Singapore – “Is Asian creativity up to the task?” This was the theme of the Spikes Debate that brought mixed views unto the table.
An impressive panel of agency heads and senior marketing professionals explored questions such a “Is advertising art?”, ‘Do awards really matter?’ and ‘What are truly global ideas?”
Chris Thomas, chairman and CEO of BBDO Asia-Pacific said: "Ideas could be global, but what really matters is execution."
Nayantara Bali, VP, male grooming Asia at Procter & Gamble, when asked about recession, said that while the basic marketing approach may not have changed, they do ask for ideas that work harder.
Tim Isaac, chairman, Ogilvy & Mather Asia-Pacific, talked of caution he has observed in the industry, and of the consequences of what he defined as dull, mediocre and cautious creativity.
Prasoon Joshi, executive chairman and regional ECD of McCann Erickson Asia-Pacific, expressed that Asia may not be concerned by this. He defined Asia as "scarcity society". Joshi continued, "limitations of any kind gave birth to greater creativity."
He also likened advertising to art. But the rest of the group opposed. Chris Thomas said creativity served a purpose (brand-building) and was not really an art form.
To sum up the discussion, the panelists spoke of the importance of award shows. Although Derek Yeo, head of marketing for Tiger Airways, responded otherwise. He felt [award shows] were not a passport to winning a pitch. He pointed out that winning alone cannot make for great advertising.
(With additional reports from Media)
