Rising stars of Singapore advertising honoured at Hall of Fame 2016

Rising stars of Singapore advertising honoured at Hall of Fame 2016

SINGAPORE - In a cut throat industry where only the best ideas survive, some of advertising's youngest stars are already being recognised for their creativity and talents.

Shining bright last night (Nov 23) at the Institute of Advertising Singapore's (IAS) Hall of Fame 2016 were some of the youngest and newest additions to the advertising industry.

The IAS gave out a total of 33 awards to the most stellar performers from the industry in the past year, including four Rising Star of the Year awards and four Young Talent of the Year awards.

Among the winners were Josiah Ng from DDB Group who was named Rising Star of the Year in the digital category. Ng, who joined DDB two years ago and is part of a team leading its new social impact agency Tango5, told AsiaOne that his win had much to do with the supportive bosses and colleagues he worked with.

"When I found out, I was very happy to be nominated because it's not just about me - It's great to have bosses who believe in you," the 28-year-old said.

Photo: AsiaOne

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As a young tech consumer himself, Ng is up to date on the latest digital and social trends. His most important role is to spot and identify trends that can work for clients and the advertising industry.

"Digital is not just about work but also the social; interacting with others," he said, adding that his work is "not about changing digital trends but about seeing how we can connect with each other even more".

But the personal award was not the only reason for Ng to celebrate at Wednesday night's show. His firm DDB was named Creative Agency of the Year, while its chief for Tribal Worldwide Asia, Jeff Cheong, took home the Agency Head of the Year accolade.

Another winner, Peter Etheridge, who hails from Manchester in the UK, recalled how he was told that he wouldn't be able to find a job because he didn't have any "big agency experience" when he first arrived in Singapore over three years ago.

Peter Etheridge, winner of the Rising Star of the Year (account service) award.Photo: AsiaOne

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Fast forward to 2016 and it is Etheridge who has the last laugh as the industry named him Rising Star of the Year in account service at the ceremony held at Gardens by the Bay.

The 33-year-old TBWA Singapore employee said that he was surprised when he first found out about his nomination for the award. Like Ng, Etheridge is grateful for the work environment he has. "It's really nice to get the award, but I try not to take it too seriously because what's important is that I have a job that I enjoy and a company and colleagues that I really enjoy working with," he told AsiaOne.

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Advertising is clearly a passion for Etheridge, and the account director has high hopes for Singapore's rapidly growing industry. "There are some genuinely creative and talented people in Singapore," he said, adding that he hoped to see both agencies and clients push the industry's creative boundaries by taking more risks and leaps of faith.

TBWA also saw its regional business director Cyril Bedat taking the Digital Person of the Year award while Natalie Gruis and Andrew Norris were named Planner of the Year and Young Talent of the Year (account service) respectively.

Read also: Self-confessed millennials who are rising stars in this year's Hall of Fame advertising awards

ljessica@sph.com.sg

 

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