2015年，中國的廣告開銷高達750億美元，是全球廣告資金投入第二高的國家。那麼既然市場規模如此之大，為什麼在國際大賽中，中國的參賽作品卻沒有佔到那麼大的份額呢？
China spent almost US$75 billion on advertising in 2015, making it the market with the second highest advertising expenditure on earth. Why then does the country's participation at international shows remain so disproportionate to the size of the market?
泰國的亞太廣告節創立於1998年，廣泛被大眾認為是亞洲最前沿的廣告節之一。當SHP+向亞太廣告節主席林俊明問到有關今年亞太廣告節上，中國的廣告作品的情況時，他原本熱情洋溢的臉上立刻展現惱怒。「整體來看，中國的代表作品數量有所增加。但是鑑於中國的營銷和傳媒規模之大，所以其實作品所佔的比重還是不大。」他說道，「中國有那麼多的作品，但是入圍廣告節的卻沒那麼多。比如說Fabulous 4獎，難道中國沒有年輕導演嗎？這絕不可能！」
2015坎城廣告節金獎，《搜免費wifi，尋走失兒童》，北京TBWA｜2015 Cannes Lion Gold, Search for Free Wifi, Search for Missing Children, by TBWA Beijing
Thailand’s ADFEST, founded in 1998, is widely regarded as one of Asia’s leading advertising festivals. When SHP+ asked ADFEST president Jimmy Lam about the China presence in Pattaya this year, his trademark enthusiasm quickly turned to exasperation. 「The overall delegates are up. It’s growing but not in proportion to the marketing and communication population in China」, adding, 「The entries are not in proportion to the volume of work being made. Take Fabulous 4; are there no young directors in China?! It’s not possible!」
2015坎城廣告節金獎，《英國等你來命名》，北京奧美｜2015 Cannes Lion Gold, Great Names for Great Britain, by Ogilvy & Mather Beijing
不僅如此，世界知名的坎城國際創意節也是如此。廣告節主席Terry Savage解釋道，「（2015年）中國的參賽作品有330部，這是有史以來最多的一次……但是對比來看，美國的參賽作品卻有2500部，所以中國其實還有很大的增長空間。」
The dearth extends to the world’s leading advertising show Cannes Lions. Chairman Terry Savage explains, 「[In 2015] we had an all-time record 330 delegates from China… But if you look at that number by comparison to the 2500 delegates we get from the US, then there is obviously potential for growth.」
中國的得獎情況
China Prizes
Savage對近年來中國廣告公司的作品還是很樂觀的。在2015亞洲創意節（屬於坎城國際創意節的一部分，是亞洲另一知名廣告節）期間，SHP+與他進行了交流，他指出，「10年前，中國幾乎什麼獎都沒得過，但是現在，中國一年就能拿17個獎項，下一年又能拿23個獎項。而且還拿過兩次全場大獎。他們已經步入了優秀創意水平的行列。」
Savage has seen a positive evolution for the work from Chinese agencies over the years. Speaking to SHP+ at Spikes Asia 2015 (a Lions event and another of Asia’s leading advertising festivals), he said, 「10 years ago, China won virtually nothing, but now we’re seeing them winning 17 Lions one year, 23 Lions the next. They』ve won two Grand Prix. They’re past the tipping point in terms of the levels of creative excellence.」
2015年坎城廣告節金獎，《黑曼巴球場》，AKQA倫敦與AKQA上海｜2015 Cannes Lion Gold, House of Mamba, by AKQA London/ AKQA Shanghai
雖然取得了這些成績，但是相比之下，中國廣告作品的整體水平還是不如日本、澳大利亞等亞太地區其他國家，也趕不上全球範圍內其他地區。奧美中國COO Graham Fink曾是2015 坎城國際創意節鈦獅獎的評委，他表示，「（中國）的作品水平還不夠。確實中國也在逐漸步入正軌，學得也很快，但還是有一段路要走。」
Despite the successes, the general quality of work from China is still below that of APAC heavy hitters like Japan or Australia and many other markets worldwide. Ogilvy China CCO Graham Fink, a Titanium Award judge at Cannes Lions 2015, summed up, 「The [Chinese] work is not good enough. China is on it’s way, it’s learning really, really fast, but it’s got a way to go.」
2015坎城廣告節金獎，《再次呼吸》，上海揚羅必凱｜2015 Cannes Lion Gold, Breathe Again, by Y&R Shanghai
尤其是在中國的那些4A廣告公司的作品，林俊明覺得尤為平庸，對此他把責任歸結到比較謹慎的客戶頭上，「就國際客戶而言，很少有人願意冒險。但是在大賽中，平庸的作品根本沒機會得獎。」的確如此，在中國這樣一個規模巨大又難以預料的市場裡，眾多周知，各大品牌都很謹慎，不願打破常規，在研究、定位人群和數據等方面都是保險起見。而一些較大的廣告公司的廣告宣傳，注重的是效率而非概念，正如林俊明所說，這樣的做法其實極大地阻礙了中國的發展機會，「所以不要去看比賽裡有多少個作品，佔多少比例，關鍵是如果作品沒有概念、沒有創意、沒有戰略可言，根本連入圍都談不上。」
Jimmy Lam is especially unimpressed by the output of the big China-based 4A agencies, placing blame on cautious clients, 「Of the international clients, very few of them are willing to take a risk. In an award show, middle of the road work doesn’t stand a chance.」 Indeed, with such a large and unpredictable market, brands are notoriously wary of campaigns that dare to venture outside the ordinary, preferring the security of research, focus groups and data. Bigger agencies build campaigns around effectiveness rather than ideas, something which, as Jimmy suggests, is critically hampering China’s chances, 「It doesn’t matter about the numbers or the percentages. If there’s no idea, no creativity, no strategy, they don’t even get shortlisted.」
冷漠的獨立廣告公司
Indie Indifference
2015 Spikes Asia亞洲廣告節全場大獎與金獎，《網遊無罪，暢玩有理》，盛世長城大中華區｜2015 Spikes Asia Grand Prix and Gold, Playing Can Not Be Bad, by Saatchi & Saatchi Greater China
這樣看來，我們似乎可以把希望寄托在一些比較靈活的獨立廣告機構和願意冒險的客戶身上。然而事實並非如此，這些獨立的廣告公司一般都會避開坎城廣告節、亞太廣告節以及Spike（新加坡）等等這樣大賽。
It would appear that the hope lies with the more nimble independent agencies and their typically more adventurous clients. However, they are generally shunning the likes of Cannes and big Asian shows such as ADFEST and Spikes (Singapore).
2015 Spikes Asia亞洲廣告節金獎，炒麵與靚湯重新在一起，上海BBDO｜2015 Spikes Asia Gold, The Reunion of Noodles & Soup, by BBDO Shanghai
最大的阻礙因素在於遞交作品的高昂成本。想要參選坎城廣告節某個獎項類別，首先要繳納520-1700美元（3400-11000元人民幣）的參賽費用，而且跟其他的市場狀況不同，中國的客戶不太可能資助廣告公司參賽。FCB上海執行創意總監Andy Chan解釋說，「現在廣告業的氣候就是每一分錢都要花在刀刃上。很多時候，小公司的廣告創意雖然很好，但是沒錢參賽。一些本地的廣告公司不會把坎城廣告節當作是自己的目標，他們看重的只是自身的業務。」而對於獨立廣告公司文明的執行創意總監駱耀明來說，他要在拿錢參賽和把錢獎勵給自己的團隊之間做出選擇，「我更願意把這份錢拿來組織公司度假、獎勵員工還有給員工加薪上，這些人是實際幫你幹活的人。如果他們想要拿獎的話，去別的地方好了。」
Most prohibitive are the costs associated with submitting work. Entering a single Cannes category costs between $520 (3400rmb) and $1700 (11,000rmb), and, unlike many of the winning entries from other markets, Chinese clients are unlikely to help fund entries. FCB Shanghai ECD Andy Chan elaborates, 「The climate now is that every renminbi counts. In a lot of cases, smaller agencies with good ideas don’t have the money to enter. Local agencies don’t see Cannes as their destination; they care more about their business.」 For Andrew Lok, ECD of independent agency Civilization, it is a choice between entering awards or rewarding his team, 「I』d rather spend the money on company holidays, bonuses and raises for my staff, because those are the people that give you the work. If they want awards, they can go elsewhere」
2015 亞太廣告節金獎，《泰康瞬間》，北京傑爾鵬泰｜2015 ADFEST Gold, A Taikang Moment, by Cheil Pengtai Beijing
此外，中國的廣告公司很多都是一種立足本土、與世隔絕的態度，所以這也是導致中國的參賽作品數量有限的原因。很多本土廣告公司不在乎能不能得到國際認可。客戶都是中國本地公司，所以他們只需要為中國市場提供服務就可以了。上海獨立廣告公司W的創始人李三水解釋了為什麼其他獨立廣告公司都不如W這般熱衷於參加各類獎項，「（中國的廣告公司）根本不在乎亞太廣告節或者其他什麼廣告節，他們只想著怎麼多賺錢。一座蓮花獎不會給公司帶來直接收益或者什麼好處。」所以這樣一種冷漠的態度也導致了一種惡性循環 -- 中國作品在廣告節上的份額少之又少，而且這些獎項看似也與中國毫無關係。
Chinese participation is also limited by an endemic insular attitude. Many local agencies are uninterested in winning international recognition. Their clients are China-based and they only seek to create work for the China market. Shanghai independent agency W founder Li Sanshui explains why other indies don't share his enthusiasm, 「[Chinese agencies] don’t care about ADFEST or other festivals, they just want to make more money. Winning a Lotus Award doesn’t really bring any direct profit or advantage to the company.」 The indifference gives rise to a vicious cycle whereby minimal Chinese presence makes awards feel irrelevant to Chinese agencies.
2015亞太廣告節金獎，《事關人命，遵守交規》，上海睿獅｜2015 ADFEST Gold, No Trucks Ahead, by Lowe China Shanghai
跟那些國際化的大公司不同，小型廣告公司並沒有由經驗豐富的執行創意總監所組成的創意委員會，來決定哪些作品應該進一步潤色一下去參賽。除了語言上的障礙，小公司也沒有太多參賽經驗，也不熟悉參賽過程，也不確定如何準備作品來最大化提升獲獎機會。安索帕全球執行長林友琴是2015坎城國際創意節網絡廣告獎的評委會主席，她指出了中國參賽作品的短板，「當有3700個作品一起參賽時，關鍵就在於如何能夠快速把想法清晰呈現出來，通過文化大環境、所表現出的問題和解決方案幾個方面來實現。而多數的中國作品，都太注重概念的細節，而不是如何清晰地把它放在大的環境中來看。而如果直奔主題來呈現概念，就會忽視整個大格局。但是其實中國可以做的很好，幫助人們理解他們的作品，也可以通過一些解決方案受到激發。」
Unlike the big global agencies, smaller agencies do not have the benefit of the creative councils of experienced ECDs that decide which work should be polished and entered. On top of the language barrier, they are inexperienced with awards, unfamiliar with the entry process and unsure how to prepare work to give it the best chance of success. Jean Lin, Global CEO of ISOBAR and president of the judging committee for the Cyber Lions at Cannes Lions 2015, witnessed the shortcomings of Chinese submissions, 「When you are competing against 3700 entries, what is crucial is how quickly the idea is made clear through providing the cultural context, the problem and the solution. Much of the work from China spends more time on the details of the ideas than clearly outlining the context. When you jump straight into the idea itself, it can lose sight of the bigger picture. China can do a lot better in helping people to understand and be inspired by the solutions happening here.」
2015亞太廣告節金獎，《手寫瓶》，北京傑爾廣告｜2015 ADFEST Gold, Signature Bottle, by Cheil China Beijing
即使一些中國的廣告公司知道如何遞交參賽作品，他們也很少有時間真正的付諸實踐去參賽。佛海佛瑞上海創始人、董事長兼CEO Fred Raillard解釋說，「中國的節奏太快了，人們沒時間去潤色作品。」他進一步指出，中國獨特的數字格局意味著很多中國創作的作品無法直接歸類到傳統的比賽類別裡，「我們甚至不知道我們的作品該參選哪一類。中國在社交媒體領域裡很超前，但在傳統媒體裡卻很落後。看看行業動態，百度、阿里、騰訊，我發現每一周都有不同的人改變著遊戲規則。」
Even if China-based agencies understand how to make their submissions award-ready, they rarely have the time required to act upon it. Fred Raillard, founder, chairman and CEO of Fred & Farid Shanghai, explains. 「It goes so fast in China that you don’t have time to polish your operation.」 He adds that the unique nature of the digital landscape in China means much of the work they create does not fit neatly into the traditional categories, 「We don’t even know into which category to enter [our work]. China is ahead on social media but behind on traditional media. Look at the dynamism… on Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent; every week I discover a completely new game-changer.」
2016亞太廣告節金獎，《10元背後看哭每個人的故事》，北京智威湯遜｜2016 ADFEST Gold, 10 Yuan Tale Of Forgotten Veterans, by JWT Beijing
走進中國
Going Local
W廣告公司創始人李三水在亞太廣告節上慷慨陳詞，呼籲中國的作品能多多參賽，「其實並不只是為了提升公司的名譽或是吸引更多的客戶，而是在為整個行業做一件善事。所以我希望廣告公司和製作公司能夠肩負起責任……(參與廣告節)可以極大推動廣告產業的發展。我希望中國公司能夠意識到這一點。」而林友琴概括地更精煉，「有得獎的欲望其實對所有創意人員來說都是好事，獎項可以推動行業的發展。」
W founder Li Sanshui, speaking at ADFEST, made an impassioned plea for increased Chinese participation, 「It’s not only about the reputation of the company or attracting more clients, it’s about doing good for the industry. I hope the agencies and production houses take responsibility… [Participation] can bring a huge boost to the industry. I wish Chinese companies would realize that.」 Jean Lin puts it even more succinctly, 「Having the desire to win awards is a good thing for all creatives. Awards push the industry forward.」
要想在國際廣告節上佔有一席之地，中國行業人士需要齊心協力。「就製作人員而言，沒有廣告機構聯盟，也沒有製作行業協會可言。所以大家都是各做各的，各走各的路」，林俊明如是說。中國最大的行業協會，即中國廣告協會，一直以來都是將精力放在國內。
To rally a significant presence at international festivals, China’s industry needs a unifying force. 「For production people, there is no advertising agency association, no production guild. Everybody is operating separately, on their own」, says Jimmy Lam. However, the biggest industry association, the China Advertising Association (CAA) has been, and remains, heavily domestically focused.
2015北京One Show全場大獎，霸王點評，W上海｜2015 One Show Gran Prix, Dianping, by W shanghai
中國市場規模巨大，行業增長勢頭強勁，這就意味著中國要開始走出去，追隨世界的步伐。現在中國大陸大概有十多個重要的獎項，其中有三個都是中國廣告協會主辦的，其中就包括中國國際廣告節（始於1982年），還有金投賞（始於2003年）。此外，1997年林俊明和人聯合創辦的龍璽獎，也已成為最為人推崇的國內廣告大賽之一。
The size of China’s market and growing strength of the industry means the focus is switching from China branching out, to the rest of the world looking in. There are now around a dozen significant award shows in the Mainland, three of which are operated by the CAA, including the China International Advertising Festival (CIAF) since 1982 and the ROI Awards since 2003. Jimmy Lam’s Longxi Awards has established itself as another of the most highly regarded domestic awards since he co-founded the event in 1997.
2015坎城廣告節金獎，《百度筷搜》，北京百度在線網絡技術｜2015 Cannes Lion Gold, Baidu Kuaisou, by Baidu Online Network Technology (Beijing)
國際大獎賽也紛紛打入中國市場，而且他們會找本地的合作夥伴，從而更容易融入到本土市場中。美國One Show廣告節自2001年就已進駐中國，由北京廣告協會承辦，此外，還有美國的艾菲獎，與中國廣告協會強強聯手，於2003年開始在中國舉辦。英國D&AD創意獎和法國的Cristal獎，近年來都任命林俊明為榮譽主席，從而可以藉助林俊明的廣博人脈和業界聲望，來打入中國市場。
International award shows are also entering the market, choosing local partners to help ease their transition. The One Show (USA), in China since 2001, is run with the support of the Beijing Advertising Association, while the Effie Awards (USA) started in China in 2003 is partnered with the CAA. Both the British D&AD and the French Cristal Awards tapped into Jimmy Lam’s extensive connections and industry stature by appointing him as an honorary figurehead for their tentative recent forays into China.
2015中國廣告長城獎金獎，《第二張名片，脫下你的西裝》，華揚聯眾上海公司｜2015 Great Wall Award Gold, Take off Your Suit, by Hylink Shanghai
而坎城創意節之前在中國鎖舉辦的亞洲實效營銷獎（北京）以及Digital Asia（上海），可謂是以失敗而告終。由於這些活動具有區域性，所以都是以英語為語言，但是實際上絕大多數參與人員還有贊助商都是中國人，所以Terry Savage將其稱為「一場精神分裂的活動」。他確切指明，坎城創意節肯定會再次回歸中國，但是也強調，手法上一定要有所改變，「把這樣的活動引入中國，如果仍然把它做成一場西方的活動，保持西方的價值，不去考慮中國市場的獨特性和文化，根本沒什麼意義。中國市場很獨特……和東南亞市場的運作非常不同……所以還是要反映出中國市場的狀況。如果真的要做一場廣告節，那就要必須得用中文。」
Lions came unstuck on its previous efforts in China, the Asia Marketing Effectiveness Awards (Beijing) and Digital Asia (Shanghai). The shows were held in English because they were regional, but the vast majority of delegates and sponsors were Chinese, leading to what Terry Savage describes as a 「schizophrenic event」. He confirms that Lions will return to the China market but emphasizes that a change of approach is needed, 「It’s no good coming in and being a big western festival with western values in a market with a very unique approach and culture. China is it’s own market… It operates very differently from the South East Asian markets…You』ve got to reflect what is happening there. If you’re going to do something, it has to be done in Chinese.」
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