ADFEST 2026

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BTS at ADFEST: IDEAS & INSIGHTS FROM THE JURY ROOMS DAY 2

Outside the jury rooms, we’ve been listening to the ideas and insights of the great creative minds ADFEST has collected to judge this year’s awards. Here are those views from Day 2 of judging led by a perceptive comment from Pannarai Juanroong, ECD, Ogilvy Bangkok about the relentless AI-Human debate:

“AI can reduce man-hours, but it does not replace the gut feeling that tells you when an idea truly works.”

Pannarai Juanroong, Executive Creative Director, Ogilvy Bangkok, Juror for Design Lotus, Print & Outdoor Craft Lotus

“This is my first time as a juror. It’s so exciting. It’s such a rewarding and eye-opening experience to meet and work with such amazing talent across the region.

“[What makes Thai advertising unique] I think Thailand is a country that is rich in a sense of humour. There’s a unique sentiment in design work that is unlike any work from other Asian countries. There’s something about Thai people that makes us funny, emotional, and sentimental, and it shows in the creativity.

“[AI] We do use AI, like anywhere else, especially on the admin side, like crafting presentations. But for creative work, AI takes up just a fraction of the work. We use AI mostly to gather data, analyze data, and fix simple errors, and we still think humans do creative work better. Ideation should start from us because the work we’re creating is about connecting with and appealing to fellow humans, and sympathy and empathy are key.

“It’s the gut feeling that tells you an idea works. If you’re experienced enough and have seen a lot of creative work before, you’ll just feel it. You get goosebumps. You can see the spark in everyone’s eyes. That’s a clear indicator that we’ve got something good to work with. But with AI, I haven't experienced that from the work it creates. AI helps in that it reduces man-hours for each project. But ideas? No.

“A great hook that stops people from scrolling comes from good insight. Just one phrase, or even one word, can freeze their fingers [from scrolling] and grab their attention. Besides human input and insight, what really helps is the diversity of people in the room. If your target audience is vast and varied, you need a vast and varied team to come up with something that appeals to them.

“[Do awards matter] They celebrate success and, at the same time, raise the overall standard in the creative industry. Without awards or public recognition, the scene might be overrun by AI-generated work and mediocrity. Awards are a push, an encouragement for us to do better, to improve ourselves, and to push boundaries.”

Here’s what caught the attention of Annie Boo, Head of LEGO Agency APAC & China, The LEGO Group Singapore:

Thanh Dao, Managing Director & Partner Jung von Matt NERD, Ho Chi Minh, Juror for Entertainment Lotus, Media Lotus, PR Lotus

“[Pattaya experience] Judging in an environment like this somehow gets rid of your thoughts of your daily work, and you can focus on the work, the judging process, and the discussion in the room. It’s nice and refreshing.

“Asia is developing very fast in terms of creativity and advertising. We’re catching up to the Western scene faster, both in terms of quality and ideas. There are a lot of cool, insane ideas coming out of the region.

“The European market is also looking to do IP collaborations with the Asian market, especially in the gaming industry that I focus on. There’s an exchange between the East and the West, and this type of collaboration can be seen more and more with Asian countries.

“AI will change the world for sure, especially when it comes to efficiency, effectiveness, communication with our customers, project management, and faster development of gaming software. We use AI for trend research, and you need people who know how to use AI properly. If you can’t maximize AI use, you’ll be at a huge disadvantage in the future.

“AI is good as a supporting tool, but not as a creative source. This is something that we still need the best people for.

“[Judging] This time we’ve seen campaigns that are very emotional and could even make people cry. It was really touching. I love the experience of seeing some Asian countries craft ideas, bring them into a strong marketing campaign, and create these emotions. It’s very powerful.”

In the two videos below, Raymund Sison, Founder, CEO & CEO of Lennon Group Manila; and Michael Dee, CCO, Growww Hakuhodo Taipei, define Innova’s outstanding and describe how ADFEST is keeping judging honest:

Sakila Banyen, Head of Strategy, VML Thailand, Bangkok, Juror for Creative Strategy Lotus, Effective Lotus, INNOVA Lotus, Sustainable Lotus

[First year as judge]

“It’s refreshing to be among talent from different creative fields. Lots of perspectives. Lots of cultural contexts. I really enjoy the conversations and the discussions we had in the room. Diversity is very crucial in creativity as it gives different flavours, colours, and sentiments to your work. Judging alongside people from diverse cultural backgrounds and expertise is always a great learning experience. The nuances are what make or break a work: what one sees as normal practice could be frowned upon in another environment or context.

“[What makes Asian creativity unique] We’re so rich in culture, and that enriches the work. There are layers and depth to it. And there is a lot you can play with within Asian cultures.

“For me, AI is a great data support tool. It has more data than we could ever have on hand. We can get raw information from AI. But it’s humans who can feel, love, and hate, and we’re the judges of whether a creative work has an emotional impact on us or not, and how deeply. Also, AI cannot understand the thought process of the person who comes up with an idea. It cannot fathom how certain emotions can be evoked, and in what way.”

Yimeng Zhang, Managing Partner & Executive Producer, HAMLET China, Shanghai, Juror for Film Craft Lotus, New Director Lotus

“In the surge of AI, it’s even more important that we protect craftsmanship. The word craftsmanship conveys a certain degree of deep involvement with who you are and what you want to bring out as a director, as a visionary, or as a team. AI can create a piece of film in minutes, but it is just mimicking what only humans can create. We don’t judge based on the budget; we judge based on the soul. We want to see the director’s direction and vision, and the soul. A good piece of work should have its own soul.

“It’s even more important for young talent out there to first find out who they really are. In a world full of information and content overload, I think the point is not to add more. It’s more like peeling an onion. Peel the layers back to find the core of who you really are and to really maximize your core. Because nowadays, young people can get easily distracted by social media. Let’s say they have an idea, but then they see what others do or what’s trending on social media, and then they easily get seduced into letting go of what makes them special, and into pursuing something that may be soulless.

“The soul is important because AI doesn’t have a soul. It cannot create something soulful for us. The soul is what makes us human, so nurture it and protect it. Also, for centuries, we humans have been telling stories in different shapes and forms, and that’s not going to change, even with AI. To young people out there: subtract, peel it back, shut down external noise, and stay true and strong to yourself.”

What excited Anna Fawcett, CEO & EP of Filmgraphics Entertainment in the Film Craft & New Directors Lotus? Find out here:

Vikash Chem Jong, Chief Creative Officer, Cheil India, Mumbai, Juror for Digital & Social Lotus, Digital Craft Lotus

“This is my first time in Pattaya, first time at ADFEST. It’s such a fascinating experience. There are so many award shows out there but the cultural context of it is what makes Adfest so special, otherwise it’s just advertising in general. The emphasis on the creativity in the region truly sets it apart.

“Creativity in Asia is unique because it’s much richer. Like me, I’m from India, which is like countries within a country. Every region is so distinct, making it a melting pot. No one can compete with Asia in that sense.

“India has been doing well, compared to the past 10-12 years, both locally and globally. We’re entering a new age with AI technology. We’re poised well, as good as the rest. And what makes it even better is the humanness of it.Thanks to the richness of our culture, the storytelling is more meaningful. And when humanness and technology come together, creativity becomes much more meaningful and richer.

“AI is a gamechanger. I keep saying if you can’t beat them, join them [laughs]. It’s not even David against Goliath, but much larger. There are emotions and lived experiences that we all have that I think are almost impossible to copy. But if we combine those with an enable like AI, there is much more potential. There are more ways to create magic.

“[Advice for young talents] The young creators take to technology like fish in water. They are born ready for technology. That’s their advantage. Unlike us that had to learn everything from scratch, they’re already halfway there. Now, it’s down to how to tell stories, how to make it more engaging, interactive, more impactful. If they can learn that bit, it will be very good for them.

What matters in social? Nobuhiro Arai, ECD at AKQA Tokyo shares his view:

19 March, 2026