'AD Project: Creative Ideas Compete' Event Announces Winning Projects

The award ceremony of the traditional ‘AD Project: Creative Ideas Compete’ event, organized for the sixth time by the Department of Public Relations and Publicity of Pamukkale University (PAU) Faculty of Communication, was held on Thursday, January 16, at the Hierapolis Conference Hall.

The event was attended by faculty members from different departments, students, Communication Faculty Advisory Board Members, representatives from Denizli Inogarden, Kangaroo Creative Digital Communication Agency, industry representatives, and members of the press.

This year marked the sixth edition of the competition, which has become a tradition.

The event, organized by the PAU Faculty of Communication’s Public Relations and Publicity Department, saw 30 projects competing across 6 categories: ‘Advertising Campaign, Civil Society Project, Internet Advertising, Social Media Advertising, Outdoor Advertising, and TV Script.’ The competition opened on Monday, January 13, and throughout the event, which was themed “AD Project Rainbow,” the red color symbolized energy, passion, and leadership. Over four days, the jury evaluated the projects.

‘The Most Needed Trait in the Younger Generation is Resilience’

Before announcing the winning projects, Prof. Dr. Ali Soylu, Dean of the Faculty of Communication, made a speech: "At the end of a successful period, after completing the lessons, we observe the results of these lessons and evaluate the valuable students' efforts. We are all in a celebratory mood. These works that make us so happy were led by Prof. Dr. Eylin Aktaş and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yasemin Bozkurt. The idea of turning projects done in their classes into a competition and crowning the efforts was born. We are fortunate to be celebrating the sixth season. We have had many valuable sponsors who contributed greatly to the events. Of course, the biggest contribution comes from the course instructors, the jury members, and the students in the organizing team. I would like to express my gratitude to the students who worked hard and submitted their projects in the form of assignments for the competition. This is a collective effort. Challenges arise, but I want to share a perspective from one of the prominent figures in the business world: ‘What we most need in the younger generation is resilience.’ When there is an obstacle or difficulty, we need young people who do not give up, who are resilient and not emotionally driven. When looking at the lives of successful entrepreneurs, we see that they have failed many times, but they always got back up. We must learn from the life stories of these people. No matter what happens, whether in business or other aspects of life, we must show resilience in the face of difficulties or failures because success is not always easy to achieve. As we look at the future of business, it is important for businesses to be resilient, adapting to changes and developments while reaching their goals. But the profile of individuals that these businesses are looking for is resilient individuals. The business world and life are waiting for people with these characteristics. While preparing these projects, there were moments when you wanted to give up, when you were disappointed, when you thought this wouldn't work, but in the end, the projects were completed. Today, we will choose the best of the best. However, I believe that those who showed resilience, those who dedicated day and night to this work, will ultimately come out on top. I would like to thank everyone involved in this enjoyable award ceremony, especially our friends, teachers, sponsors, and participants."

After his speech, Prof. Dr. Ali Soylu presented a plaque of appreciation to Dr. Hasan Sarı on behalf of the sponsor, Denizli Inogarden. Following the plaque presentation, Prof. Dr. Soylu handed out certificates of appreciation to students, faculty members, and administrative staff who contributed to the event. The program concluded with the announcement of the winning projects and a group photo.

The First Place in the Advertising Campaign Category Went to ‘Pınar Aç Bitir’ by Next in AD Agency

In the subcategories of the competition, the winning projects were as follows:

• Outdoor Advertising: Maybelline Project
• TV Script: Faber Castell Project
• Social Media Advertising: Çaykur Project
• Internet Advertising: Kığılı Project
• Experiential Advertising: Frayo Project
• Civil Society: First Place: Ayaz Agency’s Sabancı Foundation Civil Society Project, Second Place: Saksağan Agency’s LÖSEV Civil Society Project, Third Place: İz Agency’s HAYTAP Civil Society Project
• Advertising Campaign Design: First Place: Next in AD Agency’s ‘Pınar Aç Bitir’ Project, Second Place: Elit Agency’s ‘Yukatel Merkezefendi Basketball Team’ Project, Third Place: Nocap Agency’s ‘Redbull’ Project.