One briefing, two days of brainstorming, fights, disagreements, tons of hard work and a presentation later… we were declared winners!  I was undeniably excited, thrilled & over the moon about making our colleagues proud and putting Bates up there in the spotlight. After all the initial hype died down & I descended back to earth slowly from cloud number 9, we were on our toes constantly with in-house training sessions & all possible preperations of various kinds. However I was in no way prepared for what was awaiting us at Spikes Asia. The entire process can ony be described in one word- overwhelming! I’m truly at a loss for words.

Having competed with other talented industry professionals from the Asian reigon, witnessed amazing creative work and listened to top industry professionals share their thoughts and experiences over a span of three days, made me actually think through many things.

Firstly, the power of an idea and its amazing capabilities if implemented correctly. Its not about latest technology or big budgets, its about clarity and most of all simplicity.Almost each and every award winning campaign was based on one or more powerful ideas. Ideas capable of swaying millions and connecting with people on an emotional level, resulting in tremendous response, way beyond expectations! The power of the human mind is indeed unfathomable.

Secondly, I feel that being caught up in the day to day rat race and running to out do one another, we often tend to rush and buckle under pressure, trying to stick to the impossible & unrealistic deadlines at times. Conventional is indeed easy, but does it really satisfy us? Its a tricky question and in my case, as a creative individual, the feeling of innovating and trying out something new is a rewarding experience, as there is so much to learn through its process. But sadly,creativity sometimes pays the price for loss of time.

Having seen the unconventional, bold & in some cases heart-tugging work at Spikes, maybe we need to consider the fact that its not about a 30 sec TV commercial or a half page ad anymore, maybe its all & only about one powerful idea….. that actually connects..awakens and evokes response at the same time..

Just something to think about…

Udara Hettiarachchi