WARC, the global authority on marketing effectiveness, has today launched the WARC Awards for Effectiveness, North America Edition (www.warc.com/awards/effectiveness/north-america). Delivered in association with LIONS (www.canneslions.com/enter/awards), using world-class expertise in award management and judging, this new competition will shine a light on marketing greatness in the region.
Philip Thomas, CEO, Ascential Intelligence & Events and Chair, LIONS
Paul Coxhill, CEO, WARC
Cheryl Guerin, EVP, Global Brand Strategy & Innovation, Mastercard
Pam Forbus, SVP, Chief Marketing Officer, Pernod Ricard, USA
The Awards are built around the benchmarks of the WARC/LIONS Creative Effectiveness Ladder and B2B Effectiveness Ladder (www.warc.com/about-creative), which provide universal frameworks of the six main approaches for using strategy and creativity to drive specific B2C and B2B marketing outcomes.
Philip Thomas, CEO, Ascential Intelligence & Events and Chair of LIONS, said: “The WARC Awards for Effectiveness North America offer marketers a new benchmark against which to assess just how well their marketing is working. Using the WARC/LIONS Creative Effectiveness and B2B Effectiveness Ladders as part of the judging process will give the industry a standard showing of what great effective work looks like in the region.”
Paul Coxhill, CEO, WARC, added: “The six categories of these new Awards for North America will be judged by extremely high-calibre juries including senior marketers from some of the region’s biggest brands and top agency professionals and specialists. To launch these Awards, we are delighted to welcome our two Jury Chairs, Cheryl Guerin of Mastercard and Pam Forbus of Pernod Ricard.”
Cheryl Guerin, EVP, Global Brand Strategy & Innovation at MasterCard will chair three categories: B2B, Customer Experience and Cultural Impact.
Cheryl leads the overall stewardship of one of the world’s most iconic and recognizable brands. She oversees the strategy and activation of Mastercard’s highly decorated Priceless campaign, advancing the brand to consumers and B2B audiences through cutting-edge advertising, digital marketing and innovative insights that inform and inspire new opportunities for the business.
Commenting on her upcoming role, Cheryl Guerin said: “It’s a tremendous honor to lead the jury of the first-ever WARC Awards for Effectiveness, North America Edition. I’m looking forward to collaborating with my peers to review the most exceptional B2B and B2C creativity from North America, and recognize the true effectiveness gems, which will help inspire and empower our industry.”
Pam Forbus, SVP, Chief Marketing Officer of Pernod Ricard, USA, has been appointed Jury Chair of the Instant Impact, Sustained Growth and Brand Purpose categories.
Pam oversees U.S. marketing and innovation for 26 leading spirits, wine and champagne brands in the company’s premium portfolio, including Absolut, Jameson, Malibu, The Glenlivet, Perrier-Jouet, GH Mumm and many others. Since joining Pernod Ricard in 2020, Pam has implemented “media to shelf” to drive consumer/shopper centric brand and business building.
On chairing, Pam Forbus said: “As a long-time fan of WARC, I’m thrilled to be chairing the first year of the WARC Awards for Effectiveness, North America Edition. It’s great to see the framework of the Creative Effectiveness Ladder come to life in this competition, and I look forward to using it to shine a light on our region’s most inspiring work.”
The juries will score papers according to campaign objectives, insight and strategic thinking, implementation, business effects and lessons learned. They will then be benchmarked against the Creative Effectiveness or B2B Effectiveness Ladders providing entrants with a clear idea about where their work fits on the six rungs of the relevant ladder. For each category, the juries will award a Grand Prix as well as Gold, Silver and Bronze accolades.
With a straightforward process to enter, the Awards are free to enter and open to all agencies and brands from North America. Papers will be accepted until 21 September.
More information on the new WARC Awards for Effectiveness, North America Edition, and how to enter is available at www.warc.com/awards/effectiveness/north-america.
The newly launched WARC Awards for Effectiveness North America are part of a suite of WARC Awards (www.warc.com/our-awards), which also include the global WARC Awards for Effectiveness, and two other regional competitions — the WARC Awards for Asian Strategy and the WARC Awards for MENA Strategy.
Contact:
Amanda Benfell
Head of PR & Press
amanda.benfell@warc.com
Showa Denko (SDK; TSE:4004) announces that, following the “Announcement regarding Company Split (Absorption-Type Company Split) and Transfer of Energy Storage Devices and Systems Business through Share Transfer by a Consolidated Subsidiary (Change of Second-Generation Subsidiary)” which was announced today, SDK will record extraordinary loss in its 2021 consolidated financial statements and revises its forecasts of consolidated business results for the first half of the year ending on December 31, 2021 and consolidated business results for the year ending on December 31, 2021, both of which were announced on May 10, 2021.
1. Recording of extraordinary loss
As stated in the “Announcement regarding Company Split (Absorption-Type Company Split) and Transfer of Energy Storage Devices and Systems Business through Share Transfer by a Consolidated Subsidiary (Change of Second-Generation Subsidiary)” which was announced today, Showa Denko Materials Co., Ltd. (SDMC), which is a consolidated subsidiary of SDK, has determined by its board of directors today that: (i) SDMC shall have a newly established, wholly owned subsidiary of it named Energy Storage Devices Spin-Off Preparation Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “NewCo”) succeed the energy storage devices and systems business in which SDMC is engaged at its Saitama Works and Nabari Works through an absorption-type company split (hereinafter referred to as the “Company Split”), thereafter, (ii) SDMC shall transfer all shares of NewCo and the directly or indirectly owned shares of Energy System Service Japan Co., Ltd., CSB Energy Technology Co., Ltd., Siam Magi Co., Ltd., Thai Energy Storage Technology Public Company Limited, Thai Nonferrous Metal Co., Ltd., 3K Products Company Limited, and Power Plas Company Limited to Sustainable Battery Solutions, Inc., operated by Sustainable Battery Holdings, Inc. whose largest shareholders are the funds served by Advantage Partners Inc. (such transfer hereinafter referred to as the “Share Transfer” and, collectively with the Company Split, the “Transaction”). Taking the Transaction into account, SDK will record an extraordinary loss of about 30 billion yen as expenditure to cover the cost of structural reform related to the Transaction in the Company’s financial statements for the first half of the year ending on December 31, 2021.
2. Revision of forecast of consolidated business results for January 1 – June 30, 2021
(1) Revised forecast of consolidated business results for January 1 – June 30, 2021 *Please see www.sdk.co.jp/assets/files/english/news/2021/20210708_sdknewsrelease2_e.pdf
(2) Reasons for the revision
Regarding the forecast of consolidated business performance announced on May 10, 2021, we plan to record onetime loss about our net income/loss attributable to owners of the parent because we will record extraordinary loss of about 30 billion yen as we explained in the item 1 of this announcement.
As we stated in “The Long-term Vision for the Newly Integrated Company (2021-2030)” which we announced in December 2020, we plan to sell off some of our businesses amounting to about 200 billion yen in business value as part of our medium- to long-term business plan. We have already decided to sell off several businesses and announced our decisions, and the Transaction we announced today made us confident that we can accomplish the plan about restructuring of our business portfolio. We will continue to conduct business portfolio management which will support our sustainable growth and help us to realize our Long-term Vision.
3. Revision of forecast of consolidated business results for January 1 – December 31, 2021
(1) Revised forecast of consolidated business results for January 1 – December 31, 2021 *Please see www.sdk.co.jp/assets/files/english/news/2021/20210708_sdknewsrelease2_e.pdf
(2) Reasons for the revision
Regarding consolidated performance forecast for full-year 2021, we revised the forecast to reflect only the changes in the performance forecast for the first half of 2021.
Regarding the dividend, we do not revise our forecast that the Company will pay 65 yen per share as year-end dividend.
About Showa Denko K.K.
Showa Denko K.K. (SDK; TSE:4004, ADR:SHWDY) is a major manufacturer of chemical products serving from heavy industry to computers and electronics. The Petrochemicals Sector provides cracker products such as ethylene and propylene, the Chemicals Sector provides industrial, high-performance and high-purity gases and chemicals for semicon and other industries, the Inorganics Sector provides ceramic products, such as alumina, abrasives, refractory/graphite electrodes and fine carbon products. The Aluminum Sector provides aluminum materials and high-value-added fabricated aluminum, the Electronics Sector provides HD media, compound semiconductors such as ultra high bright LEDs, and rare earth magnetic alloys, and the Advanced Battery Materials Department (ABM) provides lithium-ion battery components. For more information, please visit www.sdk.co.jp/english/.
