Award entries now open for Asian Marketing Effectiveness Festival 2012

The Asian Marketing Effectiveness Festival 2012 will take place 26 and 27 April at the Pudong Shangri-La hotel in Shanghai, China. Entries for the marketing effectiveness awards, which are held on the second day of the festival, can now be submitted across 17 categories. In its 10th year, the awards are designed to celebrate the outstanding collaborative efforts of client marketers and agencies. James Thompson, chief marketing officer – APAC, Diageo has been appointed as the jury president this year.

On his appointment as the jury president, Thompson said, “At the heart of our industry is our passion for creativity and Asia proudly presents some of the greatest marketing minds. It’s sure to be a tough contest but one that I am hugely looking forward to. The Asian Marketing Effectiveness Festival helps to put Asia’s creative brand building on the global map and I am honored to be part of that and this year’s jury president.”

Terry Savage, festival chairman of Cannes Lions, who with Haymarket are joint organisers of the AME’s, added, “The continuous growth of these Awards highlight how uniting innovative and creative ideas with effectiveness achieve great results in a growing region. James Thompson has a true understanding of the relationship between the consumer and brand growth through effective marketing and innovation. We are truly delighted to have him onboard to guide the jury in selecting the winners.”

Based in Singapore, James Thompson has worked for Diageo since 1994 in a variety of roles including President, Guinness Canada, Senior Vice President Priority Brands, Diageo North America and President, Global Marketing, Vodka, Rum and Ready-to-Drink categories. Prior to joining Diageo he worked for Unilever for ten years in UK, US and Europe-based roles.

Attended by senior marketers, heads of agencies, brand pioneers, consumer and customer insight professionals and media owners, the two-day event offers a series of seminars presented by industry figures and a showcase of the best marketing effectiveness work produced in the region. In 2011, more than 850 submissions from 19 countries were entered into the AME awards.

Entries can now be submitted at www.ame.asia.