Jury members of this year’s WARC Awards for Asian Strategy talk about what they are looking for in this year’s entrants, the role of strategy in their businesses and their future hopes for the discipline.


Hazlina Dayangku

Title: Head of Marketing

Company: Samsonite

How do you define strategy? What role does it play in your own marketing ambitions – especially when it comes to the work done with your agency partners?

Everything starts with a clear vision of what you stand for and what value you want to create. A good strategy allows a marketer to achieve their goals while staying true to this vision and bringing these values and their brand to greater heights. 

Strategy is the foundation of everything we do at Samsonite: it acts as a compass to direct us to our destination; I call this our ‘North Star’. Agency partners can help develop strategy, but ultimately their role is that of both advisors and executors. With that, it is extremely important for there to be mutual trust and an alignment of goals between marketer and agencies.

What would be the deal breaker, or on the flip side, deal maker for you when it comes to evaluating this year’s slate of case study papers?

While evaluating the campaigns we should look at them comprehensively rather than ruling out things as a deal breaker. I am sure all the participants would have put in an enormous amount of effort while creating these campaigns. 

I will look for smart campaigns which stay true to the brand promise as well as innovative and fresh ideas to reach an audience. More importantly, I will look for well-rounded campaigns, right from content to execution. However, sometimes less is more. Big ideas (with unlimited budgets) will certainly wow the crowd but, in the current climate, managing budget and resource limitations while rolling out strategies effectively will be even more notable.

This year’s Awards theme is centred on the next generation of strategists and how this discipline will evolve in the next 10 years. What advice would you give young strategists?

Consumers are constantly evolving due to social changes as there is heightened awareness of our societal, environmental, political and cultural climate. Good strategies are all about having a pulse on things and on results – they have to be a hybrid of creative genius, storytelling and data science. The best ideas are often pursued with endless curiosity coupled with the courage to challenge boundaries.


Stuart La Brooy

Title: Senior Marketing Director, Strategic Partnerships

Company: Diageo

How do you define strategy? What role does it play in your own marketing ambitions – especially when it comes to the work done with your agency partners?

A great strategy is usually about a sharp choice which defines what you will and won’t do extremely clearly. The best strategies are so simple and sharp that they serve as a touchstone for all business and creative decisions, especially for briefs to our agency partners. Truly breakthrough creative work always comes from a crystal-clear focus and tight constraints – and bad work is very often due to a bad brief or muddy strategy.

What would be the deal breaker, or on the flip side, deal maker for you when it comes to evaluating this year’s slate of case study papers?

I’m always inspired by great work that is rooted in a deep, insightful understanding of people, as opposed to campaigns that seem more interested in the technology, celebrity or popular trends that they are incorporating. I also love marketing that seeks to be authentic and useful to people instead of self-involved, manipulative or otherwise non-genuine.

This year’s Awards theme is centred on the next generation of strategists and how this discipline will evolve in the next 10 years. What advice would you give young strategists?

Marketing is ultimately about people, and that means the field is always changing – so it is important to embrace and experiment constantly. At the same time, the best creative ideas tap into the core of our humanity and remain timeless and true – that also must be protected. The best work finds that balance. 

My second piece of advice is that as marketers, we must always respect and recognise the influence we have on culture as an obligation as serious as that of market share. Whether that be via embracing diversity and inclusion, advocating responsible consumption, or simply staying authentic and truthful at all times. It’s good for you, good for the brands you steward and good for the world – be that force for good.


Huiyan Pan

Title: Regional Marketing Lead (Branding & Partnerships)

Company: Shopee

How do you define strategy? What role does it play in your own marketing ambitions – especially when it comes to the work done with your agency partners?

Strategy is an art and a science: it unites the understanding of human motivations with actionable data insights to drive change. Effective strategies help anchor our decisions around strong frameworks, yet allow room for creativity – especially when we need to pivot our approach in response to landscape changes. 

As e-commerce is on the rise, new challenges emerge with the need to expand our reach rapidly to serve both urban and rural communities, while offering highly personalised shopping experiences for every consumer. 

Though operations may be complex, it is crucial for us to ensure our marketing messages are easily understood and easily recalled. A sound strategy knocks out all the noise, compelling us to focus on scaling a simple and sustainable marketing idea.

What would be the deal breaker, or on the flip side, deal maker for you when it comes to evaluating this year’s slate of case study papers? 

Deal maker: A strong marketing strategy solves not only business problems, but also real world problems. While we often come across good marketing campaigns that create new demand for brands, great marketing strategies today help brands unearth real needs within underserved communities, apply creative solutions and most importantly, commit to driving sustainable results.

Deal breaker: Entries with bigger words than ideas.

This year’s Awards theme is centred on the next generation of strategists and how this discipline will evolve in the next 10 years. What advice would you give young strategists?

Stay humble and adaptable. The world and the ways in which we connect will continue to shift in ways we cannot imagine. As marketers, it is our unique duty to continually evolve and bring value to consumers, regardless of how the world changes. 

Don't confine yourself. Be in a constant state of curiosity, instead of limiting yourself to your work. Learn about the world in your own time, it will come in handy.

How to enter the WARC Awards for Asian Strategy

The WARC Awards for Asian Strategy are now open for entries. The deadline for submission is July 14, 2021.

Now in their 11th year, the Awards aim to showcase the region’s best strategic thinking with a view to inspire the next generation of strategists. 

Entry is free. For more info on how to submit your work, visit the Awards website.