A futurist and a Death merchant will be kicking off this year’s Ad Congress, according to a speakers’ list released by the AdCon programs committee.
Plenary speakers John Naisbitt and BJ Cunningham lead this year’s speakers, aside of course from Keynote Speaker and Honorary Chair Fernando Zobel de Ayala. But whichever part of the industry you’re in, you’ll find at least one unmissable speaker from the list below. The topics are tentative, but give you an idea of which tracks to prioritize.
This early, it looks like a great way to spend four days. So if you haven’t registered yet, now’s your chance to make 7 new friends who can help you get to the AdCon for free.
PLENARY SPEAKERS:
< width="150" height="150" border="0" align="left" alt="" src=" plenary-john_naisbitt. " />Predictions for the future, post global meltdown
JOHN NAISBITT
Author, Megatrends and Megatrends 2000
The world’s leading futurist will discuss the Philippines in the context of the main developments of the first half of the 21st century. Watch for brand new insights about China, its transformation and its influence on global markets and politics.
One of only 14 nonfiction authors to have more than one book hit #1 on the NY Times bestseller list, Assistant Secretary of Education under President Kennedy and a Special Assistant to President Johnson, Naisbitt is one of the most prominent speakers ever to grace the Ad Congress. Check out www.naisbitt.com for more.
< width="150" height="150" border="0" align="right" alt="" src=" plenary-bj. " />BJ CUNNINGHAM – Branding and Brand Marketing Expert
By establishing Death Cigarettes as the “honest smoke,” BJ Cunningham proved the power of provocation and how to flip a conservative market. Main point being, authentic and powerful branding demands the truth; the future is about market depth and involvement, and not just awareness. His reputation to challenge the norms led him to set up an integrated brand marketing agency, winning clients such as Volkswagen and Nokia. A popular and dynamic speaker, BJ Cunningham is sure to be a favorite in this year’s Congress.
CREATIVE
< width="150" height="150" border="0" align="left" alt="" src=" creative-wunderman. " />Creating Conversations, not Ads
NICK MOORE – EVP/Chief Creative Officer, Wunderman
The Philippines is in for a treat: Nick will be delivering a version of his talk which was a huge hit at last year’s Cannes Lions festival.
Former Creative Director of TBWAGGT in London, together with his creative team, Nick has won a total of 80 UK and international awards. He also managed to help create the global Proximity brand, growing the agency from 80 people to 350 in five years. He has served in Cannes Lions Direct Jury and is a popular writer and lecturer. He joined Wunderman in 2006.
< width="150" height="150" border="0" align="right" alt="" src=" creative-schalit. " />The argument for CSR in a down economy
MIKE SCHALIT – Founding Partner Network BBDO
“It’s only advertising, nobody dies.” Voted South Africa’s top creative mind ten years in a row by his peers, Mike is inspired by “something that can’t or shouldn’t be done.” He shares some of his passion in the upcoming AdCon, making a case with award-winning work he has done in South Africa.
< width="150" height="150" border="0" align="left" alt="" src=" creative-fraser. " />Getting creative on digital
RICHARD FRASER – Regional Managing Director, Proximity Asia
As Proximity Asia’s regional managing director, Richard focuses on key regional clients including Pepsi, Nestle, Citibank, P&G, Aviva, Fonterra, Mercedes, HP and Friendster.
Before taking on the Asia-wide role, Richard was previously AIM Proximity’s National Planning director in New Zealand. Consistently ranked among the top 10 direct marketing agencies globally by the WON report, AIM Proximity was #2 in the world when he left in 2008.
< width="150" height="150" align="right" alt="" src=" creative-kentaro. " />Creative work that travels
KENTARO KIMURA – Co-CEO, Creative Director, & Account Planner, Hakuhodo KETTLE, Inc, Japan
Kimura first joined Hakuhodo in 1992, starting as strategic planner and later expanding to product, creative, media, and even content development. In 2006, he set up Haku-hodo Kettle, a creative agency that plans and implements innovative campaigns.
As a Creative Director, Kimura has won Golds at ADFEST, SPIKES, CLIO, and New York Art Directors’ Club, and served on the Cannes Promo Lions jury in 2007.
As an Account Planner, he has won the 2001 Grand Trophy and 2007 Gold for Advertising Marketing Effectiveness at the New York Festival.
MEDIA
< width="150" height="150" border="0" align="left" alt="" src=" media-wright. " />Creative strategic planning
TONY WRIGHT – President and CEO, LOWE Worldwide
"Tony is an exceptional talent. He has proven his ability to succeed as both a leader at top creative agencies and as an effective steward of major global brands. His intellect and rigor, as well as his energy and passion for great work, will all be valuable in restoring Lowe to its traditional place among the first rank of global creative agencies," says David Bell, Interpublic CEO and President.
Prior to joining O&M in 1995, Wright was a partner in the successful New York creative agency, Berlin Wright Cameron. From 1986 to 1992, he made his name as a planner and strategist at Chiat Day, where he is credited as the driving force behind the immensely successful "Energizer Bunny" campaign, which, true to its slogan, has kept going, and going, and going to this day.
< width="150" height="150" border="0" align="right" alt="" src=" media-glock. " />Media strategic planning
BERNHARD GLOCK – VP Global Media and Communication, P&G
As VP-global media and communications, global media purchases, Bernhard Glock is the ultimate arbiter of the $8.5 billion that P&G spent to promote its 44 brands worldwide in fiscal 2008.
The 50-year-old German national is also President of the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA). His next steps include streamlining P&G’s European media operations, putting communications planning in place globally, and pushing to improve the data upon which P&G makes its media/marketing decisions.
MARKETING
< width="150" height="150" border="0" align="left" alt="" src=" digital-mildenhall. " />Creating opportunities amidst the global crisis
JONATHAN MILDENHALL – Global Marketing Chief, Coca Cola
Jonathan started his advertising career in 1990 as a trainee at McCann-Erickson. In October 2002 he was promoted to Managing Director at TBWA/London; he left there in February 2005 for Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program. Upon graduation, Jonathan joined Mother London as Strategy Director.
In December 2006, he relocated from London to Atlanta and joined The Coca-Cola Company as Vice President-Global Advertising Strategy and Creative Excellence. Since then, campaigns from ‘Open Happiness’ to ‘The Coke Side of Life’ and TVCs like ‘Gremlins’ and the GTA-style ‘Video Game’ have put Coke back on the creative radar.
< width="150" height="150" border="0" align="right" alt="" src=" digital-fernandez. " />TONY FERNANDES – CEO, Air Asia
“Now everyone can fly.” By turning Air Asia into an international carrier, Fernandes introduced Asian budget flying as we know it today. Before Air Asia, the region had no open-skies agreements. In mid-2003, Fernandes’ lobbying pushed Dr. Mahathir to raise the idea with the leaders of Thailand, Indonesia, and Singapore — prompting those nations to grant landing rights to AirAsia and other discount carriers.
< width="150" height="150" border="0" align="left" alt="" src=" digital-agarwal. " />Marketing to today’s youth generation
SANDY AGARWAL – Director for Asia Pacific, Nokia
Who says mobile apps are only for the rich? Not Sandy Agarwal. Head of Nokia’s growing Interactive Asia Pacific operation, Agarwal was named one of the Top Ten mobiThinkers for 2009 by an industry site. In May, he launched Nokia Life Tools, an application that gave India’s farmers access to market prices of supplies and produce, weather and trade tips in several local languages. Sandy joined Nokia Interactive in October 2007, when the firm acquired mobile advertising leader Enpocket, where he was APAC managing director. Prior to that he was at Star TV (Newscorp), increasing revenues for eight Pan-Asia net-works, including ESPN, Star Sports and National Geographic.
< width="150" height="150" border="0" align="right" alt="" src=" digital-inkster. " />MARK INKSTER – GM for South East Asia, Online Services Business, Microsoft
Formerly CEO of China Cascade Interactive, Mark Inkster now manages the overall portfolio for Microsoft’s online services group. He leads the teams for Windows Live, MSN and Micro-soft Advertising across Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam. Previously, he spent nearly a decade in executive roles at Yahoo! and eBay. Inkster holds a BA from Dartmouth and an MS from Standford University.
DIGITAL
< width="150" height="150" align="left" alt="" src=" digital-vishnu. " />Creative and metrics that matter in the new social media environment
VISHNU MOHAN – CEO, Havas Digital Asia Pacific
Vishnu started out at DY&R Bombay, principally looking after Colgate Palmolive. His liking for media (and the Times crossword) led him to dual roles as an account service-cum-media professional. Vishnu continued this tradition at Saatchi & Saatchi India, where he took on New Business alongside his position as Director, Strategic Planning on P&G.
After joining Havas, by 2007 Vishnu had set up a network of 26 operations across 18 Asia-Pacific cities, covering traditional, digital and sports marketing. All report to him in his latest dual role: CEO for Havas Media in Asia Pacific, and Havas Digital Regional Manager in APAC.
< width="150" height="150" border="0" align="right" src=" digital-pezaris. " alt="" />The future of Internet and its new role in advertising and marketing
PETER PEZARIS – Founder and CEO, Multiply. COM
Many of you obsessed with social networking have this guy to thank. Having founded Multiply as an antidote to all the ‘glorified dating sites’ he saw, Pezaris is now in charge of all product development and strategic direction for the site. Multiply Philippines was launched in 2008.
Pezaris previously had another dream job: President of Operations and Product Development at CBS SportsLine.com, where he oversaw blockbuster sites like nfl.com, pgatour.com, cbs.sportsline.com, and mvp.com. Prior to that, Peter was a systems and software developer for investment firms Bankers Trust and Salomon Brothers.
< width="150" height="150" align="left" src=" digital-stewart. " alt="" />IAN STEWART – Head of Asia, Friendster
Stewart, who just took his job in May, leads Asia-Pacific business development out of Friendster’s newly bolstered Singapore office. An SVP for MTV networks until 2008, Ian has been involved with youth marketing all his life: first as a consumer, then as a student, and then working for the likes of Coca-Cola, Ogilvy, MTV, and his own youth agency Filter, which was acquired by media conglomerate Aegis.
