PLAY WAY WINS 2011 BEST COMMERCIAL

January 24, 2012

ST. GEORGE’S - TUESDAY, 24TH JANUARY, 2012 – “The award for the 2011 Best Commercial goes to Brain Storm Productions for Play Way!”

Unanimous applauds exploded when a snippet of the ever-popular, undying Play Way jingle was played at the Media Workers Association of Grenada’s 2011 Media Awards, which was held on Sunday, 22nd January at the Annex of the Grenada National Stadium.

The captivating Play Way jingle was produced for the National Lotteries Authority’s newest game, called Play Way, which was launched on February 16th, 2011. The audio version is an original piece, composed by the Country Boys of Carriacou, and vocalized mainly by Neal “Basey” Matheson – a member of the group. Brain Storm Productions was given the task of filming and producing the television version of the advert. Some of the filming was done in Grenada; however, the majority of it was done on the Sister-Isle of Carriacou, using the main vocalist of the jingle. “Basey”, as he is affectionately known, has been dubbed Mr. Play Way ever since.

After almost a year, the advert continues to be played at most media houses on the islands. When asked for a comment on the title awarded, Ms. Reece Sam, Marketing & Business Development Manager, of the NLA said, “Congratulations to all who have been involved in this project. It was no surprise that the ad has won; however, being there to present the award was! I believe it was well-deserving. I often compare it to songs of the great Bob Marley that have stood the test of time. It would be hard to top this off!”

Speaking to Mr. Shem Joseph of Brain Storm Productions about the award, he said, “It was a very exciting project; and, one that we are very proud to have been associated with. The challenge, in 2012, is to maintain this title; and, we look forward to working with whichever company that will provide the opportunity for that. We, at Brain Storm Productions, would like to say shared-congratulations to “Basey” and the NLA. We look forward to the continued partnership for future projects like these!”

The General Manager, Mr Ronnie Sylvester stated, “This jingle is well deserving of this award and we say congratulations to Brain Storm Productions and to the Country Boys for this timeless jingle. We look forward to further strengthening our relationship as we strive to continue to assist in the development of Sports and Culture in Grenada Carriacou and Petite Martinique.”

The NLA’s Play Way game is centred on the tagline: “Value Your Dreams, Win Your Way!” It is drawn Mondays to Fridays at mid-day and evening; and on Saturdays at mid-day only. The creolized game, which originated from China, involves players choosing a numbered symbol from 1 to 36 on the NLA’s Play Way Chart based on a dream, hunch, sign or random selection; and starts from EC$1.00.

As a result of the popular sing-along jingle, Play Way was the second fastest-selling game of the NLA in 2011; and quite a lot of people have been winning and benefitting. The NLA has paid out over EC$2M in prizes to players, and approximately EC$1.5M in commissions to sales partners for selling the product. The 2011 top winner in Play Way is Garvin Toussaint of La Poterie, St. Andrew’s, with a total winning of EC$66,504.00; and, the 2011 top seller is St. Andrew’s Pharmacy.