The best work from the AdStars Advertising Festival: Judges pick their favourite ads
This year Campaign Brief Asia couldn’t make the AdStars Advertising Festival which concluded recently in Busan, South Korea. As already reported the two $10,000 cash Grand Prix prizes went to BBDO Guerrero Manila and Hakuhodo Kettle Tokyo for Pepsico ‘Bottle Light” and Google Chrome “Hatsune Miku” but what other work really stood out? Campaign Brief asked a few of the judges to pick their favourite three pieces of work.
Kash Sree
Chief Creative Officer/Partner SS+K
AdStars is still a work in progress. The scale and ambition of the show were admirable. Though it’s still struggling with what it wants to be and why it wants to be. It’ll get there though. You can feel that.
It was great to meet some nice people and get to exchange ideas and view on the business and how they approach it. I felt I left the show a little bit better as an ad person because of what I’d learned from these conversations.
My favorite campaigns were the S-Oil “here’ Balloon. The Samsung mind’s eye work and the Pepsi Phillipines’ bottle light project.
I was really impressed by S-Oil “here balloon” (balloon that shows you where the free parking spaces are in car parks). In an age where brands have to do more than tell you what they do. Here was an oil company showing us how to use less oil. It was a great and helpful utility that made you feel better about the brand. If applied at scale it is something that could make a real difference and help us all. Really smart.
I liked the Samsung cameras piece where they sent 50 blind students to do a photography workshop then made an exhibition of their work. We had some debates over this. Some thought it was a PSA. I felt that it was just a great demo ad showing that if blind people can take pictures this good, then what could you do with this camera? I thought the film was beautiful and emotional and the idea simple and elegant.
I thought the Pepsi “Bottle Light” project was pretty fantastic. Really simple way to show how a brand could make a difference and do good. The genius part is it made the Pepsi bottle itself a symbol of light and difference for hundreds of people who had to live in darkness during the day in their homes. It was so simple and so life transforming.
The only argument here is we had to move categories for it. It was in the main advertising categories where it should have been in a corporate responsibility category- something we hope they’re going to introduce next year.
Scott Lambert
Creative Director Innocean Australia
The Adstars Festival is definitely a little DIFFERENT. They definitely need to get a bit more organised, and simplify their categories and process.
Having said that, it was a great experience and a lot of fun. Believe it or not, it was also my first trip to Korea, and I have been at Innocean now for almost 2 years.
I was the executive judge for Print, Print Craft, Outdoor Craft, Integrated and Film Craft, and as per usual, Asia showed off its great talent in the Print and print craft categories.
One of the highlights for me was a campaign out of China for Maxam Toothpaste. Created by last year’s Cannes Print Grand Prix winner, Yang Yeo and his team, it was another great example of a simple visual thought being lovingly executed by talented craftsmen. Definitely a stand out.
Outside of my categories, there were a number of World Class ideas.
The “Red Alert” Rescue App out of Singapore was such a great simple idea, that you just say to yourself, “Why didn’t I come up with that”. It’s a fantastic “idea for good” that could be rolled out and become successful anywhere in the world.
Pepsi’s “Bottle Light” idea is literally a light bulb idea. What a simple inexpensive way of bringing light to the less fortunate. This wonderful concept is already being rolled out to other needy parts of the world, and definitely worthy of its Grand Prix and $10,000 prize.
And the other idea that stood out for me was the “Here” parking balloons for (A petrol Company that I can’t remember). Again, another “idea for Good” that was inexpensive, effective and memorable.
All of these concepts had one thing in common. Simple, clever ideas.
Paul Shearer
Director, Great Guns/ Executive Creative Director HMDG London
The 3 best campaigns for me were:
National surprise party. A Belgian radio station celebrates their 3rd birthday by giving it away to one of its unsuspecting listeners. This was a real celebration and a campaign that was so well done you could only be impressed.
The Mr Pizza Co. This campaign spoofed the true origin of pizza. This was really well executed and made everyone laugh. An idea that really played off the cultural aspect of pizza and would have got Italians annoyed. Perfect campaign to get people talking.
Google Chrome campaign was my fav. A real brand doing great things. It was fresh and made you want to find out more. More importantly I was jealous of the idea.
Kevin Lee
Executive creative director / Partner / Leagas Delaney Shanghai
My top 3 choices are:
An idea that goes beyond advertising into solving a societal problem. The idea turned rubbish into something that changed people’s lives. It’s an invention using the product itself. Very simple and very smart.
I think this is the best use of a QR code that I’ve seen yet. The beauty of it, is that it only works at the exact time they need to boost sales. A perfect solution to the client’s problem.
S-Oil – Here Balloon A beautifully simple analogue idea in a time when everyone’s focusing on technology. The client is on a mission to save oil and these simple balloons direct people to open parking spots, so they don’t drive around and waste oil. Mission accomplished.
Kok Keong Chow
Creative Director / TBWA Tequila Malaysia
In general, I feel the tremendous change in Korea creative industry. Chiel Worldwide started winning some international awards like Cannes Gold Lions, nobody expected Korea agency could pick up any international awards in the past 20 years.
Anyway, the 3 best ads I like most at Busan Adstars 2012 are as following..
Why?: When we think QR Code has been done to death, the “Shadow QR Code” surprised me again. To increase sales during lunch hour, eMart has installed the 3D QR Code that works only from 12pm to 1pm, using sunlight and shadow. Old technology, new execution, why not?
Why?: “Here Balloon” helps driver to spot open parking spaces without wandering, finding quick parking means saving oil. Small effort, big contribution to the environment. It’s a smart way of using ambient media, loved it.
Why?: Everyone is creator, from song writer, costume designer, illustrator to 3D animator. It is a huge integrated campaign which involved many people to create a virtual singer. I can’t help myself to say “wish I’d have done that”.
3 Comments
Kash Sree, Scott Lambert. Andy Fackrell.
These were the top notch blokes Singapore used to attract.
They left their mark on the local industry and went on to do greater stuff overseas.
They were true foreign talents.
And pretty nice guys to boot.
Yes congratulations to the homeless, nameless Brazilian people who invented the Bottle Light. Not the Pepsi bottle light. The bottle light. Thanks to the My Shelter foundation for helping homeless people in The Philippines by sharing this Brazilian invention with them. Pepsi Manila sponsored it, so ok, thanks for the sponsorship money Pepsi. Brazilian homeless people invented this to survive, only to have an agency pass it off as their own idea. Guys c’mon. Just enter it into ‘PR-best use of sponsorship’ and sleep easy at night. But innovative media and public service?!!! Shouldn’t your agency at the very least… have thought of the idea… isn’t that what you want to stand for as an agency – a producer of your own intellectual property, your own ideas? The credibility of your agency long term is far more important than medals short term. Do the right thing.
I agree ‘credit where credit is due’. What people and juries love about the bottle light is the invention. Not the pepsi sponsorship. Juries are awarding the actual invention, not the sponsorship. And that invention was not created by anyone in BBDO Guerrero.