MANILA, PHILIPPINES — In the ever-evolving landscape of advertising, each passing year introduces innovative campaigns that redefine the boundaries of creativity. As we bid farewell to 2023, adobo Magazine turns the spotlight on some of the most exceptional and impactful campaigns that have shaped the advertising landscape in Asia Pacific.
In this exclusive series, we’ve reached out to Chairmom and Founder of The Misfits Camp, Merlee Jayme, and founder and CEO of Octopus & Whale, Joey David-Tiempo, asking them to share their top picks for the year and offer their insights on the strategic brilliance, creative ingenuity, and cultural resonance that sets these chosen campaigns apart.
Merlee’s picks:
Japan Railway Group, “My Japan Railway” (Japan)
“I’ve seen many award-worthy design campaigns about Japan’s railways in the past. I guess I am a fan of work that faces a difficult challenge to ‘refresh’ a brand. This beautifully crafted campaign, ‘My Japan Railway,’ designed for Japan Railway’s 150th Anniversary Campaign, is amazing. The artwork, the research, the art direction, the stories, and the merchandise just gave an ‘old’ transport a new, vibrant life.”
Kitkat, “Punctuation Marks” (Philippines)
“The idea of using the mundane, more often abused, taken-for-granted punctuation marks for its purpose: BREAKS… was simply brilliant. I loved the writing of the scripts. You can actually empathize with each character: the ellipses, dash, and the comma. These ‘breaks’ are important when thinking of the right word, pausing for a moment, or creating drama. To be honest, as a writer, I hated…the ellipses. But now, maybe I’m beginning to… like it. (gasp)”
Ariel, “See the Signs & #ShareTheLoad” (India)
“We’ve seen the successful series of Ariel’s ‘Share the Load’ highlighting the unequal load of chores at home. But Ariel’s new film this year showed a different insight. For couples who have been married for years, It raised the question: ‘Are you growing together or apart?’ It dramatized how ignoring inequality in the household chores distribution creates an emotional distance in some relationships. This story was totally a brave premise.”
Joey’s picks:
McDonalds, “The Unbranded Menu” (Philippines)
“I sat in the inaugural Entertainment Lions this year and saw this work fighting valiantly against big-budget, endemic gaming work like ‘Clash of the Past’ for a Gold Lion. It sent the jury in a flurry of discussions and had some serious fans, including a judge from Tencent who admitted to transforming the Big Mac into a game asset and labeling it McDondon. It is obviously borne out of a deep understanding of gaming culture by someone who has been playing for quite some time. The fact that they identified most in-game food as resembling McDonald’s is gold – or in this case, a Silver Lion. I’m very proud that one of the best cases of branded gaming work to come out this year is from the Philippines, and surely a precursor of even better ideas to come out of this exciting space.”
The Government of Tuvalu, “The First Digital Nation” (Australia)
“This is our Grand Prix for LIA Creativity in the Metaverse without question and for good reason – it used the blockchain in an unexpected and purposeful way: to save a country from disappearing due to climate change. The idea was to digitally save every part of Tuvalu in the cloud before it’s lost to rising sea levels, keeping its sovereignty alive, even if just in digital form. This idea prompts us to pause and consider our future actions: could this also happen to the Philippines, another island nation in the Pacific?”
Honest Eggs, “FitChix” (Australia)
“An LIA Gold for the Evolution category puts tech and chickens together. Sounds silly? The idea is brilliant. How can you prove that the eggs you buy really come from free-range chickens? The agency redesigned Fitbits for chickens, used them to track their steps, and printed the actual numbers on their eggs. It’s a wild combo of wearable tech, transparent data, innovative packaging, creative commerce, and – free-range chickens! I love it.”
