Sitting on international award juries has given me the opportunity to experience creativity from a very different perspective.
When you judge hundreds of ideas from different countries, cultures, categories, and agencies, one thing becomes clear: great creativity has no nationality.
The strongest work usually has three things in common—a simple idea, a powerful human truth, and excellent execution. You should be able to understand the heart of an idea quickly, even when you are unfamiliar with the market where it originated.
Judging has also taught me that complexity can often weaken a great idea. If an idea requires too much explanation, its power can disappear.
For creatives from emerging markets, this creates an enormous opportunity. We don’t need to imitate work from London, New York, Tokyo, or anywhere else. Our culture, problems, behaviours, and everyday realities can become our greatest creative advantage.
Local truth can create global relevance.