«Modern outdoor advertising needs fresh ideas»
The ADC Young Creatives Award is considered Switzerland's most important competition for young creatives. APG|SGA is one of the long-standing sponsors of the «Outdoor» category. Peer Kleinfeldt, Key Account Manager at APG|SGA, has been part of the jury for seven years and helps decide on the awards in the «Outdoor» category. In this interview, he talks about courageous young talents, creative competition entries, and fresh ideas that strike at the heart.
This is now the 15th time that ADC is holding its competition for up-and-coming creatives. What do you think is special about it?
«Promoting new talents is a high priority. It takes courage and self-confidence to perform in the advertising industry. With the competition, ADC promotes young creatives who are at the beginning of their careers. With this platform, they should be able to freely pursue their passion and show competence. At the same time, agencies and clients get the chance to discover new talents.»
What changes do you notice over the years?
«The concept of the competition is that the briefings change from year to year, and so do the communication problems. However, the participating competition partners all have one thing in common: they are seriously interested in catching up with young perspectives. Almost every company sets itself the advertising task of reaching Generation Z and expects unconventional ideas from the competition.»
How popular is the «Outdoor» category amongst young people?
«The poster offers «digital natives» something special and lasting. Creating an analog campaign requires graphic craftsmanship and knowledge. For young creatives, this is a welcomed challenge. That may also explain the high turnout. Outdoor has actually been the category with the most submissions for years. I'm personally thrilled about that, since I'm privileged to represent this category in the jury.»
What do you think young creatives do differently?
«Young creatives deal differently with real briefings than experienced professionals. That's why I'm thrilled by the competition every year. Young people are bursting with resolute courage and often find new ways to solve advertising tasks. The majority of the works are evidence of an intensive examination of the task at hand. And in 2022, I saw many campaigns that surprised me with their scalability and scope.»
This is the seventh time that you're a jury member. How come?
[Laughs:] «Well, that's clear: The awards ceremony is a big bash, and the atmosphere is buzzing! In 2022, after a two-year break, it was back at Zürich's hip club Zukunft. APG|SGA has been a sponsor of the ADC Young Creative Awards for many years. Due to my role as Key Account Manager at APG|SGA and my proximity to creative agencies and decision-makers, I was proposed as a jury member at the time. Now I am involved in the competition process on behalf of APG|SGA with great enthusiasm.»
How strict can you be as a juror?
«Ideas hit the heart or not. My rigor starts with the question of feasibility. I am demanding when it comes to creative elaboration, suitability and efficiency, because that is the reality in the advertising industry. And in the end, the competition is also about reflecting it.»
Do you judge the works more from the point of view of the passer-by or the expert?
«The first look is always intuitive. Of course, I can jump back and forth between the roles. But at the end of the day, what counts in all perspectives is the quality and consistency of the idea with which the poster was developed. In the end, the advertising message has to be more convincing than pure emotion.»
So, the decision is easy for you?
«With such an abundance of submissions and in view of the technical differences between the works, it is quite easy for me to make a shortlist. What remains is a concentrate that comes into question for first place. Here, final decisions are never easy.»
What can agencies do to keep the courage of young creatives alive as they step into the job and face real clients?
«They can enable the courage to challenge the status quo and display the intransigence to develop a truly creative and innovative campaign.»
More information
Winning works and award ceremony of the YCA 2022
APG|SGA's commitment to creatives