Aaditya Thackeray, Ricky Kej to grace IAA Olive Crown Awards — Asia's first and only awards for communicating sustainability — on April 28

Sustainability is among the most-effective business strategies in the 21st century. And communicating sustainability is also equally important for businesses to win the trust of customers and investors. In this competitive business environment, as corporates realise the importance of differentiating themselves on a ‘green platform’, recognising innovative campaigns offers a fresh way to foster creativity in sustainability.

To achieve this cause, the India Chapter of the International Advertising Association (IC-IAA) launched the Olive Crown Awards in April 2011. These awards are billed as Asia's first and only awards that salute excellence in communicating sustainability and are endorsed by the Asian Federation of Advertising Associations (AFAA).

On April 28, at 7 pm, the 12th edition of the awards will be held in Mumbai. This week, the association announced that Shri Aaditya Thackeray, Minister for Environment and Tourism, Govt. of Maharashtra, will be the Chief Guest for the event. The two-time Grammy Awards winner Ricky Kej will also grace the occasion.

“Shri Aaditya Thackeray is not just the Minister for Environment but is also passionate about many environmental causes. His contribution to the eco-space has been significant. Something that had prompted the IAA to present its prestigious Olive Crown-Green Crusader Award to him last year. We are privileged that he will grace this event," said Megha Tata, President, IC- IAA.

With the growing global environmental concerns like climate change and chemical pollution, many companies have switched to eco-friendly processes, operations and products. Moreover, consistent socio-economic contributions of businesses at the regional and global scales are also becoming a norm. Following this, sustainability advertising is slowly getting into the mainstream by promoting social, economic, and environmental benefits of products, services or actions to encourage responsible behaviour among consumers.

Olive Crown Committee Chairperson Pradeep Dwivedi says, "The Olive Crown awards salute excellence in communicating sustainability. They are arguably the most meaningful awards from the Marcom industry. The event will see top industry leaders presenting and accepting these awards."

The ceremony boasts the presence of 400 top marketing and media professionals in the audience, along with many senior executives from media, advertisement, and creative agencies. In the past, the list of illustrious guests at the Olive Crown Awards includes Piyush Goyal, Nita Ambani, Amitabh Bachchan, Praful Patel, John Abraham, Rana Kapoor, Priya Dutt, Amruta Fadnavis, Vivek Oberoi, Shaan, and Shankar Mahadevan.

The most-anticipated award in the event is the IAA Olive Crown Green Crusader Award which has gone to Bittu Sahgal, Rajendra K. Pachauri, Kartikeya Sarabhai, Maneka Gandhi, Sumaira Abdulali, Bhavarlal Hiralal Jain, Dia Mirza, sand Isha Foundation’s Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev in the last few years. In fact, Aaditya Thackeray was named ‘The Green Crusader of The Year 2021’ in September of last year.

“These awards, now in their 12th year, have grown in stature over the years. We are very pleased that the scope of these awards has been growing as well. This year we have announced that we will be supporting the SaveSoil movement with an awareness program. The winning entries will be showcased at this event," said Neeraj Roy, Co-Chair of Olive Crown Committee.

IAA claims that Olive Crown is an opportunity to associate with a topical issue of sustainability in front of all major advertisers and agencies. As a cause Award, it does not charge any entry fee for these Awards and allows guests by invitation only. Some of the award categories to look out for include young green writer and art director of the year; green brand, campaign, and agency of the year; corporate social crusader and new-age green initiatives.

Stay tuned for more updates on the IAA Olive Crown Awards and the winners for the year 2022!

Disclaimer: Sustainability Insider/Business Insider is a Digital Media Partner for the IAA Olive Crown Awards 2022.

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