THE NECESSITY FOR NEPAL’S ONLY ADVERTISING AWARD – CRITY AWARDS

There is a reason that Advertising Association of Nepal (AAN) organises Crity every year and it goes beyond the glitz and glamour that people usually associate with awards. No, Crity Awards has a serious purpose – to signify that Nepal’s advertising industry is worthy of attention. It is to force national and international spotlight on Nepali advertising and show the immense talent this sector harbours and the masterpieces it produces; and hopefully attract investment in the process. It is to give a nod to the unsung heroes whose work silently but unquestionably keeps the fourth estate of our democracy i.e. the media running.

To put it in other words, the ground breaking investigative story that you see on your newspaper was probably funded by advertising money. The fiery interview show that holds the power to account, mainly exists because of its advertising slots. Your favourite entertainment programs would go off air if not for advertisers. The point is, media stand tall on foundations built by advertisements, yet an integral part of those advertisements – the advertising agencies, go unrecognised and unheeded. Crity seeks to change that.

Also, people, by default, do not like advertisements. They are a distraction from their regular content, a nuisance, something to be avoided as far as possible. So, advertising agencies need to get creative, think outside the box and try out new experiments to get eyeballs to ads and hands to shops. Crity is an encouragement for Nepali ad agencies to do this. It tells them that their works will be recognised, acknowledged and honoured, that they are valued by their peers and that doing good works will propel them to fame (and help attract more clients). The Crity Award is covered by all the major news media of the country and the ceremony is broadcast live by more than 10 national television stations to an audience of roughly 8 million – advertising the advertisers and finally giving them the credit they are due. And let us not forget, Crity is not just the biggest advertising awards in Nepal, it is the only advertising awards of Nepal!

And over the years, Crity has not failed to achieve this objective. The 11th edition of Crity Awards being organised this year is a far cry from its first edition in 2003. The number of categories has grown from five to 32 and so has the number of entries from less than 150 the first time around to nearly 400 last year with these numbers continuing to grow. And it is to be considered that Crity is not just about honouring the ad agencies and their heads. They deserve recognition but they are not the only people driving Nepali ads forward. Crity recognises the grassroots people who literally craft advertisements with their very hands – the writers, the directors, the camera and sound crew, the editors, etc; innovation is a child of many parents and Crity awards each and every one of these innovators. Ads literally exist because of them.

Also, advertisements come in many forms – some are animated, some are printed, some are played on the radio, some come to life on smartphones. Crity incorporates this immense diversity and awards the best in all of them; so almost everyone gets the recognition they are due.

To put it in the simplest of words, THE AWARDS ARE NECESSARY TO UPLIFT THE QUALITY! So, Crity is an absolute necessity to promote and foster the indigenous ad industry of Nepal and establish its prestige.