If there is one lesson everyone should take from the 2024 Mad Stars Festival in South Korea last month, it’s that Western brand owners and agencies must take the creativity, innovation and marketing excellence coming out of Asia more seriously.

The work on show at the festival was exciting, dynamic and at times arresting. And so was the event itself – with its unique blend of youthful exuberance and polite formality, young female creatives accounting for an estimated 80% of attendees, as well as live K-pop performances and a giant hired-in waterpark providing endless entertainment.

Too many in our industry fall into the well-worn mindset that ‘West is best’ – an attitude that’s as elitist as it is patronising. It’s also misplaced, and for proof look no further than where growth – in business, innovation and creativity alike – is now taking off.

The global economy is projected to grow 3.1% this year, according to OECD figures. But while many Asian economies will exceed this (India by 6.6%, for example, Indonesia by 5.1%, and China by 4.9%) many Western economies – such as the US (2.6%) and the UK (0.4%) will not.

In fact, South East Asia will grow at a faster rate over the next decade than it did over the last, according to one recent forecast – which also predicted that Vietnam and the Philippines will be its fastest and second-fastest growing economies, respectively. And it’s not just about economic growth. South Korean culture is now a global phenomenon.

And there’s no doubt that Asia is a rising force in creativity at the moment. The fact that some of the world’s most creative work is happening now in the vast area from north to south Asia, and India to Japan, should dismiss the notion that innovation is the sole preserve of those based in the microdot of Silicon Valley. All of which made attending this year’s Mad Stars – where I was both a festival guest and speaker, and judge of the YoungStars Awards – especially timely.

Contrary to what some outsiders may still think, Asia is not a single, monolithic market. And brands are working harder and harder to tap into regional cultural motifs

So, here are a number of other personal observations I would like to share. First, there is an energy, an excitement and a dynamism in Asia that makes creatives there more willing and eager to innovate and experiment and to do both more quickly than creatives do either elsewhere.

I think this is in part a result of a broader culture characterised by energy and speed of ambition, discipline in execution and a constant craving for new things. But it’s also a result of not being weighed down or hemmed in by what’s passed; a peculiarly Western trait.

Plus, there’s the obvious extent to which technology has become increasingly embedded into daily life – as is typified by Asia’s mobile-first mindset. This is a standout trend that runs counter to the West’s enduring desktop dependence and, as a result, now clearly sets the region apart.

From a designer’s perspective, this means designing through a digital experience-lens first and making sure that brands can shine in mobile environments is, in effect, a native skill. And when it comes to embracing AI, creatives across the region are testing and learning faster as part of the design process.

Second, there is an emphasis on hyper-localisation. Contrary to what some outsiders may still think, Asia is not a single, monolithic market. And brands are working harder and harder to tap into regional festivals, languages and cultural motifs to create marketing and content for local audiences that feels specifically relevant and authentic to them.

Buckaroo’s Fit My Feet campaign, which deployed India’s vast network of street cobblers to offer affordable help to people with clubfeet and won three Grand Prix at Mad Stars, is a powerful example of this. JR Group’s five Mad Stars Grand Prix-winning My Japan Railway, an interactive web app specially designed for rail users, is another.

Both campaigns prove the power of smaller, innovative activations powered by design. They are also an important reminder that deep cultural insights are crucial for meaningful engagement. Third, the power of integrating local culture – in South Korea, ‘k-culture’ – into advertising and being unafraid to reinvent or meld it into something new, should be an inspiration for us all.

My key takeaway from Mad Stars is excitement – and, as a by-product of that, hope. Because creativity in Asia is on fire. It’s redefining global innovation

Deep pride in local culture combined with the willingness to evolve it has led to the widespread integration of local cultural phenomena into brand advertising, offering valuable lessons for Western marketers looking to connect with diverse markets.

Popular K-pop girl group NewJeans, for example, partnered with Apple to showcase iPhone 15 features in ads and on social media. This included a music video shot entirely on the iPhone 15 highlighting the phone’s new camera and its cinematic qualities. The collaboration also shows how global tech companies are increasingly leveraging K-pop’s massive fanbase to reach younger, tech-savvy consumers across Asia and beyond, driving buzz and excitement around their products.

This opposes a prevailing view held by many Western marketers hung up on ‘net new’: that the only way to move forward is to reinvent the wheel and keep doing so, each time, from scratch.

Fourth, the rise of local agencies hiring local talent to run their businesses. This is a distinct contrast from what I’ve observed in the 20-plus years I’ve worked in the region, during which time top talent from outside (typically, the West) would parachute in.

Yes, there’s still a need for global leadership. But increasingly the question is: when is this best? The answer depends on what’s in the client’s best interests. And for global and local agencies alike, that now means leaders rooted in the culture in which brands, and the audiences they want to reach, originate. It’s a powerful argument for representation and what improved diversity in turn delivers: greater innovation and greater effectiveness.

Finally, I was struck by the ease with which ad agencies in Asia embrace design – something that in recent years has become a bit of a fad here. I started my career in advertising then switched early on into design, as it seemed to be a discipline more eager to change, less likely to remain stuck in the past.

And experience proved me right. A bold design solution for Heineken is a case in point: Hidden in Plain Sight involved a crop of the brand’s familiar red star. It achieved success using OOH in Malaysia, a dark ad market for alcohol, while respecting the law, and won two Mad Stars Grand Prix awards.

Overall, my key takeaway from Mad Stars is excitement – and, as a by-product of that, hope. Because creativity in Asia is on fire. It’s redefining global innovation. And that energy and hunger for evolution, re-invention and change should ignite us all.

Wayne Deakin is global creative principal at Wolff Olins; wolffolins.com