MANILA, PHILIPPINES – Creativity knows no boundaries, as proven by Peter Khoury, Chief Creative Officer of TBWA\APAC, who has executed successful campaigns without massive budgets. For him, “big ideas don’t need big budgets.”
During his talk at CreativeFest 2025, held at The Fifth at Rockwell in Makati City on May 9, 2025, Peter — who hails from Johannesburg, South Africa — noted that the Philippines faces similar challenges to his home country, including corruption, infrastructure issues, and economic disparities.
Despite these existing problems, Peter emphasized the importance of “hacking the system” to find innovative ways to get things done.
“If you really think about it, we can do anything. The work that we do can take on any shape. Whatever the brief says, you can challenge it. You have permission to do so, because sometimes the question that’s being asked isn’t the perfect question, and you can reframe the question by giving it a better answer,” Peter said.
Today’s saturated landscape
Peter highlighted the reality of today’s saturated media landscape, where brands are not just competing with each other, but also with everything in culture — movies, music videos, memes, and viral moments. Many brands have shifted from traditional advertising to content that pulls people in rather than just getting the message across.
Peter explained that at TBWA, they embrace a “beta mindset,” constantly experimenting, learning from failures, and striving to improve.
You don’t need a big budget if your idea is big enough
One powerful example he gave was India, a country that managed to outshine many first-world nations at Cannes Lions with several Grand Prix wins, despite smaller budgets. Many of the winning pieces were driven by social causes and big ideas, demonstrating the power of creativity in the face of financial limitations.
“They outshone so many first world countries with all the biggest budgets that you can possibly get, with a plethora of work that was really big ideas, hacking the system, small budgets,” Peter said.
The main takeaway? Understand the culture. Peter encouraged the audience to be “more Filipino” and embrace the challenges that come with it, using them as fuel for more impactful and locally relevant creative work. Because at the end of the day, you don’t need a big budget if your idea is big enough.
An impactful campaign
Peter went on to share some of the work he’s done over the years, including the “Wimpy Braille Burger” campaign.
The South African fast food chain Wimpy wanted visually impaired customers to know that their restaurants offered braille menus. However, traditional television advertising or even digital banners weren’t effective for this market. As Executive Creative Director at the time, Peter and his team came up with a creative solution.
With the help of chefs, they formed braille in burger buns using meticulously placed sesame seeds that spelled out messages like “100% Pure Beef Burger Made For You.”
They gave 15 visually impaired people the burgers and filmed their reactions, resulting in a three-minute video that amassed millions of views. The campaign was a resounding success, delivering their message to over 800,000 visually impaired South Africans.
The budget? Only $302.
Peter’s work is a powerful reminder that creativity and the hard work you put in aren’t defined by the size of the budget, but by the boldness of the ideas behind it. As he put it, it’s all about “hacking the system” and focusing more on culture — embracing the challenges of the environment and understanding the people you’re trying to reach.
In the world of creativity, it’s not just about how much money you have, but how far you can take your ideas.
adobo Magazine is the official media partner of CreativeFest 2025 and the 17th Kidlat Awards.
