Planters: The Team
The Benchmark team comprises of a diverse assortment of plant life, from budding saplings to full grown trees. Their long list of quirks are only overtaken by their longer list of talents.
There’s the aspiring Picasso; the compulsive sketch artist who drinks Mountain dew while cycling to work the traditional Martial Arts fanatic who is obsessed with developing comic characters, word slingers, a multi-tasking finance guru who knows her marketing and brand service warriors who fight for their brands night and day; the list goes on…
Chamley Ariyachandra
Managing Director / Creative Director
chamley@benchmarkinnovation.com
+94 77 759 8864
+94 77 759 8864
Chamley is a visionary who has accomplished feats often deemed impossible by others. He is one of the pioneering figures in experiential marketing and brand activations in Sri Lanka. Chamley is not afraid to get his hands dirty. A leader who leads by example, he is one of those people who dreams of putting a dent in the universe.
He's now the charismatic that heads Benchmark Innovation, which he led to become the most effective agency of the year just three year after inception with a team of just six people. An Ad man with over 20 years of experience in the industry, Chamley has been a seed farmer for more than half his life. He has headed traditional and non-traditional spheres in advertising at a number of prominent, multinationals in Sri Lanka, including Ogilvy and Bharti Airtel.
Chamley is an award winning miming artist and stage actor and has been a driving force behind some of the most iconic local campaigns in Sri Lanka that have not been surpassed to date. Chamley has pruned and fertilized more than 50 local and international brands throughout his career.
Chamely is also heavily involved with the University of Kelaniya in a research program on creating cultural relevance in the modern advertising space.
Fruits of Achievement: Awards and Recognitions
PMMA Dragons of Asia 2017
The PMAA Dragons of Asia recognizes the very best in result-driven marketing communications by agencies and clients across all countries in the APAC by an international jury consisting of the top creative and strategic minds in Asia.
Effie Awards Sri Lanka
The Effie Awards are an awarding body that recognizes all forms of effective marketing communication.
Only Gold at Effie Awards - 2014
DELL Power Circle
Client: Dell Global B.V. Sri Lanka
Silver at Effie Awards - 2013
Mango ball point pens Campaign
Client: PrinXcel Private Limited
The Most Effective Agency Year - 2014
Finalist - Effie Awards 2016
Perfect Match by CEAT
Client: CEAT Kelani International
Finalist - Effie Awards 2016
Seeing is Believing by SONY ActionCam
Client: Sony Singapore
SLT ZeroONE
SLT Zero One Awards for Digital Excellence” aims to recognize, honor and encourage excellence in digital initiatives while appreciating institutions and individuals, as well as brands in their quest for innovation.
Best Use of Mobile - 2018
Visual Merchandising (VMD) Mobile Platform for Sony. Winner in Professional service category and 1st runner up in retail category
Client: Sony Singapore
Best Digital Integrated Campaign - 2017
Seeing is Believing by SONY ActionCam
Client: Sony Singapore
Benchmark Ranked 1st in Effie Index
A metaphorical speck among the giants that are the brand guardians of the local organizations, Benchmark was yet ranked 1st in the Effie Index 2015. Managing to acquire the highest ranking among the multinational AD agencies in the country was indeed a privilege. Benchmark is glad to have achieved this with nothing more than everything they have: simplistic creativity.
Benchmark, Among the Top 20 Independent Advertising Agencies in the APAC Region
The Effie Index identifies and ranks the most effective agencies, marketers, brands, networks, and holding companies by analyzing finalist and winner data from Effie Award competitions around the world. Benchmark is thrilled to have received the honour of being placed among the top 20 independent advertising agencies in the Asia Pacific region in 2015. A significant accomplishment that showcases Benchmark’s remarkable aptitude for creating waves in the local and global advertising sphere.
Benchmark’s Award-winning Campaign Case Study "Calorie Melting Music by Extra Bass" is being Published on WARC
Warc.com is a global platform that provides advertising best practice and evidence & insight from the world's leading brands. WARC helps clients grow their businesses by using proven approaches to maximize advertising effectiveness.
‘Highly Effective Campaigns Can be Accomplished on Very Small Budgets’: LMRB Analysis on Benchmark’s Silver Effie Winning Campaign
Mango, a pen brand with a recorded market share of less than 10% managed to create brand visibility among over half a million visitors, generate over 65,000 visitor trials and garner a sale of over 35,000 pens in a span of just 9 days at the Colombo International Book Fair; an extraordinary feat that was substantially above norm. The brand's innovative approach to attracting visitors secured them a Silver medal at the Effies.
Our Method of Cultivation: Process
1
Finding the right seed
Relevant truth / insight
Digging deep into the lives of the people to analyze and understand the seeds that trigger their behaviour
2
Preparing the ground for planting
Creating platforms
After identifying the right seed we create a platform for our planning; a place where brands can build on.
3
Carefully nurturing it to become a fruit bearing tree
Content creation and distribution
Then, we apply our creativity by creating relevant content and distributing them through the most influential touch points to inspire people to simply take action
4
Reaping the harvest
Achieving Goals: Continuous learning
Carefully evaluating efforts and adjusting the cause accordingly
Our Culture:
The Ecosystem
Going Back to Zero
Going back to Zero is a programme led by Dr. Janaka Jayawickrama and is designed to boost creative thinking. This program includes activities that enable participants to see patterns in chaotic environments which result in beautiful art.
Knowledge Sharing Forums with Experts Within and Outside the Industry
Benchmark has created a platform where people from different industries and disciplines come to our boardroom to simply share their experience. It is an exercise that the Benchmark team finds extremely fascinating. The objective of this exercise is to see dots (experiences and perceptions) which enable the team to have a broader perspective when it comes to people and society.
Connecting with the Global Creative Community
Taking part in global and local advertising festivals where Benchmark employees are given the opportunity to learn by being exposed to global expertise, while building a strong network with the creative community worldwide. Benchmark takes part in global advertising festivals like Adfest, Spikes, Goafest and Cannes lions International Festival for creativity.
Finding Seeds - Kotuwen Eliyata: A Qualitative Research Program
Benchmark has designed and developed a programme titled “කොටුවෙන් එලියට”. “Kotuwen Eliyata” is carried out mainly by the brand planning and creative department to understand people all around Sri Lanka. This program allows the benchmark team to find seeds (insights) which can be converted to opportunities for brands to naturally befriend people. Benchmark carries out qualitative research programs as per the requirements of the brand.
Our Grass-root Network:
The Field
Our fields of operation include district coordinators that represent every district in the country, including the North and East. The coordinators in turn are attached to 5000 Youth clubs which are attached to the National Youth Council.
Our forest also includes, grass root NGOs, associations of cultural performers, artists, dramatists, painters, women’s organizations, youth organizations, association of disabled soldiers, farmer societies, fishery societies, the estate sector, school networks and health services. We also maintain strong relationships with local authorities (Municipal / Urban councils and Pradeshiya sabhas) and government institutions.