18th International Advertising Festival of New Europe Golden Drum

1701 entries in Golden Drum’s Competition

Applicants from 37 countries from New Europe have entered 1701 works in the 18th Golden Drum’s Competition. 1491 entries will compete for 14 Grand Prix Awards, Golden Drums, Silver Drums, Golden Rose, Golden Net, Brand Grand Prix, Virtuoso and Golden Watch Award. 210 posters have been entered in the Piran Portoroz Poster Award, unofficial Off Drum Competition. Today, September 27, 2011, in the afternoon, Golden Drum will announce on their website www.goldendrum.com the short lists/finalists in the following groups:

Groups A – H, Single Channel section
Group Q, Multi Channel Section
Piran Portorož Poster Award

Finalists in groups R – V, Multi Channel section will be announced at the Golden Drum Festival on Thursday, October 6, 2011, in the afternoon.

Different Competition

Golden Drum’s Competition Council of the 18th Golden Drum Festival has introduced several changes in the Competition structure this year. The most recognizable novelty, on which the whole new competition structure is built upon, is the division of the competition in two sections: Single Channel and Multi Channel. The first section, comprised of eight groups, is for entries that use only one communication channel for reaching its communication goals. The second section, comprised of six groups, is for entries that use multiple communication channels to place their message. We cannot overlook the fact that this year’s Golden Drum Festival has returned to its traditional frames of New Europe.

Different challenges for the Juries

In accordance with the new structure of the Competition, the entered works are evaluated by two Juries, 11 members each, assembled especially for Single Channel and Multi Channel. Members of both Juries are renowned professionals in charge of creative and innovative departments of large advertising agencies and international networks. Single Channel Jury is lead by Stefan Schmidt, TBWA Europe and Multi Channel Jury is lead by Matias Palm-Jensen, EMEA, McCann Worldgroup. The decision that all entries will be judged by only two Juries was made because of the wish for greater competence and credibility of the Juries; a thing only achieved by an appropriate number and careful selection of Jury members. Posters, entered in the Piran Portorož Poster Award (PPPA) competition, organized by Golden Drum Festival together with Municipality of Piran and Turist Association of Portorož, will be evaluated by five members Jury, lead by Adrian Botan, McCann Erickson.

Juries of the official 18th Golden Drum Competition have this year taken on a burden of evaluating a greater number of entries. For that reason Golden Drum has introduced another novelty this year, that all competition groups (A-H) of the Single Channel section and competition group Q: Integrated communication campaigns of the Multi Channel section will be evaluated in the first round by Jury members using a special web portal that allows an overview of all entries and real time judging. First round of evaluation of the rest of the groups of Multi Channel section and the second round of evaluation of all entries will be held in Portoroz, right before the Golden Drum Festival starts. Members of the Jury for the first time exploited the possibilities of internet when evaluating entries. After the exchange of criteria for the entries, the distance judging started on Saturday, September 17, 2011, and has ended on Sunday, September 25, 2011. Today, September 27, 2011, Golden Drum will publish the first finalists of this year’s Competition. Judging will in the next week return from a completely virtual environment to the traditional frame in Portoroz, which will allow in-depth discussions and searching for consensus when it comes to announcing the winners. The rules of evaluation are strict. Again this year, Jury members can’t judge entries from their own agencies and agency networks. Also, a minimum volume of shortlisted entries was set with a percentage from the number of works entered in each Competition group while the Juries will have to abide by the rule of required presentation of the main awards. Next to these strict rules, the presidents of both Juries have added their own vision of evaluation that points other members toward recognition and awarding of the creative achievements.

Investment in the future of the Festival

Competition Council of the Golden Drum Festival realises that these large, partly radical and partly innovative changes of the Competition structure will show true results in the following years, but the organizers are already this year reasonably happy with the current results. In spite the fact that they had to renounce certain applications from outside the frame of New Europe, Competition groups for specialized areas of creative industry and a number of extra awards, while the current economic situation doesn’t look encouraging, a total of 1491 entries were submitted in the official 18th Golden Drum Competition. Together with the unofficial Off Drum Competition, that contributed 210 entries for Piran Portoroz Poster Award, the whole Competition of the 18th Golden Drum counts 1701 entries. Direct comparison with the number of works entered in the previous years is, because of the numerous changes in the Competition structure, nearly impossible. In groups where those kinds of comparisons are possible however, the 18th Golden Drum showed quite good results. In group A: Film, the long year trend of decline of the number of entries has stopped near the last year’s number (this year 222 entries, last year 229), while in group B: Print (this year 369 entries, last year 363), C: Outdoor advertising (this year 297 entries, last year 234) and D: Radio (this year 73 entries, last year 69), some additional entries have been entered when comparing to the last year. Positive surprise came from the new Competition groups for New and innovative forms of communication, which have in both sections attracted a good number of entries (group G: New or innovative, 106 entries and group V: Innovative campaigns, 28 entries). That is why the total number of entries is just a bit lower than last year, when Golden Drum received 1562 entries from countries of New Europe and 243 entries for the Piran Portorož Poster Award. Somewhat lower total number of entries was the cause of a lower number of entries from some countries like Slovenia (this year 43 entries, last year 106), Romania (this year 70 entries, last year 129), Poland (this year 102 entries, last year 159) and Israel (this year 56 entries, last year 118).

As the most common reason for lower number of entries, the applicants often gave reasons such as cutting costs and worse economic situation. But some countries ensured for a pleasant surprise, like Czech Republic (this year 176 entries, last year 98), Finland (this year 50 entries, last year 31), Lithuania (this year 56 entries, last year 16) and especially Russia (this year 328 entries, last year 227). Organizers are pleased by the fact that Golden Drum is and remains one of the most relevant festivals in this geographical area.

The best from Golden Drum go to The Cup

To take part in the Golden Drum competition is a privilege that opens the exclusive gateway to the intercontinental selection, awarded with the INTERCONTINENTAL CREATIVE SELECTION 2011 prize.

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.

Time for Awards

The Multi Channel Jury will in Portoroz select the winner of the Golden Watch Award for which, first time this year, only finalists of campaigns from the group Q: Integrated communication campaigns, presented live at the festival, will compete. Both Juries will, also for the first time, together present the Virtuoso Awards, reserved for the best authors of Photography, Illustration and Cinematography. Two nights are reserved in Portoroz for Award Ceremonies. Thursday’s Single Channel Award Ceremony is reserved for the best entries in the Single Channel section that will be awarded with Golden Drum and Grand Prix Awards. Saturday’s Multi Channel Awards Ceremony, united with the Festival Closing Gala is reserved for the winners of the Golden Drum and Grand Prix Awards, but also for the Virtuoso Awards, Golden Watch and the awards received on the basis of points: Golden Rose for best Agency, Golden Net for best Agency Network and Brand Grand Prix for the most awarded Brand. At this ceremony, the author of the best poster in the Piran Portorož Fiction Competition will also be awarded. Both ceremonies will with their changed structure follow the new Competition’s structure and ensure for a proper Festival’s note. Silver Drum Awards will be awarded after the Festival. For the first time this year at the Golden Drum a special Virtuoso Award for special achievements in the categories Best Illustration, Best Photography and Best Cinematography will be awarded.

Program, made in the spirit of “New Europe, New Thinking”

New Europe, New Thinking isn’t just the main theme of the 18th Golden Drum Festival, but a long term challenge, given to agencies, advertisers, media and other members of creative industry. With a new image and positioning of the Golden Drum Festival, organizers wish to position this year’s festival as a place for most creative, innovative and boldest ideas from New Europe.

Golden Drum Festival has in the past created a strong name and recognition, becoming one of the few Slovenian and internationally recognized brands. As an international advertising festival it has always been an accelerator and herald of new ideas, something this year’s festival also strives for. Golden Drum is and remains primarily advertising event of New Europe and one of the biggest European advertising festivals. When deciding on the program, the organisers have strived to build this year’s four day program on new thinking, changes and novelties that accompany us in business environment and personal life every day. After “Brainstorming” and “Reconstruction”, key themes in 2009 and 2010, respectively, Golden Drum will continue to search for new, fresh ideas, new thinking, innovation, approaches and experience. Next to all the novelties this year the organizers have made a promise to deliver only the best of the long term festival commitment: “sharp competition, good school, wild parties and devilish challenge”.

This year’s Festival Program

Program will be held in three halls simultaneously. In four days, 30 lectures, five workshops and four panels with over 50 top speakers will provide quality content for the Festival’s participants. On Kodak Hall’s big stage, participants will have a chance to listen to some of the most renowned representatives of industry and global agency networks, like Fernando Vega Olmos, JWT Worldwide, Farid Chehab in Nicola Novellone, Leo Burnett, Patrick Hanson-Lowe, Publicis Peter Sherman, BBDO Europe, Middle East & Africa, Gustavo Martinez, McCann WorldGroup Europe and Petteri Kilpinen, TBWA\Europe.

To ensure an appropriate diversity of the program, apart from speakers, coming from agencies, the participants of the Golden Drum Festival will have a chance to listen to Will Sansom, a journalist and analyst from the magazine Contagious, Jeannette Liendo Global Marketing Director for Microsoft, Mark Husak, representative of one of the most respected global research companies Millward Brown and Michael Conrad, president of Berlin School of Creative Leadership. Kate Robertson will present an interesting project called „One Young World”. On media planning, buying and about usefulness of data from media researches, a panel from Vesna Marđonović, GlaxoSmithKline CEE, with guests Victor Geus, Jim Kite and Andraž Zorko, representatives of media agencies and advertisers, joined by a representative from Media Direction OMD and James Kent, Google, will be held. The program will be concluded by a debate, lead by Janez Rakušček with guests: Stefan Schmidt, president of the Single Channel Jury, Matias Palm-Jensen, president of the Multi Channel Jury and Tomasz Pirc, representative of the Golden Drum Competition Council.

Smaller stage of the Emerald Hall will host more specific and practically useful lectures that will also be presented more interactively. Beside the lectures about advertising and creativity, Désirée Maurd, Prime Group and Krešimir Macan, Manjgura, will hold two lectures about Public Relations and Digital Communication. Participants will also have a chance to listen to Micky Denehy representative of EACA School of Advertising & Communications and Peter Kamstedt, representative of Berghs School of Communications, while two lectures by Hannes Eder and Igor Arih will be dedicated to the role of music in advertising. Lecturers like Michael Conrad, Alexey Fadeyev and Elliot Polak will talk about the successful approach to adaptations and upgrades of global campaigns for the needs of regional and local markets. Each festival day, one workshop will be held in Mediteranea Hall.

Golden Drum remains, like in previous years, a festival of festivals, with the screenings and presentations of the winners from the Epica, AdFest, ADC*E, FIAP and ICAC The CUP. A wider overview of the last year’s international awards will be presented by Emma Wilkie, Gunn Report. A special place in the Program is reserved for the Competition and its awards: presentations of finalists of group Q: Integrated communication campaigns, screenings of entries in the Mediteranea Hall, all four days of the Festival, screenings of the finalists of the Single Channel section on Thursday before the Single Channel Award Ceremony and screening of finalists of Multi Channel section on Friday evening and Saturday morning, before the evening’s Multi Channel Awards Ceremony and Festival Closing Gala.

Golden Drum Festival will also stay loyal to its principle of excellent, unforgettable parties as things will get wild on the first day, Wednesday, from 21.00 onward in the Hotel Bernardin, where visitors can socialize at a Golden Drummers Get-together with DJ’s and saxophonist Lovro Ravbar. On Thursday, at 22.30 and after the Award Ceremony, visitors will have a chance to attend a true Balkan party with Magnifico in concert, followed by DJ’s in Cafe Teater. On Friday, after 21.00 in Barka restaurant at the Hotel Bernardin, it will be time once again for the National Parties Night. Macedonian crew with their national Radio Antena 5 will prepare a special surprise for the visitors while Hungarians celebrate their 10th in a row appearance at the Golden Drum National Parties Night with their visually attractive HD->Full Hungarian Definition Party. Farewell party on Saturday in Hotel Bernardin will be held at a Golden Gala Party with the concert of Jimmy Barka Experience with DJ Borko and DJ Bakto.

Further information on www.goldendrum.com or at borut.odlazek@goldendrum.com.

Borut Odlazek
Public Relations
18th Golden Drum
+386 30 313 513

Entries in 2010 and 2011 by the countries of New Europe

Number of entries by groups in 2010 and 2011

* number of entries from countries of New Europe and Open