Ron Samuel: Final day AdFest learnings

By Ron Samuel

Judging by the amount of fried food being inhaled at breakfast I figured that it must have been a big night in town for some last night. I like to call it extreme networking, something you shouldn’t attempt if you can’t keep up.

There were more workshops this morning which gave me a chance to catch up on the work being displayed without a crowd. The standouts for me were in the design and promo categories. Everything was beautifully crafted and regardless of whether the briefs were real or not it is impossible to fault the high degree of passion displayed in each piece. The cost efficiencies of working in markets with low labour costs were exploited to maximum advantage in items like beautifully hand carved credential documents and outdoor posters that would sweat at certain times. In the promo category ideas were brought to life in spectacular fashion with the quality of execution matching a high degree of quality thinking. I was wishing that I’d done every second or third piece and the low budget items, which were also great, meant that there was really no excuse.

There were two very impressive speakers today. The first was Farid Chehab and his topic was titled 10 Ways for 1 Million Returns. Unfortunately I was late into the room so I can only share 9 of them. He talked about ways of generating active productive participation around a brand or product, which is more than just engagement. He provided some great examples around each of the ways.

1. Sorry I was late.

2. Create a cause because people love movements. Turn your idea into a movement. The example here was the Dove Evolution Self-Esteem Fund, which was formed to tackle distorted image of beauty in advertising. active productive participation.

3. Create an enemy because people love to hate. This is how NGO’s recruit active participants by giving people something or somebody to hate such as a repressive government. This thinking can easily be adapted for most brands. The enemy could be fast food, or bad fashion. It’s more about thinking about how to take the idea further.

4. Create content because people love to feel important and making someone feel important creates participation.

5. Create a story because people love to chat and gossip. Wikileaks is the perfect example. Chehab contends that you should design your stuff to encourage participation.

6. Create a creature because people love to be amazed. He made a good point here that hits on a website are not participation, that’s just looking.

7. Co-create because people love to create. Lego’s – Design by Me was a great example of getting people to actively participate with your brand by using its products creatively.

8. Create an argument because people love to debate.

9. Create a performance because people love to be thrilled. Red Bull’s sponsorship of Felix Baumgartner who made the highest parachute jump was the example for this point.

10. Create a game because people love to compete.

In his closing address Chehab suggested that brands should be regarded as stars and we should be trying to make them as popular as we can. Participation world records are the new bench mark of success not awards but you have to work for it. No pain, no gain, no participation.

Graham Fink Chief Creative Officer of O&M in China and Shanghai was the final speaker. His topic was Connecting Cultures. Graham has earned himself legendary status in adland and he delivered his thoughts on how and why we should look outside of our own cultures for new ways of doing things. To me he was saying that if we can change peoples minds we can change their thinking which means that we can change their behaviour. He showed some very funny examples from China and some of what he believed were the more intriguing pieces that he had seen as chairman of judges at AdFest. The very fact that Graham moved from London to Shanghai as the next step in a hugely successful career is food for thought. This is about embracing the differences and opening your mind to a different way of seeing.

The final award ceremony ran about an hour overtime but this happens every year so it was expected. The great work was well recognised as were the contributors and for everyone else there’s next year.

The after party was great as always with wonderful and plenty of drinks, which was just a top up for most of us.

Was it worth it?

Australians are being reminded, almost on a daily basis, that our future is tied to Asia. The value of shows like this is that you can look into the future and meet some of the people who are going to be there with you. You can spot trends, ask for truths, make new friends, open your mind, open new markets, share your fears, challenges and opportunities with people who are happy to listen.

Ron Samuel (pictured top) is a creative contributor to Campaign Brief and co founder and creative director at Cooch Creative, Perth.