Ad Stars kicks off today in Busan, South Korea; festival receives 18,063 entries from 61 countries

| | No Comments

Busan, Korea (1).jpgAD STARS is welcoming creative professionals from all over the world to the 9th annual AD STARS festival, which kicks off today in Busan, South Korea.

Over the next three days AD STARS 2016 will host a program of seminars, exhibitions, workshops and parties, culminating in an Awards Ceremony and Closing Gala this Saturday night, 27th August.

The theme of AD STARS 2016 is ‘Break’, and the program celebrates creative thinkers who are breaking new ground by taking risks and pushing the industry forward.

Says Eui-Ja Lee, co-chairperson of AD STARS’ executive committee: “We can confidently say that AD STARS has opened a new prospect in the field of global ad festivals. While only 3,105 pieces from 29 countries were entered in 2008, this year 18,063 entries from 61 countries were submitted. AD STARS will keep moving forward with our goal to discover new creative ideas all over the world.”

This year for the first time AD STARS is introducing ad:tech@AD STARS and Game Stars, expanding its territory to marketing technology and branded entertainment marketing.

Says Hwan-Jin Choi, co-chairperson of AD STARS’ executive committee: “Our sincere gratitude goes out to everyone visiting the 9th AD STARS, a festival dedicated to celebrating cultural diversity and groundbreaking ideas.”

Established in 2008, the festival’s overall slogan is: ‘Share Creative Solutions, Change the World’. AD STARS strives to create a level playing field: anyone can enter the AD STARS Awards free-of-charge in the spirit of openness and sharing.

Highlights of AD STARS 2016

Interactive exhibitions: With everything from VR cameras to a drone experience zone, the exhibitions at AD STARS are designed to satisfy all five senses.

ad:tech@AD STARS: This program brings digital marketing professionals from three countries together to share insights on the latest technology, innovations and marketing opportunities – it’s a must-see conference for digital creatives in Korea, China and Japan.

Opening Gala: Sponsored by Innocean Worldwide, tonight’s Opening Gala will be the first of three memorable evenings during AD STARS 2016.

Networking Party: On Friday night (26th August) delegates will have the chance to meet some of the world’s top creative leaders at a beachside venue in Busan.

Awards Ceremony & Closing Gala: With 1,680 finalists from 42 countries, the winners of the 2016 AD STARS Awards will be unveiled on Saturday night – with a celebratory gala party to follow.

Guest speakers: Some of this year’s guest speakers include:

Wayne Pick, creative director at Colenso BBDO/Proximity Auckland

From a beer that helps you save the entire planet, a cream that helps fight cancer, to shredded cash that will help you be good with money, one of New Zealand’s star creatives Pick will share some examples of brands with purpose.

Tim Doherty, chief creative officer, Isobar China

Dogerty’s provocative session will encourage creatives to “stop spinning in circles” by embracing technology to create truly big ideas.

Shun Matsuzaka, founder of McCann Millennials at McCann Japan

A few months ago McCann Japan announced it had created the world’s first creative director robot. One of the leading brains behind the A.I. robot, “AI-CD ß”, Matsuzaka is presenting a session that explains the robot’s creation. He will even share the story of AI-CD ß’s first brief, when the robot was hired to create an actual creative campaign for client Mondelez.

Brian Oh, managing director of King Korea

For insights into Asia’s incredible gaming market, Brian is presenting a fascinating session on the fast-changing mobile game industry. King Korea is part of global gaming behemoth King Digital Entertainment – the company behind mega addictive game Candy Crush.

David Lee, founder & CEO of Shakr.com

Lee will explain the phenomenal rise of digital video marketing. His session will cover the nitty-gritty of creating successful video campaigns, from funnel segmentation tips to Facebook’s Carousel, Canvas ad units, and A/B testing.

Anders Larsson, chief technology officer, TOPP, Sweden

All the way from Sweden comes Larsson, who will talk about three emerging trends impacting how consumers engage with products and services. Topp is a leading design studio, which has worked with companies like Samsung, Google and Blackberry.

David Guerrero, chairman and CCO, BBDO Guerrero

BBDO Guerrero was the first Philippine agency ever to be ranked among the world’s top 50 agencies in the “Gunn Report”. It was also the most awarded Philippine agency at the 2014 Cannes Lion Festival and won the nation’s first ever CyberLion, which makes Guerrero a creative force to be reckoned with.

Follow all the latest @_adstars news on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook: #ADSTARS and #ADSTARS2016