"Creativity Is an Endless Long Run"
Kicking off today in Singapore, Spikes Asia is the region's oldest and most prestigious awards body for creative advertising, recognised as setting the bar for creative excellence, marketing strategy and effectiveness in Asia-Pacific.
This year Dentsu Creative’s chief creative officer for Taiwan, Alice Chou (and proud Spikes winner many times over the years!) will be acting as direct and outdoor jury president, in addition to delivering a keynote tomorrow.
Get to know Alice in this quick Q&A, and if you’re attending the festival be sure to say hello!
Q> What does it take to win a Spikes Asia? Why bother?
Alice> Spikes Asia is a significant creative benchmark in the Asian region. While the requirements for each category may vary, for me, profound cultural insights, the ability to connect with people's hearts, and flawless craftsmanship are crucial in any category.
Why bother? Because creativity is an endless long run. Creative individuals continually ask themselves, "Is this good enough? How can it be better?" They torture themselves, questioning and challenging their own work, putting it on the stage in Asia, putting it on the world stage, rigorously scrutinizing the strengths and weaknesses of creativity, adjusting standards, and then continuing to strive towards the next goal.
For me, participating in these awards is not just about honour; it's also about uncompromising self-demand.
Q> How do you integrate your passion for human behaviour and insights into your creative campaigns to resonate with your audience?
Alice> In the world of creativity, people are always at the core of everything. While we need to seek insights in various data, we must never forget that we're not just looking at numbers; we're looking at the people behind each number. Their loves, fears, aspirations, and desires are what brands and products ultimately need to respond to.
So, we need to see through people's eyes, listen through their ears, meet them in their lives, engage with them emotionally, and create experiences they've never seen before. When we truly move them, giving them language and power, we also gain strength.
Q> How do you see the landscape evolving in the coming years, and how do you ensure your creative strategies stay ahead of these changes?
Alice> Every decade, there's a platform shift, chaos and change are always the norm in the marketing world.
Talking about change sounds sexy, making us appear progressive. The pursuit of new things, new technologies, seems like an endless pursuit.
But if the game has no end, how do we win?
We must constantly question if what we're doing truly makes sense or if we're just following others.
Technology still needs motive, needs purpose, with humanity as the steering wheel, it's the best navigation for changes.
Ideas-Led, AI-Powered, Value-Driven, this is what Dentsu believes in.
Q> If you hadn’t ended up in advertising, what would you be doing instead?
Alice> If I weren't in advertising, maybe I'd be a writer.
I'm a copy-based creative, loving words, writing, storytelling, and engaging. in both telling and hearing stories.
In words, you can hear music, smell scents, see colours, have viewpoints, attitudes, and power...
Writing is another boundless world, regardless of joy or sorrow, I always enjoy staying there.
Q> In your career, what one piece of personal work are you most proud of?
Alice> For creatives, the proudest work is always yet to come.
But there are two significant experiences in my creative life that stand out more as pivotal moments rather than mere projects:
One is "Single Belief," my first Lions, which left a lasting impression akin to first love. We crafted a message of unwavering belief for the century-old whisky brand, Glenlivet, amidst changing times. The director stood unmoved on the set of his acclaimed work, ignoring the hustle and bustle around him. His steadfast gaze ahead served as a reminder that daring to be different, maintaining one's beliefs despite change, is a courageous act.
The other is a story "In Love We Trust." Many see real estate as selling houses, but we sold hope. In Taiwan, with the highest divorce rate in Asia, we portrayed a girl working in the household registration office, doubting marriage as she registers marriages, divorces, births, and deaths daily. However, her perception shifts when she witnesses an elderly man's unwavering love for his wife, believing in the possibility of enduring relationships. This piece earned Taiwan ‘s first Grand Prix Lions. What makes me proudest is that we've taken a work deeply rooted in Taiwanese cultural insights and pushed it to the highest echelons of the world stage.
