Judging AdFest 2022: Sour Bangkok’s Damisa Ongsiriwattana
Campaign Brief Asia asks Sour Bangkok’s Co-founder/Executive Creative Director and AdFest 2022 judge, Damisa Ongsiriwattana a few questions about the recently completed award show.
1) What were your overall impressions of the standard of work that you saw in the judging this year?
In my opinion, the work this year reflects how businesses are back to almost normal. There is not much Covid-related work, but we see more new solutions for businesses in the Entertainment and Effectiveness category.
2) What was your favourite ad/campaign from your judging?
My favorite work is ‘The First Take’ from Japan.
First of all, I think this work really uses entertainment formats to push the industry forward. The idea is humbly huge. Instead of promoting the brand, they promote each individual singer. In the internet era where everyone seeks the ‘realness’, using the real first take is very clever.
It doesn’t matter how it starts from the brand, Sony Music or Youtube, the idea creates opportunities that allows many brands to join such as Spotify, TikTok, Apple Music etc. Not to mention many more product brands sponsorships such as beverages, electronic devices and even fashionwear. It is the new business model that utilizes entertainment platforms for real.
Moreover, this big idea can be developed and expanded more than just music but become the new platform by itself. I mean, who wouldn’t want to see The First Take casting of a famous series, for example, Game of Thrones or Squid Game.
In the era when advertising must race the limited timing or impatient consumer, this work really ticks all the right boxes.
3) Highlight 2 or 3 other ad/campaigns that stood out for you and explain why?
There are many outstanding campaigns that I’m secretly very jealous of.
‘Pale Blue Letter’ One of the most simple and smartest of user-generated content campaign. To promote the new single “Pale Blue” without using extra budget or advance technology, they use contrast adjustment technique that already exist to conceal a hidden message in ‘Blue Letter’. This idea works great with its fanbase and triggers this generation’s consumer curiosity (nosyness and FOMO) very well.
‘Born This Way’
The campaign empowers women and moves them ‘not to feel judged by their looks and feel free to express their beauty’. I think it’s very powerful, especially when it’s spoken out loud by big brands. What I also like about this campaign is its smart way to select and submit the right work into the right category. The main talent in the campaign is Caster Semenya, a remarkable Olympic Gold medalist. She is an intersex woman assigned female at birth but she has been disallowed from competing at the Tokyo Olympic Games. There are several works about Olympic athletes in the Entertainment for Sport category but this work is outstanding in ‘Use of Talent’ category.
‘In Love We Trust’
One of the most romantic and powerful storytelling that engages seamlessly with the brand. We are all living in a society where the divorce rate is on the rise, but this real estate brand is giving people hope to start a new family. As a juror, and as I am also a human, it really brings me tears.
4) Where is the best work coming from? (ie is there a country or a network that is doing very well?)
In the Entertainment category, personally, I’m impressed with works from Japan. Because, apart from The First Take, there are many more new moves, a variety of flavors, from smart to funny and more.
VIEW CB ASIA’S COVERAGE OF THE WINNERS
VIEW CB ASIA’S COVERAGE OF SPECIAL WINNERS
READ PAUL CHAN’S COMMENTS
READ JESSE WONG’S COMMENTS
READ RICHARD YU’S COMMENTS
READ GRAHAM DREW’S COMMENTS
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READ TAY GUAN HIN’S COMMENTS
READ GERALD FITZGERALD’S COMMENTS
READ WOON HOH’S COMMENTS
