The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (Minister YU In Chon, MCST) hosted MAD STARS 2024 in collaboration with Busan Metropolitan City and the MAD STARS Organizing Committee (Chairperson PARK Heong Joon). This international festival, which blends marketing, advertising, and digital content with creativity and cutting-edge technology, took place from August 21 (Wed) to 23 (Fri) at BEXCO and across the Haeundae area in Busan.

Showcasing successful marketing cases leveraging AI technology

Unveiling the two Grand Prix-winning ads, with other distinguished winners, on Aug 23

Marking its 17th year, MAD STARS explored the theme “AIM: Marketing Success with Artificial Intelligence (AI).” With a particular emphasis on the dominant global trend of AI-generated content (AIGC), the event highlighted outstanding marketing cases that utilize advanced AI technologies, offering valuable insights into industry trends and emerging developments.

This year, the final round, which had been held online due to COVID-19, returned to its original in-person format. All 36 judges from 21 countries gathered in Busan to deliberate and select the final winners. Major award-winning entries, including the highest honor—the Grand Prix of the Year— announced at the awards ceremony on August 23 (Fri) at 5 PM at BEXCO in Busan.

Exploring the latest ad trends with conferences on marketing, advertising, digital content, and AdTech

This year’s conferences featured around 40 speaker sessions centered on AI, the industry’s newest and most important theme. The two keynote speakers were Fernando de Araujo Machado, Global CMO at NotCo and renowned for his work on Burger King branding, presenting “How Artificial Intelligence and Creativity Can Fuel Innovation” and PARK Ae Ri, Chief Executive of HSAD, Korea’s leading marketing firm, presenting “The Era of AI-Driven Marketing Creativity.” Other prominent industry leaders also shared their perspectives on marketing and advertising. They included Suzana Apelbaum (Brazil), Head of Creative and Innovation at Google, with “AI + Creativity;” Tawana Murphy Burnett (U.S.), Head of Top Accounts & Agencies in APAC at Meta, presenting “AI Powering Innovation, Creativity and Connection;” HA Jung Woo, Head of Future AI Center at NAVER Cloud; Adlin Rosli (Malaysia) from Lego; and content creator TEAM_EZUZ.

Discovering young global creators with MAD STARS competitions

The MAD STARS hosted two competitions aimed at discovering and nurturing emerging global creators. The New Stars competition showcased 73 young advertising professionals from eight countries, while the Young Stars competition included 79 university students from six countries. In both contests, participants faced intense competition and creative challenges while planning and producing advertisements within 30 hours based on themes revealed on-site. Participants received feedback from the juries composed of experts in marketing, advertising, and digital media and attend special lectures on various topics. Award winners had the opportunity to intern at major advertising firms, which could lead to future employment and support their growth as the next generation of global talent.

For more details, visit the official MAD STARS website at www.madstars.org

An MCST representative stated, “MAD STARS has become Asia’s largest and the only domestic advertising festival, drawing around 25,000 advertising professionals each year. As advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and rapid changes in the media landscape present new challenges for the advertising industry, we hope this year’s event serves as a platform for the growth and promotion of the domestic advertising sector in this evolving environment.”