The fifty-six Juries invited to judge the Lotus Awards at ADFEST 2018 hail from twenty-five cities, in Asia Pacific and the Middle East, as well as New York, the home base of Joyce King Thomas, Grand Jury President of ADFEST 2018 and Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of McCann XBC.
Joyce King Thomas expanded on her expectations of the annual festival and Lotus Awards when she was invited to head up the Super Eight Jury Presidents ADFEST 2018. “The opportunity to see and debate Asia’s best work alongside talented people from all over the world at a beach town in Thailand was irresistible. The theme of the show—Transformation—is perfect, and I look forward to seeing how this diverse and culturally rich region is reinventing what we do. I also can’t wait to meet the people behind that reinvention.”
The winners of ten categories, including Interactive, Mobile, Design, Print Craft, Direct, Promo, Press, Outdoor, New Director and Film Craft Lotus were presented with their trophies at the end of the third day at the twenty-first ADFEST, held at PEACH, Royal Cliff Hotels Group in Pattaya, Thailand. Also announced at the Awards ceremony were the results for the Fabulous Four and the straight8 competition.
INTERACTIVE LOTUS
This year there were 167 entries for Interactive Lotus. 20 awards were announced, including 7 Bronze, 9 Silver,3 Gold and 1 Grande Lotus awards.
The Grande Lotus was for the Interactive category was presented to CHE Proximity, Melbourne for Lego “Making the List”, which also won an additional Gold Award in the Web Banner/Display Ad/Rich Media sub-category.
Interactive and Mobile Jury President Kitty Lun, Head of Creative Shop, Greater China from Facebook, Hong Kong said In the Interactive category, “I’m happy that the industry is using data and technology very well in their creative ideas. We saw ideas that were not just about technology, but they were a good marriage between technology and creativity.”
The two other Gold Awards were won by:
• Rabbit Digital Group Company Limited, Bangkok, for SMK Health Insurance By Fit “Syn Mun Kong: Thank You Thailand” – Viral VDO.
• Choojai & Friends, Bangkok took the third Gold for AIS, “Facebook Live Stunt” in the Use of Social sub-category.
MOBILE LOTUS
Mobile Lotus received 83 entries. There were 10 awards given in the category, including 5 Bronze, 2 Silver, 2 Gold and 1 Grande Lotus awards.
The Grande Lotus for Mobile was awarded to work for Pedigree entitled, ‘Pedigree Selfiestix’ by Colenso BBDO, Auckland in the Mobile Campaign category.
“Mobile has come a long way – we definitely saw a lot of original ideas that are mobile-centric, inspired by good, relevant insights”, said Interactive and Mobile Jury President Kitty Lun, Head of Creative Shop, Greater China from Facebook, Hong Kong.
Gold awards in Mobile were handed out to two agencies:
• Cheil Worldwide, Hong Kong for Scrabble Club (HK)’s “Scrabble Keyboard” – under the Mobile Application and Other Downloadable Tools sub-category and
• Choojai & Friends, Bangkok for AIS, “Facebook Live Stunt” – classed as Video, Viral VDO & Interactive VDO sub-category.
PRINT CRAFT LOTUS
The Print Craft category attracted 156 entries in 2018. 14 awards were given out in total, which included 5 Bronze, 5 Silver and 3 Gold Lotus awards as well the Grande Lotus. The Grande award in the Print Craft category was awarded to Dentsu Inc., Tokyo for its work for The 101st Kanazawa High School Sumo Wrestling Tournament, Entitled, “Sumo Girls” in the Art Direction sub-category.
“We could tell in our gut that this Grande-winning work was simply outstanding. Everything from the subject that makes you look twice, to the stunning contrast of colours, to layout, to the energy of the art direction, made this piece stand out from the rest,” said Jury President for Design Lotus and Print Craft Lotus is Melvin Mangada, Chief Creative Officer of TBWA\Santiago Mangada Puno, Manila.
Three Print Craft Gold awards were given out to:
• Amber China, Shanghai for Ammeloo Chef’s Edition Knife Series “Chop-Chop 1.0 Campaign” – under the Illustration sub-category,
• Illusion Co.,Ltd., Bangkok for Ammeloo Chef’s Edition Knife Series “Chop-Chop 2.0 Campaign” – under the Computer Generated Imagery sub-category and
• Hakuhodo Malaysia, Selangor for Greenpeace “Drought” in the Best Use of Computer Generated Imagery sub-category.
Mangada shared his thoughts on this year’s Print Craft winners when he said, “We observed fewer quality entries in photography but higher quality work for CGI and digital illustration. This is perhaps a reflection of how technology has provided us with more tools to improve our craft, if used well.”
DESIGN LOTUS
Design Lotus received 230 entries. There were 30 awards given in the category, including 13 Bronze, 11 Silver, 5 Gold and 1 Grande.
Design & Print Craft Jury President, Melvin Mangada, Chief Creative Officer of TBWA\Santiago Mangada Puno, Manila said, “We were really pleased to see a very diverse approach to design beyond flat, formatted pieces. We spent a lot of time discussing entries in sub-categories like product design, innovation and sustainable product design, and it was great to see entries that pushed design forward.”
The Grande Lotus was presented to ‘Cogy Wheelchair’ for Cogy by TBWA\Hakuhodo Inc., Tokyo in the Production Design: Consumer Products sub-category.
“For us, the Grande should be awarded to an entry that’s above and beyond the category. And this Grande winner truly did that. It pushed design forward, with an innovation that combined form and function to solve a real problem,” says Mangada.
The five Golds awarded in Design Lotus went to:
• McCann Worldgroup India, Mumbai, for Ministry of Public Health Afghanistan “Immunity Charm” – Product Design: Innovative & Sustainable Design sub-category,
• Dentsu Inc. Tokyo, for its work entitled “Journey Around Heartland” for Heartland Beer in the Brand Collateral sub-category
• Dentsu Creative X Inc., Tokyo for Logistics & Forklift “The Beauty of Food Logistics” – Poster sub-category,
• TBWA\Shanghai, Shanghai for Penguins Books “Penguin Frozen Storybook” in the Books & Publications sub-category and finally,
• R/GA Sydney, Sydney for Google Play Music “Through the Dark” – Motion & Digital Design sub-category.
DIRECT LOTUS
Direct Lotus received 195 entries. There were 20 awards given in this category, including 11 Bronze, 7 Silver and 2 Gold.
The two Gold Direct Lotus Awards were handed out to:
• Dentsu Jayme Syfu, Manila for Refuse Plastic “Dead Whale” – classed as Best Use of Direct Ambient: Large Scale sub-category.
• McCann Worldgroup India, Mumbai for Ministry of Public Health, Afghanistan’s “Immunity Charm” – under the Direct Campaign for Retention/Loyalty sub-category
Direct & Promo Lotus Jury President and Managing Director & Creative & Partner for CJ WORX, Bangkok is Saharath Sawadatikom. He expressed his view of the overall quality of work for the Direct Lotus category, when he explained, “The Direct category today is not the category it should be – in 99% of entries, the Direct Marketing component was very small and wasn’t key to the campaign. That’s why we awarded two Golds.”
PROMO LOTUS
Promo Lotus received 212 entries. There were 13 awards given in this category, including 7 Bronze, 5 Silver and 1 Gold. There was no Grande given in this category.
The winner of the Gold Promo Lotus was announced as Bacon Potato Pie ‘Hahon Hohaho Hie” by TYO Monster, Tokyo in Best Use of Merchandising & In-Store Marketing sub-category.
Saharath Sawadatikom, Direct & Promo Lotus Jury President and Managing Director & Creative & Partner for CJ WORX, Bangkok commented on this year’s sole Gold Promo winner: “McDonald’s changed the name of its bacon potato pie to mimic the muffled sound of someone eating a hot pie who can’t pronounce the real name properly. The brand didn’t have to pay anything more, they used a resource that was already available – packaging – to promote a product that was only available for a short time. Changing the name of the product was a clever strategy to increase sales. We loved this idea – there was no argument, we all agreed this was a winning piece.”
Saharath Sawadatikom, Direct & Promo Lotus Jury President and Managing Director & Creative & Partner for CJ WORX, Bangkok summed up the overall view of the Promo Lotus Awards, when he said, “In this category, the judges were looking for campaigns that were all about the offer – it could be a discount, or anything that makes people act right now, within a certain time, or you’re going to miss out. Timing is key. We found that very few entries met these criteria, and I think it’s because few agencies do promotional campaigns anymore – they are more focused on building digital awareness, or launching brand activations, for example. Most entries were about awareness, not the offer.”
PRESS LOTUS
From 114 entries in the Press category, there were 6 Press Lotus trophies awarded including 2 Bronze, 2 Silver and 2 Gold. There was no Grande Lotus given out in this category for ADFEST 2018.
Outdoor & Press Jury President, Santosh Padhi, Chief Creative Officer and Co-Founder of Taproot Dentsu, Mumbai said “The Press Lotus category really took a beating this year. We hope that next year, Asia will bring back the joy of beautiful print that resonates with the audience.”
The two Gold winners for Press Lotus include:
• Hakuhodo Malaysia, Selangor for Greenpeace “Drought” in the Public Services & Cause Appeals sub-category and
• Dentsu Inc., Tokyo for Disaster Prevention “Emergency Collectibles” in Best Use of Print sub-category.
OUTDOOR LOTUS
236 entries were judged in the Outdoor category at ADFEST 2018. There were 23 Outdoor Lotus trophies awarded including 7 Bronze, 10 Silver, 5 Gold and 1 Grande.
TBWA\Hakuhodo Inc., Tokyo won the Outdoor Grande for the second year in succession, this time for its work for Pure Boost “Green Light Run” in the Ambient: Large Scale category.
Outdoor & Press Jury President, Santosh Padhi, Chief Creative Officer and Co-Founder of Taproot Dentsu, Mumbai spoke for the Outdoor and Press Jury Team when he talked about judging the Outdoor category. “Outdoor is a growing category that’s getting more and more exciting. We’re now liberated from flat, static formats. Anything can be outdoor: from the smallest ambient to a brilliant tech innovation that connects to people. The jury really found this category inspiring to judge,” he said.
Dentsu Jayme Syfu, Manila won 2 Golds in the Outdoor category for its work on Refuse Plastic “Dead Whale” . The awards were for work entered in the Guerilla Marketing and Ambient: Large Scale sub-categories.
The other three Golds were awarded to:
• McCann Worldgroup India, Mumbai for Ministry of Public Health, Afghanistan “Immunity Charm” in Ambient: Small Scale category.
• Colenso BBDO, Auckland for DB Export “DB Export Beer Bottle Sand” in Ambient: Large Scale sub-category and
• Taproot Dentsu, Mumbai for Panasonic CCTV Cameras “Watching Posters” in Point of Purchase (POP) Display sub-category.
NEW DIRECTOR LOTUS
There were 23 entries received for New Director Lotus including Fabulous Four this year.
Jury President of Film Craft Lotus & New Director Lotus, Timo Mitsuaki Otsuki, Founder & CEO from Connection, Tokyo explained the Jury’s decision and why there was no Grande or Golds given in the New Director category: “While the entries from new directors was good, they were not amazing. New talent is what pushes film craft forward. Which is why I’m hoping that more new directors step up to the challenge next year.”
Two Silver and two Bronze New Director Lotus Awards were given out. The Silver awards were presented to:
• Sezan Iseda at AOI Pro. Inc., Tokyo for A Drop of Freshness “A Transfer Student” in the Portfolio Spot sub-category
• Kyra Bartley at Heckler, Sydney for Love is Love “Love is Love” in the Portfolio Spot sub-category
FILM CRAFT LOTUS
For the Film Craft Lotus Awards, there were 358 entries, with 40 winners in the category, including 16 Bronze, 15 Silver, 8 Gold Lotus Awards and 1 Grande.
A Grande Lotus was awarded this year in the Film Craft category. The winning recipient was Hakuhodo Inc., Tokyo for Gravity Daze 2 “Gravity Cat” in the Directing sub-category.
Jury President of Film Craft Lotus & New Director Lotus, Timo Mitsuaki Otsuki, Founder & CEO from Connection, Tokyo explains the reasoning behind choosing the work awarded for the Grande, “We’ve not seen this level of craft in Asia for a long time. The work was clearly the result of everyone, from the client, to the agency and production team, collaborating to push the envelope. It’s proof that Asia still can produce amazing film craft. Hopefully, we’ll see more work like this in the coming years.”
Tohokushinsha Film Corporation, Tokyo won 3 Film Craft Golds: one for Iyemon “Kyoto’s Fukujuen’s 227th Year of Innovation” – Cinematography sub-category and two for Gravity Daze 2 “Gravity Cat” in Special Effects: Digital Visual Effects and Production Design sub-categories.
FP7/CAI, Cairo won two Golds with its work on Orange “Now or Never” for Casting and Original Music Score.
The other three Gold Awards in Film Craft were presented to:
• ALT.VFX, Brisbane for Tile “Tile – Lost Panda” for Animation (In-Camera or Digital)
• J. Walter Thompson, Bangkok for Kleenex “Tiny Doll” in the Use of Talent/Celebrity sub-category
• CHE PROXIMITY, Melbourne for Cochlear “The Hearing Test in Disguise” in the Script sub-category
Timo Mitsuaki Otsuki, Founder & CEO of Connection Tokyo and Film Craft Lotus & New Director Lotus Jury President summarized the Jury’s view on this year’s Film Craft work: “We were very happy with the quality of entries. While there were not many new approaches, the quality of craft with tried-and-tested techniques went up compared to last year. Some of the best were pieces that we initially saw on the internet and were already jealous of, wishing we were the ones who had the chance to make them.”
FABULOUS FOUR
Script entries to Fabulous Four must be from directors or assistant directors with less than two years’ experience based in Asia and the Pacific, including Australia, New Zealand, and Middle East and their submission must be one of their first seven pieces of work.
The Fabulous Four finalists were selected from submitted scripts and are based in Kuala Lumpur, Melbourne and Tokyo this year.
Huixin Law from Reservoir World Sdn Bhd, Kuala Lumpur was awarded a Commendation for ADFEST 2018 “Bird on a Wire”.
The other three finalists were Shuhei Murata, from Pyramid Film Quadra Inc., Tokyo; Thuy Vy from The Directors Group, Melbourne and Haruna Kaizuka from AOI Pro Inc., Tokyo.
Scripts are judged by the Film Craft Lotus & New Director Lotus Jury and four short films are selected to go into production to debut at ADFEST 2018 in front of its delegate audience. This year reflected the theme for ADFEST 2018, “TRANSFORM”.
Jimmy Lam, President of ADFEST says, “Fabulous Four is one of the jewels in the ADFEST crown. We are proud of the Fabulous Four program for new directors. In a way, we’re helping to nourish our production partners to bring new blood into the market.”
WINNERS OF STRAIGHT8 COMPETITION ANNOUNCED
Six companies took part in the first-ever straight 8 industry shootout @ ADFEST 2018, a “one-super-8-cartridge-no-editing” film competition. Congratulations to Ogilvy X Sydney for their film ‘Keynote’, which won this year’s inaugural short film competition.
“The straight 8 industry shootout format has been going since 2016 and we were excited to bring it to ADFEST for the first time this year. It takes courage to create a film with no editing or grading, and see it for the first time with your industry peers, so we’d like to thank all the companies that took part. Big congratulations go to the winner: Ogilvy X Sydney for their film ‘Keynote’. They’ve chosen mental health charity, Beyond Blue, to be the recipient of the prize pot,” says Ed Sayers, Founder of the straight 8 film competition.
