We are jury members for the third time at the Lusophone Creativity Awards

It is with great honour that Luis Cordeiro, General Manager of BYDAS, accepts, for the third time, the invitation to join the jury panel of the Lusophone Creativity Awards, one of the most relevant festivals in the Portuguese-speaking world dedicated to advertising, communication, creativity, digital, design, media, events, public relations and, increasingly, ecommerce — the category we will be evaluating.

Once again, this participation has a very special meaning for us. It is not simply about being present on an evaluation panel. It is about contributing, with creative knowledge, technical expertise and market experience, to distinguish the best work developed by agencies, brands, production companies, studios, professionals and young talents working in Portuguese across geographies as diverse as Portugal, Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Timor-Leste and São Tomé and Príncipe.

In this edition, our participation will be particularly focused on the Ecommerce category, an area in which BYDAS has been building a solid position through work developed in digital strategy, web development, technology integration, commercial performance and the implementation of online store solutions for national and international brands.

A recognition we value with responsibility

Being invited to be part of a jury is always a distinction. Being invited for the third consecutive time to the Lusophone Creativity Awards is, for our team, a recognition we receive with gratitude, but also with responsibility. Evaluating projects from other agencies and brands requires rigour, impartiality, creative sensitivity and the ability to understand the context of each piece of work.

In an increasingly competitive market, where creativity intersects with technology, data, user experience and commercial objectives, the role of a jury cannot be limited to aesthetic observation. It is necessary to understand strategy, execution, impact, originality, audience fit and the ability to generate real value.

In the case of ecommerce, this analysis becomes even more demanding. An online store is not just a digital showcase. It is a system for sales, relationships, trust and conversion. Creativity must coexist with performance, usability, technology, logistics, payments, data, communication, loyalty and the post-purchase experience.

It is precisely at this intersection between creativity, technology and business that BYDAS has developed a significant part of its work. This invitation therefore reinforces our positioning as an agency with practical experience and strategic vision on what it means to build digital projects focused on results.

In a context of profound change in the way we look at ecommerce — a vision we began consolidating in 2024 — this invitation reinforces our conviction that the path we have chosen is, without doubt, the right one.

The focus is no longer only on the technological solution. Today, the real challenge lies in the relationship between the consumer, the brand and the digital experience that brings them together. That is why, over the last two years, we have placed creativity, design and user experience at the centre of our approach to ecommerce, without neglecting the efficiency and productivity that artificial intelligence has helped to enhance.

This new vision has allowed us to stand out from much of the competition, which has mainly been using artificial intelligence to speed up existing processes, with the sole objective of increasing profitability. Creating a Shopify online store from an AI-generated template or a predefined model from the Shopify Theme Store may be faster, but the result tends to be a store similar to thousands of others.

We also value the efficiency and productivity gains that artificial intelligence enables. However, what truly motivates us is the possibility of using modern architectures, such as Shopify, at a time when these platforms have reached a very significant level of maturity. Technology now offers, natively, almost everything needed to sell at global scale. This means that the challenges are no longer only technological; they are increasingly creative.

Today, we can create new ecommerce experiences. We can design online stores with their own identity, capable of conveying the uniqueness of a brand, just as happens in the physical world with a flagship store or concept store. This is the affirmation of distinction: the ability to transform an online store into a space for relationship, discovery and engagement with the consumer.

For many years, achieving this level of differentiation required high investment in headless commerce solutions or fully customised systems. Today, that no longer has to be the case. With more mature platforms, artificial intelligence applied to implementation and greater creative freedom in interface construction, concept online stores are becoming more accessible and more relevant for brands.

The future of branded ecommerce cannot be limited to traditional product grids with image, title and price. That is the natural territory of marketplaces, such as Amazon. Brands will have to go further. Just as with physical flagship stores, they will have to create singular experiences, build a special relationship with the customer, offer novelty, exclusivity and retention — not only through loyalty systems, but through a truly distinctive digital experience.

It is with this vision that we also intend to analyse ecommerce projects at the Lusophone Creativity Awards: valuing not only technical execution, but above all the ability of each project to affirm a brand, create a memorable experience and elevate ecommerce beyond the simple transaction.

What are the Lusophone Creativity Awards?

The Lusophone Creativity Awards are an international festival based in Portugal and stand out as the only global award dedicated exclusively to recognising, honouring and debating the advertising and communication markets of Portuguese-speaking countries.

With thirteen years of existence, the Lusos have fulfilled an important mission: valuing the best creative work produced in the Lusophone space and bringing together markets that share the same language, but often operate in very different cultural, economic and professional realities.

Since its creation, the festival has served as a showcase for Lusophone creative talent. In addition to the competition, it also promotes networking, debate, knowledge sharing and visibility for professionals and companies that contribute to raising the quality of communication in Portuguese.

One of the most interesting aspects of the Lusophone Creativity Awards is their scope. The categories include traditional areas such as advertising, design, digital, media, activation, events and public relations, but have also followed the evolution of the market with new areas such as Shop Marketing, sustainability and social causes, graphic production, sport and gaming, content creators, artificial intelligence and ecommerce.

An edition with a defined calendar

The agenda for this edition includes several important moments for agencies, brands and professionals wishing to submit their work. Entries open on 29 April, followed by two early bird discount periods: 25% between 28 April and 14 May and 10% between 15 and 28 May.

The deadline for entries is scheduled for 19 June, while the event will take place on 8 July. These dates are particularly relevant for creative and digital teams that want to prepare submissions in time, select their best projects, organise results, gather supporting materials and present their work with the level of detail that a competition of this nature requires.

In a festival where the quality of the jury panel is one of the central elements of credibility, preparing submissions should be seen as part of the strategic process itself. A good project needs a good presentation. The way the challenge, idea, execution and results are explained can be decisive for a more complete evaluation.

Why is the Ecommerce category increasingly relevant?

The introduction and consolidation of the Ecommerce category at the Lusophone Creativity Awards reflects an evident transformation in the market. Online stores are no longer merely alternative sales channels. In many sectors, they have become the centre of the relationship between brands and consumers.

Ecommerce now requires a rare combination of skills. It takes brand strategy, design, development, systems integration, data management, paid campaigns, SEO, automation, behavioural analysis, catalogue management, optimised checkout, payment methods, logistics and customer support.

Unlike an isolated campaign, an ecommerce project lives every day. It receives traffic, processes orders, collects data, generates questions, responds to customers, handles returns and directly influences revenue. For this reason, evaluating this category requires a broader interpretation than simple visual appearance.

A good online store must be creative, but also clear. It must be beautiful, but also fast. It must be differentiating, but also intuitive. It must inspire trust, but also convert. It must respect the brand’s identity, but also respond to users’ expectations.

This is the integrated vision we defend at BYDAS. For us, ecommerce is not only technological development, nor is it only communication. It is an ecosystem in which every decision influences both experience and results.

What does it mean to evaluate creativity in ecommerce?

As is clear from the way we have explained our approach over the last two years, evaluating creativity in ecommerce means looking at how a brand transforms a purchase experience into a relevant moment. Creativity may be found in the concept, the journey, the personalisation, the product presentation, the integration of content, the tone of communication or the way friction is eliminated.

But it can also be found in less visible elements. It may lie in a simpler information architecture, a more efficient logistics integration, an abandoned cart recovery strategy, a more fluid mobile experience or a more transparent post-sale process.

In the best projects, creativity is not decorative. It is functional. It helps the user decide, reduces doubts, reinforces trust and brings the brand closer to the consumer. When well applied, creativity improves performance without sacrificing identity.

That is why the Ecommerce category is so challenging. It requires the jury to cross criteria of communication, technology, business and experience. A project may be visually impressive, but fail if it is not usable. It may have robust technology, but fail if it does not communicate value. It may have strong campaigns, but fail if the purchase experience does not match the promise.

The value of being invited to jury panels in several initiatives

Over the last two years, BYDAS has been invited to participate as a jury member in several initiatives related to creativity, communication, digital marketing and ecommerce. This sequence of invitations does not happen by chance. It reflects the recognition of a path built with consistency, specialisation and proximity to the market.

For an agency, being on a jury is different from simply taking part in a competition. When we are evaluators, the market recognises that we have enough experience to interpret, compare and value the work of other professionals. This role requires maturity and trust.

These invitations also reinforce BYDAS’ responsibility as an active agent in the development of the sector. We are not only executing projects for clients. We are participating in the discussion around quality criteria, the evolution of digital practices, market maturity and the recognition of talent.

By being invited to initiatives of this nature, we feel that our vision on ecommerce, digital marketing and technological development is relevant beyond the projects we deliver. It contributes to the way the market observes and distinguishes itself.

What does this experience bring to our clients?

Participating in juries and evaluation panels allows us to observe the market from a privileged perspective. We see trends, formats, common mistakes, good practices, emerging approaches and different ways of solving communication and business problems.

This knowledge does not remain locked within the evaluation moment. It is brought into the way we advise our clients, plan projects, define strategies and discuss priorities. An agency that evaluates good work also becomes more demanding with itself.

For BYDAS clients, this translates into a more critical and up-to-date vision. We know that an online store should not be designed merely to be launched. It should be designed to compete. We know that a campaign should not only be creative. It should be coherent, measurable and relevant. We know that a digital strategy should not follow trends blindly. It should respond to real objectives.

This connection between practical experience and institutional participation is important. It helps us keep the team close to market evolution, without losing focus on what matters most: creating value for the brands that trust us.

A bridge between Lusophone markets

The Lusophone Creativity Awards also have a cultural dimension that we value greatly. By bringing together work and professionals from Portuguese-speaking countries, the festival creates a bridge between markets that share a linguistic heritage, but have distinct challenges and opportunities.

This connection is particularly important for Portuguese agencies that work with or support brands with international ambition. The Lusophone space represents a broad, diverse and creative community with enormous potential for collaboration.

By participating in this context, BYDAS also reinforces its attention to Portuguese-speaking markets. Digital allows brands to grow beyond national borders, but that growth requires cultural adaptation, local knowledge and respect for the specificities of each audience.

This is where Lusophone creativity reveals its strength. The same language can build bridges, but effective communication requires more than translation. It requires context, sensitivity and strategy.

The role of awards in valuing the sector

Creative awards play a relevant role in valuing agencies and professionals. Winning an award or being included in a shortlist can function as a seal of credibility, public proof of quality and reinforcement of reputation.

But their value goes beyond individual distinction. Awards help raise the level of demand in the market. They create references, showcase good practices, give visibility to emerging talent and encourage teams to think more ambitiously.

In the case of the Lusophone Creativity Awards, this role is even more important because there is a clear mission to value work produced in Portuguese. In a sector often dominated by Anglo-Saxon international references, having a festival dedicated to the Lusophone space is a way of affirming our creative identity.

This recognition does not mean closing the market in on itself. On the contrary. It means creating a platform capable of showing the world that creativity in Portuguese has quality, diversity and the ability to compete at the highest level.

Creativity in Portuguese ecommerce

Ecommerce in Portugal has evolved significantly. Brands are more aware of the importance of digital experience, consumers are more demanding and international competition has become more intense.

Today, having a functional online store is not enough. It is necessary to build trust, differentiate the value proposition, communicate clearly, optimise the mobile experience, reduce friction at checkout and ensure consistency between campaigns, product and delivery.

In this context, creativity takes on a strategic role. It can help a brand present products in a more engaging way, create useful content, simplify decisions, improve navigation, personalise the experience and strengthen the emotional connection with the consumer.

At BYDAS, we have defended that the future of ecommerce will become increasingly hybrid: technological, creative, analytical and human. Brands that manage to balance these four dimensions will be better prepared to grow.

Our commitment to the sector

BYDAS’ participation as a jury member at the Lusophone Creativity Awards reinforces a commitment we have embraced since our foundation: contributing to a more professional, more demanding and better prepared digital market.

This commitment is reflected in our daily work with clients, in training and knowledge sharing, in our connection to academia, in our participation in sector initiatives and in our defence of a responsible approach to digital.

We believe that an agency should be more than a service provider. It should be a strategic partner, a knowledge agent and an active participant in the evolution of the market. Being invited to join a jury is a consequence of that positioning, but also a reminder of the responsibility we carry.

That is why we receive this invitation with pride. And we also receive it as motivation to keep doing better, studying more, following trends and contributing so that ecommerce and digital communication in Portuguese become increasingly stronger.

Congratulations to all participants

We also want to recognise all agencies, brands, professionals, studios and production companies that will submit work to the Lusophone Creativity Awards. Participating in a competition of this nature requires courage, exposure and confidence in the work developed.

Each submission represents hours of strategy, creation, production, implementation and learning. Even before any award, that effort already contributes to enriching the market and showing the vitality of Lusophone creativity.

On our side, we commit to evaluating with attention, rigour and respect for the work presented. We know what it means to be on the side of those who create, implement and defend an idea. That is precisely why we value the role of those who evaluate so much.

BYDAS’ third participation as a jury member at the Lusophone Creativity Awards is a reason for pride for the whole team and another sign that our path in ecommerce, digital development and marketing has been recognised by relevant organisations in the sector.

At BYDAS, we help brands transform strategy, creativity and technology into real growth. If you are looking for an agency with experience in Shopify and ecommerce, talk to us and discover how we can support the next digital step for your brand.