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Akae Wang, CCO, Banana Balloon China
Greater-China

2024 AME Greater China Executive Jury Spotlight: Akae Wang, CCO, Banana Balloon

China | June 20, 2024

AME's Greater China Awards Executive Jury Spotlight Interviews celebrate the exceptional minds shaping the landscape of advertising and marketing communications in Greater China. The 2024 Greater China Executive Jury includes visionary leaders renowned for creating influential, results-oriented campaigns for leading brands.

Meet Akae Wang, CCO of Banana Balloon China,s a seasoned ad creative with 30 years of experience.In 2022, after a seven-year tenure at Tencent's Marketing and PR Department, he ventured out to start his own creative boutique agency, Banana Balloon. This agency is a beacon of local flavor, grounded, agile, and pulsating with an adventurous spirit. It embodies the "1065 work ethic"—working from 10 am to 6 pm, five days a week—an approach that champions smart working and a harmonious work-life balance.

In the interview below Akae Wang shares his perspective on what he's looking for in award-winning work, how data analytics and AI are impacting effectiveness advertising, effective gamification strategies, how brands are communicating their values and societal contributions in their marketing strategies and much more. 

AME Awards: Why are effectiveness competitions like the AME Awards important? 

Akae Wang: Consumers can appreciate a great ad, but not always purchase the product—this is a gap that's always been there. This disconnect has led some Brands to lose faith in creative brilliance, opting for communication that's crudely straightforward. The AME Awards, however, don't just chase numbers; they celebrate smart creativity and keen insights, like a penalty kick in soccer that creates a direct scoring opportunity.

消費一個好廣告,但卻無法消費產品.這現象是一直存在的.這導致為何客戶對好創意失去信心,寧可粗暴有效的溝通.效果廣告獎鼓勵的不是一味追求成效數字,他仍講究好創意與好洞察,就像十二碼罰球一樣,直接創造得分機會.

AME Awards: As a creative strategist, what stand-out attributes do you recognize in award-winning creative effective advertising? 

Akae Wang: Emotion is the first step to engagement. Great ideas resonate instantly, planting a seed in the consumer's mind that can grow into brand loyalty, driving purchases, or shifting perceptions.  

I admire the approach of defining a precise “challenge” that the creative idea targets to overcome. Every brand has a pressing issue that needs addressing but powerful ideas often voice out precise challenges and embed insights within it. We think one of the key skills for an excellent creative is to ask the right questions. 

In judging, I’ve seen a lot of smart entries revealing a compelling narrative right from the provocative question they pose.

打動永遠是第一步.好創意在溝通的當下,那個騷動就已經藏在用戶心中了.不管是進駐用戶心智,或者驅動購買,改變偏見. 

我特別喜歡人們用挑戰去看問題,品牌一定有個急需解決的問題.厲害的創意甚至在挑戰當中就已經藏入洞察.我們常說一個優秀的創意人,很懂的問問題,這是關鍵. 

尤其在評審時,那些聰明的作品往往在一開頭提問問題時,就展現出性感的故事.

AME Awards: How has the use of data analytics and artificial intelligence impacted the effectiveness of advertising campaigns?

Akae Wang: I'd rather focus on data insights and analytics, which often aren't accessible to agencies. Clients rarely share extensive analytic data, leaving strategists to analyze and observe competitors' market moves for cross-comparison. Big data analysis can sometimes be overstated by agencies in ad awards, leading to exaggerated claims. After seven years at Tencent, I've learned that technology and data are a company's top secrets, not readily available for marketing campaigns. I hope our industry can be more honest, especially when it comes to effectiveness awards, where humility and a willingness to learn are crucial. 

As for AI, I'm still observing. It's become a buzzword, with many brilliant ideas being implemented in products to solve current problems, even if they're mostly in the experimental phase. But of course, I am not an AI expert, but I do think AI is a fresh, new, and fair field for everyone. 

我宁可说数据洞察,数据分析这种事有时根本掌握不在代理商手上.没有一个客户会把大量分析数据交给你,策略人员能分析观察的永远是竞品的出街創意,用它來做交叉比对分析僅此而已.大数据分析这种事有时在广告奖中,很容易被代理商夸大.甚至说得天花乱坠.我在腾讯待了七年.技术与数据是企业的最高机密.他不是你一个营销想要用就可以用的.我仍舊期望我們的行業有時要更誠實,尤其面對效果獎時,他要更謙虛更學習. 

人工智能我还在观察.毕竟他已是一窝蜂现象,这几年我们看到很多新创的東西大多实现在产品上.用一个新商品,新技术去解决当下问题.即使他们多半仍在实验阶段.当然我也必须说,AI对每一个人都是新鲜的,刚入门的,公平的.我能在这里发言不表示我就是AI专家.

AME Awards: With an increasing emphasis on corporate social responsibility, how do brands effectively communicate their values and societal contributions in their marketing strategies?  

Akae Wang: Firstly, ESG communication differs from public welfare ads. Agencies don't just tell stories; they co-create with the brand.  

While the end result is a moving narrative, ESG is more about finding the connection points between the company's actions and societal needs, and communicating based on that. Or, it could be about exploring an ESG business model that aligns with brand values. 

So it is not a “brief” from the company to the agency to “tell stories”, it is a co-creation of both sides to achieve the goals for ESG and related communication.

Secondly, good ESG communication amplifies the value of existing actions with compelling stories.  

It's about aligning words with actions to avoid the perception of insincerity and ensuring that hard work isn't overlooked.  

We find that many companies have "done" a lot, carrying out many ESG actions in different fields, such as low carbon, rural education, ecological protection, etc. But "doing a lot, but the public has little perception" is a phenomenon we often observe. 

Selecting the right initiatives to communicate, using engaging stories and appropriate channels, can amplify these actions and extend their public impact. This is the path to sustainable management, as effective communication can enhance the impact of ESG actions, creating positive value for the brand and engaging more societal forces. 

第一.ESG传播和公益广告不同 

代理商不只是“说”,更要和品牌主“共创”

虽然传播上最后呈现的是一个动人故事,但事实上,ESG并非纯粹的“讲故事”,而是要基于企业的ESG行动、ESG主张,去寻找和公众、社会的连接点,并基于此进行沟通。甚至是基于品牌价值,探索面向大众的ESG商业模式。

因此ESG营销不是一个纯粹的甲方brief乙方“说故事”的工作,而是需要双方共创。基于企业的资源(技术、市场、用户等)和业务,来看企业做什么,说什么能够实现ESG营销目标,继而展开传播工作。

第二 

用传播和好故事,放大既有ESG行动的价值

好的ESG传播,是“言行合一”的配合。“言大于行”会让人觉得品牌不够真诚,而埋头苦干,只做不说又会错失了本可以放大品牌影响的良机。 

我们发现许多企业其实“做”了很多,在不同领域展开了许多ESG行动,关于低碳的、乡村教育的、生态保护的等等。但“做了很多,公众却没什么感知”这是我们常常观察到的现象。

如何带着传播的视角去从企业的众多行动中选择传播的素材,用好故事和合适的传播手段,放大这些ESG行动,让它们获得更广泛的公众影响力, 是我認為的永續經營之道。因为好的传播可以放大ESG行动的影响力,让它为品牌创造正向价值,也让更多社会力量参与进来。

AME Awards: What interactive elements or gamification strategies have you found to be effective in capturing and retaining the audience's interest within mobile gaming environments?  

Akae Wang: Immersion and social interaction.  

The former is the foundation of UI/UX. It's especially important for mobile users. But we have to remember: in marketing we should NEVER develop an overly complex game! What we need in marketing are not the same as traditional games. They should be lightweight and interactive, not adopting the full gamut of gaming mechanics.  

The essence of a game in marketing is interaction, ideally with a social component, as no game thrives without teammates or supporters.  

Identifying influencers to drive engagement within target communities can be a shortcut. Don't expect a single brilliant idea to spontaneously attract a crowd; people are naturally observant and prefer to follow trends. These are crucial elements when designing a game for mass appeal.  

When everything is mobile, the immediacy and impact could be instantaneous, but also the chances of being overlooked and forgotten. 

沉浸与社交. 

前者是UI/UX的基本功.对于移动端用户特别重要.千万不要开发多牛逼的游戏,切记!营销里的游戏不是真正的游戏.他的体量不能大,甚至要很轻,不要把游戏玩家的那一套搬过来直接搞游戏营销.这是注定失败的.

Game的意义还是互动,最好带上社交,没有一个游戏不需要队友.甚至啦啦队. 

所以找到影响者驱动目标社群是个捷径.不要太指望,一个好创意就能随便引发一群人,人永远是观望的动物.喜欢跟着时事起舞的.这都是重要的元素,在你设计一个全民游戏时. 

移动的及时性与影响力是瞬间的,被忽略被忘记也是瞬间的