Sri Lanka’s largest advertising festival sees global creatives in Colombo

 Sri Lanka’s advertising industry experienced an unprecedented surge of inspiration as The Four A’s Advertising Festival took place on 30 and 31 May, welcoming over 650 participants. Hosted at the Taj Samudra, Colombo, the event featured 13 sessions and 5 workshops by global creative speakers, each bringing a wealth of expertise to the stage. Powered by Unilever Sri Lanka and globally connected by SriLankan Airlines, the event concluded with an Awards Night recognising impactful work and a buzzing after-party.

The festival provided a platform for groundbreaking ideas and set a new benchmark for creative training in Sri Lanka’s advertising industry. Creative and advertising leaders took the stage, offering insightful and introspective talks and thought-provoking panel discussions on bolstering creativity, the impact of tech, and more. BBDO Singapore Creative Chairman Tay Guan Hin, kicked off the first day of the festival with an interactive talk on embracing conflict to boost creativity. On the other hand, MullenLowe Singapore Creative Director Teddy Sandu, closed the first day’s talks with his presentation that featured the best (and perhaps the most fundamental) way to learn: to “FAFO.”

Humour and impactful advertising headlined the second day of the festival, where Saatchi & Saatchi Australia, CCO Mandie Van Der Merwe delivered insights on using humour in advertising. At the same time, YML Y&R India Creative Director Mahesh Ambaliya, highlighted the use of advertising for good. TBWA Singapore Executive Creative Director Asheen Naidu, spoke about the inclusion of tech into advertising. DDB Group Melbourne Group Executive Creative Director Psembi Kinstan shares his experiences from an award winning career that spans from Australia to the UK.

MullenLowe Lintas EVP Strategy Mumbai Pooja Rawat shared excerpts from their recent pan-India study ‘The State of States’. Joining her was Dentsu Creative India - West and South Regions Chief Creative Officer Surjo Dutt who elaborated on the importance of leaning into cultural truths.

Publicis Groupe South-East Asia Chief Creative Officer Ajay Vikram, discussed the evolving landscape of advertising across the Southeast Asian region. TBWA Singapore Executive Creative Director Asheen Naidu spoke about the inclusion of tech in advertising.

Media Arts Lab APAC, Singapore Managing Director and Head of Strategy Michaela Futcher lent her strategic acumen on the negative impact algorithms have on creativity.

Vexology Advertising Dubai Independent Creative and Strategy Consultant Assam Khalid closed the festival with a compelling talk about “Taking Creativity Hostage,” leaving the audience with powerful insights on navigating creative challenges.

The festival not only showcased the best in global creative talent but also solidified its reputation as a premier event in Sri Lanka’s advertising industry, inspiring participants to push the boundaries of creativity.