertisement was released. A lovable Bombay cop played by a professional actor, visuals of jam-packed signals and annoyed motorists and riders, catchy music all made for an easily recallable video which has garnered over 1,40,000 views on YouTube (YT). The advertisement was promoted "primarily on YT and WhatsApp. Other medium pushes would have been ancillary efforts,” noted Variyava.
With FCB Interface since March 2017, Variyava has served India Bulls, Volkswagen and Twitter from multiple advertising agencies, reads his curriculum vitae.
Top r: Ferzad Variyava; above and inset: the award winning advertisement Photo: Mumbai Police, Twitter
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