Genuine inspiration, collaboration and creativity can only happen when the advertising, marketing and media industries endeavour to keep humanity at the centre of operations, according to Vinit Suraphongchai, chairman of ADFEST.
Announcing the Thai conference’s theme, Human+, Suraphongchai said:
“Human+ perfectly reflects the spirit of ADFEST. At its core, ADFEST has always been about people—the human connections, human insights and human creativity that drive our industry forward. Even as we embrace AI and technological advancement, genuine inspiration and collaboration can only happen when humanity remains at the centre,” he said.
A series of industry insiders continued the discussion, pointing out that while much of the industry strives to reach KPI targets and appease algorithms, they’re losing sight of what really matters.
“The assumption is quite simple – create something that the algorithm can pick up that’s going to reach as many people as possible,” said Vittorio Badini Confalonieri, head of production at Benetone Films Advertising in Bangkok. “The reality is that once the algorithm picks it up, we’re all faced with the judgement of the most ruthless people ever… people with a thumb.”
He added that while many believe that attention spans among audiences are shrinking, there are examples which contradict the trend.
“Those same people are binge-watching nine hours of their favourite Korean series,” Confalonieri said.
“What’s the difference? What’s in that series that speaks to them directly?”
It’s about feeling. If something resonates, people stay. If it doesn’t, they move on within seconds.
Confalonieri was speaking on a panel centred around a Toyota campaign which spanned three films, each built on different brand pillars including community, diversity and service.
Rather than chasing one execution, the team explored multiple emotional territories – each designed to connect in a different way.
For director Sam Koay, it all came back to instinct.
“It always boils down to… what do I feel?” he said. “What would I like to watch?”
One moment that captured this thinking is a scene from their diversification film where a person gives away their last portion of food to a child who arrives late to their service for the under privileged community.
“I think all of us can interpret that as sincerity and generosity,” Koay said. “Even if you removed the rest of the ad, that moment still says everything.”
It’s those small, human moments, rather than the product shots, that carry meaning.
Within the work, music was considered as a critical emotional layer, not just an add-on.
“You use it to lift, to pause, to let something land,” said Seiya Matsumiya, founder and CEO of Black Cat White Cat Music. “That’s how you create feeling.”
While AI was a key tool in creating the Toyota assets, the panel was clear about its role.
When discussing the creation of the music, Matsumiya said “when you create something, it ultimately comes down to going with your intuition”.
“The thing about AI is it has no intuition,” said Matsumiya.
“It’s pure logic and the study of everything that’s out there… it can’t give you that feeling of something being right or wrong.”
It’s a reminder that while tools are evolving, the responsibility and risk of backing an idea remains deeply human.
Chris Gurney, co-founder and chief creative and innovation officer of Tokyo’s Crisp Group closed the the session with a question to the room: If feeling is what drives attention, memory and impact—should it be formally measured?
Right now, the industry is still optimising for what’s easiest to quantify but the work that truly cuts through, operates on something less tangible. Emotion.
And increasingly, that’s what’s defining the difference between work that’s seen and work that’s remembered.
