The future is now in Ad Age Young Creatives contest’s winning TikTok video

For this year’s Ad Age Young Creatives contest, we asked up-and-coming talent to predict the future of creativity. But in the end, Ziwei Koh decided the only way to win that game was not to play. In his winning TikTok video, Koh didn’t predict the future at all. Instead, he said advertising people should focus on the present—to listen to, understand and act on audience attention as it exists today, not what it might look like days, months or years from now. @zi.wii #stitch with @Ad Age may i interupt ur #fyp with a lil contest post from me #adage ♬ original sound - ziwi Koh told Ad Age that he knew it was a bit of a different approach, but he believed fully in his direction. “I was low-key worried that my perspective on ‘not focusing on the future’ was going against the original brief, but I wanted to take a chance when it comes to undeniable truths. It’s all about the here and now,” he said. “We’re all obsessed with future innovations—and hyping them up—but we’re not putting sufficient effort into present moments that actually shape the future. It’s time to flip the narrative on that!” Koh, based in Singapore, is a content creator at VaynerMedia APAC. He said crafting creative that fits with the platform's features and language has become second nature during his time at Vayner. Cannes Lions coverage Follow our live blog here Sign up here for email updates See all of the Grand Prix winners here “Many creators and brands approach platforms like TikTok with preconceived notions and expectations of what ‘quality content’ looks like, but often without truly comprehending and appreciating the unique nature of the platform,” he said. “My ultimate goal was to make it look like it belonged on TikTok, which is also why I did all the text and supers natively within the app.” Working off a basic script, Koh shot the video on the night of the deadline in a “run-and-gun style.” “Speed plays a vital role when it comes to creating social content,” he said. “I used to churn out two TikToks a day, on top of my main job, for months.” The one high-tech part is the AI section, beginning around the 0:06 mark, where Koh appears as a kind of Claymation creature. That was made using Runway ML’s Gen 1 Video to Video Engine. “I simply uploaded a clip of myself and let it work its magic based on a prompt,” Koh said. “It’s a total game-changer, and I knew I had to kick off the content by diving into the AI realm, because let’s face it, AI is the talk of the town when it comes to the future.” Koh said he was completely surprised to win, given he didn’t answer the question. But he said winning wasn't even really his goal. “I used the contest as an opportunity to verbalize and solidify my observations and thoughts from the past few years, just wanting to speak from a place of authenticity,” he said. “I’m genuinely thrilled that the panel connected with my message.” This year’s Young Creatives contest was the first to use TikTok as a platform—historically, the contest has asked entrants to design a cover for Ad Age’s print edition. As a winner, Koh received a trip to the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. There were five other finalists this year, which you can read about below. Emily Coplan Brand and marketing strategist, Accenture Song “In my TikTok, I compare the future of creativity to chocolate chip cookies,” Coplan said in her entry. “I used the TikTok as an opportunity to shed light on the importance of humanity in the future of creativity while also showcasing my love for food as my own personal creative outlet.” @emilycop4 #stitch with @Ad Age ♬ original sound - Emilycop Cole Davis Art director, Deutsch New York “AI evens the playing field, which is exciting, but creativity is a developed skill and the future will reward those who put in the time and effort towards their creations,” said Davis’ entry. “It’s easy to spot an AI-fabricated creation, admire and move on, but watching someone’s arduous stop-motion masterpiece invites us to stop, watch, appreciate and give respect.” @coleydavey The future looks a little robotic, but we ain’t stressed! 🤖 @adage #CapCut #advertising #contest #future #creativity #ai ♬ original sound - Cole Davis Sarah Ko Art director, TBWA\Chiat\Day Los Angeles Ko’s video is about “embracing your mess” and creating something that inspires you to keep moving forward. “When I talk about ‘mess,’ I mean really embracing your own creative process and not a textbook one,” she said in the entry. “My personal thinking style is sporadic, somewhat random, and definitely messy. For a while, I thought that this scattered thinking pattern was wrong, but I’ve learned to embrace and adapt it into a way where I can adhere to structure while maintaining originality.” @_sarahko #stitch with @adage ♬ original sound - _sarahko Emma Murphy Senior copywriter, 22Squared Murphy’s video is a conversation with her future self, human to human. “The conversation around the future of creativity often dives straight into the executional like AI, new social platforms, etc.,” she wrote in her entry. “But creativity is first and foremost an act of humanity. It's finding the novel yet relatable in the human experience. We can't forget that.” @emmamurf #stitch with @Ad Age @Ad Age ♬ original sound - Emma Murphy320 Ana Sofia Valdez and Fátima Alejandra Quiroz Creatives, Bendita Carpeta “Everybody says that AI is the future of creativity, but there are some things that AI cannot replace about it—the human experience of feeling,” the pair said in their entry. “We believe that the future of creativity will always be linked to humanity, because creativity is about connecting with others, connecting through feelings, and connecting with all the things that makes us feel alive: our people, our traditions, our culture.” @fatimapachis @Ad Age Young creative contest 🫰🏻this is how @anashofs ♬ Cumbia Buena - Grupo La Cumbia Ad Age Creativity Bookmark our section covering the best in brand creativity every day Read more here

The future is now in Ad Age Young Creatives contest’s winning TikTok video

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