“These categories are an invitation to companies and agencies whose strongest ideas may not look like conventional advertising. LIA recognizes creativity not only in the message, but in the thinking, systems and solutions that help businesses solve real problems…” – Julie Kang
This year, LIA is adding Business Transformation to its list of competitions. This new category recognizes creativity that not only promotes solutions to customers, it also recognizes the solutions themselves. It’s about enduring transformation of businesses – operations, services, products, internal and customer experiences.
Judging will be held at Encore @ Wynn Las Vegas from 25th September through 3rd October, 2026. Julie Kang, Founder & CEO of Flux AI Asia, will be chairing the LIA Business Transformation and B2B competitions.
Based in Seoul, she works at the intersection of creativity, technology, culture and business transformation, with a perspective shaped by Asia’s fast-evolving creative and innovation ecosystems. Through Flux AI Asia, Julie leads CRAISEE, a global All-at-once AI creative platform designed to make complex AI creation more accessible, intuitive and human-centered. Under her leadership, Serviceplan Korea’s work was recognized with more than 100 international creative awards.
Taking on the mantle of Jury President, Julie Jihyun Kang said: “I am truly honored to serve as Jury President for B2B and Business Transformation at LIA 2026. Today, these two categories represent one of the most dynamic frontiers of modern marketing. We are moving far beyond traditional campaigns; creativity is now redefining how businesses communicate, persuade and create value with other businesses, while also transforming customer experiences, business models, value chains and operational ecosystems.
As business challenges and buying journeys become more complex, the strongest work will connect a powerful creative idea with a real business need — engaging business audiences, creating value beyond a single organization, and delivering measurable impact. I look forward to judging this work alongside such an exceptional jury.”
In the past, B2B advertising was based more on functionality and features than emotion, focusing on the acquiring of a company as a customer. That has changed. B2B is now about reaching people within a company, so it is as important to make emotional connections with them. There is data that shows 40% of B2B decision makers are more likely to consider a product if the advertising is creative.
In terms of business transformation, many businesses have pivoted into new areas. But this is not something that is completely new. In the 1930s, Play Doh, the popular modeling clay for children, was first sold as a cleaner that could remove coal stains from wallpaper. When demand for it fell in the 1950s as gas and oil furnaces became more popular, the owners considered getting rid of the company. The company realized its potential to become a children’s plaything when it discovered that a teacher had used it as arts and crafts.
“These categories are an invitation to companies and agencies whose strongest ideas may not look like conventional advertising. LIA recognizes creativity not only in the message, but in the thinking, systems and solutions that help businesses solve real problems — whether through a smarter service, a new platform, a redesigned process, a more effective B2B experience, or a breakthrough way of working. Entering gives this kind of work the global stage it deserves, proving that strategic innovation inside a business can be as creative, influential and award-worthy as any campaign,” added Julie Kang.
Christina Shaw, VP – Awards Director, LIA, said: “This is the first time we have a Jury President from Korea. We are very pleased that Julie Kang has agreed to be the inaugural Jury President of Business Transformation, as well as B2B. When you have the best creative thinkers in the industry in the room under great leadership, the best work will be awarded.”
All judging will be done on-site in Las Vegas. For complete fairness and transparency, every jury member sees everything in their respective categories, from the outset of judging until metal deliberations. The final results will be known to all jury members before the results are released.
All work released between 1st July, 2025 through 31st August, 2026 is eligible to enter. The final Entry Deadline is 31st August.
