Spikes Asia teams with MasterCard to champion creativity – entries now open, deadline July 22

MasterCard has been announced as the headline sponsor for this year’s Spikes Asia Festival of Creativity – the first time the Festival has partnered with a brand to celebrate excellence in creative communications from across the region.

Both Spikes Asia and MasterCard have a long-standing commitment to championing great ideas, and exploring how technology enables creativity. Sam Ahmed, SVP head of marketing, MasterCard Asia Pacific said that it was these aligned objectives that had made the partnership possible.

Says Ahmed: “Creativity and technology underpins everything we do at MasterCard, and is the driving force that makes us the world’s most advanced payments technology company. This is the reason it gives us such pride to work with Spikes Asia. We believe the fostering of creativity and new technology by the festival will inspire innovation in marketing that benefits the industry, brands and consumers.”

Says Terry Savage, chairman, Spikes Asia on the partnership: “MasterCard have been innovating and inspiring their customers for nearly 50 years. Their investment in technology and creativity is something that lies at the very heart of what Spikes Asia is about and this association will help us push the boundaries of creative communications in the region even further.”

To shape the 2016 content programme, the festival will gather a diverse group of industry innovators to share their insights into the future of technology, possibilities on the horizon and their impact for branded communications.

Savage further announced some changes to categories this year. Entertainment has evolved from, and now replaces, Branded Content & Entertainment and Music is a new award. Campaigned-for and designed by the industry, it recognises and celebrates the creative production, promotion and distribution of content with music at the core.

Says Savage: “The industry is growing and restructuring in response to, and in advance of, the needs of consumers. For some time music and entertainment have been the key to cutting-through. These new awards will celebrate content that has evolved into culture and completely captivated audiences.”

Spikes Asia registration and entries are now open with the deadline set for Friday, July 22 and further details can be found at www.spikes.asia.