In an Ad Stars interview published on tumblr, Philippine representatives, Joey Barreiro and Lizther Ann Castañeda share their experiences as they competed in the festival’s New Stars competition.
Joey and Lizther both work at BBDO Guerrero in Manila, and last year they joined forces as ‘Team Pig & Bear’, racing against 39 other teams.
New Stars is a competition to inspire young professionals to further their career in advertising by providing them with the opportunity to respond to a live brief, with just 24 hours to meet the deadline. Last year, 40 teams raced to respond to the following brief – and we’re happy to say Team Pig & Bear won a Crystal trophy for their hard work.
In this interview, Joey reflects on their Busan adventures.
How did it feel to win the Crystal prize?
It felt great! It was my first time taking part in an advertising competition, so I was very motivated to do more after bagging an award. Liz and I believed in our idea a lot, but also know we could have made some changes to make it better.
How hard was it coming up with a campaign in just 30-hours?
It was quite hard coming up with the campaign, not just because it was within 30-hours, but because it was for a market that Liz and I weren’t very familiar with. We had to create a sales-boosting campaign to build awareness of Panasonic’s premium electric razor.
Furthermore, the brief was quite open, so it could literally go anywhere.
Can you tell us about your award-winning concept: why do you think it won?
Our idea to sell electronic razors was called The Beardless Breakout — where we basically shave off all the beards of known personalities around the country.
We think it won because it came from a true insight: that Koreans don’t really have beards these days, while some or most of them had beards as a norm in the past. It translated into a fun idea that was a bit on the comedic side too.
What was the hardest part of the New Star challenge last year?
The hardest part was creating a video in 24 hours. Time pressure affected us a lot, not just in terms of thinking of a great idea, but also in terms of executing it well in a written form and a well-crafted case video.
What is your favourite memory of Busan?
Our favourite memory of Busan was probably meeting the many young competitors and judges from other countries. It was fun getting to know everyone!
What did you learn from the New Stars competition?
We learned a lot from the work of our competitors. We saw how they treated their work and what made them different. The particular guest lecturer that was interesting was the one that talked about scoring and music in film. He really broke down the method in the madness of trying to find music.
As the winners of a Crystal prize, if you had to give one piece of advice to the contestants in the 2019 New Stars competition, what would it be?
Have fun! It’s easy for people to be focused on the prize and awards. But at the end of the day, your experience is worth it if you make it worth it. Get to know everyone, make friends, go out and enjoy! It’s an amazing experience – not just for those who win, but for all who participate.
* If you’re a junior creative aged under 30, don’t miss your chance to take part in the 2019 New Stars competition, which runs during AD STARS 2019 in the beachside city of Busan, South Korea in August. For your chance to be a New Star, apply via www.ADSTARS.org or contact info@adstars.org.
