This week, we celebrate our Lotus Roots winners
of 2018. Lotus Roots is an award that’s unique to ADFEST. It celebrates those
ideas that stand out in a sea of sameness by preserving and celebrating the
rich heritage of local cultures in the Asia Pacific and Middle East.
“Lotus Roots is the signature award of
ADFEST and the judges loved the work. It reflects the voice of the country
where it came from and uses cultural insights to connect. It was really an
honour to see that kind of work from the region – the winners are so, so
impressive,” said Joyce King-Thomas, Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of
McCann XBC in New York, who joined ADFEST 2018 as Grand Jury President.
You can admire this year’s Lotus Roots winners
below:
IMMUNITY
CHARM
Client:
Ministry of Public Health, Afghanistan
Agency:
McCann Worldgroup India, Mumbai
This campaign won the Grande Lotus Roots
award, along with one Lotus Roots trophy. It solves a problem that’s unique to
Afghanistan using a charm bracelet that’s unique to Afghanistan.
Afghanistan has one of the world’s worst
infant mortality rates. There is a high level of illiteracy and a traditional
bias against immunisation. So, McCann had the idea of turning the lucky charm,
which is given to many newborns to protect them from evil forces, into an
immunity charm bracelet. Each bead is colour-coded to represent a specific
vaccine, acting as messages from one doctor to another.
‘Immunity Charm’ turns
culture into incentive, and makes immunisation into a tradition. It is now
being extended to other provinces.
THE
EDIBLE BUSINESS CARD
Client:
Saga Nori
Agency:
Geometry Global Japan, Tokyo
This delightful campaign uses laser-cut
technology to create edible business cards made from seaweed. It’s a campaign that could only have been
made in Saga, Japan – a little known area of Japan, which generates one-quarter
of Japan’s seaweed production. To help Saga’s government officials divulge that
fact, Geometry had the idea of creating edible business cards etched with
intricate, delicate patterns. The campaign puts a new twist on one of the
oldest rituals in the country – turning business cards into an unique product
sample. Around 5,000 cards were distributed in one month. ‘The
Edible Business Card’ won two Lotus Roots awards at ADFEST 2018.
SYN
MUN KONG: THANK YOU THAILAND
Client:
SMK Health Insurance by Fit
Agency:
Rabbit Digital Group Co. Ltd., Bangkok
Bangkok is nearly as famous for its
hilarious TV commercials as it is for its crawling traffic and overcrowded
public transport. Rabbit Digital Group had the idea of turning Bangkok’s public
transport system into a positive. It shows that anyone who can cope with
navigating Bangkok on a daily basis deserves a 15% discount on health insurance
premiums. Within the first 24 hours, the campaign attracted 1.5 million views,
8,600 shares and 58,900 interactions, and earned $183,000 worth of free media.
‘Thank you Thailand’ won
one of just five Lotus Roots trophies awarded this year.
LOVE
THY NEIGHBOR
Client:
Association of Broadcasters of the Philippines
Agency:
TBWA\Santiago Mangada Puno, Manila
Muslims are often been discriminated
against in the Philippines, so the Association of Broadcasters of the
Philippines launched a campaign to curb anti-Muslim sentiment spreading across
the country in the wake of an ISIS military attack. Working with TBWA\Santiago
Mangada Puno, they told the story of 64 Christians who escaped execution by
wearing hijabs that were given to them by a Muslim brother during the Battle of
Marawi. It’s a touching, heartfelt campaign that says “thank you” to Muslim
neighbours in the Philippines.
'Love Thy Neighbor' won one Lotus Roots trophy
and helped TBWA\Asia-Pacific to enjoy its best ever performance at ADFEST with
a total of 23 Lotus Awards.
· The deadline for Lotus Roots submissions to the ADFEST 2019 Awards is 11 January 2019. For more information, click here.
