PATTAYA – Neil French has been awarded the Lotus Legend at ADFEST: Be Bad 2015 – a fitting result for this year’s ADFEST theme as he has been no stranger to controversy throughout his career and consistently broke down boundaries in advertising.
Angel Guerrero, owner and publisher of Adobe Magazine accepted the award on Neil’s behalf as he was unable to attend the awards presentation. Angel has known Neil since he started his career in Singapore in the 1980’s.
“Perhaps more than any other person in Asia’s advertising history Neil French has carved out that special place in popular opinion. Not always popular. But never ignored,” said Angel. “He was considered ‘the most gifted, influential, flamboyant and, at one time, the most chauvinistic man in advertising.’ Those who knew him would agree.”
A copywriter by profession, French first made his name in Singapore in the late 1970s through to the mid-1990s through his work with Ogilvy & Mather, Batey Ads and The Ball Partnership. Some of his most famous work includes campaigns for Chivas Regal, Kaminomoto Hair Tonic and XO Beer (a fake beer that was so successfully promoted in the Straits Times, that people asked to buy it in bars).
Returning to Ogilvy in 1995 as Regional Creative Director, he was named Worldwide Creative Director for the agency in 1998, rising to the same title for the WPP Group Plc (owner of Ogilvy), before he resigned in 2005.
Neil French sent a message to ADFEST delegates, saying it was “honorific to receive the award”.
And a few minutes before the award presentation, Neil sent a text message from his hospital bed which Angel relayed to the audience:
“Well the last things you would expect when you are lying on your back with a spine injury is THIS. In fact, they’ve been pumping me full of morphine so I had to check again this morning in case it was a drug-driven illusion!
It seems, bit it’s not. So it may be the committee that needs the drugs!!! However, before the effect wears off, I’ll very hurriedly accept this bizarre honor and I hope all my friend present will celebrate in my absence in the tradition and unique Thai manner.
It now dawns on me that the award is for becoming a legend which was much easier than doing an ad.
Thank you all so much.”
Lotus Legend it is given in honour of long-serving creative excellence in the region. To be considered as a recipient of the Lotus Legend, candidates must first be nominated by an ADFEST judge. Each of the 56 judges on this year’s Lotus Awards Juries was asked to put forward one contender. He or she had to be a creative leader, either previously or currently in the advertising & communication industry, who is or was active in the Asia Pacific or Middle East region. He or she must have achieved creative excellence while working in the Asia Pacific region as well as being a role model to which junior creatives aspire.
Previous Lotus Legends have been Yasmin Ahmad (2012), David Droga (2013) and Akira Kagami (2014).
