Nobody Does Campaigns The Way Asia Does: A Highlight on Spikes Asia and AdStars winners
The Asia-Pacific regions are considered to be wondrous, mysterious, and full of indigenous people and authentic cultures. When agencies and companies from the European and American continents try to produce campaigns for such markets, they sometimes turn out to be culturally inappropriate.
We spoke before about how unique the market is in the Middle East, given its culture-specific execution and creative wit. As a matter of fact, we can say that it is quite educational and insightful to be exposed to campaigns from that region; we can always learn something new by studying them. The same applies to campaigns and commercials from Asia-Pacific agencies and creative boutiques that add a spicy touch to their creative executions.
Speaking of their work, let’s take a look at the most successful campaigns produced by the countries that won awards at Spikes Asia and AdStars.
In a nutshell, the Spikes Asia awards festival is where Asia-Pacific’s creative community comes together for a spectacular three-day celebration of creativity in communications.
This year’s theme reflected the transformational shift that the Asian creative industry is undergoing. Jaw-dropping technological innovations and domestic brands disrupting the local status quo have empowered the APAC creative industry to define its voice. Spikes Asia 2019 not only showcased the most exceptional work in the region but deconstructed APAC’s creative ecosystem.
AdStars is an exceptional advertising festival which combines creativity with cutting-edge technology. It aims to share creative solutions and change the world.
As its ultimate value is “humanity”, it strives to become a communication platform that contributes to mankind. AdStars has five core values: social good, openness, new paradigm, diversity, and creative solutions.
1. JMS: 10-second dramas
Agency: Hakuhodo
These strive to be an accurate representation of Japanese humor/love story scenarios: fast, quick, and funny. The various 10-second drama scenes strongly reflect Japan’s fast pace of life.
2. KASIKORNBANK PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED: FACE-OFF
Agency: GREYNJ UNITED Bangkok, THAILAND
https://www2.spikes.asia/winners/2019/film/entry.cfm?entryid=128&award=2
What’s quite amazing about this campaign is the casting, and the shift from one cast member to another. There is a quirkiness and a strange approach to the product. As an English-speaking audience, we have to refer to the subtitles and resonate with the humor and insights of this campaign. This is actually a good thing because it somehow educates us about Thailand’s approach to storytelling, humor, and on-screen performances. We may at some point forget about the actual product but we are captivated with the scenario and dialogue of the cast members.
3. MANDOM: THE KAWAII TWEAK HAZARD SONG
https://www2.spikes.asia/winners/2019/film/entry.cfm?entryid=224&award=2
In this campaign, creative masterminds Dentsu decided to approach men’s attempts to make women notice their care of their skin in quite the cutest way. It is mostly females that tend to use the face-swap features on smartphones. This video shows them using that feature on men, and how the men react dramatically through song by saying that they want to be noticed for their actual face, instead of being cartoonized. The main purpose was to promote a skin-care product. Very witty!
4. FUKUSHIMA-MINPO CO.: POSTABLE FUKUSHIMA LOCAL PAPER
https://www2.spikes.asia/winners/2019/promo/entry.cfm?entryid=475&award=2
After a natural disaster in Fukushima, many people were devastated and family members became separated. A local newspaper, the Fukushima Minpo News, decided that it had to bring families and loved ones together in a sense of community, and to assure former residents (now living elsewhere) that their loved ones are doing well. So they created a newspaper that can be folded and posted with an enclosed letter, so ending up as a personalized newspaper. It gives the latest news of Fukushima and a personal letter that updates each reader about its sender’s well-being and status. Of course, this is based on the insight that the people of Fukushima still find value and worth in the written word, and in sending and receiving letters.
5. The most challenging ping-pong table
Product-design thinkers TBWA Hakuhodo partnered with the Japan Para Table Tennis Association to find an outstanding solution to a problem. It exemplifies Japan’s outstanding thinking and engineering-oriented creativity. In order to help people with disabilities who find the usual ping-pong table awkward, the Association decided to go above and beyond by creating a shape-shifting ping-pong table that is suitable and personalized for each and every person, according to their special needs. This execution reflects Japan’s compassion for its community and its ability to solve problems by using its resources and technologies.
6. Cultural Center of the Philippines: Baybayan Font
The Philippines has one of the most unique and fascinating histories in the Asia-Pacific region.
The Cultural Center of the Philippines decided that it was time to revive the country’s long-lost language of Baybayan, and modernize it for today’s world as a way of regaining their culture.
In its written form it has a unique traditional characteristic and design, and it made so much sense to incorporate that with an alphabet font. The new font was introduced on social media and during a public event at the Center’s 50th anniversary, which made every Pilipino proud.
The Spotlight Team
