“Great advertising hits the heart so deeply you have no choice but to laugh or cry or get angry or feel good or make that change. It captures the core of our humanity and connects with us so meaningfully that it becomes part of the conversation and leaves a mark on culture.” Raymund Sison, former chief creative officer at Propel Manila is bringing the experience of an impressive 18-year creative career at top network agencies, DDB, Grey, BBDO, Publicis and independent, Propel Manila, to MAD STARS 2024 judging.
At Propel Manila, Sison transformed the agency’s business, culture and outlook, achieving its highest revenue and profit growth 2022-3, lifting employee happiness rate to 75%, and receiving the honour of being named in Campaign Asia’s 40 Under 40 2023.
Under his leadership, Propel was Campaign’s Global Digital Independent Agency of the Year 2023 and Tech Innovator of the Year for two consecutive years at the IMMAP Boomerangs, the Philippines’ premier digital show. Sison also initiated a creative academy and one-on-one open mentoring programs for nurturing emerging talents. As the IMMAP Digital Young Creators chairperson and a mentor at IMMAP Academy, he has actively nurtured young talent.
The creative, who also writes poetry and makes chocolates, is one of advertising creativity’s most ardent fans and a valuable juror for MAD STARS 2024.
“I love Mad Stars. Mad Stars is a festival where ideas meet at the intersection of creativity, technology and humanity, celebrating creativity that contributes to the development of mankind and promotes creative impact in the world. And I really like that, so it means a great deal for me to be a juror at Mad Stars,” he states.
“This festival is important as it celebrates the best of the best in APAC and shows us the best of our potential. On an industry level, it benchmarks creativity and shows us a way forward. It makes us all better. On an agency level, it is good for the business. It gives us credibility, attracts clients, and beguiles talents. And gives us that sweet collective pride. On a personal level, it lends us creative confidence and inspires us to keep pushing and be the best we can be.
“No matter what industry, it matters that the best work gets recognised.”
Sison promises to bring to MAD STARS’ judging the same experienced understanding of great advertising that has propelled his career.
“I rely a lot on my intuition,” he notes. They call this instinct the brain with a heart. It’s amazing how it understands something immediately without the need for rhyme or reason. It can sense what is right and it can feel what is wrong. That gut feeling. That instinct. I trust it. And I’ve won so many pitches because of it.
“Collaboration is also key in my leadership. While we can do good things on our own, we can do better things when we do it with the community. Collaboration over competition. Collaboration not only builds the work, but also builds the community and builds us all together.
“And lastly but most importantly, kindness. It’s the biggest chunk of my creative leadership. I believe in common decency and I treat everybody in the organisation with respect. Because it’s the relationships we have at work that unleash our biggest brightest potential and let us do the best work of our lives. When we are kind to people, they do so much more for us. There shouldn’t be any assholes in the workplace.”
“All of these lead to the kind of creative culture I want in a creative department — kind, collaborative, intuitive, and needless to say, excellent.”
Sison’s final word as he prepares for MAD STARS to reward the work that has triumphed above all in the last year is, “The best work of your life will only happen when you love your work madly, deeply. If you don’t love what you do, keep looking. Keeping finding the opportunity that will let you do the best work of your life.”
