Noah’s Ark is Nigeria’s lone survivor as Ad Stars Awards unveils 2019 finalists
Organisers of Ad Stars award has unveiled this year’s finalist and it includes Nigeria’s Noah’s Ark, whose entry, “Data is Life- Lost” is up for a medal alongside 1811 other shortlists.
The commercial which was done to drive patronage for Airtel’s data offering has been one of the most awarded advertisements in the last couple of years in Nigeria. Recall that “Data is Life-Lost” won a gold at the 2017 Epica, it also won a Grand Prix at the 2018 LAIF award as well as a couple of other awards at the African Cristal.
Besides Noah’s Ark, King James Group from South Africa is the only African agency on the shortlist which is dominated by agencies from Asia, South America and Oceania. All winners will be announced at the 2019 Ad Stars Awards gala dinner at Bexco’s Grand Ballroom, in South Korea on 24 August.
From 20,645 entries, a total of 1,811 campaigns have been shortlisted by 220 preliminary judges around the world. This includes 1,652 finalists for advertising professionals (from a total of 18,323 professional entries) and 159 non-professional finalists (from a total of 2,322 non-professional entries). Ad Stars welcome entries not only from creative professionals but also from non-professionals and students who have a passion for advertising and creativity.
“We aim to be a festival for everyone interested in creativity, not just for those working in the advertising industry. It’s the reason part of our show is open to the general public, free-of-charge, and it’s also the reason why everyone is eligible to enter the Ad Stars Awards – even non-professionals. The more people who take an interest in the ingenuity of the global creative industries, the stronger our industry will be,” explained Hwan Jin Choi, chairman of the Ad Stars executive committee.
Cheil Worldwide in Hong Kong has the highest number of finalists. Thailand is the country with the most finalists (212), followed by Japan (181) and Australia (132). Brazil has seen the biggest increase year-on-year in finalists of 214% (from 37 last year to 116 finalists this year), followed by United Arab Emirates (up 185% from 20 finalists last year to 57 this year) and India (up 68% from 53 finalists last year to 89 this year).
Lydia Lee, assistant manager of Ad Stars, says many of this year’s most shortlisted ideas are executed in unconventional ways – such as Burger King’s ‘The Whopper Detour’ (FCB New York) and Foxtel’s 2000 square metre ‘Grave of Thrones’ (DDB/The Glue Society Sydney).
Brands that are tackling political, environmental or human rights issues for social good have also performed well. Finalists include: The Blank Edition (Impact BBDO Dubai), Street Grace’s Stop Traffick (BBDO Atlanta) and Truck Art Childfinder (BBDO Pakistan).
“Using data, campaigns are becoming more scientific and cleverer in a good way. ‘The time we have left’ by Leo Burnett Madrid for Pernod Ricard’s Ruavieja liqueur and AAMI’s ‘Warning Spots’ by Ogilvy Melbourne are two standout examples,” said Lee.
Ad Stars is judged in three phases: last month, a global panel of 220 preliminary judges voted on this year’s shortlists.
“We would like to thank our preliminary judges for their hard work and dedication. Together, they critiqued 20,645 entries – it was a huge job, and we thank you for your support of Ad Stars,” said Lee.
The second phase of judging runs from 10th to 17th July when 35 final judges will begin online judging. On 19 August, 5 executive judges and 35 final judges will arrive in Busan to select this year’s winners, including two Grand Prix of the Year winners, which receive US$10,000 apiece.
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