2023 MAD STARS announced 3 Keynotes Speakers and 2057 Finalists

The 2023 MAD STARS (Busan International Marketing & Advertising Festival), Asia's largest international event for Marketing, Advertising, and Digital content announced the finalists.

MAD STARS, which closed its submission period in June, received 22,282 entries from 63 countries.

Of these, 2,057 entries from 47 countries (1,886 in the professional category and 171 in the general public category) were selected through a preliminary jury consisting of 315 global working professionals from 72 countries.

The United Arab Emirates led the way in the Professional category with 204 entries, followed by Japan (168), South Korea (145), India (137), and Singapore (127).

The agency network with the most finalists was WPP with 392 entries, followed by Omnicom with 243 entries.

A notable feature this year was a significant increase in entries in the VIDEO Group, which was created to recognize creative and original brand videos. This is due to a shift in the way consumers consume content, with the rise of short-form videos - short, snackable pieces of content produced on a variety of social media channels, including Instagram and YouTube.

The Video group received 927 entries, a 73% increase from the previous year, of which 157 were selected as finalists.

Among the Video Group finalists is Leo Burnett Dubai's "Hidden Room" for furniture retailer Home Box, which used a three-minute video to inspire consumers in the Middle East to make a purchase.

Leo Burnett worked with Home Box's furniture designers to create the most efficient and customized furniture for the dilapidated, cramped rooms of expatriate female domestic workers across the Middle East, and then unveiled the first-ever furniture collection for domestic workers.

At the same time, a campaign video showed how the rooms of four expatriate maids were transformed by the furniture, which resonated with the employers of maids in Dubai and brought about positive change.

The campaign, which did more than just promote a product, but also led to a change in the law regarding living conditions for domestic workers, was recognized as a finalist in eight categories, including three video groups.

It's also noteworthy that there were many campaigns aimed at promoting human rights and protecting the interests of marginalized groups.

Among the finalists is Down Syndrome International's (DSi) "Kami," created by Forsman & Bodenfors Singapore, a virtual influencer based on a 20-something woman with Down syndrome. Kami is based on the appearance, voice, and personality of more than 100 women with Down syndrome, and all content is created through interviews with women with Down syndrome.

The campaign, which sends the message that people with Down syndrome have the right to be included in the virtual world and that it's not a flaw, was a finalist in 12 categories.

The "Samsung Unfear" campaign, created by Cheil Worldwide Spain, is an app designed for people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who are hypersensitive and fearful of certain sounds.

It was designed to address the critical shortcoming that when people with ASD use conventional noise-canceling technologies, they can be isolated from their surroundings by having all the sounds around them canceled out, leaving them unable to hear important auditory cues.

When users launch the app while wearing Samsung's wireless earphones, the Galaxy Buzz, it recognizes sounds in real time and allows them to selectively block out certain noises that cause them stress, such as sirens and baby cries.

The campaign, which uses artificial intelligence to protect people with autism spectrum disorders and hearing loss and hypersensitivity, was also a finalist in 12 categories.

The finalists will go through three more rounds of judging until Tuesday, August 22, with an opening ceremony on Wednesday, August 23, and an awards ceremony on Friday, August 25, where the Grand Prix of the Year and category Grand Prix, Gold, Silver, and Bronze awards will be announced.

And there will be 45 talks, including three keynotes. Artwell Nwaila, Head of Creative, Sub-Saharan Africa, Google; Tom Goddard, President, World Out of Home Organization (WOO); and Fabio Seidl, Global Creative Development Director, Meta.

Tom Goddard, President at World Out of Home Organization will be speaking on the topic of "Creativity & Innovations in Out of Home Advertising" addressing the current global OOH creative trend and changes of Global OOH Advertising Market.

Sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Busan City, MAD STARS 2023 will be held offline for three days starting Wednesday, August 23, at BEXCO Busan and Haeundae.

The 16th Busan International Marketing & Advertising Festival will showcase creative solutions in the advertising, marketing, digital, and video sectors under the theme of "REBOOT!" (Restart with new strategies after the pandemic).

In particular, the conference, where current global experts share the latest trends and insights in the field, and the winners of the competition, which was held offline for the first time in four years, can also be seen through the exhibition and awards ceremony.

In addition, various programs such as the 'Opening Ceremony', 'Opening/Closing Gala', and 'Networking Party' will be held for domestic and international visitors to interact.