MAD STARS 2025 sessions to explore AI, creativity, brand trust

MAD STARS 2025 sessions to explore AI, creativity, FAST/OTT, burnout, and brand trust, with insights from global leaders in tech, media, and marketing

The MAD STARS 2025 sessions are diving deep into the future of media, creativity, and technology, with topics ranging from AI ethics to emotional branding and streaming disruption.

Also read: WPP Media unveils ‘Open Intelligence,’ first ‘Large Marketing Model’ to revolutionize AI-driven advertising

While artificial intelligence dominates headlines, the global advertising and marketing festival in Busan is also addressing broader questions—like how to prevent creative burnout, how to win back public trust, and how unpredictability can be a brand’s greatest asset.

With the Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV (FAST) market expected to hit $11.83 billion by 2027, Wonjang Baek, CEO of Anypoint Media, will unveil FLOWER, a next-gen ad platform for FAST&OTT.

It promises latency-free, interactive ad insertion and access to Google’s demand pool—solving many of the challenges facing traditional SSAI tech.

Pancho Gonzalez of Inbrax delivers a passionate critique of modern marketing in a session titled Brainrot – Stupidity as Brand Connector.

He challenges creatives to reclaim meaning and stop chasing metrics over big ideas. “It’s time to reconnect with absurdity and human truth,” he says.

Alejandro Di Trolio, European Creative Chairman at Cheil, asks, “Is there anything more human than algorithm?”

This emotional session questions whether AI can genuinely connect with audiences in a world increasingly marked by fear, instability, and distrust—and offers a hopeful blueprint for brands rooted in empathy.

Sangsu Lee of Coca-Cola Korea explains why Blue Ribbon, Korea’s iconic restaurant guide, turned red.

The Red Ribbon campaign is a masterclass in bold, low-budget creativity that drove cultural conversation far beyond food ratings.

Korean star Hongchul Ro, of Netflix’s The Hungry and the Hairy and Infinite Challenge fame, argues that in today’s noisy content landscape, there is no right answer—only the moment.