Ikon Advertising, Dubai, a leading advertising agency in the region, was among the top 12 companies in the world to win an award at the inaugural Internationalist ‘Marketing Makes a World Of Difference’ initiative.

Ikon won the award for its innovative and impactful ‘Global Balance Programme’ created on behalf of its client VLCC, a leading wellness brand operating across South Asia, Middle East and Africa for over 26 years, said a statement from the company.

The awards ceremony was held on May 11, at the Thomson Reuters Building, New York, US.

‘Marketing Makes a World of difference’ is an initiative by ‘The Internationalist’ and ‘The Association of National Advertisers (ANA)’, which celebrates innovative ideas that go beyond reaching consumers to truly deliver on a cause.

The 12 marketers recognised by the Internationalist and the ANA had demonstrated a proven ability to make a difference in the world through their efforts, while transforming both brands and the future of the marketing discipline, it added.

“The ‘Global Balance Programme’ which was created for VLCC together with UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) addresses the prevalent issue of obesity and malnourishment through one platform,” he said.

Presently, there are more obese people in the world than hungry, which has created a huge global imbalance. VLCC’s Global Balance Programme was created with this insight to address the social evil and support the fight against malnutrition related to hunger or obesity, the statement said.

For every kilogram of fat a customer lost at a VLCC Centre in the UAE, VLCC would make a donation of Dh3 ($0.82) to the WFP. This Dh3 was equivalent to the value of one kilogram of fortified flour which would then be disbursed by WFP to help fight child malnutrition in the Middle East — across Yemen, Libya, Syria and other such countries. Thereby successfully transferring the fat from obese to hungry people, it added.

This is the second important international recognition for the same campaign from Ikon. The World Economic Forum (WEF) with the support from the Ad Council, had selected the VLCC Global Balance Programme as one of the best CSR Campaigns under the launch of their 'Creative for Good' initiative as part of the Cannes 2013 panel.

Mahesh Sunderasan, CEo of Ikon, said: ‘In the new stratosphere of business, corporate social responsibility (CSR) has a far greater role than ever before. That’s why, it is imperative for agencies and clients to ideate, develop and implement social strategies that deliver greater results for the community while achieving the business ROI and aid in making the world a better place.”

Prafull Dwivedi, CEO, VLCC Middle East congratulated IKON Advertising and said “We are indeed proud that our agency has won this accolade.

“The Global Balance Programme is a unique initiative which not only delivered on the social objective but also helped us in getting more conversions and delivered on our business objectives,” he added. – TradeArabia News Service