OPINION: Great advertising knows no boundaries - Do we need outsiders in Hong Kong's advertising industry?

Let me start by admitting to a bias. But it's not the one you think. My bias is for the quality of the advertising. I'm all in favour of it; the quality that is. When they're judging work from around the world at Cannes or the Clios or whatever, how the hell do they do it? Well, because they can. Because good ideas are good ideas and that's a universal truth. (I include the universe here because it makes "truth" sound even more important.) Travel broadens the mind. Immigration of ideas knows no boundaries, thanks to the publishing industry, television and the Internet. Films from around the world touch us deeply and change our lives. Music ... salsa, reggae, hip-hop, jazz, classical and yes, Cantopop, swirl through the ether, reshaping the sounds of creativity around the world. There is no doubt that every region has its own culture just as there should be no doubt that every single human being is part of a larger, global community. Some people may dress differently, speak differently, etcetera, but parents love children, people seek success and peace of mind and we are all curious. These and many other traits are common to what we call "humanity". So is commerce. And where there is commerce there is marketing and advertising. The question is, who is best equipped to create that advertising? The answer is: we are. All of us creatives, whether we're from Hong Kong or New York or Sydney or Toronto or Rio or downtown Zimbabwe. Of course, we have to learn about the community we work in but, even more importantly, we have to be good at it. And that brings me to my admitted bias. I'm all for great advertising and that means the best ideas from the best minds from everywhere. If we are truly an international business centre, we might try to act like one. The best way to do that is to produce world-class advertising. That doesn't mean that it should ignore local idiom or nuance; rather it means that it should have an idea that is brilliant and insightful, that it should convey that idea in a fashion, that it should be memorable, single-minded and unique. When I first came to Hong Kong, I worked with a team which was creating a corporate, high road campaign for Ericsson ... for mainland China. When it came time to shoot the TVCs, the first thing we did was contact the best film directors in the world to do the job. Zhang Yimou (who directed Raise the Red Lantern, among others) was chosen. We won the Kam Fan with that campaign. And I guess that's the point. It's all about ideas, not nationalities, when it comes to great advertising. Tan Shen Guan left Hong Kong to head up the creative for Compaq in New York. David Alberts came here and helped bring us FedEx. Like life, creative is a melting pot of ideas and influences and, like life, a great idea is a great idea - no matter whose it is. When it comes to creating international quality ads in our international home, I suggest we follow the wisdom of that great Greek goddess Nike and ... just do it.

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