MAD STARS 2026 Unveils Marketing Track Lineup, Featuring a Keynote by Raja Rajamannar The 2026 conference program is organized into three dedicated tracks:Marketing, Creativity, and AI Technology. The Marketing track brings together seven sessions led by industry leaders from Mastercard, Netflix, Dentsu, Unilever, POLA, Brilliant & Million, and TOYOKE. MAD STARS has unveiled the Marketing track and the first wave of speakers for its 2026 conference. Keynote speaker Raja Rajamannar, Senior Fellow and Former Chief Marketing & Communications Officer at Mastercard, will join leaders from Netflix, Dentsu, Unilever, POLA, Brilliant & Million, and TOYOKE in Busan for seven sessions examining the forces reshaping modern marketing and what they mean for its future. The full conference program will feature approximately 40 sessions across three tracks. A Conference Program Built for the AMPLIFY Era The new threetrack structure reflects some of the most pressing questions facing the industry today. Under MAD STARS’ 2026 theme, AMPLIFY, the tracks explore how AI is reshaping the tools and infrastructure marketers rely on, how creativity can retain its value in a market saturated with AIgenerated content, and how marketing strategy can translate into measurable business growth. The Marketing Track The track comprises seven sessions, including a keynote by Rajamannar and six sessions exploring how brands can build distinctiveness and drive sustainable growth. Topics include brand identity, cultural relevance, urban wellness, and entertainment partnerships. Taken together, the sessions point to a broader shift in marketing: lasting brand value increasingly depends not on efficiency and optimization alone, but on a clear point of view, meaningful engagement with culture, and deeper relationships with communities and fans. The Next Frontier of Marketing In his keynote, Rajamannar will examine how emerging technologies, data, and cultural shifts are rendering traditional marketing frameworks and strategies ineffective, while the fragmentation of the marketing function points to an industry facing an existential crisis. Drawing on the concept of quantum marketing, he will outline why marketing must be completely reimagined and reinvented for the immediate future. Rewriting the Brand Takuma Kobayashi, Representative Director and President of POLA Inc., will present “ArtDriven Creativity: POLA’s Unique Approach to Brand Building,” exploring how the company works with worldclass artists to build its brand differently from conventional luxury branding and marketing. Emily Hyejung Lyu, Marketing Director at Unilever Carver Korea, will present “Brand Transformation: Social First Strategy,” drawing on AHC’s comprehensive brand transformation to outline a socialfirst approach centered on Culture, Community, and Content in the highly competitive Kbeauty market. Kinami Hasegawa, Executive Creative Director at Dentsu Inc., will examine how conviction and a distinctive point of view can create lasting brand resonance in “Rationality vs. Belief: Rewriting Luxury in the Age of AI,” asking what new possibilities remain for luxury in an age increasingly shaped by efficiency and optimization. Culture as a Growth Engine Titipun Tubthong, Head of Creative at Brilliant & Million, will present “Amplifying Global Brands Through Local Culture,” examining why localization built around language and copy alone often fails to connect with local audiences, drawing on awardwinning campaigns for KFC, Vaseline, and Sting. Kurando Furuya, Chief Executive Officer of TOYOKE Inc., will introduce “The SAUNAS Approach to Urban Wellness from Tokyo.” He will trace the evolution of sauna and bathing culture in Japan, discuss research on the potential health benefits of sauna bathing, and examine the growing urban sauna movement in major cities worldwide. Deep Chhabria, APAC Creative Lead for Marketing Partnerships at Netflix, will present “It Takes Two to Trend.” The session will unpack how Netflix approaches storytelling and brand partnerships through a fanfirst lens, and how treating entertainment as culture can help brands become part of cultural moments. It will underscore a central idea: “Attention can be bought. Amplification has to be earned.” Festival Details MAD STARS 2026 will take place from 26 to 28 August in the coastal city of Busan, South Korea, with events held at SIGNIEL BUSAN and across the Haeundae area. For more information and full conference details, visit madstars.org.

Finalists Announcement for MAD STARS 2026 (General Public) MAD STARS is delighted to announce that your entry has been selected as a Finalist. Please refer to the webpage below for the relevant information. ※ MAD STARS 2026 FinalistLink: Click HERE ■ MAD STARS 2026 1) Dates: 26 28 August 2026 2) Venue: SIGNIEL BUSAN 3) Program: Conference, Exhibition, Networking Party, Opening Ceremony & Gala, Awards Show, and more 4) Registration: Details regarding pass purchases will be available on our website. ※ Registration Link: Click HERE Should you have any further inquiries, please feel free to contact us. Email│info@madstars.org MAD STARS

MAD STARS 2026 Reveals 42 Final Jurors Ahead of June 15 Entry Deadline 42 Final Jurors named as part of a global jury of more than 350 industry professionals MAD STARS, now in its 19th edition as one of Asia’s leading international marketing and advertising festivals, has announced 42 Final Jurors to date from 28 locations for its 2026 awards. They are part of a global judging body comprising more than 350 industry professionals from 83 locations, spanning every major region worldwide. A Restructured Framework for Evaluating Creative Work For 2026, MAD STARS has reorganized its entry categories around two Groups that reflect how creative work is developed and assessed today. The SOLUTION Group covers campaigns that combine strategy and execution to address real business and communication challenges. The POSITIVE IMPACT Group recognizes creative work that generates meaningful change across society, with entries evaluated against values including sustainability, diversity, health, and public responsibility. Within this framework, the 42 Final Jurors announced to date are organized into five specialized panels: Traditional, Experience, Entertainment, Strategy, and Digital. Each panel is aligned with a specific cluster of the 25 Stars. The Final Jurors Announced to Date The jurors represent leading agencies, brands, and creative organizations across AsiaPacific, MENA, Europe, and the Americas. Together, they bring handson experience across the full range of disciplines covered in the awards, from craftled traditional advertising and brand experience to datadriven strategy, digital innovation, and purposedriven work. This breadth of expertise reflects the scope of MAD STARS 2026’s twoGroup framework, ensuring that entries in both the SOLUTION Group and the POSITIVE IMPACT Group are evaluated by jurors with firsthand experience in the relevant field. The finalstage judging process is led by five Executive Jury members, who bring seniorlevel expertise in brand leadership, technologydriven creativity, creative strategy, and marketing effectiveness. How Judging Works All entries first undergo online Preliminary Judging, with selected works advancing to the First Round of Final Judging, also conducted online. The Second and Last Rounds of Final Judging take place in person in Busan, where the Executive Jury and Final Jury determine winners through discussion and voting. Winners will be announced at the Awards Show on August 28. The Grand Prix of the Year, the festival’s highest honor, is awarded to two entries: one selected from among the Grand Prix winners of the SOLUTION Group, and one from the POSITIVE IMPACT Group. Final Deadline: June 15—No Further Extension MAD STARS 2026 is open for entries across 2 Groups, 25 Stars, and 442 Categories. With its Final Jury taking shape, MAD STARS invites creative teams worldwide to submit their work before the June 15 deadline at madstars.org. MAD STARS 2026 will take place from August 26 to 28 at SIGNIEL BUSAN and across the Haeundae area in Busan, under the theme “AMPLIFY.” About the Final Jury The Final Jury is organized into five specialized panels, each aligned with a specific cluster of Stars within the awards. Group 1. Traditional (Film, Outdoor, Print, Radio & Audio)Traditional covers work created for established media channels, highlighting the craft, storytelling, and creative execution that form the foundation of advertising communication. Sandipan Bhattacharyya (Executive Jury), Chief Creative Officer, Monks Kanit Mingmuang, Executive Creative Director, Wolf BKK Mukund Olety, Chief Creative Officer, VML Noël Bunting, Chief Creative Officer, Publicis London Paulo Mariano, Senior Art Director, O Escritório Rick Kwan, Executive Creative Director, Grey Hong Kong Rory McKechnie, Executive Creative Director, McCann New Zealand Shumpei Murata, Executive Creative Director, Dentsu Inc. Sunghyuk Hong, Executive Creative Director, Innocean Group 2. Experience (Brand Experience & Activation, Direct, Commerce, PR, Health)Experience focuses on work that builds meaningful relationships between brands and audiences through participation, engagement, realworld experience, and measurable response. Raja Rajamannar (Executive Jury), Senior Fellow, Former Chief Marketing & Communications Officer, Mastercard Federico Fanti, Regional Chief Creative Officer – MENAT, FP7 McCANN Ilya Andreyev, Executive Creative Director, Cheil CIS Karan Novas, Partner & Chief Creative Officer, Tulom Mark Verhagen, Executive Creative Director, VML Brisbane & Perth Roman Carlo Olivarez, Executive Creative Director, TREYNA Group Philippines Satoshi Chikayama, Executive Creative Director, HAKUHODO Wendy Chan, Creative Partner, EXE Group WonSook Kang, Group Creative Director, HSAD Group 3. Entertainment (Branded Entertainment, Entertainment for Music, Entertainment for Game, Entertainment for Sports, Design, Diverse Insights)Entertainment recognizes contentled creative work that connects with audiences through entertainment, culture, music, games, sports, design, and shared experiences. Anny Havercroft (Executive Jury), Global Head of Product MarComs, TikTok Alex Pineda, Chief Creative Officer, Horizon FCB Dubai Diego Medvedocky, Global Creative Partner, GREY Michael Ahmadzadeh, CoFounder, electriclimeº Mo Chen, Executive Creative Director, TBWA\China Shane Geffen, National Executive Creative Director, HERO McCann Yeong Eun Kook, Creative Director, DAEHONG Group 4. Strategy (Strategy, Integrated, Media, Data Insights, SDGs, Place Brand)Strategy evaluates work driven by strategic thinking, media planning, data insights, and integrated execution, including campaigns that create business, social, or placebrand value. Tara McKenty (Executive Jury), Chief Creative Officer, AKQA Australia & New Zealand Babak Madandar, Chief Executive Officer, BOOM Marcom Chow Kok Keong, Creative Partner, k2x Enkhbayasgalan Tungalag, Chief Executive Officer, KMG Group Lissette Guzman, Chief Creative Officer, McCann Santo Domingo Martin Tsai, Business & Creative Partner, SAATCHI & SAATCHI Taiwan Mohammad Akrum Hossain, Chief Creative Officer, POP5 Sulin Lau, Regional Head of Marketing, Brand and Creative, Grab Takahiro Hosoda, Chief Creative Officer, TBWA\HAKUHODO Group 5. Digital (Mobile, Interactive, Social & Influencer, Innovation)Digital covers work shaped by digital environments, including mobile, social, interactive, influencerled, and technologydriven ideas that create new forms of audience experience. Aurora Straton (Executive Jury), Creative Lead, Google Chandu Rajapreyar, Group Executive Creative Director, Hakuhodo International Vietnam Fabio Seidl, Global Head of Creative and Brand, X (Twitter & X AI) Hyounwoo Nam, Executive Creative Director, TBWA KOREA Kazuki Tsuburaku, Managing Director & Executive Creative Partner, Dentsu Digital Nikki Sunga, Group Creative Director, BBDO Guerrero Nkanyezi Masango, Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy South Africa Titipun Tubthong, Head of Creative, Brilliant & Million

Finalist Announcement for MAD STARS 2026 (Professional) MAD STARS is delighted to announce that your entry has been selected as aFinalist. Please refer to the webpage below for the relevant information. ※MAD STARS 2026 Flinalist Link:Click HERE To ensure smooth participation for all Finalists, MAD STARS 2026 requests that you review and acknowledge the information below. 1. Introduction of MAD STARS 1) Dates:26 Aug (Wed) 28 Aug (Fri), 2026 2) Venue: SIGNIEL BUSAN 3) Program: Conference, Exhibition, Networking Party, Opening Ceremony & Gala, Awards Show, and more 4) Registration: Details regarding pass purchases will be available on our website 2. Awards Show Video 1) Purpose: To be played during the Awards Show ※Videos will be played during the awards ceremony for Bronze winners and above. This is subject to change. 2) Eligibility: Finalists whose entries were submitted in video format must upload the corresponding video file for use during the Awards Show. 3) Video Submission Guideline Edit and upload the video within 45 seconds Format:.mp4 | Maximum file size: 50MB ※If the same entry is selected in multiple categories, you must upload a separately edited video for each category. 4) How to upload MAD STARS Homepage→ Sign in → My Page → My Entries →UPLOAD FINALIST VIDEO 5) Deadline:5 Aug (Wed), 2026 ※Please note thatif the edited video is not uploaded by the deadline, the Committee will proceed with editing the video without further notice. 3. Physical Material Submission 1) Purpose: For Judging and Exhibition ※Physical Material refers to interactive installations and tangible products that have been produced in physical form 2) Requirement: Completed Products and Installations Finalists must submit the [MAD STARS 2026_Physical Material Information Form] along with their physical materials. 3) Due Date & Address Due Date:5 Aug (Wed), 2026 Address: #411, 99, Centum dongro, Haeundaegu, Busan, Republic of Korea, 48059 Recipient: MAD STARS ORGANIZING COMMITTEE Contact: +82 (0)516235539 Email: info@madstars.org ※Please note that if materials are not received by the due date, they will not be eligible for exhibition. 4.Important Notes 1) Submission of Physical Material is optional. 2) There is no limit to the number of deliveries. Submitted samples cannot be returned. 3) Any materials attached to lightweight Styrofoam will not be accepted. 4) Insurance coverage that includes damage to materials and liability is recommended.MAD STARS assumes no responsibility for any loss or damage to submitted materials. 5) Advance notification is required for large products or materials that require assembly. 6)The applicant is responsible for all costs and taxes related to postage and delivery. 7) Include the following description: "Sample material, no commercial value included." 8) If materials are shipped from overseas, declare the package value as “1 USD”. 9) MAD STARS assumes no responsibility for any costs or fines resulting from the applicant's failure to comply with requirements. In such cases, all responsibility and liability fall solely on the applicant. Should you have any further inquiries, please feel free to contact us. Sincerely, MAD STARS