Organized by the Asian Federation of Advertising Associations (AFAA) and hosted by the Associations of Advertising Agencies of Macau (AAAM), the prestigious AdAsia 2021 Congress was held at Parisian, Macao on the 3rd and 4th of December, and live-streamed, which attracted over six hundred thousand views.
As an international congress recognized by ICCA, AdAsia was hosted for the first time in Macao, China, after a brilliant history of 63 years. The theme 「FUTURETOPIA - Marketing in the Brave New World」, aims to develop a cooperation platform for cultural communication, exchange, and development, promoting the international transmission of cultural and tourism brands through creative advertising and marketing.
Raymond So, Chairman of AFAA, lauded the fact that despite difficulties caused by COVID, a Virtual Handover Ceremony was conducted smoothly and successfully.
At the AFAA Awards Presentation Ceremony, Media icon, Pradeep Guha was posthumously inducted into the AFAA Hall of Fame 2019 and his wife Papia Guha accepted the honour. [L to R: Ramesh Narayan, Papia Guha and Sanket Guha (wife and son of Pradeep Guha)] for his efforts in nurturing the IAA/AFAA Olive Crown Awards in its early stages, and for his exceptional leadership that cut across cultures and domains.
Srinivasan Swamy was presented with the AFAA Special Merit Award for 2019 for his contribution to AFAA as an institution and efforts in developing the region. And Ramesh Narayan was inducted into the AFAA Hall of Fame 2021 for his selfless contribution to AFAA, to the global advertising and marketing community and to the society at large.”
The Keynote on FUTURETOPIA, Marketing in the Brave New World, was addressed by Mark Read, Chief Executive Officer, WPP. Emphasizing why purpose matters to our industry? And why it must be integral to any business strategy? Read stressed on the importance of companies having a higher societal purpose, and how this purpose can drive profits.” While corporate vision must be integral to any company's business strategy followed by how we as an industry form strategic partners with brands on their own journey, it is having a purpose that has become crucial for companies,” explained Read.
He also stated that brands perceived to have stronger ESG credentials (Environment, Social, and Governance) grew two and half times faster and was would draw more loyalty from employees.
A local Take
An interesting panel discussion on relevance and implications of the keynote address by Mark Read on the “Future of Marketing in a brave new world in the Indian context” moderated by Megha Tata, MD-South Asia, Discovery Communications India & President IAA India Chapter, featured top Indian professionals like Sunil Alagh, Founder & Chairman, SKA Advisors, Sam Balsara, Chairman, Madison World; Anupriya Acharya, CEO- South Asia, Publicis Groupe & President-AAAI, Neena Dasgupta, CEO and Director Zirca Digital Solutions Pvt. Ltd., and Pradeep Dwivedi, Group CEO & Executive Director, Eros International Media Ltd & Vice President IAA India Chapter.
Piyush Pandey, Chairman of Global Creative, Ogilvy said that we, in Asia, are culturally very rich and we have found ways and means – creative means to express ourselves in so many different forms, from different countries. We must take advantage of that heritage, and of our legacy of being culturally very rich.
He felt that this region has seen more adversity than most in the world and he urged each one to ignite their creativity and make the world a beautiful place.
Joel Edmund Nettey, World President and Chairman of the International Advertising Association, said that bravery on all fronts for the brands, agencies, and marketers is important to be prepared for the unexpected and embrace ourselves for change. We must stay flexible in embracing the uncertainty that we will continue to face in the future. Marketing in this era presents a unique opportunity for brands to establish themselves in more ways than ever before.
Gowthaman Raghotaman, CEO, Aquilliz, James Murphy, Founder of New Commercial Arts, Sheung Yan, CCO, Wunderman Thompson, HongKong, Mann Lau, CMD of Chilldesign, Rajeev Chaba, President and Managing Director of Morris Garage, Julian Douglas, IPA President / VCCP Vice-Chairman & International CEO and Victoria Sunmie Lhie, Cohands CEO, were some of the influential professionals and intellectuals who shared their success stories and innovative ideas in the fields of brand building, creative marketing and technology integration.
AFAA's Chairman, Raymond So, was deeply impressed by the success of the AdAsia Macau Congress.
On behalf of the organizer, Raymond So unanimously approved the hosting rights for the 34th AdAsia 2025 in Macau as a token of encouragement, hoping that the fog of the pandemic would lift and more industry colleagues would meet in Macau to discuss the new opportunities in marketing in person. He also invited all to attend the AdAsia 2023 Seoul two years later.
