What Makes a Work Truly Immortal?

Twelve distinguished judges from Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Thailand deliberated over 32 submitted projects before shortlisting four APAC finalists to advance to the global round on December 1. 

Held over two judging sessions for AUNZ and APAC, the diversity of projects raised tough debates over the topics of originality, craft, cross-cultural appeal and the context of creative impact. While fantastic projects were submitted, the key criteria of “immortal quality” was the deciding factor, and the bar was certainly set high.

LBB finds out from jurors their thoughts and musings on The Immortal experience. 

Ali Shabaz, CCO, M&C Saatchi Group Singapore

“So much of the work we saw reflected the rich culture and diversity of the region. I loved hearing the judges from different countries share their knowledge and help me understand the creative thinking that went behind the work.

“We should continue to do purpose-led work for causes and show how creativity can make a difference. At the same time, APAC has such a strong pool of creative talent and it will be great to see more big brand work that pushes the boundaries. The other thing I would like to see more is the use of humour. Done well, humour is a powerful way to connect brands with audiences.”

Dissara Udomdej, founder & CCO, Yell Bangkok

“Diversity is fantastic, especially in APAC, where the advertising industry is rapidly emerging. Some countries are developed, while others are still developing. A diverse range of contexts and cultures distinguished this judging session. 

“It would be great if we could meet in person to share our views with each other. That doesn't mean we have to talk in the same room. However, we can have something like The Immortal Awards World Tour to meet a judge in a variety of locations.”

Eugene Cheong, CCO, DDB Asia

 “The Immortal Awards, as the name suggests, is probably the toughest show in the world today. From AUNZ and APAC, less than a handful of work made it. To receive an Immortal award, a piece of work has to be memorable and original to the point that it’d be referred to in the future by the industry. The problem is we don’t have that level of greatness on an annual basis. (I certainly didn’t see a Dumb Ways to Die or a Meet Graham this year.) So, our jury did what we could by picking the best of the very good bunch.

 “Perhaps, we need to add one little rule: Any member of the jury that has a connection to the work that’s being judged shouldn’t be allowed to comment. It’ll be awkward and it would compromise the objectivity and integrity of the jury.”

Leisa Wall, co-CCO FCB NZ

“It was a refreshing change to judge the Immortal Awards. Not having categories or gold, silver and bronze meant the work needed to stand out and hit us in the mind and heart. Film had to compete against activations and PR stunts had to take on product innovations. The panel stayed true to the strictness of Immortal Awards and only four pieces rose to the top in the hope of being immortalised forever.

“I’d love to see more entries from New Zealand in there next year.”

Melissa Chan, regional MD, Craft WW 

"I enjoyed the experience of seeing such a cultural diversity of works from the region. And I am so proud that there were many uncomfortable, yet important, topics addressed through work from typically conservative markets. It’s good to see brands/agencies making a stand. 

“I’d love to see more work that continuously raises the bar of creativity and makes an impact on society!”

Robert Galluzzo, founder and CEO, FINCH 

“I love the format and what it means for celebrating creativity in markets throughout the world. We had rigorous debate about how different cultural landscapes inform creative expression. Juries that can contextualise work allows work from all markets a chance to be celebrated on a world stage without it being homogenised through one lens. 

“I want to see an amplification of the above. Can this industry be open minded enough to judge work in context of its audience? For instance, a film from Thailand that seems too long to me could in fact be perfect for the Thai market because of the way they like to consume content. How then can we take the flavour of each market to the world stage to be understood and celebrated rather than having to adapt?”