中国不关心国际广告节|China’s Indifference To International Ad Shows
为什么中国在世界广告舞台上未能占得一席之地?站上世界广告舞台重要吗?|WhyisChinasounderrepresentedontheworldstage,anddoesitmatter?...
2015年,中国的广告开销高达750亿美元,是全球广告资金投入第二高的国家。那么既然市场规模如此之大,为什么在国际大赛中,中国的参赛作品却没有占到那么大的份额呢?
China spent almost US$75 billion on advertising in 2015, making it the market with the second highest advertising expenditure on earth. Why then does the country's participation at international shows remain so disproportionate to the size of the market?
泰国的亚太广告节创立于1998年,广泛被大众认为是亚洲最前沿的广告节之一。当SHP+向亚太广告节主席林俊明问到有关今年亚太广告节上,中国的广告作品的情况时,他原本热情洋溢的脸上立刻展现恼怒。“整体来看,中国的代表作品数量有所增加。但是鉴于中国的营销和传媒规模之大,所以其实作品所占的比重还是不大。”他说道,“中国有那么多的作品,但是入围广告节的却没那么多。比如说Fabulous 4奖,难道中国没有年轻导演吗?这绝不可能!”
2015戛纳广告节金奖,《搜免费wifi,寻走失儿童》,北京TBWA|2015 Cannes Lion Gold, Search for Free Wifi, Search for Missing Children, by TBWA Beijing
2015戛纳广告节金奖,《英国等你来命名》,北京奥美|2015 Cannes Lion Gold, Great Names for Great Britain, by Ogilvy & Mather Beijing
The dearth extends to the world’s leading advertising show Cannes Lions. Chairman Terry Savage explains, “[In 2015] we had an all-time record 330 delegates from China… But if you look at that number by comparison to the 2500 delegates we get from the US, then there is obviously potential for growth.”
中国的得奖情况
China Prizes
Savage对近年来中国广告公司的作品还是很乐观的。在2015亚洲创意节(属于戛纳国际创意节的一部分,是亚洲另一知名广告节)期间,SHP+与他进行了交流,他指出,“10年前,中国几乎什么奖都没得过,但是现在,中国一年就能拿17个奖项,下一年又能拿23个奖项。而且还拿过两次全场大奖。他们已经步入了优秀创意水平的行列。”
Savage has seen a positive evolution for the work from Chinese agencies over the years. Speaking to SHP+ at Spikes Asia 2015 (a Lions event and another of Asia’s leading advertising festivals), he said, “10 years ago, China won virtually nothing, but now we’re seeing them winning 17 Lions one year, 23 Lions the next. They’ve won two Grand Prix. They’re past the tipping point in terms of the levels of creative excellence.”
2015年戛纳广告节金奖,《黑曼巴球场》,AKQA伦敦与AKQA上海|2015 Cannes Lion Gold, House of Mamba, by AKQA London/ AKQA Shanghai
虽然取得了这些成绩,但是相比之下,中国广告作品的整体水平还是不如日本、澳大利亚等亚太地区其他国家,也赶不上全球范围内其他地区。奥美中国COO Graham Fink曾是2015 戛纳国际创意节钛狮奖的评委,他表示,“(中国)的作品水平还不够。确实中国也在逐渐步入正轨,学得也很快,但还是有一段路要走。”Despite the successes, the general quality of work from China is still below that of APAC heavy hitters like Japan or Australia and many other markets worldwide. Ogilvy China CCO Graham Fink, a Titanium Award judge at Cannes Lions 2015, summed up, “The [Chinese] work is not good enough. China is on it’s way, it’s learning really, really fast, but it’s got a way to go.”
2015戛纳广告节金奖,《再次呼吸》,上海扬罗必凯|2015 Cannes Lion Gold, Breathe Again, by Y&R Shanghai
Jimmy Lam is especially unimpressed by the output of the big China-based 4A agencies, placing blame on cautious clients, “Of the international clients, very few of them are willing to take a risk. In an award show, middle of the road work doesn’t stand a chance.” Indeed, with such a large and unpredictable market, brands are notoriously wary of campaigns that dare to venture outside the ordinary, preferring the security of research, focus groups and data. Bigger agencies build campaigns around effectiveness rather than ideas, something which, as Jimmy suggests, is critically hampering China’s chances, “It doesn’t matter about the numbers or the percentages. If there’s no idea, no creativity, no strategy, they don’t even get shortlisted.”
冷漠的独立广告公司
Indie Indifference
2015 Spikes Asia亚洲广告节全场大奖与金奖,《网游无罪,畅玩有理》,盛世长城大中华区|2015 Spikes Asia Grand Prix and Gold, Playing Can Not Be Bad, by Saatchi & Saatchi Greater China
这样看来,我们似乎可以把希望寄托在一些比较灵活的独立广告机构和愿意冒险的客户身上。然而事实并非如此,这些独立的广告公司一般都会避开戛纳广告节、亚太广告节以及Spike(新加坡)等等这样大赛。It would appear that the hope lies with the more nimble independent agencies and their typically more adventurous clients. However, they are generally shunning the likes of Cannes and big Asian shows such as ADFEST and Spikes (Singapore).
2015 Spikes Asia亚洲广告节金奖,炒面与靓汤重新在一起,上海BBDO|2015 Spikes Asia Gold, The Reunion of Noodles & Soup, by BBDO Shanghai
Most prohibitive are the costs associated with submitting work. Entering a single Cannes category costs between $520 (3400rmb) and $1700 (11,000rmb), and, unlike many of the winning entries from other markets, Chinese clients are unlikely to help fund entries. FCB Shanghai ECD Andy Chan elaborates, “The climate now is that every renminbi counts. In a lot of cases, smaller agencies with good ideas don’t have the money to enter. Local agencies don’t see Cannes as their destination; they care more about their business.” For Andrew Lok, ECD of independent agency Civilization, it is a choice between entering awards or rewarding his team, “I’d rather spend the money on company holidays, bonuses and raises for my staff, because those are the people that give you the work. If they want awards, they can go elsewhere”
2015 亚太广告节金奖,《泰康瞬间》,北京杰尔鹏泰|2015 ADFEST Gold, A Taikang Moment, by Cheil Pengtai Beijing
此外,中国的广告公司很多都是一种立足本土、与世隔绝的态度,所以这也是导致中国的参赛作品数量有限的原因。很多本土广告公司不在乎能不能得到国际认可。客户都是中国本地公司,所以他们只需要为中国市场提供服务就可以了。上海独立广告公司W的创始人李三水解释了为什么其他独立广告公司都不如W这般热衷于参加各类奖项,“(中国的广告公司)根本不在乎亚太广告节或者其他什么广告节,他们只想着怎么多赚钱。一座莲花奖不会给公司带来直接收益或者什么好处。”所以这样一种冷漠的态度也导致了一种恶性循环 -- 中国作品在广告节上的份额少之又少,而且这些奖项看似也与中国毫无关系。Chinese participation is also limited by an endemic insular attitude. Many local agencies are uninterested in winning international recognition. Their clients are China-based and they only seek to create work for the China market. Shanghai independent agency W founder Li Sanshui explains why other indies don't share his enthusiasm, “[Chinese agencies] don’t care about ADFEST or other festivals, they just want to make more money. Winning a Lotus Award doesn’t really bring any direct profit or advantage to the company.” The indifference gives rise to a vicious cycle whereby minimal Chinese presence makes awards feel irrelevant to Chinese agencies.
2015亚太广告节金奖,《事关人命,遵守交规》,上海睿狮|2015 ADFEST Gold, No Trucks Ahead, by Lowe China Shanghai
Unlike the big global agencies, smaller agencies do not have the benefit of the creative councils of experienced ECDs that decide which work should be polished and entered. On top of the language barrier, they are inexperienced with awards, unfamiliar with the entry process and unsure how to prepare work to give it the best chance of success. Jean Lin, Global CEO of ISOBAR and president of the judging committee for the Cyber Lions at Cannes Lions 2015, witnessed the shortcomings of Chinese submissions, “When you are competing against 3700 entries, what is crucial is how quickly the idea is made clear through providing the cultural context, the problem and the solution. Much of the work from China spends more time on the details of the ideas than clearly outlining the context. When you jump straight into the idea itself, it can lose sight of the bigger picture. China can do a lot better in helping people to understand and be inspired by the solutions happening here.”
2015亚太广告节金奖,《手写瓶》,北京杰尔广告|2015 ADFEST Gold, Signature Bottle, by Cheil China Beijing
Even if China-based agencies understand how to make their submissions award-ready, they rarely have the time required to act upon it. Fred Raillard, founder, chairman and CEO of Fred & Farid Shanghai, explains. “It goes so fast in China that you don’t have time to polish your operation.” He adds that the unique nature of the digital landscape in China means much of the work they create does not fit neatly into the traditional categories, “We don’t even know into which category to enter [our work]. China is ahead on social media but behind on traditional media. Look at the dynamism… on Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent; every week I discover a completely new game-changer.”
2016亚太广告节金奖,《10元背后看哭每个人的故事》,北京智威汤逊|2016 ADFEST Gold, 10 Yuan Tale Of Forgotten Veterans, by JWT Beijing
走进中国
Going Local
W广告公司创始人李三水在亚太广告节上慷慨陈词,呼吁中国的作品能多多参赛,“其实并不只是为了提升公司的名誉或是吸引更多的客户,而是在为整个行业做一件善事。所以我希望广告公司和制作公司能够肩负起责任……(参与广告节)可以极大推动广告产业的发展。我希望中国公司能够意识到这一点。”而林友琴概括地更精炼,“有得奖的欲望其实对所有创意人员来说都是好事,奖项可以推动行业的发展。”W founder Li Sanshui, speaking at ADFEST, made an impassioned plea for increased Chinese participation, “It’s not only about the reputation of the company or attracting more clients, it’s about doing good for the industry. I hope the agencies and production houses take responsibility… [Participation] can bring a huge boost to the industry. I wish Chinese companies would realize that.” Jean Lin puts it even more succinctly, “Having the desire to win awards is a good thing for all creatives. Awards push the industry forward.”要想在国际广告节上占有一席之地,中国行业人士需要齐心协力。“就制作人员而言,没有广告机构联盟,也没有制作行业协会可言。所以大家都是各做各的,各走各的路”,林俊明如是说。中国最大的行业协会,即中国广告协会,一直以来都是将精力放在国内。
To rally a significant presence at international festivals, China’s industry needs a unifying force. “For production people, there is no advertising agency association, no production guild. Everybody is operating separately, on their own”, says Jimmy Lam. However, the biggest industry association, the China Advertising Association (CAA) has been, and remains, heavily domestically focused.
2015北京One Show全场大奖,霸王点评,W上海|2015 One Show Gran Prix, Dianping, by W shanghai
The size of China’s market and growing strength of the industry means the focus is switching from China branching out, to the rest of the world looking in. There are now around a dozen significant award shows in the Mainland, three of which are operated by the CAA, including the China International Advertising Festival (CIAF) since 1982 and the ROI Awards since 2003. Jimmy Lam’s Longxi Awards has established itself as another of the most highly regarded domestic awards since he co-founded the event in 1997.
2015戛纳广告节金奖,《百度筷搜》,北京百度在线网络技术|2015 Cannes Lion Gold,
Baidu Kuaisou, by Baidu Online Network Technology (Beijing)
International award shows are also entering the market, choosing local partners to help ease their transition. The One Show (USA), in China since 2001, is run with the support of the Beijing Advertising Association, while the Effie Awards (USA) started in China in 2003 is partnered with the CAA. Both the British D&AD and the French Cristal Awards tapped into Jimmy Lam’s extensive connections and industry stature by appointing him as an honorary figurehead for their tentative recent forays into China.
2015中国广告长城奖金奖,《第二张名片,脱下你的西装》,华扬联众上海公司|2015 Great Wall Award Gold, Take off Your Suit, by Hylink Shanghai
Lions came unstuck on its previous efforts in China, the Asia Marketing Effectiveness Awards (Beijing) and Digital Asia (Shanghai). The shows were held in English because they were regional, but the vast majority of delegates and sponsors were Chinese, leading to what Terry Savage describes as a “schizophrenic event”. He confirms that Lions will return to the China market but emphasizes that a change of approach is needed, “It’s no good coming in and being a big western festival with western values in a market with a very unique approach and culture. China is it’s own market… It operates very differently from the South East Asian markets…You’ve got to reflect what is happening there. If you’re going to do something, it has to be done in Chinese.”
中国/国际广告节一览|Advertising Festivals & Awards
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