MxMIndia

Tag: ADFEST

  • Digital, Technology Health & Sustainable Development

    Abby Awards adds new categories in 2024

    ABBY Awards powered by One Show in 2024 continues to stay connected with global festivals like The One Show, Cannes, and ADFEST by adding categories that are trending in the world.

    Introduction of Best Use of AI sub-category, keeping in mind the trending subject of the year, has been added in both Digital and Technology Verticals.

    Copywriting for web and digital craft has been added in Still Digital and Digital Verticals.

    With the growth in Health and Wellness communication, a new vertical called Health has been added this year with sub-categories like OTC Oral Medicines, OTC Products, Nutraceuticals among others. A new specialist agency award being introduced is Health Specialist of the Year for the best performance by a company in this vertical.

    Red Abby has introduced Sustainable Development and Meaningful Practices to cover Climate Action, and Responsible Consumption.

    Green Abby which covers planet conservation has added Life on Land to cover protection of forests and prevention of ecological destruction.

    Commenting on the new categories, Ajay Kakar, Chairman of the ABBY Awards powered by One Show 2024, said: “The world around us is changing by the day, and the Abby awards are at the forefront of reflecting these changes. And this year is no exception. Be it in or within categories like Digital, Mobile and Technology. Or the introduction of a Health category. Every year we start the Abby journey by first engaging with the industry stalwarts, informally, to listen to the changes, suggestions and asks. The changes in the categories that have been introduced this year are thanks to these rich engagements.”

    Dheeraj Sinha, Co-chair of ABBY Awards powered by One Show 2024, added: “Health is a growing business in communication and it is fitting to now have an entire vertical dedicated to it. Advertising with a purpose and a social message has now gathered steam and the Green Abby and Red Abby are adding sub-categories in Forest Conservation , Sustainable Development and Meaningful Practices.”

  • It's the first festival of the year and Asia's most celebrated regional creative festival, writes Sanjeev Kotnala

    What makes Adfest Pattaya a must-visit

     

     

    By Sanjeev Kotnala

     

    Sanjeev KotnalaOther than the last edition, I have attended every edition GoaFest and yet I favour Adfest Pattaya. It is the first festival of the year and Asia’s most celebrated regional creative festival. One of the eight regional creative festivals in the WARC 100 Creative ranking that reflects the fast-changing face of the creative, marketing and production industry.

     

    The 2023 edition of Adfest with the theme “Rise” was held between March 23 and 25, 2023 at the regular venue, the Pattaya Exhibition Hall (Peach), at the Royal Cliff Hotels Group, Pattaya. And if one is to see the Winner Showcase, one would realise the extent of technology usage and integration in advertising and communication in every form and format.

     

    WINNER SHOWCASE

    Post the festival, AdFest Pattaya has the winner showcase on its site. Where all the winners’ entries AV, film and board, are easily accessible with complete details. A few of the creatives are not showcased because the client has barred them due to some copyright issues.

    I have thoroughly enjoyed my Wednesday watching the winner showcase. I would recommend everyone interested in the field to see the brilliant work showcased there. Some of the brilliant work where technology and accessibility played a major role- reflecting the change and trend included Tiger Beer, Unbranded Menu of McDonalds, Consent – partnering to showcase lack of consent, Closeup- city of love, Crazy Bundy Mixes, Shizuoka Model City, Toyota Voice Watch, Adidas – Ravi limited edition and the print special- the Annhaar Newspaper election edition that never got printed. Watch all these and more at the winner showcase.

     

    JURY INSIGHT SESSIONS

    One of the things that makes it endearing is the 45-minute breakout stage sessions of Jury Insight. Where delegates can listen first-hand to in-depth and freeform discussions with some Lotus Awards juries across panels and learn the secrets of what makes some works great.

     

    ADFEST PATTAYA CONNECT

    AdFest Connect APP is another tool that encourages and facilitates networking and interaction. It shows every delegate’s name, position, company, city, and country unless they have chosen not to be part of the AdFest Connect. It does not divulge the email addresses but facilitates the initial email sending unless opted out by the delegate. It is just a connecting tool and does not guarantee a response.

     

    WORKSHOP AND INDUSTRY SESSIONS

    There are industry-specific learning sessions needing pre-registration and with limited seats. This is no different from other festival programs. Still, they seem more relevant and industry-inclusive, like the World Producers Summit – a forum for production company owners and stakeholders to gather and discuss specific issues encountered as the industry evolves and globalises. This forum is a unique opportunity to gain valuable insights and learn possible solutions to current and emerging business challenges. Sessions like ‘Creativity for Mobile-first-era, ‘Step into AR and Reels’ and ‘CG Metahumans And The Infinite New Frontier Of Communication.’

     

    DIVERSIFIED JURY PANELS.

    The eight jury panels mostly follow the 8 Jury and 1 Jury president format. Interestingly, the panels are highly diversified in terms of agency and geographical representation and do not show any gender skew. There were 57 Jury members representing 18 cities at AdFest Pattaya 2023.

     

    ADFEST PATTAYA EVOLVING WITH TIME.

    The AdFest Pattaya has been evolving with time. There are, in total, 20 awards categories other than special awards. This time round, ‘The Commerce Lotus’, formerly the eCommerce Lotus, expands to include offline commerce in addition to eCommerce to celebrate creative and innovative solutions that enhance the consumer experience at source and drive business sales. The Digital amd Social Lotus, formerly Digital Lotus, introduces various new sub-categories to reflect the fast-changing landscape of the digital world and social media. And PR Agency of the Year was added to the Special Awards line-up like Network, Independent Agency, Digital Agency, Media Agency, Production Company and Advertiser of the Year. In addition, the scoring criteria were updated.

     

    YOUNG LOTUS.

    On the lines of Cannes Young Loins, AdFest Pattaya also has a young Lotus workshop before the festival, and 2 participants selected through local regional representation represent each region. AAA India partners AdFest Pattaya to choose the Young Lotus representative from India.

     

    ARCHIVES AND ENTRIES.

    All delegates have access to the AdFest Pattaya Archives, the winner showcase and the selected programme showcase. A brilliant resource that allows delegates to search and learn. And as a practice, AdFest Pattaya has a well-organised display of entries.

     

    DELEGATE FEES ARE A BIT OF AN ISSUE FOR INDIAN DELEGATES.

    The delegate Fee of Thai Bhaht 35K (83.5K INR) for the full, Thai Bhaht 22.5K (54K INR) for Young and Thai Bhaht 17.5K (42 K INR) for Students is a bit steep as there is an additional cost of travel and stay that could be approximately INR 60K including return airfare.

     

    NET-NET.

    Adfest Pattaya, the regional Creativity festival, is a recommended adfest. Though a bit costly, it is still manageable for young, under-30s, with early planning. India had 30 winners at AdFest Pattaya 2023, but not many delegates.

     

  • It will call for entries in October 2022

    Adfest 2023 returns to Pattaya

    By Our Staff

     

    Adfest, the regional creative festival, has announced that it will be return to its customary home in Pattaya, Thailand. Adfest 2023 will be a 3-day festival held from Thursday 23 –  Saturday 25 March 2023 at the Pattaya Exhibition and Convention Hall (PEACH), Royal Cliff Beach Hotel. It will call for entries in October 2022.

     

    Said Vinit Suraphongchai, Chairman of Adfest: “Now with international travel restrictions being lifted and more and more people having been vaccinated, we feel it is safe for our delegates to finally join us in sunny Pattaya once again for a few days of learning exposure, inspiration and relaxation. It’s been a long time coming and we can’t wait to welcome you all with open arms. More details will be announced in the coming months, but please save the date to celebrate our return with us.”

     

  • Santosh 'Paddy' Padhi to lead agency, but the creative shop will miss the energy of its co-founder

    Life after Agnello Dias for Taproot

     

     

    By Our Staff

     

    His exit has been rumoured for a while now. But denied, declined and even rubbished. We were told that he has moved to a larger group-level role, as creative chairman of the Dentsu group in India.

     

    Which wasn’t untrue. But it was the beginning of a long road to the end of a relationship with Dentsu. Dias, better known as Aggi or Aggie, will continue with the agency until the end of this month (June 2021).

     

    And after that? Well, he will be a consultant on a few brands, one of which is Airtel. And what else? Nothing for the moment that has been announced.

     

    But first the news: Taproot Dentsu has announced key leadership changes as it gears up to get future-ready. Ayesha Ghosh, who had been heading the Mumbai office, has now been appointed as Chief Executive Officer (CEO). She will be responsible for both Mumbai and Gurugram offices. Ghosh has been with Taproot Dentsu since December 2015.

     

    Partnering her closely will be Shashank Lanjekar. He has been elevated to the role of Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) and will now be in charge of strategic planning for both the Taproot Dentsu offices in Mumbai and Gurugram. Thus far, he had been heading planning for the Mumbai office, ever since he joined in 2017. His ability to go deep and yet have an intuitive touch has helped give birth to some memorable campaigns.

     

    Pearl Vas, who has been with the agency since 2018, takes on more independent responsibilities in Mumbai. She will now be promoted to Senior Vice President (SVP), Strategic Planning.

     

    Meanwhile, under the overall creative leadership of Santosh ‘Paddy’ Padhi, Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer (CCO) – Taproot Dentsu, the creative team for the Mumbai office has been expanded and divided into four units, each to be headed by a senior creative person. Neeraj Kanitkar, with an experience of 14 years (nine of those in Taproot Dentsu), is the creative lead for Facebook for which he has won the agency awards at Spikes and AdFest. He has also worked on significant brands like WhatsApp, Myntra, American Tourister and FirstPost.  He will be promoted to Executive Creative Director (ECD). Yogesh Rijhwani has been with the agency for close to five years with a total experience of 13 years. He has been handling Aquaguard and Set Wet. He has also worked on Star Sports, Airtel, Parle-G among others. He too will be promoted to ECD.

     

    The other two senior creative leads will be Abhishek Deshwal and Purva Ummat. Abhinav Kaushik, who was Executive Vice President (EVP) on the Honda business among other brands, has been promoted to Head – Taproot Dentsu, Gurgaon while Titus Upputuru remains very ably in charge of creative for the Gurugram office. The other news is that veteran agencyperson Umesh Shrikhande retired as CEO in March this year.

     

    Santosh Padhi or Paddy will continue as Co-Founder and CCO and will have a more hands-on role in both Mumbai and Delhi offices. According to our sources, Taproot Dentsu will, for all practical purposes, be led by him.

     

    Dias began his advertising career in 1989 and after working with agencies like Dart, Interpub, Lowe and Leo Burnett, he joined JWT in 2005 where rose to become the Chief Creative Officer. Soon JWT India was ranked India’s No. 1 creative agency in the Campaign Brief rankings for Asia. Then he made history by winning India’s first-ever Grand Prix at Cannes and the first-ever Titanium-Integrated Lion, with JWT India not only being the network’s top performer but also returning the best ever performance by an Indian advertising agency at the festival.

     

    His name features in almost every award catalogue – from our homegrown Abby and Kyoorius to Cannes Lions, D&AD, One Show, Clio, AdFest, London International Advertising Awards, etc. The list is loooong.

     

    Taproot, which was then not acquired by Dentsu, was ranked among the world’s Top 20 independent agencies besides being crowned Asia-Pacific Agency of the Year. In 2013 Taproot India also became the Asia-Pacific Agency of the Year at Spikes Asia.

     

    Nine years back, Dias was ranked amongst the World’s 100 most Creative People by Fast Company magazine in the US. So what about Life after Aggie for Taproot. Well, it is, like as one friend of the agency said, the roots have been extracted. While Paddy stays on, we all know what Aggie brought into the system. It was not just creation. It was intensity, conviction and much passion.”

     

    In an industry dominated by some of the big agencies like Ogilvy, Lowe Lintas, McCann and some others, Aggie brought in some amazing energy into his advertising. Whether it was the advertising for Airtel or for The Times of India and Mumbai Mirror, he produced some really memorable work. The kind that hasn’t been seen for a while in Indian advertising, Taproot included.

     

    There are many who say that Aggie needn’t work given the monies he earned after selling Taproot to Densu (with Paddy), but, as some of his friends tell us, that’s unfair. “Knowing Aggie, he’s going to not stop working and dreaming up new ideas for advertisers.” There were rumours of his looking at some feature film projects, but that we are told have faded away. “There was just this much he could’ve done at Taproot after selling out to Dentsu. He will reinvent himself and come up with something as refreshing as before,” the friend added.

     

    Meanwhile, for Taproot Dentsu, while Agnello Dias will continue to be around consulting for a few of its prized accounts which are possibly with the agency thanks to him, it will be interesting to see the kind of business it generates and retains in the immediate future. What we do know that co-founder Santosh ‘Paddy’ Padhi is fairly aggressive in his approach and will try his bestest to ensure the news doesn’t impact the agency’s fortunes.

     

    Clearly the next few months should see some activity for both Taproot and Agnello Dias.

  • Joshi is the only Indian jury president at Adfest 2019

    Prasoon Joshi to be jury prez at Adfest 2019

    By A Correspondent

     

    Adfest has announced that Prasoon Joshi, CEO and Chief Creative Officer of McCann Worldgroup India and Chairman of McCann Worldgroup Asia Pacific, will be Jury President at Adfest 2019 for the Audio Lotus and Film Lotus categories. Joshi is the only Indian jury president at Adfest 2019 (to be held in Thailand from March 20 to 23).

     

    Said Joshi: “I’m delighted to be overseeing two of Adfest’s most intriguing categories: Audio, which in the midst of a major revival, and Film, which reflects the richness of local cultures in the Asia Pacific and Middle East regions. ADFEST is one of my favourite shows and a proud advocate of creativity that’s inspired by local insights – it will be an honour to return to Thailand next March.”

     

    Added Jimmy Lam, President of Adfest: “Prasoon completes a truly magnificent line-up of Jury Presidents for Adfest 2019. He played a huge role in putting India on the map creatively by creating defining work for mainstream brands that combines deep local insights with a global understanding. Time and again his work has infiltrated and inspired India’s popular culture. We are humbled that Prasoon is taking time away from his many responsibilities at McCann to join our Jury Presidents at Adfest 2019.”

     

     

  • ‘Coz he’s appointed Jury Prez of Outdoor & Press categories at Adfest 2018, which runs from March 21 to 24 in Thailand

    So why’s Santosh Paddy going to Pattaya in March? Massages? Happy…?

    By A Correspondent

     

    Santosh Paddy

    Sorry, but we were just being a little cheeky with a communique we received from the Adfest Press Office. Our very own Santosh Padhi, better known as Santosh Paddy, or just Paddy, Chief Creative Officer and Co-Founder of Taproot Dentsu has been appointed Jury President of the Outdoor Lotus and Press Lotus jury at Adfest. Which happens from March 21 to 24 in Pattaya, Thailand.

     

    So he may well go for a ‘maalish’ or two while in Pattaya, but what we will definitely be seeking is the ‘messages’ in the creatives he and his juries will consider. And all of which leading to Happy Endings (or Beginnings) for the entrants!!!

     

    “It’s always a privilege to be associated with Adfest, a festival I love more than most other shows. Nothing can get better than this – I’m a passionate print lover and to lead two of my favourite categories is a real pleasure. I’m delighted and looking forward to taking this opportunity forward,” said Padhi. Hmmm.

     

    Added Jimmy Lam, Adfest President: “In recent years, I have seen Paddy collect so many trophies and achieve so many successes as the founder of Taproot Dentsu. It is truly an honour to welcome one of our favourite friends back to Adfest to lead two categories that he has well and truly mastered,”.

     

    The 2018 Adfest Lotus Awards are open for entries until Jan 12 (remote categories only) or Jan 19.

     

     

  • McCann India bagged a Grande for its entry Dead Hours by Nescafe in the Promo Lotus category

    McCann wins big at Adfest, bags sole Grande for Nescafe

    By A Correspondent

     

    McCann Worldgroup India dominates Adfest 2017 with a Grande Lotus, two golds, one silver and four bronze at the Adfest 2017 Awards held in Pattaya Thailand. McCann is the only agency from India to win a Grande in 2017.

     

    Adfest announced the winners for all the categories and McCann India bagged a Grande for its entry Dead Hours by Nescafe in the Promo Lotus category, the same campaign won a Gold in Radio and Silver in Direct Lotus category. The campaign for Dettol titled Germbursters won a Gold in the Media category.

     

    The Dancing Letters campaign done for Maharashtra Dyslexia Association won a Bronze in Design Lotus category and Pet Adoption campaign titled Cat, Dog & Rabbit for World for All won two bronze in Outdoor and Press Lotus. The campaign titled Paresh for Ixigo won a bronze in the radio category.

     

    Commenting on the win, Prasoon Joshi CEO and Chief Creative Officer McCann India said: “We at McCann have a worldwide culture of great creative work and we are really proud of the work we have done on Dettol and Nescafe. This was only possible because of great team work and the trust our client partners have in us.”

     

  • ADFEST 2016 will run from 16th to 19th March at the Royal Cliff Hotels Group in Pattaya, Thailand

    Adfest announces jurors from 18 cities worldwide

    By A Correspondent

     

    ADFEST has announced that some of the world’s most celebrated creative professionals will be joining as jurors including 57 professionals from 18 cities: Auckland, Bangkok, Beijing, Beirut, Colombo, Dubai, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Melbourne, Mumbai, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney, Taipei and Tokyo.

     

    The jury panel for Film & Radio Lotus inlcude:

    – Ben Welsh, Creative Chairman, Asia, M&C Saatchi, Sydney (Jury President)

    – Erick Rosa, Executive Creative Director, MullenLowe Singapore, Singapore

    – Jennifer Hu, Chief Creative officer, Ogilvy & Mather Taiwan, Taipei

    – Joo Yu Kyung, Creative Director, Innocean Worldwide, Seoul

    – Malek Ghorayeb, Regional Executive Creative Director, Leo Burnett MENA, Beirut

    – Santi Suwanvalaikorn, Founder & Executive Creative Director, Youngsanti, Bangkok

    – Yoshimitsu Sawamoto, Executive Creative Director, Dentsu Inc., Tokyo

     

    The jury panel for Design Lotus & Print Craft Lotus:  

     

    – Yoshihiro Yagi, Creative Director, Dentsu Inc., Tokyo (Jury President)

    – Chutivat Cherdchoo, Executive Creative Director, Visionary Group, Bangkok

    – Guy Venables, Founder, GUY>ENABLES, Sydney

    – Ivan Hadywibowo, Chief Creative Officer, J. Walter Thompson, Jakarta

    – Sanket Pathare, Senior Creative Director, McCann Erickson India, Mumbai

    – Sing Lin, Creative Director & Partner, BeWater, Shanghai

    – Trevor Kennedy, Chief Creative Officer, Leo Burnett Solutions GROUP, Colombo

     

    The jury panel for Media Lotus, Branded Entertainment Lotus & Content Lotus:

    – Josy Paul, Chairman & Chief Creative Officer, BBDO India, Mumbai (Jury President)

    – Darren Watson, Executive Creative Director – APAC, FITCH, Singapore

    – Evan Teng, Managing Director, J. Walter Thompson Taiwan, Taipei

    – Georg Warga, Creative Director, Filmmaker & Founder, GOODSTEIN, Shanghai

    – Patrick Baron, Executive Creative Director, McCann Melbourne, Melbourne

    – Sarnchatt Chansrakao, Managing Director, Dentsu Media Thailand, Bangkok

    – Sokichi Nakazawa, Executive Manager of Data Driven Media Marketing Center, Hakuhodo DY Media Partners Inc., Tokyo

     

    The jury panel for Promo Lotus and Effective Lotus:

    – Chris Chiu, Singapore (Jury President)

    – Anu Joseph, Executive Creative Director, Creativeland Asia Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai

    – Dani Richa, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, BBDO MENA, Pakistan & Africa, Dubai

    – Eric Cruz, Executive Creative Director, AKQA Shanghai, Shanghai

    – Jeff Ma, Marketing Vice President, Greater China, The Woolmark Company, Shanghai

    – Joyce Deng, Marketing Vice President, Yintai Yushen Business Management Co., Ltd., Beijing

    – Tara Ford, Creative Director, Whybin\TBWA Group, Melbourne

     

    The jury panel for Integrated Lotus, INNOVA Lotus and Lotus Roots:

    – Jeremy Craigen, Global Chief Creative Officer, Innocean Worldwide, Seoul ( Jury President)

    – Ben Welsh, Creative Chairman, Asia, M&C Saatchi, Sydney

    – Chee Keong (CK) Tan, Group Executive Creative Director, Ogilvy & Mather Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur

    – Chris Chiu, Singapore

    – Josy Paul, Chairman & Chief Creative Officer, BBDO India, Mumbai

    – Richard Yu, Chief Creative Officer & China Network Creative Consultant, ADK Taiwan, Taipei

    – Sihabutr Xoomsai, Film Director, Triton Film, Bangkok

    – Valerie Cheng, Head of Creative Shop, Southeast Asia, Facebook, Singapore

    – Yoshihiro Yagi, Creative Director, Dentsu Inc., Tokyo

     

    “Our jurors arrived in Thailand yesterday to begin debating this year’s entries. It is now their responsibility to choose the work that is driving our industry forward, we’d like to thank them for the hard work they will perform over the next few days,” says ADFEST President Jimmy Lam.

     

    ADFEST 2016 will run from 16th to 19th March at the Royal Cliff Hotels Group in Pattaya, Thailand.

     

  • As Chairman and Chief Creative Officer at BBDO India, Paul is ranked among the 10 most influential people in Indian advertising, according to a nationwide survey conducted by The Economic Times

    Josy Paul to head Jury for Media Lotus and Branded Content & Entertainment Lotus at ADFEST

    By A Correspondent

     

    Josy Paul

    ADFEST has announced Josy Paul as Jury President, Media Lotus and Branded Content & Entertainment Lotus.

     

    As Chairman and Chief Creative Officer at BBDO India, Paul is ranked among the 10 most influential people in Indian advertising, according to a nationwide survey conducted by The Economic Times.

     

    He set up BBDO India from the backseat of his car in 2008, but since then has built the agency into one of the region’s most impactful creative businesses, pioneering the rise of brand movements in the belief that India needs more “acts, not ads”.

     

    “It is a huge privilege to be selected to lead this prestigious Jury, working alongside the industry’s most respected and awarded creatives. There are agencies in Asia and the Middle East that are leading the world when it comes to producing brave, impactful media concepts and branded content. I live by the mantra ‘Think like the navy, deliver like pirates’, which means I’ll be looking for work that is both strategic and powerfully executed. It’s going to be a lot of fun debating the industry’s best ideas,” says Paul.

     

    Paul’s commitment to working with brands to positively influence life for Indian audiences led him to being named Campaign’s ‘Creative Person of the Year’ for India and South Asia in 2012, and again in 2015. Last year, Paul and his team won the inaugural Glass Lion Grand Prix at Cannes, as well as a Gold Glass Lion for P&G’s Ariel. He also won the inaugural Black Lion at Cannes for Creative Effectiveness in 2011.

     

    “Josy has led the way in India as a creative professional who is determined to make the world a better place through impactful branded content and creativity. It will be an honor to welcome him to Thailand in March,” says Jimmy Lam, ADFEST President.

     

    Before founding BBDO India, Paul was the National Creative Director of JWT. In 2000, he also created and set up an agency called ‘David’ for Ogilvy.

     

    ADFEST 2016 runs from 16th – 19th March at the Royal Cliff Hotels Group in Pattaya, Thailand.

     

  • Sanjeev Kotnala@Adfest: 20 Learnings from the Jury on How to Be Bad Enough

    By Sanjeev Kotnala


    Here is a summary of what the Jury at ADFEST 2015 PATTAYA said they were looking, wishing and at times missing. In simple terms in addition to being the bravest, smartest pieces of communication here are the 19 pointers for you to work on.

    1. The ultimate winners come from answering some simple questions. Which one had the biggest impact? What’s the contribution these ideas have to society? What is pushing the industry forward?

    2. Stop seeing mobile (or any emerging media) as a last-minute add-on.

    3. Designs not only needs to be pleasing to the eye but also must stimulate the mind by making you think, look twice or imagine.

    4. The best design idea might not be the loudest or the coolest, but it should be the most memorable, and it should be built to last.

    5. You will fail as a designer if you don’t build to last.

    6. Direct marketing has moved into new spheres, with a lot of new platforms and technologies. Develop ideas that are targeted, contextual and that evoke a direct response, rather than simply trying to use the latest tool.

    7. Do not simply follow tried and tested formulas.

    8. Work stands out when it is very different in thinking and is well executed. The most insightful pieces not only connect well with the audience but also are lauded by the jury.

    9. To succeed and be appreciated, always start with a strong, unique insight.

    10. The era of advertising as an awareness-building industry is over. The role is now much bigger. Question- what solutions are we providing? What actions are we encouraging people to take?

    11. Jury tries to look a work that is making a contribution to brands, to customers and to society at large.

    12. Do not force the use of technology. The best pieces are simple. There the technology is a tool that seamlessly supports an idea, rather than being the idea.

    13. Now, in the digital age, scam ads are about going to charities and promising them a wonderful idea with no long-term interest in the charity. If you’re going to do charity work for awards, make it meaningful. Otherwise it’s morally corrupt. Jury tries to award a work that is genuinely effective and created for genuine clients.

    14. Everything can be a medium now. But what it takes to succeed is the ability to use the medium to connect the brand to the consumer in a relevant way in bold new ways.

    15. Good branded content and entertainment pieces have to be entertaining and engaging in their own right, even if the brand is not prominently featured.

    16. The best pieces of work are not just immensely entertaining to watch, but also brings the audience closer to the brand.

    17. The more media channels diversify, the more overlap we will see the art is to ensure that every utilized media channels in innovative, targeted ways.

    18. Demonstrate an unexpected solution to an expected problem.

    19. The winning work is always distinctively inspired in and by the cultures in which they originate and address.

    20. The Jury must kick itself into asking: why the hell I have not done this.

    Various jury members contributed learning in this list. They comprise Bechara Mouzannar, Chief Creative Officer for Leo Burnett MENA, Beruit. Charles Cadell, Asia Pacific President of McCann Worldgroup Asia Pacific, Singapore. Mitsuyuki Nakayama, President of Dentsu Media Southeast Asia and CEO of Dentsu Media (Thailand). Norman Tan, North Asia Chief Creative Officer & China Chairman for JWT, Shanghai. Pum Lefebure, Co-Founder & Chief Creative Officer of Design Army, Washington DC. Rei Inamoto, Worldwide Chief Creative Officer of AKQA, New York & Global. Sonal Dabral, Chairman & Chief Creative Officer of DDB Mudra Group

     

     

    Sanjeev Kotnala is Head Catalyst at Intradia and believes the best way forward for an organisation is to enhance its interanal team’s potential and capabilities instead of depending on external resources. He is a Management, Marketing and Braand consultant and conducts specialised workshops in the area of IDEATION (Harvest and Liberate) and Innovation (InNoWait). To contact email sanjeev@intradia.in  or tweet at s_kotnala visit www.intradia.in  www.sanjeevkotnala.com.

     

  • The theme BE BAD represents a dedication by creative professionals everywhere to produce great ideas that stretch boundaries and buck trends.

    Sanjeev Kotnala @ Adfest: India not Bad enough as Pattayafest kicks off

    By Sanjeev Kotnala

     

    Adfest 2015 started today in right earnest in Pattaya with the objective of celebrating and raising the standards of creativity. The theme BE BAD  represents a dedication by creative professionals everywhere to produce great ideas that stretch boundaries and buck trends. One must give credit to the organisers for taking that to heart with a ‘street graffiti’ style design using corrugated metal sheeting and spray paint around the event location . The Adfest 2015 icon, designed by Maud in Sydney, brings ‘Be Bad’ to life by showing that rewriting the rules can deliver surprising great  results. It will be interesting to watch how the 38 invited speakers integrate the “Be Bad” theme into the content for their sessions. If they are successful; in driving home the point it will be just great.

     

    As with any of the festivals the buzz centres around the LOTUS awards, where India hasn’t reported many shortlists. On the evenings of Friday March 20 and Saturday, March 21, the results will be announced and awards presented. This year, there are 18 different awards categories being judged, as well as Special Awards. One new Lotus Award category is announced this year for Branded Content and Entertainment. There are more than 3200 entries vying for the Lotuses this year with 56 judges, including 8 Jury Presidents from 19 different cities invited to join Jimmy Lam, President of Adfest and guardian of the Lotus Awards.

     

  • This year's program features some of the world's great creatives such as R/GA's Global Chief Creative Officer, Nick Law; AKQA's Chief Creative Officer Rei Inamoto; Design Army's Co-Founder & Chief Creative Officer Pum Lefebure; and Hollywood actor/producer Paul J. Alessi

    Adfest announces speaker line-up

    By A Correspondent

     

    ADFEST has unveiled its line-up of Speaker Sessions for 2015, and this year’s program features some of the world’s great creatives such as R/GA’s Global Chief Creative Officer, Nick Law; AKQA’s Chief Creative Officer Rei Inamoto; Design Army’s Co-Founder & Chief Creative Officer Pum Lefebure; and Hollywood actor/producer Paul J. Alessi.

     

    A few sessions include ‘How to make a brand bad-ass’ by R/GA’s Global Chief Creative Officer, Nick Law; The Gunn report 2014; Circle of trust by brand strategist Sidharth Loyal; We will fix it in post by Juice., Warsaw & Wroclaw; Bad is bad by Chung Su Ko of Cheil Worldwide; ROI of the bad: do shocking ads really work? By Hando Sinisalu, CEO of Tallinn, Estonia; Be bad – a technologist’s guide to breaking creative rules by Proximity Singapore; and Young Lotus 2015 Fresh Blood among others.