Malcolm Poynton’s LIA Diary from Las Vegas

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LIA_Day One1.jpgKiwi expat Malcolm Poynton, ECD at SapientNitro, London – near left, with LIA president Barbara Levi and The Monkeys’ Justin Drape – sat on the prestigious LIA Integrated Jury this week in Las Vegas. Here’s his report, exclusive to Campaign Brief.

Landing in Vegas it’s impossible not to have scenes of ‘Hangover’ flash through your mind. Although I was there on a different kind of mission, given the dangerous cocktail of long-lost mates from agency land, anything could happen.

But try as we might at the Blackjack tables, the High Rollers of Vegas were safe this past week – I can’t say the same for most of the entries we judged though.

Screen shot 2012-09-29 at 10.01.11 AM.jpgLIA assembled a fantastic bunch for the 2012 Integrated Campaign jury including Australia’s very own, very talented Monkey, Justin Drape, Asia’s Tay Guan Hin and Josy Paul alongside Jay Elliott and Mark D’Arcy from North America with Adrian Botan, Doerter Spengler-Ahrens, our Jury Chair Amir Kassaei and myself from Europe.

Motivated by what’s possible in this digital age rather than Prince Harry’s favourite Vegas pool right outside the judging room, we found it surprisingly easy to leave behind yesterday’s TV, Outdoor, Print definition of Integrated.

The work that jumped out consisted of powerful ideas that make a difference – all using multiple dimensions to connect with consumers and showed scant regard for yesterday’s traditional media mix.

Screen shot 2012-09-29 at 10.00.56 AM.jpgCome to think of it, perhaps that poolside party did subconsciously motivate us since we managed to pack in a massive effort on the first day to ensure we’d finish with ample time for discussion and make it to the pool before judging was due to close Tuesday.

Strange as it sounds, I found judging in Vegas to be refreshingly focussed in that you are so far from your everyday routine, uninterrupted and have everything tended too (read ‘spoilt rotten’) by Barbara Levy’s wonderful LIA team. And when the wifi can keep up, voting is seamless on iTouch devices which leaves more time to focus on the work and ruminating with other jurors over the ‘all-jury’ lunches.

Screen shot 2012-09-29 at 10.01.42 AM.jpgScreen shot 2012-09-29 at 9.36.17 AM.jpgScreen shot 2012-09-29 at 9.35.23 AM.jpgThen, after several days of amazing food and hitting the Blackjack tables until the small hours, we were treated to the remarkable Cirque du Soleil Beatles’ Show, ‘Love’.  A spectacular show packing in even more inspiration to take home along with the work.

Meanwhile, no point asking any jurors you may know what won, since ‘what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas’.