BUSAN, SOUTH KOREA — MAD STARS 2023 festival opens its doors today in Busan, South Korea. MAD STARS is free to enter except for Integrated and Innovation Stars, making it one of the fastest-growing advertising festivals in the world. It’s also the only global festival based in Asia. It takes place annually at Bexco (Busan Exhibition and Convention Center) and runs this week from August 23 to 25.
“This is the 16th MAD STARS and this year it has welcomed people from 63 countries throughout the world. It also received more than 20,000 entries, making it the largest advertising festival that brings East and West together,” stated Hwan-Jin Choi, Chairperson of MAD STARS.
“MAD STARS sets itself apart from the usual Western-centric festival. This is a great place to see the work from truly diverse cultures, many of whom are very different from other markets throughout the world. And because MAD stands for Marketing, Advertising, and Digital Content, we cover the breadth of the advertising industry,” he continued.
MAD STARS 2023 will announce Grand Prix, Gold, Silver, and Bronze winners in the PSA and PIVOT Groups on August 23. It concludes with a gala awards ceremony at Bexco’s Grand Ballroom on Friday, August 25, where the awards for VIDEO, SOLUTION, STRATEGY, and DIVERSE INSIGHTS will be announced as well as the Grands Prix of the Year.
Fabio Seidl, Director – Global Creative Development at Meta, said of the Grand Prix of the Year winner that was chosen in Product & Service, “The ultimate goal for every brand is to find a space in culture, and we found an idea that authentically made it in a refreshing way.”
Artwell Nwaila, Sub-Saharan Africa’s Head of Creative at Google, added, “A good use of brand-centric PSA work.”
Of the Public Service Advertising Grand Prix of the Year winner, Fabio commented, “Sustainability has a big challenge – seduce, attract more people – and this idea does it with elegance and innovation.”
Bruno Bertelli added, “When design can impact sustainable behavior.”
The MAD STARS 2023 festival is built around the theme, “Reboot!,” celebrating the opportunity to refresh for the post-pandemic era. It aims to inspire creativity that will change the world.
Among today’s inspiring world-changing sessions are:
“Innovation in Out of Home Advertising” by Tom Goddard, President World Out of Home Organization.
Tom will shed light on the World Out of Home Organization’s role and highlight key industry trends, including sustainability. Expect insights and industry advancement and challenges, with a focus on digital transformation, media ownership consolidation, measurement, automation, and creativity. The session will also touch on OOH’s evolving role within the broader advertising landscape.
MAD STARS 2023 Conversation with the Executive Juries.
Artwell Nwaila, Head of Creative, Sub-Saharan Africa at Google; Bruno Bertelli, Global CEO of LePub; Chow Kok Keong, Chief Creative Officer of INNOCEAN Indonesia; Fabio Seidl, Director – Global Creative Development at META; and Sharon Edmonston, Group Creative Director of M&C Saatchi, will reveal their perspectives and stories from inside the MAD STARS 2023 judging rooms and provide an understanding of how they evaluated and selected the winners, their views on the current state and future direction of advertising and the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. This session, which spotlights the power of advertising to change the world, will be moderated by Sangsoo Chong, Vice-Chairperson of MAD STARS.
“Advertising Marketing in the Age of Generative AI: Challenges and Opportunities” by Juncheon Chang, General Manager at KOBACO
Generative AI that can talk to humans has arrived. It is changing the way we work, our daily lives, and even our industries. Advertising marketing is at the forefront of the impact of generative AI. With this comes challenges and opportunities to be explored. Chang will look at Generative AI from the perspective of a creativity tool.
“What Decides Successful Ad Campaigns? Regarding Digital Display Ads” by Jinsoo Kim, Chairman of UX Korea
From a starting point of whether successful advertising in digital display ads online is the same as a successful business, Kim will explore the elements that should be considered to create successful advertising. This includes one of the most critical issues in digital display advertising – user avoidance.
The sessions that provoke thought and ideas continue tomorrow. Included in Thursday’s sessions are Leveraging Data to Amplify Creativity in Advertising by Artwell Nwaila, Head of Creative for Sub-Saharan Africa at Google; AI and Branding – How to Increase Brand Vale with AI by Hyunjung Ju, Jay Chae, and Junyoung Jang; Moving Toward Entertainment by Yoshimasa Nakano, Chief Director of Dentsu Inc.; and The Power of Purpose by Erin Williams, Sales Director of CNN International Commercial.
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adobo Magazine is an official media partner of MAD STARS 2023.
