Thirteen industry leaders across networks, independent agencies and advertisers have been invited to be jury presidents for Spikes Asia 2019. They will evaluate entries submitted into 22 different awards categories spanning the industry’s spectrum, leading the juries that find the region’s best creative.

Joe Pullos, festival director, Spikes Asia, commented, “APAC is a very diverse and unique region and Spikes Asia champions the very best in creative and effective ideas in communications. We set the benchmark in APAC for the best in creativity. This year’s impressive line-up of client and agency-side presidents are experts in the region and understand its unique cultural diversity. They will guide their respective juries to ensure that only the best work from Asia is recognised and celebrated.”

The 2019 Spikes Asia Jury Presidents are:

• Film Craft Jury President

Wilf Sweetland, Global CEO & Partner, Sweetshop

Sweetland joined Sweetshop in 2011 leading the Australian offices.  In 2018, he was promoted to global CEO, overseeing the network’s core operations. He served as chair of AWARD and has sat on the board of directors for The Communications Council in Australia. Wilf has judged at D&AD, Spikes Asia, New York Festivals, AICP and AWARD Awards, among others and will chair at this year’s LIAs.

• Digital, Mobile and Digital Craft Jury President

Seamus Higgins, Vice President and Chief Creative Officer, R/GA APAC

Higgins oversees five of R/GA’s youngest and most dynamic offices – Melbourne, Sydney, Singapore, Shanghai and Tokyo. With 19 years’ experience across three continents, he has built his career on a love of creative solutions that don’t feel like advertising, alongside the uncompromising craft of their delivery.

• Innovation Jury President

Tara McKenty, Creative Lead, Google Brand Studio APAC

McKenty has created a limited-edition Absolut bottle as well as a children’s book for OPSM that tested the eyesight of children, which WARC ranked as the world’s most effective campaign in 2016. Now at Google, McKenty has created a real-time platform called Found that reunites lost dogs with owners for Pedigree, built immersive story time platforms for Disney and co-founded the diversity initiative, RARE.

• Brand Experience & Creative eCommerce and Integrated Jury President 

Nick Law, Global Chief Creative Officer, Publicis Groupe

Law’s career spans 30 years and four continents. He currently drives a unified vision for dynamic creativity in the modern age across all of Publicis Groupe’s creative brands, while helping foster dynamic and diverse cultures. Law is responsible for leading Publicis Groupe’s creative globally and is a member of the executive committee.

• Creative Effectiveness Jury President

David Porter, Vice President, Global Media, Unilever AAR (Asia, Africa, Middle East, Turkey & Russia)

Porter is responsible for one of the largest media budgets in a diverse region spanning 14 time zones. He drives the company’s innovation in communications channel planning with a strong focus on Unilever’s development as a major force in digital and data-driven marketing.

• Design and Print & Outdoor Craft Jury President

Yang Yeo, Asia Pacific Co-Chief Creative Officer, Hakuhodo Inc, Japan

Yeo has led agencies to both creative and business successes. His creative reputation, solid leadership and consistent track record have made him a popular industry figure, judge, jury president, and speaker at many creative festivals around the world. yeo thrives on collaborations with different architects on various structural and spatial design projects.

• Direct Jury President

Sheung Yan Lo (Mayan), Chief Creative Officer, APAC & Chairman, Asia Pacific Creative Council, Wunderman Thompson

Since joining China’s advertising industry in 1996 at JWT to his current role, Mayan has produced many firsts, from helping China to win its first Cannes Lions Grand Prix in 2011 to being the first mainland Chinese president when he chaired the Cannes Outdoor Lions in 2012.

• Entertainment and Music Jury President

Debbi Vandeven, Global Chief Creative Officer, VMLY&R

Vandeven has helped lead VML to 2018, 2017 and 2016 Ad Age Agency A-List honours and was recently named to Adweek’s Creative 100 and Business Insider’s The 30 Most Creative People in Advertising 2016. The company has experienced unprecedented growth and recognition under her leadership, earning accolades from top international shows, including Cannes Lions, Clio, One Show and Spikes Asia.

• Film, Print & Publishing and Glass Jury President

Josy Paul, Chairman & Chief Creative Officer, BBDO India

Josy Paul started BBDO India in 2008. He is ranked as one of the most influential people in Indian advertising according to The Economic Times.  He took the inaugural Cannes Glass Lion Grand Prix in 2015 for Whisper’s Touch The Pickle and a Gold Lion in 2015, 2016 and 2017 for Ariel Share The Load, which was ranked the world’s most effective campaign by WARC Effective 100 in 2017 and 2018.

• Healthcare Jury President

Pierre Loo, Executive Creative Director – Greater China, McCann Health
Born in Hong Kong, Loo worked in New York before returning to Asia. He won China’s first Gold Cannes Health Lion as well as winning at other prestigious shows such as LIA, Clio, Spikes Asia, ADC, New York Festivals and The One Show. He’s passionately involved in global jury circles: LIA, Clio, Effies, ADC, MMM, RxClub, Globals, Spikes Asia, SIAF, Lisbon and Cannes Lions Health.

• Media Jury President 

Anna Chitty, Chief Executive Officer, PHD China

Appointed CEO of PHD China in 2017, Chitty has worked across OMG in a variety of roles, gaining over 20 years of experience across Asia and the US. Anna has been recognised as a passionate leader, encouraging innovation and creativity as a driver of growth, and championing the diversity and change agenda. She led PHD China to China’s Gold Agency of the Year in 2018.

• Outdoor and Radio & Audio Jury President

Merlee Jayme, Chairmom & Chief Creative Officer, DENTSU Jayme Syfu, The Philippines

Jayme is the first Filipino to be awarded Campaign Asia’s Creative of the Year for Southeast Asia and is one of only eight women in The Drum’s 2019 100 Best Chief Creative Officers in the world. Under her leadership, the agency was named 2016 Creative Agency of the Year Philippines by Campaign Asia, won the inaugural Spikes Asia Country Agency of the Year 2017 and The 4As Agency of the Year Best in Creative 2018. Major awards include the Philippines only Cannes Lion Grand Prix, and D&AD yellow pencils.

• PR Jury President 

Christine Park, Executive Vice President, Head of Brand & Digital, Edelman, South Korea

Park has almost 20 years of experience in global integrated brand marketing strategy and activation. Currently, she leads brand campaigns, advertisements, and digital marketing while overseeing both inbound and outbound newsrooms for global clients. She has established an in-house digital trend research function and holds annual seminars to share her insight on local and global trends.

Key Dates Spikes Asia

12 July: First entries deadline
02 August: Tangrams entries deadline
16 August: Spikes Asia entries deadline
25 September: First shortlists announcements (Brand Experience & Activation, Design, Creative eCommerce, Digital Craft, Digital, Direct, Film, Film Craft, Media, Mobile, Outdoor, Print & Publishing, Print & Outdoor Craft, PR and Radio & Audio)
26 September: Entertainment and Music shortlists announced
27 September: Creative Effectiveness, Integrated, Healthcare and Glass shortlists announced
27 September: 2019 Spikes Asia Awards Show

The 2019 Themes

• Brands in culture: will include discussions around the many different cultures within APAC and how brands focus on localising and intersecting for enhanced cultural relevance.
• Proving creative effectiveness: will see local and global speakers focusing on marrying short-term ROI with long-term creative strategy
• Embracing inclusion, equality and diversity: will see diversity and inclusion examined from an APAC perspective with some best practices and examples
• Understanding the changes sweeping the creative industry across APAC: will include an examination of the current state of the industry and what capabilities are required for brands and agencies to survive and thrive
• Driving digital and technological transformation: will review the advancements in technological innovation across APAC and how brands can maintain customer relevance in a mobile-first, 5G-enabled, voice-stimulated world.
• The new rules on brand purpose: will focus on best global and regional practices for authenticity and hone in on specific APAC markets
• Creating connected brand experiences: will look at multi-channel customer journeys and the technologies that enhance and impact them
• Creative strategy and reaching the reluctant consumer: will examine the ideas behind the idea and the insights that change how the industry thinks and measures
• Re-imagining storytelling: will bring people from across the worlds of arts, film, literature and design to gleam insights into how to create work that moves audiences
• Trust, ethics and transparency: will interrogate how to drive meaningful value exchange and navigate a world of proliferating communications

Everything you need to know – is here.