CANNES, France and NEW YORK, June 23, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Marisol Diaz-Rozic and Marianela Frick of PepsiCo in Argentina won the Gold Lion for the fifth-annual Young Lions Marketers Competition at the 61st annual Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Sponsored by Ketchum, this year's competition challenged 19 teams of young, in-house marketers from around the world to develop a creative brief for a product or service that would benefit the United Nations World Food Programme, the world's largest humanitarian organization addressing hunger and promoting food security. Competitors presented their communication plans to a panel of industry leaders, which was led by Jerry Olszewski, Ketchum senior partner and chief client officer.

Diaz-Rozic and Frick, brand managers at PepsiCo in Argentina, developed the winning brief to win the Gold Lion. Diaz-Rozic said of the winning campaign brief: "Once we knew [the brief] was about the World Food Programme, we just concentrated on the products we have, the brands we could work with, and which idea we might choose. We practiced a lot to make sure the judging presentation went smoothly. Then on the day [of the judging], it felt nice to pitch our ideas, and things went to plan."

The Silver Lion went to the team from India, Hindustan Unilever's Samyukta Iyer and Janvi Parekh, and the team from Finland, Unilever Finland's Juho Mikkonen and Reetta Noukka, won the Bronze Lion.

Of the World Food Programme assignment, Team India's Parekh stated, "This topic is close to both our hearts. In a country like India you see hunger you every day. So it's very special to be able to contribute to that, even if it is in a tiny way."

Participants were briefed onsite at Cannes and then given 30 hours to develop their product or service concept before showcasing their communication plans in a two-page written brief and short presentation to the judging panel. In addition to Olszewski, the Young Lions Marketers Competition jury included Eric Edge, brand strategist at Instagram, and Sandy Thompson, global planning director at Y&R. The winning teams will receive their trophies at the Young Lions award ceremony on Saturday, June 21.

Of the judging, Olszewski said, "The Young Marketers are highly talented, highly motivated and their presentations were remarkably strong. Their professionalism and their passion are so inspiring. It's exciting to envision the bright careers ahead for these rising stars."

Thompson added, "I was wishing earlier today that I had participated in a competition like this when I was starting out. In my job, I'm looking for that simple truth that can make a brand resonate in people's minds and in their hearts. I saw some great examples from our Young Marketers today."

Additional participants in this year's competition hailed from Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belarus, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Germany, Japan, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sri Lanka and Turkey.

This is the fourth year Ketchum has sponsored the Young Lions Marketers Competition. In addition to its sponsorship, the firm took part in judging the PR Lions category through jury member Petra Sammer, partner and chief creative officer of Ketchum Pleon in Germany, and two members of the agency's Austria office competed in the inaugural Young PR Lions Competition, taking home the Bronze medal. In addition, Ketchum representatives posted their insights and observations during the festival through the agency's Scene@Cannes hub (http://www.ketchum.com/sceneatcannes).

About the Young Lions Marketers Competition
Ketchum is the exclusive global sponsor of the Young Lions Marketers Competition at the 61st Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, June 15 to 21 in Cannes, France. The competition is designed to celebrate creativity and recognize young talented "in-house" marketers, age 30 or under, from around the world. The 19 participating countries are: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belarus, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Finland, Germany, India, Japan, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sri Lanka and Turkey.

About the 61st Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, June 15 to 21, 2014, Palais des Festivals, Cannes, France
The International Festival of Creativity, also known as Cannes Lions, is the world's leading celebration of creativity in communications. Founded in 1954, the Festival takes place every June in Cannes, France. As the most prestigious international annual advertising and communications awards, over 35,500 entries from all over the world are showcased and judged at the Festival. Winning companies receive the highly coveted Lion trophy, a global benchmark of creative excellence, for Film, Print, Outdoor, Interactive, Radio, Design, Product Design, Promo & Activation, Film Craft, Mobile, Branded Entertainment and Integrated advertising, as well as the best Media, Direct, PR, Titanium, Creative Effectiveness and Innovation ideas. The Festival is also the only truly global meeting place for advertisers, advertising and communication professionals. More than 12,000 delegates from 95 countries attend a week-long programme of exhibitions, screenings and talks by worldwide thought leaders. As the networking and learning opportunity of the year, Cannes Lions is the must-attend event for anyone involved in brand communications.

About Ketchum
Ketchum is a leading global communications firm with operations in more than 70 countries across six continents. The winner of 14 Cannes Lions and an unprecedented four PRWeek Campaign of the Year Awards, Ketchum partners with clients to deliver strategic programming, game-changing creative and measurable results that build brands and reputations. For more information on Ketchum, a part of the DAS Group of Companies, a division of Omnicom Group Inc., visit www.ketchum.com.

About the DAS Group of Companies
The DAS Group of Companies, a division of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC) (www.omnicomgroup.com), is a global group of marketing services companies. DAS includes over 200 companies in the following marketing disciplines: specialty, PR, healthcare, CRM, events, promotional marketing, branding and research. Operating through a combination of networks and regional organizations, DAS serves international, regional, national and local clients through more than 700 offices in 71 countries.

SOURCE Ketchum