60 young creatives ‘connect the dots’ at the inaugural Adfest+D&AD Academy in Pattaya

On the last day of Adfest 2013 in Thailand, 60 delegates were given an opportunity to ‘Connect the Dots’ like no other, with the Adfest+D&AD Academy.

Young creatives from across Asia Pacific were given the opportunity to hear from three industry luminaries: Ronald Ng (top), Chief Creative Officer for BBDO/Proximity Singapore and Press Lotus Jury President; Dr. Andy Joohyun Lee, Cheil Worldwide’s Director and Head of Global Digital Campaigns; as well as Dave King, Joint-CEO & Executive Creative Director of M&C Saatchi New Zealand and Direct Lotus & Promo Lotus Jury President.

Ng gave attendees an unprecedented look at the work that went into his Jeep ‘Two Worlds’ campaign, which was ranked the No. 1 outdoor campaign in the world by the Gunn Report in 2010. “The best ideas come from 90% sweat, and another 10% of sweat. The Jeep campaign took countless hours of relentless research, experimentation and crafting,” shared Ng.

Dr. Lee gave attendees a strategist’s perspective into creating ideas. He cautioned attendees against jumping onto a new piece of technology, just because it is new. “Remember that technology is nothing without a human’s interpretation. You need to observe how people use platforms, in order to imagine how and where to use them,” said Dr. Lee.

King ended the breakout session with several tips on how to succeed in the business. “Observation is key. You’ll need to sort of be a voyeur, and observe the world around you. You’ll also need to set goals, and work immensely hard towards achieving these goals,” advised King.

The attendees left the full-house breakout session inspired and ready to raise their creative game. This was the first time Adfest and D&AD has collaborated on the academy. “In a lot of ways, Adfest and D&AD have similar goals. Both organisations are committed to investing in our young creatives–the future of our business–in order to raise the profile of our industry. Collaborating on this initiative seemed natural,” said D&AD CEO, Tim Lindsay (above).

For those delegates who did not get to attend the breakout session, but still wish to excel in the industry, Lindsay has this to offer: “Expose yourself to all sorts of influences. Not just in advertising, but in various fields as well. Explore high culture, as well as low culture. And more importantly, seek advice from industry leaders. Learn from their successes, as well as their mistakes.”

Delegates who wish to do exactly that, may view the inspiring collection of work, as well as talks from creative beacons on D&AD’s website.