Joe Hawkins’ Adfest Diary – Day One

DDB New Zealand creative Joe Hawkins is currently judging Adfest in Japan and will be writing a daily report for CB.

Gunfireand used panties. Two things you wouldn’t normally associate with anadvertising festival.  An advertising agency, maybe.  Or a client party.

But it was gunfire and political unrest in Thailand that forced thepostponement of this year’s AdFest judging. It also forced theorganisers to look for another judging location.  Preferably one thatwas safe.

And apparently there’s no safer place than Japan.  I’d also heard thatthere were used panty vending machines on every street corner.  Butthere’s not.

Anyway, Day One of Adfest judging.

I’m flying the flag in the Outdoor jury.  There’s only seven of us, butit feels like a United Nations council  (providing the only countriesin the United Nations council are Singapore, Japan, Thailand, ThePhillipines and Sinagpore).

Shit!!!  That really is the time.

Ok, I’m late for breakfast and I’m about to start Day Two, BUT, Day One in a nutshell…

268 pieces of work in Outdoor, with entry videos for a good to thirdsof those.  Those entry videos ranged from 2 minutes in length to abrain numbing 5 and a half minutes!

One thing that’s abundantly clear is that a lot of agencies can’t put a decent entry video together.

I’ll fill you in on specifics tomorrow, along with AdFest’s policy on scam work and what it feels like to eat a pig’s ear.

Toodles.