MAD STARS Day One Heralds The Era of AI-Driven Marketing Creativity
The 2024 MAD STARS Festival commenced in Busan, South Korea, on August 21st, with a series of impactful keynotes, interactive panels, and innovative presentations.
This year’s MAD STARS theme is AIM: Marketing Success with AI, and so of course it is no surprise AI dominated much of the conversation on Day One.
AI features prominently in many of the speaker sessions, as it continues to permeate so many aspects of advertising and marketing, demonstrating increasing value as a tool.
Day One set a high bar for the festival, highlighting the evolving intersection of AI, creativity, and marketing.
Aeri Park, chief executive officer of HSAD, delivered a keynote on "The Era of AI-Driven Marketing Creativity." Aeri discussed HSAD’s unique approach to integrating AI into marketing strategies, underscoring how AI can overcome traditional limitations and unlock new creative possibilities.
“AI is not just a tool but a catalyst for redefining marketing creativity,” Aeri said. “We are embracing AI to craft deeper connections with consumers and drive innovation.”
In her session, Aeri elaborated on HSAD’s AI tool designed to interact organically with marketing businesses, transforming data into valuable assets and creating a virtuous cycle.
“We are helping people with this tool designed in such a way that it organically interacts with the entire marketing business on the four axes, turns it into data, and becomes an asset and a virtuous cycle,” she explained.
The "Conversation with Executive Jury," moderated by Sangsoo Chong, vice-chairperson of MAD STARS, featured a distinguished panel including Gabriel Lora, VP of strategy & digital transformation at FCB Newlink; Emma de la Fosse, chief creative officer at Edelman; Matt MacDonald, chief creative officer at BBDO New York; and Suzana Apelbaum, head of creative and innovation at Google. The panelists provided insights into their evaluation process for the awards, shared their perspectives on the current state of the industry, and discussed future trends and challenges.
Gabriel remarked, “Evaluating this year’s entries has shown us the incredible breadth of creativity across the globe.” The executive jury highlighted originality, cultural insight, humanity, and positive impact as the key qualities they sought in this year’s entries.
Matt stressed the importance of originality in campaigns, noting, “We are looking for originality, novelty. In advertising these days, it can be difficult to find.”
Earlier, Wayne Deakin, global principal and creative at Wolff Olins, presented "6 Rules for Building Future-Ready Brands." Wayne shared strategies for brands to maintain relevance and impact amidst rapid technological changes and evolving consumer expectations.
“To succeed, brands need to be agile and proactive,” Wayne said. “Staying ahead of trends and being adaptable are crucial for long-term success.”
Hemant Shringy, chief creative officer at FCB Ulka, explored the balance between emotional intelligence and AI in his keynote "EI in the Times of AI."
Hemant highlighted how emotional connections can still play a critical role in communication despite technological advancements. “AI can enhance our ability to connect emotionally, not replace it,” Hemant said. “The challenge is to integrate AI in a way that enhances human touch.”
A number of workshops also ran concurrently with the main panels and keynotes.
Sungsoo Jung, in his workshop "The Virtuality Hidden in Me," demonstrated how different perspectives and virtual experiences can drive creativity and innovation in advertising. Sungsoo emphasised the importance of viewing creativity from the consumer’s perspective and leveraging virtual experiences to enhance engagement.
Taeho Kang, executive director at Daehong Communications, presented "The Convergence of AI and Marketing, and the New Future of Advertising That Has Already Arrived."
He discussed how generative AI is transforming advertising strategies, stating, “Generative AI is paving the way for new levels of personalisation and engagement in marketing.”
Hyungtaek Kim, CEO of Digital Initiative Group, examined challenges and opportunities for smaller agencies adapting to AI in his session "How Can Small and Medium-Sized Agencies Survive in the Age of AI Transformation?"
Jihyun An, director at SITE BRANDING CO LTD, presented "Through the Public Bath, We Talk About the Lifestyle of 'ME TIME'."
Later in the evening, the festival hosted it’s opening ceremony and gala, celebrating attending delegates and jurors, headlined by Busan City Mayor Park Heong-joon.
Day One of the MAD STARS Festival delivered a mix of insights and innovations, setting an enthusiastic tone for the remainder of the event. Attendees were introduced to ideas and strategies that bridge creativity and technology.
As the festival continues, Day Two is anticipated to build on this foundation by further exploring cutting-edge trends and industry advancements.
