Paul Head’s introduction to Thursday night’s Axis Awards was short, but it was quite long enough for the CAANZ ceo to point out the great changes taking place in Axis this year – changes that reflect the rapid shifts in the ad industry itself.
“Our world is changing at an exponential pace,” Head said. “In fact at the Axis Speaks event on Tuesday night John Merriifield, chief creative officer for Google Asia Pacific, said that there will be more change in the next five years than there has been in the last 20.
“So at this time in our industry, an awards show needs to be directional.”
“For those of you that have been paying close attention to this evening’s proceedings you’ll notice there’s been a real shift in the industry that is reflected in both what has been entered and then recognised here tonight.
“This year saw only five entries in the 30-Second or Less TVC category, and only a handful more in the Longer than 30 Second category. That’s a marked departure from past years.
“But conversely we’ve seen the advent of – and strong support for – new categories like Tech and Design to reflect what agencies are doing for clients today.
“Our industry isn’t just about comms in the way it was even five years ago.
“In deciding the Grand Axis, the executive jury felt strongly that they had to take this shift into account.
“To reiterate, they believed that at this time in our industry, an awards show needs to be directional and the judges have awarded the Grand Axis to an idea that they believe lays down a marker – an idea that shows us a possible future for the industry by creating innovative products and user experiences that move the client’s business forward.”
Share this Post
