Badillo, DDB big winners at Cúspide awards ceremony
Badillo Nazca Saatchi and Saatchi was the big winner of this year’s 30th edition of the Cúspide awards honoring the island’s best advertising efforts. The agency swept the competition with 16 statuettes, plus the event’s highest distinction, the “Gran Cúspide,” for a social media campaign for the United Way about the dangers of stray bullets.
The agency also won for publicity efforts for clients Toyota de Puerto Rico, Freshmart and Proctor and Gamble.
Meanwhile, DDB Latina Puerto Rico nabbed eight awards, for campaigns developed for Amnesty International, Unilever, Subway, and Johnson & Johnson.
For this year’s competition, the Puerto Rico Advertising Agencies Association tweaked the judging process to include international participation and improved finalist selection, organization Executive Director Rachelle Whitten said.
“This year’s Cúspide implemented a momentous change in the composition of the jury, on the recommendation and endorsement of the creative partner agencies to support the vote of metals (Bronze, Silver and Gold) through international creative directors…completely online,” she said of the competition celebrated under the slogan “30 years of Advertising Seduction.”
Meanwhile, Carlos Bruno, chairman of Cúspide 2012, said this year’s ceremony witnessed the “generational shift” of jury members who evaluated the pieces.
“The growth of the Festival was noticeable across the generational shift of the representatives of the jury who evaluated the pieces to select the list of finalists. It was composed by a group of creative directors and associate creative directors with a new vision and projection of the island’s creative industry,” he said.
In all, 38 awards were bestowed to winners among 67 finalists. The competition received 282 entries. Two categories, agency and client of the year, were eliminated.
“With these changes the Cúspide event grows and will offer more and better opportunities for recognition for creative work on the island, placing Puerto Rico’s performance at the same level as those of the most recognized efforts worldwide,” Whitten said.
Other big winners who rounded out Friday night’s ceremony were: De la Cruz & Associates, with seven awards; Y&R Puerto Rico, with two; JWT, with two; and, Draft fcb, with one.