ADFEST has collected seven jury panels made up of the greatest minds in the industry throughout the world. It would be a shame if you didn’t get to hear their views. Here are the ideas and insights from Day 1 of judging led by a pitchy comment from Ajay Vikram about ADFEST’s theme, Human+:

“What it can do better than us, let AI do it. But we have to continue to be better at the other things we really want to do.”

Ajay Vikram, CCO, Publicis Groupe, SEA. President Juror for Film Lotus, Press Lotus and Radio & Audio Lotus

Asian advertising has become something that all eyes in the world are on, especially from an economic perspective as well. Much innovation has happened in the region, and we are jumping into some cutting-edge technologies. Other parts of the world have slowly evolved, whereas for some Asian markets it has become a revolution. I think advertising and creativity have been keeping pace with that. The eyes of the world are not only on Asian brands and products, but also on Asian creativity along with them. It’s also a great responsibility we have as creatives, and for creativity in Asia, to make sure that the voice of Asia is heard. And I truly hope that we continue driving innovation.

Asia is a big word. Each country is unique and different, and it is what makes Asia such a diverse and incredibly creative part of the world. For me, the essential part of creativity is having different voices and different perspectives. That’s what creativity is, right? When we look at something, we see it differently in our minds, act differently, or even behave differently in response to the same set of human stimuli. That’s what creativity is all about: a fresh way of looking at things. It’s the diversity and the different voices, which I hope we never lose, that make Asia unique. There are things that we should have in common, but it’s actually the differences that make us rich, not just our commonality. Yes, having common values is important, but we should never lose sight of the fact that we are different colours of threads in the same tapestry.

AI is an amazing tool. Human beings can do things we never thought we could do before, at a speed we never thought possible, with a quality we never imagined before. So AI is going to revolutionise how we are able to express ourselves and how we communicate. It’s wonderful that we have a tool like this. In some areas, AI can do things better than we do, but I don’t think we should worry about that. What it can do better than us, let AI do it. But we have to continue to be better at the other things we really want to do. When you run, you have someone who keeps pace with you, so AI pushes you to run a little faster. I think it will push us to the next level.

I don’t see AI and humans as two different things, but rather human beings plus AI, human intelligence matched with AI to produce things. It’s a partnership. In some ways it’s like talking to another version of yourself, because AI is a product of what you feed into it. It’s a collaborator, someone who can create with you. I can’t predict anything because things are moving very quickly, but at the moment, the combination of human intelligence and artificial intelligence produces an output that humans want and desire.

[In terms of appropriateness] It’s tricky. There’s always a delicate balance where AI starts to infringe on an individual’s freedom and rights. We have to go by our human instinct about the most ethical way to use AI. If you feel in your bones that something is not right, then it’s probably wrong. Let our conscience, our culture, and our society be the guides for how far we can go with AI.

[On importance of awards] It’s more important now than ever, I think. It’s one way to celebrate creativity. People might have different opinions about awards and so on, about who’s more creative than whom, and which networks win. Those are just byproducts of what we do.

I feel that creative award shows are more important than ever because creativity is facing one of its biggest challenges in recent times. It’s not just the AI conversation, but also the consolidation of holding companies in the market that makes people question the value of creativity. We all know that creativity is the most important thing. It is going to flourish simply because, at the end of the day, it’s the way humans relate to humans.

If we truly use award shows as an opportunity to showcase the best of our creative work, our abilities, and our thinking, the world will take note of what creativity continues to do, not just what it can do. I hope more works are being entered into more creative awards, because as an industry and as a community, it’s not just about the networks or the agencies we represent. Creative award shows put a spotlight on that. Each one of us needs to do our bit, because if we don’t celebrate the power of creativity, who will?

Here’s a quick overview from Brand Experience Lotus, Commerce Lotus & Direct Lotus Jury President, Jim Ingram, Group Chief Creative at Thinkerbell:

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Tin Sanchez

Executive Creative Director, Publicis Manila, Manila

Juror for Brand Experience Lotus, Commerce Lotus, Direct Lotus 

Around 20 years ago, I was still a young creative, and now I’m a juror. The room where we’re judging now looks very similar to the one we were in when I was a young creative being briefed and coached. That was quite memorable and very foundational, so it’s really good to be back. I love the care we’re putting into the judging and how we’re discussing the works. We’re being very critical at times, but also generous, because we know that everybody is hoping for the best. Our careers are at stake. But we take our responsibilities seriously as a jury, so we’re really discussing the works and calling things in when we have to.

[On working with digital natives in the modern age of advertising] It changes a lot. Social media is predominating our experiences. Brands want scale immediately in a shorter amount of time, and it kind of reshapes how we produce and create works, and how we think about creative work. Before, it was a lot easier to break through the clutter and everybody was aware of what it was all about.

Right now, scale is also important. Impact is also important. It’s a lot harder to achieve because you’re now talking about global audiences. The competition is tougher, so it changes how you think about the work. And with AI making things really fast and many things more commonplace, you start to question how creativity will thrive in that environment.

But I’m an optimist in that area, and I still feel that we should consider that as a challenge to go back to being original and being fresh, because that has always been what matters in creativity.

[AI and creativity] Brands always want you to trendjack. But the more something happens, the more there is a need for the opposite. That is the opposite of trendjacking: being distinctive and different. For example, the more we see polished, perfect images, the more our eyes will crave authenticity. And that’s not trendjacking.

We still need to go to that zone to be distinctive, no matter what the trends are. Look for the space that sets a new trend. And it takes the same muscle that we would use before, which is to put boundaries and to question something. I don’t think that will ever go away, no matter what happens in the midst of AI.

[Uniqueness of Asian creativity] We are a very community-driven region of the globe. You can see it in the work that we value. We’re not just about becoming more individual. We like to serve our community, so you can see that reflected in the types of ideas where we’re trying to solve problems, whether for causes or even for brands. There is a sense of family-orientedness that is unique to this region.

Below are two snippets of insight from juror, Mark Carbone, Creative Director at Bear Meets Eagle on Fire, Sydney:

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Shruthi Subramaniam

Executive Creative Director, BBDO India, Mumbai

Juror for Film Lotus, Outdoor Lotus, Press Lotus, Radio & Audio Lotus

This is my first ADFEST as a jury member. It’s really exciting to meet creative people from the region and see how they react to the same idea. It’s very interesting in the jury room. You might see something from your lens, your cultural perspective, while people from other parts of the world have a completely different lens. And it’s such a lovely learning experience because you learn so much about other cultures, Korean for me, for example. So it’s not just about creativity and celebrating creativity, but also about learning. So much learning.

Asians are very emotional people. If you compare our advertising to Europe or America, it’s very different. And I think emotion is the core of many of our ideas, whether it’s humor or heartbreak. Thai humor, for example, is known for how funny and quirky it is. Asia is full of emotion. We should stay true to our unique local traits, because in the end we have to be relevant to the audience back in our own countries.

I’m a writer. When I see young writers open ChatGPT to write a headline, it really hurts me. Because we’ve been trained by creative directors to do the work ourselves. I was once made to stay in the office until 4:00 AM just to create headlines. But that’s how you develop craft.

I see a lot of young creatives open AI first before actually using their own minds, and I feel that HI is always better than AI for ideation. The starting point of creation should be purely human. AI can come in later, where it gives you references, helps improvise your work, or does research. But for creatives, it should be your mind first, and then AI.

I think we should think of AI as assistance and not let it lead us. AI doesn’t have empathy or sympathy. It cannot put itself in other people’s shoes, but we can. It doesn’t have the quirkiness that makes human creativity unique.

[The quality you look for as a juror] Freshness is one important thing. Uniqueness as well. We’re living in a world now with AI where you’ve seen so many things in different forms. But does it make you feel something? Does it touch you? And that’s what’s important.

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