D&AD's Tim Lindsay unlocks secrets to impress global juries

One of his concluding points was that India is leading in ROI at D&AD and winning in difficult categories, which gives the signal that it is the time to experiment

Sarmistha Neogy | Mumbai | February 3, 2015

Tim Lindsay

The 6^th edition of Kyoorius FYIday on 'Could your bronze have been a gold?' with Tim Lindsay, CEO of D&AD, was held in Mumbai yesterday. During the two-hour presentation, Lindsay focused on how one should tell stories so that global juries can understand it easily and how they compare work when arriving at a final decision.

Rajesh Kejriwal

Commenting on the initiative, Rajesh Kejriwal, Founder-CEO, Kyoorius, said, “Storytelling is the most critical part about the entries for any awards. It can completely change the outlook of an entry. We're very happy to have Tim Lindsay on board to share his expertise and guide the industry.”

Lindsay started the session by asking why it mattered to win awards. He said, “It matters because the good stuff works so much better than the bad stuff – economically, socially, culturally and environmentally. And, because doing something well is always worth doing.” He had asked this question to several senior creative honchos from around the world and had received some interesting responses. One of them was from Ian Tait, Executive Creative Director, Wieden + Kennedy, who had commented, “We live in really confusing and turbulent times. I don't know from day to day which way is up or what I'm supposed to be doing anymore. Having accolades that give overwhelmed and confused people like me, a glimmer of a North Star is more important than ever.”

The quality, transparency and integrity of the judging process have always mattered to D&AD. Over the years, D&AD has also witnessed an increase in the number of entries in categories such as 'Outdoor Advertising', 'Direct Advertising', 'Integrated Advertising', 'Film Advertising', 'Film Advertising Crafts', 'Music Videos', 'Packaging', 'Product Design', 'White Pencil', 'Branding', 'Book Design', 'Art Direction', 'Crafts for Design', 'Crafts for Advertising', and 'Writing for Advertising'. Also, talking from the Indian perspective, the return on investment at D&AD of India is highest at 10 per cent, followed by Japan, the UK, Brazil and the US.

Making a great presentation film

To the question on 'What makes a great presentation film?' Lindsay explained several points. To start with, one should always describe the idea or solution first, and then explain the objectives, contexts and results in more details. Secondly, one should always emphasise the creative idea and its relevance to the audience. It is not necessary that the films have to be costly; simple films with a clear presentation idea are appreciated. Always ensure that the films are shorter than the maximum time allowed for the category, because judges will stop films which are longer than the time allowed. Lastly, it really helps if the presentation of the film is in English and also one should always explain any cultural context references which may not be understood without explanations to the jurors.

To conclude, he cited nine points, which were: firstly, judges want to find great work and they want to champion it as well, but they have high standards to invest time and resources in your entry process. Thirdly, judges are always on the lookout for something that inspires them and has a story behind it. Also, in order to win an accolade, the work must be new and original, be creative about where and how you enter your work. Always present your work, wrapped in a simple idea with as much cultural context as possible. Judges view a lot of work; therefore, one should always aim to grasp their attention in the first 30 seconds of your presentations for maximum impact. Traditional categories may be harder to win and having been around longer, it's more difficult to be original. Finally, India is leading in ROI at D&AD and winning in difficult categories, which gives the signal that it is time to experiment.

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