Spikes jury chief Cristovao: Please, no more lip-service to causes

Claudia Cristovao, head of Google Brand Studio for Google APAC and president of the Digital, Digital Craft and Mobile juries at this year's Spikes Asia, shares her thoughts ahead of the festival. www.spikes.asia

What are you most looking forward to about judging your category at Spikes?

Digital, Mobile and Digital Craft is where a lot of innovation happens but it tends not to be niche. And it’s always inspiring to see craft in a digital category—often pulling towards the tangible and the analog.

What will you be hoping to see in winning entries?

I hope to see fewer trends and more unique work. I’m also keen to see where the bar is in digital and mobile—some time ago, this was the home of the low budget and the TVC take-down, but it’s much more likely that great ideas have their home (and heart) in digital now. 

What recent trends are you seeing in ad campaigns in this category in general?

Across the board I see that brands are bolder and more confident in putting long, complex content forward—and if it is good, audiences are responsive to that.

Any trends you really think need to stop?

Mindless use of latest formats or platforms, case studies calling out “millennials” in screaming tones, lip-service to causes.

How do you see the state of creativity in Asia in general: what do you like about the way people think creatively here?

It’s a complex region where a lot of layers coexist, exactly like the US or Europe—you have the appalling, the unremarkable and the extremely good. In every single awards show we see are unique pieces that represent the overwhelming power of an amazing idea and execution, no matter where it comes from.

I admire the cynicism-free approach of creatives in Asia. There’s a lot of earnest conviction and enthusiastic exploration—fundamental for great creative work. 

What future innovations are you excited about that will enhance creative thinking?

Every year there is an exciting crop of new technology and new usages of known tech, so there is always something fresh to look out for. But it all boils down to a great story: if you start with that, you will find an exciting way to tell it.

Claudia Cristovao will be speaking at Spikes Asia from 12-12.30pm on Friday 28 September 2018 on the Inspiration stage, and you can meet her afterwards from 12.45-13.15 in the PwC Meetups Lounge. www.spikes.asia