Local agencies took home only three gold awards and one best when the four-day regional event wrapped up yesterday.

Last year local advertising agencies snatched a total of over 20 awards including 3 Best Awards.

Deputy chairman and chief creative officer at JWT Thailand Pinit Chantaprateep said Thai-style comedy ads that created a big impression among festival judges and spotlighted Thailand at the event for years are no longer new.

Following Thailand's success, agencies elsewhere - particularly Singapore and India - have adapted the style, he said.

"Agencies need to review their approach and not focus only on comedy-style ads, impressive graphics or impressive special effects.

"Instead, they should create advertisements with content that really transmits advertisers' messages to customers," he added.

Agencies from Singapore, Japan and India were the big winners this year. Singapore was the most successful. with five gold and five best awards.

BBDO Singapore and Ogilvy & Mather Singapore shared three awards each, followed by Saatchi & Saatchi with two and McCann Erickson and JWT Singapore one each.

Japanese agencies secured seven gold and two best awards, followed by India with three gold awards and two best.

Winning agencies from Thailand were Leo Burnett with gold in the press category for its ad called "Barriercycle" for Clima Bicycle Lock and BBDO Bangkok with gold in the same category with "Big Alarm" for Seiko.

Euro RSCG Flagship took gold in the outdoor category with its entry called "Boy/Man/Woman" for Vanish. Remix Studio Bangkok took home a best in the print craft category with "Monster 2" for Be-ing.

Festival chairman Vinij Suraphongchai and Pinit of JWT said the standard of local entries was equal to that of last year.

In spite of not winning as many accolades as in the past, chairman of the television category judging panel John Hunt said that Thai ads continue to be as "charming as ever".

They create human-to-human-communication using emotion rather than product-to-human communication techniques.

Hunt said local ads winning gold demonstrated the confidence of agencies in presenting individual characters and styles.

On the other hand, those that failed to win their categories were still of good quality yet failed to deliver advertiser messages and used ideas that were "not sufficiently innovative", he said.

Nitida Asawanipont

The Nation

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