Message from the chairman of judges

The picture showed a number of middle-aged men in suits seated at a small table in front of a glass wall. There was no obvious means of identifying who they were, the occasion of their gathering or why one should be interested in them. It was only on reading the copy I realized it was the annual results presentation of HongKong Bank.

Since then, standards have indeed risen and the work of Media’s awards programme contributes to raising the bar further. This year there even more entries than previously, with over 20 in Digital alone.

Generally, the judges thought that quality continued to improve and the calibre of campaigns was high. However, few were found to be exemplary – they failed to clinch the deal as one put it – and many continued to focus on media relations.

What impressed was the boldness and imagination of the winners, the use of social media in some entries — driving PR reach that would have been unthinkable two years ago — and the strength of upcoming talent.

David Hall is head of group communications (Asia) at HSBC Asia-Pacific