CIFA - The Caucasian International Festival of Advertisement.

CIFA – the first advertisement festival in Georgia.

September 26-30, 2001  - 5 days of CIFA in Tbilisi.

Magti GSM – CIFA organizer and general sponsor.

We do not know what the first Georgian advertisement looked like or who its first customer or its first producer was…

The inscription on one of the most ancient Colchian vessels: "It was a Colchian who has made me" is said to have been kind of a trademark and an advertisement…
There was a time when the Sarajishvili and the Lagidze families created remarkable labels for both the alcoholic and soft drinks they produced. Originally designed playbills of the Georgian theatre announced new performances. The Jabadari Georgian printing house offered a variety of services to their customers… It was also a time when Pirosmani paintings decorated some of the dukan signboards or walls in Tbilisi… That was nearly a century ago…

A whole century separates us from that time … And throughout that century, advertising existed. The future historians of Georgian advertisement will clarify how these commercials evolved…

On the other hand, we clearly recall what our advertising was like a short time ago, when the industry and science of advertisement was rapidly developing abroad, when advertising was no longer providing just information about something, but developed into an art form.

Last year, during the EPICA (the European Festival of Advertisement) days in Tbilisi, we had a chance to view the best samples of foreign advertising. The adverts that, actually, have determined the fate and economic success of many renowned companies… Tbilisi’s EPICA, whose general sponsor was Magti GSM, turned out to be quite successful. It brought together those who create and those who need advertising. The interest exceeded all expectations. The organizers were sure that it was possible to arrange a similar festival in Georgia. This is how CIFA – the Caucasian International Festival of Advertisement was born…

The main organizer and general sponsor of the festival – Magti GSM; The other organizers were the Georgian Television and Radio Broadcasting Company, "Georgian Telefilm" and Ultra Ltd. The printing house "Omega-Tegi" provided polygraphic services for the festival. Organizers from Armenia and Azerbaijan included the advertisers’ association ARA and the advertisers’ union ARI; All-Ukrainian Advertising Coalition and in Belorus Ms. Dina Mina. For the Caucasus countries, CIFA was not only a festival of advertisement, but also a meeting of old friends, the renewal of old relationships, the beginning of a new cooperation and a beautiful five-day long celebration.

Judges for the festival were invited from twelve countries from around the world.

Twenty-seven countries took part in the festival and twenty-four of them participated in the competition. The judges of the festival included serious professionals in the world of advertising. They were, Norman Vale, a former IAA (International Advertisers’ Association) president and owner of an advertising-agency; Franco Moretti, Leo Burnet’s chief creative officer; James Lanham,  the LEAF (Lisbon International Erotic Advertisement Festival) president and the Prizma magazine founder and publisher; Ismail Taghi-Zade, president of the Chamber of Commerce of Azerbaijan, producer, founder and president of “TIS-kino”; Haddjani Atakishiev, Professor, president of the Union of Azerbaijan Advertisers, president of  Azerbaijan representatives in “IAA”; Lia Avetisian, president of advertising company “ARA” and the Union of Armenian advertisers; Alla Leikina, editor-in-chief of the "Reklama" magazine; Zaza Shengelia, Director General of the Georgian Television and Radio Broadcasting; Marek Reinas, president of the Estonian Advertising Agencies Association and president of Zavod/BBDO; Maksim Lazebnik, chairman of the All-Ukrainian Advertising Coalition and director of the Kiev International Festival of Advertising; Maksim Plusnin, the EPICA Awards representative in the CIS  and others…

Giorgi Ebralidze, of the organizational committee, said, "We were really afraid at first because a lot of money was needed which, fortunately, was contributed by Magti GSM, our general sponsor and organizer. A good organizing team was also required, which was put together. Advertising was essential, and here, the Georgian Television supported us. Connecting with the participants abroad was the hardest and most expensive job. We used all the avenues such as the Internet, the ordinary postal services, etc. In promoting the festival, we tried to reach nearly the entire world. The selection of the judges was a very important stage. We sought to select the people who enjoyed wide recognition in the world of advertisement. The festival days coincided with a complex and traumatic period in the wake of September 11 events. We are very grateful to the judges and the guests of the festival that they, nevertheless, managed to arrive…

In Georgia, the interest in advertising is growing day by day. Every businessman knows that investing money in this area is imperative. Advertising is a sort of a mirror of the country’s economic development. Therefore, CIFA was not only a contest and a beautiful spectacle. In this context, the support of Magti GSM and all the organizations and individuals acquires even greater significance."

The press conference at the "Sympatia" hotel opened the first day of the festival. The festival judges would work in two areas: printed and video commercials. In the end, they would sit together and make a final decision. The same day, as planned in the program, the festival shifted to the "Rustaveli" cinema. In the evening, a reception was held at the "16 Rounds" club, where both the guests and the hosts were given an opportunity to get to know each other better. That very evening it was announced that the general sponsor of the festival, Magti GSM was offering a special prize of 10,000 Lari, designed to encourage the advertisement industry in Georgia. The prize would be awarded to the production team for the best Georgian commercial.

The Rustaveli cinema was packed for five days. From the entrance, with an enormous CIFA logo, a busy, pleasant and interesting world began. The lobbies of both floors displayed the exhibit of printed adverts – posters, calendars, labels, packaging, and the first pages of newspapers and magazines. In the hall, commercials from the guest festivals (EPICA Awards, Cresta-Awards, Golden Drum Festival in Slovenia, LEAF, Kiev International Festival of Advertisement, and others) alternated with the viewing of the competition entries, as well as lectures and workshops on the business of advertising, its role, history and prospects for the future. Every day the hall was full from morning till night with representatives of advertising agencies, businessmen, production teams, journalists, students and many others interested in the business of advertising.

James Lanham: "The opinion of the Georgian audience about the impact of advertising completely parallels that of the European audience…"

Maksim Lazebnik joked, "When five hundred youngsters are sitting in the hall, watching the commercials, instead of roaming in the streets, this is a tremendous achievement of the festival…"

Alla Leikina enthused, "I have never seen such a large audience and a consistently packed hall at any festival before. Such an interest of general public in advertising is amazing…"

At one of the lectures James Lanham said, "The age of plush teddy bears in the world has come to an end, as well as the age of plush teddy bears in the world of advertisement. But we must never show the world as more aggressive than it is in reality… Humor is the best form of communicating something. All of us are fond of emotional advertising and we, the professionals, must try to make this emotion positive. Let’s not forget that the best advertisement is simple, understandable and clear to everybody. That like a good movie or a good book, a good advert leaves a pleasant feeling of perfection…"

The majority of the judges and the invited guests had little knowledge of Georgian advertising. Their initial intention was to assess the Caucasian commercials separately from the advertisements of other participating countries. Finally, all advertisings were evaluated together and when the last day came and the winners were announced, the judges unanimously declared that the level of Georgian advertising was much higher than they had imagined…

Norman Vale: "In your adverts you (Georgians) have attained an international level and have grown professionally as well… Indeed, the festival was a success. Believe me, none of the established festivals of advertisement would’ve rejected such a panel of judges. The organizers have done an excellent job…"

Franco Moretti: "The creative side of the works presented at the festival was in line with world standards… We speak different languages, we are  people of different traditions and culture. This is crucial. We have focused on the creative aspect and we haven’t assessed any advert from the political point of view. These were fantastic five days…"

As far as the categories of the competition are concerned, in the TV and printed adverts contests, nine categories were presented for each, with three places for each category and a grand prix; in labels and packaging – three categories, three places and a grand prix; for the cover-page of a magazine and a national competition for a newspaper cover-page – one category, three places and a grand prix. Some special prizes and the Grand Prix of the festival were also awarded by the judges and the festival’s organizational committee…

Out of seventy-five finalists,  there were twenty-four first places, twenty-five second places, twenty-six third places.

Five grand prix of the contest and the Grand Prix of the festival.

The Magti GSM sponsored 10,000 Lari prize was awarded to Giorgi Gachechiladze for the commercial advert "Tandem" and Giorgi Gurgulia for a social advert "Indifference".

"Kvevrebi" by  Neostudio became the winner of the festivals’ Grand Prix.

Rusudan Glurjidze of the organizational committee: "Now we can say that the festival was born. It was the first festival and, naturally, we were unable to cover the entire spectrum of advertising. We did not include transportation adverts, or exterior billboards… We have encountered many difficulties, but we made it anyway. I don’t think anyone would have been able to do what Magti GSM has done for this festival. It supported us all the way through… We have many plans for the future. Let’s see what happens. Everything depends on the availability of funding. Our hopes are again pinned on Magti GSM and all the other partners who stood at our side during this time and who believed in the success of this festival…"

Marek Reinas: "I am now familiar with two methods of festival organization - the German and the Georgian. The first type is when everything is planned like clock-work and everything happens precisely on time, whereas the second type is when nobody knows anything in advance and is better than the German one. This is what CIFA was…"

"Five fantastic days" came to an end. Like at all festivals, there were many big issues and a lot of small details, plenty of curiosities and gossip, famous people and new names… and a big hope was also there, the hope that CIFA – the Caucasian International Festival of Advertisement would become one of the best traditions of the 21st century…

ELISO IMERLISHVILI