AME's Grand Jury Spotlight Interviews celebrate the exceptional minds shaping the landscape of advertising and marketing communications. Our esteemed panel for 2024 includes visionary leaders renowned for creating influential, results-oriented campaigns for leading brands worldwide.This diverse jury coming from top-tier agencies around the globe represent some of the most recognized creative and strategic trailblazers in the industry. Their dedication to driving impactful, innovative work not only sets the standard for excellence but also inspires future generations of marketers and advertisers.

2024 AME Grand Jury member Adrian Tso is Head of Strategy for DDB Group Hong Kong. Adrian drives strategy in advertising through a rare combination of long term, big picture thinking and an astute insight into both commercial implications and human behavior.He bring years of strategic expertise working with top-tier brands to the jury panel. Since joining DDB his account experience is now wide-ranging and all-encompassing, including Vitasoy, Mannings, Hang Seng Bank, Jardine Matheson, Henderson Land Development, and more.

In the interview below Adrian shares his persepctive on the importance clarity plays in stand out award-winning work, future forward trends, and the more.

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

Adrian Tso: Relative to the creative disciplines, strategy can be considered younger and in many ways still taking shape, especially for markets that are still maturing in terms of sophistication. For this reason, what constitutes ‘good strategy’ often lacks a universal understanding or standard, even within a singular market, not to mention globally. Effectiveness awards like the AME Awards upholds and reinforces some semblance of a global standard; exemplifying what strategists across the world ought to be competing against, if not surpass, as the discipline continues to take shape and cement itself.

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

Adrian Tso: Above all else - clarity. Conceding to the premise that case writing is in and of itself an art form, winning cases must present themselves with clarity. Clarity of intention, where very few things, if any, is relegated to chance. Clarity of thought, where every component of the campaign is planned and executed with purpose. And last but not least, clarity of attribution, as it is not enough to simply associate a campaign with outstanding business or marketing results, and only with attributable, comparative results can a campaign be deemed effective.

AME Awards: What future forward trends and innovations are brands embracing for 2024?

Adrian Tso: Brands and agencies have a good habit of keeping their fingers on the pulse, and flock to wherever consumers’ attention move towards. Sometimes, this brings on a new standard, sometimes a momentary trend, sometimes a fleeting fad. Looking forward at 2024, I don’t think you can fault anyone for diving headfirst into A.I., V.R., A.R., or whatever else spawns or comes back from the grave (metaverse? NFTs?). What I would like to see, is a more concerted effort towards identifying new and purposeful applications of innovation rather than placing too much focus on the novelty of technology.

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

Adrian Tso: The biggest challenge with ESG or CSR stems from the fact that corporate motivation at large goes beyond ‘doing the right thing’. So whether a brand is driven by securities classification requirements, or pandering to specific audience segments, or genuinely out of their sense of duty and values, consumer perception and judgement rarely take brands at their word. Effectiveness is not a matter of marketing strategy alone, but an effort that must work in lockstep with ESG/CSR strategy; a narrative that gives the brand a more credible license to play, and an initiative that actually effects change. Because there is a clear difference between meeting a standard and propelling a cause forward. And while brands will have to endeavor to accomplish both as ESG and CSR becomes more of an expectation, effectiveness in winning hearts and minds hinges on the latter.