12 Grand Prix trophies and 43 Golds awarded at AdStars 2019

Twelve Grand Prix awards were handed out tonight at the AD STARS 2019 awards presentation held in Busan, South Korea.

“I have loved the experience of judging AD STARS because no other awards show gives back to our industry this way – not only is it free to enter AD STARS, but if you win Grand Prix of the Year you are rewarded with US$10,000, which is amazing,” said Joanna Monteiro, Chief Creative Officer at FCB Brasil, who was an Executive Judge this year (pictured above left, seated).

Jureeporn Thaidumrong, Chief Creative Officer at GREYnJ United (pictured above right, seated), says: “Perhaps the best thing about AD STARS is that agencies don’t have to spend a lot of money on entry fees as we do at other award shows, which means smaller independent companies have a chance to enter and compete. It is supported by Busan Metropolitan City, it is very well organised – there are so many good things about this show.”

Twelve Grand Prix trophies were awarded this year:
– Impact BBDO, United Arab Emirates, ‘The Blank Edition’ (Media Grand Prix, PR Grand Prix and Social & Influencer Grand Prix)
– FCB New York, USA, ‘The Whopper Detour’ (Direct Grand Prix & Mobile Grand Prix)
– TBWA Hakuhodo, Japan, ‘The Most Challenging Ping Pong Table’ (Design Grand Prix)
– Colenso BBDO, New Zealand, ‘I’m Drinking it for You’ (Film Grand Prix)
– Serviceplan Korea, Dot Mini (Interactive Grand Prix)
– Ogilvy Group Thailand, Freeland Foundation ‘Deer’ (Print Grand Prix)
– GREYnJ United Bangkok, Thailand, K Bank ‘FACE/OFF’ (Video Stars Grand Prix)
– Casanova/McCann, USA, ‘Second Chances’ (Public Service Announcement Grand Prix)
– BBDO Atlanta, USA, ‘Stop Traffick’ (Public Service Announcement Grand Prix)

Hwan-Jin Choi, Chairperson of the AD STARS Executive Committee, says: “AD STARS is a festival where creativity and technology converge. Its core value is ‘humanity’ – we exist to share creative solutions that change the world. Many of this year’s winners are contributing to humanity in exciting ways, and we would like to congratulate them for their work.”

Film & Video Stars
In the Film category, Colenso BBDO New Zealand won Grand Prix for ‘I’m Drinking it for You’, created for DB Breweries to encourage beer lovers to drink low-carb beer for the sake of their partners.

“From strategy through to storytelling, this campaign defies the clichés of low-carb beer. Usually positioned as the beer for people who work out, Colenso BBDO positioned drinking low-carb beer as one of the most selfless acts you can do,” explains Executive Judge Robin Fitzgerald, Chief Creative Officer at BBDO Atlanta.

There were also 8 Gold trophies awarded across the Film category:
– Artplan Sao Paulo, Brasil, ‘The Beatbox Catalogue’ for Etna Home & Décor, won 2 Golds
– Leo Burnett Taiwan, ‘Souvenirs From Travel’ for China Airlines
– GREYnJ United, Thailand ‘FACE/OFF’ for Kasikornbank
– Wolf Bangkok, Thailand, ‘Second job’ for Central Department
– Grey Tokyo, Japan, ‘Hankograph’ for WILDAID
– C.Ray Corporation, Japan, ‘The Nanto Family’ for The Nanto Bank
– Colenso BBDO, New Zealand, ‘I’m Drinking it For You’ for DB Breweries

Harshad Rajadhyaksha, Chief Creative Officer at Ogilvy India (West), also judged Film & Video Stars: “All the Gold winners stood out taller than the other finalists. The Nanto Family, for instance, takes the extremely complicated issue of a last will and inheritance and adds loads of un-missable entertainment in a way that has to be delightfully remembered! All of us in the jury room couldn’t stop laughing when we were judging it. Or take the Beatbox Catalogue: they have converted a tough brief into such an unexpected, fun, surprising and yet super hardworking ad through the sheer use of creativity.”

In the Video Stars category, the Grand Prix was awarded to GreynJ United, Thailand for ‘FACE/OFF’ (Kasikornbank).

“This is such compelling content, and once we learned how quickly ‘FACE/OFF’ became popular, we agreed it really deserved to win Grand Prix. It takes chances with direction and casting, and made something as simple as updating an app feel relatable and compelling. For a financial institution to take these kinds of risks in its storytelling is really great,” says Fitzgerald.

Rajadhyaksha adds: “I love its absolutely brilliant Thai brand of humour used to tackle what must have been a complicated and slightly technical brief. Getting people to understand why their banking app needed constant updates, and doing so with this brilliance, deserved nothing but a Grand Prix.”

There were four Gold winners in Video Stars:
– Ogilvy New Zealand, ‘The Most Dangerous Stunt in the World’ (Auckland Transport) won two Golds
– J. Walter Thompson, Taiwan, ‘My variety father’ for E-Life Home Appliances
– Casanova/McCann, USA, ‘Second Chances’ (Donate Life California)

Design & Print
In Design, the Grand Prix was awarded to TBWA Hakuhodo for ‘The Most Challenging Ping Pong Table’, created for the Japan Para Table Tennis Association.

Melvin Mangada, Chief Creative Officer at TBWA\Santiago Mangada Puno in Manila, led the Design & Print categories as Executive Judge. He said: “The jury was unanimous in rewarding the Grand Prix for Design, which stood out above all on craft, elegant design and user experience. We felt that the work celebrated should pave the way for disruptive ideas in design and print craft using new and old tools.”

The judges awarded 13 Gold trophies in Design:
– Cheil Worldwide Hong Kong’s ‘Homework’ and ‘A Sweet Escape’ for Chupa Chups won two Golds
– TBWA Santiago Mangada Puno, Philippines also won two Golds for ‘This is a tree’ for Pacific Paint (Boysen); and Baybayan’ for Cultural Center of the Philippines
– Hakuhodo Indonesia, ‘Clever Cash’ for Save Street Child Sidoarjo
– TBWA Hakuhodo, Japan, ‘The restaurant of mistaken orders’ for DAIKI Angel Help Inc.
– The Brand Agency, Australia, ‘Hungry Puffs’ for Foodbank WA
– The Electric Factory, Uruguay, ‘Chivas Regal Eternity’ for Pernod Ricard
– Serviceplan Korea, ‘Dot Mini – The First Smart Media Device for the visually impaired’ for Dot Incorporation
– Colenso BBDO, New Zealand, ‘Kupu’ for Spark
– MullenLowe Singapore, ‘Cavities (Bubblegum)’ for Unilever Asia
– Innocean Worldwide, Korea, ‘The Quiet Taxi’ for Hyundai Motor Group
– Cheil Worldwide, Hong Kong, ‘Gatsby’ for Penguin Random House

In Print, the Grand Prix was awarded to Ogilvy Group Thailand’s ‘Deer’ campaign for Freeland Foundation, which also won one Gold and Bronze trophy. “This piece of work excelled in both concept and execution. It was the only campaign in the category that won in both Craft and Products and Services. The jury was intent on rewarding work that reflected more than just the aesthetic of the work. We considered concept and a strong purposeful message, too,” said Mangada.

The judges awarded 7 Gold trophies in Print:
– Cheil Worldwide, Hong Kong won two Gold awards for ‘Gatsby’ for Penguin Random House, and ‘Homework’ for Chupa Chups
– RedBank China, ‘SHUSH’ for 360 QIKU
– Impact BBDO, United Arab Emirates, ‘Mutilated Words’ for 28 Too Many
– MullenLowe Singapore, ‘Cavities (Bubblegum)’ for Unilever Asia
– Ogilvy Group Thailand, ‘Deer’ for Freeland Foundation
– DDB Mudra, India ‘Hashtags don’t heal’ for Khalsa Aid

Public Service Advertising Diverse Insights, Outdoor, Place Brand, Radio & Audio
In Public Service Advertising (PSA), there were two Grand Prix winners: Casanova/McCann, USA, ‘Second Chances’ for Donate Life California; and BBDO Atlanta’s ‘Stop Traffick’ for Street Grace. There were also three Gold PSA winners: Hakuhodo Indonesia’s ‘Clever Cash’ for Save Street Child Sidoarjo; and Serviceplan Korea’s ‘Dot Mini’ for Dot Incorporation, and Cheil Worldwide, Hong Kong’s ‘Fatal Recognition’ for The Hong Kong Stroke Association.

Ali Rez, Regional ECD at Impact BBDO, Middle East/Pakistan, helped to judge this category. “Casanova/McCann gives a second chance to organ donors and puts them in the shoes of someone who gets a second chance at life. ‘Stop Traffick’ is brilliant in its scale. It’s easy to throw around statistics, but people become desensitized to them. This campaign makes a statistic about human sex trafficking come alive. Both campaigns take very engaging, novel approaches.”

No Grand Prix trophies were awarded in Diverse Insights, Outdoor, Place Brand or Radio & Audio.

In Diverse Insights, VMLY&R Australia’s ‘The Half Biscuit’ for RSA won Gold. Jureeporn Thaidumrong, Chief Creative Officer at GREYnJ United, led these categories as Executive Judge. She explains: “This category is about promoting cultural diversity and ‘The Half Biscuit’ was the best example of how local insights can drive the creative solution.”

In Outdoor, there were six Gold trophies awarded:
– DDB Sydney, Australia, ‘Grave of Thrones’ for Foxtel won 2 Golds
– FCB New York, USA, ‘Whopper Detour’ for Burger King
– Casanova/McCann, USA, ‘Second Chances’ for Donate Life California
– BBDO Bangkok, Thailand, ‘7:1 Furniture Collection’ for Homepro
– Impact BBDO, United Arab Emirates, ‘Toxic Flag’ for Green Peace & Waste Management Coalition

“I loved the effort that went into ‘Grave of Thrones’ in terms of craft, and ‘Toxic Flag’ is amazing work,” says Thaidumrong.

In the Place Brand category, Airbag Australia picked up the category’s sole trophy, winning Bronze for ‘Carriberrie’.

In Radio & Audio, Colenso BBDO, New Zealand won Gold for ‘I’m Drinking it for You’ for DB Breweries. “We’ve seen great songs composed for brands before, but in this instance the idea is good, the execution is great, and the copywriting is brilliant,” says Thaidumrong.

Interactive, Integrated, Innovation, Mobile, Data Insights, Social & Influencer
Serviceplan Korea won the Interactive Grand Prix for ‘Dot Mini – The First Smart Media Device for the Visually Impaired’ (Dot Incorporation), while Impact BBDO, United Arab Emirates won Gold for ‘The Blank Edition’ (An-Nahar).

“We felt ‘Dot Mini’ deserved a Grand Prix because it gives the industry a view of what we want to see more of. It pushes into the realm of innovation and shows our industry can do more than drive awareness – our ideas can manifest as products or services,” says Joanna Monteiro, Chief Creative Officer at FCB Brasil, who led these categories as Executive Judge.

There were no Grand Prix winners in Integrated and Innovation, but Serviceplan Korea also won Gold in Innovation for ‘Dot Mini’.

In Mobile, the Grand Prix was awarded to FCB New York for ‘Whopper Detour’ (Burger King). There were also two Gold winners: Cheil Worldwide, Korea, ‘REDCEIPT’ (Kakao Corp.) and Serviceplan Korea’s Dot Mini (Dot Incorporation).

AD STARS introduced the Data Insights and Social & Influencer categories last year. In Data Insights, FCB Brasil won the category’s only Gold trophy for ‘Trending Botics’, created for Congresso em Foco.

Keith Byrne, Creative Director at Digitas, Singapore, also judged this category. He says: “It’s clear that agencies and brands are really starting to focus on how they use data to sell a product or improve a service, and there were actually a lot of entries in this category. However, a lot of the work we judged seemed to be created without real purpose and felt a bit gimmicky. ‘Congresso em Foco’ was a really effective, purpose-driven campaign but what won it Gold was actually its data visualisation. The campaign was built around simple, beautiful, shareable and most importantly effective graphic design.”

The Social & Influencer Grand Prix was awarded to Impact BBDO, United Arab Emirates for ‘The Blank Edition’ (An-Nahar). There was also one Gold awarded to Wunderman Thompson in Thailand for ‘Narcos – The Censor’s Cut’ (Netflix).

Direct, Media, Promotion, PR
‘The Whopper Detour’ by FCB New York won Direct Grand Prix and a Gold in Direct.

“There is no mistaking the intent of this campaign: it is designed to get the brand noticed and to drive profits. They could have simply handed out Burger King coupons, but instead they found a way to generate eyeballs and start a conversation. When you can’t outspend your competition, you have to outsmart them,” says Ted Lim, Regional Chief Creative Officer at Dentsu Asia Pacific, who led these categories as Executive Judge.

There were 3 more Gold winners in Direct:
– The Brand Agency, Australia, ‘Hungry Puffs’ (Foodbank WA)
– Impact BBDO, United Arab Emirates for ‘The Blank Edition’ (An-Nahar)
– Casanova/McCann, USA, ‘Second Chances’ (Donate Life California)

In Media, Impact BBDO, United Arab Emirates won Grand Prix and a Gold trophy for ‘The Blank Edition’ (An-Nahar). ADK Japan also won Gold for ‘Make it a runway’ (PVH Japan).

“The political context in which ‘The Blank Edition’ was published made it a very brave decision. One act of bravery brought about political and social change,” says Lim. “In the context of what we do as an industry: I believe we are in the business previously known as advertising. Whether we are selling shampoo or bringing about social change, we have to bring purpose to whatever we are working on.”

In the Promotion category, there were also two Gold winners: FCB New York’s ‘The Whopper Detour’ (Burger King) and Casanova/McCann, USA, ‘Second Chances’ (Donate Life California).

The PR Grand Prix was awarded to Impact BBDO, United Arab Emirates for ‘The Blank Edition’ (An-Nahar), which also won Gold.

There were two more Gold winners in the PR category:
– DDB Sydney, Australia’s ‘Grave of Thrones’ (Foxtel)
– FCB New York’s ‘Whopper Detour’ (Burger King).

This year Ad Stars attracted 20,645 entries from 60 countries. The festival will return in 2020 for its 13th annual festival and awards show.

AdStars-Winner-List-2019