Dentsu Inc. Creators Who Served as Judges for Spikes Asia

We asked two creators from Dentsu Inc. who served as judges at this year's Spikes Asia to share their judging criteria.

Judging the Film, Print, Outdoor, and Radio categories
Dentsu Inc. 2CRP Bureau, Shoji Hayashi

Jury Chairman THAM KHAI MENG began by declaring "EMOTION" (selecting what moves the heart). However, during judging, he consistently discussed and used "how this ad contributes to the brand" as our criteria. Merely "moving the heart" isn't enough; it must positively impact corporate image or be born from the necessity of selling products to be evaluated. The world's top creative directors likely bear even greater responsibility for their clients' growth than we do in Japan, constantly thinking about strategy and expression every day. Their thought patterns don't change just because it's judging. I believe the winning entries weren't pieces that seemed like they were made for awards, but rather those that functioned superbly as advertisements.

Design Category Judging
Dentsu Inc. 5CRP Bureau, Hideto Yagi

Following AdFest, I served as a judge for the second time, this time for the SPIKES ASIA Design category.
There were nine judges. Although it was an Asian judging panel, perhaps because the secretariat collaborates with Cannes, I got the impression that there were many Western judges overall, including the jury president.
The preliminary judging was done online, and we carefully discussed and decided on each shortlisted entry one by one. I actively debated and made judgments, especially for works I strongly wanted to promote and, conversely, those I wanted to eliminate.
Because the number of entries was low from the start, we were able to discuss each piece thoroughly and decide on the winners in a very fair and manageable process. On the other hand, it was regrettable that many good works were eliminated before even reaching the shortlist stage.
It became clear that values regarding design differ completely depending on the country and the person. In that sense, I felt that to win awards in international design categories, designs that are simple and beautiful without being overly explanatory, or craft designs of overwhelming precision, are likely to be highly valued.