BUSAN, SOUTH KOREA–The competition is over but the creativity never stops, at least according to the Final Judges of AD STARS 2020 as they reflect on the quality of creative ideas they judged at the competition.
VALERIE MADON: Chief Creative Officer, Asia, VMLY&R – Executive Judge of Brand Experience & Activation, Creative eCommerce, Direct, Media and PR.
“It’s really exciting to see that some of the best works this year for our categories came from the United Arab Emirates and Sri Lanka. We see more culturally relevant work getting recognition for being insightfully inspired: the impact is clear, even if the executions are simple.
“It’s also very reassuring to see fresh ideas that leverage tech in a more meaningful and entertaining manner with a clear idea that’s simple and engaging, not technology for technology sake. It’s a sign that agencies are becoming more comfortable with digital and technology, hence it’s considered more seamlessly even if the implementation could be complex.”
FABIO CAVEIRA: Senior Creative / Art Director at OPPO China – Executive Judge of Design & Print categories.
“This year we live in an atypical situation because many campaigns were canceled, festivals postponed and many good ideas were left out of the festivals that took place this year. But, regardless of that, I think that in times of crisis, we need to focus on creativity to keep the sector running and bring information to people’s lives.
“In the Design and Print categories, we saw the predominance of Asian countries, with Japan and China standing out from the rest.”
TERENCE LEONG: Executive Creative Director, R/GA Shanghai – Final Judge, Brand Experience & Activation, Creative eCommerce, Direct, Media and PR categories.
“It’s a strange year for all of us, but one thing was obvious. Creativity never stops. In fact, the work has more opinion than ever – about our lives, diversity and things that matter. While the quality of the ideas are good, the quality of the execution could be much better. It felt like everyone wanted to make waves with big statements, but I would have liked to see smaller, sharper, simpler ideas that can scale up to actually change behavior. I can’t help but feel that some of the impressive and highly produced case study films actually hides and compensates for average ideas.”
GABRIELA LUNGU: Global Creative Director, Geometry UK, Founder & Creative Lead, Wings Creative Leadership Lab – Final Judge, Brand Experience & Activation, Creative eCommerce, Direct, Media and PR.
“I was a judge for AD STARS in the last three editions and I can say without a doubt that the quality of the entries is better every year. This year it was refreshing to notice that many of the best ideas were very simple, brilliantly simple – it seems that we are finally moving beyond gimmicky technology, and as an industry we are returning to the power of simple, emotional, profoundly human ideas.”
SASCHA KUNTZE: Chief Creative Officer, BBH Singapore – Executive Judge of the Interactive, Integrated, Innovation, Mobile, Data Insights and Social & Influencer categories.
“I was surprised to see very little COVID work. It shows a lot of agencies are very busy with themselves right now, and you can’t blame them, but I still believe that now is the time for the industry to do the exact opposite: it’s time to be bullish and entrepreneurial and brave. Otherwise, we won’t see real change.”
EVI SLAVIN: Chief Creative Officer, Colenso BBDO – Executive Judge of Diverse Insights, Outdoor, PSA, Place Brand and Radio & Audio.
“Overall, we did get a sense of the power of creativity through the work we judged this year. As a tool and weapon, applied properly, creativity can solve anything.
“Part of what made this year unique was everyone’s willingness to celebrate what creativity is and is capable of doing. We moved in and out of lockdown in New Zealand during the judging process. But nobody on the jury once said: ‘Let’s not do this.’ Everybody felt it was critically important to celebrate creativity and its power. We can be super proud of the organisers and judges because the process was more difficult than people might realize, but it was worth it, because the winners prove the impact of creativity is profound.
“Any metal awarded at AD STARS is a career highlight – all winners should be very proud.”
To see the winners of the AD STARS 2020 Awards, visit their website.
