As part of an interview series in collaboration with the New York Festivals, we’re speaking with jurors from across the region and the globe about the creative scene in their markets, what they look for in standout work as a jury, and more.
First up in our series, we catch up with Adrian Tso, Chief Strategy Officer at BBDO Hong Kong.
Adrian talks about Hong Kong’s increasingly inward-looking creative market and the sub-cultural work quietly laying the foundation for better quality creative work, why risk-taking has shifted from sensible to survival imperative for clients navigating rougher waters, and what he’ll be paying close attention to as a juror at this year’s New York Festivals Advertising Awards — including the art of case-writing.
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He also reflects on the campaigns he’s most proud of from his agency, the work from other agencies that has stayed with him, and why awards matter beyond recognition — as forums for cross-border, cross-cultural learning at a moment when the markers for global creative standards are beginning to shift.
What inspires you most about the creative scene in Hong Kong?
What I find challenging about Hong Kong is that it has become more inward-looking over the years.
With the scale of opportunity in China commanding attention to the north, and Singapore steadily reinforcing its role as a regional hub to the south, Hong Kong has, for better or worse, placed its focus on its local audience of eight million.
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That has largely shaped the kind of work we see in the market today. However, at the same time, beneath the louder, more gimmicky, pay2win mainstream campaigns, are gems of sub‑cultural, audience-driven work that Hong Kong hasn’t seen in decades.
Beneath the louder, more gimmicky, pay2win mainstream campaigns, are gems of sub-cultural, audience-driven work that Hong Kong hasn’t seen in decades.
I find that both encouraging and inspiring, as it is quietly laying the foundation for better quality creative work. As this part of the local creative culture brews, what we need next, is to recalibrate our ambitions such that Hong Kong can find its way back to regional, and potentially global, relevance, if not influence.
Do you find clients more willing to take creative risks, and how do you get them there?
I think as a market, Hong Kong has seen unparalleled advantages for the better part of 30 years up till the late aughts. I am cautious in saying that this diminished the city’s competitiveness, but it definitely undermined the importance of marketing and creative effectiveness, and in turn, its voice in the boardroom.
On rough seas, it becomes a survival imperative to go on the offense and swing for the fences.
The city was so strong across real estate, finance, and tourism, that the edge marketing was supposed to make a difference, which wasn’t necessary – there was money to be made either way. Those circumstantial advantages were gone by the teens, and their lingering effects erased after Covid. Risk was a sensible focus when you’re on calm waters.
However, on rough seas, it becomes a survival imperative to go on the offense and swing for the fences. I think more and more clients are shifting their views to see the same, and for those who don’t, they need but a gentle nudge and reminder of the realities that we must contend with today.
As a juror for the New York Festivals Advertising Awards, what will you be looking for when you review the work this year?
The awards are going to be underpinned by creative excellence that is worth celebrating, there is no getting around that. Every entry will carry with it an angle that is fresh, inspiring, and disruptive. For the category of Creative Marketing Strategy / Effectiveness specifically, I’ll be paying attention to whether it drove results and whether results can be, to the best of the case’s ability, proven attributable.
In a field of exceptional work, the tiebreaker does tend to come down to the quality of case-writing.
There is an art to case-writing; and while that’s not to say that the underlying work shouldn’t be exceptional, but in a field of exceptional work, the tiebreaker does tend to come down to the quality of case-writing.
Award shows have evolved alongside the industry. What role do you think recognition and competition still play in pushing the industry forward?
I think celebration and recognition definitely still play a part in pushing the industry forward. However, as more and more businesses, especially those from Asia, find their way onto the global stage, and as consumption power from the East also begins to rise and rival, if not begin to eclipse, that of Western markets, the markers for “global standards” would have to begin to shift as well, since the challenges that creativity is tailored to solve would also become more nuanced.
Coming from a smaller market like Hong Kong, the problems that brands contend with, the environment and circumstances that the work lives in, and the cultural sensibilities and audience expectations here are widely different from those in the West.
Coming from a smaller market like Hong Kong, the problems that brands contend with, the environment and circumstances that the work lives in, and the cultural sensibilities and audience expectations here are widely different from those in the West. More than just recognition and competition, I think awards like New York Festivals are also opportunities for cross-border and cross-cultural learning and inspiration. And if anything, that is also an integral part of pushing the industry forward globally.
Are there any recent campaigns from your agency that you’re particularly proud of?
Hagar – Unbroken
McDonald’s – Coffee Retirement
McDonalds – 50 benches
FSDC – Where Money Comes to Grow
What piece of work — from any agency, any era — has stayed with you and continues to shape how you think about creativity?
Volkswagen – Project Polo
Dodge – ‘Farmer’ Super Bowl Ad
Wendy’s – Keeping Fortnite Fresh
Quick Hits
A useful app or tool you’ve started using recently:
- Even Realities – Smart Glasses
- TrueNAS / Next Cloud – Self-hosted Cloud Solutions
What started as a hobby in playing Minecraft turned me into an IT productivity geek.
Book, podcast, or resource you recommend:
Something you want to learn or get better at:
- Speed reading
- Vibe-everything
This interview was done in collaboration with NY Festivals. To learn more about the New York Festival Advertising Awards, visit here.
