APPIES 2023 hits record number of entries across Malaysia and Asia-Pacific

The APPIES Marketing Awards received 110 submissions from Asia-Pacific and 130 from Malaysia featuring work across 10 categories making this year’s field very robust. The Asia-Pacific pool of campaigns saw entries from India, China, Japan, Thailand and Taiwan.

18 judges from Malaysia and 9 judges from across the AsiaPac were involved in the 4-day Festival which saw the Malaysian campaigns judged over the first two days at the Eastin Hotel in PJ, while the APAC entries were judged online during the following two days.

On July 12 & 13, over 150 delegates packed the Eastin Ballroom plus 125 presenters made the stage presentations at the APPIES Malaysia Festival. Celebrated speaker Chris Jaques set the pace with a sizzling  introductory address that tackled the secrets of How to Succeed in a provoking opening keynote.

Why marketing leaders want to judge the APPIES?

It’s the only place they can get to learn deep insights of marketing case studies.

Known as the ‘TED for Marketing’, campaign entries are presented by their brand marketer and/or campaign creator in an interactive format comprising a 4-minute creative reel summarising the overall marketing campaign, followed by a 5-minute oral presentation highlighting significant aspects of the campaign, and finally a Q&A with the audience and judges.

Campaigns are judged based on the following criteria: The Challenge (10%), The Thinking (30%), The Execution (30%) and The Results (30%) for the total score of 100.

After it was all done and dusted, there were 28 winning campaigns from Malaysia and 11 from AsiaPac which will win Gold, Silver or Bronze. Special Awards for Best Presenters, Ad Agency of the Year, Media Agency of the Year and Marketer of the Year for Malaysia/AsiaPac will also be given out on August 11, 2023.

Here are the winning agencies and brands/advertisers (in alphabetical order).

AGENCIES:

• Accenture Song
• Ampersand Advisory
• FCB SHOUT
• Fishermen Integrated
• Leo Burnett
• McCann Worldgroup China
• Media Prima Audio
• Media Prima Omnia Sdn Bhd
• Mediabrands Content Studio
• Mindshare Group Malaysia
• Mutiara Harrison (part of McCann Worldgroup)
• Naga DDB Tribal
• Ogilvy India
• Unilever Malaysia
• Universal McCann

BRANDS/ADVERTISERS:

• Abbott
• Atlas Vending
• Budweiser
• Cadbury
• Domino’s Pizza
• Etika
• Goodday Milk
• Grab
• KFC
• Hot FM
• Mondelez India
• MR. DIY
• Nando’s
• Payments Network Malaysia
• PepsiCo Malaysia
• Prudential
• RHB Bank Berhad
• Sime Darby Property Berhad
• Spritzer
• Sunquick
• TENA
• Time
• Unilever Malaysia
• Viu
• Watsons
• Wipro Unza

Some comments from Judges….

As always the APPIES judging offered the welcome timeout, to help us take stock of how the industry faired in the past year, young budding talents to keep an eye out for…. and of course, an opportunity for judges to catch up, compare notes, exchange war stories (and possibly some gossip) while putting business rivalry aside and come together to judge good work.

Some of the judges agreed, that in a few cases the participants seemed to blindside themselves, missing the point which was obvious to us, opting instead to ride on more obscure bits. Of course, there were those who made more of a point than there really was…. but that’s always to be expected.

It’s almost frustrating for us, when we can see you have a grenade in your hand, but choose instead to fling it like a rock!

“It was a pleasure judging the event and great to see the quality of entries this time.

I wish all winners my congratulations.”

APPIES is a good platform to nurture good marketing talent. We learn from others how to better story tell and the importance of get-you-famous ideas to stand out. APPIES shouldn’t be seen as an “awards”; but as the only place for marketers to learn from the best.

Some tips for presenters:

1. Simplify the marketing objectives and results; anything more than two drives you off course.
2. “Parity or price war” is a boring problem statement – the more unusual your problem statement is, the braver your ideas will be.
3. Great ideas must affect change at SCALE – think about how your campaign can affect change to more people or be sustained post campaign.

I was immersed in a multitude of creative and impactful marketing campaigns. While commendable, there were opportunities for improvement.

Creativity and uniqueness are essential, but it is equally important to ensure that the core objectives and results of the campaign are clearly defined and aligned with the criteria of the categories submitted for. Some campaigns showcased impressive creativity but lacked a cohesive narrative that aligned with their intended goals.

Participants should strive for clear alignment between creativity and campaign objectives, and effectively articulate the tangible impact of their campaigns. I look forward to witnessing their growth and success in the industry.

“The experience was professional and seamless. Very happy with the way the judging was conducted. Very enriching.”

This year it was very encouraging to see a higher number of participants, alongside more entries at APPIES 2023. The quality of presenters continues to improve, as they are getting sharper in their approach, their presentation of the cases and the energy level behind the presenters.

It was also very interesting to see the line-up of new judges and their commitments to the quality of the APPIES experience. I am glad to have been a part of APPIES over the years, and continue to encourage agencies and clients, fellow marketers – seasoned and new ones – to be a part of this marketing festival”

It was an honour to have judged so many top marketing campaigns from various brands and industries. Some were very pleasant surprises – brands that I never thought much about, had presented some amazing, mind blowing ideas that redefined marketing at a different level.

Some thoughts as to what participants can improve…

Don’t be afraid if you have a small budget, spend some time thinking of the big idea. It’s easy when you have a big budget, but it is difficult when you have a small one. What is that sweet spot, the angle that will make a difference, that will move hearts? If you can crack it, you will be King.

Having the privilege of being a regular judge at The APPIES, I have been consistently moved by the fearless audacity, boundless creativity, and unwavering passion demonstrated by presenters as they make their case for their campaigns to be recognized as the most impactful in the country.

Tips for improvement:

1. To enhance their presentations, presenters should carefully balance the execution’s visual allure with a strong emphasis on addressing the underlying business/marketing challenge effectively.
2. It is vital to never lose sight of the consumer insight that serves as the campaign’s beating heart, captivating and resonating with their target audience.
3. Presenters must master the art of storytelling, seamlessly weaving in the campaign’s performance results to craft a narrative that leaves a lasting impression on judges and underscores the campaign’s true effectiveness.

This was my first time judging The APPIES and I saw great marketing campaigns not only from Malaysia, but also from Thailand, India, and other Asian countries. The combination of video, presentation and the interactive QA was powerful and exciting. All of the campaigns were well thought out, great ideas, and produced good results, making the judging process very difficult.

I had the utmost pleasure and privilege of being a judge at The APPIES, celebrating the best of marketing excellence. This award event stands out from the rest, as it goes beyond mere written submissions; participants showcase their brilliance through live presentations. I was able to witness the enthusiasm and determination emanating from each presenter, all while fostering a collaborative atmosphere of learning and growth.

What truly sets the winning cases apart, in my view, is their unwavering commitment to their objectives from the outset and their relentless pursuit of success in captivating the target audience, all without succumbing to internal pressures or compromising on short-term sales growth.

The spirit of healthy competition and the pursuit of excellence prevalent at The APPIES is remarkable and sets the bar high. Hats off to all the participants, winners, and organizers for making this year’s festival a resounding success.

The APPIES is definitely one of the most engaging and interactive awards show where all the participants and judges are able to have real-time conversations around the objectives of the campaigns, challenges and complexity around the thinking and execution, which then must lead to actual attributable results, be it in sales, conversion, engagement or loyalty.

Many of the campaigns submitted were exceptional and highly creative, but I felt the participants could have paid more attention to the framing and packaging of the intent, challenge and results, as at the end of the day – this is all about story-telling and narration.

It was my honour to judge The APPIES this year, alongside some of the most respected marketers in Malaysia. It was a great learning experience, and I was left inspired by the innovative campaigns and passionate presenters.

My biggest takeaway is a reminder that we need both logic and magic – to be clear with the objective and what success looks like.

And a breakthrough idea to stand out.

Judging the APPIES was an amazing opportunity puts things into perspective.

It’s an opportunity to gauge the success of the submissions and presenters, and serves as a mirror to reflect the quality of the work and campaigns in the marketplace. The participants and case studies this year were pushing their boundaries in what I can say is a leap in the right direction for the Malaysian marketing community.

During the judges’ briefing session, we were advised to be objectively ruthless in our assessment. What ensued was a gruelling two days of presentations, of which only a handful emerged unscathed.

My advice to future participants is to customise your presentation according to the category submitted. State clear objectives, present a well-defined strategy (that aligns with the objectives and target audience), demonstrate flawless execution, indicate measurable results, showcase simplicity in innovation, and seal the deal with impactful storytelling.

As a whole, this year’s APAC APPIES entries covered the entire spectrum from ‘steady and solid’ to ‘inspiring’. If I have any advice for next year’s contenders it would be this….

In the race to implement a barrage of excellent logical digital, activation and conversion tactics, never forget that magic is a huge part of how marketing actually works too. The ideas I loved best this year embraced the unusual, the kooky and the unexpected in the best possible way AND executed the activation well.

APPIES is worth beyond the award itself, as the winning entries are about the quality of submissions as well as how well marketers understand and defend their ideas. Which brings us to how important it is to treat agency like partners with a shared KPI, in turning ideas to life.

Marketing entries get better year on year and APPIES Malaysia as a platform stands out as it combines mature and new judges, who look at entries beyond the write-up but as a stage to exhibit new and existing talents to take this industry forward.

The APPIES APAC Judging Event was very well organised and it was a great learning experience for me personally as it provided good insights about the changing consumer landscape across the region. Two observations/suggestions for the participants…

Remember you are presenting a business case wherein you need to clearly articulate the business challenge, the insights and actions you took and how the results solved the business challenge. You have to do all this within the  given time. It has to be a compelling and persuasive business case. Some presenters spent the majority of their time talking about the campaign and missed presenting a compelling story.

The Organisers of The APPIES awards would like to thank sponsor Netcore, supporting partners Zoomer Media, Visual Retale and RUP, beer partner Heineken and Official Awards Night venue the Sime Darby Convention Centre.

The APPIES Awards Night will be held on the 11th of August 2023 at the Sime Darby Convention Centre. Table bookings can be made here.