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Shift Integrated wins ‘Best Campaign in Country (Sri Lanka)’ at the prestigious 2023 Dragons of Asia awards in Kuala Lumpur
The leading agency for thought-provoking and innovative marketing solutions, Shift Integrated, shone brightly at the recently-held 2023 Dragons of Asia awards in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Since 2000, the Dragons of Asia have been recognising the very best in results-driven marketing communications, by agencies and clients, across all countries in Asia. The agency was awarded the Blue Dragon for the ‘Best in Country (Sri Lanka)’ for its Seylan Bank campaign, which encouraged Sri Lankans to sing the National Anthem in both Sinhala and Tamil on the 75th National Day.
The execution was also awarded the Gold Dragon under the category, ‘Best Small Budget Campaign”. Shift Integrated’s idea for Seylan Bank is a continuation of the theme the agency developed for celebrating National Day, which began with the question “What does it truly mean, to celebrate National Day?” The award-winning idea consisted of two videos, released on 4th February, featuring two groups of children singing the Sri Lankan National Anthem – one group in Sinhala and the other in Tamil.
The end of the videos reveal that the group that sang the Sinhala version are children whose mother tongue is Tamil, and the children that sang it in Tamil, are actually Sinhala-speaking children. Furthermore, the Tamil version of the National Anthem was published in leading national Sinhala-language newspapers, as a Sinhala transliteration, asking Sinhala speakers to learn the National Anthem in Tamil as well.
Similarly, the Sinhala version was published in Tamil language newspapers, as a Tamil transliteration. The campaign was ideated and created by Shift Integrated, while the launch on digital channels was handled by Shift Solutions and mainstream media rollout run by Third Shift Media.
Commenting on the Dragons of Asia honour, Selonica Perumal, Chief Executive Officer at Shift Integrated said, “The campaign’s success at this prestigious event is a testament to our client, Seylan Bank’s courage to try something different, and also mirrors our agency’s philosophy to ensure effectiveness of our creative executions. At Shift Integrated, we consider our ultimate reward to be that the campaign has won the hearts and minds of the nation and created a positive perception of the brand. These awards are an affirmation of our purpose of ‘making work that works’, the ethos that has characterised our journey as we celebrate the 15th anniversary of our operations this year.”
“Expanding further on our concept for Seylan Bank on the occasion of the National Day to encourage all Sri Lankans to learn both Sinhala and Tamil to achieve harmony and unity, we took it a notch higher this year. This year’s National Day campaign for Seylan Bank was to directly address the sensitive issue of singing the national anthem in both Sinhala and Tamil, and our campaign depicted this idea in a very strong manner,” added Sandun Lakmal, Group Vice President and Chief Creative Officer at Shift Integrated.
Further, Asiri Abhayaratne, Assistant General Manager of Marketing and Sales at Seylan Bank PLC said, “In post-conflict Sri Lanka, language has been identified as essential for reconciliation. Sadly, this challenge has not been realized by most of us. By breaking the unstated convention that brands need to be apolitical and neutral, we went ahead with this initiative because we, as the bank with a heart, believe that the diverse ethnic backgrounds that make up our culture is Sri Lanka’s biggest strength as we navigate the biggest crisis in our history.
We appreciate the tireless effort and creativity by Shift Integrated to help us communicate this message to the public. I would like to congratulate the entire team from Seylan Bank and Shift for walking away with honours at the prestigious Dragons of Asia 2023 awards.”
The campaign achieved its objective as it generated significant social conversations around harmony, unity and the need for learning both languages as well as improving Seylan Bank’s brand equity. The campaign has received praise from the business community, artistes, social activists and international journalists. Shift Integrated is an independent, fully-fledged creative agency based in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
The U.S. Embassy in Colombo welcomed the U.S. Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, former National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) players Stephen Howard and Astou Ndiaye, from June 8 through 14.
The Public Diplomacy section of the U.S. Embassy said that it would launch a weeklong basketball program intended to harness the unifying power of sports, made possible through collaboration with Foundation of Goodness and IImpact Hoop Lab.
While in Sri Lanka, Howard and Ndiaye, both retired professional basketball players, will conduct a weeklong program, Hoops for Hope: Bridging Borders through Basketball. The Sports Envoys will lead basketball clinics and exhibition matches and engage in leadership sessions in Colombo and Southern Province for youth aged 14-18 from Northern, Uva, Eastern and Western Provinces, offering skills and leadership training both on and off the court. The U.S. Envoys will also share their expertise with the Sri Lanka Basketball Federation, national coaches, and players, furthering the development of basketball in the country. Beyond the clinics, they will collaborate with Sri Lankan schoolchildren to take part in a community service project in the Colombo area.
“We are so proud to welcome Stephen and Astou as our Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, to build on the strong people-to-people connections between the United States and Sri Lanka,” said U.S. Ambassador Julie Chung. “The lessons that will be shared by our Sports Envoys – communication, teamwork, resilience, inclusion, and conflict resolution – are essential for leadership development, community building, equality, and peace. The U.S. Sports Envoy program is a testament to our belief that sports can be a powerful tool in promoting peace and unity.”
SJB Colombo District MP Mujibur Rahuman in parliament demanded to know from the government the reasons for CEB suspending the leave of all its employees until further notice from Thursday.
MP Rahuman said that the CEB has got an acting General Manager anew and the latter yesterday morning issued a circular suspending leave of all CEB employees with immediate effect until further notice.
“We demand that Minister Kanchana Wijesekera should explain this to the House. This circular was issued while this debate on the new Electricity Amendment Bill was pending. There are many who oppose this Bill. The Minister must tell parliament the reason for the urge to cancel the leave of CEB employees,” the MP said.However, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena prevented Minister Wijesekera responding to the query and said that the matter raised by MP Rahuman was not relevant.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) successfully concluded the 8th Annual CIPM Symposium, which took place on 31st May 2024. Themed “Nurturing the Human Element—Redefining HRM in a Rapidly Changing World,” the symposium underscored the pivotal role of human resource management (HRM) in today’s dynamic global landscape. Since its inception in 1959, CIPM has been dedicated to advancing the HR profession through education, professional development, and advocacy, solidifying its position as Sri Lanka’s leading professional body for HRM.
Ken Vijayakumar, the President of the CIPM, graced the occasion as the chief guest. The symposium commenced with the welcome address by the Chairperson, Prof. Arosha Adikaram, followed by the Web Launch of the Symposium Proceedings and Abstract Book by the CIPM President. The event featured distinguished addresses, including a speech by Chief Guest Ken Vijayakumar, President of CIPM, and an address by Guest of Honor Shakthi Ranatunga, Chief Operating Officer of MAS Holdings Pvt. Ltd., Sri Lanka.
The symposium also featured an inspiring keynote address by Prof. Mario Fernando, Professor of Management and Director of the Centre for Cross Cultural Management (CCCM) at the University of Wollongong, Australia.
Vote of Thanks of the inauguration session was delivered by Dr. Dillanjani Weeratunga, Symposium Co-chair.
The symposium served as a comprehensive platform for researchers to present their findings across a wide range of critical topics in HRM. These included Cultural Diversity and Inclusion, Talent Development and Retention, Ethical Leadership and Corporate Social Responsibility, Adapting to Technological Advancements, Mental Health and Well-being at Work, Global Workforce Challenges, Employee Empowerment, and Reskilling and Upskilling.
The plenary session was led by Prof. Wasantha Rajapakse. Certificates were awarded to the best paper presenters during the valedictory session, followed by a vote of thanks delivered by Kamani Perera, Manager of Research and Development.
The annual symposium of CIPM was a truly inclusive event, attracting a diverse audience that spanned undergraduates, graduates, working professionals, research scholars and lecturers. This widespread interest highlights the symposium’s significance in the field of HRM, offering a unique opportunity for everyone to network and learn from scholarly brains.The CIPM International Research Symposium was sponsored by Hambantota International Port, Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT), E B Creasy & Co. PLC, and Print Xcel Company.
US sports envoys to Lanka to champion youth development
Rahuman questions sudden cancellation of leave of CEB employees
