If 2025’s industry awards shows have shown us one thing, it’s that the spotlight is firmly on Asia’s creative power. Leading the charge are markets often underrepresented by traditional marketing and communications awards.
Recent Lions winners reveal that this region is delivering innovative approaches across content, format, and platform creativity. Managing multiple languages, religions and regional differences within markets demands solutions that may transcend traditional award-worthy creative yet creates real impact. And as Asia takes it’s place as a key driver of global growth, "the future of creative may be Asian” to paraphrase Parag Khanna.
After years of purpose-driven campaigns that were sometimes bereft of lasting impact, we are seeing a welcome surge in work that fuses purpose with performance. It’s not about a brand taking a stand for something in isolation: it must anchored to moving the needle on the business. As Mira Bharin, Trust Bank's chief marketing officer, puts it: "Creative needs to move hearts, but also needs to move the numbers."
Case Studies in Action
Indian Railways’ 'Lucky Yatra' exemplifies this evolution. The campaign turned every rail ticket into a lottery entry, using sharp insight to tackle ticketless travel, a massive drain on the rail system. It reframed compliance as excitement, sparking behavioural change and winning India its first PR Grand Prix Lion. This work demonstrates creative problem-solving for a real-life issue, cleverly married to cultural authenticity.
Similarly, Singapore's 'Vaseline Verified' claimed myriad awards (including Singapore’s first Titanium Lion) by transforming user-generated hacks into scientifically validated truths. The campaign tested thousands of organic social media posts in playful lab-style videos, earning successful hacks the 'Vaseline Verified' seal while debunking myths. And yes, it drove business impact.
Beyond Western Templates
Business-savvy creative must drive this continued evolution here – creating solves in Asia, for Asia and perhaps beyond. Communications professionals across Asia cannot simply look to the west solely for creative FOMO. We’ve long since woken up to Asia as a global creative powerhouse. On screen, we watch hit shows like Squid Game and collect Labububu’s at an alarming rate.
The best brands in Asia are thinking about creative as a force multiplier for business that embraces cultural truths by breaking global toolkits and solving real world problems.
It's our job to create ideas that work in the jungle, not in the zoo.
Tom Beckman 2025 PR Lions Jury President
Authored by Darren Burns, President at Golin Asia Pacific
