The 13th edition of the most prestigious advertising accolade in Bangladesh- COMMWARD: Excellence in Creative Communication honored 146 creative campaigns in 26 categories through an auspicious award gala at Le Meridien, Dhaka on October 19 (Saturday), 2024. A flagship initiative of Bangladesh Brand Forum, COMMWARD was presented in Association with The Daily Star.
The award ceremony was attended by more than 700 communication and marketing experts and enthusiasts. The awards were given in four ranks –Bronze, Silver, Gold & Grand Prix. This year, a staggering number of 1380 nominations from 79 creative agencies and organisations were submitted for the award. The campaigns launched and ran during the period of 01 June, 2024, to 31 May, 2024, were eligible for nomination in COMMWARD 2024. The nominations were judged rigorously by 24 jury panels split into 14 shortlisting and 10 grand jury panels. 10 jury presidents further scrutinized the winning campaigns to ensure the proper ranks. The 13th edition of COMMWARD had, 21 Gold winners, 50 Silver winners and 75 Bronze winners. This year, none of the campaigns received the prestigious Grand Prix recognition.
Opening the Award Gala, Shariful Islam, Founder & Managing Director, Bangladesh Brand Forum, said, “This year, COMMWARD is a testament to the remarkable strides our creative communication industry has made, even in the face of challenges and disruptions. In a world that is constantly evolving—one that demands that we disrupt the norm and innovate like never before—our industry has shown remarkable adaptability and creativity, demonstrating that Bangladesh’s communication landscape is not just keeping up but leading the way.”
Continuing the last edition, FCB Bitopi in collaboration with COMMWARD, presented the ‘Reza Ali Independent Spirit Award’ in memory of Reza Ali, the Founder of FCB Bitopi and one of the pioneers of advertising in Bangladesh. This accolade celebrates independent, powerful and creative pursuits.
The auspicious Commward 2024 gala also presented a Special Recognition to the pioneering advertiser of Bangladesh, the founder and Chairman of Adcomm Limited, Geeteara Safiya Choudhury, with the Outstanding Lifetime Achievement Award for her visionary leadership, unwavering commitment, and transformative contributions to the industry.
13th COMMWARD was preceded by the 13th edition of Communication Summit, under the theme “Disrupting the Norm: The Future of Creative Marketing.” The summit focused on how brands and agencies can leverage innovation to break away from traditional practices and succeed in the rapidly evolving digital landscape alongside topics focused on creative disruption, brand authenticity, AI integration, and personalised marketing strategies.
The summit hosted a Leaders Dialogue, 02 keynote sessions, 04 Panel discussions, and 02 Insight Sessions. The keynote sessions were conducted by Firrdaus Yusoff, Head of Creative, Forsman & Bodenfors Singapore and Moiz Khan, Creative Director, Edelman.
The leaders Dialogue featured the two legends of Bangladeshi creative communication industry – Geeteara Safiya Choudhury, Founder & Chairman, Adcomm Limited and Muneer Ahmed Khan, Managing Director & Creative Chief, Unitrend Limited. Moderated by Ashraf Bin Taj, General Secretary, Asia Marketing Federation (AMF); Co-Founder & Managing Director, IDC Bangladesh PLC., the session highlighted the pioneering advertising endeavours of Bangladesh and captured the essence of that in today’s advertising. The following panel discussions were decorated with discussion-generative topics such as Creativity in Crisis: How Brands Can Communicate Effectively During Uncertain Times, Purpose-Driven Marketing: Building Brands that Advocate for Social Change and Drive Business Value, or The Evolution of Storytelling: Creative Impactful Narratives in a Disruptive Era. The 13th Communication Summit also saw the presence of key industry figures, including by Nazim Farhan Choudhury, Managing Director, Adcomm Ltd.; Farha Naz Zaman, Marketing Director, Grameenphone Limited; Awrup I., Agency Head & Chief Creative Strategist, Mighty; Saiful Azam Chowdhury Mukul, Executive Creative Director, Grey Advertising Bangladesh; Sharjeel Karim, Managing Director, Interspeed Advertising Ltd.; and Md. Shadman Sadikin, Marketing Director – Home Care Head, Digital Hub, Unilever Bangladesh Limited; Drabir Alam, COO & Director, X – Integrated Marketing Agency; Zakia Zerin, Sr. Manager, Marketing Communication and Consumer Engagement, Nestlé Bangladesh Ltd.; Salahuddin Shahed, Chief Executive Officer, FCB Bitopi and many others.
The COMMWARD and Communication Summit 2024 was held in association with The Daily Star & Miniso Bangladesh (Communication Summit). Strategic Partner – Bangladesh Creative Forum (BCF), International Advertising Association Bangladesh, Roaring Lions; Knowledge Partner- Marketing Society of Bangladesh (MSB); Technology Partner – aamra Technologies Limited; Hospitality Partner – Le Méridien Dhaka; PR Partner – Backpage PR. Communication Summit is an initiative of Bangladesh Brand Forum.
