Thomas Hongtack Kim on the LIA 2025 jury: Fair, in-person judging brings out the best work

Thomas Hongtack Kim, Founder of 2kg and CCO & Partner of Paulus in Seoul, sat on the LIA 2025 Digital and Use of Social Media & Influencers Jury in Las Vegas. Here Thomas (pictured 2nd on left) highlights his favourite campaigns from the judging room and shares insights from his judging experience.

How did you find the overall judging experience?
It was such a great judging experience, surrounded by inspiring work and creative minds from around the world. Most importantly, there was barely a hint of disagreement when it came to picking the winners – a clear sign that the jury was tuned to the same creative frequency.

All the juries were positive, open-minded, and highly perceptive. We awarded a Grand Prix in Social Media & Influence, but not in Digital, because most overlapping entries were considered more suitable for social media.

What did you like about the LIA judging system?
LIA does not conduct an online preliminary round to keep the judging fair. I think this is one of LIA’s greatest strengths. All jurors stayed focused and did their best, but this time, evaluating 360 entries in one day to decide the longlist was quite tough.

Still, thanks to the highly professional jury members selected by LIA, we were able to exchange pinpoint insights and complete the judging process successfully within the given time.

Your creative highlights.  What were the standout campaigns that impressed you most from your judging?
First up, Vaseline Verified, the proof that sometimes the best influencers are… us. The brand took real user hacks, fact-checked them, and slapped on an official seal of approval- turning everyday tips into a fun, two-way conversation.

Then there’s IKEA’s “U up?”, the ultimate night owl move. Targeting sleepless scrollers with late-night ads, it tapped into their 2 a.m. habits and smoothly led them toward comfier mattresses and cozier sheets.

And finally, Ziploc’s “Preserved Promos.” Because why should freshness stop at food? They let people “revive” expired coupons, proving that even old deals can have a second life- making the brand way more lovable in the process. It cleverly connected the common problem of expired coupons with its core brand value of preservation.

These three projects stand out as exemplary social media campaigns, as they built a genuine emotional connection with consumers and created authentic interaction.