For the first time celebrate creative effectiveness from around the world.

28 & 29 February 2008
Suntec Singapore
International Convention & Exhibition Centre

---

A GLOBAL CELEBRATION

The World Effie Festival is the first event of its kind to be held anywhere in the world – a global celebration of creative effectiveness, where the brightest minds in creative, design and marketing will gather to analyse and inspire the very best in creative and effective communication.

More than 2,000 professionals from across the globe will converge on Singapore next February to attend the inaugural World Effie Festival, which will mark both the increased focus on the effectiveness of marketing campaigns – rather than just the creative genius behind the copy and the visuals – and the emergence of Asia as a global force in the advertising and marketing industry.

Drawn by a stellar lineup of speakers including industry icons Shelly Lazarus of O&M; Sir John Hegarty of BBH; David Droga of DROGAFIVE and Jean Marie Dru of TBWA, the event will bring together global agency heads, creatives, media planners, brand owners, business leaders and marketing gurus, together with a host of Gold Effie Award winners from around the world. More than 60% of the delegates are expect to come from overseas, primarily from across Asia Pacific, from Europe and from North America.

Singapore’s elder statesman, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, will make a special appearance to discuss the “Branding of Singapore”, while other globally-renowned business leaders and thinkers scheduled to appear include Lord Sebastian Coe, double Olympic gold medallist and leader of London’s successful bid for the 2012 Olympics; Simon Clift, Global Chief Marketing Officer of one of the world’s two largest advertisers, Unilever; Allen Olivo, VP, Global Brand Marketing of Yahoo; Larry Flanagan, Chief Marketing Officer of Mastercard, and Dr Vijay Mallya, Chairman and CEO of India’s United Breweries and Kingfisher Airlines.

The festival will feature simultaneous programming in a round-table format, giving delegates the widest choice of topics and discussions. Highlights include a series of provocative presentations by “Thought Catalysts” intended to agitate and challenge conventional thinking; Premier Master Classes in which top experts in their fields will share their insights and experience; and the Effie Winners Showcase, in which Gold Effie Award winners from around the world will present case studies on their winning campaigns.

The festival will conclude with the announcement of the 2008 Global Effie Award winners – the first time this has been held outside New York since the Effies began in 1968. There will also be a brand new award programme – the Asia Pacific Effies – to recognise the most effective campaigns developed and executed by agencies across the region.

This inaugural festival, which will be held at Singapore’s Suntec City Convention and Exhibition Centre on 28 th and 29 th February, will become an annual calendar event, with the next festival already confirmed for Singapore in February 2009.

A “virtual audience” of more than 10,000 people is expected to follow the first World Effie Festival over the internet, through live blogs and webcasts. The event is projected to attract more than 3,500 delegates by 2010.

The World Effie Festival is presented jointly by the New York American Marketing Association – creators and owners of the Effie concept – and the Institute of Advertising Singapore (IAS). The marketing and event management partner is Jade Apple Marketing.

THE BRANDING OF SINGAPORE

Singapore’s elder statesman, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, will make a special appearance at the inaugural World Effie Festival to discuss the “Branding of Singapore” – the way in which Singapore was positioned internationally as first a regional and then a global business hub.

MM Lee will be interviewed on the subject in front of an audience of global advertising and marketing industry professionals by Jean Marie Dru, president and CEO of TBWA, who is also the author of two books on advertising and marketing strategy.

Stephen Mangham, Group Chairman of Ogilvy & Mather Singapore and Chairman of the World Effie Festival Operating Board, said: “We are deeply honoured that Minister Mentor Lee has agreed to appear at the inaugural World Effie Festival. This will be an absolutely unmissable opportunity to hear one of Asia’s and the world’s most respected statesman give his personal perspectives on branding and marketing Singapore. The success which his Government achieved in establishing the Singapore ‘brand’ on the global stage is an object lesson in the power of effective communication”.

CHALLENGING CONVENTIONAL THINKING

A stellar lineup of business leaders and creative thinkers from across the globe will make a series of provocative presentations at the World Effie Festival, acting as “Thought Catalysts” to challenge conventional thinking and agitate the status quo.

Lord Sebastian Coe, double Olympic gold medallist and leader of Britain’s successful campaign for the 2012 London Olympics is a former Conservative Party Member of Parliament and was created a Life Peer in 2000. During his running career, he set 13 world records in middle-distance track events and is regarded as one of the greatest athletes Britain has ever produced.

Shelly Lazarus is Chairman and CEO of Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide and has won many industry honours during her 30 years with the agency. They include Advertising Woman of the Year in 1994 and the Direct Marketing Association’s Business Woman of the Year the following year. She has appeared in Fortune Magazine’s annual ranking of America’s 50 Most Powerful Women in Business and has served as Chairman of the American Association of Advertising Agencies.

Simon Clift is the Chief Marketing Officer of Unilever, one of the world’s two largest advertisers. He joined Unilever in 1982 and was appointed President of Marketing for Unilever’s Home & Personal Care Division in 2001. Since April 2005, he has held the position of Group Vice-President for Personal Care in which he is responsible for worldwide strategy, brand development, innovation and advertising for all of Unilever’s personal care brands.

Larry Flanagan is Global Chief Marketing Officer for Mastercard, which is increasingly using the Middle East and Asia as a test-bed for new technology rather than relying on older products to service the market. This is a sign of the maturity of the region, which is now the fastest-growing in the world for the global card giant. In short, MasterCard is stretching technology to its advantage in the Middle East & Asia to close the gap on its greatest competitor, ‘Not Visa, but cash and cheques” he says.

David Droga, head of DROGAFIVE, has won more awards than any other creative director, with 42 Cannes Lions, 23 One Show Pencils and 7 D&ADs. Also named “World’s Top Creative Director” by Ad Age in 2002, he was Creative Director of Australia’s hottest agency at 27 years old. At 29 he became regional Creative Director of Saatchi Asia and in the process led Saatchi Singapore into the region’s most celebrated agency. Three years later, Saatchi & Saatchi London won Agency of the Year at The Cannes International Advertising Festival. Droga was the first Worldwide Chief Creative Officer of the Publicis Network and today he is head of DROGAFIVE a brands ideas and entertainment laboratory joint ventured with the Publicis Group.

Sir John Hegarty started Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH) in 1982 and is now Chairman and Worldwide Creative Director. In 1986, BBH was voted Campaign magazine’s Agency of the year and also became the Cannes Advertising Festival’s very first Agency of the Year in 1993. In October 2005, John was inducted into America’s highly acclaimed and influential One Club’s Creative Hall of Fame. He regularly appears in the press and broadcast media as a spokesperson for the advertising industry.

Jean Marie Dru is President & CEO of TBWA and started his career as account executive with Saatchi & Saatchi in 1972. He rose to Executive Creative Director four years later. In 1977, he joined Young & Rubicam in Paris as Managing Director, becoming CEO in 1979. He is the author of two books on advertising and marketing strategy and is Vice President of the French National Advertising Association and a member of the European Advertising Association. He has also served as President of the Outdoor Advertising Grand Prix in 1987 and 1988, and as President of the Cannes Advertising Film Festival Jury in 1993 and 1998.

Dr Vijay Mallya is a flamboyant Indian businessman and Member of Parliament. He is the Chairman of the United Breweries Group and of Kingfisher Airlines, which draws its name from United Breweries Group’s flagship beer brand, Kingfisher. He established Kingfisher Airlines in 2005 and in a short span of time, it had carved a niche as one of the fastest-growing carriers in the region. It was the first airline in India to operate with brand new aircraft and the first to place orders for the giant Airbus A380. Dr Mallya also owns the East Bengal Football Club in Kolkata and recently purchased the Spyker Formula One Grand Prix racing team.

LEARNING FROM THE MASTERS

World-renowned experts in their field will lead a series of Premier Master Classes at which they will share their insights and experience and help develop deeper understanding of key trends and developments in marketing and communications.

The programme will include Master Classes on:

• Effectiveness Culture
How do you build an effectiveness culture in your organisation?
Led by Nick Kendall, BBH Group Strategy Director

• Design
How do designers ensure that their designs “work”?
Led by Dick Powell and Richard Seymour, SeymourPowell

• Creative Culture
How does one build an ideas led culture?
Led by Sir John Hegarty, Founder and Chairman, BBH

• Digital
How to use digital platforms effectively
Led by David Moore, CEO, Real Media

• Media
How media are becoming more accountable
Led by Dominic Proctor , Global CEO, Mindshare

• Entrepreneurs
How do you own an idea?
Led by Ban Yin Jheow, chairman-founder-creator, STIKFAS

• The Value of Ideas
How do you value an idea?
Led by Carl Johnson, Co-Founder of Anomaly USA and President-elect, Effie Board of Directors

EFFIE WINNERS SHOWCASE

Since its inception in 1968, the Effie programme has become the global benchmark for recognising effectiveness in marketing communications, with some 33 countries now holding national Effie Awards programmes. The highlight is the annual Global Effie Awards, which showcase the very best campaigns developed by the brightest minds in the industry.

The inaugural World Effie Festival will showcase 25 case studies by previous Gold Effie Award winners, providing the perfect opportunity to learn and share “best practice” with peers from around the world. The featured case studies will cover a wide variety of categories, including:

Telecoms
Financial Services
IT/Internet
FMCG
Alcoholic Beverages
Non-Alcoholic Beverages
Electronics
Not for Profit
Small Budget
Consumer Goods

---

Announcement of the Asia Pacific EFFIE Awards Finalists

The Asia-Pacific Effie Awards programme is off to a flying start, with the Steering Committee announcing their shortlist of 24 finalists selected from more than 150 entries submitted from across the region – 50% higher than the number expected.

The judging panel included thirty-five of the region’s most experienced marketing communications professionals – media planners, creative directors, account planners and agency heads, as well as research professionals, academics and marketing directors from a variety of major advertisers.

View List of Finalists: finalists.pdf

More info: World Effie Festival 2008