Forward Media UA’s Post

Thank you Festival of Media for an amazing opportunity to be a part of the judging panel for the 2024 awards! After reading countless global entries, scoring them, watching case study videos over six hours, and having a spirited dialogue on brand work, here is what I took away: 1. There is an art to debating with people - It's a conversational sparring match in which intellectual intentions yield respectful disagreements and civil resolutions. 2. Human truths add meaning to lifeless products - Not every product from a brand has a needed purpose in our lives. The products aren't the star of the lifestyle show we all individually star in ("Previously on Being Me") and often need an injection of humanity to make it make sense. 3. Internal bias is a reflection of our absorbed experiences - That voice inside your head, the internal dialogue and debate you have within yourself to be heard, to be right, to be loudest, to be fastest, to be better, to be smarter, CONSTANTLY needs to be checked. Shelving my psychological proclivities in place of the actual definition of the award category being judged and listening to my gut instinct when it comes to inclusivity and marginalized experiences being catapulted into the mainstream via advertising. 4. The global outlook on life > the local lens on life - In other parts of the world, brands show up in a way that replaces or challenges the government. They provide philanthropic solutions for those with no way forward or connect people to possibilities that change the immediate quality of their lives. Thank you Leah Mellard for the coordination throughout the entire process! #wavemaker #awards #media #judge #panel #creative

We’re the Agency of the Year at the 25th Effie® México! 🥇🎉 This award is proof that when creativity and strategy come together, great things happen. To our team, partners, and the brands who inspire us every day – thanks for believing in us! 🏝 ____ About: ISLA is the first Creative Agency in Latin America with the mindset of a Business consultancy. Born at the intersection of creativity, strategy, media, and data, it is capable of transforming brands’ business and making them a part of popular culture. Our purpose is to help the new generation of marketers transform the headwinds and volatility of this new era into tailwinds that propel them towards achieving their challenging business goals.

‘Can Creativity really deliver concrete business impact?’ Heinz’s talk during Day 4 of Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity brought this point home. 5 Takeaways from CGO Diana Frost: ▫️Revisit the heritage of your brand, fall in love with it all over again. ▫️Creativity shouldnt be based on luck - it must be intentional and built-in. ▫️Develop capabilities to act at the speed of digital and social culture. ▫️Do not wait for perfect foundations. Take a swing, then take another one. ▫️Great ideas can come from Whatsapp conversations. #BayerCannesRoar Philipp Schuster Jessica Canton Kelly Davies Maria Cristina Sarmiento Daria Costantini Bayer | Consumer Health

Very excited to be a judge for The Effie's this year. Here are my 4 big takeaways after letting my experience sink in: Strategists don't network enough. It's easy to become isolated in our worlds. Get out and pick more brains! You never know where a new approach to attacking a problem could be hiding. It's a good prescription for imposter syndrome too 😉 A good idea is only as strong as the environment it lives in. A smart comms strategy is paramount to making any idea sing in our extremely fragmented digital lives. Selling a client on a crazy idea takes masterful (and simple!) storytelling. How can a simple insight drive massive results? What connective tissue is needed to get your partners to see an opportunity the same way you do? Strong client relationships matter here too. Building trust and excitement with smaller projects can go a long way in the end game. Never copy & paste your case studies. Take the time to hone, simplify, and romance for the category you're entering work in. The story of how a campaign came to be is just as important as the idea itself. Big results mean nothing without context. Simplicity is also key here. Remind yourself judges are going through piles of submissions. Best of luck to all of the entrants this year. I'm not envious of the tough decisions the final judges have to make!

The final night of SECTA Women’s 💥 We’re all set for an unforgettable evening in Shoreditch 🤯 Here’s what we have in store... Savills vs. OMD UK Savills have emerged as a real powerhouse this season, but the big question remains - will our dynamic duo, Rebecca and Jade, deliver another red-hot performance? 🔥 And what’s this we hear about a potential Phoenix return for the final week? This could be the twist that seals their season in style… Meanwhile, OMD will need to summon all their strength, but if anyone can rally the troops and push them to victory, it's the ever-determined Bea! Can she spark the ultimate comeback? ⚡ Dewynters vs. Ogilvy UK  Ogilvy have been on an upward trajectory, growing stronger with each passing week. Now, they’ve become serious contenders 📈 Will Madison have her game face - and spare boots - ready to keep the winning streak alive tonight? Dewynters always bring the fun, but can they channel that infectious energy into goals? Abigail will need to pull off some more show-stopping saves if they’re going to topple Ogilvy in this heated encounter 🧤 VCCP vs. Squire Patton Boggs  Now this is a match you don’t want to miss… Will Squire turn their quiet confidence into a victory to end VCCP’s winning streak? Lily and co will need to be in fine form for this one 🫣 VCCP have been in unbelievable form this season, cruising past every team in their path. But as the finish line approaches, can they see it through? Or is there a shock upset on the horizon? 🌅 History has been made with the first-ever women’s league for companies and we couldn't be prouder of the teams who gave it their all for the last 5 weeks. We’ve loved getting to know you and watching you grow as a team - we hope to see you for the next one! Until then,  VIVA LA SECTA

👁️ Have you been paying attention? The recent study by Marketing Scientist Group and Paramount ANZ deepens our understanding of effective TV sponsorships, revealing that attention to brand assets boosts top-of-mind awareness by 37%, increases brand associations by 16%, and enhances brand asset fame by 18%. Discover the full case study on egta's Knowledge Hub.

I'm going to propose something that is going to be unpopular in the midst of awards season. (And no, it's not getting rid of awards. Many folks argue that the ungodly amount of time and money agencies spend on entries would be better invested in their employees. And while that's true, I believe awards are still an important tool in attracting, motivating, and retaining employees, as well as winning new business. Plus winning awards is awesome.) My proposal is that we share the credit among every team that worked on the project, not just the team whose idea wound up getting produced. I know that in our traditionally cutthroat, keep-your-work-close-to-your-chest industry that amounts to heresy. And I know we’ve all seen (and, let’s be honest, made fun of) awards show credits with multiple slashes. Did all of those people really work on that banner ad? But hear me out. In order for that one award-winning idea to live, a lot of other ideas had to die. And a lot of people worked just as hard on those other ideas. And who’s to say that the one idea didn’t live because of all the other ideas that died along the way? There are very few agencies that can get away with bringing just one idea in to a presentation. It was the breadth of the ideas, and the iterations on those ideas along the way, that led to the final winner.   To build a culture - and an industry - where everyone feels ownership the creative, let's give credit to every individual who worked on a project. And not just the creatives, the whole team. And by the way, I don’t just mean for awards shows. Let's celebrate everyone who contributed to making the work when we share it across the team and across the company. Position every project as a team effort. Embrace the slash. So congratulations to everyone on your enviable wins at The One Club for Creativity, D&AD and soon to be Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity! And I mean everyone. #awards #advertising #leadership

A return to Cannes on a Monday night... And, if you didn't know, 60% of the Grand Prix Winners had DEI at the heart of their campaign strategy. 🤷♀️ Like more on this? We have a PDF of all the award winners, plus their DEI perspective. Pop me a DM. Alternatively, we have a mind-bending talk on the winners and how DEI is shaping creative excellence.

LoopMe partnered with dentsu to increase event sign-ups and drive 42% savings for Guinness, with the campaign's success highlighted by a win in the Best Use of Data category at the Malaysian Digital Association d awards. Find out more by watching this video: https://hubs.ly/Q02QrggR0 dentsu Malaysia #advertisingindustry #brandadvertising #digitaladvertising

Just back from the exhilarating rollercoaster that is Cannes Lions! 🎢 Days filled with encounters and experiences. Here's what I took away: Trends were everywhere. Adtech was the star of the show, even more so than last year. Panels were buzzing about addressability, retail sustainability, and CTV. CTV, or Connected TV, was the buzzword on everyone's lips. Retail and audiovisual professionals couldn't get enough. It's all about deepening customer relationships, optimizing campaign performance, and boosting the bottom line. As we move towards a world without cookies and mobile identifiers, trust-building technologies are more important than ever. Brands are jumping on board. Women in tech were also in the spotlight, with dedicated panels and initiatives. Visibility in the adtech universe is key. Fun fact: Cannes Lions is the third biggest event in Cannes, right behind the yacht and real estate shows. To wrap up, Cannes Lions was a whirlwind of insights and networking. Can't wait for next year! 🦁🎉