For the Creative Review of selected campaigns from the ADFEST 2018, adobo tapped J Walter Thompson Singapore’s Farrokh Madon to share his insights:
These days, it’s almost as if our minds are on rollerblades 24/7. Our minds are constantly racing from our emails to WhatsApp to Facebook, Instagram and the gazillion attractions of the Internet. For a brand’s message to stick, we have to catch attention from the very first second to the very end. If not, our minds go meandering around cyberspace a lot faster than a space rocket. Keeping this in mind here are my thoughts on the work showcased here.
Category: Design and Innova
Agency: TBWA\HAKUHODO, Japan
Client: COGY / TESS
Long form content is a temptation for Creatives liberated from the 30/15 secs confines of TV. But staring at a small mobile screen isn’t fun. You need to engage from the start. Unfortunately, this film doesn’t. And the unique aspect of why this pedal wheelchair is better than a motorized one, is hidden until after 1 min in this 2 min 23 secs film. Sorry.
Category: Film
Agency: FP7/CAI, Cairo
Client: Orange
Oldies singing about World Cup goals before they kick the bucket. Now that’s got to score. Good fun.
Category: Effectiveness
Agency: McCann Melbourne
Client: University of Melbourne
Showcasing great inventions is a brief that would make a Creative drool. The executions though, from what the video shows, seem like a mixed bag. Some hits. Some misses. Like the one about Clearing Contaminated Water could have been communicated more impactfully. A more attention-grabbing headline was surely possible here. Some others, like Moving Objects with your Mind, seemed to have an interactive angle. That was much better and definitely engaging.
SYN MUN KONG FIT: THANK YOU THAILAND
Category: Interactive
Agency: Rabbit Digital Group Company, Bangkok
Client: SMK Health Insurance
Lower insurance premiums for healthier individuals is a good offering. The film’s not too shabby too. Though it could have been a bit shorter.
Category: Lotus Roots
Agency: TBWA\Santiago Mangada Puno
Client: Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas
I love this film. It gets you from the get go until the surprising revelation in the end. There is no debate over length of content when the idea is great. Lovely way to get across a message of racial harmony. Two thumbs up to the Creative team.
Category: Mobile
Agency: BBDO Colenso
Client: Pedigree
Cute. 100% mobile friendly. Woof. Woof.
Category: Outdoor
Agency: TBWA\HAKUHODO Inc., Japan
Client: Pure Boost / Adidas
One of the best examples of a big insight meeting big data to make a ginormous impact. Wish I had done it. It’s the best piece of work here by a mile.
Category: Print
Agency: Dentsu
Client: The 101st Kanazawa High School Sumo Wrestling Tournament
Beautifully art directed. In today’s mobile world, the idea could have made for some very shareable GIFs.
Category: Print
Agency: Amber China / Shanghai
Client: Ammeloo
Eye-catching visuals meet good Art Direction to create stopping power. They would make a difference at point-of-sale in a department store.
Category: Media
Agency: Beacon\Leo Burnett Tokyo
Client: McDonald’s Japan
Refreshing approach to create talk value through a hard to pronounce name. Proves that a good idea is agnostic of media channels.
***
About the reviewer:
Farrokh Madon is J Walter Singapore’s Chief Creative Officer. Before that, he served as the Chief Creative Officer of Y&R Singapore. He first embarked on his career in enterprise in Mumbai and has also worked for agencies such as Ogilvy & Mather, Saatchi & Saatchi, Batey, M&C Saatchi and others. He has also been the global creative lead on SIA and the regional creative director on MasterCard, Gillette and Caltex. His portfolio of clients include others such as Diageo, Visa, HP, Republic of Singapore Navy, Heineken, BMW, HSBC and Discovery Channel, amongst others.
