IMPACT BBDO won 2 Grands Prix in Press and Media for AnNahar’s “Newspapers Inside The Newspaper Edition,” along with a Silver in Entertainment and a Bronze in Sustainability for EBM’s “Schoolgirl Newscasters.” This is the Second year in a row for IMPACT BBDO to lead the Middle East at ADFEST, one of Asia’s largest advertising creative shows.
Over 842 delegates from 57 cities attended ADFEST 2024 Human Intelligence venue from Thursday, 21st March to Saturday, 23rd March 2024 at PEACH, The Royal Cliff Beach Hotels Group, Pattaya, Thailand.
Founded in 1998, AdFest is one of Asia’s most celebrated shows, and is one of 8 regional creative festivals included in the WARC Creative 100 Rankings.
The festival featured 31 sessions with 51 speakers, along with 6 interactive workshops led by 17 speakers. Additionally, delegates had the opportunity to explore exhibitions, screenings, and parties throughout the three-day event.
The ADFEST 2024 came to an end with the announcement of the Lotus Awards to a packed audience.
A total of 1,587 entries were received for the 2024 Lotus Awards and 63 jury members from 23 cities were organized into seven groups, chaired by Malcolm Poynton, Global Chief Creative Officer for Cheil Worldwide, London to decide the winners of the ADFEST 2024 Lotus Awards.
Poynton noted: “In briefing the jury for ADFEST this year, I asked they judge with open hearts; to celebrate world-class ideas that come from and are true to the incredible local cultures of Asia and the Pacific. To be confident in voting for the creativity of Asia, leaving behind any ‘global’ view, any agency vs agency, country vs country views often seen at other shows.”
“Overall impressions from the juries were one of truly world-class work rooted in local culture, along with a welcome shift toward more emotional work; the return of wit, humor and more personality in the work.
“I’m happy to say Human Intelligence is evident in all winning work. From Design and INNOVA to Digital, Mobile, Film, Film Craft, Effective, Lotus Roots and Lotus Grande, we’re seeing it takes creative minds to have the human insight and imagination to take the leaps that result in creative ideas that move people.”
The winners, which were announced at two evening awards presentations, are as follows:
DIGITAL & SOCIAL LOTUS AWARD
For the Digital and Social Lotus category, 122 pieces of work were entered, marking a notable 13% increase compared to the previous year. Out of those, juries awarded 4 Bronze and 2 Silver. There was no Gold award given out.
DIGITAL CRAFT LOTUS
The Digital Craft Lotus category received 44 entries this year. The jury awarded 2 Bronze, 3 Silver and 1 Grande.
The Grande was awarded to Dentsu Inc., Tokyo for Japan Railway 150th Anniversary Campaign “My Japan Railway”.
Jury President for Digital Craft, Rei Inamoto says “My Japan Railway takes a traditional piece of culture, modernized it, and elevates the romance of the brand.”
“It is one of the few pieces of work that can only come from Asia and be an inspiration to the rest of the world.”
MOBILE LOTUS AWARD
Out of 24 entries for Mobile Lotus this year, the juries awarded 2 Bronze, 1 Silver and 1Gold. The Gold award was presented to Dentsu Inc., Tokyo for Japan Railway 150th Anniversary Campaign “My Japan Railway”.
DESIGN LOTUS AWARD
109 entries were received for the Design Lotus award and out of these, the jury awarded 5 Bronze, 1 Silver, 2 Gold, and 1 Grande.
One Gold Award was presented to TBWA\Hakuhodo Inc., Tokyo for Shellmet “Shellmet”.
Dentsu Inc., Tokyo was elected as winner of a Gold and Grande awards for work on Japan Railway 150th Anniversary Campaign titled, “My Japan Railway”.
Ashwini Deshpande, the Jury President for Design Lotus says “Japan Railway 150th Anniversary Campaign ‘My Japan Railway’ was a mind-blowing piece in so many ways. It is deeply embedded in the Japanese culture where railway is a part of life for over a century. Stations, trains, and journeys have stories of people, architecture, nature and even food culture of Japan. This campaign is a true celebration of all those stories. Each of the 900 (no less!) stations has been given a beautiful, unique, and yet harmonious illustrated identity that represents the true spirit of the station. Travelers can scan and collect those identities as stamps through an app. The campaign embraces multimedia, through maps, books, merchandise and of course an app. Every single illustration is a piece of marvel, and yet when it all comes together as a system, it never loses the warmth of a hand-crafted story.
“I loved the work for its idea, thoughtful curation, beautiful craft, audacious scale and finally the way it reached millions of hearts in a very simple way.”
PRINT & OUTDOOR CRAFT LOTUS AWARD
Print and Outdoor Craft Lotus entries were 39 in total this year. Out of those, 1 Bronze, 1 Silver and 1 Gold awards.
The Gold award was given to Dentsu Inc., Tokyo for Japan Railway 150th Anniversary Campaign “My Japan Railway”.
BRAND EXPERIENCE LOTUS AWARD
There were 137 entries for the Brand Experience Lotus category. The jury for this category also awarded 10 Bronze, 4 Silver, 1 Gold, 1 Grande awards.
VML Thailand, Bangkok won a Gold award for its work on KFC “KFC Bone Tie”.
Dentsu Inc., Tokyo was elected as winner of the Grande award for work on Japan Railway 150th Anniversary Campaign titled, “My Japan Railway”.
“In a stunning display of creativity and dedication, our craftsmanship and innovative ideas breathe new life into a traditional brand, presenting it from a fresh perspective that captivates audiences,” said Bill Yom, Jury President for Brand Experience.
COMMERCE LOTUS AWARD
For the Commerce Lotus category, 13 pieces of work were entered, with the Jury awarding 2 Silver. No Gold award was given.
DIRECT LOTUS AWARD
Out of 93 entries for Direct Lotus this year, the juries awarded 9 Bronze, 2 Silver, 2 Gold, and 1 Grande.
Two Gold awards were presented to:
Cheil Worldwide, Seoul for Drama ‘Strong Girl Nam-Soon’ “Drug Test Poster”;
Dentsu Inc., Tokyo for Japan Railway 150th Anniversary Campaign “My Japan Railway”.
The Grande was awarded to VML Indonesia, Jakarta for McDonald's Indonesia “McDonald's Wi-Fries”.
“In addressing a common challenge for the audience, this project showcases the commitment to meaningful solutions. The creative execution balances simplicity and playfulness, creating a direct and engaging experience for both the audience and the brand,” said Bill Yom, Jury President for Brand Experience.
ENTERTAINMENT LOTUS AWARD
This year, there were 84 entries in the Entertainment Lotus category with 3 Bronze, 2 Silver, 3 Gold, and 1 Grande awards.
Three Gold Awards were presented to:
Six Inc., Tokyo for Sotetsu “A Train of Memories”;
Finch, Sydney for Modibodi “I'm Dying Inside”;
BBDO Bangkok Limited, Bangkok for Five Star “My Parent is a Tiktoker”.
Choojai and Friends, Bangkok was elected as winner of the Grande award for work on Sammakorn titled, “Sammakorn Not Sanpakorn”.
Wendy Chan, Jury President of Entertainment Lotus, says “This work took the most boring business category and made it entertaining. By leveraging a problem creatively, it repeatedly calls out the brand name, listed every product and displayed the logo in the most amusing way. It is both entertaining and direct. We watch few times and still laughing. Even I can remember a Thai brand name now!”
MEDIA LOTUS AWARD
The Media Lotus received 92 entries. Out of those, juries awarded 6 Bronze, 3 Silver, and 1 Grande awards.
The Grande was awarded to Impact BBDO, Dubai for An Nahar Newspaper “The Newspapers Inside. The Newspaper Edition”.
“In today’s complex media landscape, this is one of the most traditional media, which is declining in every country. Yet, this entry has shown that it is the best medium to unleash the voice of the people. Giving hope and proved that the press will never be silenced,” said Wendy Chan.
PR LOTUS AWARD
There were 77 entries for the PR Lotus category. The jury for this category also awarded 7 Bronze, 4 Silver, 4 Gold, and 1 Grande awards.
Three Gold Awards were presented to:
TBWA\Hakuhodo Inc., Tokyo for Shellmet “Shellmet”;
Mullenlowe Treyna, Manila for Right to Care “Right to Care”;
VML, SINGAPORE for Lux “Change the Angle”.
Honda Office, Tokyo was won Gold and Grande awards for work on Ajinomoto “Gyoza” titled, “Frying Pan Challenge”.
Wendy Chan says “The works in PR category are strong with many exciting entries. Sometimes the topic of challenge is not necessary to be huge. This work we pick solve a practical challenge. By turning crisis into opportunity through action, result in creating trust in brand and the product. This Grand Prix is a non-sticky decision for us.”
FILM CRAFT LOTUS AWARD
Film Craft saw the biggest number of entries with a tally of 232 in total, representing a 7% increase compared to the previous year. The Jury awarded 21 Bronze, 10 Silver, 9 Gold, and 1 Grande awards.
Five Gold awards were presented to:
Arcade Film Factory, Manila for TNT Telco “Mother”;
FINCH, Sydney for Modibodi “I'm Dying Inside Campaign”;
Ogilvy Group Thailand, Bangkok for Thai Life Insurance “Under My Skin”;
Spoon Inc., Tokyo for Pocari Sweat Returnable Bottle Project “Scuffing Song”;
VML India, Mumbai for Exide “The Moving Canvas”.
Six Inc., Tokyo was won Four Gold and 1 Grande awards for work on Sotetsu titled, “A Train of Memories”.
Jury President for Film Craft Lotus, Emma Daines says “A Train of Memories was a clear winner in many categories which catapulted it to a Grande, not just because of its Production technology achievement but also because of it’s adventurous spirit and undertaking on the approach of the Director and the support around.”
“Support including production/set design, technical choreography, casting, script and original score. Original score was a combination of 2 meaningful cultural origins.”
“It all delivered on screen and was delightful to watch, which we did many many times as it was such a success in many categories.”
“The approach was innovative the result was excellent.”
OUTDOOR LOTUS AWARD
For the Outdoor Lotus category, 76 pieces of work were entered, with the Jury awarding 3 Bronze, 2 Silver, 1 Gold and 1 Grande.
The Gold award was won by Gigil, Manila for Netflix “4Dish Pot”.
Leo Burnett Korea, Seoul was elected as winner of the Grande award for work on McDonald's titled, “Mom's Bed”.
David Guerrero, Creative Chair for BBDO Guerrero, Manila and Jury President for Film, Outdoor, Press and Radio & Audio says “The interesting thing here is the brand was willing to take a stand about a health policy matter. Many brands shy away from expressing a point of view on things like this and we all liked how the execution linked seamlessly to social and led to an action to address the problem.”
PRESS LOTUS AWARD
There were 17 entries recorded for the Press Lotus awards and the jury gave out 1 Grande award.
The Grande award was won by Impact BBDO, Dubai for An Nahar Newspaper “The Newspapers Inside. The Newspaper Edition”.
“The role of the press in political debate is highlighted in this piece where banned newspapers were reprinted within one complete daily. It showed defiance and strength in the face of censorship. And also shows that it needs to be confronted in an actionable way,” said David Guerrero.
RADIO & AUDIO LOTUS AWARD
This year, there were 33 entries for the Radio & Audio Lotus Awards. There were 2 winners of Silver awards and 2 Gold were also announced.
Two Gold awards were presented to:
Leo Burnett Taiwan, Taipei for Taiwan Organ Sharing Registry & Patient Autonomy Promotion Center “Hear My Last Wish”.
Dentsu Inc., Tokyo for McDonald's “Fries Beat”.
FILM LOTUS AWARD
One of the larger categories at ADFEST 2024 was Film Lotus where there was a total of 176 entries. The jury awarded 7 Bronze, 4 Silver, 1 Gold and 1 Grande awards.
The Gold award was presented to Wolf BKK, BANGKOK for Robinson Department Store “The Air Drummer”.
CHOOJAI AND FRIENDS, BANGKOK was won the Grande award for work on Sammakorn titled, “Sammakorn Not Sanpakorn”.
David Guerrero says “This film stood out for its embrace of a very authentic problem with the brand name. The script was illuminated by the performance of the lead character. The direction brought it all together as a confident comedic masterwork. All in all, this was a unanimous verdict by the jury for the best film in the competition.”
EFFECTIVE LOTUS AWARD
For the Effective Lotus category, 39 pieces of work were entered, with the Jury awarding 3 Bronze, 4 Silver, 1 Gold and 1 Grande.
The Gold Award was given to Wolf BKK, Bangkok for CP Chicken “Go for Launch”.
Mondelez International Foods Pvt Ltd, Mumbai was elected as winner of the Grande Award for work on Oreo titled, “#Bringback2011”.
“The jury applauded the truly local insight of this campaign coming from a global brand, tapping into local superstitions to successfully take a bite out of the highly competitive local biscuit market. The tone was pitch-perfect; it appeared serious in execution while being playful as an idea. This is what resulted in it successfully embedding the Oreo brand in local culture. The re-launch aspect was a brilliant twist that enabled this global brand to take a bite out of an extremely competitive local market,” said Malcolm Poynton, Global Chief Creative Officer, Cheil Worldwide from London was Jury President for Effective and Sustainable.
SUSTAINABLE LOTUS
This year, ADFEST has introduced a new Lotus category to its Lotus Awards line-up. Creativity, knowhow, technological development and resources are invaluable to achieve social, environmental, and economic sustainability. Sustainable Lotus recognises the importance of Sustainable Development Goals and how striving for these Global Goals can drive transformational change and positively impact the world and its people.
Sustainable Lotus recorded a total of 55 entries in its inaugural year. Out of these, the jury awarded 4 Bronze, 4 Silver and 1 Gold metal awards.
FINCH, Sydney was won the Gold award for work on Correct the Internet titled, “Correct the Internet”.
INNOVA LOTUS AWARD
There were 32 entries for INNOVA Lotus, which recognizes world-class concepts that have made a dramatic impact on the marketplace.
The jury awarded 2 Innova Lotus in different sub-categories, which were presented to:
Dentsu Inc., Tokyo for WITH ALS “Project Humanity”.
Leo Burnett Taiwan, Taipei for Taiwan Organ Sharing Registry & Patient Autonomy Promotion Center “Paper Organs”.
The Grande INNOVA Lotus was awarded to TBWA\Hakuhodo Inc., Tokyo for Shellmet “Shellmet”.
Malcolm Poynton, Jury President of INNOVA Lotus says “Shellmet is so much more than just a helmet. It extends into a holistic design solution for not just a small Hokkaido fishing village but globally too.”
“Innovation sits at its core. From biomimicry design of the Helmet being 30% more resilient than petrochemical acrylic helmets to pioneering the production of a new eco-material from Scallop shells, simultaneously eradicating much of the 40,000 tonnes of cadmium-leaching waste shells; this innovative project doesn’t just solve for today, it also inspires for tomorrow too.”
LOTUS ROOTS AWARD
The Grand Jury President and group of Jury Presidents also presided over the Lotus Roots award, which recognizes creative work that preserves and celebrates the rich heritage and value of each local culture.
The Lotus Roots Grande went to DENTSU INC., TOKYO for Japan Railway 150th Anniversary Campaign “My Japan Railway”.
“My Japan Railway’s exquisitely crafted 900 station stamp adventure is a true celebration of local culture and traditions. One cannot but help be drawn into the playful game of discovering more and more stations. Drawn-in by the rich graphic nature of the station iconography, you find yourself scanning the ‘map’ before deep-dive into details, triggering a sense of excitement to ‘see for yourself’ the stations and towns behind the stamps. Combining the most refined of analog design aesthetics with the most rewarding of digital experiences (even the process of collecting the digital stamp sees the ‘ink’ imprint respond to the pressure you apply to the screen), it speaks to all generations, to local and foreign visitors in a way that makes JR’s 150-year history relatable and truly appreciated by all passengers,” said Malcolm Poynton.
Lotus Roots awards were presented to:
Dentsu Inc., Tokyo for The Commemorative 105th National High Baseball Championship / Nettoh Koshien 2023 “The Sacred Dirt”.
Leo Burnett Taiwan, Taipei for Taiwan Organ Sharing Registry and Patient Autonomy Promotion Center “Paper Organs”.
ADFEST 2024 SPECIAL AWARDS
NETWORK OF THE YEAR
ADFEST 2024 proud to announce Dentsu was awarded Network of the Year.
The group of 9 offices that entered the ADFEST Lotus Awards included Dentsu Inc., Tokyo, Dentsu Creative, Melbourne, Dentsu Creative Vietnam / Dentsu Redder, Ho Chi Minh City, Dentsu Creative Indonesia, Jakarta, Dentsu Creative, Sydney, Dentsu Creative Thailand, Bangkok, Dentsu East Japan Inc., Tokyo, Dentsu Creative Taiwan, Taipei and Dentsu Digital Inc., Tokyo.
Following by, the second to fifth place were awarded to:
- 2nd- Hakuhodo
- 3rd- VML
- 4th - Leo Burnett
- 5th - BBDO
AGENCY OF THE YEAR
Dentsu Inc., Tokyo was awarded Agency of the Year 2024. Following by, the second through fifth place were awarded to:
- 2nd - Six Inc., Tokyo
- 3rd - Impact BBDO, Dubai
- 4th - Cheil Worldwide, Seoul
- 5th - Good Design Company, Tokyo
INDEPENDENT AGENCY OF THE YEAR
Independent Agency of the Year went to Choojai and Friends, Bangkok. Following by, the second through fifth position were awarded to:
- 2nd - Howatson + Company, Sydney
- 3rd - Gigil, Manila
- 4th - Topic & Loong, Beijing
- 5th - Honda Office Inc, Tokyo
- 5th - I&CO Tokyo, Tokyo
- 5th - Pyramid Film Quadra Inc., Tokyo
DIGITAL AGENCY OF THE YEAR
Dentsu Inc., Tokyo was awarded Digital Agency of the Year.
Trailing by, the second through fifth position were awarded to:
- 2nd - DDB Mudra Group, Mumbai
- 3rd - Howatson + Company, Sydney
- 3rd - Six Inc., Tokyo
- 3rd - VML, Singapore
- 3rd- Wolf BKK, Bangkok
MEDIA AGENCY OF THE YEAR
An Nahar Newspaper, Beirut was awarded Media Agency of the Year.
Following by, the second through fifth position were awarded to:
- 2nd- Cheil Worldwide, Seoul
- 2nd- CRE8 Marketing, Vientiane
- 2nd- VML Ogilvy Japan, Tokyo
- 5th - IDEOT, Seoul
- 5th - SOUR Bangkok, Bangkok
- 5th - Wavemaker, Jakarta
PR AGENCY OF THE YEAR
PR Agency of the Year, was Material Inc., Tokyo.
Trailing by, the second through fifth position were awarded to:
- 2nd - KMCgroup, Tokyo
- 2nd - MullenLowe Treyna, Manila
- 4th - For the Right Reasons, Amsterdam
- 4th - Ogilvy Singapore, Singapore
PRODUCTION COMPANY OF THE YEAR
Piano Inc., Tokyo was won Production Company of the Year.
In the ranks just below, the second through fifth position were awarded to:
- 2nd - Spoon., Tokyo
- 3rd - Slanted, Tokyo
- 4th - FINCH, Sydney
- 5th - Dentsu Creative Cube Inc., Tokyo
ADVERTISER OF THE YEAR
Advertiser of the Year was won by JR Group.
Following by, the second through fifth position were awarded to:
- 2nd - McDonald's
- 3rd - Sotetsu Holdings
- 4th - Koushi Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.
- 5th - With ALS
REGIONAL AGENCY OF THE YEAR
This year, Regional Agency of the Year was added to ADFEST Special Awards line-up.
The award is given to the agency with the highest score (at least 30 points to be eligible for Regional Agency of the Year)
Dentsu Inc., Tokyo was awarded East Asia Agency of the Year.
Trailing by, the second through fifth position were awarded to:
- 2nd - Six Inc., Tokyo
- 3rd - Cheil Worldwide, Seoul
- 4th - Good Design Company, Tokyo
- 5th - Leo Burnett Taiwan, Taipei
Middle East Agency of the Year went to Impact BBDO, Dubai.
Howatson + Company, Sydney was awarded Oceania Agency of the Year.
South Asia Agency of the Year was won by Leo Burnett India, Mumbai. Trailing by, the second position, DDB Mudra Group, Mumbai.
Choojai and Friends, Bangkok was awarded Southeast Asia Agency of the Year.
Following by, the second through fifth position were awarded to:
- 2nd- Wolf BKK, Bangkok
- 3rd- VML, Singapore
- 3rd- VML Indonesia, Jakarta
- 4th - Ogilvy Group Thailand, Bangkok
- 5th - Gigil, Manila
LOTUS GRANDE FOR HUMANITY
The Lotus Grande for Humanity recognizes creative excellence in the Public Services & Cause Appeals categories. Gold Lotus winners in Brand Experience, Commerce, Design, Digital & Social, Direct, Effective, Entertainment, Film, Media, Mobile, Outdoor, PR, Press, Radio & Audio (Except Audio Craft Lotus sub-categories), Sustainable, INNOVA and Lotus Roots are eligible to win the Lotus Grande for Humanity.
This year’s winner is Dentsu Inc., Tokyo for With ALS “Project Humanity”.
Malcolm Poynton, Global Chief Creative Officer for Cheil Worldwide, London was Grand Jury President for Lotus Grande for Humanity. He explained why the work was selected: “Project Humanity is an Asia-tech solution for the world, designed to solve the impossible; enable those disabled by ALS.”
“While the case film focuses on the story of ALS sufferer and DJ, Massa, the power of Project Humanity is seen in testing with ALS kids being able to competitively game with the dexterity of fully-abled kids, to control robotics and Virtual Avatars. All achieved through three significant leaps; the discovery of immobile limbs carrying small electric signals wen the brain envisions movement, the leap that enabled small Bluetooth sensors to capture and feedback this electric signally to a computer before in the third leap, converting those signals into commands for pretty much any interface around.”
“It’s a triumph of human intelligence x sophisticated tech combining to advance humanity.”
LOTUS LEGEND: PIYUSH PANDEY
Introduced in 2012, the Lotus Legend recognizes a creative leader who has impacted, contributed to and left a lasting legacy, by raising the bar for creative excellence in the region.
Each year, we ask all the ADFEST juries to nominate and vote for this Hall of Fame award. This year, 63 juries of ADFEST 2024 voted to elect Piyush Pandey, Chief Advisor, Ogilvy India as the 2024 Lotus Legend.
Piyush has been with Ogilvy since 1982. And has been the Executive Chairman of Ogilvy India since 2004. Prior to his current global creative role, he has served as the Global Chief Creative Officer of Ogilvy for two and a half years. He was the first Asian to chair the Cannes jury in 2004. He was honoured with the Indian National Civilian Award (Padma Shri) in 2016 by the President of India and again this made him the first in the Advertising industry to receive this recognition and was awarded the Lion of St Mark at the International Festival of Creativity at Cannes in 2018, the first Indian to win this award. Economic Times, India’s foremost business paper, has named Piyush the most influential person in Indian advertising for 14 consecutive years, another first and undisputed title.
Piyush believes people in advertising can use their creativity to drive social change. He has created several impactful social campaigns - including his many years of work with UNICEF and the Government of India to make India polio-free. India was declared a polio-free country in 2014.
“You don’t wear your country on your sleeve, you wear your country in your heart. To the young people out there, believe in yourself, believe in your country and believe that the world will salute you one day,” said Piyush Pandey, ADFEST 2024 Lotus Legend.
