At an AdFest without a PR category, I found award-winning work that captures the essence of PR!

This time, I'd like to write about "Adfest 2014," held in Pattaya, Thailand, this past March. I attended for the first time last year, and Pattaya is crazy hot—no, I mean, really hot. This year, there were concerns about the impact of the Bangkok protests, but locally, it was like, "Mai pen rai!" (meaning "Don't worry about it, take it easy"). I mean, if you're worrying about that, you can't even enjoy one of the world's three great cuisines, right? Huh? Thai food isn't one of the three great cuisines? It's not included? Seriously?

Anyway, back to the title. Yes, AdFest still doesn't have a "PR category." Cannes Lions created its PR category in 2009, and Spikes Asia—essentially Cannes' Asian qualifier—added one in 2011. So why hasn't AdFest established one yet? That's a huge question mark! I'll try to unpack that, along with this year's award trends, from my own perspective.

Is the Asia-Pacific region still an area where advertising holds significant power?

The year 2009, when the PR category debuted at Cannes Lions, followed the "Lehman Shock" the previous year, a period when the advertising industry suffered significant damage. With companies struggling to allocate advertising budgets, there was a growing awareness that "we need to leverage PR more!" While overall entries to Cannes plummeted, the PR category thrived. Since then, entries have steadily increased every year. By 2012, when I served as a judge, entries were up 138% year-on-year. It has become a notable growth category (though, of course, in terms of total entries, it's still on a different scale compared to other established categories...).

So why doesn't AdFest have a PR category? In my view, it's because the Asia-Pacific region remains an area where advertising still holds immense power. In terms of supply and demand, it's a society where demand is higher—an environment where consumers are constantly seeking out various products and services to enhance their lives. This makes it fertile ground for direct messages like advertising to really resonate with people. It's like, "Forget PR—it's too roundabout! Just give us ad after ad after ad!"

On the other hand, Spikes Asia, also held in Asia, does have a PR category. Since it's run by the same organization as Cannes Lions, it might lean more towards a Western perspective. That said, even back in 2012 when I was a PR judge for Spikes Asia, I recall over half—no, closer to 70%—of the entries were things where you'd think, "This isn't really PR, is it?" But having a dedicated "PR category" will undoubtedly contribute significantly to the industry's future development. As a PR professional, I can't help but hope this trend extends to AdFest as well.

 

Introducing PR-worthy works from AdFest's award-winning entries

So, how was this year's AdFest? I heard the judging was done under the theme "Co-create the Future." Speaking generally about the trend I noticed in the winning entries, I think many embodied "corporate communication" activities – that is, projects that embodied the mission of "creating fans for the company." From among those winners, let me introduce a few pieces I thought were also strong from a PR perspective.

① "Sound of Honda" – Vividly Conveying the Company's Technical Background

"Sound of Honda / Ayrton Senna 1989" Integrated = Grande, Interactive = Grande, Promo = Grande, etc.

 

Honda Motor Co., Ltd.'s "Sound of Honda / Ayrton Senna 1989" (Japan) dominated this year's AdFest, winning the Grand Prix in three categories—Promo, Interactive, and Integrated—along with numerous Golds in other categories. This campaign traces back to 1989, when Honda solidified its presence in F1. It recreates Ayrton Senna's world-record lap driving from that year's F1 Japanese Grand Prix qualifying at Suzuka Circuit using only light and sound.

While it might seem like a niche campaign for F1 or Senna fans at first glance, the technical prowess in creating the illusion of an F1 car racing around the circuit using only sound and light is truly remarkable. By communicating that this was recreated using Honda's own data recording and analysis systems, it serves as a powerful reminder to many consumers of the behind-the-scenes strength that has supported F1. It's exactly the kind of initiative that makes you want to say "Nice!" or "How cool!" about Honda as a company.

 

② Baby product manufacturer supports moms beyond its products

"ZZZ Radio" Direct=Gold, Media=Gold

 

P&G's entry (Philippines) for its Pampers diapers. While the product's core benefit is improving comfort to keep babies happy—and thereby making moms' lives easier—the company asked: "Is there more we can do to help?" The answer was the "ZZZ Radio" campaign.

Keeping babies in a good mood is every mom's wish, and ultimately the family's wish. Especially during nighttime crying spells, it's tough, right? That's why Pampers launched a service to support babies' comfortable sleep.

It's said that babies stay calm in the womb because of their mother's heartbeat and the unique sounds within the amniotic fluid (commonly known as white noise). In fact, machines that artificially generate this white noise are sold on the market, but they're often quite pricey and a bit hard to justify buying.

So why not provide the same thing for free? That's how "ZZZ Radio" was born. It's a free radio channel that simply streams white noise. In reality, it's just FM 99.1—the noise frequency between regular broadcast stations—rebranded as Pampers' dedicated channel. With no advertising fees, anyone could listen for free. Pampers simply communicated this specific frequency to mothers struggling with nighttime crying, using minimal packaging and announcements. This initiative spread rapidly through mom networks. It allowed anyone with a radio—something most people already own—to utilize this solution without buying expensive white noise machines.

It was a true win-win campaign: no cost for the client, and free service for consumers. Needless to say, it increased corporate fans. Furthermore, the fact that it was designed to revive radio—a legacy medium many own but use less frequently these days—is truly heartwarming for advertising professionals.

 

③ Creating New Touchpoints for Younger Audiences: "NEWS BOTTLE!"

"NEWS BOTTLE!" Promo=Gold, Media=Gold

 

Newspaper subscriptions decline year after year, and every publisher wonders how to reach younger audiences. The usual approach is to expand youth-oriented content, but this campaign took a different tack: change the packaging instead of the content! Mainichi Shimbun's "NEWS BOTTLE!" campaign (Japan) transformed the physical form from a paper newspaper into a plastic bottle.

The idea of identifying touchpoints not with gadgets like smartphones, but deliberately with everyday essentials like mineral water bottles – which have high contact rates among younger demographics – is brilliant. That said, it's also an idea anyone might conceive. What's truly impressive is the solidly constructed, sustainable scheme: securing part of the bottle as advertising space attracts advertisers, covering the manufacturer's production costs and slashing the retail price to nearly half.

While increasing newspaper subscription numbers is obviously important, this entry also reveals a corporate stance committed to fulfilling the media's mission of "delivering news to people's lives" – even through such innovative means. It's the kind of idea that makes you want to say, "Nice!" and "Way to go!"

 

The importance of PR is already well understood as a potential strategy.

What these entries share, I believe, is the challenge currently being tackled in advanced nations overflowing with commoditized products: building corporate loyalty among customers. This is a challenge where differentiation based solely on a product's USP (Unique Selling Point) is insufficient. The fact that the essence of cutting-edge PR is being strongly recognized at an "Advertising Hooray!" AdFest suggests that even if the importance of PR isn't yet fully apparent, its potential is already well understood. I can't help but hope we'll see a PR category at AdFest in the near future!