BUSAN ― AD Stars 2011, which marks its fourth anniversary this year, is the world’s first on-offline convergence advertising festival held in Busan, Korea’s southeastern port city.

“Unlike other international advertising events, the Busan festival actually takes place all year long,” said Choi Hwan-jin, co-chairperson of the executive committee.

Anyone can always enter advertising work through the website and the work is displayed and reviewed immediately by online users.

Adding to the award given to the work picked by netizens, the online reviews are also considered during the official evaluation process, Choi said.

“It’s not just a slogan. It’s truly a festival open to everybody,” he said.

Thanks to easy accessibility, the number of works submitted has grown almost 30 percent every year.

This year a total of 7,130 works from 46 countries have been entered, making the young advertising event the largest in Asia in terms of applicants.

Many of the works were still from Asia such as Korea, Japan and China, with 2,508 of them Korean. However, a growing number came from Europe, North America and Africa.

“The show was much more international than I expected,” said Graham Kelly, a consultant for Ogilvy One India, who was one of the final judges, adding that some of the works deserved to win top awards anywhere.

“We viewed a lot of works from Asia and other countries such as Turkey, Colombia and Costa Rica. That was interesting and surprising,” he said.

The works submitted went through a rigorous evaluation by 105 judges here and abroad who were led by Neil French, Asia’s advertising guru who served the worldwide creative director of WPP Group.

Unlike last year when the largest number of finalists came from financial and service sectors, this year saw more entries from electronics, IT and office supplies.

Kelly added Korean entries were noticeable especially in the digital category reflecting the nation’s advanced IT industry.

That means the Busan festival has become a place to confirm the paradigm shift towards new digital communications in the global advertising industry.

“We witness progress every year. Within five years, we hope AD Stars in Busan will become one of the top international advertising festivals, such as Cannes International Advertising Festival and Clio Awards,” said Lee Eui-ja, co-chairperson of the executive committee.

During the festival, the 1,267 works selected for the final rounds were displayed for public viewing at the Busan Haeundae Grand Hotel and on the nearby beach. Other cultural events and experience programs also spiced up the festival.

AD Stars 2011, which kicked off on Thursday, will conclude its three-day event on Saturday evening when the winners for the $10,000 grand prize in each category will be announced.

By Lee Ji-yoon (jylee@heraldcorp.com)