DDB Group Hong Kong’s CEO joined an esteemed panel of judges from across the region to judge the APAC Effie Awards held in September. Here’s his account of what went down in the judging room, plus predictions for future Effie-winning campaigns.

Do you have any predictions about trends or themes we’ll see in future Effie-winning campaigns?
Andreas: It might sound a bit strange at first, but I believe that future Effie-winning campaigns will be even more creatively driven. Now in the past, our industry liked to distinguish between effective campaigns on one side and creative ones on the other. But thanks to the research by Les Binet and Peter Field, we now know that creative campaigns are, in fact, effective campaigns. So in regard to Effie’s entries, I believe that the ones that will win big will be the ones that tick every single box. Concise objectives, clear insights, killer results, obviously, but also top-notch creative work.

What advice would you give to a rising marketer who aspires to win an Effie?
Andreas: You don’t just win an Effie overnight out of luck. It takes really hard work, and by that, I don’t just mean the actual planning and execution of the campaign itself, but there’s also the results tracking, the case writing, and then obviously also the video scripting and editing – all of which requires time. Now, the best Effie cases might make it look extremely effortless, but that’s only the case because a lot of blood, sweat, and tears went into the preparation. So, if you really want to win an Effie, I’d say stay committed to the cause and be willing to make some sacrifices along the way.

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