Slovenian Advertising Chamber organizes one of the biggest European advertising festivals Golden Drum which celebrates its 20th Anniversary in Portorož and Piran, Slovenia, from 9 – 11 October 2013. 1395 entries from 26 countries of New Europe have entered the Golden Drum competition. Additionally young creatives have entered 177 posters in the Off Drum Competition of Beat the Drum for Change Award by Golden Drum and DDB. Area of 37 countries of North, Eastern, Central and South Europe, Russia and Middle East which each year compete in the Golden Drum Festival represent a market of over 400 million consumers – and only the best creative works get selected to compete for Golden Drum Awards. Best entries await 16 Grand Prix Awards, Golden and Silver Drums, Golden Rose, Tartini Award, Golden Net, Brand Grand Prix, Virtuoso Awards and Golden Watch Award which will this year for the first time be awarded to the best and most successful Creative Director of Golden Drum Festival for the best advertising campaign.
Lectures, workshops, panels and competitions
Each year around 900 delegates from 40 countries visits the festival and this year, they will get a chance to listen to over 30 different speakers. Program will host many distinguished guests, among them the world famous designer Stefan Sagmeister from design studio Sagmeister & Walsh, USA, Simon Schwaighofer, Creative Director of Red Bull Creative, Austria, Kris Hoet, Head of Digital at Duval Guillaume agency which made the well-known campaign “Push to add drama!”, while five top professionals: Micky Denehy, Paul Arnold, Paul Burns, Dietmar Dahmen and Gurdeep Puri will host a special EACA Advertising Masterclass. Young Creatives will get a special treat this year as they can enter two Off Drum competitions: Publicis Drum Award and Beat the Drum for Change. Apart from that, young talents can apply for the Portfolio speed-dating where they will get a chance to present their best work to experienced senior Creative Directors who will help them with their vast experience and give them valuable feedback to help them with planning of their future career.
Golden Drum Competition
This year’s competition will be divided in two sections named Single Channel and Multi Channel, judged by two international juries of top experts from the advertising industry. Single Channel jury will be led by Enric Nel-lo, Chief General Creative Director of Digital, Gray Spain, will be President of the Single Channel Jury, with the help of jury members Andrew Kontra, Creative Director, BBDO Proximity, Russia, Anže Jereb, Creative Director, Kaffeine Communications, Ukraine, Malek Ghorayeb, Regional Executive Creative Director, Leo Burnett MENA, Catalin Dobre, Executive Creative Director, McCann Bucharest, Romania, Dieter De Ridder, Copywriter, Duval Guillaume, Belgium, Dušan Drakalski, Regional Creative Director, New Moment New Ideas Company, Macedonia, Gregor Žakelj, Founder and Art Director, VBG, Slovenia, Martin Charvát, Creative Director, Konektor, Czech Republic, Peter Ižo, Creative Director, Made by Vaculik, Slovakia and Wojciech Dagiel, Chief Creative Officer, Havas Poland, Poland. Jaime Mandelbaum, Chief Creative Director of Y&R Central & Eastern Europe, Czech Republic, will lead the Multi Channel Jury with members Alexandra Doroguntsova, Creative Director, Ogilvy Ukraine, Ukraine, Andrey Gubaydullin, Creative Director, Voshod, Russia, Davor Runje, Co-founder, Drap, Croatia, Márton Jedlicska, Creative Director, Kirowski Isobar, Hungary, Matevž Klanjšek, Co-founder and Chief Product Officer, Celtra, Slovenia, Maxim Kolyshev, Creative Director, TBWA\Moscow, Russia, Pia Grahn, MD McCann Relations, Sweden, Selim Ünlüsoy, Associate Creative Director, Leo Burnett Moscow, Russia, Verena Panholzer, Designer and Art Director, Wortwerk, Austria and Vesa Tujunen, Creative Director, DDB Helsinki, Finland.
Good future predictions despite challenging times
Competition Council of the Golden Drum Festival has come to a conclusion that Golden Drum Awards remains exceptionally attractive to entrants, but entrants are giving more and more attention to what they choose to enter in advertising festivals. Compared with the last year’s 333 entrants (and 265 entrants the year before), this year 307 entrants have entered their work in Golden Drum competition. The total number of entries is a bit lower this year at 1395 entries (3% lower than last year’s 1438) which still remains within the annual average. It is interesting that almost a third of the entries (421 from 1395 total) come from independent agencies which compete for the Tartini Award. The biggest growth in number of entries can be found in the Single Channel section as the groups H. Mobile (18% more) and G. Digital (8% more) show biggest growth in number. The biggest growth in number of entries in Multi Channel section is most obvious in groups R. Direct Campaigns (100% more) and U. Events (40% more). Biggest interest to enter the Golden Drum Festival this year was shown in Turkey (last year 77, this year 143), Bulgaria (last 23, this 44), Macedonia (last 14, this 27), Greece (last 4, this 16), Estonia (last 3, this 16) and Latvia (last 9, this 15). Among countries which stayed within the similar number of entries as last year are Russia (last 311, this 312), Serbia (last 51, this 42) and Ukraine (last 96, this 84). Slovenia has this year entered fewer entries than last year (last 48, this 31) and thus joined other countries with fewer entries than last year: Austria (last 92, this 71), Lithuania (last 28, this 19), Lebanon (last 24, this 17), Kazakhstan (last 23, this 14) and Belorussia (last 13, this 2).
Golden Drum’s Best go to The CUP
All Golden Drum finalists have exclusive right to participate in the Intercontinental Advertising Cup Selection. Intercontinental advertising cup (ICAC or The CUP) is a global creative tour-de-force that is filtered no less than five times by the world’s most respected juries. Only ads that were entered in one of the four participating continental advertising shows are eligible to compete in the Intercontinental advertising selection. This is the first filter. Only finalists of Asia Pacific’s ADFEST, Ibero-American FIAP, Art Directors’ Club of Europe ADC*E and New European Golden Drum make the intercontinental creative selection. Gold awards winners enter the competition automatically and free of charge, while all other finalists need only to pay a small service fee. ICAC is a non-profit organization. Second filter. Members of all four continental juries select 5 nominees in 38 categories, thus making a super-selection of 190 most creative ideas from four continents. Third filter. In the next stage the jury chooses categories’ champions, which are the 38 CUP winners. Fourth filter. Finally after a long and particular process, the jury decides the winners’ winner; the most creative work of the four continental festivals and their selections; the recipient of THE GRAND CUP. To take part in the Golden Drum competition is a privilege that opens the exclusive gateway to the intercontinental selection, already awarded with the INTERCONTINENTAL CREATIVE SELECTION 2012 prize.
Time for AWARDS
The Multi Channel Jury will in Portorož choose the winner of the Golden Watch Award; this year this award will go to the most successful and most awarded Creative Director whose campaign collects most points in the Golden Drum competition. The Single Channel Jury will award the Virtuoso Awards for the best photography, cinematography and illustration. New this year is that the Grand Prix Award will be awarded as a stand-alone award for the best entry in a group.
The Wednesday’s Award Ceremony will award the best entries in groups D. Radio, G. Digital, H. Mobile, N. New or innovative, S. Digital campaigns, T. Mobile campaigns, R. Direct campaigns and U. Events. At Wednesday’s ceremony the winner of the Off Drum competition Beat the Drum for Change Award will be announced.
The Friday’s ceremony will award the best entries with Silver Drum, Golden Drum and Grand Prix Awards in the groups A. Film, B. Press, C. Outdoor, E. Direct communication, F. Design of Brand & Corporate Identity, V. Public relations, W. Innovative campaigns and Q. Integrated communication campaigns, along with the Golden Watch and other awards, based on the points, received in the Golden Drum Competition: Golden Rose, Tartini Award, Golden Net and Golden Drum Brand Grand Prix. On Friday, the Off Drum winners of Publicis Drum Award will also be announced.
