MAD STARS 2024 has carefully curated three days of speaker sessions, diving into actionable insights into what makes work that drives success will be found. The sessions, a rich collection of insights, tools and understanding by the industry’s greatest thinkers, provide clarity on how to stay ahead of a rapidly evolving world in order to thrive.
This year’s intelligently probing explorations will cover the industry’s most important themes – AI, Innovation and Inspiration.
INNOVATION
There is no industry more closely aligned with the need to pursue innovation – technological, creative and business – than advertising. The task of engaging and exciting an audience depends on the ability to thrill, surprise and amaze. “Old hat” just doesn’t cut it. No brand has ever bored an audience into becoming the kind of fan group that creates market dominance for its products or services.
Some of this year’s Innovation sessions at MAD STARS include:
6 Rules for building future-ready brands, by Wayne Deakin, global principal & creative, Wolff Olins UK.
This session aims to make you future-fit for success with its insights on what will matter. Deakin asks, “In an unpredictable and ever-changing world of advanced technology with evolving consumer needs of hyper-connectivity, how can brands stay impactful, agile and relevant?
Paradigm Shift and Strategy for Industries by Generative AI, by Jungwoo Ha, Senior Vice President, Naver Republic of Korea.
Jungwoo Ha will present the trends in generative AI technology, its application in various industries including content and advertising, and his agency’s strategy in the rapidly escalating generative AI technology and industry competition, which is shaping up as a national competition.
INSPIRATION
Inspiration is the “magic dust” that turns a brand’s need, no matter how ordinary, into a world class idea that makes brands stand out from their crowd. Inspiration is also the secret sauce in career success and that vitally important underpinning of all forms of greatness, fulfillment.
Some of this year’s Inspiration sessions at MAD STARS include:
Don’t Bring the Donuts and Other Tips on how to Rise the Ranks as a Woman in Advertising, by Jordan Doucette, chief creative officer, Dentsu Creative Canada, on 22 August, 11:00 – 11:30
Whether you’re already crushing it in your career or just getting started, this session inspires by unveiling some of the most important factors that might feel like they are keeping you from getting where you want to go.
Everything starts with a Pixel: Unleashing human (and no-human) creativity, by Gabriel Lora Gaytan, VP of strategy & digital transformation, FCB Newlink Mexico, on 23 August, 14:30 – 15:00
Gaytan will discuss real-world success stories of how AI solutions unlock more service potential, increase sales, and achieve results through the three-chain SCI workflow.
Global Content Gladiator: How to Fight, Survive, and Win as a Producer, by Hyungjoon Park, head of global production division, Planit Production, on 23 August, 14:00 – 14:30
Park will examine the growing importance of content that carries universally resonant messages and storylines and how to formulate strategies for global content adapt to these changes.
BEHIND LAST YEAR’S GRAND PRIX WINNERS
MAD STARS will also feature two exceptional sessions by last year’s Grand Prix of the Year winners.
Carl Franklin Urgino was Head of Art in the Leo Burnett Manila team that created McDonald’s Unbranded Menu, that won Product & Service Grand Prix of the Year last year. Masatoshi Usami was a senior creative director in the TBWA\HAKUHODO team that won PSA Grand Prix of the Year with Shellmet.
Those sessions are:
Game Changer: Hacking the Gamers’ World by Carl Franklin Urgino, head of art, Leo Burnett Manila, on 22 August, 16:00 – 16:30
The number of gamers worldwide is predicted to reach 3.320 billion by the end of 2024 and Asia has the highest number of gamers 1.48 billion. This is the newest and very rich playing field for advertising and marketing. Urgino will explain how his agency created Unbranded Menu and a massive win for McDonald’s and provide clues for how to mine gaming for brand success.
How Can an Agency Be Innovative – The Shellmet Story by Masatoshi Usami, senior creative director, TBWA\HAKUHODO, Japan, on 23 August, 15:00 – 15.30
Shellmet was inspired by a single post on social media. Usami will explain how he used creative thinking to break away from the traditional mould to take his idea to market. The session will provide valuable insights from the Shellmet Project on how agencies can incorporate meaningful innovation in their own creative work.
Find the full MAD STARS Conference session schedule here.
MAD STARS festival will be run from 21-23 August at BEXCO in Busan, South Korea. Its exciting schedule of events includes the Exhibition & Conference, Opening Ceremony & Opening Gala, a networking party, Welcome reception and Awards Show and after party.
