MARKETING and Taylor’s Uni play host and announce 28 Young Spikes Malaysia winners!

The auditorium was choked with adrenaline at Taylor’s University Lakeside campus last week as 100 participants and friends waited eagerly to discover who were the winners of the recent Young Spikes Malaysia 2019 competitions.

The Young Spikes Malaysia competitions offered creative, marketing, media, PR and digital communications professionals under the age of 30 a chance of a lifetime to win recognition in their industry in Malaysia, and across the Asia Pacific. 

They had all just completed their 24 hours (48 hours for Integrated) assignments with briefs from AirAsia, Pizza Hut and unifi. And went through the quick Live judging sessions over a full Saturday.

Leading agencies and marketing companies sent in their young ones to give them an opportunity to shine in the industry plus earn a chance to rule the AsiaPacific stage. 

Gold winners go to Singapore to compete at Spikes Asia, with airfare, hotel and contestant passes provided! 

All participants non Gold, Silver or Bronze winners received a special personalised Young Spikes Malaysia 2019 Certificate.

The idea is to promote our young industry talents.

All Gold, Silver and Bronze winners for Integrated, Media and Digital categories also got exclusive all-expenses-paid passes to turn their ideas alive at Astro’s Reconnect Camp on 24-25 August 2019 at Cyberview Lodge Resort & Spa!  

So the day of reckoning arrived, 100 budding talents and industry leaders packed the 230-seater theatrette for a show like no other.

It was amazing to hear the winners names being called and the hall explode with youthful frenzy and delirium. After all, these winners never had a show to call their own, and they were the stars on stage this time. 

The Gold winners, who were allowed to say a few words, were tickled and overwhelmed they had to do so with one just saying stuff like “wheeee…!”

Everyone had many reasons to celebrate. 

We were supporting the young and the talent was surfacing for all to see. 

The organisers thanked all the sponsors, partners and supporters for making this special event possible, especially AirAsia.com, unifi, Astro, Pizza Hut, Director’s Think Tank, Visual Retale, News and Ads Monitoring Agency (NAMA), leading industry associations and friends. 

The Young Spikes Malaysia Judges this year were: 

•       Alvin Teoh – Group Creative Director, NagaDDB 
•       Liew Wai Fun – Head of Brand & Marcom, AirAsia BIG       
•       Lai Shu Wei – Vice President, unifi Marketing & Communications 
•       Gigi Lee – Chief Creative Officer, TBWA Group Malaysia             
•       Emir Shafri – Executive Creative Director, Publicis Malaysia 
•       Santhar ban T Sundaram – SVP, Marketing & Alt Business, Etika  
•       TH Chong – Group Director, Astro Media Sales 
•       Leong Diyao – Head of Co-Brand Cards, AirAsia BIG          
•       Chan Woei Hern – Executive Creative Director, ensemble
•       Emily Chong – Deputy GM, Pizza Hut Marketing       
•       Melissa Jailani – Marketing Manager, AirAsia BIG      

OK, the winners are… 

INTEGRATED CATEGORY WINNERS

DIGITAL CATEGORY WINNERS

MEDIA CATEGORY WINNERS

PR CATEGORY WINNERS

Young Spikes Malaysia Backstory:

It all began in Cannes last years when Spencer Lee, CEO of AirAsia BIG Loyalty, attended the Cannes Lions Festival for the first time. There he met a friendly bunch of Malaysian delegates and judge who convinced him to do a creativity festival in Malaysia, starting with the Young Spikes competitions. The prodders who never gave up were Ted Lim (Chief Creative Officer, Dentsu Asia Pacific), Chan Woei Hern (Executive Creative Director, ensemble worldwide), Alvin Teoh (Group Creative Director,      Naga DDB) and chief provocateur Gigi Lee (Chief Creative Officer, TBWA Group). Passion Pictures’ Executive Producers Hafiz and Kit added a whole lot of rosé wine plus the allure the French Riviera, the magnetic pull of the La Croisetté into the conversation.

When Spencer returned to Malaysia he called MARKETING magazine for help to make the Young Spikes Malaysia happen, the rest is history.  

Cannes Lions and Spike Asia Story:

Inspired by the Cannes Film Festival, staged in Cannes since the late 1940s, a group of cinema screen advertising contractors belonging to the Screen Advertising World Association (Sawa) felt the makers of advertising films should be similarly recognised. 

Cannes Lions is where the world best in Creativity has been celebrated for more than 65 years. It is probably the most definitive festival of creativity on the planet with over 40,000 entries and 11,000 delegates every year. Some call it the mecca of advertising where one finds the holy grail of advertising excellence – where you are bestowed and celebrated if your work is among the global best. It’s where you mingle with advertising stars plus movie and music celebrities who come to share their brand of creativity. 

In 2004, British publisher and conference organiser EMAP plc (now called Accentual Events) purchased the festival from French businessman Roger Hatchuel – who had started managing it in 1987 – for a reported £52 million. Besides Cannes Lions, Ascential’s sister events include EuroBest, Dubai Lynx and Spikes Asia Festival in Singapore.

Similarly, outstanding creativity is celebrated at Spikes Asia and the festival culminates in the Spikes Asia Awards Ceremony where APAC’s best work is honoured with the region’s most prestigious award in creative communications, the Spike.  

Spikes Asia, the region’s oldest and most prestigious award for creative advertising, is also a three-day Festival reaching the region’s most influential decision-makers, as well as up-and-coming talent. It brings together the finest creative thinkers and doers from around the world for three days of inspiration, learning, networking and celebration. This year’s event is in Singapore on 25-27 September.

Gold winners from Young Spikes Malaysia 2019 will be there at Spikes Asia this year to carry our Malaysia flag to possible AsiaPacific fame.

Meet all our sponsors and supporters here.