David Nobay, creative chairman of advertising agency Droga5 Sydney and chairman of the 2012 Loeries print and outdoor categories, says judging advertising that's aimed at different cultures can be tricky.

"I chaired the Dubai Lynx awards a couple of years ago," he says. "We had a cultural attaché in the room who helped explain some of what turned out to be the best ideas. That helped a lot.

"Maybe the Loeries need two of them in the room: one for Africa and one for the Middle East." But he adds: "We're all humans moved by similar emotions."

Nobay says the growing strength of new media is affecting the quality of print and outdoor advertising. There was a time, he says, when print and outdoor were the "kings" of advertising shows.

"The relative simplicity of the production process (as opposed to film) meant there was much more opportunity to push the creative boundaries and try new things," he says. "In my experience, the latest generations of creative people are a little less excited about crafting great print, and a lot more excited about developing the next great experience, often digitally."

During this year's outdoor and print judging, Nobay says, he'll be looking for entries that will surprise him. "After 25 years of doing this, it'll be pretty hard. I'm looking for something that takes an old problem and uses creativity to solve it in a new way and brings a dimensional medium to life," he says.

Source: Financial Mail