BBDO Singapore releases NFTs for Portfolio Night

Portfolio Night has always been a great platform to connect students to the creative juggernauts of the industry. It is a platform for aspiring copywriters and art directors to learn from the best in the industry and also an opportunity to showcase their portfolios.

Even the most well known Creative Directors of today will be familiar with this initiation ritual. After all, they once displayed their first portfolios as aspiring students themselves.

As part of this year’s Portfolio Night, BBDO Singapore partnered with The One Club for Creativity and various Creative Directors to create NFTs of their first portfolios to serve as entry tokens for students from LASALLE College of the Arts, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Nanyang Polytechnic, Raffles Design Institute and Temasek Polytechnic as a way for them to meet their creative heroes.

12 limited edition NFTs were created and minted. Every NFT features the first portfolio of the Creative Director, and the student who receives one will have the opportunity to meet the director of the NFT on June 8th, between 8pm and 9pm (SGMT).

Andy Grant explained in his NFT how breaking rules helped break new grounds for him – “This was my first brand campaign back in 2002. 3 films for Audi to communicate their brand platform of Vorsprung Durch Technik. We didn’t show any cars in the films. A first for the brand. It was the first big piece of work I got to produce and see in the real world. And my parents got to gush and tell all their friends that their son did it.”

While Ho Pei Ling revealed how sometimes unexpected beginnings can yield undeniable results. “I wasn’t a student of advertising. I was a budding political scientist who got tired of politics fast. And…what got me into advertising wasn’t a spec ad. It was a series of book reviews I had penned as an intern at I-S, a now defunct magazine that used to be rather cool. I got the job as a junior copywriter because my group head giggled at what I wrote. and bought the book after. Beginnings can start from anywhere — your book can be one of ’em.”

Sascha Kuntze shared in his NFT how being a brave put him ahead of the crowd, commenting, “Jung von Matt rejected me as an intern so I went to the second best agency at that time. One of the campaigns I was working on was the global brand campaign for Mercedes. Of course I was only assisting but I had some brave ideas which got the attention of Jung von Matt which then called to offer me a job. (headline translation: Dangers now need to make an effort. The A-Class. Safest car in its class.).”

And Pat Law divulged how small observations can make big impact. Pat said, “At one point in time, DIY computer repair was inconceivable to most of us incompetent schlubs. But as we’ve grown more tech-proficient as a culture, computer manufacturers have started introducing machines designed to help consumers do at-home repairs and upgrades. A collapsible cardboard desk that would fit the HP 27″, each Z1 is 100% paper desk that is supported by a lattice of 250 cardboard strips, capable of holding 70 pounds of weight. The desks, like the Z1, arrive in a flatback box, ready for assembly without a single tool. It’s a clever little marketing concept that equates a piece of high technology with handicraft. Just don’t spill anything on it.”

The following 12 Creative Directors participated in this NFT collection:

Alan Leong, Creative Lab (SEA), Tik Tok
Andy Grant, Executive Creative Director, TBWA
Hwee Peng, Creative Partner, Blak Labs
Joji Jacob, Creative Partner, BLK J Havas
Lizi Hamer, Executive Creative Director, No2ndPlace & Octagon
Marco Versolato, Chief Creative Officer, Wunderman Thompson
Pat Law, Founder, Goodstuph
Pei Ling Ho, Global Creative Director, Google
Sascha Kuntze, Chief Creative Officer, BBH
Theresa Ong, Head of Creative Shop, Meta
Thomas Yang, Executive Creative Director, DDB Singapore
Valerie Madon, Chief Creative Officer, VMLY&R

The “First Portfolio Collection” has given Creative Directors a new way to preserve and express their very first ideas and students a chance to own a piece of history that was vital for the success of these leaders.

It will perhaps inspire these students to forge their very own future, trusting in their very own first idea.

These inspiring First Portfolios are also available for public viewing here on Objkt.com, an NFT marketplace on Tezos. TZ APAC, the leading Asia-based blockchain adoption entity supporting the Tezos ecosystem, is one of the sponsors.

Credits:

Client: One Show – The One Club for Creativity

Creative Chairman: Tay Guan Hin

Senior Art Director: Amanda Ler

Senior Writer: Ivan Ng

Project Lead: Anne Lee