Yuna Kim to Attend? ... 2025 Busan International Marketing Advertising Festival Kicks Off

Three-Day Festival Explores "AI-vertising: The Age of AI Advertising and Marketing"
Showcasing New Creative Possibilities and Industry Trends in Busan

The global festival of advertising and marketing, "2025 Busan International Marketing Advertising Festival (MAD STARS 2025)," will be held from August 27 to 29 at Signiel Busan and throughout the Haeundae area.

Now in its 18th year, this year's theme is "AI-vertising: The Age of AI Advertising and Marketing." The festival will highlight the new creative possibilities emerging from the fusion of artificial intelligence and human creativity, while examining current industry trends.

The event will feature an opening ceremony and dinner, networking parties, an awards ceremony and closing dinner, a business market and exhibition, conferences, and competitions. Industry experts will engage in practical discussions on the challenges they face.

CEO Jonghyun Kim (left) and Alex Abranchis delivering the keynote speech at the Busan International Marketing Advertising Festival.

At the opening ceremony, special awards will be presented. The International Honor Award will go to UN WOMEN for its efforts in spreading messages of gender equality through creative communication. The Achievement Award will be given to Jungkeun Yoo, former president of Cheil Worldwide and current CEO of Samsung Lions, in recognition of his 35 years of contributions to elevating the global status of Korea's advertising industry and nurturing talent.

The awards ceremony will be held at 5:00 p.m. on August 29 at Signiel Busan. Major winners, including the top honor "Grand Prix of the Year," will be announced. Entries were judged online by 302 preliminary judges from 74 countries, while the final round will be conducted on-site in Busan by 34 judges from 20 countries.

The conference will consist of over 40 lectures. Jonghyun Kim, President and CEO of Cheil Worldwide, and Alex Abranchis, North America CCO of Iris Worldwide, will deliver keynote speeches. Kim will discuss directions for creating sustainable value in the AI era, while Abranchis will share strategies for connecting technology with human emotion.

Sessions on the FAST market outlook, digital out-of-home advertising, and CMO topics are also drawing attention. Experts from global companies such as AnyPoint Media, Snap, TBWA, LEGO, and Dentsu will participate, offering practical solutions for the industry.

Yuna Kim to Speak at the 2025 Busan International Marketing Advertising Festival.

The marketing lead behind Samsung Electronics' "AI Home Appliance Troika" campaign will take the stage alongside Yuna Kim. They will share behind-the-scenes stories and on-site experiences from campaigns utilizing AI home appliance technology. Science communicator Gwedo and broadcaster Hongchul Noh will also speak, presenting strategies for content creation in the AI era and the power of unpredictable content, respectively.

The competitions "New Stars" and "Young Stars" will take place from August 26 to 29. "New Stars" will feature 84 junior advertising professionals from 11 countries, while "Young Stars" will include 98 university students from 9 countries. Participants will plan and produce campaigns based on a given theme within 30 hours. Winners will receive trophies, opportunities to execute advertising campaigns, and internships.

For the first time, an event for the general public will be held. "Creative Popup" will take place from September 19 to 21 at the annex of the Busan Modern and Contemporary History Museum. The exhibition of major award-winning works, emotional advertising copy, and lectures by industry professionals will provide creative inspiration to citizens. Supported by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Busan City, this advertising festival is expanding into a content celebration enjoyed by both industry experts and the public.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.