An unmissable collection of sessions for those who know that harnessing the power of sound, being serious about sustainability and managing AI well are all vital keys to a successful business future, and are curious to find out how to make maximal use of what they offer. Earmark these in your calendar.
 
THURSDAY 21 MARCH
11.15-11.50
Sonic Exploder: Building An Audio Icon
Ralph van Dijk, Director of Music & Brands APAC, MassiveMusic, Sydney & Singapore
Junya Terui, Managing Director & Executive Producer, Massive Music Japan, Tokyo
 
The world’s largest brands are harnessing the power of sonic branding. What is that power? Massive Music’s Ralph van Dijk and Junya Terui explore two of the regions’ biggest examples, TikTok and Lazada. They’re two very different brands with two very different backstories. Through their stories, Ralph and Junya build a solid understanding of the sonic branding creative process.

In the second half of the session, the audience is invited to participate in making a new sonic identity for a much-loved product, live on stage. (What could possibly go wrong?)

Ralph van Dijk, Director of Music & Brands APAC, Sydney & Singapore, is a world authority on audio branding, content and marketing, with a deep understanding of the power of sound and the spoken word. Before joining Massive Music, he founded audio specialist agency, Eardrum, in London in 1990 and launched it in Australia in 2006. He is a passionate innovator, subverter and explorer of new ways for brands to connect with their audience through sound across all platforms.

Junya Terui, Managing Director & Executive Producer of Massive Music Japan, built his impressive body of knowledge as a music producer at an international music production company in Tokyo, where he collaborated with talented artists and composers and was responsible for various projects both across Japan and in international markets including LA and Beijing. He joined Massive Music’s sixth global officer in Tokyo in 2017.
 
11.50-12.25
AI: Ad Industry Friend or Foe?
Laurent Thevenet, Head of Creative Technology, Publicis Groupe APAC, Singapore
Karla Henwood, Executive Creative Producer APAC, Squeak E. Clean Studios, Sydney
Tyrone Estephan, Executive Director, T&DA, Sydney
Moderated by Guan Hin Tay, Creative Chairman, BBDO Singapore
 
Leaders working across different facets of the advertising creative industries discuss how they’ve negotiated the line between friend and foe when it comes to AI technology. While many companies and individuals are embracing this emerging technology as a way to future-proof themselves in a fast-changing tech environment, others still remain skeptical of the artistic integrity and murky legalities associated with AI.

In this session, seasoned industry pros (and maybe a robot) will share insights as to how AI may impact the future of creativity for advertising - for better and worse. It will cut through the confusion about puzzling topics such as using generative AI tools to enable hyper-personalisation for marketing campaigns and AI automation tools to help streamline the production process spanning music, VFX and more.

Guan Hin Tay, Creative Chairman of BBDO Singapore, carved a significant name for himself with his remarkable creativity at notable agency global networks such as Saatchi & Saatchi, Wunderman Thompson, Grey, and Leo Burnett. His dexterity in achieving digital engagement has increased brand share for blue-chip clients and successfully navigated complex business challenges for famous brands, increasing market share and successfully navigated complex business challenges. His newly launched book by Penguin, Collide: Embracing Conflict to Boost Creativity, became one of Amazon's best-selling in less than 24 hours.

Laurent Thevenet, Head of Creative Technology, Publicis Groupe APAC, built his expertise in generative AI as far back as 2019. His broad range of ability covers creative technology, new media art, data art, creative coding, design/UX engineering, development for mobile, web and physical spaces as well as consulting, implementing and scaling solutions based on traditional enterprise stacks or modern microservices-driven infrastructures.

As Executive Creative Producer of Squeak E. Clean Studios APAC, Karla Henwood combines 25 years of advertising experience with a passion for music, artistry and technology. One of the top 50 Women in Media, in 2021 at the inaugural Best of The Best Awards. She is a driving force behind a raft of award-winning work at Squeak E. Clean Studios, and responsible for nurturing talent and creative thinking across new technologies and emerging media.

Tyrone Estephan, Executive Director of creative design and technology agency, T&DA, has been a guiding force as the Executive Director for its parent, post-production company, Alt.VFX Group, with his creative prowess combining film, television, and cutting-edge technologies. Under Tyrone's leadership, exceptionally talented teams have delivered a diverse portfolio of award-winning projects from interactive visual effects and animation to groundbreaking work in AR/VR/AI experiences, game development, web 3.0 initiatives, art installations, and digital campaigns.
 
SATURDAY 23 MARCH
15.40-16.15
Talk Sustainability to Human, Be Human
Topaz Subunruk, Head of Business Development, Thai AirAsia, Bangkok

This session unlocks the hidden power of sustainability via the game-changing concept of internal sustainability, namely empowering individuals within an agency to drive meaningful change, both personally and professionally. It will reveal how fostering awareness, purpose, and growth in agency teams can lead to powerful campaigns with authentic sustainability messaging, enhanced creativity and innovation through fresh perspectives, increased employee engagement and satisfaction and improved decision-making and resource management.

Topaz Subunruk, Thai AirAsia Head of Business Development and AirAsia’s first Group Head of Sustainability, combines a passion for of sustainability and corporate communications with adeptness in navigating the realms of public relations, crisis communication, stakeholder engagement, social marketing, and corporate sustainability planning. Her responsibilities transcend the traditional scope of her position, as she plays a pivotal role in sculpting the sustainability landscape in Thailand, enriched by a scholarship from the Swedish Government on Sustainability.

16.15-16.50
Designing Our Cyborg Future with Human-AI Symbiosis
Pat Pataranutaporn, Researcher & Technologist, MIT, Cambridge

How might we design AI systems that work to augment human intelligence, creativity, decision making, learning, and more? How might this ultimately create the future of cyborgs that foster wonder, wisdom, and well-being? Pat will discuss his research and experiments at MIT Media Lab that answer these  pressing AI questions.

Pat Pataranutaporn is a technologist and researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he explores human-AI interaction, human cognitive augmentation, and AI-generated virtual characters. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate in the Fluid Interfaces research group at the MIT Media Lab and a KBTG Fellow. Pat has also held a position as a researcher at the NASA SETI Frontier Development Lab. His research projects have been named in TIME Magazine's Best Inventions and Fast Company's World Changing Ideas and he has received the Best Research Article Award from ACM Augmented Humans.
 
Don’t miss these inspiring speakers at ADFEST 2024. Delegate passes are now online at www.ADFEST.com                                                                      
ADFEST is a non-profit-making entity that believes passionately in its role to nurture and support the creative industry in the Asia Pacific and MENA region. It is one of only 8 regional creative festivals included in the WARC Creative 100 Rankings.