As Spikes and Adfest gird for battle, a smaller Asian show made its debut. AD STARS 2008, the 1st Busan International Advertising Festival, was held in October at Haeundae Beach, South Korea. The festival presents a platform for both consumers and professional advertisers to participate as competitors and judges – a marked change from existing competitions, which are open only to professional advertisers.
Exhibit categories are TV/Cinema, Radio, Print, Outdoor, Public Relations, Sales Promotion, Direct Marketing, Interactive. Entries of mixed medium (otherwise unclassifiable) were also accepted. Busan also had a separate category for Public Service Advertising. The event strives to use adver-tising as a tool to spread understanding of cultural diversity. Other than profit-hungry machinery, the thrust is to create innovative advertising to improve humanity.
Marketed as “the first international convergence awards for both online and off-line advertising,” Busan started accepting entries in June 2008. Online entries closed in September, while off-line closed a month later. On its initial effort, Busan International Advertising Festival garnered 3,105 entries from 29 countries.
While the organization was unusual, Busan’s winners echoed those of other festivals. Grand win-ners included Malaysian entries Wheelchair (Public Service), and Jeep Husky and Camel. Other Jeep campaigns won gold and silver. Thailand’s Yellow Pages won gold. China’s much awarded Adidas Olympic campaign won several gold, silver and bronze awards. India’s entries for Luxor highlighters (Hitler, Chaplin and Che) all won silver.
Fresh from its initial success, entries for 2009 may now be posted until August 10, 2009 via www.adstarsfestival.org. All finalist original ads must be received in Busan by September 30, 2009.
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