Sri Lanka’s advertising industry experienced a surge of inspiration as the Four As Advertising Festival took place on May 30-31 with over 650 people participating.
Hosted at the Taj Samudra, Colombo, the event featured 13 sessions and five workshops by global creative speakers, each bringing a wealth of expertise to the stage. The event concluded with an Awards Night recognising impactful work.
The festival provided a platform for groundbreaking ideas and set a new benchmark for creative training in Sri Lanka’s advertising industry. Creative and advertising leaders took the stage, offering insightful and introspective talks and thought-provoking panel discussions on bolstering creativity, and the impact of tech.
Creative Chairman of BBDO Singapore, Tay Guan Hin kicked launched the first day of the festival with an interactive talk on embracing conflict to boost creativity.
Creative Director of MullenLowe Singapore, Teddy Sandu, closed the first day’s talks with his presentation that featured the best (and perhaps the most fundamental) way to learn: to “FAFO.”
Humour and impactful advertising headlined the second day of the festival, where CCO of Saatchi & Saatchi Australia, Mandie Van Der Merwe, delivered insights on using humour in advertising.
Creative Director at YML Y&R India, Mahesh Ambaliya outlinedd the use of advertising for good.
Executive Creative Director at TBWA Singapore, Asheen Naidu, spoke about the inclusion of tech into advertising. Group Executive Creative Director at DDB Group Melbourne, Psembi Kinstan, shared his experiences from an award winning career that spans from Australia to the UK.
EVP, Strategy at MullenLowe Lintas Mumbai, Pooja Rawat shared excerpts from their recent pan-India study ‘The State of States’. Joining her was Surjo Dutt, Chief Creative Officer at Dentsu Creative India, West and South Regions, who elaborated on the importance of leaning into cultural truths.
Chief Creative Officer at Publicis Groupe South-East Asia Ajay Vikram, discussed the evolving landscape of advertising across the Southeast Asian region. Executive Creative Director at TBWA Singapore, Asheen Naidu spoke about the inclusion of tech in advertising.
Managing Director and Head of Strategy at Media Arts Lab APAC, Singapore, Michaela Futcher, lent her strategic acumen on the negative impact algorithms have on creativity, while Group Executive Creative Director at DDB Group Melbourne, Psembi Kinstan shared his experiences from an award-winning career that spans from Australia to the UK.
An Independent Creative and Strategy Consultant at Vexology Advertising Dubai, Assam Khalid closed the festival with a compelling talk about “Taking Creativity Hostage.”
