Advertising Festival sees global creatives in Colombo

TBWA Singapore Executive Creative Director Asheen Naidu speaks at the event 

Sri Lanka’s advertising industry experienced an unprecedented surge of inspiration as the Four A’s Advertising Festival took place recently, welcoming over 650 participants. 

Hosted at Taj Samudra, the event featured 13 sessions and five workshops by global creative speakers, each bringing a wealth of expertise to the stage. 

BBDO Singapore Creative Chairman Tay Guan Hin kicked off the first day of the festival with an interactive talk on embracing conflict to boost creativity. MullenLowe Singapore Creative Director Teddy Sandu closed the first day’s talks with his presentation that featured the best (and perhaps the most fundamental) way to learn: to ‘FAFO.’
Humor and impactful advertising headlined the second day of the festival, where Saatchi & Saatchi Australia CCO Mandie Van Der Merwe delivered insights on using humour in advertising. At the same time, YML Y&R India Creative Director Mahesh Ambaliya highlighted the use of advertising for good. TBWA Singapore Executive Creative Director Asheen Naidu spoke about the inclusion of tech into advertising. DDB Group Melbourne Group Executive Creative Director Psembi Kinstan shared his experiences from an award-winning career that spans from Australia to the UK.

MullenLowe Lintas Mumbai EVP Strategy Pooja Rawat shared excerpts from their recent pan-India study ‘The State of States’. Joining her was Dentsu Creative India - West and South Regions Chief Creative Officer Surjo Dutt, who elaborated on the importance of leaning into cultural truths.

Publicis Groupe South-East Asia Chief Creative Officer Ajay Vikram discussed the evolving landscape of advertising across the Southeast Asian region. TBWA Singapore Executive Creative Director Asheen Naidu spoke about the inclusion of tech in advertising.

Media Arts Lab APAC Singapore Managing Director and Head of Strategy Michaela Futcher lent her strategic acumen on the negative impact algorithms have on creativity, while DDB Group Melbourne Group Executive Creative Director Psembi Kinstan shared his experiences from an award-winning career that spans from Australia to the UK.

Vexology Advertising Dubai Independent Creative and Strategy Consultant Assam Khalid closed the festival with a compelling talk about ‘Taking Creativity Hostage’, leaving the audience with powerful insights on navigating creative challenges.