For young creatives, nothing is more thrilling than seeing their work go live, except perhaps going out into the world and experiencing it for themselves.
Last week, young creatives from Dentsu Creative set off once again. Zhou Mengyi and Di Xiaoxiao, a copy–design duo, travelled to Singapore to take part in the Young Spikes competition at Spikes Asia.
Here’s what “souvenirs” they brought back.
Q: What inspired you to enter Young Spikes this year?
Mengyi: In 2024, we came second in the Digital category at Young Lions China - close, but not enough to get us to Cannes. Then the 2025 Young Spikes just didn’t happen. So when we heard this year’s competition was finally coming back, we put our hands up to join straight away.
Xiaoxiao: Spikes is like a creative hall of fame in Asia. What really motivated me was the chance to step out of my comfort zone and connect with outstanding peers from all over the world.
BEFORE THE PRESENTATION
Q: What do you hope to learn or take away from this experience?
Mengyi: Honestly, what I wanted most to bring back was a medal. But exchanging ideas with other teams and gaining experience are pretty great souvenirs too.
Xiaoxiao: Of course I wanted to win as well. But more importantly, I wanted to broaden my creative horizons. The feedback from the judges was incredibly valuable.
ANNOUNCING THE YOUNG SPIKES DIGITAL SHORTLISTS
Q: What excites you most about the future of creativity in Asia?
Mengyi: On this trip, we really felt the passion of young Asian marketers. We also saw how open the judges were to bold ideas. That makes me genuinely excited about where Asian creativity is heading.
Xiaoxiao: I’m really excited about how mature AI applications are becoming. What’s more, when you submit your work, there’s a specific section where you have to explain how you used AI—that’s a big signal of how seriously it’s being taken.
WITH ATTORIE BURNEET- MALONEY, EVENTS MANAGER AT CANNES LIONS
Q: In your view, what’s the difference between a shortlisted piece and an award-winning piece?
Mengyi: In the debrief with the jury, they shared the key things they looked at when choosing Gold, Silver, and Bronze from the shortlist:
1/Whether the idea is truly unique and fresh—something others wouldn’t easily come up with.
2/How the brand or brief owner is brought to life in the work.
3/The craft of the piece—for example, whether there’s a killer line of copy or a striking design.
4/Whether the work really fits its category—for instance, a winning digital entry should make full use of digital marketing tools and formats.
We hope this will also be helpful for teams that come on board in the coming year and beyond.
DENTSU’S CHINA AND JAPAN TEAMS AT SPIKES ASIA
-ENDS-
Insights into Gen Z Future by Chris Chen, China CCO at Cannes
London played host to our Dentsu Creative Council
