ADFEST is pleased to unveil the winners of the ADFEST 2021 Lotus Awards, announced at today’s online ceremony on Thursday 8^th April 2021, 12:00pm (UTC+7). With 62 jurors, the judging process was guided by Grand Jury President Judy John, Global Chief Creative Officer at Edelman, Toronto.

Jimmy Lam, President of ADFEST, said: “We would like to thank everyone who entered ADFEST 2021 in spite of the challenges we faced as an industry last year. We thank you for sharing your ideas with the world and for showing how in dark times, the most innovative creative ideas shine bright.”

ADFEST’s highest accolade is the ‘Grande’ trophy, with 4 Grande winners at ADFEST 2021:

·         Direct Lotus Grande: Wunderman Thompson Thailand, Bangkok for Thai Airways’ ‘Stay Home Miles Exchange’

·    Film Lotus Grande: Wolf BKK, Bangkok for Central Midnight Sale ‘Shop Unfriend’, with production by Factory01, Bangkok

·         Media Lotus Grande: TBWA, Sydney for ‘Play NZ’ created for Tourism New Zealand with Mindshare, Sydney

·         Grande for Humanity: ‘Bonds Out Now’ for Bonds, by Leo Burnett Melbourne

John Koay, Executive Creative Director at Ogilvy Hong Kong, judged Design Lotus and Print & Outdoor Craft Lotus. He said: “2021 was hard for everyone and not just people in the creative industry. However, these winning pieces of work remind us that no matter how difficult it is, design and creativity can defy all odds and inspire us to have fun and do things differently with a twist in our everyday lives.”

Abhinav Tripathi, Executive Creative Director at McCann Worldgroup India, joined the Audio Lotus, Film Lotus, Outdoor Lotus & Press Lotus jury. He adds: “I think one of things we celebrated along with creativity was resilience. We were all amazed by the quality of the work we were seeing. Which really is a testament to our industry’s hard work and determination.”

AUDIO LOTUS

There are no Grande, Gold, Silver or Bronze awarded in the Audio Lotus category.

BRAND EXPERIENCE LOTUS

There are 1 Gold, 4 Silver and 5 Bronze Lotus winners in the Brand Experience category.  

Congratulations to Wunderman Thompson Thailand, Bangkok which has won Gold for the Thai Airways ‘Stay Home Miles Exchange’ campaign.

The four Silver Lotus trophies go to:

·         Ogilvy Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur: Coca-Cola ‘The Galactic Bottles’ won two Silver trophies

·         Beijing Creative & Interactive Digital Technology Company Limited, Beijing and CIG Beijing: Huawei Device Co., Ltd. ‘Half Piano’

·         ADK Creative One, Tokyo: NTT DOCOMO ‘Memories Forever’

BRANDED ENTERTAINMENT LOTUS

In Branded Entertainment Lotus, there are 3 Silver and 5 Bronze Lotus winners, plus two finalists.

Congratulations to the following Silver-winners:

·         Edelman Singapore: Causes for Animals Singapore ‘The Perfect Voiceovers’

·         Leo Burnett, Melbourne: Bonds ‘Bonds Unplugged’

·         United Communication Group / Uni-Surf Digital Marketing, Taipei: Heng Leong Hang Co. Ltd (Braun) ‘‘Braun X Formosa Chang’

“‘The Perfect Voiceovers’ was a brilliant idea to change people’s perceptions of shelter animals, and help these animals to be seen as desirable rather than leftover. With zero dollars spent on media, adoption enquiries increased by 21%. As for ‘Braun X Formosa Chang’, this unusual campaign aimed to change the traditional image of Braun and it caught young people’s attention. I love the beautiful art direction as well,” said Baris Gencel, Creative Director, Brand Consultant & Creative Digital & Technology, Shanghai.

DESIGN LOTUS

There are 1 Gold, 2 Silver and 1 Bronze winners  in the Design Lotus category.

Congratulations to Gold winner Dentsu Inc., Tokyo for Ezaki Glico Co., Ltd.’s ‘Pocky the Gift’.

“Everyone knows and loves Pocky. It’s an iconic product.  And it’s very difficult to redesign the packaging of something that’s so well recognized. But Pocky was able to create a new look that was minimalist, modern, and playful yet still 100% Pocky.  Plus, the new packaging is just cute AF,” said Jameilee Que, Creative Director at BBDO Guerrero, Manila.

Two Silver trophies are also awarded to:

·         Dentsu Inc., Tokyo: Ezaki Glico Co., Ltd.’s ‘Pocky the Gift’

·     SIX Inc., Hakuhodo Inc., and HAKUHODO Kettle Inc., Tokyo: Code Sony Music Labels / Reissue Records for artist Kenshi Yonezu, ‘A Ciphered Release Of Music Video: Stray Sheep’

John Koay, Executive Creative Director at Ogilvy Hong Kong, said: “‘A Ciphered Release of Music Video: Stray Sheep’ was a very interesting way to grab people's attention online. Using an unconventional design language, it was fresh in the category – that's why it was deserving of a Silver Lotus.”

DIGITAL CRAFT LOTUS

This year, there are no Gold or Silver winners, only 4 Bronze winners in Digital Craft Lotus.

DIGITAL LOTUS

There are 2 Gold, 1 Silver and 2 Bronze Lotus award winners in Digital Lotus.

Congratulations to the following Gold winners:

·         Taproot Dentsu, Mumbai: Facebook ‘Pooja Didi’

·         Innocean Worldwide, Seoul: Young Chemical / Facebook Korea, ‘The Cheering Bandage’. This campaign also won 1 Silver trophy in this category

“Both of these campaigns showed us that in such a difficult period, people’s desire to do good for others was more effective and heart-warming,” says Kalpesh Patankar, Chief Creative Officer MENA, VMLY&R Dubai and Jury President of Digital Lotus, Digital Craft Lotus & Mobile Lotus.

“As a group, we were looking for ideas that sympathize with what we all face as humanity together. The winning campaigns use empathy, diversity and human-centric technology, showing us that creativity can really help people and also that bold ideas can make the power of the brand even more powerful.”

DIRECT LOTUS

There are 1 Grande, 1 Gold and 1 Bronze in the Direct Lotus category.

Congratulations to Wunderman Thompson Thailand, Bangkok, which won the Grande trophy for Thai Airways’ ‘Stay Home Miles Exchange’ along with one Gold trophy. This campaign was entered into the ‘Resilience in Creativity’ sub-category, which celebrates ideas that demonstrate the strength of the human spirit in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic.

eCOMMERCE LOTUS

Congratulation to 2 Silver Lotus winners:

·         Dentsu Inc., Tokyo: Kura Sushi, Inc. ‘Tuna Scope 2020’

·         Wunderman Thompson Thailand, Bangkok: Thai Airways International ‘Destination Menu’

EFFECTIVE LOTUS

There are 3 Gold awards, 1 Silver and 1 Bronze in Effective Lotus.

Congratulations to Gold winners:

·         Grey Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur: WWF, ‘Your Plastic Diet’, which won 2 Golds

·         Dentsu Inc., Tokyo: Kura Sushi, Inc., ‘Tuna Scope 2020’

“By showing people how much plastic we eat, it compelled them to sign one of the fastest and largest petitions ever created in WWF history. Tuna Scope goes beyond clicks and likes – it was an amazing piece of work where innovation combined with creativity delivered simple yet brilliant work that still and will be used for years to help businesses,” said Baris Gencel, Creative Director, Brand Consultant, Creative Digital & Technology, Shanghai.

FILM CRAFT LOTUS

This year, there are 3 Gold, 3 Silver, 15 Bronze awards in Film Craft Lotus.

Congratulations to the following Gold winners:

·         Wolf BKK, Bangkok: Central Midnight Sale ‘Shop Unfriend’, with production by Factory01, Bangkok

·         Taiyo Kikaku Co., Ltd., Tokyo: Toagosei Co. Ltd.’s Aron Alpha ‘Too Short for TV Ads campaign’ created for Yomiko Advertising Inc., Tokyo

·         Squeak E. Clean Studios, Sydney: Facebook ‘Facebook Kazoo’ for Wieden + Kennedy Portland

“All winners show that taking smart humor to the next level, even if it borders on something somewhat absurd, actually helps a great deal to stand out and get a message across. A great creative concept is one thing, but to push it to its extremes in its craft and execution, makes all the difference,” said Diederik van Middelkoop, Executive Creative Director at Amp.Amsterdam.

“My absolute favourite was the ‘Too Short for TV Ads campaign’. I feel they are like a breath of fresh air amidst a lot of serious and long-format content. The ads that make up the campaign are original, short, daring, unexpected, delightful and mildly absurd. They are perfect, really.”

FILM LOTUS

In the Film Lotus category, there were 1 Grande, 1 Gold, 2 Silver, 3 Bronze awarded.

Congratulations to Grande winner Wolf BKK, Bangkok for Central Midnight Sale ‘Shop Unfriend’, with production by Factory01, Bangkok.

“We often use the word ‘clutter-breaking’ in our industry. But I feel this time, this film truly deserves that title. It stands out in so many ways. It’s either a fashion film that uses humor really well, or it’s a funny film that’s incredibly fashionable. Either ways, it breaks multiple stereotypes while being able to deliver its message very effectively,” said Abhinav Tripathi, Executive Creative Director at McCann Worldgroup India.

Brandie Tan, Executive Creative Director at Wunderman Thompson Philippines, Manila, agrees: “’Shop Unfriend’ was probably the freshest story out of all the films we saw. When the friend drives away with half of the car you think it’s the end of the story but, it’s not. This makes the film unexpected, funny and worth watching over and over.”

The Sour Bangkok Co. Ltd., Bangkok won Gold for ‘Maepranom’, created for Phiboonchai Maepranom Thai Chilli Paste Co., Ltd., with production by Phenomena Co., Ltd., Bangkok.

INNOVA LOTUS

The “Magnificent Seven” Jury Presidents, headed by Judy John, Global Chief Creative Officer at Edelman, Toronto, judged the INNOVA Lotus, Lotus Roots, and Grande for Humanity.

The INNOVA Lotus category rewards genuine innovation, talk-value and results. Congratulations to Cheil Worldwide, Seoul for Emart’s ‘Light Saver’. Cheil Worldwide is the sole INNOVA Lotus winner at ADFEST 2021.

LOTUS ROOTS

Unique to ADFEST, the Lotus Roots category celebrates ideas that embody local values whether in terms of culture, religion, beliefs, traditions, or language.

There were 2 Lotus Roots winners at ADFEST 2021:

·         Fact, Tokyo: ‘Pillows are for fighting’ – Ito City’s City Promotion

·         FINCH, Sydney: Spark’s ‘Kupu Tell Your Story’ created for Colenso BBDO Auckland

MEDIA LOTUS

In the Media Lotus category, there were 1 Grande, 2 Gold, 4 Silver, and 2 Bronze awarded.

Congratulations to Grande winner TBWA, Sydney for ‘Play NZ’ created for Tourism New Zealand with Mindshare, Sydney.

Congratulations to Gold winners:

·         Leo Burnett, Melbourne : Bonds ‘Bonds Out Now’ with media by OMD Sydney

·      United Communciation Group/Uni-Surf Digital Marketing, Taipei: Heng Leong Hang Co. Ltd (Braun) ‘Braun X Formosa Chang’.

MOBILE LOTUS

In Mobile Lotus, there are 1 Gold, 1 Silver and 2 Bronze awards.

Congratulations to this year’s Gold winner, Wunderman Thompson Thailand, Bangkok, for Thai Airways, ‘Stay Home Miles Exchange’. The agency also won 1 Silver award for the same campaign.

“Thai Airways helped reinforce the brand at a time when nobody was flying. It showed how something negative can become a strength by rewarding people for staying home. Creativity when applied right inspires and moves us all,” explains Jury President Kalpesh Patankar, Chief Creative Officer MENA, VMLY&R Dubai.

NEW DIRECTOR LOTUS

In the New Director Lotus category, there is 1 Silver award, and 1 Bronze award.  

The Silver trophy is awarded to Graph Studio Sdn Bhd, Kuala Lumpur for a short film titled ‘Setting Moon’, created for the Kancil Awards 2019, hosted by the 4AS (Association Of Accredited Advertising Agencies) Malaysia.

“This unusually spiritual and mystical topic choice is especially unexpected for a young director. We were impressed by the sincerity of the subject, and the love and care director Chan Teik Quan has put into the film. We all eventually say goodbye to our loved ones, and this film is a highly original depiction of an imagined road to farewell,” explains Diederik van Middelkoop, Executive Creative Director at Amp.Amsterdam.

OUTDOOR LOTUS

In the Outdoor Lotus category, there were 1 Gold, 4 Silver and 3 Bronze awards.

Leo Burnett, Melbourne picked up a Gold trophy for the Bonds ‘Bonds Out Now’ campaign.

Brandie Tan, Executive Creative Director at Wunderman Thompson Philippines, Manila, said: “‘Bonds Out Now’ was a true Outdoor campaign. It communicated from afar with big bold letters, a short headline and beautiful portraits of real people.  It looks and feels authentic the second you see it.”

Congratulations to the following Silver winners:

·         Daiko & DAIKO WEDO, Tokyo: Burger King Japan, ‘True King Listens’

·    United Communication Group / Uni-Surf Digital Marketing, Taipei: Heng Leong Hang Co. Ltd (Braun) ‘Braun X Formosa Chang’

·         Hakuhodo Indonesia, Jakarta: Sushi Sei’s ‘Flavour of Home’.

·         Leo Burnett Sydney, Sydney: Bonds ‘Bonds Out Now’

PR LOTUS

In PR Lotus, there were 3 Gold, 4 Silver and 7 Bronze awarded.

Congratulations to all Gold PR winners:

·         IRIS, Singapore : Warner Music Asia, ‘Unsung’

·         Leo Burnett, Melbourne: Bonds ‘Bonds Out Now’

·         TBWA,Sydney: Tourism New Zealand, ‘Play NZ’.

PRESS LOTUS

In the Press Lotus category, there were 1 Silver and 1 Bronze winners.

TBWA\Thailand, Bangkok has won Silver for McThai Co. Ltd.’s (McDonald’s) ‘Burger & Me’ campaign with print production by Le Photographe Co. Ltd., Bangkok and Visionary Bangkok.

“‘Burger & Me’ stood out for its quick wit — its cleverness. There is a truth about how people love McDonald’s burgers and the agency was able to show this in a fresh new way. I’m not the first to say this: the best ads don’t look like they belong in their category and this places QSR in another mindspace,” says Brandie Tan, Executive Creative Director at Wunderman Thompson Philippines, Manila.

PRINT & OUTDOOR CRAFT LOTUS

In the Print & Outdoor Craft Lotus category, there were 1 Silver and 1 Bronze winners. 

Congratulations to Silver winner:

·         Le Photographe Co. Ltd., Bangkok: McThai Co. Ltd.’s (McDonald’s) ‘Kiss 1’ created for TBWA\Thailand, Bangkok, with print production also by Visionary Bangkok.

“A burger is convenient. It’s quick, it’s easy, you can eat it with one hand.  It’s a very unfussy food.  To see it depicted as a love interest, a sex object even, genuinely made me laugh. In a good way.  I can honestly say I’ve never seen a burger that way,” said Jameilee Que, Creative Director at BBDO Guerrero in Manila.

John Koay, Executive Creative Director at Ogilvy Hong Kong, agrees: “This piece of work is a fine example of a classic print ad done well. You look at it, then it hits you with the 'ah-ha' moment when you realise you're looking at something else, the product. Nice one.”

GRANDE FOR HUMANITY

The Grande for Humanity, which recognizes excellence in Corporate Social Responsibility or Public Services & Cause Appeals, goes to Leo Burnett Melbourne for ‘Bonds Out Now’, created for Bonds.

“It’s very hard to balance capitalism with a social point-of-view. I think we all loved how effortlessly this campaign managed to do that. It uses well established formats of advertising to proudly celebrate and encourage the LGBTQ community. For a big brand, that was a pretty bold move and it was executed with class,” says Abhinav Tripathi, Executive Creative Director at McCann Worldgroup India.

Founded in 1998, ADFEST is Asia’s longest-running and most celebrated regional creative festival. ADFEST is included in the WARC Rankings, successor to The Gunn Report, which combine the winners' lists from the world's most important awards to establish the annual worldwide league tables for the global advertising industry.

For the complete list of ADFEST 2021 Grande, Gold, Silver and Bronze winners, click here.

Ends

HEAD OF PR

Ms. Sara Fielding

Email: Sara@ADFEST.com

EDITOR

Ms. Barbara Messer

Email: Barbara@ADFEST.com