A night full of fmcg stars The Grocery Advertising Awards, the fmcg advertising industry's Oscars, are this year being relaunched to make them bigger, more exciting and more prestigious than ever before. Ladies and gentlemen: GRAMIA 2000 A new millennium witnesses a new name for the fmcg advertising world's Oscars ­ the Grocery Advertising and Marketing Industry Awards, or GRAMIA 2000. Aimed at recognising excellence in the highly competitive fmcg market, GRAMIA 2000 will reward clients and agencies for their creative achievements in national press campaigns, TV or cinema commercials and public relations programmes. And GRAMIA 2000 has this year been expanded to include a PR campaign media category. The high profile panel of judges has been carefully selected from a cross section of the grocery marketing business. Chaired by Brann Ltd president and chief operating officer Roy Boss, the judging panel will be seeking innovative campaigns that match the creativity of last year's Grand Prix winner ­ the cinema and TV commercial created for Van den Bergh Foods' Batchelors Super Noodles by ad agency Mother, known for its maverick and forward-thinking methods. GRAMIA 2000 climaxes in a fantastic dinner at the London Hilton, Park Lane on October 5, 2000. Kicking off with a drinks reception, the black tie event treats guests to a fine three course dinner with wine and hilarious cabaret entertainment, before the serious business of the awards themselves gets under way. In keeping with the event's status as the Oscars of the grocery advertising world, GRAMIA 2000 has a Hollywood theme, so come dressed to impress. Fabulous prizes will be awarded on the night to the best dressed man and woman at the party ­ what better excuse for a new outfit? If you want to entertain the possibility of making it an even better night, don't forget to enter your campaign within one of 12 media sections under one of seven product categories: - Alcoholic drinks - Fresh, chilled and frozen - Health, hygiene and beauty - Household and pet care - Packaged groceries - Snacks and confectionery - Soft drinks and beverages The judges will compare like for like to select product sector winners. All soft drinks and beverages press ads will be assessed together, for example, as will all health, hygiene and beauty posters, and all packaged groceries TV and cinema commercials, and so on. Each product sector winner will be announced at the end of August 2000, and each one will then compete for the accolade of overall champion in that particular media category. These winners will be announced at the awards dinner. Finally, the best campaign overall will be selected and the Grand Prix winner revealed at the end of the evening's ceremony. Two gongs for retailers are also awarded, one for best print advertisement, another for best broadcast advertisement. A separate panel has been put together to assign three awards for recruitment advertising to recognise excellence in this specialist field. The categories are: - Best advertisement for a senior executive position - Best advertisement for an executive position - Best advertisement for a position in retail So spread the word and make sure you're at GRAMIA 2000 to enjoy a great party and, who knows, even pick up an award or two. To register your entry or to get more information on the event, call Catherine van Tienhoven on 01273 765000 ­ or email her at Cat.Vantienhoven@ttmc.co.uk. {{NEWS }}