MARCH 18, 2013 – The sunny beaches of Pattaya, Thailand are the host for this year’s Adfest. Taking up two levels of the Pattaya Exhibition and Convention Hall (PEACH), the beach resort town welcomed nearly 2000 delegates, including agency heads, practitioners and students.
Delegates spent most of the morning mingling with their international counterparts and perusing the various exhibits of nominated work and assorted booths laid out throughout the convention center.
The first session of the day got the Festival off to a good start, with the Gunn Report’s Donald Gunn and Emma Wilkie presenting the cream of the crop from their latest annual edition. “Adding up ad show results is not a frivolous endeavor,” said Gunn, who noted a clear correlation between awarded work and effectiveness.
Special mention was made of Hakuhodo and BBDO for their consistently good showings in international awards shows over the years. “Obviously,” said Gunn, with a twinkle in his eye, ‘The work, the work, the work,’ beats, ‘the meetings, the meetings,’ or, ‘the politics, the politics, the politics.’”
Following Gunn was the irrepressible Tony Hertz, the man who, having on a Black Pencil for his work in radio, continues to champion the cause of the venerable medium.
After lunch, Marihiko Hasebe of Hakuhodo Inc. ascended the stage to cite the need to foster a culture of creativity in the workplace, a sentiment echoed later in more whimsical fashion later on by Lowe Philippines’’ Leigh Reyes, who took obvious delight in sharing some of the more eclectic items that can be bought on the internet.
D&AD CEO Tim Lindsay was up next, who shared the mindset and rationale that led to the creation of D&AD’s ‘White Pencil’, a concerted effort to reward work that went far beyond the boundaries of “mere” CSR. Lindsay then proceeded to screen two case studies from the Philippines that he believed fit the bill perfectly, namely, ‘Project EDSA’ for Boysen KNOxOUT by TBWASMP and ‘Tiger Energy Playground’ by Ace Saatchi and Saatchi for Tiger Energy Biscuits.
“First Boysen, now Tiger Energy Playground, also from the Philippines. There’s obviously something going on in that country,” said Lindsay.
Reinvention was on the table for the last speakers of the day, Tribal DDB Asia Pacific’s Patrick Rona and Jeff Cheong, who shared the importance of constant reinvention – especially for established brands – to stay relevant in the age of social media. Case studies shared included Singapore’s Brands Essence of Chicken, which used 21st century energy monitors to show consumers the product’s effects on their brain functions, and Oreo’s too-good-to-be-true stab at Superbowl advertising immortality, when they declared to the world, during the blackout that nearly crippled the most recent Superbowl, that their cookies could even be dunked in the dark. Brilliant!
A welcome party ended the day, where delegates let their hair down for a good ol’ time that faced unfortunate technical difficulty when the beer ran out around 11pm.
According to festival president Jimmy Lam at the Juries press conference the next day, lack of alcohol would not be an issue at the remaining after parties. When speaking on the difference between Adfest and other festivals was, Lam said, “What makes Adfest so different is that we are the most open.”
Now that is something we will most definitely raise our glass to.
Bring on Day 2!
adobo Magazine’s editor-in-chief Angel Guerrero and managing editor Mikhail Lecaros are on hand at Adfest 2013 to provide firsthand coverage of the Festival as it happens.
Photo: Hertz:Radio’s Tony Hertz talks about the secrets (by the way, he says there are none) of creative radio advertising at Adfest 2013.
