On April 26, the award ceremony and experience sharing session for the 16th National College Student Advertising Art Competition (Zhejiang Division) and the 12th Zhejiang Provincial College Student Advertising Creative Design Competition were held at the Zijin Campus Theater of Zhejiang University. Representatives from the competition's proposition team, academic experts, participating students, and faculty advisors from various universities in Zhejiang gathered together to exchange successful experiences from previous competitions and discuss important matters for this year's competition, promoting the smooth progress of this year's event.
Attendees included Hu Xiuli, Assistant Secretary-General of the National College Student Advertising Art Competition Organizing Committee; Han Wei, Deputy Director of the Undergraduate Academic Affairs Office at Zhejiang University; Wang Qingwen, Party Secretary of the College; Hu Xiaoyun, Director of the Zhejiang Division Expert Committee; Zhang Yan, Director of the Strategic Communication Department and Chair of the Zhejiang Division Organizing Committee; Wang Luxuan from the National Competition Secretariat; Lin Yougui, Associate Professor at Zhejiang Normal University's School of Cultural Creativity and Communication; Jiang Chen, Instructor at Zhejiang University of Media and Communications' School of Animation and Digital Arts; Shen Fei, Associate Professor at Hangzhou Normal University's School of Fine Arts; and Ni Mingliang, Instructor at Zhejiang Guangsha Vocational and Technical University of Construction's School of Art and Design, among others.
At the beginning of the conference, Han Wei, Wang Qingwen, and Hu Xiaoyun delivered speeches respectively.
Han Wei's speech focused on the role of academic competitions in promoting advertising education. He reviewed the historical achievements of the National College Student Advertising Art Competition, emphasizing its success in cultivating a large number of advertising professionals who meet market demands while possessing both innovative spirit and practical skills. He cited outstanding works that emerged in the 16th competition, affirming the hard work of faculty and students. Han Wei stated that in the face of changes brought by AI, we must respond proactively, and the competition should serve as a model platform for producing works that showcase Chinese spirit and style.
Wang Qingwen reviewed the outstanding achievements of the Zhejiang Division over the past twenty years, highlighting its significance as a benchmark for advertising education reform. He mentioned that the Zhejiang Division has consistently ranked first nationally with achievements including 45 national first prizes, demonstrating the innovative capabilities and striving spirit of faculty and students. Looking ahead, he proposed three key phrases: calling on the industry to expand practical opportunities for young people, advocating for collaborative efforts among educators to reshape educational paradigms, and encouraging students to embrace the innovative spirit of art must reflect the times to decode technological waves. Finally, Wang Qingwen expressed his best wishes for the new competition, emphasizing the vision of building consensus through achievements and jointly painting a new picture of media in the digital era.
Hu Xiaoyun profoundly elaborated on the core essence of advertising creation in her speech. She emphasized that in an era of rapid technological iteration, creativity remains the soul of advertising, and creators must adhere to this fundamental principle. Facing the wave of AI technology, Hu reminded everyone to rationally view the value of technological tools—while being adept at using AI to improve efficiency, we must also guard against over-reliance that may lead to loss of originality. Finally, she proposed the creative philosophy of technology as the means, humanity as the foundation, pointing out that excellent works should achieve organic unity between technological innovation and humanistic care, showcasing both the technological charm of AI and conveying the warmth and wisdom of humanity.
The award-winning institutions for Outstanding Organization were: Ningbo University of Finance & Economics, Hangzhou Normal University, Ningbo University, Zhejiang University of Technology, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, and Zhejiang Guangsha Vocational and Technical University of Construction. The Outstanding Achievement institutions were: Hangzhou Normal University, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Zhejiang Normal University, Zhejiang University of Media and Communications, Zhejiang University of Technology, and Zhejiang Guangsha Vocational and Technical University of Construction. Outstanding Faculty Advisors were: Wang Yongqi from Zhejiang A&F University Jiyang College, Lin Yougui from Zhejiang Normal University, Shen Fei from Hangzhou Normal University, Xu Xiaowei from Jiaxing University, Huang Li from Zhejiang Gongshang University Hangzhou College of Commerce, and Chen Xinghai from Zhejiang University of Technology. Han Wei, Wang Qingwen, and Hu Xiaoyun presented awards to the above winning institutions and individuals.
The outstanding works and brilliant creative ideas that emerged from the 12th Zhejiang Provincial College Student Advertising Creative Art Competition were inseparable from the guidance of excellent faculty advisors. This conference invited four advisors to use their wisdom to reveal the secrets of creativity, promoting mutual learning and friendly exchanges among all parties.
Lin Yougui, Associate Professor at Zhejiang Normal University's School of Cultural Creativity and Communication, shared his experience in guiding film and television advertising creation. He emphasized that creativity must be rooted in life, and by artistically processing daily details—whether through simplification or exaggeration—unique charm can be endowed to works. Lin Yougui particularly pointed out that Chinese-style family affection, as an important emotional bond, deserves in-depth exploration in creative works. Regarding evaluation criteria for works, he proposed three dimensions: degree of creative realization, narrative completeness, and memorability of advertising slogans. Finally, Lin Yougui concluded with the eight-character maxim close to life, poetic expression, highlighting the essence of artistic sublimation.
Jiang Chen, Instructor at Zhejiang University of Media and Communications' School of Animation and Digital Arts, shared microfilm creation experience based on award-winning student cases. He emphasized that creators should become observers of life rather than mere recorders. In the creative process, while conducting thorough research, one should also have the courage to innovate and break through, attempting new techniques with each shoot. Finally, he proposed that excellent creators need to possess artistic ability, aesthetic judgment, insight, reflective thinking, and innovative spirit, encouraging students to immerse themselves more in artistic environments.
Shen Fei, Associate Professor at Hangzhou Normal University's School of Fine Arts, shared experience in creating interactive works. She pointed out that H5 is a fusion carrier of advertising, design, and technology, requiring effective communication of visual, auditory, and tactile senses. Excellent interactive works should include three aspects: creative translation of brand strategy, resonance between visual and interaction logic, and technological realization of deep interaction. Shen Fei emphasized that technology is the skeleton, creativity is the soul, and design is the clothing, noting that works should be easily understandable to the public. Finally, she cleverly borrowed the diagnostic method of observation, auscultation, inquiry, and palpation from traditional Chinese medicine, suggesting that faculty advisors use this method to accurately diagnose problems in student works and propose improvement solutions.
Ni Mingliang, Instructor at Zhejiang Guangsha Vocational and Technical University of Construction's School of Art and Design, shared practical experience in the marketing innovator track. For the live streaming unit, he emphasized the importance of accumulating effective fans and carefully designing the live streaming room atmosphere according to product characteristics. Regarding teamwork, Ni Mingliang suggested clear division of labor and advance rehearsals, particularly reminding everyone to authentically display products, prohibit substitute materials, strictly comply with Douyin platform regulations, and avoid using efficacy claims and absolute language. For the newly added short drama track, he encouraged students to reasonably use AI tools to assist creation.
In the current era where AI technology is reshaping the advertising industry, Fang Runjia, BlueMaster AI Project Leader at BlueFocus Communications, shared profound insights under the title Breaking the Cocoon: The Transformation and Rebirth of Advertising Creativity in the AI Wave. She pointed out that the popularization of AI technology has brought about democratization of creative tools, but the true value of creativity still originates from human wisdom. Fang Runjia emphasized that in the AI era, the unique advantages of human creators will become more prominent: aesthetic ability becomes the core competitiveness, and deep insight is the key to unlocking creativity. As AI's understanding capabilities improve, creators need to possess stronger judgment, aesthetic ability, and skills in mastering AI tools. She believes that AI is not a substitute for creativity, but a new dimension that expands human creativity, which requires creators to have richer imagination and more profound professional expertise.
This award ceremony and experience sharing session injected new momentum into advertising education through profound industry insights and cutting-edge thinking. We look forward to the new competition continuing to stimulate youthful creativity, nurturing more outstanding works that manifest the spirit of the times and convey human warmth through the integration of technology and humanity, jointly writing a new chapter of media in the digital era.