Spikes Asia announces first speakers for its 38th edition; Diageo, Haleon, L'Oreal and McDonald's are confirmed

SINGAPORE, Jan 11, 2024 - (ACN Newswire) - Spikes Asia, APAC’s most prestigious and sought-after Award for creativity and marketing effectiveness, has announced its first speakers confirmed to take to the stage this March. The 2024 Event will see a bespoke programme of talent and experts from across the spectrum of creativity including brands such as Diageo, Haleon, L’Oréal and McDonald’s. Among the agencies and networks represented are Accenture Song, BBDO, FCB, Publicis, S4 Capital and UltraSuperNew.

Jaime Ng, Festival Director, Spikes Asia, said: “The 38th edition of Spikes Asia will feature some of the most inspiring speakers and talent from across the region to address the most pressing issues that creatives and marketers across APAC are facing. The programme will focus on creative effectiveness, as well as looking at the cultural shifts taking place across APAC and the impact of new technology, ensuring that our community leaves with the tools and evidence they need to demonstrate that creativity drives progress for business, people and society.”

Creative effectiveness

The role of creativity in driving brand growth and business value will be a core theme throughout the programme. The programme will feature sessions from BBDO’s Andrew Robertson discussing why brands across APAC need to marry humour and purpose; Tanya Malhotra, Brand and Reputation Lead, Uber, on how brands can tap into different cultures and audiences successfully and Lex Bradshaw-Zanger, Chief Digital Marketing Officer, L’Oréal SAPMENA, on how short form videos have become the language of expression and connection of the moment.

Cultural shifts: What’s changing?

The cultural landscape has rapidly evolved across APAC, and 2024’s programme will provide delegates with practical tools they can apply to connect with their audiences. Rica Facundo, APAC Editor, WARC, will showcase WARC’s first APAC-led global guide that reveals why culture is so important to effective work and how marketers can achieve cross-cultural effectiveness. Ada Lazaro, Regional Marketing Director, McDonald’s Asia Business' Unit, will explore how to build scalable relationships with Gen Z across diverse Asian markets. Lazaro commented: “We can’t wait to share our insights into how McDonald’s is building relationships with consumers in Asia by helping them feel connected to the culture they care about. McDonald’s campaigns don’t feel like marketing, they entertain in playful ways to give people ‘a little bubble of happy’.” One of Southeast Asia's most popular TikTok creators, Ming Wei Ng, CEO, Boom Digital Media, explores the rise of the creator economy and how brands in Asia Pacific could leverage the influence of the creator economy to be more connected to culture.

The impact of technology

Speakers will explore how creativity and technology can come together to solve business problems and facilitate change. Sir Martin Sorrell, Founder and Executive Chairman, S4 Capital, will share his insights on a spectrum of converging mega-trends, including the power of AI and technology and the importance of the APAC region to the future of global growth. Dhiren Amin, Chief Customer Officer, NTUC Income, will explore how to unlock creativity through technology and data to revolutionise marketing strategies. Josephine Tan, VP APAC Digital Hub, Diageo, will explore the rise of technology in Asia, commenting: “I am looking forward to the exchange on the impact of creativity in Asia, especially what the constant evolution of technology brings to the table and how it changes the game. Very exciting, never a dull moment.”

Simon Cook, CEO, LIONS, said: “We’re delighted to announce the first set of speakers for Spikes Asia 2024 and bring together an exceptional line-up of talent, as we return to a physical event this year. Bringing the APAC community together to inspire, learn and problem-solve is an important part of Spikes Asia, and we look forward to the discussions that will take place this March.”

The full content programme will be finalised soon. Further information on Spikes Asia can be found at www.spikes.asia.

Key dates:

Wednesday 13 - Thursday 14 March: Event
Thursday 14 March: Awards Ceremony & Dinner

Press Accreditation and Event registration, including the Awards Ceremony & Dinner are open.

Entries into Spikes Asia are being accepted until 1 February 2024.

About Spikes Asia

Spikes Asia, the home of Asia-Pacific creativity, is the region’s oldest and most prestigious awards for creative advertising. Building on over 35 years of the illustrious Spikes Awards and Tangrams Strategy & Effectiveness Awards, Spikes Asia is the result of a collaboration between Ascential, the organiser of Cannes Lions and Haymarket, publisher of Campaign Asia-Pacific.

Spikes Asia celebrates creative excellence in the Asia-Pacific region alongside learning and networking opportunities. The Awards serve as the definitive benchmark for creative excellence, marketing strategy and effectiveness in Asia-Pacific. www.spikes.asia

About Ascential

Ascential delivers specialist information, analytics, events and eCommerce optimisation to the world's leading consumer brands and their ecosystems. Our world-class businesses improve performance and solve customer problems by delivering immediately actionable information and visionary longer-term thinking across Digital Commerce, Product Design, Marketing and Retail & Financial Services.

With more than 3,800 employees across five continents, we combine local expertise with a global footprint for clients in over 120 countries. Ascential is listed on the London Stock Exchange. www.ascential.com

About Haymarket

Haymarket Media Group creates award-winning specialist content and information for international audiences. The company has more than 70 market-leading brands created by world-class experts in locations in the UK, the US, Hong Kong, Singapore, India and Germany. Haymarket’s consumer and professional brands connect people and communities across digital, mobile, print and live/virtual media platforms. Although Haymarket’s portfolio is diverse, its mission is the same across borders and markets: to deliver brand experiences which truly meet the needs of its audiences and clients. Haymarket’s brands include Campaign, PRWeek, What Car?, Autocar, AsianInvestor and Finance Asia. www.haymarket.com

Contacts:

Jaime Ng
Festival Director
Spikes Asia
JaimeN@spikes.asia

Camilla Lambert
PR Director
Spikes Asia
CamillaL@canneslions.com

Tash Naidoo
Senior PR Manager

Spikes Asia
TashN@canneslions.com

Press Portal:
Press.canneslions.com

Awards Enquiries:
awards@spikes.asia