COLOMBO, SRI LANKA — Sri Lanka’s advertising industry experienced an unprecedented surge of inspiration as the Four A’s Advertising Festival kicked off on the May 30-31, welcoming over 650 participants. Hosted at Taj Samudra, Colombo, and powered by Unilever Sri Lanka and globally connected by Sri Lankan Airlines, the event featured 13 sessions by global creative speakers, each bringing a wealth of expertise to the stage.
The festival provided a platform for groundbreaking ideas and set a new benchmark for creative training in Sri Lanka’s advertising industry.
Creative and advertising leaders took the stage, offering insightful and introspective talks and thought-provoking panel discussions on bolstering creativity, the impact of tech, and more. Tay Guan Hin, Creative Chairman of BBDO Singapore, kicked off the first day of the festival with a very interactive talk on embracing conflict to boost creativity. On the other hand, Teddy Sandu, Creative Director of MullenLowe Singapore, closed the first day’s talks with his presentation that featured the best (and perhaps the most fundamental) way to learn: to “F*** Around and Find Out.”
Humor and impactful advertising were the topics that headlined the second day of the festival — where Mandie Van Der Merve, CCO of Saatchi & Saatchi Australia, delivered insights on using humor in advertising. At the same time, Mahesh Ambaliya, Creative Director at YML Y&R India, highlighted the use of advertising for good.
The event concluded with an Awards Night recognizing impactful work and a buzzing after-party.
adobo Magazine is an official media partner of the Four A’s Advertising Festival Sri Lanka.
