The document summarizes key trends from presentations at SPIKES Asia 2017. Some of the main themes discussed included: focusing on understanding consumers and culture in Asia's rapidly growing middle class; the diversity across Asia requiring tailored approaches for each market; bringing technology solutions to address real consumer needs; celebrating and improving consumers' real world experiences; the potential for disruption and experimentation in Asia; and reminding the importance of unique Asian cultures.
4. HUMAN ‘BEFORE’ ALL
4
More than 40% of the speeches
were focused on innovation and
technology (and all the lectures
mentioned them anyway).
In a region with a booming
middle class and a fast-growing
importance of the human factor,
it is important to understand
deeper the consumers and the
cultures. We have to talk to the
people, but we have to talk
about the people.
The Next Billion Consumers - Ogilvy
(speaker: Kent Wertime)
Take-Out: a totally new research from the
agency is showing that the 12 identified
‘velocity markets’ (no BRICS anymore) are
shaking our understanding and focus on the
emergent middle-class across the region
Exploring the Battleground of Age - McCann
WorldGroup (speakers: Richard McCabe, Nadia
Tuma-Weldon)
Take-Out: each country is specific, in terms of
age, for example, each APAC market sees
differences in the way consumers are
accepting or fighting the effect of aging
The Unpredictable, Irrational and Chaotic
Customer - Dentsu (speaker: Noriaki Once)
Take-Out: in our desperate wish to understand
the consumers and to nail down the perfect
insight, the consumers are changing and they
take the power. They are the actors of their
own fate. Now the brands should be working
on keeping the pace to stay relevant.
5. HUMAN ‘BEFORE’ ALL
5
Vicks
‘Touch of Care’
https://www.spikes.asia/winners/2017/film/
entry.cfm?entryid=2407&award=2
ANZ
#holdtight
https://www.spikes.asia/winners/2017/film/
entry.cfm?entryid=2419&award=2
https://www.spikes.asia/winners/2017/
integrated/entry.cfm?
entryid=509&award=4
Un Woman
‘#Beatme’
7. ART IS LIFE, BEAUTY IS POTENTIAL
7
APAC is a patchwork of
incredible and specific countries
with their own cultures and
crafting. More and more, each
campaign tries to reveal unique
personalities through different
notions of art. The importance of
doing prevails on finding the
perfect idea, which makes
beauty and emotions universal
and touching in so many ways
The Art of Crafting a Cultural Tapestry - Space
Doctors (speaker: Gareth Lewis)
Take-Out: APAC is always considered as a
challenge for the brands because of its diversity
and cultural backgrounds. A clear methodology can
help to tap into the semantics of each country,
revealing interesting ways-in for expression and
cultural understanding
FCB Presents: Humanity and Technology - FCB
(speakers: Josephine Pan, Lucas Wang)
Take-Out: technology enhancing creative and
artistic performance, bringing new ideas and new
specificities to our humanity e.g. theatre
performance
How the World Met Graham - Clemenger/BBDO
(speaker: Matt Pearce)
Take-Out: a deep-dive into the case study ‘Meet
Graham’ that unified data, science, strong insights
to come to an art masterpiece to change
consciences.
And a great encounter with Moon Ribas - Artist and Cyborg
8. ART IS LIFE, BEAUTY IS POTENTIAL
8
https://www.spikes.asia/winners/2017/
film/entry.cfm?entryid=1112&award=3
Unilever
(Clear)
‘Tiny Tantrum’
https://vimeo.com/217816435
Sagawa Shoyu
Inc.
‘The soy sauce
posters’
https://www.spikes.asia/winners/
2017/digitalcraft/
Google
‘Through the
Dark’
11. TECHNOLOGY MEETS REALITY
11
The buzzwords are more powerful
than ever - innovation, VR, AI,
machine learning, big data, AR…
Everybody wants to mention them
in a region where we find the
biggest forward-thinking posture
towards communication.
Though the best ideas are
sourcing themselves into bringing
this technology into everybody’s
reality, into everybody’s real
needs. If they don’t bring value to
the consumer, what’s the deal for
the people?
Lo-tech to No-tech: Cutting Edge Technology from
an Emerging Economy — Dentsu
(speaker: Keat Soh)
Take-Out: forget about pure technology. In highly
emerging markets like Indonesia, technology and
innovation are just about solving real issues of the
people. So, no over thinking, just focusing on
solving real problems for the consumers
Merge: the closing gap between Technology and Us
- phd (speaker: Chris Stephenson)
Take-Out: technology is about supporting and
understanding people’s needs in their daily life.
Creativity and Strategy in an Era of Machines -
TBWA (speaker: Tuomas Peltoniemi)
Take-Out: Innovation is not only about technology
and fantastic new opportunities. Innovation is
primarily about enhancing people’s lives and add
value to their everyday needs. Operational
transformation is no longer a question of if, but of
when.
14. CELEBRATING REAL WORLD
14
Most of the markets in APAC are
emerging, with all their hope but also
their issues. Instead of hiding the
truth, those markets prefer to face
the situation and start fighting back
the effects of an incredible growth.
And the reality surrounded the
consumers is not taboo anymore, it’s
just a reality that we can magnify
and improve.
Me We: The secret behind Great Partnerships -
180 (speaker: Al Moseley)
Take-Out: partnerships should be grounded
into authenticity and looking to same purpose.
This is the way to build sustainable
partnerships that will create an impact on the
consumers’ reality.
Frictionless Spaces: Human-centred Design
and Connected Environments — Project
(speaker: Richard Bradley)
Take-Out: in the past, developments were
about aesthetics. Now, it’s designed around
people behaviours and desires., augmenting
experiences and creating purpose. All about
connection.
Experiential Tech Will Lead The Way For
Compelling Brand Experiences - Isobar
(speakers: Stan Lim, Yong Hock Chye)
Take-Out: VR could make us live what was
nearly impossible to imagine. Now, VR is there
to tackle real issues and bring solutions and
experiences to improve consumers’ and
brands’ connections. A great example for
General Motors dealerships
15. CELEBRATING REAL WORLD
15
https://www.spikes.asia/winners/
2017/outdoor/
AP (Thailand)
‘The unusual
football field’
McDonald’s
‘Loving
Bangkok Night’
campaign
https://www.spikes.asia/winners/
2017/craft_print/entry.cfm?
entryid=3647&award=2
https://www.spikes.asia/winners/2017/
outdoor/entry.cfm?
entryid=1427&award=101&order=0&dire
ction=1&keywords=melbourne
University of
Melbourne
‘Made Possible
by Melbourne’
17. DISRUPTION IS THE RIGHT DIRECTION
17
We thought that nonsense or
shocking storytelling was the private
garden of anglo-saxon advertising.
We believe that thinking against the
flow is counter-productive. That’s not
true. Asian countries are cultivating
their own style with pride and
quality…and it makes all sense after
all.
Why Innovation is a Crapshoot and a Reason
for Global Stagnation - Isobar
(speaker: Sandipan Roy)
Take-Out: Talking about innovation does not
make much sense as the results for the brands
are very limited right now. We forget that the
3 keys for transformation is technology but
also business and people. Don’t make the
digitalisation a trap.
Culture Misfit - A Drag Queen’s Takes on
Talent - Creative Director (speaker: Gianni
Gurmani Gigi Giubilee)
Take-Out: a different point of view, diversity,
audacity to go for creative ideas that are
completely alien to your world - keys to
success and ways to renew yourself
Disruption by Design - R/GA (speakers: Jim
Moffat, Bob Mackintosh)
Take-Out: R/GA is disrupting itself every 9
years and achieved to always be a leading
force on the market - from SFX to consulting.
You have to always forecast your next move to
be building the future.
18. DISRUPTION IS THE RIGHT DIRECTION
18
https://www.spikes.asia/winners/
2017/craft_film/entry.cfm?
entryid=2142&award=2
Sony
Interactive
Entertainment
‘Gravity Cat’
Velocity
Frequent Flyer
‘The Billion
Point
Giveaway’
https://www.spikes.asia/winners/
2017/interactive/entry.cfm?
entryid=2014&award=2
https://www.spikes.asia/winners/
2017/pr/entry.cfm?
entryid=3013&award=2
Testicular Cancer
New Zealand
‘Go Balls Out’
21. WORLDWIDE CHALLENGES
21
Far from being isolated but facing
also their own fate, the APAC
countries are building strong
campaigns to fight their issues, pretty
similar to the challenges the whole
world is facing.But they found a
distinctive way to go for it.
Culture-Centric: What if Brands were
Movements not Empires? - iris
(speaker: Sorcha John)
Take-Out: Brands don’t need better content
but they need a better purpose, a passionate
purpose. They have a major impact on the
consumers if they craft a powerful direction to
their role in the society
Enhancing the Experience: Bringing AR to
Public Spaces - MediaMonks (speakers: Rene
Bokhorst, Victor Knaap)
Take-Out: AR is not only a buzz word, it can
also bring attention to some global issues and
make them relevant to the consumers. ‘Into
the Wild’ with MediaMonks, Google and
LeNovo
Machine Learning: Moving beyond Buzzwords
to Applied Creativity - Google
(speaker: Miguel de Andreas-Clavera)
Take-Out: we need to think how to use
machine learning creatively. But not only, to
bring the people together to understand and
tackle the big challenges of our world
24. EXPERIMENTATION IS GOLD
24
Fearless and empowered, APAC
countries show again their taste for
the novelties and new concepts.
Experimentation is part of creativity
development…even if it might be
sometimes unreal or difficult to
understand. It touches millions of
dreamers across the region.
Singapore is the new Silicon Valley - IPG
MediaBrands (speakers: Leigh Terry, Clarence Chua,
Wayne Arnold)
Take-Out: Singapore is ready for a new
revolution and a new role in the region, to be
fostering innovation through start-ups and the
wish to continue to be a smart nation.
Welcome to another major disruption market
Brand Momentum in the Age of the Algorithm -
MEC (speaker: Raj Gupta)
Take-Out: data is on everybody’s mouth but
we have to integrate them fully in our creative
development to make it worth. We have to
experiment to gain a certain competitive
advantage
Build Ideas, Not Ads - BBDO
(speaker: Danny Searle)
Take-Out: Ads are not ads anymore, it should
get bigger. We have to experiment, to invent,
to build and bring value to our relationship to
the consumers
27. REMINDING OUR CULTURES
27
APAC countries will never follow the
path given by some supposedly
‘leading’ countries in creative topics
and fields. They behave in their own
way, with a different flavour.
They are unique and show their
specificities to the world, their
cultures are so rich and interesting.
And most of the time, it results in
very successful projects and
developments that ignore borders.
Eastern Promise - Weber Shandwick
(speaker: Lydia Lee)
Take-Out: China is an amazing success story
which will not stop in the next decades. But
you can understand everything by stepping
back and understand better the Chinese
culture and specificity. No surprise here.
Catch the (Asian) Millennials - Hakuhodo
(speakers: Goro Hokari, Yusuke Miyabe, Kota
Takaishi, F.E. Devi Attamimi, Ampa Theerapatsakul)
Take-Out: We all know about millennials, we
believe we know them…but also we believe
they are similar across the regions. Deep-dive
into the Asian millennials that reveal the
inaccurate pre-conceived ideas about them
Entertainment - From category to culture -
Carat (speaker: Adam Bow)
Take-Out: Content and brand storytelling
should source themselves into cultural roots,
which means as well that you have to give the
power to the people and be able to follow what
they really love.
30. CONTACT ME TO KNOW MORE ABOUT SPIKES ASIA 2017
AND FOR FURTHER DISCUSSIONS IN MARKETING,
INNOVATION AND COMMUNICATION
FRANCK VINCHON
FRANCK.VINCHON@GMAIL.COM
+7 916 219 26 81 - +33 6 82 61 12 46
HTTP://FRANCKVINCHON.WIXSITE.COM/FRANCKVINCHON