Victors crowned at APG’s Battle of Big Thinking 2019 last night under the lights of Vivid Sydney

The came, they argued, they conquered. Some of Sydney’s brightest minds and sharpest wits fought it out last night, Tuesday 4 June, at the Battle of Big Thinking (BOBT), under the lights of the Vivid Sydney festival.

Presented by the Communications Council’s Account Planning Group (APG) as part of Vivid Sydney, BOBT is the APG’s annual celebration – now in its ninth year – of creative thinking, each year seeking to challenge the conventions that underpin the ad industry in an entertaining and provocative way.

This year’s theme – ‘Has trust left the building?’ – was valiantly battled over by teams captained by Kate Smither (The Tall Planner & APG co-Chair) and Carl Ratcliff (chief strategy officer, DDB Sydney).

Smither led her team to victory by duelling with the opposition and reassuring the audience of largely advertising people that their jobs are still secure and trust has definitely not left the building.

The winning team also included Lisa Davies (editor, SMH) and David Warren (group strategy director, BMF), while Ratcliff’s valient opposition comprised Ali Tilling (chief strategy officer, VMLY&R Australia), and Peter Fray (co-director at Centre for Media Transition, University of Technology Sydney).

With such a line-up of brilliant minds, it wasn’t surprising that the debate was edge-of-the-seat stuff, and after arguments had ranged from the predictable to the absurd, attendees left the evening both better informed and highly entertained.

The evening was MC’d and moderated by Nine Entertainment presenter Shelly Horton, and supported by Nine client solutions division, Powered.

A huge congratulations and thanks to all involved. For more Communications Council events and training, check out the website here.