At the Red Jolbors Fest, the best advertisement in Central Asia was determined.

On August 22-23, Bishkek hosted one of the largest and most interesting events in the Central Asian advertising world – the third Red Jolbors Fest.

Advertisers, marketers, PR specialists, and designers from Central Asian countries came to Kyrgyzstan to share experiences, get inspired to create original advertisements, and see how the advertising market has changed over the year. This year, as noted by the organizers, interest in the event has noticeably increased. More than 500 specialists from Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Azerbaijan attended.

Dignity is stronger than laziness

Every year, the festival organizers strive to surprise participants not only by improving the level of organization but also by making the event spectacular. It is understandable: a festival for creative individuals should not turn into a boring routine conference. Therefore, every year, a special atmosphere is created around the idea of the advertising campaign.

Last year, creators immersed themselves in a medical-themed event, as the main slogan of Red Jolbors Fest was "Those sick with advertising are incurable." This year, the festival delved into the East. The slogan "Dignity is stronger than laziness" was chosen intentionally. The organizers aimed to encourage creative individuals to develop and create quality works that would be remembered by generations. They called on participants to remember their great ancestors who lived in the East – Omar Khayyam, Alisher Navoi, and others.

The festival's slogan also set the ambiance. At the Kyrgyz Drama Theater, one could meet stilt walkers, Eastern beauties, and wise seers, as well as taste delicious Eastern sweets. This year, the event partners also took a creative approach to decorating their promotional corners: one could lie on a bed in a boudoir, sit on the "Evening Bishkek" bench while tasting signature cookies, take photos with Buddha and a yogi. The general partner – mobile operator Beeline – invited participants to visit a branded tent and discuss creativity and the development of the advertising market over a cup of tea.

"We once again supported Red Jolbors Fest because this festival has a social character and serves as an effective platform for exchanging experiences and enhancing the qualifications of specialists in marketing and advertising. By supporting such events, we contribute to education and the promotion of Kyrgyzstan. To date, this is the only festival in Central Asia, and it has already become a calling card for our country. We are happy to be part of another large-scale event," said Beeline's General Director Oleg Klochkо.

Dream as the engine of the brand

Participants were also pleased with the invited speakers. They listened, got inspired, took photos, and mingled at parties. For a week, social networks have been filled with messages and photos complimenting the renowned guests. Dmitry Peryshkov spoke about how the creation of a brand begins with a dream. Vladislav Derevyannykh, a holder of "Cannes Lions," captivated with his sincerity and energy. Many were waiting for the bold and open Ksenia Lukicheva in Bishkek: social networks are full of links to publications from adme.ru, where she is the editor-in-chief. Chingiz Safarov from Azerbaijan shared practical tips on how to sell in an Eastern manner. Viktor Eliseev stirred the audience by discussing the media revolution, specifically the influence of social networks on political events in Egypt and Ukraine.

The format of workshops on more specific topics such as packaging design, 3D design, branding, and crisis PR communications proved to be useful.

A pile of awards went to Kazakhstan.

The competition for the best advertisement in the region also attracted significant attention, with winners being awarded at Red Jolbors Fest. While in 2013, over 250 works were submitted, in 2014, the number of entries exceeded 350. Of these, 158 made it to the shortlist, and the coveted statuettes – bronze, silver, and gold "tigers" – were awarded to 68 works.

The jury stated that the absence of gold awards in many categories should stimulate the creation of more memorable and original advertising works. This means that the festival's goal of developing the advertising market in the region is justified. Kazakhstan received the most awards again, followed by Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Azerbaijan.

In almost 30 categories, there were only eight gold awards. The jury was strict and awarded points only to truly worthy and creative works. Unfortunately, Kyrgyzstan left without gold. Silver and bronze were awarded to the well-known designer in Bishkek, Alexey Lysogorov (six statuettes), two silver "tigers" went to the video producers – Antares Creative Group, and one statuette each went to four other designers and studios.

For the second consecutive year, the festival agency was GForce/Grey Kazakhstan, and this company also received the Grand Prix of the festival for the integrated advertising campaign "Antonio Banderas, Bank Manager." For their client, Kaspi Bank, the advertisers actually invited the Hollywood star and favorite of millions of women, who, by the way, actively participated in the editing. The bank was awarded the title of "Client of the Year." This award is given to the company for which the most advertising solutions were developed that won at Red Jolbors Fest.

At Red Jolbors Fest, the best advertisement in Central Asia was determined.

You can view the works of all the winners on the website www.jolbors.com.

Judging by the numerous reviews on social networks, festival participants were satisfied and left saying, "See you next year." This means that the festival is needed and important to the audience for whom it is held.

David Ogilvy said, "There are no boring products, only boring advertisers." And with each passing year, with each new festival, the number of boring advertisers in Central Asia is decreasing. More specialists are emerging who can and do create such interesting advertising that deserves victories not only at Red Jolbors Fest but also at other international advertising festivals.

The general partner of Red Jolbors Fest is the mobile operator Beeline, with official partners including Quattro Media, the political party "Bir Bol," the creative association Sun People, and the advertising agency Namba Media. The technical partner is SAIMA TELECOM JSC.

Below is the top 10 best agencies of the Red Jolbors Festival 2014 and other winning participants, along with the number of awards received. All of them (as well as those remaining in the shortlists) will receive credit points in the Creativity Rating 2014!

1) GForce/Grey Kazakhstan - 15 awards (Festival Agency, Grand Prix, Client of the Year, 4 Golds, 4 Silvers, 4 Bronzes)

2) Openeyes DDB - 7 awards (1 Gold, 3 Silvers, 3 Bronzes)

3) RED Agency - 7 awards (3 Silvers, 4 Bronzes)

4) Alexey Lysogorov - 5 awards (5 Silvers)

5) Popkultura - 4 awards (1 Silver, 3 Bronzes)

6) McCann Almaty - 3 awards (2 Silvers, 1 Bronze)

7) Black&white production - 3 awards (1 Silver, 2 Bronzes)

8) USSO Design - 2 awards (1 Gold, 1 Bronze)

9) KOKON Agency - 2 awards (1 Gold, 1 Bronze)

10) Antares Creative Group - 2 awards (2 Silvers)

11) Tribal Almaty - 2 awards (1 Silver, 1 Bronze)

12) Havas Worldwide Kazakhstan - 2 awards (2 Bronzes)

13) Green Penguin Media - 2 awards (2 Bronzes)

14) re:Point Kazakhstan - 1 Gold

15) Trade Mark - 1 Silver

16) Pavelkim.com - 1 Silver

17) Hara-Bara Design Studio - 1 Silver

18) Vadim Androsov - 1 Silver

19) Inna Zorina and Temur Saadiy - 1 Silver

20) Uniqum Creative Agency - 1 Silver

21) Infographics Studio "Infodaana" - 1 Bronze

22) Yello Advertising - 1 Bronze

23) Namba Media - 1 Bronze

24) DILDEN - 1 Bronze

25) Brandbox Branding - 1 Bronze

26) MOZGAMI Advertising Agency - 1 Bronze

27) Creative Group "Inter" - 1 Bronze

28) Creative Platform Design.kg - 1 Bronze

Source: jolbors.com and vb.kg