Ad Summit of Enlightenment

Alex Syfu, Matec Villanueva, Ruel John Katindig, Norman Agatep.

A couple of years back, ad agencies were fully consolidated services. They had a roster of clients that stuck with them. Their profits were much better. They made commercials with bigger budgets and brand pitches did not happen so often as they scramble now.

That was a totally different era.

“Imagining the future is always more exciting than retrieving the past,” says Emily Abrera, former Chair Emeritus of McCann WorldGroup Philippines and first Filipino member of Cannes jury, as she inducted the new officers of 4A’s (Association of Accredited Advertising Agencies) Philippines.

The 4A’s is a solid, more than 50-strong member group of ad agencies and is now about to take Philippine advertising to its new chapter. Together with PANA, KBP, MSAP and IMMAP, and the very people that run them, 4A’s will take us to “Ad Summit Pilipinas” to enlighten and take us to the future.

‘Age of Enlightenment’

As brands are taking on more relevant causes, suppliers are unearthing better paths to bring ideas to life, and agencies are keener on crafting work that impacts lives more significantly, advertising practitioners constantly ask themselves: Did we make this world a better place with our new campaign? Or did we simply beat a deadline?

They seek enlightenment from the industry’s most respected gurus.

This year, the country’s advertising and marketing industry are set to enter an “Age of Enlightenment” via the much-awaited Ad Summit Pilipinas 2014, unveiled in Bonifacio Global City last Jan. 22, 2014.

Organized by the Association of Accredited Advertising Agencies of the Philippines (4A’s), the summit will gather advertising and marketing practitioners in the country, with the aim of empowering them to move with the times while breaking free from the norm in paving the way for new creative solutions.

The summit will take place on May 7 to 11 at the Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Center.

Ad Summit Chair Matec Villanueva says, “Creativity is relative. We all have different interpretations of what is ‘cool,’ what is ‘in,’ and what will or won’t hit the target, because we adhere to different ideologies and creative philosophies.”

“With the Ad Summit, we aim to bridge that gap and become the melting pot of the industry’s sharpest thought leaders and future innovators. Besides, we all share the same end goal: to produce masterpieces,” she adds.

To achieve this, Villanueva reveals that the summit would be bringing in “rock star” speakers, global luminaries who are iconic, brilliant, and whose works transcend national boundaries. “We are rolling the red carpet for the finest.”

Another element of the Ad Summit to look forward to is the staging of the “Kidlat Awards” of the Creative Guild of the Philippines, intended to institutionalize “Kidlat” as the country’s most prestigious creative advertising competition.

Currently, the 4A’s is focusing on creating intelligent programming and effective event management to ensure high-level understanding and participation of attendees throughout the convention duration.

“We are bent not to overload programs so attendees can manage their time well and register 100 percent attendance in every session,” Villanueva says.

The Ad Summit Early Bird promo has also been launched and will be offered  until Feb.  28 to encourage participants to reserve their slots early on. Registration forms are downloadable via facebook.com/AdSummitPH and are available through the 4A’s secretariat.

Refreshing movement

“We rally the industry to join us in this refreshing movement. We need to break out. We need to create new things. We all need to push forward,” Villanueva concludes.

In inducting the new 4A’s officers, Abrera tells them: “You are re-inventing yourselves, and in the process, you can re-invent the industry. Culture is constantly being created because it is constantly being challenged by the environment it operates in.”

Furthermore, Abrera says organizations with cultures that cannot adapt to change simply lose out and collapse, and become defeated by circumstances.

BusinessFriday reprints part of her enlightening speech in the Ad Summit launch:

“Courage means the ability to take a different, even a contrary point of view. It refers to the boldness of being unique, of standing out, and even possibly being unpopular for it. It means having an informed and intelligent opinion about issues that affect not only our industry but society at large. On a regular basis you should be sought out for your opinions on a wide range of concerns about the role of media in a developing economy.

For instance, should we have so many billboards lining the streets of our cities? Does it not disturb you? We are such sticklers for aesthetics in the ads we create, why can’t we apply the same principles to the places we live and work in? What will it take to make palpable these positive changes?

And that leads directly to the building of community. Community answers our collective desire to lead more meaningful lives, to play a more relevant role in uplifting the societies we live in. You, the members of the 4AsP, you are the repository of creativity, you are the masters of imagination and visioning, you are where the change must begin.

Incidentally, the 4AsP vision mentions being a “voice, inspiration and moving force in the marketing communications industry.” But you made no claim to creativity. Isn’t that what runs in our veins, what we are paid for, what differentiates us from all the rest, what we have in concentrated and unlimited quantity?

In a little while, you will launch the Ad Summit… an event that promises to bring all the players in this industry together again after a long hiatus. May you all be advocates of fresh thinking, and of new solutions, and may those solutions spill over to create positive change beyond today.

For queries, call 4A’s secretariat—8134397, 8931205, or e-mail: [email protected]. Registration may also be done through the summit’s official page (www.adsummit.ph) by Feb. 10.

For more information, visit facebook.com/AdSummitPH and follow twitter.com/@ADSummitPH and @adsummitpilipinas on Instagram.