ADFEST has unveiled its first speakers of 2019 featuring provocative creative thinkers from Dentsu Webchutney (Gurgaon), VANDAL (Sydney), The Royals (Sydney), The Brand Agency (Perth), McCann Worldgroup (New York), and Contagious (London).
ADFEST 2019 takes place at PEACH, Royal Cliff Hotels Group, Pattaya, Thailand and its program is divided across two streams: Craft@ADFEST on 20th – 21st March, and Creative@ADFEST on 22nd – 23rd March. Craft@ADFEST will dive deep into the latest production, digital, content and technology trends, while Creative@ADFEST is all about creativity – the DNA of ADFEST. ADFEST is pleased to announce the following sessions:
‘Ideas. Patterns & A.I.’ presented by Vishal Sagar, Creative Director and Gurbaksh Singh, Chief Creative Technologist at Dentsu Webchutney, Gurgaon
Craft@ADFEST: Wednesday 20th March, 12.25-13.00
The human brain is pretty good at recognizing and rearranging patterns – but it’s being outperformed by Artificial Intelligence. How far are we from a future where bots take over the role of creatives? Vishal Sagar and Gurbaksh Singh’s credentials as A.I. specialists are unparalleled. At ADFEST 2019, they’ll shed light on the future of ideas, patterns and A.I. and equip delegates with the insights they need to evolve and up-skill in the new era of A.I.
‘Augmented Reality is the Future of Advertising’ presented by Emile Rademeyer, Digital Strategist and Creative Director at VANDAL, Sydney
Craft@ADFEST: Thursday 21st March, 12.25-13.00
VANDAL’s Emile Rademeyer will explain why AR is not just the latest fad – it’s the future of advertising. “Advertising has traditionally been a one-way communication medium. Not anymore. Advertising’s future is to not only sell products or ideas, but to digitally transform entire environments with an augmented, digital overlay,” explains Rademeyer, who also oversees curation of the notorious VANDAL Art Gallery in Redfern. His session will demonstrate why Digital Placemaking technology like Augmented Reality is more powerful than many of its digital predecessors.
‘Why the world needs more agencies and how to start one’ presented by Nick Cummins Creative Partner, The Royals, Sydney
Creative@ADFEST: Friday 22nd March, 10.40-11.15
Nick Cummins has accidentally started two independent advertising agencies and grown them to become multi-award-winning, culture-led businesses. As Creative Partner at The Royals in Sydney, he believes our industry is at a crossroads and needs the passion, clarity, drive and fresh thinking that new ventures create. He’ll reveal why he believes it is easier to start an agency from scratch rather than change an old agency. He’ll also share tales of selling his first agency to a white-collar criminal who ended up in a Columbian prison charged with fraud, and how notorious gangster Chopper Read once told him he was giving him a “fuckin’ headache”. If you run an agency or are thinking of starting your own venture, Cummins’ session is a must.
The New Era of Creative Problem Solving’ presented by Marcus Tesoriero, Executive Creative Director at The Brand Agency in Perth
Creative@ADFEST: Friday 22nd March, 16.15-16.50
“The Mad Men days are over. To capture an audience that doesn’t stand still, our industry must evolve from ad makers into problem solvers,” says The Brand Agency’s Marcus Tesoriero, whose career spans DDB, Ogilvy and McCann combined with a mix of more specialised digital shops. By singling out standout examples of brands that are solving problems in new and innovative ways, Tesoriero will explain how the best agencies of today are a bit of everything – inventors, scientists, filmmakers, product designers, data geeks and more. “It’s doom and gloom if you’re stuck in the old school of advertising,” he admits, “but for the problem solvers of tomorrow, it’s an exciting new world.”
‘The Chicken, the Egg, or in today’s tech world, does the Omelette come first?’ presented by Elav Horwitz, VP, Global Innovation Director at McCann Worldgroup, New York
Creative@ADFEST: Friday 22nd March, 16.50-17.25
“In a world in which tomorrow is already here today, where VR glasses can take you anywhere and robots can generate ideas, how do you even start the creative process in a way that is grounded in real human needs and contact?” asks Elav Horwitz, who leads innovation for McCann Worldgroup globally. In a not-to-be-missed session, she’ll share examples of innovative and creative work, decoding the process behind them. Horwitz leads McCann Worldgroup’s HumanTech offering and has deep partnerships with a vast network of startups, tech companies, industry experts and teen entrepreneurs. She has been awarded at ‘She Runs It’, an industry organization dedicated to supporting women leaders in marketing and media, and recently launched the global ‘Women in Tech’ initiative, which helps to mentor the careers of emerging women leaders in technology within McCann Worldgroup.
‘Fortune Favours the Brave’ presented by Paul Kemp-Robertson, Co-Founder, Contagious, London Creative@ADFEST: Saturday 23rd March, 14.30-15.05
Scientific studies prove that standout creative ideas kick the living crap out of ordinary ideas. But science also shows that marketers are subconsciously hardwired to avoid taking risks. This explains a universal tension at the heart of the advertising industry: if everyone knows that award-winning work sells, why are so many brands scared to buy it? The answer, as you will discover, is biological, but preventable. Contagious Co-Founder Paul Kemp-Robertson is also the co-author of The Contagious Commandments: Ten Steps to Brand Bravery. At ADFEST 2019, he will issue a rallying cry for calculated bravery and showcase creative ideas that have shattered the cognitive immunity of jaded consumers.
For all the latest speaker announcements or to buy tickets to ADFEST 2019, visit www.ADFEST.com
