Dhaka: Bangladesh Brand Forum organized the 13th edition of its flagship initiative ComWord: Excellence in Creative Communication.
146 advertising campaigns were awarded in 26 categories at a glittering gala held at La Meridien Hotel in the capital.
In the presence of more than 700 guests working and experienced in the communications and marketing sector, the best advertisements were honored in four categories: Bronze, Silver, Gold and Grand Prix.
This year ComWord received 1380 nominations from 79 creative agencies. Campaigns unveiled and aired between June 1, 2023 and May 31, 2024 are considered for nomination. A panel of 24 experienced judges conducted the selection process, initially divided into 14 shortlisting juries and later 10 grand juries. The 10 Jury Presidents followed a further verification process to ensure the correct positioning of the winning campaigns.
21 Golden, 50 Silver and 75 Bronze awards were given at the 13th Comwords.
Incidentally, no Grand Prix medals were awarded this year.
Notable winners include Backpage PR' Singer Bangladesh's new brand ambassador Burak Oujchivi won the Best in PR category.
Shariful Islam, founder and managing director of Bangladesh Brand Forum, said in the opening speech, 'Comword this year is proof of the remarkable progress of our creative communication industry, even in the face of challenges and obstacles. In an ever-evolving world, our industry has shown tremendous creativity, proving that creative advertising campaigns in Bangladesh are not just moving forward, but leading the way.
For the second time advertising agency, FCB Bitp, in collaboration with ComWord, has presented the 'Reza Ali Independent Spirit Award' in honor of its founder and one of the pioneers of the advertising industry in Bangladesh, Reza Ali. Basically, the award aims to celebrate independent and creative campaigns.
In this year's gala, Geetiara Safia Chowdhury, one of the founders of the advertising industry in Bangladesh and founder and chairman of Adcom Limited, was given a lifetime award for her memorable contribution to the creative industry of Bangladesh.
Before the 13th ComWord, the 13th Communication Summit was held under the theme 'Disrupting the Norm: Future of Creative Marketing' under the initiative of Bangladesh Brand Forum.
In the presence of national and international experts and leading professionals, policymakers and business leaders working in the creative communication industry, the topics discussed are how to harness the opportunities of the future of creative marketing through innovative ideas.
With two key note sessions, a Leader's Dialogue, four panel discussions and two insight sessions, the summit has repeatedly brought up the importance of creative ideas, clarity of branding, use of artificial intelligence.
Communication Summit 2024 featured Firdous Yusuf, Head of Creative, Forsman & Bodenfors Singapore and Moiz Khan, Creative Director Edelman as key note speakers.
One of the highlights of the summit was the Leaders' Dialogue, where Geetiara Safia Chowdhury, Founder and Chairman, Adcom Limited and Munir Ahmed Khan, Managing Director and Creative Chief, Unitrend Limited spoke about the journey of Bangladesh's advertising industry so far in the light of their rich experience.
The session was moderated by Ashraf Bin Taj, General Secretary, Asia Marketing Federation (AMF); Co Founder & Managing Director, IDC Bangladesh Plc.
Subsequent panel discussions covered various timely topics such as Creativity in Crisis: How Brands Can Communicate Effectively in Uncertain Times, Purposeful Marketing: How to Build Brands for Social Change and Increase Business Value, etc.
Also present at the 13th Communication Summit were Nazim Farhan Chowdhury, Managing Director, Adcom Limited; Where the panelists participated were Farha Naz Zaman, Marketing Director, Grameenphone Limited; Arup I, Agency Head and Chief Creative Strategist, Mighty; Saiful Azam Chowdhury Mukul, Executive Creative Director, Gray Advertising Bangladesh; Sharjeel Karim, Managing Director, Interspeed Advertising Limited and Md. Shadman Sadikin, Marketing Director Home Care Head, Digital Hub, Unilever Bangladesh Limited; Drabir Alam, COO & Director, X-Integrated Marketing Agency; Zakia Zerin, Senior Manager, Marketing Communication and Consumer Engagement, Nestlé Bangladesh Limited; Salahuddin Shahed, CEO, FCB BTOP and others.
Miniso Bangladesh was in collaboration with Communication Summit and ComWord 2024 (Summit only). Strategic Partners-Bangladesh Creative Forum (BCF), International Advertising Association Bangladesh, Roaring Lions; Knowledge Partner-Marketing Society of Bangladesh (MSB); Technology Partner – Amra Technologies Limited; Hospitality Partner – La Meridien Dhaka; PR Partner – Backpage PR. Communication Summit and Comword is an initiative of Bangladesh Brand Forum.
Bangladesh Time: 1142 hours, October 21, 2024
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