AME's 2025 Grand Jury members are known for consistently delivering creative and strategic campaigns that move the needle for brands.These globally respected, award-winning executives bring innovation, strategic expertise, and a 360-degree global perspective to the judging panel. Their industry experience provides them with an understanding of the partnership between creativity and effectiveness.
Grand Jury Member John Lagerqvist is the Executive Creative Director and a founding partner of Nordic agency, Drama Queen Communications. An agency born at the intesection of creativity and tech, with a special passion for brand activation, and the belief that done right, business is beautiful. John and his team have been globally awarded for their work for Absolut Vodka and a number of other global clients, such as Sony, Volvo, Carlsberg, Electrolux, L’Oréal and Larsen Cognac, among others.
In the interview below John shares his perspective on AI's influence, the role storytelling plays in the effectiveness of a campaign, the ways brands are reimaging influencers, what he's looking for in winning work and more.
AME Awards: From your perspective as a creative strategist, what standout qualities define award-winning, effective advertising today?
John Lagerqvist: Creative solutions built on insights is still a good start. If they are also connected to both culture -and brand, through storytelling, they have the key ingredients for becoming really successful.
AME Awards: Why are effectiveness competitions like the AME Awards essential for measuring impact and industry growth?
John Lagerqvist: The relationship between creativity and results has never been more crucial to highlight, especially in an era dominated by automated messaging and AI. It’s easy to mistake low costs or efficiency in production for effectiveness in results. As a juror for the AME Awards, I see this as a unique opportunity not only to be inspired, but also to promote the ideas that demonstrate the synergy between creativity and effectiveness.
AME Awards: In your experience, what role does storytelling play in the effectiveness of a campaign? Are there elements of narrative or structure that make campaigns especially memorable or impactful?
John Lagerqvist: For me effectiviness must always be in line with the brand. Not only short term sales. Or The storytelling is essential to connect the creative idea with the brand.
AME Awards: How have advancements in data analytics and AI influenced the development and success of advertising strategies?
John Lagerqvist: It will be exciting to see how brands blend the structured, data-driven outputs of AI solutions with the more intuitive, emotional elements of traditional creative advertising. Automated messaging and programmatic ad buying are powerful for efficiency, but the channels demanding creativity—such as experiential campaigns, storytelling, and visual branding—remain essential for long-term impact. The challenge and opportunity lie in finding the balance: using AI as a catalyst for creative breakthroughs. Personally, I’m quite interested in texploring he possibilities of hyper personalization.
AME Awards: How are brands reimagining influencer marketing to be more impactful? Any examples of partnerships or approaches that have been proven most effective?
John Lagerqvist: I think the connection between brand and message will effect influencers in two ways. Consumers will seek more authentic connections between their influencers and the products they promote. At the same time, on the other end of the spctrum we’ll see more "TV-shop-like" influnecers who instead of authenticity are strictly commercial and present products in a fun way.