Young Spikes, global meetings, seminars… Omnicom gets busy at Spikes
As is seen on any global platform of this nature, Omnicom Group has utilised the Spikes Asia for holding some of its key meetings. Omnicom officials were busy with the Young Spikes that they have sponsored on September 15, 2009. TBWA\ concluded its two-day worldwide creative director meeting on the day too. DDB is making an event out of its seminar with Sir Ken Robinson.
Omnicom Group’s officials have already busied themselves in Singapore with internal meetings and engagements relating to Spikes Asia. Omnicom is supporting the Young Spikes initiative this year as well. Omnicom has partnered with Spikes in its earlier avatar, too, and this is the third year of its partnership with the festival.
Elaborating on this, Velvet Yoshinami, Managing Director, Corporate Communications, Omnicom Group Inc, said, “We believe that it is important that we recognise the vast pool of creative talent available in this region. This coincides with Omnicom’s commitment to creativity, talent and learning.”
This year, Omnicom conducted a workshop for the participants of Young Spikes contest as well. Speaking to the gathering were Lee Smith, CEO Digital, APAC; Eric Phu, MD, Tribal DDB Hong Kong; Danny Searle, Chairman & CCO, BBDO Singapore; and TBWA\’s Haydn Evans. The four heads took turns to speak on the importance of the newsworthiness of an idea, or even its execution. They highlighted the fact that today press releases of a campaign were in a sense more important than the campaign itself for the additional exposure that that would bring to an idea.
Social media was discussed at length and the emergence of ‘socialnomics’ was delved on. The heads also spoke on the ‘art of entry’, which is the significance of presenting an idea and entry just as well on an awards platform for it to win a metal.
There were 11 teams participating from 10 markets at the Young Spikes. It is understood that while a team from India was participating, they decided to pull out closer to the event. The theme this year is ‘Choosing Channels’ and the client for whom the young creatives would be briefed on was in the non-profit organisation category. The creative professionals have 48 hours to present an integrated campaign, the winner of which would be announced on the last day of the festival.
Speaking on the Young Spikes initiative, the Omnicom officials explained that one reason to partner with this initiative was to send across the message to youngsters that choosing the right channels could make or break a campaign.
DDB, too, is making an event out of its seminar with Sir Ken Robinson, which is scheduled for September 18, 2009. Another creative agency from Omnicom, TBWA\, also utilised the event to conduct a global creative directors’ meet. TBWA\India’s NCD Rahul Sengupta has been in Singapore since last week for this meeting. The meeting was chaired by TBWA’s Worldwide Creative Director John Hunt, who is also a speaker at the event on September 17, 2009.
