James Seath, Strategic Creative Director of White Rabbit, Hungary, joined MARKETING jury of White Square international advertising festival and shared his own opinion on current questions.

—2020 has been challenging for the communication industry in every country around the globe. What professional experience or lesson that could be named as a discovery have you got?

— I feel that more than ever creativity is needed, people want to be inspired more than ever and are looking for brands to entertain more than ever, they are sick of Netflix, they want escapism.

— In your opinion, what are the things in communications, advertising and creativity that stayed in the past forever, and what will remain unchanged for the projects to work properly & effective? 

— Craft skills have dropped hugely and it breaks my heart. Script writing and story telling isn’t seen as important, I look at Netflix and the script writing is lazy and poor. This is the same in modern advertising right now, which is sad.

—The projects of your agency again and again have been award-winning at international advertising festivals around the globe. Is there any formula for success, or is it like playing in a casino, when you don't know which bet will be the winning one? 

—As a creative you know instinctively what a good idea is, mainly because it’s never been done before and gets you excited talking to your peers about it. The other thing that makes a great campaign is a great incite. That’s the foundation for award winning work.

—Do you have a project in your portfolio that is particularly special to you, perhaps the one that was a prize-winning at ad festivals, or, vice verse, a project that stayed unnoticed despite its significant results? If so, why this project is so special to you?

—It’s nice traveling the world and when people ask what you do and then ask what ad did you do, it’s nice to say the Audrey Ad as most people know it.

—You are a jury member on the White Square Festival 2021, and you have already been a jury member on various international creativity festivals. Can you name one or more key evaluating criteria of entries for you and why?

—Something inspiring and that I wished I’d done, is my criteria for good work.

— Today, the trend in marketing more and more often involves the desire to create such communication that can be both creative and effective, get high awards at Festivals, and what is more, to change the world for the better. Is it so? What other trends can you mark? 

—Ideas that force or encourage change for good, we have the very fortunate position to enable this.

—What would you advice to young agencies to become successful? Does the participation in festivals could help them to achieve their goals? What do they need to stand out from the other participants at the festival? 

—I’d say to them keep an open mind, ask loads of questions and don’t be scared to do so. 

We remind you that White Square 2021 entry system for is now opened for submission into 7 contests, 129 nominations оnline until May 17. Till April 15 all the participants are provided with special participation fees. 

IT’S TIME!