The Effie 2009 Awarding Gala will take place on May 28th, starting 7.30 pm, at Fratelli Studios. Like every year, IAA Romania (International Advertising Association) and UAPR (Uniunea Agentiilor de Publicitate din Romania), the organizers of the festival, will host the event.

The payment for attending the Awarding Gala (500 lei+VAT for IAA members or 700 lei+VAT for non-members) can be made at the IAA House Romania (contact person: Ana-Maria Triscau - 0731.031.151) starting May 15th.

There are 70 entries at the 6 th edition of Romanian Effie Awards, submitted by 26 agencies and companies:
Babel Communications, Brands&Bears, Bridge Communication, CAP, Cohn&Jansen| Ashley&Holmes , Cosmote, Cupid Consultancy, DRAFT FCB, GAV (Generic Audiovizual), GMP Advertising, Graffiti BBDO, Grey Romania, Headvertising, Leo Burnett&Target, Lowe&Partners, McCann Erickson, Next Advertising, Odyssey Communication, Ogilvy Romania, Papaya Advertising, Propaganda, Proximity, Publicis, Scala JWT, TBWA Merlin and Unilever.

The only advertising festival which measures efficiency in communication campaigns will get together, for this edition, 77 personalities in the Romanian communication industry.

This year the Effie jury will be chaired by Mihail Vartosu, management, marketing and communication consultant, Ex-Country Executive Director at Grey Worlwide Balkans and Honorary President of IAA Romania. The president of the jury will grant extra expertise and value to the competition, as he is the founder of the first Romanian marketing and advertising multinational agency.

All the jury members will vote under the terms of confidentiality and anonymity imposed by a statement signed before starting the judging procedure. The jurors will not vote for cases submitted by their own agency or company, and also for cases in the same business sector they activate in.

The cases submitted in the competition will be judged in two stages, the 26th and 27th of May 2009, at IAA House Romania. In order to obtain a high score, the cases should clearly state their objectives and should also prove that they have been fulfilled or, even more, exceded. In this first stage of the judging process, the jury evaluates the marketing and media strategies, the creative idea and the results. The best cases of this stage will be shortlisted for the second judging stage.

In the second part of the judging process, the jurors will evaluate only the shortlisted cases and will take into consideration the creative executions and the marketing efficiency.

Only the campaigns which have run between January 2008 and December 2008 can compete for an Effie Award. Participants can submit their cases in the competition until the 11th of May 2009 and the winners will be announced during the Awarding Gala, on the 28th of May.

The second stage for participants to submit their cases in the 2009 Romanian Effie Awards is close to its end.

Agencies may submit their entries until 11th of May 2009, as follows:

• 10th of March - 1st of April 2009 - 2000 lei + VAT for the IAA members or 3000 lei + VAT for the non-IAA members
• 2nd - 15th April 2009 - 3000 lei + VAT for the IAA members or 4000 lei + VAT for the non-IAA members
• 16th of April - 11th of May 2009 - 4000 lei + VAT for the IAA members or 5000 lei + VAT for the non-IAA members

The payment will be made at The International Advertising Association (IAA) Romania (contact person: Ana-Maria Triscau - 0731.031.151), and entries will be mailed to the organizing agency: Millenium Communications (61, Stirbei Voda Street, Bucharest 1).

The Organizing Committee of Effie 2009 decided to offer some benefits to the participants. One of them is that the agencies that have never entered any previous edition of the Awards can submit one campaign free of charge in the Effie 2009 competition. Another benefit for the participants is that any “pro bono” campaign, that did not have a media budget, can enter the Non-profit/ Pro-Bono, Public service category without paying a participation fee.

The Organizing Committee of Effie 2009 considered the needs of the participants and decided special discounts.

The first facility is addressed to the agencies that have never entered any previous edition of the Awards and that can submit the first campaign free of charge in the Effie 2009 competition.

Another benefit for the participants is that any “pro bono” campaign, that did not have a media budget, can enter the Non-profit/ Pro-Bono, Public Service category without paying a participation fee.

The participants who submit their campaigns until the 1st of April 2009 will benefit of fee discounts as follows:

• Submitted until 1st of April 2009:
  • 2000 lei + VAT for the IAA members
  • 3000 lei + VAT for the non-IAA members
• Submitted until 15th of April 2009:
  • 3000 lei + VAT for the IAA members
  • 4000 lei + VAT for the non-IAA members
• Submitted until 11th of May 2009:
  • 4000 lei + VAT for the IAA members
  • 5000 lei + VAT for the non-IAA members

Mihail Vartosu, management, marketing and communication consultant and former Country Executive Director at Grey Worlwide Balkans will be the president of Effie 2009 Jury.

What recommends Mihail Vartosu as the president of the jury is his experience in marketing and advertising, and also his position of founding member of Grey, founder and president of IAA, RAC and ARMA.

“Like every year, in 2009 too, an Effie award represents an important statement of marketing and communication creative ideas and also their eficiency on the market”, stated Mihail Vartosu, President of Effie 2009 jury.

Born on 10th of July 1949, Mihail Vartosu is the founder of Grey Bucharest, the first Romanian marketing and advertising multinational enterprise. He was also one of the members that helped founding and developing Grey Sofia, Grey Chisinau and became Country Executive Director at Grey Worlwide Balkans.

Today he is President of honour for IAA Romania, permanent guest of ARMA and Media School author.

Last year, the president of Romanian Effie Awards was Thomas Moradpour, Europe CSD (Carbonated Soft Drinks) Marketing Director PepsiCo International.

The seminar “How to win an Effie” will be held on Tuesday, March 17th, at 3 pm, at the IAA House (126, Calea Victoriei, 3rd floor, Bucharest).

The seminar will offer relevant information about past editions’ winning campaigns, judging procedures and useful tips & tricks for filling in the brief. Anyone interested in the Effie festival is invited to it for free.

Afrodita Blasius - Managing Partner Bridge Communication and Narcis Horhoianu - Associated Marketing Director P&G Romania - members of the Effie Awards 2009 organizing committee, will host the seminar along with their guests: Serban Alexandrescu - Managing Partner Headvertising, Razvan Matasel - Managing Partner Arsenoaiei&Matasel, Mihai Barsan - Group Brand Manager Mainstream & Economy URSUS Breweries.

At the end of the seminar, the members of the organizing committee will answer the questions regarding the competition and the news of the 6th edition, the rules and the structure of the awards.

Starting today, the 10th of March 2009, and until the 11th of May 2009, entries are open for the sixth edition of Romanian Effie Awards, organized by The International Advertising Assotiation (IAA) and Uniunea Agentiilor de Publicitate din Romania (UAPR).

Entries can be submitted until the 11th of May 2009, as follows:

• Submitted until 1st of April 2009:
  • 2000 lei + VAT for the IAA members
  • 3000 lei + VAT for the non-IAA members
• Submitted until 15th of April 2009:
  • 3000 lei + VAT for the IAA members
  • 4000 lei + VAT for the non-IAA members
• Submitted until 11th of May 2009:
  • 4000 lei + VAT for the IAA members
  • 5000 lei + VAT for the non-IAA members

All cases may be submitted into the 22 categories of the competition: 18 product and service categories and 4 special categories: David vs. Goliath, Renaissance, New Product or Service Introduction and Sustained Success. Sustained Success is a new and special category, which awards campaigns that have experienced sustained success for a period of three or more years.

Effie Awards is open to all companies, advertising agencies, freelancers, market research agencies which developed successful campaigns during January 2008 and December 2008. The cases must not have been entered in Effie competition in previous years.

The categories and the competition structure remain unchanged during the period of the competition (10th of March - 28th of May 2009). The Effie organizing committee has the right to re-categorize the submitted cases if the submission was done incorrectly and also to disqualify cases that contain mistakes included in the 10 disqualification reasons list.

"Effie 2009 wants to reconfirm the importance of an efficient communication and its impact into the business. The purpose remains the same, to measure and to award creative campaigns which generate efficiency", stated Narcis Horhoianu, President of the Effie 2009 Organizing Committee and Associated Marketing Director P&G Romania.

The Organizing Committee was chosen by IAA and UAPR and includes, besides the President Narcis Horhoianu - Associated Marketing Director P&G Romania, the following members: Alexandra Olaru - HR & Communication Director, Unilever SCE, Mihai Ghyka - Member of the IAA Board, Dan Petre - Managing Partner, D&D Research, Afrodita Blasius - Managing Partner, Bridge Communication, Sorin Blaga - Vice President, Marketing&Communication, Rompetrol, Stefan Iordache - CEO, Leo Burnett Group, Paul Markovits - Managing Partner, Image Matters.

The sixth edition will continue its traditions: organizing the seminar «How to win an Effie» and the competition for creating the communication campaign of the festival, where all the members of the advertising industry will be invited to participate.