AME's Grand Jury members are recruited from 5-regions around the globe. They bring years of extensive experiece crafting ground-breaking results driven work for prominent brands to the jury panel. They are Strategic, Innovative, Analytical, Critical Thinkers, and Creative Storytellers who are dedicated to ensuring brand awarness and equity. Their global reputations as both industry leaders and award-winning marketers guarantee that all entries submitted into the AME Awards are evaluated with the utmost of care and consideration.

Josh Paialii is Group Creative Director for The Many. He is creative leader with extensive experience driving both award-winning campaigns and business growth across automotive, gaming, CPG and QSR categories alike. Over the past 15 years, Josh has collaborated with and developed breakthrough work for brands such as Panda Express, Chameleon Coffee, Lexus, Riot Games and Netflix, to name a few.

In the interview below Josh shares his perspective evolving lanes of technology, influencer marketing, mediums that are successfully engaging consumers and experiences within the VR space.

AME Awards: What lanes of technology are agencies/brands investing in to deliver more effective messaging?

Josh Paialii: “That [metaverse] is so hot right now.” While many brands and agencies have been quick to jump on NFTs and research virtual real estate in Decentraland, I still believe the greatest opportunity to invest as a brand right now is with existing gaming publishers, platforms, teams and communities. The most talked about music concerts of the last few years happened inside of Fortnite. Gaming houses are signing esports players who are or will become professional athletes in other traditional sports. The most-watched animated show on Netflix is based on League of Legends lore and The Uncharted franchise just expanded to Hollywood blockbusters. Investing in gaming isn’t a 5 year out investment — it’s connecting audiences and communities in all new ways today. 

AME Awards: Is influencer marketing evolving? What avenues are most successful? 

Josh Paialii: Influencer marketing is never not evolving. I think some of the biggest shifts we’re seeing in influencer marketing though is an intention and emphasis on platform. As a creator, you can have millions of subs on YouTube or followers on TikTok. That doesn’t inherently make you more influential or give you the most authentic collaboration / reach on a platform like Instagram. This has changed the way brands look at certain platforms, especially from a paid perspective. If a paid media strategy is driving your collaboration, you’re already admitting as a brand that it’s less about the specific influencer’s voice and reach. But if you’re a brand that wants to work with certain influencers, challenge yourself to be authentic where they are most authentic to their community.

AME Awards: What mediums will be most successful in engaging consumers this year?

Josh Paialii: We’ve finally reached the point where it seems every brand isn’t asking “should we be on TikTok” but rather “How can we be on TikTok?” And while it certainly isn’t too late to jump, it’s not merely a pay-to-play channel. You have to play by the rules of the algorithm and of the audience. You’ve got to be authentic to the platform’s community and open to trying all-new ways of developing content. And where volume and speed for getting content up is critical, it’s the one platform that reminds us all that perfection is the enemy of progress. 

AME Awards: Are VR & AR experiences continuing to drive results for brands and what brands are standing out in this arena?

Josh, Palilii: I believe IP will continue to be the biggest driver in the VR space. Whether it’s Disney & Lucasfilms expanding storylines with immersive and episodic Star Wars experiences, the NBA offering courtside seats to live basketball games or Beat Saber letting you move to all-new hits from the Top100, our connection to and reverence for IP will keep consumers coming back for more. A brand that I anticipate continuing to thrive though, as 360 cameras get better and better, is RedBull. Putting me in the shoes of a climber summiting a rock face or a biker bombing down a mountain — and letting me experience the thrill of being a RedBull athlete with at least two of my own senses — will be a reason to keep the VR headset handy for many.