Some account managers might be satisfied with a campaign that sweeps the awards circuit, as Apple’s 23-minute “The Comeback” film for Chinese New Year did at Cannes, The One Show, D&AD and elsewhere. But Emily Gale, global account director at TBWA\Media Arts Lab, had a vision to make that “Shot on iPhone” campaign resonate more broadly, with local adaptations across 24 of the brand’s local markets.

Gale, as the Creativity Awards entry put it, “beat the drum for why locally relevant work is needed to increase Apple’s success globally.” Her efforts yielded beautiful work that highlighted the unique cultures of regional markets across Asia along with iPhone’s capability to bring them to life. In Singapore, that took the form of a food-war documentary called “Poached.” In Thailand, it was a horror-style film titled “Those That Follow.” And in Korea, it was a martial arts fantasy film called “Life Is But a Dream.”

“I look to her as a partner in creating great work,” said the Apple client in the entry. “Her passion and pressure to make sure we are giving our local offices around the globe a voice makes Apple better and more inclusive of the many cultures our products touch.”

The Creativity Awards judges were won over by Gale’s drive. “It is very challenging to manage work across markets locally and especially to make work that also resonates globally,” said one. Doing so while maintaining “a standard consistently that high is very difficult to achieve,” said another.

Commented one judge: “Gale had a point of view about local offices and saw that as an opportunity—and that stands out.”

See all the 2023 Ad Age Creativity Awards winners.