Ad Stars in Busan is an advertising festival that is starting to shine and make its mark

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Adstars_pic3.jpgThere’s a lot to like about Ad Stars. The Ad Stars 2009 Busan International Advertising Festival has just concluded after a three day festival headquartered at the Haeundae Grand Hotel in the Korean resort city of Busan. Already internationally-acclaimed for the Busan International Film Festival, now in it’s 14th year, the city of Busan is determined to promote it’s creative reputation and is heavily investing in the future of the AdStars Festival.

This was only the second year of Ad Stars and already you can see that the Festival has a lot of potential for the future. Certainly, as the news and understanding of the Festival spreads outside of Korea, Japan and China the number and quality of entries to the creative competition will skyrocket.

AdStars_Judging6.jpgAd Stars has aims to grow into a major world-wide advertising festival and, apart by being very well organised by a very professional organising committee headed by Chairperson Mrs Eui Ja Lee (pictured left), they have four major advantages over other Asian-based festivals like AdFest and Spikes Asia:

Firstly, There is no cost to enter. Entries to Ad Stars are free. This is due to the financial support of the city of Busan and a host of sponsors that would leave any festival world-wide green with envy. Campaign Brief Asia believes this offers a unique opportunity to CD’s with limited award submission budgets to test their campaigns with the Ad Stars jury before entering work into the bigger and expensive international shows. 

Secondly, the cost of registration to attend Ad Stars is extremelyaffordable. This year delegates paid just US$330 for a full delegatespass. This covered the full two days of sessions, exhibitions, theopening ceremony and party, the final award night presentation dinnerand (quite unbelievably!) two nights luxury accommodation at the 5 starHaeundae Grand Hotel. The cost is even lower (US$230) if you twin sharewith another delegate.

Thirdly, the Grand Prix winners in boththe Product & Service and Public Service categories win US$10,000each to go with their nice looking award.

Fourthly, Busan is abeautiful resort city with an entertaining nightlife and a big sandybeach that is just 30 meters away from the hotel.

AdStars_Judging8.jpgThisyear Ad Stars 2009 received 3,258 entries from 38 countries. Entrieswere shortlisted down to finalist stage by an online judging panel. Apanel of 13 judges headed by David Guerrero (Chairman & ECD, BBDOGuerrero/Proximity, Philippines) then awarded 2 Grand Prix, 9 Gold, 10Silver and 23 Bronze Stars from the 646 finalists.

Sitting with Guerrero on the judging panel (pictured below)were Spencer Wong (ECD McCann Hong Kong), Joe McDonagh (Worldwide CDCheil Worldwide), Polly Chu (ECD JWT Beijing), Alex Lim (CD Leo BurnettSingapore), Birger Linke (ECD TBWA Vietnam), Francois Chilot(President, Les Producers, France), Wain Choi (Chief Creative Officer,Diamond Ogilvy Korea), Takako Sakaki (CD Hakuhodo, Japan), Naoki Hara(Senior CD, Dentsu Kansai), Hye Kyoung Kim (Vice-President, InnoceanKorea) and Hyeon Jong Lee (Chief Creative Officer, HS Ad/WisebellKorea).

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Ad Stars also ran a very impressive Young Stars Creative Competition featuring 85 young students from various educational universities throughout Korea, China and Japan. A panel of six creatives and professors co-ordinated the two day competition including Ross Chowles, ECD at The Jupiter Drawing Room Cape Town, and Chris Kyme, Managing Partner, Creative from Eight Partnership Hong Kong.

Planning is underway to again improve the Ad Stars Festival for 2010. Theorganisers intend to invite at least two big worldwide creative names to be on the judging panel which is bound to add further prestige to the show. See the Ad Stars website here.

Coverage of this year’s Ad Star winners and photos from the Campaign Brief Asia camera will be in following stories.

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