At the London International Awards (LIA), the juries for the Evolution and Creative Use of Data and Audio & Radio categories will be announced. Yasu Sasaki, Global Chief Creative Officer at dentsu, will chair the jury for the Evolution and Creative Use of Data categories, and Laura Rapela, Executive Creative Director at GUT Buenos Aires, will chair the jury for Audio & Radio.
A computer science graduate, Yasu Sasaki was an early pioneer of interactive advertising. His passion for creativity and technology has been a distinctive feature throughout his career, particularly when he founded the cutting-edge R&D offering Dentsu Lab Tokyo in 2014. In October 2023, Yasu was appointed Dentsu’s global Chief Creative Officer and is responsible for leading Dentsu’s global creative practice, including Dentsu Creative. He sets the standard for creative excellence and is key to building a culture of creativity and innovation across Dentsu.
Accepting his position as jury chair for evolution and creative use of data, Yasu said: “When data is enhanced with the power of ideas, innovation is more likely. The more creativity pushes the boundaries, the easier it is for evolution to happen. It is a great honor to judge these two exciting categories. I look forward to seeing the ideas that will change the world.”
As technology becomes more integrated into marketing and creative ideas, agencies need to be adaptable and innovative. But not just for the sake of innovation. The best ideas, no matter how technologically advanced, still need to tell a compelling story at their core that resonates with consumers.
Barbara Levy, President of the LIA, commented: “The advertising landscape is dynamic. New technologies emerge very quickly and many brands want to be part of an emerging technological trend. Then came augmented and virtual reality and now artificial intelligence is in play. It will be very interesting to see the trends that emerge from the jury of evolution and creative use of data.”
Laura Rapela, Executive Creative Director at GUT Buenos Aires, will chair the Audio & Radio jury. Laura said when accepting the position: “I am so excited and honored by this news! I like the idea of being able to see everything and see the big picture. I want to select the pieces that renew the category, as is currently the trend, but without neglecting the great scripts that always make us smile. Great ideas with audio at the center. That’s what we’ll be looking for.”
It is said that the importance of traditional radio is on the rise again around the world, with listeners tuning in to reputable stations for reliable news and entertainment.
In the US, figures show that 55% of Generation Z listen to AM/FM radio daily. And more Americans listen to the radio each week than use Facebook. In fact, radio enjoys the highest collective trust of all advertising channels.
Barbara Levy continued: “Radio is over 100 years old. And it is still a powerful medium today. It has the power to paint pictures in our minds, just through music, sound and voice. That is creativity.”
Judging will take place on-site at Encore @ Wynn in Las Vegas. All judges will review all entries submitted in their respective categories across all judging rounds. These elite panels of creative experts will look for work that not only demonstrates great creative ideas, but also stands out for its innovation and impact – work that will advance the future of creativity.
Jury “Evolution and creative use of data”
- Yasu Sasaki, Global Chief Creative Officer, dentsu – Jury President
- Joey David Tiempo, Founder/CEO, Octopus&Whale, Manila
- Dominik Heinrich, Co-founder, Creative AI, New York
- Kaleeta McDade, Global Chief Experience Design Officer, VML
- Toan Nguyen, Founder/Managing Director, Jung von Matt NERD, Hamburg
- Lucia Orlandi, Executive Creative Director for Apple, TBWA\Media Arts Lab, Los Angeles
- Carren O’Keefe, Chief Creative Officer, Digitas UK, London
- Frédéric Raillard, Founder / CEO / Global Head of Gen AI, (Ai)magination
- Tiffany Rolfe, Global Chair/Global Chief Creative Officer, R/GA
- Jimmy Smith, Chairman / CEO / Chief Creative Officer, Amusement Park Entertainment, Irvine
- Lewis Tutssel, Head of Creative Strategy, Reddit, London
- Jouke Vuurmans, global chief creative officer, Monks
Audio and radio jury
- Laura Rapela, Executive Creative Director, GUT Buenos Aires – Jury President
- Oriel Davis-Lyons, Chief Creative Officer, Mother New York, New York
- Alexis Estiz, Founder/Chief Creative Officer, Pickle Music, Brooklyn
- Tom Eymundson, Partner/Sound Director, Pirate Sound, Toronto
- Addie Gillespie, Creative Director/Writer, Zulu Alpha Kilo, Toronto
- Jo McCrostie, Creative Director, Global Media, London
- Riana McKenzie, Senior Copywriter, Clemenger BBDO Australia, Melbourne
- Oscar Meixner, CEO/Partner, Hastings Audio Network, Hamburg
- Mariana O’Kelly, EVP / Executive Creative Director, Leo Burnett, Chicago
- Odin Saillé, Founder/Chief Creative, Mutant, Antwerp
- Chris Smith, Co-Founder/Director/Chief Creative Officer, Plot Twist Creativity, Dallas
Judging in Las Vegas will begin on September 29 and will be completed on October 7, 2024.
