AD STARS Reveals All 2021 Winners

AD STARS has revealed its 2021 Grand Prix, Gold, Silver and Bronze winners at tonight’s online awards ceremony with 619 winners overall, chosen from 1,726 finalists from 54 countries.  

Ali Rez, regional executive creative director at Impact BBDO MENAP, was an executive judge at the AD STARS 2021 Awards. He says: “AD STARS is always a wonderful show to view work from a large number of cultures, and is always an incredible learning experience. This year was no different: the jury were absolutely amazed by the variety of thinking.” 

Eight Grand Prix trophies were awarded to six creative companies:  

• Saatchi & Saatchi Australia: ‘Donation Dollar’ for Royal Australian Mint (Brand  Experience & Activation Grand Prix, Design Grand Prix and Direct Grand Prix) - Dentsu Inc. Japan: ‘The Toxic Dictionary’ for Nikkei Inc. (Print Grand Prix) - Happiness Saigon, Vietnam: ‘Lays Crispy Subtitles’ for Le Thi Yen (Radio & Audio  Grand Prix) 
• VMLY&R Singapore: ‘Pride Pass’ for Manpower Group Workforce Solutions (Public  Service Advertising Grand Prix)  
• Cheil Hong Kong: ‘The Cost of Bullying’ for Samsung (Public Service Advertising Grand  Prix)  
• TBWA Hakuhodo Japan: ‘The First Take’ for The First Take (Video Stars Grand Prix).

* Only Grand Prix and Gold winners are summarised below. Download a complete list of winners here after 5pm KST.  

Film & Video Stars 

There were seven Gold trophies awarded in Film, but no Grand Prix.  

The Gold winners are: 

• Wunderman Thompson Thailand: ‘This creative is thanking a client for cancelling its work in the pandemic’ for TCP Group 
• Taproot Dentsu India: ‘Pooja Didi’ for Facebook 
• POL Oslo, Norway: ‘Don’t hate.Imitate – The Super Bowl Clapback’ for Audi Norway - Ogilvy Group Thailand: ‘Library’ for Monde Nissin Co. Ltd. 
• Amber Communication Shanghai, China: ‘Safely feel the real world’ for Durex - dentsu mcgarrybowen, Taiwan: ‘In Love We Trust’ for Sinyi Realty 
• BBH Singapore: ‘It’s in Our Spirit’ for The Absolut Company.

“A personal favourite of mine is Pooja Didi by Taproot Dentsu India. Within a minute, I was fully invested in the story. And I didn’t want it to end. I actually teared-up a little. Great direction. Great storytelling. Films like this aren’t always destined for big awards, they’re almost too quiet  and genuine for that. But I’m very glad we could give this one a Gold,” explains John Mescall, global executive creative director and global creative council president at McCann Worldgroup, who led these categories. 

In the Video Stars category, the Grand Prix is awarded to TBWA Hakuhodo for ‘The First Take’ for The First Take. 

“The First Take was designed to create an entirely new way for artists to record and share their music. It wasn’t just a one-off piece: it was designed to scale and did just that. It was beautifully executed, and supremely fit for purpose. In short, an ambitious idea executed flawlessly, that  sets a very high bar for video content. I think for a few years, whenever I’m interrogating a branded content piece, I’ll be using The First Take as a benchmark. Wonderful, wonderful work,”  says John. 

Jin Yang, executive creative director at Leo Burnett Taiwan, also judged these categories. She adds: “I love this campaign, I think it precisely captures the beauty of singing and music: to touch people, and I believe by bringing back the reason people love music, they found the best solution in the difficult time of the pandemic.” 

There are three Gold winners in Video Stars: 

• GIGIL, Philippines: ‘Netflix 'Cupids'’ for Netflix 
• Ogilvy Group Thailand: ‘Library’ for Monde Nissin Co., Ltd. 
• Wunderman Thompson Thailand: ‘This creative is thanking a client for cancelling its work in the pandemic’ for TCP Group. 

Says Jin: “I was impressed by TCP Group’s campaign, which finds a smart way to show they  are. Instead of directly showing TCP's support for Covid-19, the video started with the  frustration of cancelled projects, which viewers can easily resonate with.” 

Design & Print 

In Design, the Grand Prix was awarded to Saatchi & Saatchi Australia for ‘Donation Dollar’ for Royal Australian Mint. 

The judges awarded two Gold trophies in Design: 

• AKQA Japan: ‘Create with Air Max’ for Nike 
• Hakuhodo Indonesia: ‘Sake Sushi House’ for Sushi Sei. 

In Print, the Grand Prix was awarded to Dentsu Inc.’s ‘The Toxic Dictionary’ for Nikkei Inc. The jury also awarded one Gold trophy to Havas Middle East for ‘LEGO News Rebuilt’ for LEGO Saudi Stores. 

Gabriela Scardaccione, global creative director at Mother, London, led these categories as executive judge. She says: “The Toxic Dictionary is a piece of craft. The colours, typeface and the overall presentation are immaculate. Everyone on the jury loved this and with an almost 100% majority, it took the biggest award. If anyone has a copy they can send me, I would look forward to holding one in my hands.”

Ricardo Adolfo, executive creative director at TBWA\Media Arts Lab in Japan, also judged  these categories. He says: “The Toxic Dictionary addresses a crucial social problem with a wise solution. By collecting the source material online directly from consumers, the work is embedded with an undeniable truth. And by compiling everything in a dictionary format, it not only gives it an intrinsic importance but also allows it to live longer than the usual life span.” 

Pivot, Public Service Advertising, Diverse Insights, Outdoor, Place Brand, Radio & Audio 

Last year, AD STARS introduced the ‘Pivot’ category to celebrate campaigns that have amplified  and repositioned brands in response to a crisis like Covid-19. There are three Gold Pivot winners:  - Saatchi & Saatchi Australia: ‘Donation Dollar’ for Royal Australia Mint - Wunderman Thompson Thailand: ‘Destination Menu’ for THAI Airways - Dentsu Inc. Japan: ‘Tuna Scope 2020’ for Kura Sushi Inc. 

Ali Rez, regional executive creative director at Impact BBDO, United Arab Emirates, led these categories as Executive Judge. He says: “The travel industry got impacted more than almost any other during this pandemic. To pivot amidst such crisis the way THAI Airways did is the stuff of great learning. They understood their customer well, and took pride in what differentiates them: the wonderful food they serve on board. A worthy winner in this category.” 

In Public Service Advertising (PSA), there are two Grand Prix winners: VMLY&R Singapore’s ‘Pride Pass’ for Manpower Group Workforce Solutions and Cheil Hong Kong’s ‘The Cost of Bullying’ for Samsung.  

Ali says: “The strongest thing about both these campaigns is that they go beyond just awareness and talk – they provide real solutions that address the problem and go a long way in helping overcome it.” 

There were also five Gold PSA trophies awarded: 

• Havas Worldwide Portugal: ‘The Day-After-Women’s-Day Newspapers’ for Raparigas  da Bola 
• Thinkerbell Australia: ‘The Purple Hive Project’ for Bega Foods 
• Havas Costa Rica: ‘The Check Ball’ for BlueCross BlueShield 
• Saatchi & Saatchi Australia: ‘Donation Dollar’ for Royal Australian Mint 
• Special Group New Zealand: ‘Meddle in the New Zealand Election’ for Every Kiwi Vote Counts. 

There were no Grand Prix or Gold awards in the Diverse Insights category. 

In Outdoor, the jury awarded four Golds: 

• Saatchi & Saatchi Australia: ‘Donation Dollar’ for Royal Australian Mint 
• MullenLowe MENA FZLLC: ‘Double Moon’ for UAE Government Media Office 
• BBH Singapore: ‘Running Stories’ for BBH 
• The Nine, China: ‘Guess Which Book Is It’ for Yan Ji You Bookstore. 

There is one Gold winner in the Place Brand category this year: MullenLowe MENA FZLLC’s ‘Double Moon’ for UAE Government Media Office. 

In Radio & Audio, Happiness Saigon in Vietnam has won Grand Prix for ‘Lays Crispy Subtitles’ for Le Thi Yen; while AKQA Brazil has won Gold for ‘Beck’s Frequency’ for Beck’s.  

“Lay’s Crispy Subtitles is an ingenious case of not only utilising the audio medium very creatively, but doing so with the product differentiator at the very heart of the idea. It’s all done in a very tongue-in-cheek, whimsical manner which is absolutely perfect for the category, while  doing a fantastic job of selling the appetizing crunch of the product. Winner all round,” says Ali. 

Innovation, Integrated, Interactive, Mobile, Data Insights, Social & Influencer 

There were no Grand Prix or Gold winners in the Innovation and Integrated categories this year,  and no Grand Prix winner in Interactive. 

The three Gold winners in the Interactive category are:  

• AKQA Brazil has won Gold for ‘Beck’s Frequency’ for Beck’s 
• Dentsu Craft Tokyo: ‘Yakushima Treasure – Another Live from Yakushima’ for  Yakushima Treasure 
• Zulu Alpha Kilo, Canada: ‘World’s Oldest E-Sports Team’ for HomeEquity Bank. 

“Overall, Interactive winners should make the audience want to interact with the idea. ‘Beck’s  Frequency’ belongs to the 'seriously?' category. I’m curious to try it out myself. With ‘Yakushima  Treasure’, I actually played with the experience after seeing the case video. I really loved the  ‘World’s Oldest E-Sports Team’ idea as so many gamers play war games and revel in aimless killing without understand the chilling truth of wars,” explains Natalie Lam, chief creative officer,  Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa at Publicis Groupe, who led these categories as executive judge. 

In Mobile, Deloitte Australia has won Gold for ‘Carbon Thumbprint’ for Belong. 

“‘Carbon Thumbprint’ is an alarming use of data: concrete evidence of our impact on the  environment. We all know we should limit social media and mobile usage for our mental health, and now there’s another good/important reason to do so. Let’s hope this concept takes on a much bigger impact,” says Lam. 

In the Data Insights category, there are two Gold winners:  

• Dentsu Craft Tokyo: ‘Yakushima Treasure – Another Live from Yakushima’ for  Yakushima Treasure 
• Deloitte Australia: ‘Carbon Thumbprint’ for Belong. 

“Yakushima Treasure isn’t a clever but a beautiful use of data. It’s just so weird and wonderful, it  showed the tenacious dedication to craft during such a tough time,” says Lam. 

In Social & Influencer, the jury awarded three Golds: 

• POL Oslo, Norway: ‘Don’t hate. Imitate - The Super Bowl Clapback’ for Audi Norway (two  Golds)  
• Rothco, part of Accenture Interactive, Ireland: ‘Sleeping Flags’ for O.N.E. 

Regarding POL Oslo’s campaign, Lam says: “We all need something light-hearted during such a heavy time. It’s amazing to see the Scandinavians keep their signature sense of humour while pulling it off in such a short time. We always preach to our clients the idea of real-time responses, but few actually pull it off in such a well-crafted way.” 

Brand Experience & Activation, Creative eCommerce, Direct, Media, PR 

In brand experience & activation, Saatchi & Saatchi Australia won Grand Prix for ‘Donation Dollar’ for Royal Australian Mint. 

“With this idea, people will look at money differently. This coin represents generosity. This coin  reminds us that there are less fortunate people out there who need our assistance. This coin is  not only the actual help, but a call to action for everyone to help,” says Merlee Jayme, chief creative officer, Asia Pacific at Dentsu International, who led these categories as executive judge. 

There are also three Gold winners:  

• BBH Singapore: ‘Running Stories’ for BBH 
• Clemenger BBDO Wellington, New Zealand: ‘Voice of Racism’ for New Zealand  Human Rights Commission 
• Grey: ‘Contract Translator’ for Reclame Aqui.

“‘Voice of Racism" is a simple way to make people who think they're anti-racism think again. Imagine listening to these real hurtful words hurled at people every day? Understanding that  they may even be unconsciously contributing to this is a powerful realisation. It's good that this is being used as a learning tool in New Zealand today. Definitely something the world should learn from,” says Jayme. 

“Running Stories is an interactive idea that helped such a small country like Singapore exercise  and relieve the effects of a massive lockdown during the pandemic. Voice of Racism is an idea that touches on a very delicate subject for a very important cause in New Zealand. And Contract Translator, as a Brazilian myself, I can see how relevant and smart this idea is. To have an idea like this to help people navigate the intricacies and madness of red tape in my home country: it  is really, really smart,” adds Erick Rosa, chief creative officer at Publicis Groupe Japan, who also judged these categories. 

The Creative eCommerce celebrates ideas that optimise the customer journey through creative eCommerce solutions. Wunderman Thompson, United Arab Emirates, won Gold for ‘Pay Cut Whopper’ for Burger King. 

“This campaign was a really smart response to the times we all find ourselves in. It combines a smart digital couponing idea with Burger King’s unique brand personality to provide a smile to people who needed it,” says Jamal Hamidi, managing director, creative and content at DDB  Group in Hong Kong. 

In Direct, Saatchi & Saatchi Australia won Grand Prix for ‘Donation Dollar’ for Royal Australia  Mint. There are also two Gold winners in Direct:  

• Impact BBDO, United Arab Emirates: ‘The Wider Web’ for Etisalat 
• MullenLowe, USA: ‘Shamecards’ for Change the Ref. 

“‘Shamecards’ is as direct as it can be. A simple and powerful message in a country where this  particular kind of message is often times lost in the noise and the problem itself. The craft, the illustrations, the attention to detail and of course the purpose of this idea is what makes it unique in my opinion,” explains Rosa. 

In Media, there is one Gold winner: Saatchi & Saatchi Australia’s ‘Donation Dollar’ for Royal  Australian Mint. 

In PR, the jury awarded three Gold winners:  

• MullenLowe MENA FZLLC: ‘Double Moon’ for UAE Government Media Office - Rothco, part of Accenture Interactive, Ireland: ‘Sleeping Flags’ for O.N.E. 
• Saatchi & Saatchi Ukraine: ‘Motherland Pride’ for KyivPride.  

Jayme says: “We found ‘Sleeping Flags’ to be very moving. The visual of the Irish flag as a  sleeping bag used by homeless veterans is really heart wrenching. It really brings to light the unfortunate situation of these homeless veterans in Ireland, or even veterans all over the world.We love how this campaign has brought necessary donations and help to give these  veterans dignity, off the streets.” 

Hwan-Jin Choi, chairperson of the AD STARS executive committee, says: “Our panel of judges told us that they were were amazed by the ideas they saw that are helping brands to rise, restart the economy or create meaningful ways to assist consumers. They give us optimism for the future – all winners should be very proud.” 

The AD STARS 2021 Awards Ceremony was held online on August 27th (5PM Korean Standard Time) via the official AD STARS website. For more information, visit adstars.org