SINGAPORE – Hundreds of delegates were treated to spectacular sessions and workshops in the Day 1 of Spikes Asia 2018, held at Suntec, Singapore. The first day also offered the creative community forward-thinking seminars, trainings, exhibitions, and networking events.
Spikes Asia 2018 was kicked off by a welcoming address by Spikes Asia Diretor Joe Pullos, followed by DDB Worldwide CEO’s Wendy Clark talk, “How Bravery, Belief, Being Underestimated Fuels Brands, Agencies, Careers”, where she discussed how essential bravery, belief, and being underestimated is essential in driving impact for brands, success for agencies, and in accelerating career growth. She also mentioned how being underestimated should be used as fuel and energy to be more competitive.
UM Global Strategy Director Chris Colter and Tourism Australia CMO Lisa Ronson taught delegates why it’s vital for modern brands to consistently take calculated risks to connect with consumers in new, powerful ways. Meanwhile, Pencil Technologies also held a Live demo and talk about Collaborating with a Creative AI which highlighted how AIs may very well liberate and not destroy the creativity of the industry.
Delegates also learned what truly makes a client-agency collaboration work as One Johnson & Johnson Indonesia’s Lakish Hatalkar and DDB Indonesia’s John Bailey talked about, “Do Clients Get the Work They Deserve?”
The festival also tackled Unstereotyping and how cross-sector collaboration drives positive change in the organization with Aline Santos’ talk, “#Unstereotype – Fighting Stereotypes to Unleash Creativity”. According to Santos, “Unstereotype is not only a moral issue, it’s a business imperative.”
Gyro’s Head of Strategy for APAC Belinda Green and The Financial Times’ Global Advertising Director for B2B and Insight Laura Milsted revealed what positive ‘feelings’ drive successful business relationships and how can marketers and agencies leverage this feelings with their talk, “The Fuel for B2B Creativity – Feelings.”
Meanwhile, Cannes Lions’ VP Creative Excellence Simon Cook shared in his talk, “Creativity Matters”, the three themes that emerged in the recent Cannes Lions festival of creativity – Politics, Experience, and Humanity.
Digitas’ Global Chief Creative & Content Officer Scott Donaton
“The future belongs to agencies that tears down the wall,” Digitas’ Global Chief Creative & Content Officer Scott Donaton said during his talk, “Tear Down The Wall (Between Creative and Content).” He also revealed why the Mad Men advertising days are behind us, and how a connected approach can help spark the next creative revolution.
Visa SVP for Marketing & Cross Border for Asia Pacific Freddie Covington and BBDO Singapore Regional Director Samantha Kennedy sat down to discuss the reality of today’s metric-driven economy and what factors agencies should bear in mind to ensure their clients’ business success with their session, “Leadership Against Creativity.”
Brave Bison’s Chief Creative Officer Will Pyne discussed how can creative agencies produce creative work on behalf of brands that it not only well crafted but maximizes the influencer and is effective in his talk, “Can Influencer Marketing and Creativity be Friends in APAC.”
McCann Worldgroup’s Global Chief Creative Chairman Rob Reilly
McCann Worldgroup’s Global Chief Creative Chairman Rob Reilly also graced the first day of Spikes Asia with an insightful talk, “Creativity is the Only Way to Survive,” where he talked about creativity’s capability to heal, jumpstart a business, and save lives. Reilly also mentioned that creativity is now the world’s most valuable asset. One funny advice that delegates learned from him is, “Stay crazy!”
Dentsu Singapore’s Jatinder Sandhu and Udra Withana cited four steps to creating purposeful content and why it matters, while Superunion’s Design Director Scott Lambert conducts a talk and workshop entitled, “The Unmysterious World of Ideas. The Truth About Creativity.”
The Spikes Asia delegates learned how they can use the Japan Olympics opportunity to create powerful data about their customers with the session, “Data Spikes – The Real Games Behind the Japan Olympics” by MullenLowe Group Japan.
SNAP INC’s Global Head of Creative Strategy Jeff Miller discussed “Creating for Mobile Impact – The Future is Camera Marketing,” while Isobar Asia Pacific Chief Strategy Officer Sandipan Roy talked about how innovation and pioneering change is about having a different approach, and how the creative use of digital can lead to transformation.
Closing the sessions for Spikes Asia Day 1 is the discussion from Havas and The Annex entitled, “What Brands Can Learn From Street Culture,” which revealed the top five most impactful ways street culture is affecting contemporary culture, and what brands and agencies need to know as a result.
The Tangrams Effectiveness@Spikes Asia 2018 was also held during the first day. The Tangrams are Asia Pacific’s most established awards honoring clients and their agencies for marketing strategies that deliver solid results. Read the story here.
