Quirky, original, catchy ideas at Ad Congress

By Marlet D. Salazar, Ansbert Joaquin - Inquirer

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT ZONE--Quirky, original, insightful, catchy. More importantly, it sells.

This was how most advertising ideas have evolved over the years--and the 20th Philippine Advertising Congress, which concludes Saturday at the Subic Convention and Exhibition Center, provided Friday a wealth of knowledge and a venue for more innovations in advertising and marketing.

A blimp in the convention hall? A TV network thought of giving away prizes using a big white blimp that navigated the hall with an excited crowd in hot pursuit.

A rolling bubble ad? It could be a mere take on the 2001 Hollywood movie "Bubble Boy," but it surely caught everyone's attention.

"Dancing heads" featured at the trade exhibit area literally turned heads: A person's head shot was taken, and then incorporated into a funny dancing video.

Digital power
The sessions, on the other hand, were mostly discussions on the power of the digital age, with top-caliber speakers from all over the world.

Friday's topics bonded the power of creativity and the new media platform that is hard to ignore--digital.

The day started with an insightful speech by Michelle Kristula-Green, president of Leo Burnett and Arc, Asia Pacific, on the new buzz on "Wildfire Brands: Ideas that Spread and Sell."

Leo Burnett and Contagious presented this idea at this year's Cannes International Advertising Festival.

This approach means that Wildfire Brands are driven by technology and the value of human connection. Simply put, integration.

Indeed, most of the discussions during the day tackled the integration of the traditional media and the digital platform.

Green encouraged consumers to open their minds to the digital age, saying other media could actually partner with it and reach a wider audience.

"We've got to be curious about technology," she said.

Wayne Fletcher, president of Sandbox, Universal McCAnn, gave the congress delegates a peek on "New and Integrated Media: Award-winning Campaigns."

Tay Guan Hin, the regional executive creative director of Southeast Asia, JWT Singapore, talked about "Engaging Asian Consumers through the Power of Visuals."

Still coming of age
In the afternoon, top executives of worldwide companies like Google, Tribal DDB, Asia Pacific, as well as our own Havoc Digital Philippines and popular online gaming Level Up! explored the emerging power of the digital platform.

Derek Callow, regional marketing manager of Google in Southeast Asia, presented his insights on "The Future of Internet."

In his presentation, Callow stressed that despite a growing number of online users, "the Internet is still coming of age."

It is the fastest growing communications technology, and "it is also important to understand what hasn't changed," he said.

Amanda King, president of Tribal DDB, Asia Pacific, showed the agency's award-winning campaigns in her talk, "Global Internet and Mobile Trends."

Havoc Digital Philippines' managing director, Michael Palacios, discussed "Marketing to an Online Community," and Danilo Mojica, head of Smart Wireless Division and president of Wolfpac, explored the increasing interest in "Mobile Advertising."

Technology as enabler
On Thursday night, two influential women--Inquirer president and CEO Sandy Prieto-Romualdez and Lisa Gokongwei-Cheng, president of Summit Media--served as reactors on the effect of digital on the print industry.

Romualdez said she saw technology more as an enabler than competition, as evidenced by the success of INQUIRER.net, the online arm of the Inquirer Group.

"Technology enables us to expand our reach and capture other markets," she said.

In the same vein, Cheng said she believed that the two media--print and the Internet--actually complemented each other.

Certainly, the online gateway allows for fast, fresh news that benefit a certain niche or type of market.

Print, meanwhile, allows for a more comprehensive take on the news.

As this article was being written, the closing of the AdCongress Business program had yet to conclude.

Graphic novelist Neil Gaiman will hold a book signing Saturday at 9 a.m. at El Centro in Subic.

'Fantastic' folklore
The anticipated Araw Awards honoring the creative minds in the advertising world will be held tonight.

In his speech on Thursday, Gaiman lauded the potential of young Filipino artists and writers and confessed to liking Philippine folklore.

"It is really fantastic," he said of the local folklore. "The first time I came across it about a couple of years ago, I said to myself: ‘Why did not I know about this before?'"

He called on Filipino artists and writers to bring such a gem to the world, saying: "The trend Saturday is moving toward global acceptance."

He added: "If you guys won't do it, I will," he said.

Gaiman, writer and creator of the DC Comics series Sandman, gave the congress delegates the same message that he gave the Chinese delegation to the science fiction summit in Chengdu, China, earlier this year: Dare to dream.

His Sandman has won 12 Eisner comic industry awards and a World Fantasy award for best short story--the first in the genre to receive a literary award.

Imagination
Gaiman stressed the importance of imagination in creative processes, comparing it to a mirror that could show the world in different angles: "It can also hide, distort and banish things."

He said people should "see things [often] taken for granted with new eyes."

As for his own experience, Gaiman said he would never tire of bringing characters in his dreams to life.

"Before there were chairs, poems and fields, they were imagined," he said, debunking the notion that imagination was special, magical and only for the blessed.

"At 21 years old, I started dreaming that I could write," he said. "I just pushed for it, and now I'm a writer."

Gaiman, who also wrote the best-selling "American Gods"--winner of the 2002 Bram Stoker award, Hugo award and Nebula award for best novel--also advised would-be writers to write and finish things.

"What separates men from boys and women from girls is the determination to finish those which they have started," he said.

He added that people who wanted to write were really good at starting things but absolute rubbish at finishing them.

He said that as in most feats, one could not do much if one was not driven to get to one's ultimate goal.

"Aspiring writers can have hundreds of ideas in their minds, but unless they learn how to end it, these brilliant ideas will just be put to waste," Gaiman said.