Droga5’s Barbara Humphries selected for LIA Branded Content + Branded Entertainment Jury

This year, the Branded Content and Branded Entertainment Jury will be presided over by award-winning industry creative leader, Javier Campopiano, Global Chief Creative Officer of McCann Worldgroup & McCann. Together with other industry heavy-weights including Australia’s Barbara Humphries, Co-Chief Creative Officer of Droga ANZ, Campopiano will lead the charge in awarding the best work in Branded Content and Branded Entertainment.

All juries will convene at Encore @ Wynn Las Vegas for LIA’s 40th anniversary judging sessions, beginning the 25th September through 3rd October.

Says Campopiano: “It’s a huge honor for me to serve as President of LIA’s Branded Content and Branded Entertainment Jury. This category is one of my personal favorites and makes me extremely excited about what we can create as an industry. Being part of LIA is also special in that we open the doors of the judging rooms to young talents. While we deliberate the work that represents the best of advertising, we bring in rising stars to observe, learn and grow. Preparing and inspiring the next generation is a responsibility we should never take for granted.”

The core of branded content and entertainment is rooted in creating work that captivates the audience while subtly promoting the brand’s values or its products. This departure from the more traditional kind of advertising seamlessly weaves the brand message into the content, blurring the lines between entertainment and direct promotion. It is all about creating material that creates a lasting impression. The success of the movie ‘Barbie’ clearly shows how a product can connect with the audience greatly through a narrative-driven approach.

Says Barbara Levy, President of LIA: “Success in Branded Content and Branded Entertainment is not limited to the big brands. As always, nailing the creative concept and creating fresh and unique content for deeper engagement is pivotal. All our judges are experts at showcasing brands in the most creative and compelling ways. We are grateful that they have generously agreed to give their time and will come together to see and discuss every piece of work in Las Vegas before selecting the best as the benchmark for 2025. As Javier has mentioned, it will be a great learning experience for the young creatives who have been brought in from all over the world, to learn from sitting in on the judging sessions. Who better to feed young creative minds than a room full of top creative leaders. No classroom can rival that experience.”

Branded Content and Branded Entertainment Jurors:

Jury President, Javier Campopiano, Global Chief Creative Officer, McCann Worldgroup & McCann
Nopparath ‘Mint’ Eksuwancharoen, Executive Creative Director / Head of Art, Sour, Bangkok
Perry Fair, Head of Creative, Mattel, El Segundo
Isabel Fontes, Senior Creative, Boomerang, Amsterdam
Barbara Humphries, Co-Chief Creative Officer, Droga5, Sydney
Suz Keen, Executive Creative Director, CYLNDR Studios, Los Angeles
Peter Khoury, Regional Chief Creative Officer, TBWA\Asia / Chief Creative Officer, TBWA\Singapore
Yuichi Kitada, Group Creative Director, Dentsu Inc., Tokyo
Brandon Pierce, VP / Executive Creative Director, Artists Equity, West Hollywood
Rafael Pitanguy, Deputy Global Chief Creative Officer, VML / Creative Lead for the Coca-Cola Company
Liz Taylor, Global Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy

The LIA Entry System is Open – all entries finalised and paid by 10th June 2025 will receive a 25% entry discount.