adobo magazine | January - Februrary 2012

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___ A magazine on Advertising, Design, & Brand Communications.

CREATIVE EXCELLENCE BAR NONE

Andrew Robertson, BBDO Worldwide’s president and CEO Issue 37 January-February 2012

PROJECTIONS 2012 AGENCY PROFILE MediaCom Philippines DIGITAL Social media fails of 2011 22nd PHILIPPINE ADVERTISING CONGRESS

CAMPAIGN ASIA PACIFIC AGENCY OF THE YEAR PROFILES Marlon Rivera CREATIVE REVIEW Kevin Brady, Droga 5 group ADFEST 2012 PRIMER

MARKETING Samsung brings stylus back from the dead AWARDS Araw Awards WON Report London International Awards Grand Global Award Kancil Awards

Philippines Indonesia Malaysia Singapore Hong Kong Thailand

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November - December 2011

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Editor’s note

President & Editor-in-Chief Angel Guerrero Vice President & Chief Operating Officer Janelle Barretto-Squires EDITORIAL Consultant Editor Sharon Desker Shaw Associate Editor Abby Yao Digital Editor Mika Amador Art Director Lech Velasco

Columnists Cid Reyes Bong Osorio Staff Reporter Edz Rizo Editorial Coordinator/Senior Writer Tricia Elamparo Multimedia Artist Martin Calderon

Senior Correspondent Harry Mosquera MARKETING Sales and Marketing Head Apple Esplana-Manansala Marketing and Events Executive Joshua Adriano

Accounts Executives Jona Loren Atienza Michael Angelo Rey Business Development Assistant Darlene Barcelon

ADMIN Database & Subscription Admin Evelyn Estrada Accounting and Admin Officer Elsa Bagalacsa Contributing Writers Jose Paolo dela Cruz, Jason Drilon Contributing Photographers At Maculangan, Jar Concengco, Shampoo Padilla For advertising, sales, subscription, editorial, and general inquiries, please get in touch at editorial@adobomagazine.com sales@adobomagazine.com subscriptions@adobomagazine.com events@adobomagazine.com books@adobomagazine.com info@adobomagazine.com www.adobomagazine.com Telephone +632 8450218 +632 3846566 Fax +632 8450217 adobo magazine Unit C2-A Building C., Karrivin Plaza 2316 Chino Roces Avenue Extension Makati City 1231. Philippines

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January - February 2012

Happy 2012.

It’s safe to say, we all breathed a sigh of relief as 2011 came to a quiet close. Remarkable for a year seemingly filled with more drama than most. Or perhaps it just looked that way because we’re all so plugged via Twitter or Facebook into every unfolding crisis like never before.

Even so, the year that optimistically started with the Arab awakening in spring brought some grim tidings. Europe flirted with financial disaster, the US wobbled, Japan skirted with nuclear disaster and much of Southeast Asia was hit by floods. Which is why it was such a relief to bring the curtain down on 2011.

What will the new year bring?

We’ve tapped regional agency heads to provide their take of where they see challenges and opportunities in our biggest-ever trends report.

Incidentally this is the biggest-ever issue in our nearly six years of publishing.

To a man (amazingly not a single woman in the line-up), regional heads spoke optimistically, albeit cautiously, of 2012’s prospects. Time and again, they touched on Asia’s growing contribution to global bottom-lines for agencies and brand organizations. Continued indebtedness in the West has left companies betting on Asia to plug the gap. Regional round-up begins on page 95. For the first time, our trends report also includes the viewpoint of regional creatives and the Philippine offices of major network agencies.

Our coverage on what organizers billed as a game-changing Advertising Congress and Araw Awards begins on page 135. We’ve captured the event in all its exhilarating, inspirational, emotional, dramatic, hectic and downright fun glory.

Now for that magical quality that makes our industry tick: creativity. Our cover gets up close and personal with the driven, ambitious, empowering, energetic and preternaturally tanned Andrew Robertson, the man who has inspired BBDO Worldwide to spectacular creative heights. It’s been a truly amazing run – five Cannes network wins in a row plus an Effie network prize and successive Gunn, Won and other triumphs. BBDO’s unprecedented performance makes Robertson the only candidate we wanted to feature for our new year issue, a year we hope Asia will again scale new creative heights.

Here’s wishing our readers good health, joy and a year filled with creative inspiration.

Founder, publisher and editor-in-chief, Angel V. Guerrero

cover story

The work

38 Andrew Robertson BBDO Worldwide global CEO & president

60 Adobo Exhibit: Cid Reyes 62 Creative Corner: Ompong Remigio, Campaigns & Grey chief creative officer 63 Ad of the months: November & December 64 Creative Review: Kevin Brady, Droga 5 68 Bang for the buck: Bing ‘Decode Jay-Z’ 72 Creative Showcase: Local & Regional

Top Stories 04 06 06 08 08 10

DoT lights up social media with new drive Saatchi revamp opens Blue Bottle vacancy Zenith outguns Universal for Globe brief Reyes steps up as Gustilo quits advertising Sevilla reunites with Jimenez in WOO shift Best of the Philippines in 2011

local 14 adobo scoops Grand Prix prize in local Quill awards 16 DDB Philippines hit with Asia‘s only gold Bullet for ‘Fine China’ 18 Fired to make it different at !Gung Ho 21 R3 New Businesses

CENTERFOLD 82 Dennis Cham HIT Productions managing partner

Marketing 76 Samsung Galaxy Note brings stylus back from dead 77 Retail tracker: JUMP Store 77 Adobo Sidedish: Raoul Floresca Primer Group

Media REGIONAL 23 Standing on the shoulders of (design) giants 26 DDB leads Singapore’s Hall of Fame with agency prize 27 McCann takes Kancil’s Agency of the Year win 28 Ogilvy scores new wins at Campaign AOYs

WORLD 32 Scarpelli steps down at DDB, capping a 35-year career 34 TBWA’s Laurie Coots on gamification 36 Euro RSCG’s Remi Babinet on culture, craft and the big idea 37 CRM in real time with Wunderman’s Daniel Morel

The word on advertising

78 Glasses-free 3D advertising 81 GMA Network: Firing up the battle of the small screen

adobo magazine is published bi-monthly by Sanserif Inc. © 2012 Sanserif Inc. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication maybe reproduced or transmitted by any means without prior permission of the publisher. While every effort has been made to ensure the

Digital

accuracy of the information in this publication, the publisher and the editor assume no responsibility for errors of omissions or for any circumstance of reliance of

88 90 91 92

Nick Seckold on making digital work Asia’s leading corporations getting social When brands get an F for social Digital gets social, physical at IMMAP Night

information in this publication. The opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent the views of the publisher or editor. Advertisements are the sole responsibility of the advertisers.

Printed on recycled paper

SPECIAL REPORT 95 2012 projections 110 Creative recap 122 adobo Masterclass 126 AdFest 2012 primer 131 London International Awards 2011 135 22nd Philippine Advertising Congress

THE FIRM 54 MediaCom blazes new trails in media 56 Central Digital Lab makes case for openness

ROUNDTABLE 162 Mad about: poaching

PEOPLE

REGULar section

44 48 50 52

158 The Bigger Picture by Cid Reyes 160 Logic and Magic by Bong Osorio 161 Ad Nauseum 164 Movie Review: Ompong Remigio on The Adventures of Tintin 166 Contagious 168 Truth in Advertising 168 Events Calendar

Marlon Rivera and his nine charmed lives Leigh Reyes’ tribute to Mariles Gustilo Movers Trendspotting: Agency dancers

January - February 2012

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TOP STORIES

DOT LIGHTS UP SOCIAL MEDIA WITH NEW DRIVE

DoT lights up social media with new drive

‘It’s more fun’ tagline trends in top place for 24 hours after ealy January debut

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MANILA Philippine tourism promoters have been handsomely rewarded in betting on social media as the country’s online users embraced its new tourism tagline, giving it legs well beyond what would have been possible with its limited promotions budget.

At press-time, agency of record BBDO Guerrero/Proximity said the Department of Tourism’s ‘It’s more fun in the Philippines’ website unveiled in the first week of January recorded more than 160,000 unique visits, reaching a high of 1,800 simultaneous users at its launch. More than 5,000 emails offering positive feedback were also received on the site. The agency also tracked more than 50 new Facebook pages created featuring the tagline, which had also trended in top spot on Twitter for more than 24 hours during the launch weekend. There was an average mention every 51 seconds across various social networks, news and blog sites and a large volume of photos as users supported and had fun with the campaign. Pages of earned media without a cent being spent as of press-time, according to BBDO. Conserving resources “We are conserving our resources on the foreign markets. Propagate it locally and internationally.

Identify key markets. Unconventional and traditional media,” says DoT Secretary Ramon Jimenez, an adman in a previous life.

Social media has provided a powerful solution for a department with modest marketing firepower as it leverage Filipinos’ heavy use of the platform. Accordingly, the campaign unveiled a website, provided the campaign logo and cleverly staked its ground on the Philippines being ‘more fun’, to differentiate the country from rival destinations and rally Filipinos, who pride themselves on their love of fun, to spread the word. Jimenez said the campaign was anchored in showcasing how Filipinos “complete the Philippine tourism experience”. Hand-in-hand with the international campaign, the DoT will spearhead a local initiative with the slogan “#1ForFUN” to rally Filipinos to play their part in ensuring the

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Defending with humor

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01 Viral print ad for the DoT campaign 02 BBDO’s David Guerrero with DoT Secretary Ramon Jimenez 03 Banig-inspired logo

country lives up to its tourism message. “The national line is, a constant reminder to ourselves why we can tell travelers it’s more fun here than anywhere else. It needs everyone’s support for it to stay true.”

David Guerrero, chairman and chief creative officer of BBDO Guerrero/Proximity, added: “Pretty much what we presented in the pitch two months ago has found its way on the final presentation. The thing that was additionally developed was the national campaign to rally everyone behind the delivery of this promise that it’s more fun in the Philippines.”

Jimenez said more investments would be put in international markets, and cited the US, China, Japan, Korea and Australia as key markets. Among early international executions planned are billboards such as one for a New York parking lot reading: “Parking. It is more fun in the Philippines”.

Social media interest in the campaign began building days before the launch and @DOTPhilippines added fresh fuel to the fire when it tweeted the #1ForFUN hash tag the night before the launch.

Local reception is in marked contrast to DoT’s ‘Pilipinas Kay Ganda’ campaign, which was supposed to replace the then eight-year-old ‘WOW Philippines,’ also created by BBDO Guerrero for former DoT secretary Dick Gordon. That campaign was scrapped during its soft launch primarily because of numerous negative reviews.

January - February 2012

The DoT reacted swiftly and with humor to cyberspace buzz that its hours-old tourism campaign had copied a 1950s tourism ad from Switzerland.

Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez mounted a vigorous defense in a series of tweets: “No one can own the expression ‘it’s more fun’ but it’s very true for the #Philippines so it becomes ours. #ItsMoreFunInThePhilippines “FUN is a fusion of place and people. A place is not fun if there is no fun people in it.”

“Sun Tanning IS more fun in the Philippines.”

“If you look hard enough, you might even find an old ad that says “it’s more fun in Alcatraz!”

David Guerrero, chairman and chief creative officer of BBDO Guerrero Proximity, DoT’s agency of record, emphatically denied the campaign had copied the Swiss ad. “We did not see the ad.

I do not think anyone in the agency was born the time the swiss ad was made,” he said.

BBDO also received applause from one rival it outgunned in the pitch.

Lowe’s president and CCO Leigh Reyes posted on Facebook: “You know that feeling you get when you lose a pitch, see the work that comes out and think, “What? THAT won?” That’s not what I’m feeling today. I am feeling something rare, complicated, but ultimately more rewarding: the joy from seeing the better idea shine.

Congratulations, David, Tony, Corey, Manny, Brandie, Tin and the rest of the BBDO team! You do us all proud.”

PANA has been equally supportive: “PANA applauds the new tourism campaign led by Sec Mon Jimenez. PANA believes in promoting values in advertising which includes love of country.”

Y E DA TH E S M A SA ST CA E L TE

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TOP STORIES

SAATCHI REVAMP OPENS BLUE BOTTLE VACANCY / ZENITH OUTGUNS UNIVERSAL FOR GLOBE ACCOUNT

Saatchi revamp opens Blue Bottle vacancy MANILA Ace Saatchi & Saatchi has revamped its management line-up, filling a gap created by the departure of vice-chairman Matt Seddon, who left for the network’s India office late last year to replace CEO Kamal Basu.

The revamp has triggered changes at boutique shop Blue Bottle, whose founder, CEO and president Mio Chongson was tapped to replace Seddon as its chief operating officer, effective January 2012.

In turn, Chongson persuaded former Blue Bottle executive creative director Micky Domingo to return to the boutique agency, this time as its president and chief creative officer.

Seddon has been in Southeast Asia for over 20 years, with a tour of Saatchi’s offices in Malaysia and Vietnam. He arrived in Manila in 2004, initially as CEO of JWT Manila.

Known as a turnaround man, he is credited with shaking up JWT and Ace Saatchi, rousing the sleeping giants and turning them into award-winning shops with an injection of fresh talent. Under his watch, JWT Manila hired Dave Ferrer and won the country’s first Gold Lion at Cannes. At Ace Saatchi, he hired Andrew Petch and Tony Sarmiento, the team that won the Philippines’ first AdFest Grand Prix last year.

Chongson, the immediate past chair of4As Philippines, previously held management positions in BBDO Guerrero Ortega and Jimenez D’Arcy.

Commenting on the new role, Chongson said: “I’ve

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had the privilege of working with a fantastic, talented team at Blue Bottle. A new adventure comes and I am truly excited to be given the opportunity to lead the Ace Saatchi team. To further inspire an already charged-up, creative powerhouse – that will be a fun challenge.”

Domingo has 20 years of creative experience with McCann Erickson. He served as Blue Bottle’s executive creative director and consultant for two years before joining J. Romero.

“Micky is known as a great storyteller and a leader who inspires his people, not only with his ideas but also his admirable work ethics. It makes him a logical choice,” said Chongson.

01 Mio Chongson 02 Matt Seddon

Zenith outguns Universal for Globe account

MANILA ZenithOptimedia Philippines edged out long-serving incumbent Universal McCann in a four-way pitch to reel in Globe Telecoms, one of the country’s largest advertisers.

Preceded by a pitch with plot twists and turns, the realignment covering the media AOR planning

and buying brief took effect on January 1.

Globe’s review came at the end of its contract with Universal, which began in 2006.

The agency not only found itself facing off against GroupM’s Media Edge and Mindshare but its former leader on the Globe business: Venus Navalta.

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January - February 2012

Appointed ZenithOptimedia’s chairman in mid-2010, Navalta had a decade of handling the Globe account as head of Universal and clearly brought her expertise to bear in the review.

Nielsen has pegged Globe’s annual billings at 3.7 billion pesos, a sizable account loss that will likely burn a hole in the bottom-line of any incumbent agency. Few expect the defection will be easy on the local McCann Worldgroup operation. The agency’s managing director Dino Laurena announced his retirement just as news of ZenithOptimedia’s win began filtering out. The agency did not respond to adobo questions on how it would plug the gap left

by Globe’s loss.

The review also saw participating agencies pull out all the stops to win the business. Mindshare ran an ad featuring both its and Globe’s logo in a national daily.

It is unclear what impact the stunt had on Mindshare’s chance of landing the business.

KIDLAT AWARDS 2010

November - December 2011

LOCAL NEWS

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TOP STORIES

REYES STEPS UP AS GUSTILO QUITS ADVERTISING / SEVILLA UNITES WITH JIMENEZ IN WOO SHIFT

Reyes steps up as Gustilo quits advertising

Leigh Reyes and Mariles Gustilo

MANILA Creative maverick Leigh Reyes has been promoted to head Lowe Philippines, continuing a local tradition of creatives rising to senior leadership positions in local agencies.

Reyes, who joined the agency in June 2009 as executive creative director succeeded Mariles Gustilo as president and CCO. Marking her departure from the advertising industry, Gustilo left Lowe after 15 years at its helm to become senior director for the arts and culture of the Ayala Foundation.

According to Reyes, succession plans were laid out early last year. “The entire management team has been in transition moving into 2012. I highly recommend succession plans to anyone in any leadership position. It helps you sleep better at night,” she said.

Reyes viewed her cross-over into management as part of a local tradition. “I grew up in Basic Advertising, which was founded and led by three creative mavericks – Tony Mercado, Minyong Ordoñez, and Nonoy Gallardo. Plus, it’s not uncommon at all in our industry: Emily Abrera, Yoly Ong, David Guerrero, Melvin Mangada, Merlee Jayme – the list goes on.”

Credited with upping Lowe’s digital savvy, Reyes worked in tandem with Gustilo over the last two-and-a-half years in transforming the office into an organization that embraced digital and leveraged its plethora of channels to add value to clients’ brand communications. “(She is) highly creative and future-facing – a perfect example of the hybrid advertising talent who can deliver today’s new integrated solutions, is appreciative of the power of the narrative yet comfortable in the reality of data and the digital space,” Gustilo said of Reyes.

Reyes’ career is also studded with numerous personal highs. She won the country’s first Gold Clio in 2007 and was the youngest Filipino in the 2008 Cannes Lions jury for radio. Locally, she has been credited for creating the wildly popular ‘Tugs, Tugs’ TVC for Selecta Cornetto and spearheaded

the delivery of a paid, owned and earned media campaign for the country’s top milk brand Alaska.

Reyes is a vocal advocate of populist creativity, which is essentially creativity that appeals to the masses yet remains anchored in consumer insights.

Gustilo, who led Lowe to a consistent Top 5 showing in industry rankings, decided to leave advertising as she saw the right fit in the Ayala Foundation post. “I knew that sooner or later I ought to do something different. What would be had remained a mystery until the middle of (last) year, when I was offered the arts and culture directorship at the Ayala Foundation. In a heartbeat, the opportunity to ‘give back’ felt right for me at this point in my life,” said Gustilo. She retires after having worked on major multinational accounts such as Unilever and Johnson & Johnson.

With Lowe’s reins safely in Reyes’ hands, Gustilo said she was confident in the agency’s future. “Our working styles are different, but our ambition for Lowe has, from the beginning, been the same,” said Reyes. “Our strengths have always been a deep rapport with the mass Filipino culture, being plugged into pop culture. Stack tech-savvy on top of that and I believe we’ll be the agency partner clients will want by their side in these rapidly evolving times.”

With her trademark digital flair, Reyes said her appointment had been favorably reviewed on social networks – “126 Likes, 80 comments, 11 retweets, and 6+1s.”

See Reyes’ artistic homage to Gustilo, pg 48

Sevilla reunites with Jimenez in WOO shift

MANILA Publicis JimenezBasic has lost its longserving executive creative director with Don Sevilla signing off after almost two decades to join WOO (Winning Over Obstacles) Consultants.

Publicis had yet to name a replacement at press-time.

The move to WOO will reunite Sevilla with Abby Jimenez, one-half of the advertising industry’s power couple who established the joint-venture after briefly retiring from then Publicis-affiliated agency that the pair founded in the late 90s and was later acquired by Publicis.

The other half – Ramon Jimenez – moved on late last year to become the Department of Tourism Secretary.

Abby Jimenez sees the reunion with Sevilla as key to moving WOO forward. “We’ve always done great ads together,” she said of Sevilla. “WOO is good at present. I already took care of that. Its fu-

ture depends on what Don, our current staff and future hires will make of it, she added.

Sevilla, who joined WOO as executive creative director and partner, put his departure from Publicis JimenezBasic down to it being a “new year, a new adventure,(a time to) do things I haven’t done before”.

He described his time at Publicis JimenezBasic as an “enviable” experience. “[I] met about 300 new friends, traveled and been to four wonders of the world with them, tried being in a local to a multinational agency, experienced a dissolution of a global partnership, experienced a momentous merger, had the privilege of working on blue chip clients, been an art director to finally the head of creative of the biggest and no.1 agency in the Philippines.”

Publicis JimenezBasic joint CEO Bebot Ngo described Sevilla’s more than 18-year tenure as invaluable to the office’s success in the Philippines.

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January - February 2012

Don Sevilla

KIDLAT AWARDS 2010

November - December 2011

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TOP STORIES

ADOBO'S PICK OF THE BEST OF 2011 MOMENTS

adobo's pick of the best of 2011 moments

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01 TBWA \ Santiago Mangada Puno is the 4As Agency of the Year, with the most finalists at the awards and its Boysen ad is adobo’s #1.

02 BBDO wins a close race for the Araw Agency of the Year prize at the awards 22nd show, a premier platform for creative effectiveness, with results accounting for 40% of the criteria, strategy 20% and creativity and execution 40%.

03 PANA’s Del Monte Young Marketers turn in a golden performance under 24 hours at Cannes 2011, showing their creative thinking with a product requiring the country’s fractious southern region to work together.

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January - February 2012

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04 DM9 JaymeSyfu’s ‘Bruise’ poster featuring a woman’s battered face for NGO Gabriela scores the Grand Tribute at Cannes 2011’s contest cum exhibition, which highlights agency creativity in promoting worthy causes.

05 Lowe Philippine’s Selecta Cornetto ‘Bouncer’ TVC wins the Best TV Commercial of the Year prize. It is Araw’s sole gold for TV and adobo’s Ad of the Year.

06 Focusing on absent loved ones, Coca-Cola’s festive season offer The OFW Project proves a universal tear-jerker with a storyline that resonates beyond the Philippines. This helps turn the spot into the world’s 15th most-watched viral of 2011.

ADOBO'S PICK OF THE BEST OF 2011 MOMENTS

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entertainment.inquirer.net

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07 Ace Saatchi & Saatchi tops Campaign Brief Asia’s Philippine rankings for the 2010 year, announced in mid-2011. Andrew Petch retains the top creative spot.

08 Thanks to its 100-year anniversary campaign, a film anthology that subtly features its products, Nestlé Philippine emerges as the runaway Advertiser of the Year in Araw.

09 Nestlé’s win plus a major movie makes for an epic year for Marlon Rivera–the centennial campaign catapults Publicis Manila from nowhere into the Top 3 in Araw and his movie Ang Babae Sa Septic Tank proves a big winner in the year’s Cinemalaya. See page 44

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10 Best Print Ad of the Year – BBDO Saridon, based on awards received from regional and global competitions such as AdFest, Cannes, One Show, London International Awards among others.

11 Filipino designer Kenneth Cobonpue unveils the world’s first biodegradable car, Phoenix, sparking curiosity and rave reviews when it is exhibited in Milan.

12 Promising a game-changing conference, the 22nd Advertising Congress headed to water sports destination CamSur, featured TV’s top three honchos on the same stage, unveiled biometric delegate registration and speakers with a focus on digital engagement.

January - February 2012

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LOCAL

Local Newsline Vangie rides to Siri’s rescue in Manila

Move over Siri, it’s Vangie to the rescue in the Philippines.

Available on the iTunes App Store for more than year since Apple bought the company, Siri the virtual assistant has been a key feature of the iPhone 4S. Siri is a cut above the usual dictation machines or voice recognition software in that a user doesn’t have to say something in specific or exact order for the assistant to “understand” the commands. Best of all, Siri has attitude and a rather odd sense of humor.

However, this seemingly indispensable app has yet to be configured for the Philippines. As a result, Siri is finding it difficult understanding accented local English and vice versa. Vangie, Siri’s Filipino counterpart, has come to the market’s rescue. Vangie appears to have no trouble at all understanding English as it is locally spoken or Tagalog. Developed (or spoofed) by Macapuno Systems, Vangie had at press time two videos circulating on the web, both of which have already been picked up by bloggers and social media users. The Pinoy Virtual Assistant also has accounts on Facebook and Twitter, where Vangie actively interacts with fans.

Slapstick and sarcastic, Vangie’s no-nonsense bottom line is “Ayusin mo buhay mo (Fix your life)”, giving comedic advice and performing instructions to the letter, with plenty of (embarrassing) side comments.

Six local shops will feature in The Work

Six Philippine agencies will have work featured in Campaign Brief’s upcoming The Work 2011 Annual, which features ads in 16 categories from agencies in 14 Asia Pacific markets.

BBDO Guerrero and Ace Saatchi & Saatchi are among the top performers in The Work agency league tables, with nine and eight entries, respectively. BBDO Guerrero is tied at fifth place with Clemenger BBDO Melbourne, DDB Singapore, McCann Worldgroup Mumbai and Ogilvy & Mather Mumbai. Ace Saatchi & Saatchi is tied at sixth place with Creative Juice\Bangkok and Mudra Communications Mumbai.

DM9 JaymeSyfu makes its mark with five entries, while Leo Burnett Manila is tied with its Mumbai counterpart with four entries. McCann Worldgroup Manila matches the network’s offices in Tokyo, New Delhi, Singapore and Hong Kong with two aentries. JWT Manila adds one entry to the Philippine count.

The Work 2011 will be available in the Philippines via adobo books in 2012.

R3 TOP 10 / JWT, BBDO TOPS WON FOR FIFTH

R3: Philippines’ Top 10 Creative Wins in 2011 RANKING

MONTH

AGENCY

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JULY

BBDO

SC JOHNSON

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MARCH

DDB

EAST-WEST BANK

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FEBRUARY

DDB

SMART SOCIAL MEDIA & DIGITAL

4

MAY

DDB

INTEL

5

FEBRUARY

BBDO

BLACKBERRY

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JANUARY

DDB

MERALCO

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JANUARY

LOWE

UNILEVER

8

APRIL

LOWE

ACTIVE ONE

9

JANUARY

DDB

MERALCO

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APRIL

Y&R

METROBANK (CONSUMER LOANS)

R3: Philippines’ Top 10 Media Wins in 2011 RANKING

MONTH

AGENCY

ACCOUNT

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SEPTEMBER

STARCOM

MARS AND WRIGLEY

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AUGUST

OMD

SONY

3

JANUARY

PHD

UNITRADE (CHARMEE)

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FEBRUARY

OMD

SUNLIFE FINANCIAL

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APRIL

ZENITHOPTIMEDIA

MEGAWORLD

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JULY

MAXUS

SC JOHNSON

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APRIL

MEDIACOM

7-ELEVEN

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JULY

PHD

SC JOHNSON

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OCTOBER

MEC

GARDENIA

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JUNE

STARCOM

RESORTS WORLD MLA

JWT, BBDO win WON honors

MMDA resumes crackdown on billboards

The Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has resumed its crackdown of inordinately large and poor quality billboards following the Makati Regional Trial Court’s dismissal of the Outdoor Advertising Association of the Philippines’ (OAAP) case to stop the campaign.

The MMDA indicated that it would give billboard operators and and advertisers a grace period to comply with the court’s January 3 order.

“We are presently in dialogue with billboard operators and advertisers to work out a mutually acceptable plan. Definitely, they must conform with the Building Code as soon as possible,” said MMDA chairman Francis Tolentino.

The OOAP had argued in its petition that MMDA had abused its discretion when it drew up an agreement with Department of Public Works and Highways to come up with guidelines for billboards.

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ACCOUNT

JWT Shanghai's highly-awarded 'Heaven and Hell’ campaign for Samsonite and BBDO Worldwide have new trophies to add to 2011's haul.

With its clutch of six Grand Prix trophies for 2011, the Samsonite campaign was, by a wide margin, the top campaign across all media in the latest Won Report (London International Awards report, pg 130). The work scored 154 points against second-placed Droga5 New York's digital/outdoor 'Decode Jay-Z’ (Bang for the Buck, pg 68).

Released in early January, the report had BBDO in pole position for the fifth year running.

January - February 2012

BBDO was propelled to the top with five offices in the Top 10 spot, two of which took the first two positions. The report saw BBDO New York return to top form, with sister agency Almap BBDO dropping to second place.

The New York agency had won awards for 10 separate brands in TV, press, radio, direct marketing, integrated media, digital, mobile, design, and alternative and innovative categories.

The other Top10 BBDO agencies were ColensoBBDO, Auckland (#5), AMV BBDO London (#6) and Clemenger BBDO Melbourne (#9). BBDO agencies were also ranked first in eight markets: Australia, Brazil, Canada, New Zealand, Philippines, Russia, the US and the UK. BBDO's David Lubars was crowned top chief creative officer, followed by Y&R Dubai's Sahir Zag, Serviceplan Germany's Alexander Schill, Publicis Conseil's Olivier Altmann and AlmapBBDO's Marcello Serpa.

Ogilvy & Mather was the second top network, followed by DDB, Leo Burnett and Y&R, rounding out the top 5.

LOCAL NEWS

KIDLAT AWARDS 2010

Philippine Daily Inquirer

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And the latest survey says...

PDI is no. 1!

47.8% 35.5% 30.7%

Brand M Brand P

Newspaper of choice for nearly half of Filipinos (47.8%) in Metro Manila and 21 other key cities nationwide, according to Nielsen.

Source: Nielsen Media Index Q3 2011, All People ages 10+ who read the broadsheet yesterday.

ASC Ref. No. P14N121611P, Series of 2011 November - December 2011

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LOCAL

Local Newsline Aegis taps new leaders

Aegis Media Philippines has appointed senior management executives to drive growth of the local operation.

Miguel Ramos has been appointed to the new position of chairman of the umbrella company, Angelito “BoyP” Pangilinan CEO of Carat Philippines and Media Services and Mike Ochosa CEO of Integrated Services, including iProspect.

Ramos, the president/COO of Aegis-owned Mediaforce Vizeum since 2009, has been tasked with providing overall leadership to the executive team and expanding the offer beyond Carat Philippines and Mediaforce Vizeum to the full group.

Pangilinan previously worked with MediaCom and was Campaigns & Grey’s general manager/COO. Ochosa, who was until recently managing director of Carat Philippines, has been appointed CEO of Integrated Services, tasked with introducing and growing new service offerings with a focus on digital and other direct to consumer communication channels.

ADOBO SCOOPS GRAND PRIX IN LOCAL QUILL AWARDS

adobo scoops Grand Prix prize in local Quill awards

Filipino women lead in accessing mobile internet Women account for 57% of mobile web users in the Philippines against 43% for men, in contrast to the heavy skew towards male users in Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia and right across the region. This is according to the latest Yahoo Net Index 2011 report, which also reveals the web habits of the region.

Filipino users “snack” on content such as facts, trivia, images and graphics while browsing the net, and Yahoo! (64%) is the second most frequently visited website on a mobile device, following closely behind Facebook (71%).

Majority of Filipinos is on pre-paid plans (87%) and on average spend a little over US$13 per month, with Globe Telecom holding top position as the most popular service provider. Nokia leads as most popular handset device (59%) in the Philippines, followed by Samsung (22%), Sony Ericsson (5%) and Motorola (2%).

Smartphones such as Apple´s iPhone and Blackberry have a relatively low usage in the country (1%) due to their high cost.

Separately, Nielsen’s Southeast Asia Digital Consumer Report found Philippines was among region’s heaviest internet users, trailing only Singapore by 3% in time spent online.

Marketing code addresses digital concerns

Digital media has topped the International Chamber of Commerce’s newly-revised Code of Advertising and Marketing, considered a rule setter in international advertising in the 130 markets where the chamber counts members.

In the Philippines, this new code will be adopted, in part or in full, by the major governing bodies of the ad and broadcast industries: The Philippine Association of National Advertisers (PANA), Kapisanan ng Mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) and the Ad Standards Council (ASC).

The revised code was introduced by Pedro N. DyLiacco, Jr., former director of communications at Nestle Philippines and representative of Nestle S.A in the ICC Commission on Marketing and Advertising, to reconcile different existing local codes with the global standard.

The revised code holds provisions for the protection of internet users, as well as detailed standards for online marketers. It also cites guidelines for marketing to children, environmental claims, ethical behavior and transparency, and consumer privacy.

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(l-r) Lech Velasco, Angel Guerrero, Janelle Barretto-Squires, Bong Osorio

MANILA The word on advertising is twice a Grand Prix winner: adobo magazine scooped the top honor at the 11th Philippine Quill Awards for 2011, building on its 2010 win. The Grand Prix of Communication Creative was presented at the gala held at the Crowne Plaza Galleria Manila in Quezon City on November 28, 2011.

The local edition of the global Quills, awarded by the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), featured 27 categories in three divisions: Communication Management, Communication Skills and Communication Creative. This year’s winning entry centered on Publication Design in the Communication Creative category, based on the five-year-old magazine’s recent redesign.

The Philippine Daily Inquirer won the Grand Prix for Communication Management for the Simultaneous Inquirer Read-Along program for its 25th anniversary, while Insular Life Insurance Company scooped the Communication Skills Grand Prix for its 100th anniversary coffeetable book. Smart Communications brought home the most Quills, with 14 trophies in total.

“Winning the top award last year was such a great honor and this one is even more so,” says adobo magazine’s publisher and editor-in-chief Angel Guerrero (pictured with her team). “A small team such as ours is proud to be seen in the same league as the top corporations in terms of communications, which is indeed our lifeblood.

January - February 2012

We have always wanted to lead in both print and digital by championing creativity and effectiveness. This award validates our purpose and our work.

“In a way, our win highlights the importance of design in business. It is something the ad industry we serve has long known and we want to be true to that.

“We share this award with the Russell Vergara’s team at VGrafiks, who have made it possible for us to enter our fifth year with a new look and direction,” adds Guerrero.

Featuring a new grid system and overhauled layout, the magazine updated its look and attracted more advertisers. The changes are by no means complete, as further tweaks will be made in the content and navigation in 2012.

Last year, adobo magazine received the Award of Merit in the publication category and the Award of Excellence in the electronic and digital communication category, for which it was also awarded the Grand Prix. It also received merits for photography and writing, as well as excellence in employee/member communication in 2009. The Grand Prix capped a great year for the magazine, which staged successful events including the adobo Football Cup, adobo Ad of the Year, adobo Run After Dark and most recently, the launch of the adobo CEO Masterclass series See Masterclass report page 122

FIRED UP TO MAKE IT DIFFERENT AT !GUNG HO

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Fired up to make it different at !Gung Ho MANILA A group of seasoned professionals has launched a new production house with the aim of putting the Philippines back on the map as the home of creative talent, viable shoot locations and technology.

The new company’s founders said a passion to bring their vision to life prompted them to leave lucrative fulltime and regular freelance gigs to establish !Gung Ho Films ­– the exclamation point added to underscore the creativity, passion and overall drive to achieve.

Comprising directors, creatives, and producers, the group said they were also driven by a vision to change the game in production by giving back to the industry and attracting more projects to the country. One other way they plan to give back is to plant 100 tree saplings for every million they make.

“It felt like all of us knew, in the back of our heads, that we were approaching a certain edge and we had to decide whether or not to step off.

And it just so happened that we learned that we were all feeling that way,” said Paolo Dy, one of the group’s in-house directors.

“I had been freelancing and doing well (but) I felt like I wanted a home, a team behind me,” Dy added. It was not a matter of any team – it had to be about the right chemistry, the burst of energy to fuel his drive beyond the novelty of a new group.

Clean, lean, mean, and green For advertising creative Dax Dacayan, the time had come to do the thing he had never done in his 18 years in the industry – shooting and directing ads himself. “I’ve been invited to work for other production houses,” said Dacayan, but he wasn’t ready to make the move then.

Like Dy, he was looking for something else and he found it in !Gung Ho – a vision that inspired change and a group of people who did not mind who got in the driver’s seat so long as the job wasdone good and right.

“I tried several of the same things before and it just didn’t work out even with people I thought I had one mind with,” noted another of !Gung Ho’s directors, Cholo Laurel. For the 20-year induatry veteran, it was all about bringing together those who shared the vision and finding others who would help stoke the fire. The path to finding likeminded industry colleagues proved a hit and miss affair for Laurel but he finally hit the mark with !Gung Ho. Dy said the new production house would be more streamlined to do things better. Experience and lessons from past missteps will guide the

01

02

01 Unveiling !Gung Ho at its launch 02 !Gung Ho’s Cholo Laurel (far right), Lizanne Padilla-Alcazaren (2nd from left), and Marie Jamora (3rd from left) welcome guests at the launch

team in choosing what would work bestfor !Gung Ho. “We’ve been there, done that, and we know what’s missing. And we’re committed to fill that void,” said managing director Lizanne PadillaAlcazaren.

One of their priorities is to bring shoots back to the country. “There was a time when Hong Kong, Japan, Indonesia, everybody, came here to shoot. And now they’re all leaving. Why?” asked Padilla-Alcazaren.

“What I think is, we did not improve production-wise and we don’t know how to please

regional clients and sell ourselves to them,” Laurel added. !Gung Ho plans to change all that. “If we sell ourselves to the region, they will probably bite because we are very competitive. Magaling tayo eh (We’re really good).” !Gung Ho’s philosophy promises transparency, a simplified process and a team passionate in its endeavors. This early in the launch, the vision has led clients to start knocking on the company’s door with ideas.

January - February 2012

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LOCAL

Local Newbiz Amon+Maneze wins liquor brand haul

Independent agency Amon+Maneze and Partners (AMP) has bagged the Ginebra GSM Blue, GSM Blue New Variants, and Ginebra San Miguel Premium Gin accounts.

The new accounts were won after a fierce four-way pitch against TBWA\Santiago Mangada Puno, Lowe and Brand Ideas.

AMP CEO and chief creative officer John Amon said the agency won the largest combined chunk of billings with the GSM Blue, GSM Blue Light, GSM New Variants and Ginebra Premium Brands.

The other agencies, however, did not walk away empty-handed: Lowe won the creative brief for Ginebra Red, Brand Ideas won Gran Matador and TBWA bagged Antonov Vodka. Gran Matador was previously handled

by Publicis JimenezBasic while GSM Blue was with Campaigns & Grey.

“They pitched all of their major brands. It was no doubt one of the biggest pitches of the year,” said Amon.

AMP’s win came on the heels of it winning the Beach Hut Sun Protection account the week before after a four-way pitch as well. “It’s also a pretty good way to celebrate our break-away status from the 4As and win a major account as a legitimate indie agency.”

Bates scores new win hattrick

Bates Asia’s Philippine agency is poised to end the year on a high after winning new business from Ivi Collagen, Lee jeans and Hershey chocolates.

Both Ivi and Lee were awarded without a pitch, while Hershey’s below-the-line brief was won following a review. Lee’s brief called for an adaption of advertising and below-the-line work and marks the first time the apparel brand had appointed a local agency. The client previously adapted work by Ogilvy & Mather Shanghai inhouse. “We’re assuming that a large chunk of its budget will be below-the-line since their thematic campaign is an adaptation,” said Mitos Borromeo, chief strategy and new business consultant of bates.

Hershey, which is aligned with Euro RSCG, awarded its below-the-line brief, which can be bidded outside the alignment. “We’re assuming that their BTL spend will be equal to its ATL spend, if not more.”

World Impact previously handled Ivi, the collagen beverage brand. “Ivi is still concentrating on ATL spend as it’s still in its launch phase,” she said.

Borromeo described the collagen category as huge in value terms due to the product’s high prices. While the two main players are MET and Ivi in the ingestibles category, there are numerous players in the topical category.

Insular Life hands Aspac advertising brief

Aspac outgunned two competitors in the Insular Life review, winning the brief just hours after its presentation.

The agency said it beat the incumbent and an undisclosed agency for the account. Aspac, however, said the client had forbidden it from disclosing the identities of the other two agencies in the December 2011 review.

Founded in 1910, Insular is today one of the largest insurance companies in the country.

Aspac identified two key challenges in marketing an insurance client. The first, according to its associate vice president and executive creative director Kat Limchoc, is to ensure the sector remains relevant to Filipinos.

“The other challenge would be to create a positioning that is distinct in the category while making sure it is a message grounded in the DNA of Insular Life, not just as a brand but as a company,” added Limchoc.

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DDB HIT WITH ASIA'S ONLY GOLD BULLET / MEDIA, AD GROUPS ELECT OFFICERS

DDB Philippines hit with Asia’s only gold bullet for 'Fine China' MANILA DDB Philippines returned from the 2011 YoungGuns International Awards with the region’s and the design category’s only gold Bullet for its highly-awarded ‘Fine China’ work for Monami Ballpoint Pens.

The three-part print campaign featuring intricate illustrations of blue and white chinaware also scored individual silver bullets for ‘Fine China Plate’ and ‘Fine China Bowl’ executions. The wins brought the country’s total Bullet count to three.

The Monami campaign has had a successful run at other shows, including the recent London International Awards and the Araw Awards.

The print ads catapulted DDB Philippines’ art director Nina Fides Garcia to fifth spot in the Young Talent Rankings 2011 in a three-way tie with BBDO Toronto’s Chris Joakim and Mike Donaghey.

Alongside Garcia, DDB Philippines ECD Joey Ong served as copywriter for the campaign, with Jas Salderriega as typographer and Gomer Barce, Elios Santos and Lester Bustarde as illustrators.

In all, the jury handed out a total of 121 Bullets – 54 for advertising, 22 for digital, 10 for design, six for media, 8 for PR, and 21 for students.

Media, ad groups elect officers

MANILA Three Philippine media and advertising groups have elected office-bearers for the year.

Incumbent United Print Media Group (UPMG) president for six consecutive terms, Pepito Olarte of Philippine Daily Inquirer, has been appointed president emeritus. Business Mirror’s Ricky Alegre (top, left) succeeds Olarte to lead the organization in the next two years.

Other officers are: VP Barbie Atienza (Manila Bulletin head of external affairs; secretary Jay Sarmiento (The Philippine Star); treasurer Vivienne Motomal (The Journal Group); PRO, Angel Guerrero (adobo magazine); and auditor Ron Tamayo (Abante). Noel Godinez (Asian Journal), Danny Ocampo (BusinessWorld), and Doris Ber-

January - February 2012

mudez (Hinge Inquirer Publications) will serve as directors.

At the Philippine Association of National Advertisers, Margot Torres (right), VP for marketing and communications of Golden Arches Development Corporation, reclaimed the leadership role from John Rojo. She last served at PANA in 2010.

Rojo, who is SkyCable Corp and Bayan Telecommunications corporate brand and communications head, has moved to PANA Foundation as chairman. Other officers are: VP Raul Alvarez (PLDT); secretary Yasmin Mallari (Coca-Cola Export Corrp.); treasurer Abby Limqueco Chan (Citibank N.A.); PRO Bunny Aguilar (Globe Telecom) and auditor Chit Navales (Procter & Gamble).

At the Association of Accredited Advertising Agencies of the Philippines, Alex Syfu (DM9 JaymeSyfu) has been elected chairman and Ruwel Loyola (WorkshopOne) as president. The officers are Jenny Wieneke (Draft FCB) as president, Gigi Tibi (Creative Juice) board secretary, Jev Ramos (Campaigns & Grey) treasurer, Norman Agatep (Euro RSCG) corporate comptroller, and Francine Gonzalez (BBDO Guerrero), Ariel Comia (PC&V Communications) and Cecile Velez (McCann Worldgroup) as directors.

KIDLAT AWARDS 2010

November - December 2011

LOCAL NEWS

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Partner promotion

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LOCAL NEWS

KIDLAT AWARDS 2010

!GUNG HO for a Change A revolution has broken out in the field of video & film production in Manila.

Led by wonder-producer Lizanne PadillaAlcazaren and one of Asia’s most seasoned directors Cholo Laurel, a new team-up of creative minds are marching into the fore, armed with game-changing ideas and the fiercest credentials.

Following a successful launch at M Café last December 7, 2011, the !GUNG HO team now goes on full force towards one thing: change!

The goal: to ultimately advance the country’s performance in the international playing field.

Ambitious? Perhaps. But not impossible.

This is a coup and they’re out to reboot the production industry and the list goes on. !GUNG HO promises to annihilate dodgy production deals, inefficient use of production budgets, overcrowded shoots, poor shooting facilities and deliver professional and excellent production value for money at competitive rates.

Excellence with integrity, passion for change, creativity with a cause – now that’s definitely something to be GUNG HO about!

Boji Ventura, Chief of Production aka COP aka el supremo production manager and creative line producer. After decades of working with the best, he has evolved into a walking Google of technical knowledge and production information.

Cholo Laurel got his director’s mojo at NYU Film in 1995 but has been in the advertising production industry since he finished at UP Dilliman in 1986. After winning the FAMAS for directing his first full-length film Nasaan Ka Man in 2005, fate brought him around the Asian region collaborating with production houses

Who’s !GUNG HO? Lizanne Padilla Alcazaren is commander-inchief aka managing director, with 24 years of combined experience as an Account Executive, Broadcast Producer, Executive Producer, AVP for Marketing, and supermom.

Wendy Rivera Campos packs 12 years experience as an executive producer for hundreds of spots and documentaries, which has only made her more passionate about sealing deals and getting every job done well.

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January - February 2012

in Vietnam and Kuala Lumpur doing spots for clients from all over the world.

Paolo Dy is a self-avowed fanatic when it comes to film, technology, 3D cinema... and food! His work has won multiple Anvil, Gold Quill and New York Festival nods, while his films have won awards in New York, Singapore, and the US National 24-Hour Film Racing competition. He’s shot over a hundred commercials locally and around the region, including he first stereoscopic 3D commercial aired in the country.

Marie Jamora is a film and music geek who found a way to make a living out of it.

She has directed over 40 music videos for artists such as Sandwich, Bamboo, Gary V, Itchyworms, Urbandub, Imago, Sugarfree, and the Eraserheads. She got her MFA in Film at Columbia University and is now currently in pre-production for her first feature film, “Ang Nawawala (What Isn’t There),” a finalist in the 2012 Cinemalaya Film Festival.

Dax Dacayan started in the industry as copywriter for McCann-Erickson’s San Miguel Beer account. Honed as both a strategic and creative talent, he then served as Creative Director for DDB Philippines and Leo Burnett Manila. He’s been brand steward for big accounts like Jollibee, Smart Communications, Sun Cellular, Tide, Petron, Gatorade and Sting, snatching a couple of local awards along the way.

KIDLAT AWARDS 2010

November - December 2011

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LOCAL

Local Newbiz New heights for Collab Manila with Air Asia win

Fresh off launching Philippine operations, AirAsia’s newest subsidiary has hired Collab Manila to handle its communications brief.

The win is Collab Manila’s first major project since launching in July 2012. The creative think tank established by Tony Sarmiento, Jason Drilon, Bixie Reyes, and Miguel de Leon beat BBDO Guerrero and Adformatix for the business.

Collab Manila will handle concept formation for AirAsia Philippines’ brand campaigns and the larger task of introducing the carrier to Filipinos and rooting the brand in the market.

The carrier launched services from the Philippines in October last year. “It was a good win, considering the competition we were up against. It’s also a really exciting brand with a big task at hand. The guys and I are looking forward to creating something nice and collaborating with our clients and some of the best in the industry,” said Sarmiento.

In an interview with adobo magazine, Sarmiento introduced the group’s idea of collaboration, which will come into play with its new client.

Publicis Manila lands new P&G business

Publicis Manila ended 2011 with 10 new business wins on the back of its headline-making centennial campaign for Nestlé, which has given the agency a far bigger profile than it previously enjoyed.

Its new business spree was led by wins for Procter & Gamble, a win that eventually delivered additional brands – Oral-B and Vicks.

Rounding up the agency’s year-end home runs were wins for Shellane, Shell’s LPG brand, and Air 21, which both partnered with the agency after exploratory talks.

“These new accounts are very important for us as we now have clients in more product categories. It also gives us a better balance between multinational and local clients. The challenges and opportunities that these brands face are very diverse that we get to apply our expertise in various circumstances,” added client services director Patrick Tolentino.

MCCANN'S 'OFW PROJECT' / ASIONG AND WELOVEPOST WIN TOP PRIZES AT MMFF

McCann’s “OFW Project” is world’s 15th most viral in 2011 MANILA Tugging at the heartstrings during the festive season is a surefire way to score eyeballs.

Especially when the local meme has global appeal and the market has one of the most web-savvy populations in the world – a formula that has delivered social media advertising success for CocaCola and its agency McCann-Erickson Philippines The soft drinks giant’s ‘Where Will Happiness Strike Next: The OFW Project’ has taken the global charts by storm, scoring in the campaign and mashable stakes in Unruly Media’s Viral Videos Chart. The chart tracks the most shared branded content on the web by pulling together results from Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and blogs.

For the first two weeks of December, the spot reigned as the most watched video in the Campaign Viral Chart, with 474, 121 views in its first week.

Coca-Cola’s feat follows another locally produced viral hit, which also held the 15th spot in the 2011 Top 20 videos. Leo Burnett Manila’s ‘BF/GF’ campaign for McDonald’s had 756, 141 views for that week, only to be overtaken by newer releases.

The OFW Project was the Number 1 most watched viral video in the mashable category for De-

Asiong and welovepost win top prizes at Manila film fest

DDB reached year end in winning form

DDB Philippines retained its top rank in R3’s new business league for November 2011, on the back of account wins worth an estimated US$3.09 million.

DDB’s performance in topping the business league for much of 2011 represented a solid turnaround when it started last year in 8th place.

The agency was propelled to the top spot with wins from restaurant group Barrio Fiesta, Huawei Technologies and Armscor, helping plug the gap left by Philips Asia Pacific. The incumbent network had been eliminated in an early round from Philips’s review of its £300 million global account, which was realigned with Ogilvy & Mather last year-end following a final shootout with TBWA. Lowe retained its second place from the previous month with wins worth an estimated US$2.28 million for Airphil Express, Filinvest Land, 7-Eleven, Alaska Milk, and a brief to develop Carnation’s website. BBDO improved its previous fourth-placed rank in the league, powered by the ExxonMobile Asia Pacific, as did Ogilvy & Mather and Y&R; both agencies also climbed one spot over the previous month. See page 21

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cember, beating Google’s ‘Zetigeist 2011: A Year in Review’ with over 200,000 views. On its year-end tally, it ranked 15th, sharing the same list with global heavyweights such as Volkswagen’s ‘The Force’ and Kia Soul’s ‘Party Rock Anthem’ commercial.

The four-minute video struck a chord not only with the 11 million overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), but with every Filipino who has kin working outside the country. It has exceeded more than 1,720, 000 views on YouTube as of press time, even with non-Filipinos leaving comments.

MANILA ‘Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story’ and its post-prodution partner welovepost triumphed at the recently-concluded Metro Manila Film Festival.

The period drama, starring Governor ER Ejercito, shot in black and white, was praised for successfully transporting viewers to the gritty 1940s underworld crime scene of Tondo, Manila. In successfully bringing the past to the big screen, welovepost was rewarded with the Best Editing trophy.

The post-production house has long made its name with TVCs for Nestlé, Johnson & Johnson, Smart Communications, and Splash, among others. It bested seven other entries, and is part of the 11 awards heaped on the crime drama.

The two-year-old post production house was initially tapped by the film’s producers to cut the

January - February 2012

trailers, but the offer evolved to the company’s appointment as the official post facility for the movie.

Led by Jason Cahapay and Ryan Orduna, the house handled offline re-editing, online assembly, digital color grading, as well as visual effects. The team also worked with Wildsound and Cutting Edge Post on sound and music production, including the music video of Hari ng Tondo by rapper Gloc-9, part of the original soundtrack of Manila Kingpin.

“What started as just another project became one of our most memorable, not to mention our proudest, work for 2011,” says Pedring Lopez, managing partner of welovepost. He cites the subtlety of added visual effects such as matte paintings, cleanups of modern elements and sky replacements, and their use of 3D knives, among the fine touches they added to the film.

With one of the Philippine industry’s major trophies in the bag, welovepost is poised to take on more leading roles in films, beginning with Cesar Montano’s Hitman, and another Ejercito-star vehicle in 2012.

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R3 NEW BUSINESS LEAGUE

R3 NEW BUSINESS LEAGUE

Creative Agencies - Philippines (November 2011) AGENCY

RECENT WINS

RECENT LOSSES

ESTIMATED YTD

OVERALL YTD

RANK

RANK

THIS

LAST

REVENUE

REVENUE

MONTH

MONTH

(US$M)

(US$M)

1

1

DDB

2

2

LOWE

BARRIO FIESTA, HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES, ARMSCOR

3.09

AIRPHIL EXPRESS, FILINVEST LAND, 7-ELEVEN, ALASKA MILK,

2.28

CARNATIONWEBSITE 3

4

BBDO

4

5

OGILVY

5

6

Y&R

EXXONMOBIL ASIA PACIFIC

3

MCCANN WORLDGROUP

PHILIPS ASIA PACIFIC, NESTLE NAN

1.40

GLOBAL RESTAURANT CONCEPTS, METROBANK CONSUMER

BANK OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLAND ELRO MARKETING

1.27

7

EURO RSCG

8

8

GREY GROUP

VOLVO (ARNOLD) REPUBLIC BISCUITS CAMPAIGN, 3M CAMPAIGN, ANDOKS LITSON CAMPAIGN

9

9

JWT

2.59 2.48 1.31

YAHOO! SOUTHEAST ASIA

0.85

UNILEVER 6=

ENERVON

1.31

LOANS, KIA SPORTAGE 6=

PHILIPS ASIA PACIFIC

1.26

0.85 EXXONMOBIL ASIA PACIFIC

0.77

0.77

0.77

0.65

0.65

0.23

RIMMEL LONDON ASIA PACIFIC

0.18

10

10

LEO BURNETT

11

12

PUBLICIS

AIRPHIL EXPRESS

0.12

MERCK OTC BRANDS

0.47

12

11

SAATCHI & SAATCHI

INVIDA ASIA PACIFIC, LENOVO ASIA PACIFIC

0.07

0.07

13=

14=

M&C SAATCHI

0.00

0.00

13=

14=

BATES

0.00

0.00

15

15

DENTSU

CHELSEA FOOTBALL CLUB SOUTHEAST ASIA

0.04

(0.02)

16

16

TBWA\

BOEHRINGER EXTRA, GINEBRA SAN MIGUEL

0.39

17

17

DRAFTFCB

0.00

0.12 GRAN MATADOR BRANDY

MARS SC JOHNSON ASIA PACIFIC

0.09

(0.29) (1.50)

Media Agencies - Philippines (November 2011) AGENCY

RECENT WINS

RECENT LOSSES

ESTIMATED YTD

OVERALL YTD

RANK

RANK

THIS

LAST

REVENUE

REVENUE

MONTH

MONTH

(US$M)

(US$M)

1

1

2

2

OMD

STARCOM MEDIAVEST

OMRON HEALTHCARE

1.61

MARS AND WRIGLEY SEA, RESORTS WORLD MANILA, TERRY S.A.

3

3

ZENITHOPTIMEDIA

EXXONMOBILE ASIA PACIFIC

1.16

ZED, EMPERADOR DISTILLERS, TERRY S.A., BOTIKANG PINOY

1.51

1.11 MARRIOT

1.40

INTERNATIONAL ASIA

1.03

PACIFIC 4

4

PHD

5

5

MEDIACOM

6

6

MAXUS

SONY ERICSSON ASIA PACIFIC

0.86

REVLON ASIA PACIFIC, GLOBE TELECOM, GE LIGHTS

0.72

SC JOHNSON ASIA PACIFIC, BEL COMMUNICATION, GENERAL ELECTRIC, KIA SPORTAGE

7

8

CARAT

8

7

MPG

9

9

INITIATIVE

9

10

VIZUEM

0.42

GARDENIA

0.76 0.71

GSK

0.30

PHILIPS ASIA PACIFIC

0.24

0.24

BOSCH BRAND ASIA PACIFIC, ESCADA ASIA PACIFIC

0.18

0.12

CLOROX

0.05 0.00

January - February 2012

REVLON ASIA PACIFIC

0.00 0.00

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REGIONAL

Regional Newbiz Leo Burnett Indonesia wins Tempo Scan

Indonesian pharmaceutical maker PT Tempo Scan Pacific has awarded the bulk of its through-the-line business to Leo Burnett Indonesia.

The maker of hemaviton adult vitamin and energy drinks, adult analgesic Oskadon, children’s analgesic Contrexyn and teen multivitamins Zevit named Burnett its agency of record following a pitch that included Publicis Metro and other agencies.

Coleman Handoko and the client’s in-house agency were incumbents on the business.

The shift caps a high point in Burnett’s relationship with PT Tempo following its metal haul, including two golds and the Radio Campaign of the Year award at the Citrapariwara 2011 awards, for a project for the company’s hemaviton brand “As a leader in the industry, Tempo Scan set its sights very high, we needed a partner with who we could share that vision,” said Aviaska Respati, managing director of Tempo Scan’s pharma consumer health.

Phoenix Ogilvy lands World Cup job

Phoenix Ogilvy Sri Lanka bested agency rivals and international sports marketing companies to scoop the brief for Twenty20 World Cup, marking the event’s Asian debut when it is held in the country from September 18 to October 7.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) named Phoenix the official marketing and communications agency for the event. The agency has been tasked to work the ICC in developing and implementing an integrated strategic global event promotion plan for the fourth edition of the tournament.

Phoenix previously won the ICC World Cup 2011 following a joint pitch by the network’s offices in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

SEAT partners Ogilvy for China entry

OgilvyOne Beijing has landed the retainer digital marketing brief to help Volkswagen Group to drive the entry of its German-engineered, Spanish-designed automobile brand in China.

The agency picked up the account in a competitive pitch and will chart SEAT’s digital strategy in its mainland market entry. The assignment includes developing and maintaining SEAT’s new China website, creating a digital showcase and virtual driving experience at retail stores and showrooms, social media marketing and producing digital campaigns for upcoming vehicle launches.

The appointment was effective immediately.

OgilvyOne Beijing’s recent ‘Scirocco Cup campaign for VW used augmented reality to build ex itement among car enthusiasts for its professional racing camp.

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R3 TOP 10 / NESCAFE ASKS CHINA TO SHOW ITS BOLD SIDE IN NEW CAMPAIGN

R3: Top 10 Creative Wins in 2011 (Asia) RANKING

MONTH

AGENCY

ACCOUNT

1

NOVEMBER

BBDO

SC JOHNSON GLOBAL

2

AUGUST

DDB

INTEL GLOBAL

3

MAY

DDB

TESLTRA AUSTRALIA

4

JUNE

TBWA\

ANZ ASIA PACIFIC

5

NOVEMBER

BBDO

BLACKBERRY GLOBAL

6

JANUARY

PUBLICIS

AMWAY NUTRILITE (CH)

7

MAY

SAATCHI & SAATCHI

LENOVO GLOBAL

8

NOVEMBER

SAATCHI & SAATCHI

CHINA TELECOM

9

OCTOBER

BBH

DULUX GLOBAL

10

AUGUST

DENTSU

PICC CHINA

R3: Top 10 Media Wins in 2011 (Asia) RANKING

MONTH

AGENCY

ACCOUNT

1

JULY

STARCOM

COCA-COLA CHINA

2

JUNE

MINDSHARE

YUM BRANDS CHINA

3

FEBRUARY

MEDIACOM

P&G SE-ASIA

4

FEBRUARY

OMD

TOURISM AUSTRALIA

5

JUNE

OMD

SONY ASIA PACIFIC

6

FEBRUARY

MAXUS

SC JOHNSON GLOBAL

7

FEBRUARY

MEDIACOM

P&G GLOBAL

8

JANUARY

STARCOM

CHINA TELECOM

9

FEBRUARY

PHD

SC JOHNSON GLOBAL

10

FEBRUARY

CARAT

BEIERSDORF GLOBAL

Nescafé asks China to show its bold side in new campaign BEIJING Nescafe has rolled out ‘Live Out Your Boldness’, its largest digital campaign in China to date in partnership with OgilvyOne Beijing.

Described as showcasing a distinct and new brand attitude, the multi-phased campaign leveraged online channels and social media to engage young Chinese adults.

Drawing on the boldness of Nescafe spokesperson Han Han, a blogger, best-selling author and professional race car driver, the campaign launched with Han kickstarting the ‘Live Out Your Boldness’ conversation with an online video.

Another four stories were told digitally of individuals who have each chosen to take control of their lives by living boldly beyond social norms. The roster includes well-known blogger and photographer Chu Peng; Chang Jing, a guzheng player (a traditional Chinese instrument), indie music guardian Michael Pattis; and social activist Xu Can. In its second phase, the campaign invited consumers to take up the 100-day “Boldness Challenge”, in which two challenges were posted online each week via the Sina campaign site and Sina Weibo. Par-

January - February 2012

ticipants can post videos, share self-made songs and blog in the Bold Diaries about completing their acts of boldness, such as sharing stories on the bold deeds of inspirational figures around them or dancing in their classrooms or workplace to bring joy to others.

“We believe China’s young people need to live the true lives that they desire by unlocking their hidden boldness. We hope this ‘Live Out Your Boldness’ community will give them a sense of belonging and help them to feel part of a bigger social movement,” said Adrian Ho, head of Nestle’s coffee and beverages business unit.

“We needed a fresh approach to reach and engage a younger generation of coffee drinkers who are living their lives online. We’re excited to watch this campaign grow through the strong community of social media users in China,” said Angel Chen, president of OgilvyOne China The digital offensive will run through March 2012, culminating with the brand sponsoring a Café Bold experience center where coffee drinkers can gather to exchange ideas and continue their bold selfexpression.

REGIONAL

STANDING ON THE SHOULDERS OF (DESIGN) GIANTS

25

Standing on the shoulders of (design) giants Industry’s stars descend on Hong Kong for Lollapalooza of design world Words: Jason Drilon, collaborator, Collab Manila

How to rub elbows with the world’s design elite without drooling and jumping into a fanboy dance is a tall order at the annual Business of Design Week (BoDW) in Hong Kong.

Think of BoDW as a Lollapalooza of the design world—a veritable who’s who from all corners of product, industrial, graphic and fashion design as well as urban planning and architecture.

This year's guest of honor and introductory plenary speaker was Dieter Rams, once chief designer at Braun and now spiritual design reference guru of Apple, Johnny Ives.

Also on hand was Art+Com founder Prof.

Joachim Sauter, who talked about the “Renaissance of the Physical” and his firm's kinetic sculpture project for BMW. Remember that one: metal spheres suspended in space, forming shapes? Yes, that was an Art+Com project. Yes, it won boatloads of awards and yes, our fanboy genes were activated so we just had to get a picture with Herr Sauter.

NOSIGNER, aka Eisuke Tashikawa, normally designs weird lamps and other furniture, but he talked more about how design should help and change things. He cites his OLIVE project, an effort he put together right after the Sendai earthquake, focusing on crowdsourced design ideas for survival. It quickly grew to an archive of 1,000 design ideas for repurposing everyday objects into other things, like halving a water bottle to make two plates. Within one month, the site had over a million views. Change indeed.

Experimentation and curiosity Adrian van Hooydonk, vice president of BMW DesignWorks USA, talked about how design should be borne out of a need to discover and innovate. “We support experimentation and curiousity", he said.

Urban visionary John Higson of peopleowned. org demonstrated that through structured dialogue, it is possible to achieve inspired projects even on a community scale. He demonstrated several projects in Sweden where local citizens and tech firms came together through the efforts of peopleowned. org to change wasted urban spaces into parks and community-friendly spaces using sustainable and environmentally responsible methods.

BoDW had its fair share of rock stars. Case in point: Danish architect and urban space rebel Bjarke Ingels, principal of the Bjarke Ingels Group, who advocates fluid thinking when it comes to urban space planning and architectural design. When criticized by an audience member (an elderly architect) for having “no real signature style”, he immediately countered by saying that having a signature style can be limiting.

Design buzz at BoDW

“How you solve the problem is the signature style? And if you were to put it in chef terms, you wouldn't always cook with potatoes.” This rebuttal got a rousing reaction from the audience, which really should have been a standing ovation.

Bjarke Ingels’ unconventional ways have even led to him writing a book, ‘Yes Is More’, which is quite awesome since it’s a graphic novel on architecture. How rock star can you get?

January - February 2012

JASON DRILON, photographed 2nd from left, plays in Collab Manila, a creative think tank. With him are collaborators (LR) Miguel de Leon, Tony Sarmiento and Bixie Reyes

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LOCAL NEWS

Regional Newbiz MPG lands new Innocean China briefs

MPG China has extended its hold over the Hyundai and Kia brands, winning Innocean’s import business for China following a three-way pitch for account, estimated by Nielsen Media at US$100 million.

The agency beat incumbents Shanghai Advertising and Guangdong Advertising for the offline media planning and bying business.

The Havas-owned shop previously won Innocean’s media US$125 million media agency of record assignment for Dongfeng Yueda Kia Motors in February last year.

KIDLAT AWARDS 2010

China Mobile in top form for second year in BrandZ study

JWT Hong Kong wins Carlsberg

In what has been dubbed a “world-made effort“, JWT scooped the agency of record assignment for Carlsberg Hong Kong following a competitive pitch against several agencies. The shop will handle the brewer’s full range – Carlsberg, Chill, Corona, Asahi, Jolly Shandy, SKOL, K1664, Somersby and Erdinger.

“We demonstrated passion and commitment to the brand throughout the entire pitch,” said JWT Hong Kong CEO, Dennis Wong, saying the pitch saw offices across the network sharing global information and knowledge about the beer sector which the agency coupled with strong local insights.

Carlsberg Hong Kong managing director Daniel Sjogren added: “The appointment of JWT as our partner is a significant step for Carlsberg Hong Kong in our efforts to bring our customers and consumers outstanding brand experiences that sets us apart from the rest.”

Campaign Palace lands Sony Handycam

Sony Handycam was handed its Southeast Asia advertising brief to Campaign Palace Jakarta, which launched a TVC in Vietnam that centered on capturing precious “forever moments” for the launch of its new Handycam, which comes with a built-in projector.

The Jakarta agency won the regional creative assignment following a three-way pitch against Ogilvy & Mather and Euro RSCG last year.

At press-time, the campaign was due to roll out in Indonesia and Thailand before launching in the rest of Southeast Asia. “Given that the spot needed to resonate across very different markets in the region, we felt that the relationship between a father and his daughter is something that anyone anywhere can easily and emotionally relate to,” said Adi ‘Didot’ Prihadi, creative sirector, The Campaign Palace Jakarta.

The Handycam brief was the first major business win for The Campaign Palace Jakarta, which Y&R launched as a boutique sister agency to further strengthen its integrated offering across Asia.

BBDO Vietnam scoops Electrolux brief

BBDO Vietnam unseated incumbent Ogilvy & Mather and beat Lowe in a shootout for home appliance manufacturer Electrolux’s branding and marketing communications brief.

“We’d been working with BBDO for the last two years, and we’re pleased with their originality and creativity. The work has really helped set Electrolux apart from our competitors. They were spot on with regards to the brief and strategy, and we’re glad to appoint them as our creative agency”, said Lynn Ong, Electrolux Vietnam general manager

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ASIA PACIFIC China Mobile retained the top spot in BrandZ’s Top 50 Most Valuable Chinese Brands list, which together represent a total value of US$325 million or more than 5% of the local economy.

The telco, which took the top spot in the report’s first outing in 2010, has been in BrandZ Global Top 100 Most Valuable Brands in the past five years.

Banking groups dominated the Top 5 places in the Millward Brown survey: ICBC retained its second spot from 2010, while Construction Bank of China rose to third place, pushing Bank of China into fourth position and Agricultural Bank of China edged out China Life for fifth position.

Aside from banking and technology companies, retailers and food and beverage manufacturers put in a strong showing in the 2011 report.

Web portal Sina was named the top rising

Top 10 Most Valuable Chinese Brands (vs. 2010)

January - February 2012

brand. It increased its brand value by 244%, climbing 15 places from 40th to 25th place. The BrandZ Top 50 Most Valuable Chinese Brands highlighted the continuing rise of e-commerce opportunities, the increasing attraction of luxury brands for consumers, and the vast potential of marketing to the youth, which in China is comprised of 220 million 15-to-24 year olds.

The report also touched on the “Age of Social Business”, when organizations and companies restructure around social tools, social media, and social networks, which become a strategic element in a company’s planning, management, and operations.

Measured against the MSCI China Index over the past 14 months, the BrandZ China portfolio showed a 20% growth compared with a decline of 6% for the MSCI China Index.

2010 RANKING

2011 RANKING

BRANDS

1

1

China Mobile

2

2

ICBC

4

3

Construction Bank of China

3

4

Bank of China

6

5

Agricultural Bank of China

9

6

Baidu

5

7

China Life

45

8

Sinopec

7

9

Petrochina

8

10

TencentQQ

KIDLAT AWARDS 2010

November - December 2011

LOCAL NEWS

27

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REGIONAL

Regional Newsline Southeast Asia picks Apple gadgets over rivals

Apple is the brand of choice in Southeast Asia, with more than half its e-mobile population using mobile devices such as the iPad, the iPhone and iPod Touch, according to a report released last year end by Effective Measure.

The provider of digital media planning solutions in emerging markets said the percentage accounted for 11.8 million internet users in the region, where the iPad was the most-used among the devices with a 37.5% share.

In the Philippines, 69.2% of the e-mobile population use Apple, making it its third largest market among the six SEA countries, trailing only Thailand (79.6%) and Singapore (75.8%).

Other manufacturers who figured in the list in the region were RIM Blackberry (6.9%), Nokia Smartphone (2.8%), Samsung Galaxy Tablet (1.4%), and Samsung Galaxy Smartphone (1.25) .

DDB LEADS SINGAPORE'S HALL OF FAME WITH AGENCY PRIZE

DDB leads Singapore’s Hall of Fame with agency prize

Nanjing Yindu now Yindu Ogilvy

Ogilvy & Mather has boosted its service offering in China’s Yangtze River Delta – deemed a hot spot for global and up-and-coming Chinese brands – with the year-end acquisition of Nanjing Yindu Advertising Agency.

TB Song, Ogilvy’s Greater China chairman, said: “We know Yindu very well and are confident that this acquisition will bring tremendous benefits, local insights, knowledge and expertise to global clients that are pursuing expansion in this region of China and to Chinese brands looking to spread their wings” Nanjing Nindu has worked with brands such as Jiangsu Mobile, Heilan Home, Jiangsu Yanghe Brewery, Nanjing Iveco, MoonHare, Simcere, Longliqi and China Construction Bank since 1994.

Li Zhang, Nanjing Yindu’s chairman, will remain in his role, working under Song.

BlackArc unveils real estate digital offer

BEIJING Real estate specialist BlackArc Ogilvy has launched BlackArc OgilvyOne Organization to provide a full range of digital marketing, customer relationship management (CRM) and one-to-one marketing services to Chinese developers.

The launch coincides with moves by the Chinese government to enforce new regulations limiting home purchases and property loans which have sent ripples through the once red-hot property market.

“These days, unlike in the past, buyers in China need and expect more than basic information from flyer ads and text messages,” said Angel Chen, CEO of BlackArc OgilvyOne and president of OgilvyOne China.

“They need targeted information, preferably if they can find it themselves online; they want to hear about brands and properties from their trusted peer groups – either through word-of-mouth recommendations or discussions in social media, interactive experiences, and they want to know what the property brand stands for and whether it’s trustworthy.”

The unit plans to service client in top tier cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Hangzhou and Shenyang, among others.

DDB’s David Tang (rightmost) leads Hall of Fame’s winning agency

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January - February 2012

SINGAPORE DDB Group Singapore dominated the 2011 Singapore Advertising Hall of Fame Awards, winning five of eight individual awards, two of six campaign awards, and the prestigious Advertising Agency of the Year prize.

The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Singapore CEO David Tang, while individual awards were also presented to Sim Yunying, Young Professional of the Year; Wendy Ong, Strategic Planner of the Year; Thomas Yang, Creative Director; and Vernon Vasu, Client Marketer of the Year. DDB Group bagged the Campaign of the Year Award for the ‘Hub It!’ campaign for StarHub and the print campaign prize for ‘Are You Obsessed with the Right Things?’ for the Breast Cancer Foundation.

Organized by the Institute of Advertising Singapore (IAS), the Hall of Fame Awards has 17 categories divided into individual, company and campaign awards. New additions in the 2011 competition were Client Marketer of the Year, Digital Creative Director of the Year and Digital Campaign of the Year categories.

The line-up of company awardees remained unchanged from 2010: OMD Singapore repeated its Media Agency of the Year win and the Health Promotion Board was again named Advertiser of the Year.

The remaining three individual awards went to ZenithOptimedia’s Susan Chee, Media Planner of the Year; JWT/XM executive creative director Valerie Change, Digital Creative Director of the Year; and Grey Group CEO Subbaraju Alluri, Agency Professional of the Year.

The TV Campaign of the Year was presented to Ministry of Education’s ‘Mrs Chong’ by UP Brand Buzz, while ZenithOptimedia’s ‘Because no one gets you closer’ for BBC Earth won International Media Plan of the Year. BBH Asia Pacific took home two awards, both for its work for the Singapore Tourism Board: Most Effective Media Campaign Plan of the Year for ‘Can you serve Season 2’ and Digital Campaign of the Year for ‘The World’s First Digital Tip Jar’.

MCCANN TAKES KANCIL'S AGENCY OF THE YEAR WIN

REGIONAL

29

McCann takes Kancil’s Agency of Year win After 2010’s drought, Malaysian show hands out 27 golds for stronger work KUALA LUMPUR McCann Erickson Malaysia scored big at the Kancil Awards, winning the Agency of the Year prize on the back of its award-winning work for breast cancer awareness, organ donation and Lotus Cars.

The agency walked away with the prestigious Golden Kancil plus a combined haul of 11 golds, 19 silvers, 18 bronzes, and nine merits for a total of 454 points at the 4As-organized competition held last year-end.

The Golden Kancil was for its ‘Anytime – Audrey, Freda’ radio campaign for BFM to raise breast cancer awareness. The campaign, which surprised listeners by integrating instructions for breast self-examination in the business news on radio, also received golds in media and a Rebel Kancil. It added golds to its haul with ‘Don’t Feed the Bugs’ campaign for Friends 4 Organ Donation in a Rebel Kancil and the Lotus Cars campaign in point-of-sale and outdoor.

While no match for McCann’s haul, Ogilvy & Mather Kuala Lumpur emerged a close second. It brought home nine golds, nine silvers, nine bronzes and 16 merits. The agency earned all its golds in the single and campaign categories in both print and posters for all three executions for Mattel’s Pictionary. The work, which had earlier won a gold

“Don’t Feed The Bugs” (Drop Dead Delicious tvc)

Cannes Lion, also delivered a craft gold in illustration for the ‘Jet Fighter’ ad. In addition, the campaign bagged five silvers, making Mattel the Advertiser of the Year.

In all, 27 gold awards were handed out, a marked improvement on the previous two years.

Not a single gold was awarded in 2010 and five were handed out in 2009.

There were also 49 silvers, 111 bronzes and 13 merit awards presented to some 27 agencies. The night’s other big winners were Naga DDB Malaysia (three golds), and M&C Saatchi and Bates with two golds each.

Jury chairman Gavin Simpson, the group executive creative director of Ogilvy & Mather, said

standards were higher than the previous years.

Judges also insisted that they did not relax standards to make up for the drought of gold medals in 2010.

Instead, they credited the metals boom on strong work such as Ogilvy & Mather’s Mattel and McCann’s breast cancer awareness campaigns, which turned in a golden performance across multiple categories.

McCann Erickson’s Chu Yin Sha and Azlaili Yunus were also named Young Creatives of the Year. Dato’ Borhannudin Osman of AMP Radio Networks was honored with the Chairman’s Award.

There were 11 award categories in the 2011 competition, which was themed “Stop the Ordinary”.

November - December 2011

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REGIONAL

OGILVY SCORES NEW WINS AT CAMPAIGN AOYS

Ogilvy scores new wins at Campaign AOYS ASIA PACIFIC Ogilvy & Mather dominated the 18th Asia Pacific Agency of the Year Awards 2011, taking the top regional prizes and adding sub-region awards to its haul.

Organized by Campaign Asia Pacific, the show marked a changing of the guard as Ogilvy edged past DDB Group, which dominated at the sub-regional level last year. It was a hattrick for O&M at the regional level: It was named Network of the Year and Creative Agency Network of the Year, while Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide, Asia Pacific won the Specialist Agency Network of the Year.

Ogilvy Asia Pacific chairman Tim Isaac received the Lifetime Achievement Award.

The network’s offices across the sub-regions were also recognized: Ogilvy and OgilvyOne WorldWide Mumbai emerged as the India and the Subcontinent Creative Agency of the Year and Digital Agency of the Year, respectively. OgilvyOne Beijing was Digital Agency of the Year Greater China and Ogilvy PR Singapore was Southeast Asia Specialist Agency of the Year.

Isobar Asia Pacific was awarded Digital Agency Network of the Year, while Isobar Korea snatched the North Asia Digital Agency of the Year title.

01 O&M, Creative agency of the Year 02 JWT Shanghai 03 Ogilvy & Mather Chairman Asia Pacific Tim Isaac recieves the inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award

01

A force to be reckoned with Mindshare Asia Pacific was declared Media Agency Network of the Year, after winning Media Agency of the Year for India and the Subcontinent and Southeast Asia sub-regions. Mindshare’s Liam MacManus was named Asia-Pacific Media Planner/ Buyer of the Year.

In the individual awards, BBDO’s Chris Thomas and Andy Wilson represented the network as Asia Pacific Agency Head of the Year and Asia-Pacific Account Person of the Year, respectively.

DDB, however, proved it was still a force to be reckoned with in Southeast Asia. DDB Group Singapore was dubbed Creative Agency of the Year and Tribal DDB Singapore Digital Agency of the Year.

The Singapore office’s heads were also cited: David Tang was Southeast Asia Agency Head of the Year, while Joji Jacob was Southeast Asia Creative of the Year. DDB’s performance in the sub-region helped Omnicom retain its status as Holding Company of the Year.

Taking a cue from his regional counterpart, Joe Braithwaite of BBDO Proximity Singapore was Southeast Asia Account Person of the Year. Media Planner/Buyer of the Year was OMD Thailand’s Jinnarat Sampuntharat, the lone awardee from the kingdom.

In the Australia and New Zealand sub-region, DDB Group New Zealand was named Cre-

02

03

ative Agency of the Year, Clemenger Proximity Melbourne as Digital Agency of the Year, and Interbrand Sydney as Specialist Agency of the Year. MediaCom was Mindshare’s closest rival, with Australia & New Zealand and North Asia Media Agency of the Year wins.

North Asia saw TBWAHAKUHODO Japan as Creative Agency of the Year and McCann Healthcare Worldwide Japan (Tokyo) as Specialist Agency of the Year. McCann was similarly honored in Greater China. McCann HumanCare China (Shanghai) was Specialist Agency of the Year, while JWT Shanghai capped a fantastic 2011 as Greater China Creative Agency of the Year.

Mudra Max Mumbai was named Specialist Agency of the Year for India & the Subcontinent, adding another feather to the city’s cap.

Editorial awards were presented to Gap China, Brand of the Year, and StarHub’s Oliver Chong as Client Marketer of the Year.

The regional AOY competition recognizes leadership and work in the sub-regions of Australia and New Zealand, Greater China, India and the Subcontinent, and Southeast Asia.

Sub-regional awards, as well as separate entries for the networks, were included in the tally for the regional awards. The shortlisted agencies for Creative Network of the Year and Media Agency Network of the Year presented their cases to a panel in November.

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January - February 2012

KIDLAT AWARDS 2010

November - December 2011

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KIDLAT AWARDS 2010

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KIDLAT AWARDS 2010

November - December 2011

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WORLD

Global Newsline PHD wins Hyatt global digital media account

PHD has outgunned rival agencies to land Hyatt Hotels’ global digital media planning and buying following a shootout that included large holding company brands and independent online marketing companies.

The appointment marks a significant expansion of PHD’s relationship as the North American agency of record for the hospitality chain since 2008. The brief covers SEM, SEO, social and display and the account will be led out of the US with a focus on key markets, particularly in Asia. PHD’s ability to provide a global infrastructure with local relevance and local, direct support was a factor in its appointment.

The review was sparked by more consumers using the internet on multiple devices to research, plan and book their travel.

SCARPELLI STEPS DOWN AT DDB, CAPPING A 35-YEAR CAREER

Scarpelli steps down at DDB, capping a 35-year career

Volvo names Arnold Worldwide to global creative task

Volvo Cars has expanded its relationship with Havas, awarding its marketing brief in China and the UK to Arnold Worldwide. The agency already handles the auto brand’s global integrated account and business in North America.

Additionally, Euro RSCG 4D, a Havas-owned agency, remains lead digital agency and will share a portion of global coordination duties with Arnold. SapientNitro, the incumbent in both markets, has retained the business in Australia. As a result of this shift, the “Team Volvo” model established in 2010 as a creative alliance between Arnold Worldwide, Euro RSCG 4D and SapientNitro was retired at the end of 2011.

Starting in 2012, Arnold Worldwide will lead the account across all agencies from Arnold Amsterdam, supported by Arnold Boston and Arnold Shanghai.

The One Club for Art and Copy will induct Apple cofounder Steve Jobs, advertising creative Paula Green and director/producer Joe Pytka into the Creative Hall of Fame this month in New York City.

Jobs’ posthumous award recognizes a lifetime of contributions to design, branding and communications.

One Show has, since 1984, awarded over 100 pieces of advertising and design created and produced for Apple by its design team and its long and storied partnership with Chiat/Day, which continues today with TBWA\Media Arts Lab. Green, who is best known for creating the Avis car rental campaign, ‘We Try Harder’ and the lyrics to the “Look for the Union Label” song for the ILGWU, is one of the pioneers of women in advertising.

Considered one of the greatest commercial directors in history, fellow inductee Joe Pytka’s body of work spans over 40 years with more than 5,000 film projects and commercials, including big-budget Super Bowl ads Pytka was behind Madonna’s controversial “Make a Wish” video for Pepsi featuring the song “Like a Prayer”, “Bo Knows” for Nike, Ed and Frank for Bartles and Jaymes, “I Am Not a Role Model” with Charles Barkley for Nike and the frying egg commercial with the tagline, “This is your brain on drugs.”

The One Club is also initiating an Educator’s Hall of Fame with its first inductee, Robert Lawton from Creative Circus in Atlanta.

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Jobs leads One Club Hall of Fame honorees

Bob Scarpelli

NEW YORK DDB Worldwide chairman Bob Scarpelli retired at the end of 2011, capping a 35-year career at the Omnicom-owned network he helped shaped by tenaciously championing its defining value of social creativity.

The celebrated and highly awarded creative leader will continue to consult for the network.

Scarpelli’s DDB career began in 1977 as a copywriter for Needham Harper & Steers in Chicago, which merged with DDB in 1986. He was promoted to creative director and later, chief creative officer and vice chairman of the agency. He was named DDB US chief creative officer in 2000, and additionally chairman of DDB Chicago in 2001. He was elevated to worldwide chief creative officer in 2004 and took on the chairmanship in 2006.

Scarpelli is best-known for his award-winning Budweiser campaigns, which exemplify his philos-

January - February 2012

ophy of social creativity of not only connecting people with brands but people with others. His ‘Real Men of Genius’ and ‘Wassup’ campaigns brought home an enviable haul of metals and the latter also spawned an internet meme.

“Bob has personified DDB’s values of creativity and humanity. His passionate work for leading brands and the nurturing of our creative talent has helped differentiate and grow DDB,” DDB CEO and president Chuck Brymer said.

Scarpelli, who relocated back to Chicago from New York earlier last year, noted: “I have had a magical career at DDB. I’ve been fortunate to work with some amazingly smart and talented people over the years, both at the agency and at our clients. But now it’s time for me to step back, pay full attention to my family and my health, and enjoy whatever surprises life has in store for me.”

MCCANN PIPS RIVAL FOR GRAND GLOBAL AWARD / NXT STAGE DRAWS LIMITED ASIAN ENTRIES

WORLD

35

McCann pips rivals for Grand Global Award SYDNEY McCann Healthcare Worldwide Japan scooped the coveted Grand Global Award for its integrated ‘Roll Up Your Sleeves Japan!’ campaign to drive home the dangers of hypertension.

Honoring the world’s best healthcare advertising, jurors made the unprecedented move to combine the Professional and Consumer prizes into a single Grand Global Award because of the strength of the Novartis and the Japan Hypertension Society campaign. Roll Up Your Sleeves leveraged the drawing power of Tsuyoshi Kitazawa, a former member of Japan’s soccer team, as spokesman and built the strategy around the psychology of the target group – men in their early 40s who have elevated blood pressure but have yet to take adequate steps to control it.

Novartis took over Tokyo’s Ginza business district to test the blood pressure of businessmen, while two people suspended on the side of the building were raised or lowered to show systolic and diastolic numbers in front of a skyscraper-sized banner 100 square meters large. Since the target group would respond poorly to being scolded or preached to, the campaign treated them like the adults that they are by issuing them with a challenge to control their hypertension.

The campaign was a multidisciplinary effort that also included Momentum Japan, Universal McCann and Aoyama Creative Studio working with Healthcare to create a seamless consumer engagement experience.

A total 31 Global Awards and 121 finalists from 21 countries were honored in awards presentations, held in New York and Sydney.

01

01 Tsuyoshi Kitazawa fronts the winning ‘RollUp Your Sleeves Japan!’ campaign.

02

02 McCann Healthcare’s Shinichiro Wada, CD, and account executive Takashi Nagashima celebrate at the Global Awards in Sydney

The UK dominated the show with 12 Global Awards, which included eight for Langland, winner of the inaugural Global Healthcare Agency of the Year. Japan’s two Global Awards were both won by McCann’s local office: Healthcare also triumphed with ‘See the Cold’ for SSP Kazemill, a website that tracked cold symptoms as they moved across the country, while McCann Erickson Tokyo won for ‘Seven Deities of Good Fortune’ for AGA. Australia won four Global Awards, which went to Hammond & Thackeray, McCann Healthcare and Ward6 with two awards, India for BBC World Service Trust’s ‘Stolen Moments’ for Condoms; and Singapore for Ward6’s “Story book” for Enantone.

NXT Stage draws limited Asian entries LOS ANGELES Judging was poised to begin in mid January for the inaugural NXT Stage Hollywood International Advertising Awards, which has attracted entries from Asia.

“We have received some but not many submissions from the Asia Pacific region. We received submissions from Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and India,” said Robert Arentz, executive director and founder of the latest awards competition.

The first awards of its kind, NXT Stage focuses on the intersection between advertising and entertainment marketing in today’s multi-platform world.

NXT has pulled together a diverse jury to judge three groups – advertising, entertainment marketing and branded entertainment. Each group

has been divided into a number of categories based on medium, craft and channels. Regional creatives on the advertising panel are Grey Group Asia Pacific’s regional creative director Steve Clay, Ogilvy & Mather Malaysia ECD C K Tan, OgilvyAction Asia Pacific regional ECD Daniel Comar, Leo Burnett Thailand’s ECD Sompat Trisadikun and Unilever Asia Pacific regional brand director Aparna Sundaresh. There was no regional creative on the entertainment marketing jury, however, the branded entertainment jury boasts one – Lowe Thailand regional creative director Ruchi Sharma.

Award winners will be announced during an online show that will air direct from Hollywood on March 14, 2012.

January - February 2012

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COOTS CONTROL

Coots control

Focus on gamification, not the game and avoid the perils of engagement fatigue In a branding world obsessed with hitting the right numbers and dominating their respective markets, TBWA worldwide chief marketing officer Laurie Coots suggests yet another approach. One that refocuses creative energies to gamification (not the game) and agency culture – it helps avert the badge-ification fatigue that has plagued many an engagement campaign on a global scale.

Gamification basics Never get too comfortable and constantly reinvent yourselves. Remember that it doesn’t hurt to have clients like Apple who are not only reinventing themselves but the entire categories that they compete in. There’s probably many times in our history where we might have wanted to kind of put our feet up. But when you have a client like the late Steve Jobs saying “No, no, no, we’re not done yet. I’m pushing you a little bit further”, that is exceptionally helpful in keeping your corporate culture.

Even though we got a lot of technology out there right now, we should think about what we could do with it locally. Think about how you could invite people in to share. How could you create a collaborative yet competitive environment?

It could be a scavenger hunt. It could be putting everybody together in a flash mob. It could even be having an event that will only last 15 minutes, just because you don’t want to miss that sacred 15 minutes of gamification and exposure.

Games versus gamification What I worry about are clients who have big budgets focusing not on gamification, but on the game. And they are trying to be great at the game, at inventing the game, but the game isn’t the point. The point is the gamification – the behavior of getting people to try something new, to behave differently, to play, to lose a sense of time and be involved. The creativity isn’t going to live necessarily in the game and the game can be pretty expensive.

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01 TBWA’s ‘Buy Life’ campaign uses gamification 02 Laurie Coots 03 ‘Starbucks Rewards’

the badge would prove to be pretty much worthless.

What I find really interesting about Starbucks is that they don’t send me a lot of “Atta boy, you’ve been to Starbucks, you’re the first one, blah, blah, blah…” Instead, they reward me immediately. I see that star go right in for that cup and I know exactly how many cups of coffee until my free one. So their badge-ification adds up to something. Equations should add up to something. So should badges.

There is danger, though I think you have a sort of fatigue when it comes to badge-ification. I start playing, I get to this level, so I get a badge. I get to somewhere else, I get a badge.

And after a while, “Oh, forgot to check in for four days and now I’m out of the running.” Badge-ification, that acknowledgment of having done something, is really only relevant if somebody else sees it. If my friends are not watching me win that badge,

Examples for luxury and for everyday life Coach has enabled women to be able to kind of publish their fashion archive. I put it on, pose with it and take a picture, and then Coach helps me mix and match accessories. They also have had exchanges: “Oh, I’m tired of this particular purse but I’ve paid a lot of money for it so maybe I’ll exchange with somebody else who’s got a different purse that I can try for just a while.” It lets them voice out their opin-

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ions, and us marketers, react to them with targetspecific campaigns.

I know that iTunes has also changed how people do allowances for their children and paying baby sitters. Imagine you’re rewarding your children for checking in with iTunes dollars. There are a lot of places to play in that ecosystem. It is a huge marketing opportunity for all big brands that might play – all in the name of branding excellence and gamification.

KIDLAT AWARDS 2010

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LOCAL NEWS

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CULTURE, CRAFT AND THE BIG IDEA

Culture, craft and the big idea

Rémi Babinet’s tips on taking creativity to new heights from the City of Lights The chairman of BETC Euro RSCG Paris and global chief creative officer of Havas and Euro RSCG Worldwide, shares how the Paris office leads the network in innovation and creativity in this adobo exclusive.

Ten years ago, BETC opened a 1,000-square-meter space, Passage du Désir (The Passage of Desire), dedicated to artists and cultural events, as well as fashion shows and exhibitions.

The idea was to build strong links with those who influence pop culture. To be honest, it’s not directly linked to business, but it creates a different perception about the agency. People at BETC take advantage of this space to meet all sorts of international artists. It’s a less conventional way to get inspiration.

BETC clients get the most out of it – not only by being invited to events held there – but also by having their brands benefit from this edgy, fresh and unexpected cultural connection.

More than 20 exhibitions and over 40 fashion shows have been organized with designers such as Kris Van Assche, Viktor & Rolf, and Hussein Chalayan.

Based on the same philosophy, BETC launched Panik 10 years ago. It is both a music label and an event. It has been held in New York, Tokyo, Bamako, and Reykjavik during the last few years. Being a strong and active player in the music industry helps BETC follow the latest trends.

01 Remi Babinet 01

02 Passage du desir

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And, last but not least, international meetings are organized regularly so that agencies can meet to create connections and to share their work and innovations. Knowing the work will be judged encourages agencies to make it better – or else.

As a network we are sharing expertise and skills. Some of them are outsourced to Asia. Creativity is a keystone. Euro Thailand and Euro Sydney are doing really well, for instance. Digital is an important part of Euro RSCG skills in Asia, but it is not the only one. Being able to deliver integrated ideas is a must.

Setting the standard BETC is a creative leader within the network and our role is to show the other agencies the way and raise their standards. The “Closet” ad we made for Canal+ (premium pay TV channel) was the most awarded film in the Gunn Report 2010, with over 50 awards including seven Grand Prix.

These awards are important for the agencyclient relationship. They are also important to encourage in-house talent and growth. An agency can be considered as a premium brand and should be known for the quality of its work and its know-how.

Being part of a network means working all together. This happens on pitches, for example. Pitches are really strong moments: people from different agencies, and cultures, come together to figure out the brief, to share ideas and debate on the work.

Cut the crap More and more people can make anything. There are many ideas and apps each day but not so many great ideas. Today it’s Instagram. What will it be tomorrow? We are experiencing an exciting time: with new media, such as digital and mobile, ideas are popping up all the time.

At the same time, shooting a film, taking a picture, talking to the world, and producing a record is suddenly so easy thanks to the improvement in technology. These are two crazy advances. Because of this double evolution, the probability of ending up with a crappy idea has never been so high. We have to be careful.

A good idea with crap craft is not a good idea.

A crap idea with good craft is crap idea.

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A crap idea with crap craft is just crap.

The big idea is only a good idea with amazing craft. Craft is an expertise, an art, a part of our knowhow. Craft is the final guarantee of the agency’s work as a whole, whatever the media form.

The most important thing for me as a creative guy is to focus on the big idea, well crafted.

The way forward The other thing is a long-lasting relationship with people. There is no such thing as an effortless relationship. That would be too easy! It is part of our job to handle this. We make sure that people at BETC are talented but also that they are nice. It is key for our agency culture, and is important for the way the agency is run. In general, people tend to stay when they’re working with nice people.

The path is about integration. The best agencies are integrated. BETC is totally integrated, digital and traditional. All the elements work together.

That’s the key point for the client. The client doesn’t want to have to talk to digital people, print people, TV people. It’s impossible. Too many agencies are still in this model.

The issues have become more and more complex with new media and fragmentation. The job has changed a lot. But we have to be focused on one big idea.

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FORGET LIFETIME, IT'S NOW CRM IN REAL TIME

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Forget lifetime, it’s now CRM in real time

Asia’s love affair with gadgets will help region leap forward Words: Harry Mosquera

Advances in technology have brought marketers closer to the holy grail of one-to-one communication while also raising the bar by a considerable height for relationship building.

These days, it simply won’t do to build a relationship over time. With a wide array of data gathering tools and communication platforms at their disposal, marketers are expected by their customers to build and manage relationships in real time.

For Asia, the possibilities are a huge leap forward. Legacy customer data built up over a lifetime of consumption in Western markets are in short supply in Asia, long hampering efforts for targeted, direct marketing campaigns. “Because you don’t have data, you can do less,” says Daniel Morel, chairman and chief executive officer of Wunderman, one of the world’s foremost direct marketing organizations.

Morel, however, believes Asia’s love affair with games, gadgets and social networking coupled with the region’s high broadband penetration rates will enable marketers to take CRM digital, easily leapfrogging the traditional route. “They will go from broadcast, merchandising, promotion street event, right into social media, social networking, community conversation, sharing, repurposing of information, gaming and stuff like that,” he says.

Unique set of challenges “The database would be real-time databases that will collect internet addresses, collect cookies on the web, that would collect cookies from a cellphone, smartphone. I think the database will be built differently so the targeting will be done in real time.”

But managing a relationship in real time creates its own unique set of challenges. “If somebody sends you an email because they want test the car, and if you don’t respond in two hours, then that’s it.

It’s the speed that people are expecting right now.”

For Wunderman, a decision to pursue either technology companies or tech-savvy firms has helped it transition to act “in real time” in response to both clients and the customer needs of clients.

“We opt for technology minded companies.

The training that we have, the people we recruit, the way we work, equipment that we have are all geared towards satisfying this client.”

As such, 80% of its business is digital – seven out of 10 are technology or technology-focused companies, which includes Microsoft and Nokia as well as Ford, Land Rover and Citibank, clients who are adept at online marketing.

Morel, whose reputation for decisiveness and being client-driven precedes him, said Wunderman’s push to become a real-time marketing organization came nearly a decade ago with the dotcom

Daniel Morel

boom. It saw the writing on the wall when first Yahoo, then Google and now Bing turned the search bar into a ubiquitous internet tool.

“In the old days we used to tell people to go to dotcom; now you don’t go to dotcom. You go to a search bar and type the latest SUV and go direct to the page. That has changed the nature of the business where search has become more prevalent. But I think search will become less prevalent.”

Morel believes apps will eventually supersede search. Apps are not only making it easier to access information but they provide information specific to a user’s needs. As an example, he cites a trip to the UK where an app for London returns with information on museums in the British capital rather than a listing of global museums.

“You search less, but you find more because technology would suggest things to do, places to go, group bonding… The goal is the same for a marketer but the landscape and the way it’s done has changed.”

For Morel, the present day opportunities digital offers is giving rise to what he calls “personal advertising”, his shot at rechristening direct marketing, a term that has been around since the early ’60s, to better reflect what it does.

“We are producing personalized pieces of communication and, you know that the more customized and the more personalized you are, the higher the response rate.”

Morel is focused on the people Wunderman hires to take the web’s promise of intimate customization to the next level. “We’re gonna need more of them, that’s the first thing.”

Part of the reason is due to growth – doubledigit rates for the past 10 years. “Our sectors are growing faster because the clients are asking for (it) because everybody’s adept in technology. The business is growing as fast as it used to and money’s being transferred and shifted.”

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Personalized and targeted The other part is that demand for more personalized, more targeted messages means a greater volume of production to fit different occasions or communities or even headline-making events. For instance, messages can be created and tailored to an algorithm. “You have to go to the next level which is to hire more creative to create this message… create offshore production because you’re going to produce more and more.”

Amid the flux, Morel insists the basics have not changed. Recounting his stint as president of the Spikes Asia Direct Jury last year, he says: “We found in the jury that every time you have a story that connects with the essential rational we know it works. So the mission of the creative person hasn’t changed. A simple story that connects (even as) the surrounding elements have changed around us.”

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COVER STORY

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ANDREW ROBERTSON

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Lions in the creative jungle

Andrew Robertson BBDO Worldwide’s president & CEO Words: Sharon Desker Shaw

The most American of US advertising agencies, BBDO Worldwide has in the last few years emerged as an unstoppable creative force in nearly every corner of the world. Its lock on all the major award competitions has been so complete under Andrew Robertson’s watch that rivals have not had a shot in years. In keeping the network’s eye on the prize, Robertson confesses to a healthy paranoia, a love of problem solving and a simple management belief – hire the best and get out of their way

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It’s sight that undoubtedly inspires awe and envy among rivals. A pride of five Gold Lions lined up majestically in a row in Andrew Robertson’s New York office, where he presides over BBDO Worldwide as its president and chief executive officer. The Omnicom-owned group has had such a complete lock on Cannes’ Network of the Year award that no other network has had so much as a look in since the award was established in 2007.

Cannes isn’t the only competition in which BBDO has dominated. It has taken the Network of the Year prize eight times in the Gunn Report’s 12-year history and for five years running in the Won Report, two authoritative global rankings. The Directory Big Won put BBDO in pole position as it has five of the world’s Top 10 agencies, including the Top 2 with BBDO New York

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(1st place) and AlmapBBDO in Brazil (2nd place) in its latest report released January 2012.

It’s the same story with effectiveness awards. BBDO was named the Most Effective Network in the World last year in the first Effie Effectiveness Index compiled by Effie Worldwide and WARC. It’s unprecedented to win Cannes and Effie network honors in the same year. That same week, BBDO also walked away with four of six of the first-ever Lions for Creative Effectiveness, including a Grand Prix for AMV London’s Walkers potato chips work.

Proximity Worldwide, its digitally focused direct marketing arm, has kept in lock step with award wins. For successive years, it emerged as the most awarded agency in the John Caples (2006-2010) and DMA Echo Awards (2006-2008 and 2010).

Much of BBDO’s winning streak occurred within years of Robertson’s arrival in 2004 as CEO. At 44 years, he became the youngest-ever CEO of a global agency network at that time and had some very big shoes to fill and transformative tasks to accomplish. For starters, he succeeded Allen Rosenshine, the man Time magazine credited with spearheading advertising’s big bang in creating Omnicom in the mid-80s. But the legendary network was facing an uncertain future. Best known for blockbuster, celebrity-driven TV spots headlined by Britney, Michael Jackson, Snoop Dogg for the likes of Pepsi, Chrysler and Orbit, BBDO was at particular risk in a rapidly changing media marketplace as audiences deserted TV in droves for the internet.

Arriving in North America by way of London, Robertson had spent the late ’90s as CEO of Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO. The stint could only have whetted his appetite for the kind of award-winning work that attracts big-name clients. AMV has a portfolio of some legendary advertising for Guinness, BT, Bird’s Eye and Walkers. Who can forget the ‘Surfer’ spot for Guin-

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ness, widely regarded as the greatest ad of all time as it ushered in the kind of advertising never before seen in the UK. Set to a thumping drumbeat, the ad opens as surfers wait to catch a monumental wave. The crashing waves reveal stampeding wild stallions that race the surfers to shore.

Robertson says there is no secret formula behind the network’s enviable creative performance other than its focus on The Work, The Work, The Work, a focus Donald Gunn described as a way of life for BBDO and not just a slogan.

“We live it. Not out of conceit, but because – and the evidence is there for the world to see – great work works great. It’s how we add most value for our clients,” says Robertson, whose first brush with brands came early in his life when his father launched the first soft-serve ice cream parlors in Zimbabwe, the country of his birth.

While the mantra precedes Robertson, he has nevertheless greased the wheels to drive BBDO’s creative dominance. His management style has been variously described as empowering, energetic, boisterously confident and focused. It’s also fueled by a dose of “healthy paranoia”, which Robertson admits to, and lots of humor, including a penchant for one-liners. His humor, says one agency head, instinctively relaxes clients.

“Whether it is a pitch or working on anything, Andrew always brings incredible focus. He works fast, is decisive and sets high standards – people don’t want to disappoint him,” says Chris Thomas, chairman and CEO for Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

BBDO Guerrero’s chairman and chief creative officer David Guerrero credits Robertson with strengthening the network without sacrificing the spirit of individual offices. “It’s probably the most crucial thing he’s done. We have some of the world’s most awarded individual agencies and people – in-

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Pole position BBDO: Network of the Year Cannes: five consecutive wins from the award’s 2007 launch Gunn Report: eight wins in the rankings’ 12-year history and consecutively from 2006 on.

Won Report: five consecutive years, with 2011 results announced earlier in January.

BBDO: Most Effective Agency Network Effie Effectiveness Index: tops index’s inaugural rankings in 2011.

Proximity: Most Awarded Agency John Caples Awards: five consecutive wins from 2006 DMA Echo Awards: four wins, from 2006.

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tensely focused on their own offices – but now we also have more and better ways to work together.”

Robertson claims he has no management philosophy. Instead, he points to Bruce Crawford, the Omnicom chairman, who has to some extent influenced the way he runs the network – “Find the best people you can and get out of their way.”

Staying client-centric is another unerring conviction of his. “If you aren’t close to clients, to the work itself, you aren’t doing your job.”

Accordingly, he’s on the road 60 per cent of the year, working with clients or on their business.

“I think it is better to walk than to talk, and to talk than to email.”

Regional managers and agency heads are expected to be just as involved with clients since the network eschews committees and has a flat global management structure in place instead.

“I believe, absolutely, in one of the fundamental tenets of Omnicom University: in the war between strategy and culture, culture eats strategy for breakfast. So building the right culture is critical.”

It’s a culture defined by an unwavering focus on creative and effective work. To this end, Robertson puts his money where his mouth is. He readily ensures the network gets “an unfair share

of the limited pool of exceptional talent” and then focuses that talent and energy relentlessly on doing the best work possible, day-by-day, campaign-bycampaign, client-by-client, agency-by-agency.

“It’s that easy to say and that hard to do,” he adds.

The direction was all too evident from the start of his tenure when he persuaded David Lubars to leave Minneapolis hot-ticket agency Fallon Worldwide to transform the New York office and later North America. Lubars, now chairman and chief creative officer for North America, arrived with impeccable interactive media credentials. In 2001, he helped usher in the era of branded content at Fallon with BMW Films, a series of online mini films by A-list movie directors such as John Woo and Guy Ritchie. “(Lubars) has always provided the clearest possible direction to agency management worldwide that ‘the work works’ – a clear belief that creativity and effectiveness are indivisible,” says Guerrero.

Lubars promptly began retooling the network’s TV-focused North American bailiwick, weaning it off its fondness for blockbuster, Superbowl advertising with digital initiatives to adapt to the changing media landscape. Taking BBDO into new territory with webisodes for Snickers,

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01 Andrew Robertson 02 Robertson with Chris Thomas (left), chairman and CEO of BBDO and Proximity Asia, at a ceremony in India 03 Guinness’ spectacular ‘Surfer’ campaign 04 Snickers Super Bowl 2010 spot featuring Golden Girl Betty White 05 Cannes Grand Prix effectiveness winner, Walkers‘ ‘Sandwich’ campaign 06 Cannes Lion effectiveness winner, Gillette’s ‘WALS’ campaign 07 BBDO’s unprecedented Cannes Network of the Year haul of five Lions

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billboards that responded to text messaging and an M&M site for users to personalize their candy, Lubars helped turn the giant network into a nimble, go-to creative shop on par with innovative mid-sized independents such as Goodby Silverstein, Fallon and RGA. Rewards came quickly as a slew of new clients – among them eBay, Hertz, Motorola, Sony and Target – came with work.

Today, the network is home to some of the world’s hottest creative stars. The latest Won Report lists three BBDO chief creative officers – David Lubars (# 1) Brazil’s Marcello Serpa (#5) and Melbourne’s James McGrath (38) among the Top 10. The top four slots in the executive creative directors league is dominated by the network’s creatives – Auckland’s Nick Worthington, AMV’s Paul Brazier, New York’s Greg Hahn and Melbourne’s Ant Keogh. None of the network’s copywriters or art directors, however, made respective rankings in the Won Report.

BBDO is naturally keen to cross-pollinate its brand of creativity across its offices to put further distance between itself and rivals in every corner of the world. It moves people around and ensures there is collaboration across borders and disciplines in the belief that “great work inspires more great work.

The bar gets raised”.

It’s a strategy that helps level the playing field since scale prevents offices from being equal. “There is no way that an agency in Belgium can contribute the same financially to the network that New York does. But all work is,” says Robertson.

“When a commercial is shown to a jury it doesn’t matter whether it has come from Stockholm or Sao Paulo. Every agency has the opportunity and the obligation to contribute work that builds the network’s reputation.”

As the Gunn, Won and key international competitions have shown time and again, award-winning work is indeed created right across the network.

The latest Won Directory not only had BBDO shops dominating the top two positions – New York in first place and Brazil in second – but the rest of the Top 10 league itself: Auckland (5th), London (6th) and Melbourne (9th).

BBDO agencies also took the top spot in eight countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, New Zealand, Philippines, Russia, US and UK. In national awards, offices in 18 markets captured the agency of the year prize last year, some for consecutive years.

Creativity at this level has delivered effective work for clients, contradicting what was previously a widely held belief among agencies that it’s difficult, if not impossible, to achieve both goals at the same time.

“The only reason to do great work is precisely because it works great.

The link between creativity and effectiveness is absolute,” Robertson says.

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Citing Peter Field, who authored a study that looked at the direct correlation between strong advertising creativity and business success, he adds: “(His) analysis shows that work that has been highly awarded creatively is 11 times more effective than work which was effective but did not win creative awards i.e., the best of the rest.”

Clients like what they see. New business has been knocking on BBDO’s door at an impressive rate. In naming BBDO its Advertising Network of the Year, Campaign noted that the group had won every global pitch it participated in last year – Blackberry, SC Johnson, Cutty Sark, Western Union and ExxonMobil – while Mars expanded its relationship with new assignments from Twix, Pedigree and Whiskas and Wrigley awarded its global digital account for Orbit, Extra and Freedent.

Though its portfolio is heavily skewed towards big-name advertisers willing to bet big bucks on the kind of campaigns that win awards, Robertson insists there is no such thing as a client type that BBDO can work well with.

“I have yet to meet a client who doesn’t want work that works better than competitors. I have also yet to meet a client who thinks that creative awards don’t matter … when they win them.”

Calling it a cop-out, Robertson decried agencies that pinned poor work on clients. “For years, people said that you couldn’t do great work for big multinational clients. Guess what? At Cannes (last year) we won lots of very shiny Lions for Mars, for P&G, for Wrigley, for PepsiCo, for Mercedes.”

In a downturn as asymmetrical as the last one, and where most developed Western economies are heavily indebted and are still struggling to bounce back, BBDO’s staggering new business record has helped take the edge out of the protracted slowdown.

While the global downturn has made clients, their consumers and trade customers more risk-averse, Robertson insists this is not an entirely a bad thing. “I’m not a fan of taking big risks or, worse still, of asking clients if we can with their money and their brands. I believe you need to be rigorous in assessing what the real risks are, and then doing what you can to mitigate them.”

In BBDO’s case, the crisis forced the network to differentiate between the important and the interesting, and accordingly focusing resources on the things that would make the biggest difference to clients. “Lo and behold, it resulted in an even greater focus on the work. We also got better at managing our business more efficiently. We got a lot better at negotiating payment terms, for example, and at collecting money. This is something we will be keeping, whatever happens to the global economy.”

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Robertson...up close and personal

Going forward, Robertson believes BBDO’s market share rather than the market will drive its growth. “This is a tremendously fragmented business, and the leverage lies in our ability to deepen our relationship with the clients that we have, and to win clients that we don’t, more than it is on floating up or down with the tide.”

Having seen the writing on the wall years ago and adapted to the changing media landscape, the once TV-obsessed network now has an expanded tool kit to play across multiple platforms with the help of powerful storytellers. Among them Teddy Lynn, who joined the New York office last year as its first director of content by way of Universal McCann and Hollywood, where he served as coproducer on 1998’s Plesantville.

“Branded content is bit like teenage sex,” says Robertson, displaying his penchant for one-liners.

“Everybody is talking about it, very few are doing it and, of the ones that are, most aren’t doing a good job of it.”

Taking his analogy further, it’s probably safe to say there will be none of that awkward fumbling when BBDO creates branded content. Count on it being done with the creativity and flair worthy of the Kama Sutra.

Is there one trait that you admire in agencies?

Consistently great work.

And one trait that you dislike in an agencies?

Gaseous platitudinous claptrap about philosophy, proprietary tools and processes, without any great work to show for them.

When did you know that you wanted to be in advertising?

I was in a bar in a nightclub at 2AM pondering my future in my final year at college, when I realized that selling life insurance door-to-door, which I had been doing successfully through college, wasn’t going to deliver everything I wanted once I had to pay my own rent and buy my own car. There was a guy having a drink next to me. He was at the club as often as I was, and he had an Alfa Romeo. I asked him what he did for a living. He said “advertising”. So I decided to go into it. It was that shallow, I am afraid.

If not advertising, what would you have done professionally?

I think my Mom still hopes that one day I will be a doctor.

What have you learned about the business recently that you wish you had learned years ago?

You have to learn to love your problems. There are good decisions, but no perfect ones.

Who are your favorite authors?

I have gotten into Ernest Hemingway again, recently.

We have so much to learn from him. He removed everything that could not be inferred, and won a bet in a bar once with a six word novel he wrote on a napkin: “For sale.

Baby’s shoes. Never worn.”

He was able to reduce everything to its absolute essence, something we need to learn to do.

What books and media do you consume?

New York Times for the international news, the crossword and the KenKen, The Economist, The New Yorker, all the trades, and I love watching

television. There has never been more great TV around.

All the best talent – writers, directors, actors – is moving from the movie business to TV and it shows.

How do you stay abreast of current trends given your travel schedule and the explosion of media content?

I am not sure that I do! Travel is good for seeing what’s going on, though. And for catching up on reading and watching stuff.

How has your media consumption habits changed in recent years?

As more of it has been digitized, I have been consuming more in total at places and times I couldn’t have in the past.

Do you use social media?

I’m on Facebook. I tweet occasionally.

What’s on your current iPod playlist?

I travel with a BlackBerry, not an iPod. I am a big fan of Lady Gaga. She gets me through most workouts. I have also been enjoying Joss Stone, and Coldplay has a horrible habit of keeping me awake in the middle of the night.

Who has inspired you in business and personally?

My dad. He never had a bad word to say about anyone and always looked for the best in everyone.

Who would you most like to have dinner with either living or not?

Dorothy Parker and Stephen Fry. What is your idea of a perfect vacation?

I am very lucky. I have a house on the beach on an island in Turks and Caicos. I can’t stay there without ever wearing shoes. Being down there with the family (and they actually do like coming) for a few days is blissful. I tend to take a few long weekends a year.

that, I like cooking, collecting (and drinking!) red wines. I love going to the ballet, but don’t go often enough, work out daily and do Bikram Yoga.

Do you find it easy or difficult running a global network from New York?

New York is actually a pretty good place to run a global network from. I can talk to the guys in Asia first thing in the morning and on my way home at night, and Europe all morning. And the majority, but not all, of our global clients are based in the USA. The way to be effective is to base yourself there, but travel a lot.

Are there any upsides to the kind of traveling you do?

I never complain about having to travel so much. I always meet somebody interesting that I wouldn’t have met if I hadn’t travelled and I always learn something that I can then share. My most important learning, though, is not to make assumptions without knowing that you are making them. I was in India earlier (last)year, chatting to a J&J client. I was commenting on Walmart’s relative lack of success in India. He said that they were being outmarketed by local shopkeepers. I looked at him quizzically and he went on to explain that, despite operating out of a barrow or a 30square foot store, they deliver exactly what the customers in their catchment area need every day by bicycle, pouring a few shots of Pantene into a jug for them, and carrying the right change.

‘You see’, he said, ‘you are making the same mistake everyone from the West makes without even knowing that you are doing it. You are assuming that anything that involves labor and people, is expensive’.

Later in the year, I went to Australia where I learned that 80% of all the grocery sales in the country are concentrated in two retail chains.

Any hobbies?

Thanks to Chris Thomas I am learning to kite-surf. Beyond

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PEOPLE

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PROFILE: MARLON RIVERA

January - February 2012

PROFILE: MARLON RIVERA

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Director, designer, stylist, make-up artist, teacher, entrepreneur, poet, ad agency president and chief creative officer – just some of the roles Publicis Manila’s Marlon Rivera plays with fervor.

His name is associated with Propaganda salon, defunct Malate restaurant Pepe & Pilar, Sunday noontime variety show Party Pilipinas, clothing brand Folded & Hung, and his own fashion label MNR. Call him a renaissance man if you will, but Rivera attributes most of his skills to his longtime passion for the theater. For this conversation, adobo cornered the perennially busy Rivera in CamSur.

Marlon Rivera and his nine charmed lives Interview: Abby Yao

Tell us about your youth and how you discovered your interests The circumstances of my life have been built around having multiple interests. Doing more than one thing has always been my brand equity. I’m borderline ADHD, I think. In elementary, I went to so many schools. My father was an engineer so we moved around. You’re used to moving and presenting yourself in a different way.

When I was young, I loved the natural sciences. I really thought I was going to be a doctor. Then I saw the Fame and it changed everything for me. I wanted to get into the performing arts. I went to the CCP, did workshops at Bulwagang Gantimpala and directed plays for the culminating activity.

My sister took a fashion design class at Slim’s. I would help her draw plates. For Tanghalang Ateneo, I did all the costumes for Beckett. We also had film class in Ateneo. Eventually I graduated, went to Regal for OJT (on-the-job training), then to Channel 4 after the [EDSA] revolution as a PA (production assistant). Then advertising came and became my staple career. I also became an assistant director for commercials for close to three years.

People have the impression that you can switch roles with ease. How easy is it for you?

I always say I have a premeditated life. I am sort of an autodidact; I do incubate a lot of things. It comes out effortlessly but actually you do pay your dues before you get there.

When I decided to go to fashion, I already knew how to sketch and do patterns from breaking things apart and learning how to cut them. But you don’t want to tell that to people. You want to come out like, ‘I just did it today’. But actually that’s not true.

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PROFILE: MARLON RIVERA

What was your life like as a young creative?

I joined Basic Advertising on January 4, 1988.

After two-and-a-half months, I was promoted to ACD from training and given a whole division to run. In hindsight, I was clueless in a sense that I didn’t know that you were supposed to go up the ladder in a certain way. I was kinda mouthy.

I was in the pitch team, teaching in the ad school, re-engineering the company. It took me two years before I took care of certain accounts: Tender Care, Jollibee, PLDT, Nissins Eggnog, Eskinol, Lucky Me. Mr Mercado, my chairman and mentor, really valued people. He had a really famous quote: “When you stop changing, you’re dead.” There was no concept of difficult.

You said before that you don’t multi-task.

It has become a dirty word. When I’m doing something, it’s to the exclusion of everything else.

That’s why it’s hard to schedule things because my life is planned two months [ahead]. When I’m doing a Folded & Hung shoot, I’m not thinking of anything else. I don’t comment on the clothes; the brand made that. I am here to style, be the creative director. You drive yourself to the shoot, carry your own water. There is no hang-up.

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But there must be a diva gene somewhere.

Yes, you have to have a diva gene. It is a prerequisite for all creative professionals because you need to have a degree of belief in yourself.

You cannot survive the creative field without a molecule of delusion about yourself.

Do you believe that everybody is creative?

I do! That is one of the fundamental theses of my life. When you’re a kid, you have a towel, you’re a girl or you’re Superman or you’re a beauty queen.

The ability to imagine, to transpose ideas from object to object, is innate in everyone, especially children. But as you grow old, you’re told, “No, it’s not a car, it’s a chair.” We get blocked by people and education.

Do you teach to help unblock that creativity?

Yes! I’m on a leave of absence now because of [ Ang Babae sa Septic Tank (The Woman in the Septic Tank)] and the festivals. But if there’s one thing I can do for the rest of my life it would be to enjoy teaching. I believe that I learn the most when I’m teaching.

Do you think it’s different being a young creative then and now?

Oh yes, very different. We had very few choices.

Now every creative kid has a lot of choices. They’re so equipped now with technology, the ability to cross over and access to freelance work. In my time, you had to stay in an agency for 10 years, go up the ladder, retire and die. It wasn’t possible

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to do freelance [work]. But it’s always difficult for everyone. I don’t think I want to fall into that pit, the mistaken thinking that we had a harder time. I think every generation has challenges.

What is fundamentally different, I’ve observed, is that for my generation, the interest was in ideas, less on surface. Now the surface, the crafting, is very attractive. Technology has come to such a level that you can make everything look good.

Is there a lack of great ideas?

Great ideas remain rare. We are born creative but not everyone is a great creative. Thank God for that because that will continue to keep us valuable.

Once they are able to make a technology that mimics creativity, we’re all dead. The elusive idea is only spoken to a few individuals. Genius is genius.

Who do you consider geniuses?

I always believed in the work of Ralph Waldo

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01 From the movie “100” 02 “Ang Babae sa Septic Tank” star Eugene Domingo with Marlon Rivera 03 MNR Holiday collection 2011

Emerson, the transcendentalist. It changed my life when I read Self-Reliance. I find T.S. Eliot to be that. I love J. Alfred Prufrock. I think Leigh Reyes of Lowe is a genius. Flawless grammar. She’s one of my closest friends. She is a great poet and the only person I trust with my poetry.

In the visual arts, there are so many of them, the classics, the Van Goghs. I find Velazquez is a genius – Regine, of course (jokes). I think Badong [National Artist for Theater Design Salvador Bernal] was a genius.

You cannot be a creative person, I think, without some degree of admiration or envy. You have to have your Salieri to be a Mozart because it means you’re looking up to others.

You mentioned Mr Mercado was one of your mentors. Who else do you consider your mentors?

Antonio Mercado, Nonoy Gallardo and Minyong Ordoñez. Those three guys took me in with such

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Mark Alvarez photography

PROFILE: MARLON RIVERA

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generosity. Mr Mercado would doubt everything.

‘Don’t believe everything you hear or you read.’

Mr Gallardo taught me craft. ‘Don’t play with your food. You have to make your ad work before you play. In fact, don’t play with your client’s money. If you give them good business, then they’ll give you more business’ What is your stand on ad awards?

I never do the awards route so much. I accidentally won a lot of them in my life but it was never the motivation. I’m mayabang (proud) in that sense.

Do you feel the same way about rankings?

My ego center is so decentralized. I don’t know if it’s a bad thing to say. I’m not in the least affected.

In what way are you competitive?

Winning and keeping an account. We just won five pitches [eight in late 2011 – ed]. I get happy when I’m holding the most number of number one brands. When I go to pitches, I’m out for blood.

What is your working relationship with your CEO, Matec Villanueva, like?

Matec was my first AE. We cover for each other.

You will find your AE who will defend you. You have to have one and marry them for life. Or two or three. I’m a believer in accounts. I call accounts the invisible art. Like air – if it’s stagnant, it’s bad, you lose the account.

Why stay in advertising when there are other things to do?

I love advertising. It has loved me and been very kind to me. In fact sometimes I feel like an ingrate for not loving it as much as it’s loving me. There’s such a thrill in understanding a behavioral market issue and finding a perceptual solution to affect the behavior in the marketplace.

Do you ever think that at some point you will leave advertising?

I think I will always do some form of mass salesmanship. I’m really interested in digital, contagious work, conversation-changing work. I might stop doing agency work, but I’ll always be part of the conversation.

What are the campaigns you are fondest or proudest of?

In my early, early days, I was really proud of my Magnolia Nestlé Ice Cream campaign. Flavor of the Month ‘It’s now or never’. I’m proud of ‘More, less sugar’ [Nido]. That really made a dent. I invented child stress for Sustagen. I learned that from drama: if you imperil the person, they will care more. If there’s anything I’m really proud of in my work in advertising, it’s genuinely believing we can make a difference in a brand’s life.

And of course the children that I taught. In the end, that will be the thing that made me great – the people I’ve hired.

What are your ambitions for Publicis Manila?

It’s corny to talk about it. The ambition is to leave something better. I think we’re getting there.

We’ve moved so far from how it was to now. New

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leaders come. Ang major kaya ng achievement na yun (It’s actually a major achievement), when you’ve made a succession plan. The numbers are good. But it’s the quality of the people that really matters.

What can Philippine advertising do better?

The facility for language is obviously here to the detriment of having better visuals. We’re copycentric in the Philippines. Filipino clients are so insecure if we don’t articulate things. In the Asian ad industry, I think our ads are over-articulated, which is ironic because as a culture, our language is very affectual. We’re very obvious. “Kumakain ka? Tulog ka pa? Aalis ka?” (Are you eating? Are you asleep? Are you leaving?)

Can you tell me about your working relationship with Chris Martinez?

Chris was my writer [for Ang Babae sa Septic Tank]. That guy is brilliant. No one in this generation can write dialogue better than him.

Diva, difficult, masungit, love it! It’s so enjoyable working with brilliant people. Just don’t throw a tantrum bigger than your talent.

What was the overseas reception to your debut film, w?

It’s really, really good. Suprisingly, the humor translates [well]. Wim Wenders, Agnieszka Holland, Zhang Yimou. Yung mga idol ko kasama ko sa listahan (I’m on the list with my idols) [for the Academy Awards for Foreign Language Film].

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MARILES GUSTILO

Reyes’ artistic tribute to Gustilo

With her inimitable style, Lowe’s newly installed president and CCO says farewell to her predecessor who has left the industry after a 27-year career Illustration: Leigh Reyes

Mariles Gustilo: in and out of advertising 1979 Boston University masters graduate works as editorial trainee and assistant ad promotions manager at Bantam Books, New York 1982 Joins industry as account manager at McCann Erickson, initially working with the Coca-Cola Group.

1985 Transfers to Lowe, then known as Lintas, as account director for Unilever.

1993 Groomed for upper management, takes on division manager post and enters the Ammirati Puris Lintas international leadership program two years later.

Mid to late 90’s Creates iconic ‘Goodbye Carlo’ TVC for Purefoods Tender Juicy, and Johnson&Johnson’s ‘The Language of Love,’ eventually adapted across J&J’s international network

1999 As newly-appointed chief executive, leads through local blue chip wins for the Ayala Foundation, PLDT, Ginebra San Miguel, and Alaska.

2006 Heads Rexona’s regional advertising, based in Manila.

2010-2011 Boosts Lowe’s digital and online savvy and launches Crowdder, the first real-time consumer insights-cum-social gaming app for marketers.

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KIDLAT AWARDS 2010

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MOVERS

On the way up Ombet Traspe New role Director of marketing, BBDO Guerrero/Proximity Last role BBDO Guerrero group account director from 2007, leading FedEx, Bayan Telecommunications, Sky Broadband, Wrigley and Dolan.

New tasks Department of Tourism account, which the agency won late last year. On top of my current account management role, I am now also in charge of new business and agency reputation management. This means having a PR strategy in place, being in charge of all our awards entries, standardizing our case studies, reworking our agency website and making sure the agency is presented very well, both internally and externally.

Challenges of the new role I like the role because it suits my energy and competitive nature. And BBDO Guerrero is a great brand to market. I’ve always said that I am this close to becoming an alcoholic here – because at BBDO Guerrero, we seem to always have something to drink to and celebrate.

Any sleepless night yet The DoT win was a lot of work! And more work to come, I’m sure. But I feel invested in it because it is for my country. Unlike other brands, the success of this campaign directly affects my life here. And I am in a position as the account lead to make a contribution that will affect the lives of other people as well. It’s a good position to be in.

Where would you like to take Philippine tourism The response of the people to the tourism campaign now is exactly where I would like to take Philippine tourism — a point where every Filipino is taking an active role in selling the country any way he or she can. And rightly so because every Filipino is a stakeholder in this.

What are you doing to better manage the DoT brief Well, the best way to sell is to have product knowledge. In fact, I am going to Cebu this weekend to experience the Sinulog Festival. I’ll know my country more....one step at a time.

Cho takes top role

Yalong rises in GMA promotion

Youmi Cho has been promoted to managing director of Leo Burnett Korea. She was previously its general manager.

One of a few females in leadership roles in Korea’s advertising industry, Cho was also the managing director of Arc Worldwide Korea.

Cho succeeded Dong Wook (DW) Kim, who relocated to Canada after a seven-year stint with the agency.

Felipe S. Yalong – a man of numerous roles and responsibilities – has been given a new one: executive vice president at GMA Network, Inc. and retain his responsibilities as chief financial officer and head of the corporate services group.

The promotion comes after GMA chairman and CEO Felipe Gozon told delegates of the Philippine Advertising Congress late last year that a succession plan was being put in place to anticipate his eventual retirement. A key figure behind the network’s IPO in 2007 and its phenomenal ratings rise, Yalong has been a member of GMA’s Board of Directors since 2002 and he serves as director and corporate treasurer of GMA Holdings, Inc., Scenarios, Inc., and GMA Network Films, Inc. Yalong is also a director of Unicapital, Inc., Majalco Finance and Investments, Inc., and GMA Marketing and Productions, Inc. At press time, GMA indicated that revenues might only hit the PHP 2bn mark in 2011, a full third lower than the PHP 3bn achieved in 2010. However, Gozon also noted that the TV station was well positioned for healthier advertising revenues in 2012, on the back of its improved ratings.

Sethi returns to JWT JWT India has named BinduSethichiefstrategy officer, culminating the past year’s series of senior hires that included chief creative officer and managing partner Bobby Pawar, Delhi managing partner Sanjeev Bhargava, and head of digital, Max Hegerman.

The appointment marks Sethi’s return to JWT India, where she previously served as its national planning director.

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Laurena exits McCann McCann Worldgroup Philippines’ managing director Dino Laurena has retired, leaving investments and operations director Alvin Bangay to do double duty as deputy managing director.

Laurena described himself as “fulfilled at 50”, and he planned to pursue other options comes after an 18-year McCann career that spanned stints at Universal McCann and Harrison McCann.

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MOVERS

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OMD names social head Janneau lead infiniti brief

Sutton rises in India Leo Burnett Indonesia has promoted Thomas Sutton to country advisor, succeeding Steve Bonnell, who was promoted to executive vice president and global account director for the Samsung business based out of Chicago.

Sutton previously worked with Publicis and JWT in Singapore before joining the Indonesian shop two years ago. The network’s regional president Jarek Ziebinski described his arrival as “a succession plan that could not be more ideal”.

Said Ziebinski: “Thomas has been a key partner to Steve in the success story of our Jakarta office… he has played a key role in securing several new high-profile businesses including most recently Tempo Scan Pacific. I have full confidence in him to drive the agency’s ambitious growth plan in Indonesia, one of the most important markets for us in Asia Pacific.”

Paul Gilbert has been named national director of OMD Word’s social media group, based in Sydney.

Gilber t brings with him over 11 years of digital media and new media experience in the Australian market, working across a wide range of industry sectors including retail, FMCG, telecoms, finance and TV broadcasting.

Most recently the head of a social media start-up We Manage Social, he has managed and developed digital media teams focused on creating unique content and ensuring clients successfully leverage their products, services and brand across all new and emerging channels.

OMD beefs digital drive Jonathan Mackenzie is OMD International’s new director of platform strategy. Mackenzie will relocate to Singapore where he will strengthen OMD’s digital programs.

Mackenzie’s appointment comes after his successful digital stint at Omnicom Media Group, Ireland, where he was credited with setting up its

TBWA Worldwide has appointed former senior executive and ex-Ogilvy & Mather Paris executive director Laurent Janneau as worldwide managing director for its global Infiniti cccount.

“His deep understanding of premium luxury makes him ideally suited to the task of building on Infiniti’s success around the world,” said Tom Carroll, president and CEO, TBWA Worldwide. “His international experience will also be critical as we look to further develop the Infiniti brand in China, Europe and across the globe.”

digital media department and opening more platforms for clients such as Vodafone, Renault, and Sony Playstation. Prior to OMD, he spent a decade working with the UK’s top specialist digital agencies.

Omnicom Media Group Singapore CEO Torie Henderson, said: “Jonathan is a brilliant addition to the team at OMD International, which is in high growth mode. Jonathan’s proven digital prowess will complement our overall value proposition and secure new opportunities in the rapidly changing, technology-driven market place.”

China to send first jury head to Cannes JWT China’s long-standing creative chief Lo Sheung Yan will serve as one of 15 jury heads at Cannes this year, becoming the first jury head from China.

The network’s executive creative director, North East Asia and chairman, China, will lead the outdoor jury at the International Festival of Creativity.

Lo’s appointment capped a stellar 2011 for JWT China. The agency’s ‘Heaven and Hell’ campaign for Samsonite won China’s first Press Grand Prix and was named the world’s top campaign in January 2012 in the Won Report.

Said Lo, or Mayan as he is known to his peers: “The quality of the outdoor production has definitely improved. It’s now up to the agency and the client to make the idea stand out from the crowd (by) spending enough time to really think about how the audience will interact with the message at the location will help the engagement.

Pointing to improving technology, surging mobile phone penetration and the distinctive na-

ture of outdoor advertising, he said the possibilities for the medium were limitless.

Lo expected the major disasters that struck last year – from Japan’s earthquake to floods in Thailand – would make outdoor “a very special place to bring messages to the audience”.

The festival’s organizer said Mayan was more than ready to lead the outdoor jury, having judged and chaired various prestigious local, regional and international awards such as Longxi, Chinese Advertising Awards, Spikes Asia, Clio, Cannes (twice) and ADC. Festival chairman Terry Savage described Mayan’s appointment as momentous since China tied with Canada for 14th place of most awarded markets at last year’s competition.

“Great creative work is coming from all over the world and countries that have never won major awards before are now sharing the stage with the more traditional winning countries. It’s important that we recognize this shift and as such we are delighted to appoint Mayan, a truly inspirational creative.”

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KIDLAT AWARDS 2010

Trendspotting

(right to left) JP Palileo Art director BBDO Guerrero Poi Maricel Royo Vice president for operations Unitel Productions Samba Uela Basco Accounts executive Radar Manila Pole dancing Lucien Dy-Tioco Vice president for advertising Philippine Star Hip-hop Melissa Tomas Account manager Lowe Philippines Hip-hop Princess Galura Project director Event King Latin and standard ballroom

What a feeling!

Dance, simply put, is a matter of moving your body rhythmically and to the beat. It’s an art form that has transcended generations, cultures, and races; an activity that pumps up the blood and sometimes challenges social norms. Think Elvis and his vibrating pelvis riling up middle America in the ’50s.

But for these people, dance is not just about moving a foot here and a hand there. It’s the feeling they get, a feeling that lifts them when they move, a feeling that gives them joy. It makes them feel young, happy, energized and free… To feel the challenge of learning a new step, of moving to a more advanced level. Dancing makes them feel confident about themselves – like the coolest, happiest, most beautiful human beings in the world.

Dancing leaves almost no trace – except for that overwhelming feeling that stays in the psyche until the next dance.

PHOTOGRAPHER: JAR CONCENGCO / MAKE-UP ARTISTS: CECILLE REBOLLOS And Chuchie Ledesma of Creations by Lourd Ramos HAIR STYLIST: Ira Roncal and Anna Angeles of Ix Chel Style / SHOT ON SITE: FTX STUDIO

KIDLAT AWARDS 2010

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THE FIRM

AGENCY PROFILE: MEDIACOM

01 2010 media excellence metals from 4As-P 02 First-ever 3D TV spot for Ariel 03 Pampers 'Strechycise' 04 Pantene Nature Care’s 'Biggest Hair Commercial'

For companies willing to break free of the strictures that define what a media shop is and can do, times are interesting indeed.

MediaCom, part of WPP’s GroupM bloc alongside Mindshare, MEC, Maxus and Kinetic, has the metals to prove its willingness to redefine the media agency role.

“We never say no to any idea just because it’s not what a media agency is supposed to do,” MediaCom managing director Nap Carrao says as if it’s the most natural thing in the world. It is this belief that sets MediaCom apart from its media rivals and earned it the Media Agency of the Year award from the 4As- Philippines for two years running. Carrao insists MediaCom is not a media agency. Or rather, it’s not just a media agency. It has made waves not because its campaigns were high profile one but due to the creativity employed in leveraging media entertainment properties to help client brands cut through the clutter and engage target audiences.

Blazing new trails in media No challenge is too big for media agency of the year winner MediaCom

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There’s never been a more challenging and more exciting time to be a media agency than today.

Media fragmentation, digital’s explosion, social networks, mobile, earned media, branded content, the breath-taking speed at which information moves and other changes have made the media landscape, by turns, a creatively exhilarating and treacherous playground for both the experienced and the novice.

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Unrelenting pace With consumers increasingly getting hard to reach and an increasingly cluttered media landscape, MediaCom has ventured into creating network-specific initiatives that includse branded entertainment, print and digital.

It recently partnered with ABS-CBN to unveil the first ever 3D TV initiative to support the launch of Ariel detergent’s 3D Stainlift. To engage the network’s teleseries-oriented viewers, MediaCom created a five-episode mini-comedy series dramatizing why Pampers Comfort provided better benefits compared to cheaper brands. It was also the brain trust behind the biggest hair movement for the launch of Pantene Nature Care, which involved TV integration, print and digital.

For this, it churned out one execution after another at an unrelenting pace. Program integration, show creation, celebrity testimonials, consumer challenges, event coverage etc. Carrao says MediaCom is not afraid to venture into different modes of engagement, amplifying the traditional 30-second spot to ensure even better consumer connections that build clients’ business.

The agency had a relatively late start in the country. It launched in 2006 when it became the buying AOR agency of Procter & Gamble,

THE FIRM

AGENCY PROFILE: MEDIACOM

Philippines. Within two years, it became the second largest media agency in the country. On its third year, it was handed P&G’s planning business without a pitch on the strength of its buying performance. Capping the landmark year, MediaCom won the Media Agency of the Year award, a mean feat for one of the youngest, if not the youngest, media agencies in the country.

Today, MediaCom is the second largest media independent in the country and the largest media agency in GroupM. The agency continues to redefine the role of media by braving non-traditional consumer engagement. When asked what makes his agency different, Carrao points to the way the agency challenges its people to do things differently each time. Venturing decisively beyond traditional media, MediaCom has been actively creating creative content. It aggressively stretches its imagination on how to reinvent branded entertainment and program integration and is already creating models for digital communications. It is not enough that a brand is mentioned or displayed in a program, it counts as real integration – the agency’s holy grail – when a brand is seamlessly interwoven in the program. Such is the case for Mega Sardines when it created Mega Day Friday in Eat Bulaga, or Whisper when it launched the Search for the Whisper Super Dance Crew in Showtime, or P&G when it partnered with Umagang Kay Ganda for a ‘Sulit Buys’ segment.

Create or integrate If MediaCom can’t integrate it creates. Such is the mindset that enabled the production of the first ever mommy-baby yoga branded entertainment program, Pampers Stretchycise and the much talked about “F! Reunion Special” to showcase reunion-ready skin everyday with Olay Total Effects.

Digital has also become MediaCom’s forte. While other media agencies are still testing the digital waters, the company already has its digital team and a network of digital partners, who are pioneering efforts in this arena. MediaCom launched the first ever image recognition mobile application for Ariel in the country and created the formula which ensured engagement and allowed for steady increases in number of fans for P&G brands through social networking. Head & Shoulders even bested other Facebook pages in Asia and was awarded “Best use of Facebook (strategic planning)” by the Facebook team.

“We face challenges head-on. If a client demands something, we make it happen.” In Carrao’s mind, it’s as simple as that. Guided and inspired by his creative agency background, he envisioned an agency with the same discipline and passion as a creative agency. “It’s gut feel; the media landscape is expanding faster than we can

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imagine and we have to be ready,” he says. Which is why he created his own creative resource, putting together people of diverse backgrounds to create a full-service agency. “Choosing the right people is key.”

Carrao handpicked a select few with expertise in account management, events, creative, production, art direction – young and aggressive individuals who could each offer something unique to the organization. The result is an agency capable not only of planning and buying but skilled in creative development and production.

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Which is why years after agencies split their creative and media functions, MediaCom is decisively uniting both skill sets under its roof.

As such, Carrao compels everyone in the agency to always be open to new ideas. “We don’t say no. If we don’t know how to do something, we acquire the expertise but we never say no. We embrace everything that is asked of us.”

It’s thinking that way that makes the agency tick, and keeps clients coming back for more.

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THE FIRM

CENTRAL DIGITAL LAB

Central Digital Lab makes case for openness Collaboration order of the day as new post-production shop opens for business Words: Trish Elamparo

It is often said timing is everything when starting a new venture. Thinking about opening a post production house? Consider that more filmmakers are doing their own editing, or that more boutique outfits are braving the competition from the major players – and are actually thriving.

So really so that there’s no such thing as the perfect moment. New post-production outfit Central Digital Lab thinks right now is as good a time as any to open.

Run by Manet Dayrit, Sid Maderazo and Mark Querubin, Central Digital Lab is the latest player to enter the scene. The founders are hardly strangers to the business – Dayrit has had a successful run as senior managing partner of Roadrunner Productions, and Querubin and Maderazo have helmed work for 88Storey Films.

In taking their new venture to a seemingly saturated marketplace, the partners are positioning Central Digital as a nimble player ready to challenge an old paradigm in the postproduction model.

Open all the way They espouse openness as Central Digital’s DNA. Accordingly, they eschew the traditional model where projects are handled by a single shop, believing an openness to collaboration is the way forward for the industry as a whole.

“This kind of model has faced resistance in the past, but it is how other countries do it now.

Openness in facility, work and people—it’s the way it should be, and it will be the best for the industry,” says Dayrit. What the partners imagine is an environment where shops can pitch their own expertise on a single project, all for pushing the envelope further.

Central Digital’s founders believe the timing is right to challenge the traditional model.

Technology now allows for collaboration to truly work since the majority of the services are software-based and rely less on expensive hardware investments. Which can only make it easier for shops to share and work together. They also note that there is now a readiness to accept the idea of sharing, as more production and post production houses work together, on and off the director’s camera.

For partners, it is as much about kismet as the technology that empowers collaboration.

Dayrit’s Roadrunner Productions folded into Star Cinema last year. It’s safe to say that no one counted on her retirement. With 20 years in the industry, and a stellar body of work that includes Marilou Diaz-Abaya’s Rizal and Magnifico,

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01 Industry partners at Central Digital Lab 02 Bright spaces a rule of thumb at the new facility

Dayrit still had a new venture in her. But to move forward, she also knew that she had to introduce something different.

The idea of openness had germinated in her mind, but there was still a missing link to fix. Enter Maderazo and Querubin, two talented directors who helped Dayrit to bring her vision to reality.

Saving the classics Both directors had worked on some of Roadrunner’s best projects, and having them on board would make the company a force not just in film, but also advertising. Shortly after setting up shop last year, the trio began winning TVC work for Toyota, SMART and URC. Now in its fifth month, Central Digital Lab has quietly landed some of the largest and most ambitious projects. ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation has given it the long-term task of restoring hundreds of classic Filipino films, a challenge that has taken on a personal note for

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all three. “I’ve been working in the film industry for 18 years, and working on the film archives of the Philippines has always been my idea of giving back. Our first project was Ishmael Bernal’s Himala, and it is really beautiful,” says Dayrit.

The partners plan to go beyond color and audio retoration , eyeing the HD route for these classics.

Apart from restoration, the company’s strength in its film arm lies in cut-through digital intermediaries, and they cover all aspects of postproduction, from editing to visual effects, color grading to online impressions, in advertising.

For Central Digital Lab, openness is manifested in a number of ways. Its employees are referred to as industry partners, while its Jupiter Street facility features bright, open spaces. There’s none of the dungeon-dark facilities that is the norm in the post-production world, a sector that can only benefit from a dose of openness.

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your link to print one world – one drupa may 3 – 16, 2012 düsseldorf, germany www.drupa.com Your link to more – get into the swing of drupa 2012! Point your webcam at the

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or tablet PC, start it and select the drupa channel. On PC webcam, go to drupa.com/augmentedreality. For further help, visit www.drupa.com/help

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THE WORK

ADOBO EXHIBIT: CID REYES

Master of line and composition

Veteran adman Cid Reyes authors respected art tomes to feed his other passion Words: Abby Yao

A veteran of both the advertising and art scenes, Cid Reyes is regarded as one of the country’s foremost art writers and critics, having penned the most hardbound volumes on artists (see adobo Exhibit) and possibly the most art reviews in broadsheets. And he did all this while at Ace Saatchi & Saatchi (formerly Ace Compton), where he was creative director and vice president prior to his retirement. He still holds the record for longest tenure in the agency.

“Creativity cannot be contained,” said Reyes when he invited adobo to view his art books. “All of these varieties of expressions feed on each other. We in advertising need not be confined to advertising because the more fields of creativity we are aware of, the more it enriches our creative work.”

The ad connection As a student in the mid-1960s, he was inspired by Eric Torres’ column Way of Seeing in The Manila Times and wanted to write about art as there were few art writers back then.

By some strange coincidence advertising provided Reyes a gateway to a successful career in art. While a copywriter at Ace Compton, he was sent to Davao to interview housewives during supermarket detergent swaps for Tide. He took the chance to visit Prof. Victorio Edades, one of the modernist greats of the Philippines, who had retired in Davao. The interview that followed was the first of 30 interviews of visual art luminaries he conducted from Lee Aguinaldo to Fernando Zobel.

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THE WORK

ADOBO EXHIBIT: CID REYES

The idea for a book of interviews came from the late Manuel Duldulao, also from Ace Compton, an art collector and himself a pioneer of coffee table books. Among the modern masters in Conversations on Philippine Art, published by the Cultural Center of the Philippines, were H.R. Ocampo, Cesar Legaspi, Jose Joya and Vicente Manansala.

Through Bobby Caballero (of Caballero & Associates), who had friends in the Italian Embassy, Reyes learned that the recipient of an art scholarship had backed out. At 27, Reyes seized the opportunity, applied for the scholarship and took a leave of absence from Ace Compton to attend the Academia di Belle Arti in Rome to study painting.

European exposure After his studies, Reyes did not want to go back to a Martial Law regime. He flew to England and worked for the British Council in London. He relished seeing the masterpieces in British art collections, and even met Andy Warhol, who drew a Campbell soup can for him at a book launch. “It was a feast, a buffet for me because I was ravenous for knowledge,” Reyes recalled.

Late afternoons after work, Reyes went to adult education classes in art history. “You cannot

write well about art if you don’t know its history,” he said. “A painting is an illusion. It is just pigment on a canvas. You ask yourself ‘Why am I moved when I see this color?’ The more you know about the materials and history, the more it deepens your appreciation and contribution to art.”

Reyes is quick to note that art history is not limited to Western art but stretches across the vast expanse of human art. He cites the influence of African sculpture on Picasso, which gave rise to Cubism. As tastes change and evolve in the 21st century, so too has the definition of what is art. It’s no longer just about a painting or a sculpture. “It’s a shark in a tank of formaldehyde, an unmade bed,” said Reyes, referring to the works of contemporary artists Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin.

While on training trip in Europe, a creative director of Ace Compton stopped over in England to convince Reyes to come home. By then Reyes had been away five years and was ready to return to advertising and get started on art writing.

By publishing in different newspapers, Reyes became recognized for his art reviews. From 1995 to 2005, Reyes had a weekly art column called Gallery Hopping in the former Today broadsheet. His pieces were – and still are – clear, unpretentious and accessible without sacrificing

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style. His writing has always been about letting the readers enjoy the art.

As Reyes became known in art circles, offers to write art books came in. He has written books on four National Artists: Arturo Luz, BenCab, J. Elizalde Navarro and most recently, Napoleon Abueva. “They chose me,” said Reyes. “They believe that my writing will best serve their art.”

Reyes has also penned books on other renowned artists such as Gus Albor, Malang and Pacita Abad, and institutions with collections and competitions such as Central Bank, BPI, Metrobank, Directories Philippines and the Philip Morris Philippine Art Awards.

The adobo columnist has been recognized as Art Critic of the Year three times by the Manila Art Quarterly, which inducted him in the Hall of Fame in Art Criticism, and awarded Best in Art Criticism prize by the Art Association of the Philippines.

The artist’s writer Being a painter himself, Reyes’ experience in creating artworks makes it easier for artists to relate to him on a level beyond the image.

See page 82

Adobo Exhibit Cid Reyes former creative director & vice president Ace Compton (Ace Saatchi & Saatchi)

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01 Arturo Luz 02 J. Elizalde Navarro 03 BenCab: The Art of being Filipino

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THE WORK

CREATIVE CORNER: OMPONG REMIGIO

Creative Corner Ompong Remigio Chief creative officer Campaigns & Grey 01 Mini me 02 Betty Boop 03-04 Tintin 05 Darth Vader 06 Superman 07 Ghost rider 08 Tintin comic books 09 Father Time

From page 81 Reyes narrated the request of Lao Lianben, whose book was launched in 2011. “[Lao] liked [the writing] very much but [he asked] ‘Can you distill it some more?’

Artists want their writings to be as long as possible so it becomes more important, but Lao is so different.” Placing himself in the mindset of the artist, Reyes’ survey of the art emerged crystal clear, which Lao applauded.

It takes Reyes three months to write a book – a very short time, considering that the work is done on weekends and after office hours.

Reyes has worked on more than 20 books, including tomes on photography and food, either as author or editor. How he could have come up with voluminous art writing while having a full-time job? “I work with the discipline of advertising,” he revealed.

Reyes describes himself as medieval, as he continues to write on a yellow legal pad with a red pen, often at home so that he can be with his family. Once he overcomes the hurdle of penning the first sentence, his ideas start to flow. In his case, it’s safe to say that the mind is faster than the hand. “Some people say I am a writing machine,” laughed Reyes.

“Admiration for other creative people is what impels me to do more work,” he noted. He finds inspiration in films by Kurosawa, Fellini, Truffaut, Godard and Hitchcock, and in the writing of Nick Joaquin, Carmen Guerrero-Nakpil, Jose Garcia Villa, Kerima Polotan and Gilda Cordero-Fernando.

He calls his life’s work “daunting, exhausting but exhilarating”, a level of multitasking driven by his restlessness. Noting that he can barely sit still for two hours in a cinema any more, Reyes pointed to his connundrum: “My mind abhors a vacuum. And yet I need stillness for contemplation.”

Does Reyes have any words of wisdom for aspiring writers? “Do it right the first time,” he said. “You cannot wait in front of a blank piece of paper for something to appear. Everything is percolated in your mind. The act of writing is simply recording it.”

The decades have not dulled his interest in writing or in creating art. Reyes has had 18 solo exhibits of his paintings, roughly one every year. He already has enough materials for a second volume of Conversations on Philippine Art and plans for a third volume. He is also currently a contributing editor to the bimonthly magazine Contemporary Art Philippines.

“I believe that we are now undergoing a kind of renaissance. We are truly blessed with the emergence of so many good artists. It is not just Filipino collectors who appreciate Filipino works but also foreigners in the auctions.”

There will surely be more art for Cid Reyes to write about and for art aficionados to view (and read about) in the years to come.

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01 Philippine Art Awards 02 Pacita Abad

THE WORK

AD OF THE MONTHS: NOVEMBER & DECEMBER

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Ad of the month / November Coca-Cola ‘Where Will Happiness Strike Next: The OFW Project’ McCann Erickson Philippines

Scan the QR code using your mobile device’s QR code scanner app to view the full video.

Executive creative director: Peter Acuña / creative director: Mervin Ignacio / head of art: Che Soriano / manaing partner: Bernadette Chincuanco associate business group director: Ting Bongco / account director: Mutch Wright / account manager: Jen Santos, Macy Magpayo / director: Marla Ancheta / producer: Aldous PagaduanProduction house: Informer / Digital (MRM Philippines) / account director: Kichi Madlansacay / senior account manager: Kae Davantes / project manager: Mike Joson production: Elaine Uy, Aiza Tsang, Tonico Maningat

Ad of the month / December Canesten, ‘Health Buff’, ‘Love Story’, JWT Manila

Executive creative director: Dave Ferrer / art director: Danni Lim / copy writer: Mark Ibaviosa / illustrator: George Estevez / print producer: Carol Pe Benito / client services director: Miriam Pangan / group account director: Nina Cruz / account manager: Albert Largoza

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THE WORK

CREATIVE REVIEW

Kevin Brady Creative director Droga5, New York

For the past 15 years I’ve been wrestling with advertising. Wrestling with how to do it well, how to constantly evolve and how to be honest in a business known for dishonesty.

I’ve found my way out of this quandary by fighting to make stuff that I would want to watch and want to laugh at or be a part of. Or at the very least not be too annoying or add too much more unwanted noise to this world.

The journey has led me through at Wells, Rich, Greene, Bozell, Lowe, Publicis, Droga5 (twice) and Y&R. I have been fortunate to work with some visionary leaders and have been recognized with lots of lions and pencils and stuff. I’ve been most proud of the work for NET10, Puma (Index and Social), some Jay-Z work and our new Prudential documentaries.

I keep sane with my partner and my five-year old daughter and by playing accordion in a rock band and making sure we gig at least once every five years.

I like the cheese art direction a lot! But after that, it just left me confused. If the lines are about how great the cheese pizza is, then why is the line coming from the cheese? Or if the cheese longs to be in the pizza, then the lines don’t quite make sense. Maybe this is a cultural thing as Filipino talking cheese is more bipolar than U.S. talking cheese.

Jollibee Foods Corporation Greenwich ‘Bag’, ‘Bomb’, ‘Octopus’ Publicis JimenezBasic

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CREATIVE REVIEW

THE WORK

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I liked this variation on the “people on the floor who feel like they’re right side up” idea. It grabs you. It’s vibrant. And makes you want to be there. I don’t think you really needed the homeless guy and didn’t need to desaturate it so much, but all in all, it’s real nice.

Coco Cabaňa ‘Everyday Resorts Wear’ Ace Saatchi & Saatchi

When I look at these ads, I get sad. Not for the death of the rodents, but for my not getting to see these armor-wearing rats in action. Movie rights? It’s a fun idea, but seems like it’s a bit early in the idea process.

Julant Pest Control System Inc. ‘Lancelot’, ‘Maximus’, ‘Musashi’ BBDO Guerrero / Proximity Philippines

January - February 2012

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THE WORK

CREATIVE REVIEW

Is that really the way to spell “ageing”? That word just looks weird, doesn’t it? The ads are clever, if a bit familiar for Olay. Three would have been better than five. But it’s still clever.

Procter & Gamble Olay ‘Reverse Ageing’ Print Campaign Ace Saatchi & Saatchi

If you’re going to have a misdirect, it’s important to not see it coming. It’s safe to say nobody could predict this one. The spot finds the wreckage of a car crash. It’s beautifully shot with sad piano music and you feel for the bloody man who is crawling from the wreckage. Then, a stray dog comes by. He gives a gentle lick to his face. You assume he’s going to revive him but then the super comes up “no amount of luck will help you survive rabies”. What?!! Yeah, you have to see it! It’s a stretch. But then again, I wrote “you have to see it” so that’s always a good thing.

Animal Welfare Coalition ‘Crash’ Publicis JimenezBasic

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CREATIVE REVIEW

THE WORK

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These ads are beautiful, clean and well art-directed. I’m so glad all this plastic is making the ocean such a beautiful place. Wait. No, I’m not!

WWF Philippines ‘Anemone’, ‘Corals (Fan)’, ‘Corals (Brain)’ BBDO Guerrero / Proximity Philippines

In this ad, we follow a young boy through a poor town and then match cut to him kite boarding in the town’s new waterpark five years later. The supers tell us his town has become the #1 tourist destination thanks to AdCongress. I am left to wonder how AdCongress helped with this. It seems like a great story, but it could be told more clearly.

Here we see CamSur fishermen paddling on their boat and learn that their team won medals in an international rowing competition. Then we cut to the AdCongress logo with the line “change the game”. Again, a real nice story but I’m confused about AdCongress’ role in this. It’s well shot, though, with nice music.

22nd Philippine Advertising Congress ‘Waterworld’ Leo Burnett Manila

22nd Philippine Advertising Congress ‘Drago’ Leo Burnett Manila

January - February 2012

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THE WORK

BANG FOR THE BUCK: BING 'JAY-Z DECODED'

Bang for the Buck BING ‘JAY-Z DECODED’ DROGA5, NEW YORK

What is it An ingenious out-of-home campaign to launch Jay-Z’s autobiography in a partnership with search engine Bing, Microsoft’s biggest web property, which launched in 2009.

Droga5 saw the 2010 release of Jay-Z’s Decoded as the perfect opportunity to create a compelling experience to demonstrate the power and difference offered by Bing Search and Bing Maps.

Both the rapper and the search engine were going after a young fan and user base, a group best that generally shuns advertising and product claims.

The approach had to be non-traditional, particularly for Bing, which failed to move the search ticker in its favor despite spending US$100 million on mass market advertising. Its market share remained stubbornly below 10% even as Google continued to

grow its share of search and search volume thanks to the ubiquity acquired through 12 years of operation. In a world where Google had become the goto word for search, Bing’s challenges were massive.

The campaign was essentially a high-tech scavenger hunt for fans to discover all 350 pages of Decoded that had been hidden in public locations inspired by the book’s content. In this way, fans could walk through his life, experience as he had done earlier.

Outdoor media was used in numerous locations with high-profile placement of pages in Times Square, Las Vegas and London’s Covent Garden.

Droga 5 also created media where none existed: pizza boxes, plates, burger wrappers, and Tshirts among them. Others were in locations money couldn’t buy: the bottom of the pool in Miami’s Delano Hotel, on the stage curtain of the Apollo Theater and as a bronze plaque in Jay-Z’s childhood home in Brooklyn.

Clues to the locations were released daily to a global audience through an alternate reality game/map-based interface built directly on Bing Search and Bing Maps. Unlike rival engines or map services, Bing works as a visual experience to help users get what they need without overloading them. Not an easy message to deliver with advertising. Far better conveyed by demonstration to deliver a compelling experience that drives trial.

To drive urgency, the campaign featured a chance to win two tickets to a Jay-Z concert for people who found the pages first and checked them in on a Bing website.

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Client Microsoft Campaign ‘Jay-Z Decoded’ for Bing Agency Droga 5, New York Team Droga 5 and a diverse 50-person team that included Jay-Z and music experts within his Roc Nation label, a technical product group from Microsoft and content strategists, art directors and writers, game designers, media negotiators, community managers, graphic designers, mobile developers, silverlight programmers, print and digital producers, photographers, clue writers, interaction architects and user experience designers Award wins Cannes Outdoor and Integrated Grand Prix, Direct Gold and Titanium Lion

Results Decoded became an instant bestseller and the results were equally impressive for its partner. Bing achieved a 10% rise in traffic and overall search market share climbed to 11.5 per cent during the month Decoded was launched. The figures represented the biggest jump ever for Bing, allowing it to enter the Top 10 US Websites ranking for the first time. ComScore also found intent to use Bing increased by 15 points among the target audience. 71% of visitors to the Decoded site who were Jay-Z fans expected their usage to increase. The campaign also shifted the behavior of the current user base – 25% of people who went to Decoded moved from light usage of Bing to medium usage, and 9% to heavy usage.

The campaign delivered enviable engagement levels – over 1 million people visited the site and spent 11 minutes on Decoded. The initiative delivered six times the expected online buzz, with a total of over 9,000 social media mention higher than any other Microsoft marketing campaign to date. Results were based on data from Bing Marketing Analytics, ComScore and Nielsen BuzzMetrics, Why it worked The campaign worked because the younger demographic both partners were after are suspicious of traditional advertising, preferring to be engaged in a more authentic way. It was seamless, brave, bold and innovative, according to the Cannes jury. It gave users a compelling reason to Bing instead of Google a search.

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THE WORK

CREATIVE SHOWCASE

Ad title: ‘Take the Drama Out of The Delivery: Zombie Outbreak’ / Advertiser: FedEx / Creative agency: BBDO Guerrero/Proximity Philippines chief creative officer: David Guerrero / executive creative director: David Guerrero , Brandie Tan / creative director: Joey Dy / copywriter: David Guerrero, Joey Dy, Meggy de Guzman / art director: Brandie Tan, Rizza Garcia, Jeck Ebreo / production: Prodigy Films / producer: Serena Paull / director: Tim Bullock / executive producer: Jonathan Samway / aound design: Song Zu / DoP: Geoffrey Hall / post production: Prodigy Films / editor: Adam Wills / music: Sound Planet

Ad title: ‘Couture Series’ / Advertiser: Procter & Gamble Philippines Brand: Joy Dishwashing Liquid / Agency: Campaigns & Grey / chief creative officer: Ompong Remigio / creative director: Noel Orosa / associate creative director: Mel Aguinaldo / copywriter: Anton Panajon, Joel Orosa / AD: Anton Panajon, Mel Aguinaldo / accounts: Eres Gatmaitan Aspi, Christina Melchor, Rishi Mandhyan / print producer: Peck Imson / FA Artist: Gredge Salvado / photographer: Jeanne Young / PD: Anjali Afed

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January - February 2012

Ad title: ‘Signs,’ ‘Bomb,’ ‘Octopus’ / Advertiser: Greenwich Pizza / Creative agency: Publicis Jimenez Basic / executive creative director: Don Sevilla III / creative directors: Don Sevilla III, Lec Flores / associate creative director: Jess Viallareal / art director: RJ Ferrer / copywriter: Martin Sarmenta / photographer: G-nie Arambulo

CREATIVE SHOWCASE

THE WORK

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Ad title: Canesten ‘Health Buff’, ‘Love Story’ / Advertiser: Bayer / Creative agency: JWT Manila / executive creative director: Dave Ferrer / art director: Danni Lim / copy writer: Mark Ibaviosa / illustrator: George Estevez / print producer: Carol Pe Benito / client services director: Miriam Pangan / group account director: Nina Cruz account manager: Albert Largoza

Ad title: ‘The web is what you make it: Tanjore’ / Advertiser: Google India Creative agency: BBH India / managing partners: Paul Ward, Partha Sinha, Raj Kamble, Subhash Kamath / creative director: Russell Barrett / creative team: Nikhil Panjwani, R Venkaraman, Kunal Sawant, Malhaar Rao / planning: Sanjay Sharma / account management: Arvind Krishnan, Rajeev Roy / agency producer: Sushma Joseph / production house: Eeskaurus / director: E Suresh / music: Shri Sriram

January - February 2012

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THE WORK

CREATIVE SHOWCASE

Ad title: ‘Calm Tea Bags’ / Advertiser: BOH Plantation SDN BHD / Creative agency: M&C Saatchi / creative director: Farrokh Madon, Henry Yap, Marzuki Maani, Neil Leslie / art director: Choo Chee Wee, Pauline Ang / copywriter: Farrokh Madon, Ahmad Fariz / designer: Ellie See

Ad title: ‘Keep Your Kitchen Fresh’ / Advertiser: Siemens / Creative agency: Ogilvy Beijing / executive creative directors: Bill Chan, Doug Schiff, Wilson Chow / creative director and art director: Shivang He / account executive: Xinglun Liu / copywriters: Doug Schiff, Luanhui Hao / photographer: Xiaohang Liu / illustrator: Jian Sun

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Ad title: O ̔ il On Canvas’ / Advertiser: Greenpeace / Creative agency: Publicis Mojo Auckland / director: James Solomon / executive creative director: Mike Barnwell creative director: Lachlan McPherson / producer: Angela da Silva / production company: Flying Fish / copywriter and art director: Mike Barnwell, Guy Denniston / visual effects: Andrew Timms / visual effects: Mat Ellin / agency producer: Liz Garneau / post production: Flying Fish / editor: Lisa Greenfield / music: Radiohead / print producer: Conan Gobrev

January - February 2012

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MARKETING

BRINGING THE STYLUS BACK FROM THE DEAD

Bringing the stylus back from the dead Words: Edelrita Rizo

For a mobile and techie crowd so enamored with touch screen technology, the stylus is an outmoded, if not an antiquated, concept. A tablet PC is called a tablet PC because that is all there is to it: a tablet.

Similarly, a touch screen phone can be operated with your fingertips. So why bother with a stylus?

Old but so very new Breaking away from the stereotype of an outmoded, point-and-press (sometimes scribble) stylus, the newest addition to the Samsung Galaxy series, the Note, has reinvented the pen-type tool. And it’s banking on this tool and the country’s creative heads to give it an edge in marketing.

The S-Pen is partnered with a Wacom digitizer system, making it as pressure-sensitive as pens used in drawing tablets that can create thick or thin lines depending on the pressure applied by the user.

This feature allows for more defined handwriting recognition. The Galaxy Note also provides other “line types”, such as simulations of different brushes for the more artistically inclined. There is also no need to worry about double inputs – if the S-Pen is in use, the Galaxy Note will not respond to finger touches and vice-versa.

Another feature that the Galaxy Note emphasizes is the S-Memo, which is basically a multimedia notepad. It allows users to input text (typed or handwritten), photos and videos, or sound clips, that can be immediately shared via email, MMS, and other online networking sites.

Ad execs replace celeb endorsers Four of the industry’s top creative minds, not showbiz celebrities, were tapped to promote the Galaxy Note and talk about their creative inspirations and how the gadget would help them in capturing “eureka” moments that sometimes come in the most unexpected places.

Merlee Jayme, managing partner and chief creative officer of DM9 JaymeSyfu, writes notes when ideas strike, especially while observing the comings and goings of the people around her. “I reach for the closest napkin or parking receipt (to write on),” said Jayme. with the Note’s S-Pen, she wouldn’t have to settle for little pieces of paper for her notes.

“The weirdest place I ever had a great idea was inside a church,” admitted Brandie Tan, until recently the executive creative director of BBDO Guerrero, with a laugh. Raoul Panes meanwhile, said that ideas come to him during long drives.

“When I’m traveling, when I’m away from it all,” said the soft-spoken executive creative director of Leo Burnett Manila.

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Panes said that the Galaxy Note is a “do-it-all” gadget that can help creatives in their research, draft, and craft their ideas, while still being able to communicate through email, phone calls, and texts. Meanwhile, Tan noted that the S-Memo took the place of a notebook without being too cumbersome.

Leigh Reyes, president and chief creative officer of Lowe Philippines, who also draws and does calligraphy, said that when great ideas move from the back of her mind to the forefront, it’s valuable to have a tool at hand that she can easily pull out to capture them before they disappear.

01 Samsung Note 02 Merlee Jayme and Leigh Reyes using their Samsung Note units

It is as old school as it can get, when it comes to technology. The stylus has achieved the popularity of an extraneous limb – “Who wants a stylus? You have to get them, and put them away, and you lose them, yuck. Nobody wants a stylus,” the late designobsessed Steve Jobs was quoted as saying as he unveiled the iPhone only four years ago.

The Samsung Galaxy Note, however, is resurrecting the stylus through a slim yet powerful tablet PC-phone hybrid that relies on precision and power to appeal to the creative side of everyone.

Our sincerest apologies, Mr Jobs, but the stylus is back. And it’s back with sweet, sweet vengeance.

Leigh Reyes takes Galaxy Note out for a doodle I love that it’s Moleskine-sized. So it feels familiar in my hand, and I can doodle away with the stylus (S-Pen). Doodling is a great way to capture thoughts that otherwise might evaporate and be lost forever. The big difference between doodling on the Note and doodling on paper? I can doodle in the dark.

I downloaded my favorite apps from the Android Market to help me be productive.

Evernote syncs notes, web pages I want to save, images, doodles (via Skitch), and even audio recordings across all my devices and computers. I can start a script on the Galaxy Note and finish it when I get home on the Mac, for example. I also downloaded Zen Brush and OmniSketch from Samsung Apps. They’re quite fun as well.

Because its screen is so big (and bright – hello AMOLED) compared to a regular smartphone, the Galaxy Note is perfect for showing off Lowe’s apps. I use it instead of my other Android phone.

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MARKETING

ADOBO SIDE DISH: RAOUL FLORESCA / RETAIL TRACKER: JUMP

Adobo Side Dish

Retail tracker Jump

Raoul Floresca Assistant vice president The Primer Group of Companies

SM Megamall

What don’t people know about the company you work for?

The Primer Group of Companies is one of the largest retail and distribution conglomerates in the country and Southeast Asia, distributing close to 85 premium brands (The North Face, Columbia, Tumi, Jansport, Tretorn and Native, to name a few) and with more than 100 free-standing stores in the country. With so many brands and stores that require their own campaigns, events and POP’s, we set up an in-house boutique to attend to these requirements.

How do you encourage out-of-the-box thinking at work?

One of the brands we carry lives by the line, ‘Never stop exploring’. That pretty much sums up what we espouse, especially with our fresh blood.

What do you wish your agency could do better?

Being a team of mostly fresh graduates, we are still teaching our people how to strategize and come up with ideas based on insights.

What campaigns are you proudest of?

It would probably be the campaign to launch a line of theft-proof luggage from Delsey called Zip Securitech. Working with a tight budget, we managed to come up with a campaign that combined in-store and online materials with mall activation.

What do you wish your ad agency could be better at?

Being a team of mostly fresh graduates, we are still teaching our people how to strategize and come up with ideas based on insights.

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What campaigns of other brands do you wish you had done?

I love the “Be Stupid” campaign of Diesel. Wish I had done that!

It's bright, spacious and clearly inspired by Apple’s sleek gadget-filled playrooms.

The newish Jump experience center at Manila’s SM Megamall, operated by local wireless communications giant PLDT and its mobile Smart subsidiary, is less about its corporate parents and more a lifestyle store.

One offering an experiential journey into technology land.

It's gadgets and services galore at Jump.

The latest laptops to tablets and smartphones are not only displayed but available for shoppers to take out and play with. Wired to a greater extent that previous stores, the centre’s WiMax and HSPA+ broadband ensures lightning speeds when shoppers test the latest gadgets at its many interactive stations. What also makes the Jump unique is for the first time in local retail, the toys are linked to touch screen TVs. So taking gadgets out for a spin becomes quite an immersive experience for shoppers and a participatory one for friends.

What are your weekends like?

Weekend mornings are spent training – bike rides on Saturday, long runs on Sunday. Lunch, movie or shopping with the family. I can sometimes be found at my triathlon store.

If I worked in an ad agency...

I wouldn’t be here...

How are you changing the world

We’re starting with our own company – changing the way we approach ideas and how we communicate with our market. The industry is evolving so fast that we have to find ways to stay ahead of the competition and connect with our customers.

Advertising.

It’s more fun in the Philippines Especially now that we’re launching adobo nights, our monthly toast with the industry.

Monday, January 30, Opus, Resorts World Manila Open bar from 9:30pm to 11:00pm. featuring DJ Mars Miranda, DJ Aks & guest deejays RnB/Top 40s / Pop - MIX IT UP! www.opusmanila.com RSVP (Elsa or Evelyn): (+632) 8450218 / (+632) 5078501 +63915.514.8815 info@adobomagazine.com

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MARKETING

ABS-CBN and TV5 score in TV Awards

MANILA Philippine broadcast rivals ABS-CBN and TV5 bagged two wins out of seven nominations in the 15th Asian Television Awards, which recognizes excellence in programming, production and performance.

ABS-CBN’s The Bottomline with Boy Abunda won the Best Talk Show award in the Programming Category and the song “Ito ang Buhay Ko” (This is My Life) won Best Theme Song under the Technical and Creative Categories. The song was part of the original soundtrack of TV5’s Star Confession.

The country also proved its competitive edge in post-production – welovepost Inc. worked on the plug of MTV Exit Foundation’s “Muse & MTV Exit: MK Ultra” (Thailand), which won the Best Music Program award under the Programming Category.

Japan led in programming with five wins and six highly commended awards, while Hong Kong topped the Performance categories with five wins and one highly commended entry and Singapore collected the most Technical and Creative categories with three wins and eight highly commended entries.

ABS-CBN AND TV5 SCORE IN TV AWARDS / CARTOON NETWORK / 3D VISION

Hickey hunts for animation talent for Philippine series ASIA PACIFIC Cartoon Network is on a hunt for content to create a Filipino cartoon series and is looking to launch a regional content development initiative that could provide it with export quality material.

But the network’s regional creative head Silas Hickey expressed surprise that animation had yet to take off locally despite the wealth of artistic talent and competitive studios that could get the job done in the Philippines.

Back in the country for the second time this year, Hickey spoke at Animahenasyon 2011 on the fundamentals of animation. He also spoke to the media, reinforcing his call to artists, writers, directors, and production studios to pitch story ideas for a local content. Hickey is optimistic a Filipino cartoon would be ready for airing by the last quarter of 2012. “We’re encouraging everyone (in the Philippines) to submit their story ideas. Just contact Cartoon Network Asia.”

He said SnapToons, a content development initiative for the region, may be established soon.

The network expected the initiative would encourage more submissions of original content that appealed to regional viewers while offering great material for export.

What makes a great cartoon for the network?

Strong, dimensional characters and a “kid-relatable” story, said Hickey. “And it shouldn’t be too ‘dialogue-y’. It creates trouble when dubbing,” he added, sharing the winning formula behind internationally televised cartoons. “Tom and Jerry”, for example, has been an export success for many years because it has very few speaking roles.

Silas Hickey

Made-in-Manila 3D tech goes glasses-free Three-dimensional technology has crossed from movies to advertising in the Philippines with the vendor reeling in a group of blue-chip, early adopter clients.

Using made-in-the-Philippines, 3D video technology, the platform allows consumers to view advertising in all its 3D glory without requiring glasses.

BlackBerry, Metrobank Cards, and Ensogo were among early-adopter advertisers using the technology. The company claimed ads on installations at Glorietta Malls, Greenbelt and Alabang Town Center sparked a pedestrian jam as mall goers stopped for an immersive 3D advertising experience.

“Let’s face it, 2D screens are merely tolerated but 3D can stop (you) in your tracks (to) watch,” said Katrina Bantug, 3D Vizion’s CEO and president.

The company claimed the glasses-free technology also makes the entire 3D experience more available to a wider range of viewers. As a result, its screens had the potential to be 10 times more effective than the usual analog displays that currently dominate the country’s advertising spots.

To help advertisers take their first steps in leveraging the technology, 3D Vizion offers endto-end services that cover installation of screens, as well as content production and distribution and use of a unique proprietary tool. It will also provide instant data through an audience measurement tool called 3D Genie to identify the number of eyeballs, their gender, and even their estimated age.

As a new platform, the long-term effectiveness of 3D Vizion’s product is yet to be tested.

Jonathan Joson, Media Contacts strategy planning director, said interactivity would be key to growing its appeal in the country. “If it is not static, it can really work. It has to be interactive so people can engage with the brand, and to keep it very fresh. Otherwise, the novelty will just wear off.” Joson also suggests that advertisers take advantage of digital social media to increase the value of their 3D Vizion advertisements. “If it is interactive, might as well make it social... to keep it integrated.”

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3D glasses-free platform in a local mall

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MEDIA

FESTIVAL TAPS INTO ASIA'S GROWTH, CREATIVITY

Festival taps into Asia’s growth, creativity With Asia expected to surpass Western Europe as the world’s second-largest advertising market this year, the inaugural Festival of Media Asia launched in Singapore, aiming the spotlight squarely on the transformation of the region’s media scene.

Forty speakers addressed an audience of 600 delegates and more than 50 of the world’s biggest brands at the November 2011 event that had set out to spark conversations and provide insights into the both the global and regional media and marketing industries, according to organizer C Squared.

“There is a tremendous amount of creativity here, and we’re seeing this explosion of originality all over Asia. There is no better time to tap into it than right now,” C Squared chief executive Charlie Crowe said in welcoming remarks to delegates.

Reaching for the stars Senior Virgin Galactic executive Stephen Attenborough kicked off the festival, taking of the company’s quest to make space travel a commercial reality. Perhaps because Virgin’s unbridled creativity coupled with a message about reaching for the stars, innovating and push-

ing boundaries further would set an inspirational tone for the event.

The sessions then got down to the nuts and bolts of media and marketing. Sarajit Mitra, global head of marketing and client experience of HSBC Global Banking and Markets, discussed how the embattled financial sector was focused on building trust that had been sorely tested.

With an internet user base larger than the US population, China featured prominently. Adidas Greater China president and managing director Colin Currie provided a marketer’s perspective of connecting with consumers in a market undergoing tremendous change.

“China’s problem is not its population but its pace. In the next five years, 50% of would-be millionaires would have had next to nothing today,” he said. “What took 20-30 years of consumerism change in Western Society just took 10 in China.

The isolation from global information before is now changing with more than 500 million Chinese on the web.”

Winners’ trophy

Aside from China, digital and social were predictably among the topics in the conference. According to Malu Vasallo, managing director of MEC Philippines, who attended the festival and judged the awards, buzzwords from the festival included “social lust”, which defined people as social by design, and “digital happiness”, in which connections and relationships, even online and on mobile, can be satisfying.

“It’s not a question of deprioritizing offline versus online but discovering the efficient communication ecosystem that can best bring brands into consumers’ minds,” said Vasallo.

MEDIA

FIRING UP THE BATTKE FOR THE SMALL SCREEN

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Firing up the battle for the small screen The Kapuso network bares plans to stay ahead in 2012 Words: Jose Paolo S. dela Cruz

Two separate studies later and the market is no clearer as to which TV broadcast giant ruled the Philippines’ airwaves last year.

Armed with data from Kantar Media, ABS-CBN claimed it had an audience share of 36% in 2011 compared with GMA’s 35% and TV5’s 13%. GMA countered a day later with AGB Nielsen Media Research that showed it had unseated its rival with an average 34.2% of total day audience share in 2011 against ABS-CBN’s 31.1% and TV5’s 15.6%.

What is apparent is that GMA’s growing appeal is paying off at the cash register. It achieved a 22% growth in consolidated gross revenues from regular advertising and subscriptions amounting to P6.726bn (compared to 2010’s P5.511bn) while GMA Regional TV posted an 84% revenue increase.

It’s fair to say the Kapuso network is on a roll. Which leads to the question: What is in store in 2012 for this supremely aggressive challenger in the local network wars?

GMA Network Inc. chairman and CEO Atty. Felipe Gozon reached deep into the heart of the question for this adobo exclusive offering a glimpse of GMA’s future.

On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the highest), how conducive to growth was the media landscape in the Philippines in 2011, and why?

I think from 5 to 6. From the beginning of 2011 up to about August, there were relatively strong increases of adspend from regular advertisers. But due to the financial crises in the US and Europe, most of the big advertisers – particularly the multinationals – implemented cutbacks to their ad budgets starting the 3rd quarter. Hopefully, the cutbacks will be removed as the financial crises in the US and Europe appear to start tapering off in 2012.

What new developments can the public expect in terms of programming?

The viewing public can expect more original, innovative and quality programs from our Entertainment TV Group. From our News and Public Affairs Group, they can continue to expect the same, if not improved, “Serbisyong Totoo”, i.e. credible, comprehensive, and objective coverage and delivery of information and news as reflected in our tagline, “Walang Kinikilingan, Walang Pinoprotektahan, at Walang Kasinungalingan” (Non-partisan, non-biased, and no lies.)

What aspects of broadcasting will your network put additional focus in 2012, and why?

Felipe Gozon

We will continue with the upgrade of our facilities and expansion of our reach outside Mega Manila.

GMA 7 will also open more regional stations and satellite offices and produce more innovative, original, highly entertaining and well-rated programs – all as we expand the coverage of our international channels and increase their subscribers. We will also gradually incorporate the opportunities made available by new technologies in our operations and programs, among others.

In terms of competition, basically the same challenges we met in 2011. In some aspects, perhaps the challenges will become more pronounced in 2012. We are, of course, preparing ourselves to meet any and all eventualities and contingencies.

What are the biggest challenges you see in 2012 and how are your bracing yourself for it?

Why should audiences be excited about you in 2012?

Because we have better and more exciting, entertaining and quality programs (both in terms of entertainment and public affairs programs). All of these are lined up to provide our audiences with shows that were developed and grown based on our combined learnings of their ever evolving tastes.

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Adobo Centerfold

Ironic isn’t it? Dennis Cham is soft spoken yet has created one of the country’s foremost sound-tech powerhouses.

With a chinoy DNA built for business, this awkward science nerd heard a call ringing clear as a bell in his discerning ear back in the 80s. From working in the LA studios where Huey Lewis and the News and Heart created the decade’s emblematic hits, he spent the 90s as a partner in creating the country’s most-awarded audio postproduction house, HIT Productions.

It’s safe to say he’s led a one-track life where sound and its science are all that echoes in his ear.

So much so that he jets off to LA, Hong Kong and Japan time after time each year just

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so he can stay in tune with sound’s evolving technology. His travels have not only ensured the studio remains precisely and acoustically correct but have also put him in touch with a network of acclaimed audiophiles.

Thanks to Cham, this network of the world’s top ears from leading global studios is now on our radar and has resulted in collaborations such as the one with Academy Award-nominated director John Sayles for the epic Amigo.

Like shattered glass and the sonic boom, Cham proves that sound is as much a physical as it is an audio experience. And through the years, he has let HIT’s sounds do the talking for him.

Dennis Cham Director for innovation, HIT Productions

PHOTOGRAPHER: AT MACULANGAN / STYLIST: RJ ROQUE / MAKE-UP ARTIST & HAIR STYLIST: CECILLE REBOLLOS FURNITURE: SIFRA INTERIORS & OBJECTS SHOT ON SITE: PIONEER STUDIO

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DIGITAL

MAKING DIGITAL WORK FOR BRAND MARKETERS

Making digital work for brand marketers Mindshare’s Nick Seckold shares tips for search, mobile and digital talent Words: Abby Yao

Digital is on every marketer’s lips, but the online space remains unfamiliar territory for many brands.

Faced with various platforms and social networks, there are two essential questions that brands should answer: Can customers find you? And can you hear what they are saying?

Speaking toMindshare Philippines clients, the agency’s Asia Pacific’s digital head Nick Seckold discussed visibility and listening, the twin foundations of digital marketing.

Out of sight, out of mind As 80% of consumer online journeys start with search, visibility on the web is of primary importance. Marketers have yet to realize the potential of search as a communications vehicle, even though many consumers follow the “research online, purchase offline” route. “Brands haven’t made the connection with the volume of people that are searching every day to marketing programs,” said Seckold.

But what about brands that people do not normally search for?

A product in a low involvement category such detergent powder can be linked to related keywords and target audiences. For example, for an audience such as soccer moms, the search keywords “how to remove grass stains” can be part of the detergent powder’s brand territory. Paid ads on top of search results can mark this territory. A brand that does not appear at the top of search results is not seen as a leader for the keyword.

With brand territory as a base, the brand has the constant visibility that Google values. “Brand territory moves you from tactical bursts to alwayson activity and fills the visibility gap,” said Seckold.

Search, though narrowly perceived and commonly associated with search engine optimization and direct response, can do much more. It can even be used to test creative. “If you wanted to test a tagline, search allows you to very cost effectively test many variations,” explained Seckold. As Google allows even rotation of ads, click-through rates (CTR) can determine what resonates most with consumers and the best performing lines can be applied to offline creative.

Other key benefits of a visibility program include a relatively low cost (pay per click) defense against competitors hijacking a brand’s territory.

Although growing earned media such as a bloggers’ unsolicited positive review is one of the goals, brands need to work on their assets first.

Seckold believes that brands do not spend enough time creating owned media such as websites and social media pages.

He described the Philippines as virgin territory for search. “Nobody’s advertising at scale.”

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Nick Seckold

Listening, the other bedrock of digital marketing, is similarly undervalued by marketers. “It’s important that [brands] understand what consumers are saying outside the typical consumer groups that they may have,” said Seckold.

Using online tools, brands can find out what people are saying about the brand, stay on top of crisis management, identify key influencers who are brand advocates, and adjust communications based on conversation analysis. He cited an incident in Malaysia where an employee of KFC rubbed a chicken on the bottom of his shoe, recorded it on video and uploaded it to YouTube.

“Luckily we were listening and we were able to counter that with PR. ” Don’t forget mobile “We need to clearly watch out for mobile, given the volume of smartphones coming into the market,” said Seckold. For client HSBC, Mindshare’s local office successfully used mobile to promote the femaleoriented Red MasterCard through a tie-in with footwear brand Charles & Keith. This was conducted through the opt-in ad model of Globe Telecom and Out There Media. According to Sunitha Gopalakrishnan, managing director of Mindshare’s Philippine office, the mobile ads were so effective that the number of ads sent out had to be limited each week to keep up with demand for the shoes and card applications.

There is tremendous opportunity on mobile: over 50% of users access Facebook via mobile in Indonesia, Japan and Singapore, and 6.4 million access mobile Facebook in the Philippines. In addition, Filipinos engage with more brand friends than other nationalities. However, Seckold believes mobile has yet to prove its real worth.

By starting with visibility and listening, brands can experiment, learn and lead in digital. As ‘new media’ becomes mainstream, mar-

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keters can secure their brand territories and integrate digital seamlessly into their media plans. As brands move towards an ad-served world that allows for more detailed consumer targeting and ad tracking, it is easy to get lost in a sea of measures.

To stay focused, marketers should match indicators to objectives. Reach, impact and cost have a variety of corresponding metrics.

With all the excitement in digital, questions have naturally been raised about the traditional media mix. Seckold said that media should be integrated. “There is no line.” Traditional and digital media co-exist – television is in fact the most pervasive driver of search clicks.

Since consumers do not make the distinction between online and offline, neither should marketers. Relevant messages must be tailored for each platform.

The tools for monitoring and harnessing digital are available but there is a shortage of people to handle them. “Talent is a real problem, both from an advertiser and agency standpoint,” said Seckold. “In Singapore, for example, we would need to employ every digital person in every agency in five years’ time [to keep up].”

To broaden the net, Mindshare works with government to bring digital marketing programs and modules in universities and to show digital marketing as a viable career choice. The media agency also has a three-month program for 30 to 40 people, with three or four intakes a year.

In addition to marketers, statisticians and mathematicians are needed to crunch the numbers.

Creative talent is also sorely lacking. In the Philippines, Mindshare has a Media Academy for graduates and staff who undergo training and tackle case studies. Education is also important on the client side. “Having a team on the other side can sometimes facilitate those conversations and you end up landing more projects and more innovative work.”

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DIGITAL

ASIA'S LEADING CORPORATIONS GETTING SOCIAL

Asia’s leading corporations getting social But Burson-Marsteller survey finds approach is short-term and piecemeal Words: Edelrita Rizo

Corporations in Asia are taking to social media with as much zeal as the region’s consumers, but their approach has been short-term and piecemeal, a study

by Burson-Marsteller has found.

The 2011 Asia-Pacific Social Media Study found the number of corporations leveraging social media channels had doubled since the pilot 2010 study. The spike puts regional corporate use at almost on par with the 84% reported for Fortune 100 companies.

The 12-market study evaluated corporate marketing and communications activity on top social media channels of 120 of Asia’s leading companies, selected from the Wall Street Journal Asia 200 Index of leading companies.

While corporate social media use has shot up, the report found companies were taking a piecemeal approach.

Over half the accounts – used primarily for product marketing campaigns – were inactive; rarely updated after the campaign’s end.

Bob Pickard, Burson-Marsteller’s Asia Pacific CEO, believes a fear of transparency and a struggle to identify relevant content to share with the network have prevented companies from fully exploiting social media.

Companies must realize that corporate secrecy has become an outmoded concept and they must get used to sharing information since consumers were increasingly sourcing information about a brand or business from their social networks rather than a company directly, he noted.

Pickard also had a simple solution to the issue of offering relevant content on social media channels. He advised companies to bring a human touch to their engagement activities. “We ask (CEOs and presidents): ‘Do you usually make presentations?’

They say yes, so okay why don’t we put your slides on Slideshare? Or ‘Do you usually give speeches?’

Yes. So why not record it and put it on YouTube?’

The study also found that few Asian companies have set up social media channels specifically for corporate marketing or communications purposes. Most piggyback on consumer channels “While this one-size-fits-all approach enables firms to reach an established community quickly, it also means it can prove more difficult over time to segment users and target them with relevant corporate news and information,” the study’s authors concluded.

Another misstep is the failure of most firms to promote their social profiles through their websites. Most firms also remain mired in the traditional push approach, making little effort to use the channels to engage their target audience in corporate-related discussions.

This despite a flattening of communications, which has evolved from a vertical corporate structure-based hierarchy to a peer-to-peer route, which social media has enabled.

This very evolution means brands have an easier route to reach consumers especially during a crisis. “Be prepared to apologize,” he said of crisis response given the explosion in social media use. Advising corporations to admit, listen and address the issue, Pickard said the old “no comment” response would no longer fly since social media was both highly emotional and viral – negative emotions can spread fast and it could be too late to correct false impressions after keeping silent from the beginning.

“It’s easy to say, ‘Oh, everything’s fine!’ but it’s much better to admit that something is wrong and you’re doing something about it,” Pickard counseled.

The study found that engaging the target on topics such as CSR or thought leadership to generate feedback have taken a back seat to using the platform to reinforce ongoing media activities and influencer outreach.

South Korea and, somewhat unexpectedly, China lead the region in providing a two-way communications channel such as corporate blogs for marketing purposes. The study stressed the value in leveraging these channels for explaining complex topics.

While numbers show a sharp growth in corporate social media use, the way the channel has been leveraged by companies in Asia clearly suggests that its use is still at a nascent stage.

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Corporate social media channels by market - 2011

Bob Pickard

DIGITAL

WHEN BRANDS GET AN F FOR SOCIAL

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When brands get an F for social

From a trigger-happy CEO to linking spring promotions to the Arab uprising More brands are climbing on the social bandwagon and a number are finding the ride treacherous to say the least. 2011 had its share of epic fails as well as brands that excelled in this new media playground, a destination that is deceptively easy to enter but the rules of engagement can be especially brutal.

As more brands get social, the chances of missteps occurring will only increase. Social networks provide a great platform for brand engagement but only on consumers’ terms. What’s in it for them? Will they receive discounts if they “friend” a brand? Will their problem be addressed, their feedback acknowledged when left on a brand’s social page? Will they receive exclusive content?

A cardinal rule of getting social with customers is a brand’s response. Brands that fail to respond and do so in a timely manner will only annoy consumers who engage for a reason.

Failure to act speaks volumes of a brand’s attitude – it’s rude or unresponsive – or at the very least that it’s in over its head in getting social.

A quick response is equally essential since control really lies in consumers’ hands. After all, they rather that a brand tend to do the tweeting or posting an update about a brand.

Like the game Chinese whispers, chances are high they will make mistakes in their posts.

When this happens, the speed at which social networks act will ensure the error spreads across cyberspace like a raging wildfire in a New York minute or less. Worse yet, count on the errors accumulating with every posting.

Spring just as the Egyptian revolution got underway. Needless to say its “Millions are in uproar in #Cairo. Rumor is they heard our new spring collection is available online...” tweet didn’t lead to a stampede for its new shoes. Instead, the brand felt an angry backlash for making light of a serious situation

02 A profane tweet posted on Chrysler’s official account insulting Detroit demonstrated how easily mistakes can happen in the fast and fluid online social world. It was later discovered the tweet “I find it ironic that Detroit is known as the #motorcity and yet no one here knows how to (expletive) drive” was in fact posted by an employee of Chrysler’s social media agency. It was mistakenly posted on Chrysler’s rather than the user’s personal account. Chrysler removed the offending tweet, apologized in a blog post and then took the axe to its relationship with the agency.

Here are five epic social media fails of 2011

01 Footwear and accessories brand Kenneth Cole jumped onto the social media bandwagon in a wildly inappropriate way. In a promotional tweet, it crassly linked its spring collection to the Arab

03 The CEO of Go Daddy shocked the web by posting videos of himself killing a “problem” elephant in Zimbabwe.

Thousands of customers ditched Go Daddy for rival internet hosting companies after PETA closed its account, demanded others do the same and named Bob Parsons the “Scummiest CEO of the Year”.

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04 Blackberry suffered an epic fail of its network in major markets – from Europe to the Middle East, Africa, India, China, Argentina and Brazil. It compounded the problem by failing to communicate with its users, leaving users to instead to vent their anger on social networks. On the first day of the outage, its brand mentions leapt by more than 400,000 tweets. RIM was finally prodded into communicating with users when outages hit the US and Canada and social networks exploded with comments.

05 Even social networks can flub the business of getting social. Facebook suspended celebrated author Salman Rushdie’s account as he failed to comply with its real name policy. After Rushdie sent in his passport to verify that he was in fact the account holder, Facebook reactivated the account under the name Ahmed Rushdie.

Far from pleased, the author took the issue to his 10,000 Twitter followers, telling them that Facebook’s actions were tantamount to “forcing J. Edgar to become John Hoover. Or, if F. Scott Fitzgerald was on #Facebook, would they force him to be Francis Fitzgerald? What about F. Murray Abraham?” Facebook eventually allowed Rushdie to go with his middle name.

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DIGITAL

DIGITAL GETS SOCIAL, PHYSICAL AT IMMAP NIGHT

Digital gets social, physical at IMMAP Night

Powered by a shot of the hard stuff, 16 speakers take to stage Pecha Kucha style The first IMMAP (Internet and Mobile Marketing Association of the Philippines) Open Mic Night proved that digital is a social, personal and even a physical experience. Over 300 attendees packed the floor of Craft Pub & Grill at the Fort Strip in Taguig City on November 10 for a night of talks, drinks and networking.

Powered by the Pecha Kucha format, talks were presented in 20 slides, each shown for 20 seconds.

Digital was inevitably a major focus of the night’s talks, but marketing was not the only topic tackled by the 16 speakers, each of whom downed a shot before taking the stage.

Purposeful participation The first set of speakers took a dive into purposedriven sharing through social media. Tech blogger Jayvee Fernandez and writer-environmentalist Anna Oposa spoke of their passion for the rich Philippine marine life.

Jay Jaboneta, who harnessed the power of social media to raise funds to build boats, also took a nautical approach. These yellow boats of hope ferry Tausug kids to school in Zamboanga.

Naughty is the best description for photographer Niccolo Cosme’s slogan for his red whistle campaign: “Blow me.” Struck by AIDS-related deaths in the gay community, Cosme started wearing the whistle to encourage conversations about AIDS. Andre Yap of Ripple100 enumerated lessons in participative storytelling, which led to the success of movements such as the Obama campaign.

The artists’ way Celeste Prize-winning contemporary artist Nasser Lubay showed off his work, inspirations and influences in a six-minute visual feast.

Design guru Brian Tenorio spoke of the seduction strategy and how this is applied in the construction of desire by quoting from The Laws of Simplicity. Original Pilipino Music hero and artist Jim Paredes outlined the history of Filipino music from the 1960s to the present and argued that Filipinos need not copy from America. Paredes made the case for local talent and how locals can draw from their culture to create work that is world-class.

01 Third Domingo 02 Jayvee Fernandez

01

02

Relationships gone cold may be one way to describe the theory of Ideas x Machina’s Third Domingo on how people use social media. Using a oneto-many medium such as Facebook, people are essentially broadcasting to one person in particular.

“Interaction feeds me,” said Globe’s Coy Caballes as he looked at his unwanted tagged photos on Facebook that marked the milestones of his life and social media career.

Screen lives TV5 head of new media Carlo Ople deviated from the rest to tell his love story through images. “My love for my wife is my legacy,” he said.

Aside from fear and fun, love, said Wunderman’s Chay Saputil, drives people do what they do.

Saputil talked about her learnings from the music and tech festival SXSW.

Selling digital Nestlé’s Ricky Baizas introduced digital as the Michael Jackson of marketing, “the neglected son who became a superstar”. Baizas reminded the audience of once big names such as Tower Records, Blockbuster and Borders. “If you do not go digital, you will go out of business,” warned Ricky Baizas.

Groupon Philippines CEO Patrick Cuartero talked about his company, as well as his yoyonation. com business. Showing off group buying basics, as well as his yoyo skills, Cuartero engaged the crowd after his sales talk.

Returning to a liquid theme, ABS-CBN Publishing’s Ernie Lopez said, “Running ABS-CBN Publishing is like surfing- it’s all about the timing.” If

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digital is the second wave of publishing, after print, then the advice of his surfing instructor holds true: “Catch the second wave. It’s bigger.”

TBWA\Santiago Mangada Puno’s Backslash Challenge at the Disruption Bar made attendees swarm for a photo after drinking five colorful shots.

The Open Mic Night seems to have discovered the formula to bring together techies, marketers and everyone in between.

“We’re going to be doing more unconventional, innovative, unconferences in the future,” promised Pao Peña, chief digital officer of Leo Burnett and one of the organizers of Open Mic Night.

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PROJECTIONS

REGIONAL HEADS p96 Tim Isaac • Keith Smith • Michael Maedel • Charles Cadell • Rupen Desai • Charles Wigley Cheuk Chiang • Chris Jaques • Chris Thomas • Jarek Ziebinski • John Zeigler • Barry Cupples Nirvik Singh • Matthew Godfrey REGIONAL CREATIVES p110 Chris Chiu • Spencer Wong • Tay Guan Hin • John Jakubowski • Steve Elrick • John Merrifield Marcus Rebeschini LOCAL HEADS p118 David Guerrero • Joanna Chan-Mojica • Jos Ortega • Randy Aquino • Ronald Barreiro • Venus Navalta

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SPECIAL FEATURE

REGIONAL PROJECTIONS

Tim Isaac Chairman Ogilvy & Mather Asia Pacific and Bates Asia

How did your network fare in 2011?

For the entire Ogilvy network, 2011 was a year of innovation and change in digital, in strategy, in who we hired and the work we developed. We outperformed our competitors in new business, effectiveness and creativity but more importantly it was a year in which we helped more of our clients achieve their growth targets.

Everything we did was focused on using creativity as a catalyst for business growth. We were the most awarded agency in Asia at Cannes this year,and celebrated winning twice as many effectiveness awards in all Asian effectiveness competitions as the next best agency.

Which markets delivered strong financial and creative performance in 2011?

Our two growth engines, China and India, continues to grow. ASEAN also has been growing while the more mature Asian markets of Hong Kong, Japan and Korea have held their own.

The arrival of one of London’s top creative talents, Graham Fink, in China was a major step in creating a creative powerhouse in the region’s largest market. Our award-winning campaigns include Johnnie Walker ‘Walk the Talk in China’, Dove, which outperformed client forecast by 150%; and Goodyear with an idea about ‘safety’ that really caught people’s attention and a SABRE award.

The six offices across India continued to grow. Mumbai enjoys a 97% client retention rate and has expanded through a 90% pitch win record. Standout award-winning campaigns include Vodafone ‘Blackberry Boys’, which increased number of prepaid Blackberry users by 96%, postpaid users by 76%, while sales of Blackberry devices at Vodafone retail outlets rose 150%; and Indian Railways, a campaign that took gold at Cannes 2011.

Ogilvy Malaysia won ‘Agency of the Year’ at Spikes 2011 and took home creative awards from Cannes, Spikes, LIA, D&AD and The One Show.

Our most successful area of growth was our digital offering. Digital could no longer sit alone as a separate division but had to become an area that all our staff from every discipline needed to embrace. Last year, we simultaneously launched Digital DOJO to all Asia-Pacific staff, across 25 offices, and trained 5,842 Ogilvy staff.

How do you see your network performing in the region in 2012?

Ogilvy Asia Pacific now makes up 25% of global revenue and five of Asia’s offices are in the Top 10 Ogilvy offices globally. We are forecasting that the region’s business will continue to grow in 2012 and that our contribution to global revenues will increase based on a potential softening from other regions.

What are your expectations of client demands and budgets for 2012?

The world is more uncertain and volatile than at any time since 2008/09 but unlike the last recession where marketers pulled all budgets

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globally, clients are taking a more ‘tailored’ approach to marketing investments. Along with that, digital is enabling a much more real time and measurable approach so we think that growth of digital will help to sustain spend levels to some extent. We are therefore remaining conservatively optimistic.

Digital has been a blessing and a curse for creative industries – how do you hope to manage it while capitalizing on benefits for better consumer engagement in 2012?

As David Ogilvy said: “Unless your work is built on a big idea, it will pass like a ship in the night.” There is no proxy for brilliant ideas.

Digital tools and technology enable improved communication at three stages: planning, creative and campaign execution, and measurement. Peoples’ search habits are reflective of broader consumer wants and needs. Online conversation monitoring provides specific information and we can mine that data to inform our insights. We are now able to take campaign content creation to a new level, involving consumers to create enduring content that is findable, credible and shareable.

Digital has enabled planners and creative to work together in increasingly productive ways. Our future is a fusion of creativity and technology. That is to be celebrated and exploited – not feared!

Finally, digital measurement allows immediate feedback and response for any activity. We are more agile and accurate as a result, adopting more of a newsroom mentality. Now we are looking for ways to tell brand stories across a variety of channels, which we then execute, measure, iterate and build.

As David Ogilvy said: ‘Unless your work is built on a big idea it will pass like a ship in the night.’ There is no proxy for brilliant ideas.

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Keith Smith President TBWA\ Worldwide

How did your network fare in 2011?

For the second year running, we won the largest pitch in Australia and ANZ Bank consolidated all of its business, ATL and BTL, with Whybin\TBWA, globally.

Whybin\TBWA also won all of Unilever’s ice cream business and the Tourism New Zealand account.

We’ve made significant new business gains in Japan, winning P&G, Ikea and Visa, and in Greater China, we’ve won new digital business from Coach and General Electric.

Pfizer-Wyeth just appointed TBWA\Hong Kong to handle its Illuma and Gold infant formula brands. We’re growing our Pernod Ricard business in China with Ballantines and globally, we’ve won Kahlua.

TBWA\India won the high profile new T2 launch for the Mumbai Airport and the Raymond suiting business. India also launched two hugely successful campaigns for Nissan: the Micra and the Sunny.

We also won the regional business for AIA out of Hong Kong and for EA Games out of Australia.

We’ve recruited great creative talent in the last two years – Edmund Choe, Tan Yan Chay and Ong Kien Hoe in Greater China, Dave Bowman, Matty Burton and

Paul Reardon in Australia; and heavily in digital talent – Luke Eid in Hong Kong, Dwayne Koh in China, Oz Dean and Steven Watson in Singapore, and John Bright and Damian Royce in Australia.

Which markets delivered strong financial and creative performance in 2011?

In 2011, we set about converting our new business growth and our significant investment in talent in this region into exceptional business results for our long-term clients, like Apple, Nissan, adidas and McDonald’s.

The most important awards that any agency can win are for effectiveness, and we’ve created some exceptional work in 2011 that’s not only creative, but it’s integrated, effective and it sells. Whybin\TBWA’s NRMA’s ‘My Car is Your Car’ for NRMA Insurance won a Grand Prix, Gold and Silver at APMA, Silver at the Effies and Bronze at Cannes Lions.

TBWA\Hakuhodo created ‘Kutsukasu’ for adidas, which won gold at Spikes. From 2010 to 2011, adidas Japan’s sales grew by 17%.

TBWA\Hong Kong brought home the only Grand Effie along with three Gold Effies for Levi’s ‘Soundwash’ and won Silver at the Asian Marketing Effectiveness Awards.

TBWA\Santiago Mangada Puno won ‘Agency of the Year’ in Philippines for an uprecedented fourth time and ECD Melvin Mangada reigns as the Philippine’s No. 1 Creative, topping adobo magazine’s ‘2010 Creative Rankings’ for the second year in a row.

How do you see your network performing in the region in 2012?

TBWA is focused on building the agency network of the future globally. Our mission is not only to be the best creative advertising agency, but also to be one of the most creative companies in the world. It’s an ambitious goal, but TBWA has unique strategic tools that have helped grow some of the world’s biggest brands, including Apple, Nissan, adidas and McDonald’s. With top creative talent in place, TBWA will also see great work and creative

awards from Australia, Japan and Greater China in 2012.

What are your expectations of client demands and budgets for 2012?

Only a few clients are cutting spending or holding back their budgets for 2012. In fact, we have seen a strong uptick in spending as markets like Japan and Thailand recover from the disasters of 2011. Clients in developing markets are showing robust growth and are likely to continue to do so since those countries tend to be commodity export or produce.

Over the last few years, we have been restructuring our agencies and are better positioned should there be another, or rather a continuation, of the financial crisis.

Digital has been a blessing and a curse for creative industries – how do you hope to manage it while capitalizing on benefits for better consumer engagement in 2012?

Tequila\Digital’s Asia Pacific president Charles Clapshaw recently commented that “less is more” when it comes to digital technology. We often make things more difficult by trying to use technology to create new behavior, rather than use common sense to build on existing human behavior and use digital marketing to amplify it.

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January - February 2012

‘Less is more’ when it comes to digital technology.

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Charles Cadell Managing director McCann Worldgroup Southeast Asia catalyst, we’ve made significant investments in innovative technologies and systems across Worldgroup of companies in Asia Pacific.

How did your network fare in 2011?

The group experienced several high points: • Transformation of leadership to drive deeper collaboration across our companies.

We believe the strength of Worldgroup is the collaboration of our powerful thought leaders and our network’s continued business innovation and we’ve invested in an impressive line-up of senior leadership and created the Worldgroup’s first-ever regional hub in Singapore.

• Growth transformation: Successfully won Singapore’s largest pitch in 2011, with OCBC. The agency also won key business across all markets, including Aircel in India; Coca-Cola in China and Thailand; and Harley Davidson in Singapore.

• Continued success of McCann Healthcare: Solidifying our position as the number one healthcare agency in Asia, McCann Healthcare won an additional 151 pieces of businesses across nine markets including the consolidation of over ten brands from Pfizer across Australia, China and Singapore. McCann Health is also recognized as the most creative among the healthcare agencies.

• Innovation and creation: Since Greg Armshaw joined as chief technology

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Which markets delivered strong financial and creative performance in 2011?

All our offices experienced strong financial performance, picking up significant new business and strengthening relationships with existing clients. We also understand that in order to grow and expand our footprint across the region, we must pursue growth in multiple ways, which includes acquisitions such as Smart in Australia.

The network also enjoyed a successful year in terms its creative performance: CocaCola was named Brand Agency of the Year at the Digital Marketing Awards as a result of work developed by McCann Worldgroup Hong Kong; McCann Thailand was awarded the prestigious Grand Prix in Film for its TVC for the Thai Health Promotional Board at the ADMAN Awards, and McCann Philippines collected an impressive 14 metals, including three golds for Coca-Cola, Jollibee and The Bank of the Philippines Islands at Araw.

How do you see your network performing in 2012?

With clients expecting greater turnover (some predicting as much as three-quarters by 2020) coming from our region, they’re investing heavily in the fast-growing economies such

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as India, China, Indonesia and Vietnam.

Asia Pacific will continue to be an absolute priority for our network and we remain fully committed to making the appropriate investments to ensure we compete as the leading marketing solutions network.

What are your expectations of client demands and budgets for 2012?

Our clients have set relatively robust budgets for 2012 with growth built in. Underpinned by Asia Pacific’s growth, we’re looking forward to a strong performance from all our markets in 2012, and clients continue to invest in our fastest-growing economies, as Europe and the US are pegged to be low growth territories for the remainder of the decade.

Digital has been a blessing and a curse for creative industries – how will you manage its impact while capitalizing on the benefits digital provides for better consumer engagement?

Crowdsourcing serves a purpose. It can be useful if a brand really wants to shake lots of new creative angles and interpretations from the inspiration tree, but it does not negate the need to establish a marketing strategy for a brand and then guide that brand through the evolution and implementation of that strategy with carefully curated ideas, creatively executed across multiple channels.

Asia Pacific will continue to be an absolute priority for our network and we remain fully committed to making the appropriate investments.

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Rupen Desai President Lowe Asia Pacific for our Vietnam team and Leigh Reyes for the Philippine agency.

We will always continue to be the agency with a culture of practitioners, never afraid of experimenting and continuing to tell brand stories that move many, not the few. And it feels like we have just begun.

How did your network fare in 2011?

2011 has been the year of combining individual strengths and making Lowe stronger and competitive, as one network.

We gained 11 places on thecreativerankings.com and are now ranked eight most creative network in Asia Pacific versus number nine in 2010. This is because of our commitment to Populist Creativity: Our best work on our biggest clients and that too in some of the toughest, low interest categories.

Our thinking and product has been recognized and awarded across global, regional and local awards like Cannes, Effies, 4As Chiat Day awards, Clios, One Show, Spikes and AMEs to name a few. Our offices have averaged ten or more new business wins a month; over and above winning new global brands; adding more than 100 new businesses across the region this year.

These also include major wins for our yearold shopper marketing outfit, Open, across China, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam with brands like Big C, 7-Eleven and more.

In 2011, we made some notable changes to our leadership teams across the region. Jeremy Hine took over leadership of our Thailand agency partnered by Pom Chaiyaporn; Michel Borelli did the same

Which markets delivered strong financial and creative performance in 2011?

All our offices across the region have played a large role in our performance this year. Lowe India ranked among the world’s Top 5 agencies on effectiveness by the new Effectiveness Index launched at Cannes last year Lowe Indonesia was awarded Indonesia’s first film gold at One Show; plus wins at Clio, AMEs, Spikes and Cannes Lowe teams had numerous wins at AMEs 2011 and over 20 Effies across teams in China, India, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, consistently making us one of the most awarded networks in Asia.

Lowe Singapore received Singapore’s only Grand Prix at the Spikes and was also one of the most awarded agencies in Singapore at Cannes.

How do you see your network performing in the region in 2012?

One large priority in 2012 will be the integration of our office in Australia, 303 Lowe, Australia’s largest independent agency, with offices in Sydney and Perth.

While 2012 promises to be challenging, we enter the year with an optimistic view of Asia where we will continue to invest in talent and capabilities leading to growth. We believe that they go hand-in-hand and will fuel our progress, further, as a network.

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What are your expectations of client demands and budgets for 2012?

Perceptual and real pressures of the economy are putting the focus right back on accountability of agency partners.

Our commitment to Populist Creativity will fuel a real, measurable impact on client businesses. With clients demanding ‘more from less’ from their agencies, making the marketing dollars work harder seems to be the order of the day for 2012. We feel, given we are obsessed with the ROI of the work we do, that this will be an opportunity to create more leading, world-class work in Asia that overshadows the tightening budgets.

Digital has been a blessing and a curse for creative industries – how do you hope to manage it while capitalizing on benefits for better consumer engagement in 2012?

Technology is, and has always been, an integral part of what we do today, and embracing digital as a power rather than a medium is the mindset that could benefit all of us. Technology, by itself, is no longer an innovation, but it’s an amazing tool to bring a populist idea to life.

Our focus will continue to be on creating ideas for brands that live in a ‘digitized world’. Take the recent initiative from Lowe Philippines, Crowdder. It’s a crowd-sourcing tool for real time online research that was developed completely in-house. We see it as an idea brought to life using digital technologies and not a digital idea. We are trying to ensure that we use the power of technology at the core of our offering – populist creative ideas that change behavior online and offline.

While 2012 promises to be challenging, we enter the year with an optimistic view of Asia.

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Charles Wigley Chairman BBH Asia mobile agency Monterosa has moved in with us in Singapore, as have Bollywood product placement outfit Red Panda in India. So lots of interesting new folks around the place. Finally, the Effies effectiveness index (in association with WARC) also ranked us the most effective Independent Agency in Asia.

Which markets delivered strong financial and creative performance in 2011?

Operating a micro-network, hub structure we only have three offices in Asia and they all performed well against their targets. But, of course, I may be biased in this.

How did your network fare in 2011?

There are some great work and some interesting developments in how we operate as an agency. Creatively, China created Project Yulu (‘Words of a Journey’) for Johnnie Walker, a series of 12 documentary films about Chinese progressives that had over 30 million views online and has been made into a feature film, as well as launching Axe with an online push featuring the increasingly notorious Edison Chen. Some lovely work from them on Minute Maid as well featuring a man in a cow suit – I’ll say no more.

In Singapore, there is continuing category challenging work for co-operative insurer NTUC Income, as well as some big stuff for Google. In India, we launched a full length (and very tongue-in-cheek) Bengali pop video for Marico hair care and some very unusual TV work for VAT 69 whisky.

Structurally, we’ve continued our push towards true integration with some top hires in the digital/gaming/social fields, as well as striking JVs with world famous post production and digital effects house The Mill and with pre-media experts Wellcom. Cannes Gold winning Swedish

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How do you see your network performing in the region in 2012?

The Asian surge could be slowing somewhat, but we still think that growth will be good in this part of the world. To an extent though fee levels versus Europe and North America do work against this when you are trying to deliver world class here (and therefore need to hire world class people). As ever, it’s a balancing act.

What are your expectations of client demands and budgets for 2012?

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Clients will continue to push for more, for less.

To an extent our industry is being commoditized – there is less mystique about it and a lot of the skills can now be found outside of agencies and, in fact, client side. Really, it’s up to agencies to carve out clear and attractive value propositions for themselves – what are they offering that really makes sense from a buyer’s point of view?

From a BBH perspective, we are also moving significantly into creating our own IP/products in projects where we are our own client, in essence making our skills work for us rather than always for someone else.

Digital has been a blessing and a curse for creative industries – how will you manage its impact while capitalizing on the benefits digital provides for better consumer engagement?

Whether we like it or not we are going through massive changes – so it’s probably best to embrace the new order and see what you can do with it, rather than sticking your head in the sand and hoping it’ll go away!

Specifically with regard to crowd sourcing, I don’t think it’s that big an issue really – it is interesting and appropriate for some projects and wildly inappropriate for others.

There is less mystique about it and a lot of the skills can now be found outside of agencies and, in fact, client side. Really, it’s up to agencies to carve out clear and attractive value propositions for themselves.

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Cheuk Chiang Chief executive officer PHD Asia Pacific out – PHD Hong Kong with over 21 local, regional and global award wins and PHD China with eight local, regional and global award wins. Both these markets also won this year at Cannes with world-class work for Unilever and Vitasoy.

How do you see your network performing in the region in 2012?

PHD Asia Pacific will continue to contribute significantly to our network’s global share.

Over the past two years, we have been Asia Pacific’s fastest growing network and 2012 will only see us going from strength to strength.

How did your network fare in 2011?

2011 was hugely rewarding. We continued to challenge larger, more established media players with a fresh, innovative approach.

We contested in tough new business pitches and won a significant amount of new business (over 75 new business wins worth over US$337M which included SC Johnson, Google, Esprit and Hotels.com).

We produced our best work resulting in great business results for clients and our best awards result (including two Cannes Lions) to date. We grew (from 526 staff in 2010 to 747 in 2011 and opened new offices in Taiwan, China and the Philippines), launched several initiatives, got noticed (over 255 pieces of news coverage), and gave back to the industry (supported the industry through training and thought leadership and launched a thought leadership book – 2016) and our communities (raised over USD$500,000 for our communities).

Which markets delivered strong financial and creative performance in 2011?

Every single one of our markets delivered strong financial growth in 2011 with every market exceeding growth targets. In terms of award performances, two markets stood

What are your expectations of client demands and budgets for 2012?

Clients will obviously be cautious and it is our responsibility to ensure their money is used wisely. Clever strategy (both buying and communications) is the order of the day during these challenging times. Clients want leadership and that’s what PHD will deliver.

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Digital has been a blessing and a curse for creative industries – how will you manage its impact while capitalizing on the benefits digital provides for better consumer engagement?

Love it or hate it, we now live in the age of great change. The resulting changes in media are opportunities that marketers must capitalize on.

It’s important that with these changes, we translate our thinking into tangible benefits for our clients. We have leveraged these developments to help our clients better market their brands.

We offer clients econometric modeling capabilities even if they don’t have an econometric model. We deliver and operate real time response planning capabilities. We utilize our award-winning channel planning software to plan media, and our investment capabilities to stay ahead of the market. We’re best placed to handle the demands of an evolving media marketplace because we see the future coming, and can therefore build the necessary capabilities for clients to maximize their media investment when it arrives.

Love it or hate it, we now live in the age of great change.

The resulting changes in media are opportunities that marketers must capitalize on.

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www.asiamediajournal.com

Chris Jaques Chief executive officer M&C Saatchi Asia

How did your network fare in 2011?

M&C Saatchi Asia has doubled in revenues over the last three years, and has grown profits by over 700%. We’ve been driving our business with laser-like focus on four strategic principles: 1. Focus on big markets: China, Japan and India; 2. Focus on high-margin business, like brand consulting and corporate identity; 3. Focus on high-growth sectors: digital, social, retail and mobile; 4. Focus on the new wave of Asian multinational clients.

So we’ve launched new offices in Tokyo, Beijing and Mumbai. Clear Consulting has launched incredibly successful offices in Hong Kong and Singapore. We’ve launched M&C Saatchi-i and M&C Saatchi Mobile in China and India. And this year we’ve achieved big wins like Lenovo in China, and Malaysia Tourism across the Americas, Europe and Oceania. We’re on-strategy and well ahead of plan.

Which markets delivered strong financial and creative performance in 2011?

M&C Saatchi Malaysia remains one of the three most successful offices in the whole of

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M&C Saatchi worldwide – and 2011 has been their best year ever, winning new business from clients like Malaysia Tourism, VW, Celcom and many more. China also performed well, winning big business from strong local brands like Lenovo and Deerway. India achieved its best performance ever. And Japan continues to create mould-breaking business thinking for major local brands like Mitsubishi and Pola. We believe that the only purpose of creativity in our business, is to deliver results for our clients’ business – and our work is working harder than ever.

How do you see your network performing in the region in 2012?

2012 is looking good. We are budgeting to achieve more than double our 2011 profit.

This year Asia Pacific will account for around one third of global profits, and we see that increasing significantly in the coming three years.

What are your expectations of client demands and budgets for 2012?

Current developments are combining in a perfect storm that is transforming the fundamental principles of our industry. When you combine the unstable economy with the growth of digital, mobile and retail marketing, plus the consequent access to transformational quantities of data, the implications are radical.

In 2012 it will be more important to produce a constant variety of tailor-made content, produced at low-cost, than it is to create a great but expensive TV campaign.

Old-style creative agencies are endangered.

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Big brand campaigns are less powerful than creative tactics. Creative awards are increasingly irrelevant. 2012 will be scary for the big old creative ad agencies, but an incredibly exciting place for fast, flexible, lowcost creative businesses.

Digital has been a blessing and a curse for creative industries – how will you manage its impact while capitalizing on the benefits digital provides for better consumer engagement?

In the digital world, creativity is more important than it’s ever been – but it’s a different type of creativity that’s needed. And if agencies carry on working as old-style brand agencies they’ll get eaten up and spat out sooner than you can chew a chicken adobo.

Because the new world requires instant impact and relentless refreshment. Here’s why: Facebook ads burn-out after three to five days.

The day after download, only 20% of free apps are ever used. Consumers will give a half page print ad 0.6 seconds’ attention before deciding whether to notice it or not.

They may give a TV spot three seconds if you’re lucky. In-store, consumers will look for your brand for only three-six seconds before giving up and choosing another.

As a result, agencies need to be fast, flexible, low-cost creators of impactful, engaging content. But if they spend three months developing strategy and another three months crafting content, their clients will be toast. And if they spend months of time and thousands of pesos creating scam work for award entries, they’ll soon be bust themselves.

If agencies carry on working as old-style brand agencies they’ll get eaten up and spat out.

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Chris Thomas Chairman and chief executive officer BBDO and Proximity Asia

our clients and once again this has been exemplified by high retention rates and organic growth. 2011 saw Mars award us three additional assignments – Whiskas, Dove and Pedigree. We also developed new disciplines to meet our clients’ needs, expanding Proximity Shop, which now operates in five markets globally.

How did your network fare in 2011?

2011 has been yet another successful year for BBDO Proximity across Asia Pacific. A clear highlight last year has been the recognition at award shows. We have won more awards than any other network in the region, in terms of both creativity and effectiveness.

Asia Pacific offices significantly contributed to BBDO Worldwide winning the Gunn Report and Won Report. And at Cannes, BBDO was the most awarded network, with some great wins from BBDO Guerrero, Clemenger BBDO, Colenso BBDO and BBDO India. In fact, India took home an inaugural Creative Effectiveness Lion.

And BBDO was named the most effective network around the world – we are proud of the contribution Asia has made to this success. Across the region we won new business to the value of more than US$200 million in billings. This incorporates not only large, globally aligned wins such as Exxon and Visa, but local wins as well. For example, in Malaysia we won back KFC after losing it three years ago and we were also awarded key SC Johnson business across the world.

It’s imperative to us that we forge long standing, strong relationships with

Which markets delivered strong financial and creative performance in 2011?

In China we continued to see good growth and great work being developed for brands like Pepsi, Wrigley and Mercedes-Benz, which are high profile, popular and drive strong results.

India has continued to show exceptional performance with four Cannes Lions and it is now among the Top 5 most awarded agencies within the worldwide network. Four of the creatives were ranked within the Top 10 in Asia Pacific by Thecreativerankings.com.

BBDO Guerrero Philippines also had a strong year, growing their digital discipline by almost 30% and winning at both Cannes and Spikes.

They were Agency of the Year in their market for the fourth year running.

How do you see your network performing in the region in 2012?

We strongly believe that ‘If you can’t win in Asia, you can’t win’ and that we will continue to play an ever growing role within the global arena. While we all recognize global economic uncertainty for 2012, we believe that this region will still win an unfair share of investment.

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Our response to that is two-fold; to keep focusing on not just having world-class talent in the region – but world-beating talent – and to continue to focus on the work. For us effectiveness is our objective while our creativity remains our strategy.

What are your expectations of client demands and budgets for 2012?

In a volatile environment you have to keep ahead of client needs and changes in consumer behavior. We will continue to reassess and meet the needs of our clients as they change to accommodate and fully leverage current market conditions, ensuring the work is working for them.

Digital has been a blessing and a curse for creative industries – how will you manage its impact while capitalizing on the benefits digital provides for better consumer engagement?

We certainly don’t view digital as a curse.

In a hyper connected world where consumers engage with content more deeply than ever before, participate in content and share it, there is only one thing that is becoming more and more important – the power of creativity.

All of the evidence is that more creative work is becoming more effective and digital is a wonderful amplifier of great creative.

Traditional media is not dead – but our ability to have new types of conversations with consumers is alive and kicking. For creative agencies this is hugely exciting and it can be immensely rewarding for our clients.

Traditional media is not dead – but our ability to have new types of conversations with consumers is alive and kicking.

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Jarek Ziebinski President Leo Burnett Asia Pacific China) is already growing faster than the rest of the world and our contribution to the share of total LBW business had significantly increased.

Going forward into 2012, I see this will exceed 25% of our global revenue.

How did your network fare in 2011?

2011 was another year of success for us in Asia Pacific. With a second year of consecutive annual revenue growth at 12% and growth achieved in every market, the year also saw us successfully expand our relationship with a few of our key clients, including Samsung, Coca-Cola and Friesland.

We also continued to deliver on our creative performance. Not only were we the most awarded creative agency network in the region (according to the creative rankings by Campaign Asia), we also had the most number of offices contributing to this result. For the third year in a row, we have brought home a Cannes Lion Grand Prix for Asia Pacific with the Grand Prix For Good win for 'See the Person' campaign by Leo Burnett Melbourne.

What are your expectations of client demands and budgets for 2012?

I am still optimistic and planning for growth in all markets in 2012. Our clients are treading cautiously but nobody is panicking. 2012 will be a tough year but our strategies are solid (shopper, digital, HumanKind thinking). We have a strong foundation of talent and team structures behind them, a result of the last three years of hard work and investment – which should pay dividends in difficult times.

The difference this time is that we are no longer surprised; the markets’ dynamics have changed forever, the increasing uncertainties in the world today including new epidemics, natural disasters, and political instability, meant that we must always be on our toes for tough times.

Digital has been a blessing and a curse for creative industries – how do you hope to manage it while capitalizing on benefits for better consumer engagement in 2012?

We recently crossed the seven billion mark for global population. Yet a mind-boggling 75% of

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Which markets delivered strong financial and creative performance in 2011?

In Asia Pacific, Australia, Indonesia, Singapore, India, Hong Kong and Malaysia delivered both strong financial and creative performance.

The agencies that will thrive in the future are those that understand new technology and use it to serve a deeper human purpose.

How do you see your network performing in the region in 2012?

As it is now, Asia Pacific (including Greater

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this number is not using the internet yet today.

In ten years, as the world’s population hits its eight billion mark, this will all change drastically as the internet permeates far deeper into the planet’s population, and the next generation of smartphones offer personalized communication portals and an endless array of links and experiences.

It is perhaps not a bold guess to assume that approximately 50% of the eight billionpopulation will be online then.

People will be increasingly reliant on social networking as their primary means of participating in a community. Screens will no longer just dispense content, but will be interfaces that offer much deeper experiences. The flow of information is increasing exponentially, and it’s only a matter of time before the industry shifts profoundly, once agencies realize that marketing must be a two-way dialogue between brands and people.

The agencies that will thrive in the future are those that understand new technology and use it to serve a deeper human purpose. When everyone can customize their data stream, and produce their own content, marketing must offer people value for their time. Successful brand communication will be more experiential, viral and personalized. The content we produce, the contact points we use, and the nature of the conversations we have with people will all change.

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John Zeigler Chairman and chief executive officer DDB Asia Pacific

in town. Coupled with its Effies success, our Singapore operation is also one of our most profitable.

DDB Group Hong Kong has also done exceptionally well. Only a few years back, it was not at its traditional peak. It is now one of the most creative agencies in Greater China and, with new business like Manulife and a strong client base.

In fact, most of our markets are doing well: Sydney, New Zealand, Shanghai, India, Philippines.

How did your network fare in 2011?

DDB Group Asia Pacific had another tremendous year in terms of new business and organic growth, award wins and expansion across the region.

Thankfully all of our offices did well, however the high points would have to be winning the entire Telstra account in Australia; witnessing DDB Group Singapore blossom into one of our best agencies in our global network; taking a majority share in India to form DDB Mudra Group, as well as establish DDB Group Indonesia. We were AdFest Network Agency of the Year and we were also named Spikes Asia Network Agency of the Year for the second year in a row.

Which markets delivered strong financial and creative performance in 2011?

Regionally we grew revenue by 23%, including more than US$600 million in new business billings. Having introduced our Regional Creative Council 18 months ago, we have managed to build on our creative credentials to make us the No. 1 creative network in Asia Pacific. DDB Group Singapore has been our shining light, winning literally every creative show

How do you see your network performing in the region in 2012?

As the Asian markets become more sophisticated, we are definitely contributing a greater share to global revenues – and with the US and European markets diminishing – there is even more pressure to contribute more to the global bottom line. But, this is a good challenge to have.

What are your expectations of client demands and budgets for 2012?

No matter what the economic environment, clients are always going to demand more for less. It’s our challenge to ensure what limited resources they do have is used in the

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right channels. In this social media world, a great idea can travel across friends and across markets gathering lots of momentum and ‘likes’ along the way. Earned media is much more powerful and efficient than paid media and creative agencies are best placed, compared to media agencies, to get this right.

Digital has been a blessing and a curse for creative industries – how will you manage its impact while capitalizing on the benefits digital provides for better consumer engagement?

As the media model changes and evolves, we are constantly reviewing the best way to build customer interaction and engagement. With the belief that ‘creativity is the most powerful force in business’, we rolled out DDB’s global positioning ‘Social Creativity’ last year. It’s our way of talking about, thinking about and creating work. Work that encourages play, participation and sharing. And in Asia Pacific, Social Creativity has become the platform that all our ideas spring from. It’s not just about digital, activation or traditional — it’s about identifying the issues and then developing a campaign around a big idea that could be all of these things or nothing.

Earned media is much more powerful and efficient than paid media and creative agencies are best placed, compared to media agencies, to get this right.

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Michael Maedel President JWT Asia Pacific total of seven Lions at Cannes for the 'Heaven and Hell' ad, and that team went on to take home the Grand Prix at the LongXi Award, China 4As Award, and the triple Grand Prix at Spikes Asia.

There are other interesting growth markets, too. Indonesia’s economy recorded very strong growth this year and adspend kept pace. Vietnam is another market worth watching. JWT Vietnam did us proud at Cannes and Spikes, taking home awards from both shows.

How did your network fare in 2011?

2011 was a strong year for us. We won a large number of new clients across the region, including Haier and China Unicom in China, Indosat in Indonesia and Korea Ginseng Corp. We also racked up a number of landmark firsts: JWT’s 'Heaven and Hell' campaign, for Samsonite, brought home China’s first-ever Cannes Grand Prix Lion – and first Grand LIA, at the London International Awards.

Lo Sheung Yan, China chairman and Northeast Asia ECD, was also appointed as Cannes Lions’ first-ever jury president from China. That all helped ignite the network – there’s a real sense of excitement and purpose across our entire Asia Pacific team.

Which markets delivered strong financial and creative performance in 2011?

China and India are among the most important markets, globally, for many of our core advertisers. Those two markets are our biggest revenue generators, and last year continued to deliver the strongest gains.

China’s creative star is on the rise, too. Our team in Shanghai just keeps hitting the high notes. JWT Shanghai won a

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How do you see your network performing in the region in 2012?

Asia will be affected by a global slowdown, but this will remain a growth region. We still expect to see positive revenue gains in 2012.

Asia is one of the most important markets for JWT worldwide, and the region’s share of global revenues will undoubtedly continue to grow going forward.

What are your expectations of client demands and budgets for 2012?

So far we have not seen any cuts in communications budgets, but clients are taking a somewhat cautious view and probably will

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review their planned activities on a more shortterm basis. Having said, the overall global economic situation is a cause of concern. It will take Europe some time to come to grips with the sovereign debt problem. I personally think the euro won’t disappear – but there’s more to come. All of this is only a warm up to what the US will have to deal with in 2012 and beyond.

Digital has been a blessing and a curse for creative industries – how do you hope to manage it while capitalizing on benefits for better consumer engagement in 2012?

Because it is digital, consumers will always have the power to speak and develop creative work around brands whether we like it or not. This empowerment is more of a blessing as brands have already accepted that better personalized engagements are needed, especially in 2012 where we will see the socialization of television and the continued growth of mobile.

I don’t think that a creative agency or brand should ‘manage’ the developments but instead ‘nurture’ the process of collaborating with loyal consumers to co-create beyond what we typically deliver with regards to creative content.

This empowerment is more of a blessing as brands have already accepted that better personalized engagements are needed, especially in 2012 where we will see the socialization of television and the continued growth of mobile.

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Barry Cupples Chief executive officer Omnicom Media Group, Asia Pacific opened in the Philippines, Beijing and Shanghai (PHD).

Which markets delivered strong financial and creative performance in 2011?

It’s hard to pick just a few offices as each market has delivered against the set objectives, though India, China, Australia are some of our largest markets due to sheer geographical size.

The group outshone itself in terms of being innovative and original. A total of 117 awards have been won so far that include three wins at Cannes.

How did your network fare in 2011?

In spite of the odds of a weakening global economy, Omnicom Media Group had a great 2011, primarily due to our relentless pursuit for better and effective ideas.

We were firm in our determination to be the most innovative agency, driving change, and leading the media industry on all fronts. The group led the way to win close to 302 new business assignments worth almost US$1.2bn in billings that included mega wins like Sony, Tourism Australia, SC Johnson, HTC. The focus on delivering exceptional quality has resulted in a high client retention rate for all Omnicom Media Group brands.

In keeping with our vision to be a future forward agency, two new innovative currencies – Annalect and Accuen were launched in 2011, across the region. These platforms present a new digital media buying ecosystem that future proofs clients towards better results and supports OMD, PHD and M2M through technology, data and analytics.

Growth opportunities paved the way for regional expansion with new offices in Taiwan (PHD), Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Vietnam (OMD) and additional offices

How do you see your network performing in the region in 2012?

Omnicom Media Group has consistently outperformed the competition in the last five years and we are extremely proud of our new business track record as well as our reputation of retaining clients.

Asia as a region still represents a tremendous and dynamic growth opportunity and moving ahead in 2012, we will continue to be a fast growing region, firmly embedded in innovation.

Great ideas will remain the core differentiator in driving business success.

I would say that it is an exciting time for our industry and Omnicom Media Group brands have embraced the digital landscape with vigor and gusto. In fact, OMD reinvented the online sales model for Intel and Dell in a hugely successful campaign, a benchmark for crowd-sourcing campaigns. Across the region, we have produced a huge body of effective digital campaigns that have shaped the success of brands.

Deepening our digital expertise, we have launched a new digital media buying ecosystem, Accuen, that transforms data into powerful customer insights, resulting in more efficiency, precision, and insights in the media planning and buying process.

Digital is not just an opportunity, it is an imperative and we will continue to strengthen our capabilities in this area. As Charles Darwin said, “It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change.”

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What are your expectations of client demands and budgets for 2012?

Strategic thinking supported by talent held us through the last recession. During the dark years, so to say, we took a clear line on how to “navigate the challenge” involving every client at OMD and PHD and created client strategies to maximize the efficiency of budgets. Our experience has been a great learning curve and prepared us to weather any storm. Going forward into an uncertain 2012, we will push hard at finding solutions and be an even stronger partner to our clients.

Digital has been a blessing and a curse for creative industries – how do you hope to manage it while capitalizing on benefits for better consumer engagement in 2012?

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We will continue to be a fast growing region, firmly embedded in innovation.

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Nirvik Singh Chairman and chief executive officer Grey Group Asia Pacific

How did your network fare in 2011?

It was a great year of growth for the group in Asia Pacific. Grey increased its stake to majority ownership in Campaigns & Grey.

To further expand Grey’s regional footprint over Asia, a strategic alliance was forged with Eastern Advertising, one of Taiwan’s most established full service agency. 2011 also saw the integration of Yolk, a leading digital and social marketing agency based in Singapore, into the Grey network.

There were two key senior management hires: T H Peng as chairman and CEO of Grey Greater China, overseeing operations in Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong, and Scott Rhee as chief executive of Grey Group Korea.

To boost the network’s creative talent stock, several appointments were made across the region, which included Suvit Jaturiyasajagul and Wichit Jiamsirikarn as ECDs in Thailand, Uddhalak Gupta as ECD and joint creative head at Grey Delhi, and Steve Clay as regional creative director, Grey Group Singapore Which markets delivered strong financial and creative perormance in 2011?

All markets across Asia delivered strong

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performance in 2011. Grey Group Asia Pacific maintained its top 5 positioning in the new business leagues since January 2011. The network witnessed organic growth arising out of key account wins by Grey and G2 across the region. Notable wins included Wella across Asia Pacific, Herbal Life, Kitchenware and Grohe in China, Galaxy Macau in Hong Kong, LG Electronics in Korea, OCBC and Heinemann in Singapore and National Geographic Network, Honda Brio, Lucky Strike, Fortis Hospitals, Volkswagen in India.

Grey also had a great showing at the international awards. Grey Group Asia Pacific accounted for 40% of Grey’s global tally at Cannes Lions 2011. Grey Group Malaysia was the only entrant from Malaysia to have won a Gold Pencil.

There were two gold and two bronzes from Spikes, two bronzes and nine finalists from AdFest, two London International Awards – Campaigns & Grey picked up a silver for the ‘Louis’ campaign for Dulcolax and Melbourne collected a bronze in the ‘Integrated Campaign’ category for the ‘The Ripple Effect’ campaign. At D&AD, Grey Kuala Lumpur emerged as the top creative agency in Malaysia, according to The Pencil Rankings, with a total of 31 points for Gold and Merit wins with the Malaysian Nature Society ‘Belum Temengor Petition’ campaign at One Show as well as an In Book at D&AD. Grey also put up a strong showing at global and regional effectiveness awards, including the Promotion Marketing Awards of Asia, Asian Marketing Effectiveness Awards and the Hong Kong and Malaysian Effie Awards.

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How do you see your network performing in the region in 2012?

Asia will continue to be the fastest-growing region. Large domestic markets, such as China and Indonesia, are expected to see only a minor slowdown. East Asia is expected to continue to record solid growth in 2012.

What are your expectations of client demands and budgets for 2012?

With slowdown and uncertainty predicted for global growth in 2012, it will be a weak and bumpy ride ahead. Budgets are going to shrink and clients are undoubtedly going to demand a bigger bang for their buck. Innovative thinking and in-depth market intelligence will be key in achieving clients’ objectives. Digital will play a pivotal role in rolling out cost-effective, creative and innovative marketing communications in reaching out to the target audience.

Digital has been a blessing and a curse for creative industries – how do you hope to manage it while capitalizing on benefits for better consumer engagement in 2012?

With the advent of the internet, launching a global campaign has never been made easier.

While we have seen some truly remarkable marketing campaigns in the digital sphere, I believe we are just at the tip of the iceberg.

Harnessing the power of social media, a deep understanding of the consumer mindset and creative thinking are going to power Grey in 2012.

With slowdown and uncertainty predicted for global growth in 2012, it will be a weak and bumpy ride ahead.

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Matthew Godfrey President, Y&R Asia Chairman, Y&R Singapore ness wins including Marina Bay Sands, the biggest casino in the world, overseeing a complete relaunch of the Caltex brand across Asia-Pacific (the first time in 10 years) and creating innovative new campaigns for Cerebos which have helped the client to grow their market share.

We’ve invested in major strategic and creative talent in Vietnam (ECD Kit Ong, CEO Matt Collier), Indonesia (ECD Kevin Li), and China (CEO Charles Sampson, national planner Kaiyu Li, business director Amy Luca), all key partners in achieving our financial and creative objectives in 2011 and beyond.

How did your network fare in 2011?

2011 was about instilling a culture of innovation and creativity across every aspect of our business and putting the right teams in place to achieve this. 70% of our offices are now rebooted and rebuilt with strong leadership teams and new structures in place in Korea and Indochina; centralizing our HR and introducing new programs has helped us to find and retain top talent.

Introducing Asia-specific business tools encouraging innovation has helped us achieve record new business, amazing results for clients and for Y&R Asia: 71% increase in revenue from new business; 50 new clients; seven awards at Cannes (our best performance ever), including first two Golds for Thailand; 300 pieces of positive PR. Which markets delivered strong financial and creative performance in 2011?

It’s been a great year for Y&R China, bringing in high profile new business from iconic brands including Amazon, Disney, China Southern Airlines and Guangfa Bank. Our Thailand office totally rocked it at Cannes this year, winning their first Gold Lions.

Y&R Singapore now has a real momentum behind it, following some key busi-

New developments like crowd-sourcing need to be embraced and experimented with. We can’t get stuck in the past with old business models or attempt to block the tide of change. A few years ago the music industry tried to stop the digitization of content and failed completely.

Our industry needs to be progressive and at the cutting edge of technology and not holding on to sunset systems. At Y&R we are very excited with our new partnership in Asia with VML Qais to help us lead in the digital space.

How do you see your network performing in the region in 2012?

Y&R is one of the world’s largest communication companies so markets like North America, Latin America and EMEA are obviously essential and important. However, what Asia can contribute is a greater share of global growth.

What are your expectations of client demands and budgets for 2012?

Clients need innovation. Creative and categoryleading ways to grow brands and out-smart the competition. Effectively, efficiently and with speed.

Digital has been a blessing and a curse for creative industries – how do you hope to manage it while capitalizing on benefits for better consumer engagement in 2012?

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Our industry needs to be progressive and at the cutting edge of technology and not holding on to sunset systems.

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Chris Chiu Group exective creative director Leo Burnett Asia Pacific

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Name 3 pieces of work from your network that balanced creativity and effectiveness in 2011?

In no particular order I would start with the Watermark work for Bundaberg Rum by our Sydney office. I thought it was brilliant how a company that typically does irreverent communications was able to seamlessly create such an emotionally powerful campaign that was both pure to its regional corporate roots and at the same time brilliantly used marketing across various disciplines including ambient and packaging.

The second piece was from our Bangkok office for Panyee FC. In a market where people’s stories are dramatized to the nth degree, this one brought it to the next level. Beautifully told, extremely watch-able. Superb.

The third piece was for McDonald’s Indonesia from our Jakarta office. This campaign for Ramadhan started off like any other brief (during that period) for practically every client across the country; but where the agency took the work for McDonald’s was fantastic. Imagine having to market your menu when the world’s most populous muslim country is practising a religious fast.

Which regional markets excited you creatively in 2011?

I am completely unbiased when I say it’s got to be Asia-Pacific. On the business front, all guns have been firing and hitting targets. On the creative front, Melbourne, Sydney, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Bangkok and Singapore continued to pick up Lions. Beyond that, Kuala Lumpur, India, Manila made contributions across key award shows like D&AD, One Show and the like. Even Sri Lanka has been picking up metal at Spikes.

What are the issues and opportunities do you foresee emerging in 2012 that could help or challenge efforts at enhancing your network’s creative reputation in 2012?

I think it’s no secret that economically, 2012 will be a challenge. But then, that situation isn’t new to many. We all know more or less what will happen. Budgets will tighten and work needs to

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01 Bundaberg “Watermark” 02 Panyee FC 03 McDonalds’ “Ramadhan”

work harder. In my simple head what that reads is: less thematic, brand work and more tactical messaging. The question is: how do we make the tactical work creatively on brand and effectiveness.

On the plus side, relatively new disciplines like shopper marketing are great solutions for clients when used intelligently. So opportunities are most certainly there as well.

What are your goals for your network in 2012?

Well outside of the Gunn Report which is our goal every year, there’s also the Pencil Rankings which we think is significant at Leo Burnett. Otherwise, we’re hoping for more markets to pick up Lions and Spikes.

What will you do personally to stay inspired, stay hungry, stay creative in 2012?

I’m a huge believer that life is the greatest inspiration. I actually hope to get out a little more

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and live life (knowing how weird that sounds).

It’s that simple really. Judging award shows will happen I suppose and it’s always great to see what’s out there across the markets and all. But what’s not yet been done is something every creative is continually thinking of doing, no?

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Spencer Wong Managing director and chief creative officer McCann WorldGroup Hong Kong

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Name three best pieces of work from your network that balanced creativity and effectiveness in 2011?

Not many great, but one. We did an interactive campaign for Coke this year, called CHOK that showed great success in effectiveness results and winning creative awards.

Which regional markets excited you creatively in 2011?

It was sad that Japan and Thailand suffered so much from natural disasters. Mainland China’s steady growth was expected. The print category was getting less popular, which affected Singapore and other Southeast Asian markets.

I think only Taiwan did quite well last year, coming back with many interesting online films with big production quality.

What are the issues and opportunities do you foresee emerging in 2012 that could help or challenge efforts at enhancing your network’s creative reputation in 2012?

The rapid development of communication technology in the past four to five years will cool down a bit. Social media, viral and mobile apps have all been explored, and it seems there are not many new innovations coming. However, the opportunity lies in more big brands investing in non-traditional media. The battlefield will be set on how to make better use of creative using existing media and technology.

What are your goals for your network in 2012?

A fung shui master told me 2012 won’t be a better year. Our goal is to keep ourselves in a less worse shape than other competitors.

What will you do personally to stay inspired, stay hungry, stay creative in 2012?

Spend more time with the younger generation.

They know where the light comes inside the tunnel. Learn from them.

Spend more time with the younger generation.

They know where the light comes inside the tunnel. Learn from them.

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01 Coke “CHOK” 02 A digital poster supporting Japan after the tsunami 03 Thailand flood

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Tay Guan Hin Regional executive creative director JWT Asia

Name 3 best pieces of work from your network that balanced creativity and effectiveness in 2011?

We are particularly proud of the Samsonite 'Heaven and Hell' campaign from our Shanghai office. This ad made an incredibly huge splash and set a new benchmark for creative work out of China. It brought home China’s first-ever Cannes Grand Prix – and China’s first-ever Grand LIA, and took home many other awards in different categories at both shows. It doesn’t get any better than this. Samsonite has also done some fabulous brand TVC and posters. The 'Heaven and Hell' campaign also helped Samsonite clinch the Advertiser of the Year at Spikes 2011.

Another exciting campaign we did was for Unilever’s Lux, which wanted to enter social network gaming for the first time in Asia. We worked with Zynga, one of the world’s leading social game developers, to create a tie-in with Farmville Chinese that also leveraged the brand’s connection with mega-star Shu Qi, who is a Lux celebrity.

This month-long campaign got a lot of attention from bloggers – and really hit home with the target audience. Surveys showed that seven out of 10 people wanted to rush out to buy Lux after playing the Farmville game.

The last piece was Heineken’s 'Shoot the Music' campaign, which was created by our Bangkok office. Heineken created an unconventional event that mixed music and film. This was a new ‘cinematic music experience’ concept that invited people to take part in a concert directed by a quirky influential film director Pen-Ek to enjoy the music – and become participants in a live film at the same time. Thousands of concertgoers turned up for Heineken’s first movie/concert ever, raising the profile of the brand in person and online.

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01 Samsonite “Heaven & Hell” 02 Heineken “Shoot the Music”

store. Ideas these days must serve a larger purpose and this one works on so many levels.

Which regional markets excited you creatively in 2011?

Korea is not normally a market that produces international award-winning work, but I was completely bowled over by the first ever Cannes Grand Prix winner for Tesco’s subway virtual

What are the issues and opportunities do you foresee emerging in 2012 that could help or challenge efforts at enhancing your network’s creative reputation in 2012?

One of the biggest challenges in 2012 will be finding creative ways to achieve the same value for a lot less.

What I find most exciting, creatively, is the emergence of new technology like the newscreened interactions. According to the JWT’s 10 Trends for 2012, more flat surfaces are becoming screens and more screens are becoming interactive. By touching, gesturing and talking to them will give birth to many novel opportunities.

For example in New York, a restaurant features 20 individual screens in a large glass communal table that diners can digitally order their meal, then browse the store’s catalogue while eating.

By spotting trends earlier and applying it into our creative work, I believe we can influence the habit of consumers sooner. If we can create work that is able to tap into this, I believe it will fundamentally help to increase JWT’s creative reputation.

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What are your goals for your network in 2012?

Besides being the best network in Cannes, it is to be remembered for one kick-ass innovative invention that gets the world talking.

What will you do personally to stay inspired, stay hungry, stay creative in 2012?

Go fishing. It helps me clear my mind from junk accumulated by negative energy. New ideas emerge when I notice the natural wildlife around.

Start running a marathon. It releases different sorts of chemicals, which refreshes the toxins in my body, revitalizes the way I look at things.

Punch a bag. It allows me to relieve stress. Work through my emotions. See things clearly.

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John Jakubowski Regional executive creative director OgilvyOne Singapore

Name 3 best pieces of work from your network that balanced creativity and effectiveness in 2011?

One of my rants this year has been for us to take a good look at what we’re being asked to do. It’s extremely easy to be a cook these days – much harder to be a chef. Seth Godin once said, “No one crosses the street for good art”. I agree. We need to be cautious of reactionary positions and always make sure the work has purpose and force.

While ticking lists temporarily appeases the client, it’s not pushing innovative work. It’s also not being “effective” in the true sense – addressing the brand’s underlying objectives. As always, it comes down to a clear, concise creative brief.

The big gorillas right now are data and utility – and the best work I’ve seen use this in really powerful ways. We’re in a place in Asia Pacific where people are not only demanding useful integration for their lives, but expecting it.

So the long-winded answer to your question is, we have many projects that have done this successfully and I would be hard pressed to single out three. I can say that our push for 2012 is to do something totally unexpected.

Which regional markets excited you creatively in 2011?

All bias aside, I think Southeast Asia is going to be the place to watch. All the innovation is happening here as it follows manufacturing leaving the West. It’s also happening at a much more rapid pace. A developed country can only move so quickly; in Asia Pacific we’re seeing adoption and experimentation at lightning speeds.

There is also the leapfrog effect. Many countries in the region have missed development cycles of the web and jumped right into mobile.

The flavor and focus of this effect is entirely different than that in the West. When you mix this with extreme penetration rates for social, it starts to get pretty interesting. I recently read a Millward study on Indonesia and the adoption rates for mobile and social behaviors are off the charts.

All this as a backdrop is really challenging for creatives and it’s a wild west mystery really how this is going to come together. However, if

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I guess if you’re looking for tips, I would say remember to be human, be nice, wear comfortable shoes and remember that no one owns an idea and never stop asking why.

it wasn’t a mystery it would be easy, and if it was easy, what’s the point.

What are the issues and opportunities do you foresee emerging in 2012 that could help or challenge efforts at enhancing your network’s creative reputation in 2012?

I don’t think it’s any secret that Ogilvy is spending cash like a Kardashian on digital. The effort is coming from the top down to make it central in everything we do. I think the vision here is to be three steps ahead in Asia Pacific in everything digital, including search, mobile and social. We’re already seeing it happen with a slew of new creative talent hitting the books. We have always been a traditional powerhouse when it comes to brands – we’re simply investing in the next stage of communications in a very demonstrative way.

My role, is perhaps an example of this shift. My remit is to provide thought leadership, integrate digital from the ground up, and work with teams to generate award-winning thinking across Asia Pacific. The very nature of my role speaks volumes on Ogilvy’s commitment to raising the bar.

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surround yourself with people that can see the big picture and don't get caught in the weeds with technology.

Something that Ogilvy has always been good at is isolating 'human truths' that cut through channels. This is what separates the good work from the great.

What will you do personally to stay inspired, stay hungry, stay creative in 2012?

I need to meditate more and carry a camera. I need to exercise my creative muscles more and not get too buried in politic. Being new to Asia I see things everyday that amaze and surprise me.

I need to pass on that wonder to the folks around me. Creativity to me isn’t so much about talent – it’s about how you see the world.

I look at my five-month-old daughter and I want to know how she sees wind. I guess if you’re looking for tips, I would say remember to be human, be nice, wear comfortable shoes and remember that no one owns an idea and never stop asking why.

What are your goals for your network in 2012?

I think one of my biggest challenges right now is to get people to see the opportunities that I see.

The pace at which technology is affecting our lives is staggering, and it’s really important that you

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Steve Elrick Regional executive creative director BBH Asia

Name 3 best pieces of work from your network that balanced creativity and effectiveness in 2011.

From BBH Shanghai and Johnnie Walker: Project Yulu: 12 films and 30 million online views and counting (and a full length feature film – created out of the films – now doing the rounds of the Asian Film Festival circuit ) From BBH Asia Pacific in Singapore & NTUC Income Insurance; a topical and resonant ‘Have A Plan’ pov in casino mad Singapore with regards to preparing for retirement: sales up 68 % 2011 on 2010 (and 38% above targets).

From BBH Mumbai Nihar Naturals music video 'Jaani Na'. A zag on delivering ‘content’ generated Rs 50 million worth of free (earned) media, 19% growth in sales in just thee months, and the brand moving to No. 1 in favorite brand from No. 3.

Which regional markets excited you creatively in 2011?

The ones we’re working in.

What are the issues and opportunities do you foresee emerging in 2012 that could help or challenge efforts at enhancing your network’s creative reputation in 2012?

There are no problems only opportunities! Seriously.

I foresee a year in which we excel creatively to a rather spectacular degree.

We have fresh people, fresh channels, fresh skills, fresh clients and fresh opportunities to embrace in the new year – we are chomping at the bit. It won’t be the Year of The Dragon… it will be the Year of the Black Sheep

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What are your goals for your network in 2012?

We have Sir Heg’s quote about “at our best, BBH is about turning intelligence into magic” to truly bring alive in Asia.

What will you do personally to stay inspired, stay hungry, stay creative?

I have a tremendous amount of incredibly creative and diverse talent in the building(s) that keep me on my toes and inspire me with all the new toys we have to play with every day. Keeping inspired isn’t an issue, keeping pace will be!

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01 Johnny Walker “Project Yulu” 02 Nihar Naturals “Jaani Na”

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John Merrifield Creative-at-large TBWA/ Asia-Pacific

Name 3 best pieces of work from your network that balanced creativity and effectiveness in 2011.

The first would be the NRMA work that Matty Burton, Dave Bowman and their teams created in Sydney for the ‘My car is your car’ campaign.

NRMA is the first insurer in Australia to cover everyone who drives your car. So they found a young bloke, gave him a car and followed him around. Three cameras inside the car ensured that everything was recorded. The catch was that anyone who spotted the car, could flag it down and drive it wherever they wanted. Across town.

Across state. Across the country.

The second would be a raft of adidas work that Kazuo Sato and his clever folk in Tokyo came up with. My favorite was a spring retail activation that gave discounts depending on the weather. If the day’s temperature reached 18 degrees, you’d get 18% off your purchases that day. The promotion ran at a time of year that can experience wild fluctuations. The campaign generated the requisite buzz, a welcome spike in sales and an even greater amount of fun.

The third would be a campaign in Singapore for Okamoto condoms: the Okamoto Freedom Project. It’s the brainchild of one of the office’s youngest teams: Reggio Ocampo and Jexy Holman. As everyone knows, Singapore is more than a little restrictive and most young people live with their parents until marriage. As a result, they tend to be remarkably resourceful when it comes to enjoying the pleasures of the opposite sex. As the campaign line says, “No one should lose face for getting a little head.”

Which regional markets excited you creatively in 2011?

Australia and New Zealand. Though there have been a few nuggets here and there in Asia, it’s hardly been a vintage year. India, Malaysia and Singapore have been quiet. Japan has not had near the breadth of work we’ve seen in the past.

And as far as Thailand goes, if it wasn’t for bad luck they’d have no luck at all. China and Korea both had unprecedented success with individual pieces of work – it’s a shame the Korean one now

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01 NRMA “My car is your car” 02 Okamoto “Freedom” 02

seems to be fictitious. Bucking this trend were the antipodeans. Big, brassy work for big, ballsy clients. It doesn’t get any better than that.

What are the issues and opportunities do you foresee emerging in 2012 that could help or challenge efforts at enhancing your network’s creative reputation in 2012?

I can’t recall ever seeing such a large-scale “circling of the wagons” like I’ve seen this fall.

It’s as if the sky was going to fall in 2012. Who knows? It may well. But the sheer fear of it all indicates to me that the money men have well and truly taken the reins. It’s a shame. It’s not who we are as an industry. If anything, it contributes and indeed, accelerates the downward spiral.

Of course, it’s the perfect opportunity for the cleverer, nimbler players to pick off bits and pieces of business they probably wouldn’t even have had a look in a few years ago.

firepower. There’s Andy Blood and his teams in New Zealand. Matty, Dave and a dancing rabbi named Russ haven’t even begun to hit their stride in Sydney. Kaz Sato is well on his way to achieving rock star status in Japan. Melvin Mangada continues to fire up the land of Pacquiao. Edmund Choe is a huge coup for China. And no matter how many toes he has, Haydn Evans continues to make everyone’s work stronger. Finally, if there’s anyone who can help Thailand, I wouldn’t be surprised to find Khun Thirasak at Creative Juice at the front of the pack.

What will you do personally to stay inspired, stay hungry, stay creative in 2012?

I’ll be spending as much time in the water as I can.

What are your goals for your network in 2012?

What a shame you didn’t ask me this question a month ago. The fact is, I very much dig this thing called TBWA and I know the potential it has to produce breakthrough work. Glance around the region and you’ll find that TBWA has impressive

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CREATIVE RECAP

Marcus Rebeschini Chief creative officer Y&R Asia

Name 3 best pieces of work from your network that balanced creativity and effectiveness in 2011 I am not going to pick merely the campaigns that won effective and advertising awards for us, but the ones I feel were really big in their scope, covered multiple touch points, and built on a big idea that delivered for clients. The first would be the Ichitan drinks brand produced by Mai Tan, one of our clients in Thailand. In founder Tan Passakornatee, I think we have one of the most adventurous clients around. He has entrusted Y&R Thailand to help take his brand to overnight success with great ideas that connect with consumers. It picked up two gold Lions at Cannes and sold his annual target in just three months.

The second would probably be what can be described as one of the least exciting things to sell to youth – Essence of Chicken. Brand’s in Singapore has come a long way with us, becoming a brand that’s beaten prominent beer brands in getting traction with youth. And again the secret to this has been a very strong client partnership built on trust.

Last but not least is Gap in China. The first-ever campaign launched on the mainland, shot by Annie Leibovitz and declared the Brand of the Year in the recent Campaign AOY awards. My idea of the best award, one that goes to the client.

Which regional market has excited you creatively in 2011?

The usual answer to this question is either Thailand, Singapore and now China, after their Cannes Grand Prix. The real hidden star in my travels and interaction with clients and industry people is Indonesia. Apart from winning at Cannes, I see that the level of desire and ability to come up with nonconventional solutions is on the rise. Talent is getting closer to world standard and there’s a large market willing to try out new ideas. And most importantly the world brands are seeing the opportunity in the country and this means not only was Indonesia my star in 2011, but I predict it’ll excite in 2012 as well.

What are the issues and opportunities do you foresee emerging in 2012 that could help or challenge efforts at enhancing your network’s creative reputation in 2012?

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01-02 GAP China 03 Brands Essence of Chicken 04 Ichitan campaign

They say necessity is the mother of all invention.

So I think 2012’s biggest issue of an uncertain economic climate leading to lower spends will drive innovation in the region. Brands will get more creative, new mediums will get invented and new benchmarks will be set.

What are your goals for your network in 2012?

The general belief we work under as an industry, and more importantly as agencies, is that there’s two kinds of work – creative and effective.

The truth however is that something that’s not creative can never be effective. It’s taken me three years to try and teach this to the region; hopefully 2012 is the year.

What will you do personally to stay inspired, stay hungry, stay creative in 2012?

Ideas and inspiration come from life itself. So I’ll definitely try to get out of the office more often.

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KIDLAT AWARDS 2010

November January- -December February 2012 2011

LOCAL NEWS

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LOCAL PROJECTIONS

David Guerrero Chairman and chief creative officer BBDO Guerrero / Proximity Philippines

How did your agency fare in 2011?

This year has brought some fantastic successes – most awarded at Kidlat and at the Boomerangs, the Best in Creative award from the 4As and of course, culminating in Agency Of The Year at AdCongress. You can never take these things for granted and we were all happily surprised each time.

Outside this, we were also among the first in our network in launching an exciting venture called Proximity Shop.

The low points would have to be the departures at the beginning and the end of 2011 – Paul Roebuck and Brandie Tan. Fortunately for us we did have a new bloke turning up in the middle of the year. Actually, if anyone had said the deputy chairman of RKCR Y&R (one of London’s leading agencies) would voluntarily move to Manila within this decade I’d have been surprised.

The fact Tony Harris made the move last year was, I feel, significant – not least for us. He has quickly made a difference in the life of the agency and, I believe, in the success of our work.

Our Saridon campaign has been phenomenally successful for Bayer – helping make them the No. 2 brand in the places where it has been launched. Rewardingly, it’s also been a flagship piece of business for the agency. Winning a ton of metal locally and internationally – including a silver at Cannes.

The Pepsi Pinas work – an affectionate spoof of ’80s Pinoy action movies – became a viral hit around the world. And was a great way to launch a limited edition Pepsi made specially for the Philippines. It was, erm, explosively successful for the client.

Finally, I was particularly grateful for the success of ‘Dream Date’ for Modess – because it gave a group of students I spoke to something to introduce me with. And glad our clients liked it enough to launch a 60-second version on TV. This really got the conversation going about the product, helped by people seeing how ‘game’ Angel Locsin really is.

What challenges do you anticipate this year which could impact consumers and clients’ budgets?

Every challenge is an opportunity. At least that’s what the Chinese like to say. And opportunities are what this country needs.

There’s no question, though. We need to focus on the areas of competitive advantage we have – and make the most of them. Advertising can help by making the opportunities here

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What advice will you give your clients to help them face up or work around these challenges?

We all need to become adept at a wider range of communication options. More than ever we need to understand what we can be best at – and then single-mindedly pursue that advantage. Your agency should be able to advise you on how to use all the options at your disposal and propose the right integrated solution. The only other thing to say is that the more convincingly we execute our ideas, the more captivated people will be by them.

But that’s been true forever.

Do you anticipate advertisers better connecting with web-savvy locals in 2012?

In a word, yes. The new DoT Secretary said in his keynote address at AdCongress that his campaign needed to live “socially” as a matter of priority. In truth, many brands have their own communities and so require constant nurturing. Digital media allows a quicker connection with these and so in a 24/7 society this is going to require increasing investment.

There’s no question, though. We need to focus on the areas of competitive advantage we have – and make the most of them.

Name three pieces of work from 2011 that you are most proud of.

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look more exciting to people overseas. And it can sometimes help us see the opportunities for ourselves. Most of all, the world may develop an appetite for the kind of smart, lowcost solutions which this country does so well.

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Joanna Chan-Mojica Managing director Starcom MediaVest Group Philippines

How did your agency fare in 2011?

In spite of tougher business environments in 2011, SMG Philippines surpassed our revenue targets and delivered improved profit margins for the year.

Business growth and expansion was foremost on everyone’s minds, but we have had to balance that with maintaining our portfolio of multinational and local clients, and ensuring our product and service to them remained first-in-class.

I’m happy to say that we have checked all boxes. External evaluation organizations such as Recma continued to rank us as the leading agency group in this market. Buoyed by our status, we will continue to improve on our offering, and deliver for our clients, while not forgetting to contribute back and to make a difference in our industry.

Name three pieces of work from 2011 that you are most proud of.

Some of our most creative and best work in 2011 continues to push the boundaries on what media can do: The Meralco ‘Energy Efficiency Cinema Drive’ to change public perception on rising power rates, and communicate

ways to save electricity. Through a simple cinema execution which we pulled off with our creative agency partner, we were able to get cinema goers to listen to a short PSA on saving electricity by turning off lights when not needed.

The Coca-Cola Green Billboard for the partnership with the World Wildlife Foundation to combat air pollution. Our creative agency partner and us helped to create environmentally friendly billboard, made out of recyclable materials and filled with 3,600 Fukien tea plants.

We started an advocacy drive ‘Kainang Pamilya Mahalaga’ to bring families closer through having dinner together, thus strengthening the family as a unit and allowing Monde Nissin to contribute back to the Filipino community.

What challenges do you anticipate this year which could impact consumers and clients’ budgets?

With a more challenging business environment likely in 2012, consumers will be more prudent and marketing budgets will no doubt take a hit as businesses look to stretch and maximize every dollar spent.

As such, we will likely have to work even harder to prove to clients that their investments are not in vain, and that every dollar spent will generate quality returns.

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Consequently, we will need to be even more inventive and resourceful in the work that we do, so as to justify the trust that our clients place on us.

What advice will you give your clients to help them face up or work around these challenges?

Challenges are also windows of opportunity.

We pride ourselves on our ‘human lens’.

We believe human understanding is still the key to developing the best communication strategies, product or ideas that will touch and move consumers.

Do you anticipate advertisers better connecting with web-savvy locals in 2012?

Yes, increasingly we are seeing many of our clients develop a greater understanding of digital. As digital continues to live up to its potential and spectacular growth, our aim is to continue to advance our partnerships with clients to better engage with their consumers online.

Through robust partnerships, we’ll be able to come up with concerted efforts to maximize and sustain conversations with consumers online. Likewise, we will continue to invest in our capabilities to ensure our clients are best equipped, through us, to better understand their consumers across the digital landscape.

We will need to be even more inventive and resourceful in the work that we do, so as to justify the trust that our clients place on us.

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SPECIAL FEATURE

LOCAL PROJECTIONS

Jos Ortega Chief operating officer JWT Manila

How did your agency fare in 2011?

JWT Manila embraced the digital world.

This was reflected not only in our recommendations to our clients but, more importantly, in the way we operated internally. JWT launched a global in-house social cum business networking site that allowed every JWT Internationalista direct contact with any of their 10,000 colleagues worldwide.

It is like having our own Facebook within JWT. It is easier to share info with a friend than with a stranger. Unlike other international agency people who are pressured to answer queries from total unknowns in their networks, we know (or can know) the people we are corresponding with. Early days, but really exciting.

This results in truly world-made work for both our local and multinational clients.

Name three pieces of work from 2011 that you are most proud of.

The Bactidol Halloween campaign was a treat.

Our Ford Everest campaign broke through traditional automotive advertising.

The Canesten print campaign was daring.

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What challenges do you anticipate this year which could impact consumers and clients’ budgets?

Given that 10% of our population is working abroad, the Arab Spring revolutions and the depressed European markets directly affect OFW remittances and eventually consumer spending of the recipient family members.

Brands will have to look for new points of entry with these price-sensitive consumers.

But at the same time, based on the JWT 2012 Trends Report, these austerity-fatigued consumers will be looking for little indulgences every now and then.

What advice will you give your clients to help them face up or work around these challenges?

Invest in ethnographic research done by real anthropologists. We need to understand the

real life issues of our consumers, without our marketing blinders. Then design a program from the truly fresh insights.

Experiment more in new media and extremely focused programs.

Get inspiration from other categories for creative business solutions. This includes bringing in experts from non-related fields into the idea generation sessions.

Do you anticipate advertisers better connecting with web-savvy locals in 2012?

Advertisers will not catch up with consumers in the next two to three years. As they cautiously assess every step in the digital world, their relentlessly experimenting consumers take another ten steps ahead, clicking away at anything that interests them. The exception of course is the advertiser who accepts this consumer behavior and rides the wave now.

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As they cautiously assess every step in the digital world, their relentlessly experimenting consumers take another ten steps ahead, clicking away at anything that interests them.

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Randy Aquino Head of country Ogilvy & Mather Philippines Most noteworthy were the work we’ve done for KFC (Krushers), Nike (Pacquiao), Unilever (Pond’s), Unilab (Ideas Positive) and Johnson & Johnson (Bonamine). There are also some in the pipeline that are quite remarkable due to the creative idea and the technology used but I am not at liberty to talk about them.

How did your agency fare in 2011?

Last year showed everyone how unpredictable things have become for all of us. What’s significant about what we’ve done in the Ogilvy Group is to ensure that the agency becomes more valuable to its client partners moving forward. We have hired highly skilled and talented heads for our creative and planning units and restructured other units to enhance the quality of our services and expand those that are gaining importance and relevance to our clients.

Winning the Digital Agency of the Year and the many awards in this area were very important to us, given the increasing role of digital. We also continue to focus on the quality and effectiveness of our work and are very happy that our efforts have produced good results for our brands. Early last year, we won the Kraft global IMC Awards for Tang and a lot of effectiveness awards, and we have acquired key pieces of new business which we’ve been targeting.

All these are testaments that we are on the right track and ready for the future.

What challenges do you anticipate this year which could impact consumers and clients’ budgets?

I look at 2012 with tempered optimism. Once the government starts spending on the planned infrastructure projects, there will be a healthy flow of money in our system that may spur consumer spending. Consumer confidence is going up as well so hopefully this translates for us. I am still wary about the global economic climate though and how this will affect multinational clients. Over-all, our country will continue to experience growth. The other challenge is identifying and focusing efforts and resources on what will yield more results.

There are still those that resist moving out of the “what used to be” and “this is how it’s always been done“ mentality that keep them from spotting new opportunities and making the most out of evolving technologies and behaviors.

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What advice will you give your clients to help them face up or work around these challenges?

Limited resources will always be a fact of life but shouldn’t be a main preoccupation. Cutting cost is not necessarily bad but cutting the useless and unproductive efforts would yield more. In other words, cheaper is good but smarter is better!

Do you anticipate advertisers better connecting with web-savvy locals in 2012?

Smart clients will go where they can engage and build stronger relationships with consumers. With 30 or so million users and growing time spent online, there’s a lot of opportunities to engage consumers and enhance brand experience in the digital space.

There’s also a lot of information and useful consumer conversations and feedback that one can get online to help marketers plan better.

As I said, consumers are constantly seeking for new things, new experiences. Digital is the perfect avenue for this. Everything is going digital from advertising to PR, CRM to promotions. So, clients should get into it now so they can get more out of it.

With 30 or so million users and growing time spent online, there’s a lot of opportunities to engage consumers and enhance brand experience in the digital space.

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Name 3 pieces of work from 2011 that you are most proud of.

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LOCAL PROJECTIONS

Ronald Barriero General manager DM9 JaymeSyfu Pharex ‘Center of Attention’ campaign gave us our first Clio metal and in-book in D&AD. Tanduay Ice ‘Masarap ang Bawal’ campaign. Aside from giving its competitors a major headache, this was our most effective integrated campaign of 2011.

How did your agency fare in 2011?

2011 was a memorable year for us. We were fortunate enough to win local and international awards on the creative and effectiveness front. The entire organization was ecstatic when we brought home an Agency of the Year plate for the second year in a row, this time, for Best in Industry Leadership and Community Service. Our creative teams and clients reveled at our metals in Cannes, AdFest and Clio, just to name a few. We returned from CamSur with our best medal haul in our six-year history, a clear recognition of our people's hard work and dedication.

There were of course some business realities that we had to face. Headcount was the major one. Our growing brand portfolio tempted us to go on a hiring binge midway through the year, which would have bloated our employee headcount. We struggled initially, but we still managed to maintain a lean and mean organization.

Name 3 pieces of work from 2011 that you are most proud off?

Smart/DoT ‘Just as Beautiful’ campaign.

The Bronze it won in Cannes was a true testament of our long-standing partnership with both Smart and DoT.

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What challenges do you anticipate this year which could impact consumers and clients’ budgets?

The balance of power is rapidly shifting from the advertiser to the consumer. Sure, they have the TV remote to choose what they want to see before, but now, they have the all-powerful search engine! We search the people we want to talk to, the videos we want to watch, the blogs we want to read, and the products we want to buy.

With this development, we may soon be using the term “content” more often than “ads” because now, consumers have the power and the means to create content. It is no longer surprising that the most interesting content we see today is generated by the man on the street.

This poses a huge engagement challenge for our clients. They will no longer face passive viewers, but active contributors. The expanding media options will put more pressure on clients’ advertising peso. The advertiser, together with the creative and media agencies

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will have to make harder choices. We will all have to bet on key media vectors which would yield the greatest impact and return. From a creative standpoint, agency partners will have to put more emphasis on ideas that will provide the best potential to spread across different touchpoints. Difficult but doable.

From what we’ve learned with our own clients, the ones that were meticulous in their choice of media and bolder/braver in their executional ideas yielded more impressive business results. We’re not surprised.

Do you anticipate advertisers better connecting with web-savvy locals in 2012?

It would be suicide for advertisers and their communication partners to ignore the exponential growth and popularity of digital media. The ones who have explored the medium in the past will try to fine-tune their approach to digital. The big spenders will attempt to become audacious, applying learnings from their previous successes and failures.

At the end of the day, the advertisers’ biggest challenge will be their ability to translate the “views”, “likes” and “shares” to “buys”. A tall order indeed for a developing market like the Philippines.

Agency partners will have to put more emphasis on ideas that will provide the best potential to spread across different touchpoints. Difficult but doable.

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Venus Navalta Chairman ZenithOptimedia Nestle and even winning a gold in the Araw awards.

We are also quite happy on our progress in pioneering new effectiveness measurements in this market, mounting two landmark Touchpoints study that measures 35 contact points, doing econometric modeling and soon, a single source effectiveness study on TV viewership and consumption.

Our expanding digital and OOH capability is another source of pride as their share of revenues continue to grow.

How did your agency fare in 2011?

2011 has been a great year for ZenithOptimedia, marked by so many high points: • We strengthened our relationship with key clients, expanded and improved all aspects of our services, resulting in significant organic growth.

• Our great performance in new business pitches: Megaworld group, Air Asia and the biggest pitch of the year, Globe Telecom, moving us closer to the top rank.

• The awards (4A’s Best in Media Creativity and a gold and bronze from Araw), which were unexpected as our body of work only spanned a few months.

• A new and refreshed ZenithOptimedia: Various team building programs including a trip abroad for all staff plus moving into a new office boosted morale and renewed pride for the agency.

Name 3 pieces of work from 2011 that you are most proud of.

We are most proud of how we collaborated with our creative agency, Publicis and our media partner on Nestle’s Kasambuhay Habambuhay project, touching millions of Filipinos, resulting in business gains for

Given the global economic environment and the possibility of spillover in the local market, what challenges do you anticipate this year which could impact consumer sentiment and by extension your clients’ budgets?

We revised our growth projection for the local industry from 10% down to 5-7% due to the global economic situation, which has already impacted Q4 2011 spending in the Philippines.

The existing challenges in local media will be more apparent because of tighter budgets: 1. Unabated increases in media rates without regard for dwindling audience size – the explosion of media options has led to audience fragmentation costing advertisers more to reach the same number of consumers.

Cost per rating point is a quick fix to this, but

accountability is a challenge. We are pushing this issue as a shared responsibility with our media partners.

2. Creativity in traditional media – with the clutter level, it is so difficult to standout in traditional media; most of the so-called innovative executions we have seen this year are rehashed out of the old. Solutions that engage and not antagonize the consumers are a challenge for both media and creative partners.

What advice will you give your clients to help them face up or work around these challenges?

I will reserve my advice to our clients.

Do you anticipate advertisers will catch up with consumers this year and capitalize on digital media to connect with the market? Advertisers will pick up speed in utilizing digital media but it will be more of an evolution rather than revolution. Youth and young adult brands as well as those targeting the upper and middle classes will increase their digital spending. In terms of share, if digital spending increases by 30-40% year-on-year, it will have the third largest share, after TV and OOH in about five years, overtaking print and radio.

The DE Housewife, a key target market for brands, remains loyal to television but once she gets a taste of digital via cheaper smart phones and affordable tariffs, then growth of digital can accelerate.

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Advertisers will pick up speed in utilizing digital media, but it will be more of an evolution than a revolution.

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ADOBO CEO MASTERCLASS

Innovate or lose ground to rivals

Roger Neill tells Masterclass audience to drop brand lifecycle thinking Photographs: Shampoo Padilla

Making his way to Manila, Roger Neill, a leading authority on innovation and creativity, encountered two brands – one ailing, the other extinct.

Both offered a salutary lesson of the peril companies face if they fail to innovate or renovate their brands in a constantly evolving marketplace.

Had the pair made such an investment, they would have been in considerably better shape to counter the headwinds that routinely buffet their sector – aviation.

In the first instance, Neill was offered alternatives to Philippine Airlines since the carrier no longer operated between London and Manila after the European Union blacklisted it due to safety and maintenance concerns. Eclipsed by regional rivals and no-frills start-ups, beset by staff woes and operating across a shrunken network, PAL is a shadow of its glory days as Asia’s oldest commercial airline.

Neill’s other airline encounter was with the once legendary Pan Am. But the only airwaves the long bankrupt carrier still operates these days is on TV, where an eponymous new series about the lives of a fictional flight crew provide a glimpse of the airline’s ’60s heyday.

“Brands need to be renovated continuously.

Waiting until there’s trouble is usually too late,” Neill told the audience at adobo magazine’s first CEO Masterclass. “Brands that wait tend to follow what someone else has done in the marketplace.

The world is full of follower brands.”

Renovations, however, work best when preceded by innovation or, at the very least, a real effort to fix a company’s problems. The point underscored time and again at the masterclass was that product must lead marketing since no amount of glossy advertising can ever paper over a product’s cracks.

Illustrating the point, Neill pointed to Korean Air, which successfully reversed its fortunes even when saddled with an appalling safety record. No easy feat since a hierarchic company culture had contributed to crew error blamed for a series of air crashes.

“Korean Air went through a 20-year period of flying into mountains. They identified the key issue that no brand renovation was going to fix. They just had to stop flying into mountains.”

Neill acknowledged Korean Air’s corporate culture of respecting elders, prevalent in much of Asia, can hobble brand innovation and renovation.

“The younger pilots preferred flying into mountains rather than telling the senior pilots that they were wrong.”

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01 Roger Neill with Ying Miller, Janelle Barretto Squires, JJ Calero and Angel Guerrero 02 JWT Manila CEO Jos Ortega 03 Roger Neill addressing the audience 04 Idea-sharing over lunch 05 Brainstorming session

Still, Neill believes a hierarchy-based corporate culture has its place. “There’s a big upside to having respect for the elders when you need to get things done but there’s not a big upside for innovation.”

Once it identified its problems, Korean Air tweaked its corporate culture, empowering younger pilots to alert superiors to flight errors.

It also bought new aircraft and introduced innovations, from a duty-free store in the new Airbus super-jumbos and woman-only onboard bathrooms to cater to a growing female passenger

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base, actions that helped the brand regain lost altitude.

While the market is littered with brands that missed out on innovation – Kodak, Polaroid, Pan Am and, for a time, IBM – Neill noted that many of the world’s oldest brands – especially FMCG labels from the likes of Procter & Gamble, Unilever, Nestle and Coca-Cola – are not only surviving but thriving. He credits their continuous efforts in innovation and renovation for bestowing these brands with longevity, vitality and enduring success even as consumer tastes evolve.

SPECIAL FEATURE

ADOBO CEO MASTERCLASS

Brand Skoda Challenge Enjoyed a dominant share of the then Czechoslovak market under communism but it was also a joke of a brand, defined by low product quality and even lower consumer expectations Fix New owner Volkswagen invested heavily in product, factory and culture to take it from zero to hero. Leveraging the country’s pre-communism engineering heritage, Volkswagen counter-intuitively retained Skoda’s development and design base in the Czech republic but built state-of-the-art production lines and a common engineering platform to lift standards. It also invested in a massive training program, which included a costly buddy system, pairing Skoda’s engineers with Volkswagen partners – essentially having two people to do one job – to ease the process of raising standards to Volkswagen’s level.

Result Within about eight years, Skoda started making stylish, well-built cars, achieving a reputation for quality and standards among owners. Helped by satisfied owners making repeat purchases and strong word-ofmouth, annual sales rose 30 per cent a year The investment also delivered a new, cheaper market segment to Volkswagen as its brand moved up the price range.

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Learnings Return to core competence, which in Skoda’s case was its engineering heritage, forgotten or neglected during the communist era. Product must lead marketing – “If they started working on Skoda from the marketing department they would have gotten no where. They had to fix the product first.” It’s possible to turn a brand around, even amidst the most disastrous circumstances.

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Brand British Airways Challenge Fifteen years ago there was virtually no product differentiation among the more than two dozen airlines flying the highly competitive transatlantic route. As a result, heavy price pressure took its toll on carriers, including BA’s profitability.

Fix BA needed disruptive thinking: going against consumer research, it pioneered a herringbone seating arrangement, with forward and backward facing seats, in business class to provide flat beds without eroding seating density. The product was borne out of research showing that while business class passengers want everything, they would trade it all for a restful night’s sleep.

Result On the pilot London-New York market, passengers egad switching to BA immediately.

Prices hardened and BA gained market share, helping restore its profitability. BA also enjoyed a sustainable advantage for about eight years as risk-averse rivals were either too afraid of passenger backlash to copy this innovative move or they responded with only forwardfacing seats thus forfeiting seat density and profitability.

Learnings Disruptive thinking can deliver product innovations that rivals, wedded to their consumer research findings, will often veto.

Don’t let market research lead a project instead pilot projects in real life.

Neill’s 10 Commandments on Brand Renovation 01 Banish brand lifecycle thinking 02 Understand the real brand DNA – what must be carried into the future. Interrogate the founding myth.

03 Be ruthless in leaving behind the baggage that holds you back – slay some sacred cows.

04 Create a big new vision for the brand – think like a challenger.

05 Redefine the competitive frame.

06 Don’t let market research lead the important decisions – pilot projects unreal life.

07 Bring the customer into the heart of every stage of creative development.

08 Create some big, bold new ideas that will move your brand decisively towards the new destination.

09 Build buy-in at all levels and in all departments.

10 Turn away from the little ideas that soak up time and effort and make no real difference.

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OFFICIAL MEDIA PARTNERS Business Mirror Philippine Star Business World Philippine Daily Inquirer Manila Bulletin WITH THE PARTICIPATION OF Tower Club Makati Shangri La Nestle Dolce Gusto Forth & Tay wines

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ADFEST 2012 PRIMER

AdFest returns to Pattaya for 2012 gathering

Takes ‘Fast Forward’ theme and serves up expert advice on ways shops can adapt 15th Asia Pacific Advertising Festival MARCH 18-20 ROYAL CLIFF HOTELS GROUP PATTAYA, THAILAND

Film / Radio Trong Tantivejakul, Y&R Bangkok’s chief creative officer, boasts 20 years of advertising experience. A former chairman of the Bangkok Art Directors Association, his work has been recognized at major shows, including AdFest, One Show and Cannes, bringing home two golds and two silvers from last year’s Cannes competition.

Also appointed at jurors at press time were Sandy Chan, Ogilvy & Mather Hong Kong ECD, and Dentsu Tokyo creative director Takuma Takasaki.

Press Prasoon Joshi, the executive chairman and chief executive of McCann Worldgroup India, and the regional executive creative director of McCann Erickson, returns to the competition, which he previously presided over as film jury president.

Joshi has created some of India’s most awarded campaigns – such as the infamous Happydent ‘City Lights’ commercial, considered one of the best commercials ever made in India – and is credited with putting Indian advertising on the world stage.

Prasoon will be joined on the panel by Brandie Tan, former executive creative director of BBDO Guerrero, JWT Shanghai ECD Elvis Chau, DDB Group Singapore group ECD Joji Jacob, and The Monkeys Sydney cofounder and ECD Justin Drape.

Cyber Grand jury president Bob Greenberg, the chairman, CEO and chief creative officer of R/GA will lead this jury.

The only other appointment to the panel at press-time was BBH India brand partner Abhishake Das.

Banking on Greenberg’s digital experience to inspire change Bob Greenberg’s presidency of the grand and cyber juries is particularly appropriate with AdFest theming this year’s festival ‘Fast Forward’.

Both the theme and Greenberg’s highly-awarded career of innovating in digital communications reflect the exponential growth of new channels.

In addition to judging, Greenberg will feature among the line-up of the world’s brightest creative thinkers to discuss the trends and technologies shaping the future.

AdFest organizers have tailored the forum to allow delegates to equip themselves with the skills they need to master and adopt new technologies without losing thir creative spark. Greenberg, whose agency was behind the Nike+ campaign – named the digital campaign of the decade by Adweek is well placed to help agencies navigate through today’s challenges to prepare and adapt to future demands.

In the mid-90s, he successfully transformed what was then R/Greenberg Associates – known for creating visual effects and motion graphics for blockbusters such as Alien and Predator – into a multi-platform advertising

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agency after realizing digital technology’s transformative effect on the industry.

“Technology transforms consumers; consumers transform agencies (and clients and media, too). We believe this moment in history is nearly identical to the moment that happened in the 1960s when David Ogilvy, Leo Burnett, and Bill Bernbach sparked the creative revolution in advertising,” Greenberg said.

“These three figures figured out how to maximize the technology/consumer formula for the dominant media technology of the era: television. But that was the previous era.”

Agencies still wedded to the old paradigm will find their service has been commoditized as a new pecking order emerges with digital agencies innovating new paths to engage the consumer.

“Agencies that focus on changing perceptions through outbound messages have become commoditized, while agencies that create transformational experiences that change customer behavior through usage are ascendant.”

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Film craft/New Director George MacKenzie is the regional managing director of The Sweet Shop, overseeing the Asia Pacific and MENA regions. Having cut his teeth at Silver Screen Auckland, Mackenzie developed a passion for editing and post-production.

Since then, he has worked at some of Australia’s best-known post and production shops, including the LaB Sydney, Independent Films, where he was general manager, and Fin Design + Effects, where he was executive producer.

This will be his second trip to AdFest after judging on the same categories in Tokyo in 2010.

Outdoor Merlee Jayme, the chairman and chief creative officer of DM9 JaymeSyfu. Boasting an inspiring entrepreneurial drive, Jayme colaunched the six-year-old boutique shop as a sister company of the DDB Worldwide Group. Within four years of its launch DM9 made the top spot of Campaign Brief Asia’s ranking of Philippine agencies.

The appointment marks a return to the AdFest jury for Jayme, who judged the film and radio categories during the 2010 competition, which took place in Tokyo.

Direct and promo Yukio Nakayama, the executive creative director of Dentsu Tokyo, boasts a mantle with 12 Grand Prix awards after realizing that his calling was in advertising rather than his major, biophysics.

Nakayama recently returned to Dentsu after six years managing Frontage, a mid-sized, Tokyo-based agency that was partly backed by Sony and the Japanese advertising giant.

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Design and print craft Stanley Wong made headlines when he became the first Chinese in the regional industry to take up an overseas role in 1996, leaving Hong Kong for the Singapore-based post of regional creative director of BBH Asia Pacific. He later returned to Hong Kong as chief executive and ECD of TBWA\Hong Kong. In 2000, he turned his talents to TVC directing, joining Centro Digital as chief creative officer/film director and two years later set up his own production company, threetwoone.

Wong will be joined on the panel

by Wanted Communications Kuala Lumpur design director Jeff Ooi, BWM Sydney creative director Rocky Ranallo, and Dentsu Tokyo creative director Yoshihiro Yagi.

Inaugural production summit and Young Lotus workshop AdFest will host the inaugural Asia Pacific chapter’s World Producers Summit at its gathering this year to raise awareness of industry-wide problems.

In raising awareness of problems and the common interests that unite prooduction companies across the world, the closed door, invitationonly half-day summit for 40 of the top production companies owners in the region aims to elevate the regional sector.

“Running a successful production company in 2012 means having the best possible understanding of new opportunities and threats to your business,” said Francois Chilot, president of Commercial Film Producers of Europe (CFPE). “How is digital media reshaping your business? How do we convince clients of the amazing value the commercials market brings them. This summit gives producers in Asia Pacific the chance to learn from other production companies around the world.”

Chilot will host the summit with Steve Davies, chief executive of APA and EVP of CFPE and Matt

Miler, president and CEO, AICP. The advertising festival will also see JWT’s Tay Guan Hin return to chair the AdFest Young Lotus Workshop, which will run from March 15 to 17 just before the regional advertising festival gets underway.

Now in its 8th year, the Young Lotus Workshop supports rising stars in Asia Pacific by creating an environment in which to develop new skills and learn from award-winning creative gurus.

JWT will provide a select group of “trainers” to facilitate workshop sessions. Creative teams from around 18 different cities will be coached, briefed and given a creative assignment over the workshop’s two-and-a-half days. The teams will have just 24 hours to meet their deadline. The top-performing teams will be presented on stage during AdFest.

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LONDON INTERNATIONAL AWARDS

Miserly Grand Prix count at London awards

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All that glitters may be gold but only a tiny number were Grand Prix worthy to the jurors of the London International Awards (LIA).

Out of 14,283 entries, only three took home a shiny Grand Prix, underscoring the show’s discriminating nature. One of the last major shows of the competition year, the LIA was, however, more generous with gold prizes, handing out 69 awards, following a week of intense judging in Las Vegas late last year.

BBDO Worldwide walked away with the Agency of the Year, while the inaugural LIA for Postproduction Company of the Year went to The Mill.

There was no winner in the Production Company category.

JWT Shanghai’s “Heaven and Hell” for Samsonite continued to shine as Asia’s campaign to beat, bagging a Grand Prix in the print category, making it a haul of six for the year, which included its win from Cannes and Spikes.

“Most of the work was good and solid. But only the winner of the Grand LIA stood out much more above the level of the others. The gap between this work and the other statue winners is so great that it had to be the Print Grand LIA,” said non-traditional, print and poster billboard jury president Pablo del Ocampo.

JWT’s North Asia CEO Tom Doctoroff added: “I think what touched the juries was simply a very beautiful and sharp execution – not to mention exquisite craftsmanship – that delivers a clear message for a real product. I think the victory means judges and juries can still be moved by what I don’t like to call ‘traditional’ work. This work was ‘timeless’ and reminds all of us how moving the basics of our craft can be.”

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01 JWT Shanghai, ‘Heaven and Hell’ 02 Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam ‘The Entrance’ 03 Crispin Porter + Bogusky, ‘Small Business Saturday’ 04 Warrior Poets, ‘Pom Winderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold’

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The other two Grand Pix awards went to Crispin Porter + Bogusky and Marshall Street Editors. Crispin Porter + Bogusky bagged the Grand LIA for The NEW Category with American Express’ ‘Small Business Saturday’ campaign and Marshall Street Editors received the first-ever Grand LIA for TV/Cinema/Online Film Technique, serving as the cutting room team for Wieden + Kennedy Amsterdam’s ‘The Entrance’ for Heineken.

The Grand Prix winners naturally dominated the gold prizes – JWT Shanghai won four golds for “Heaven and Hell”, Crispin Porter + Bogusky bagged one each for ‘Small Business Sunday’ and Domino Pizza’s ‘Show Us your Pizza’ Integrated Campaign, while Marshall Street Editors won three for ‘The Entrance’.

The United States, Germany and the United Kingdom were the biggest winners, bagging 118, 58 and 52 metals respectively.

Asian Front On top of JW T Shanghai’s stellar perfor-

mance, Asia Pacific came away with more than 100 finalists and metals across various categories. Australia led the haul with 38 metals, followed by Thailand (21), and Japan (14).

Thailand had a surprisingly low batting average – its 21 finalists only produced four winners: Y&R Thailand’s ‘Pet’, ‘Bully’, ‘Asteroid’, and ‘Killer Bees’ campaign for Ichitan Double Drink (one silver); Creative Juice Bangkok’s ‘Fish’, ‘Chicken’, and ‘Pork’ campaigns for M Wrap (two bronzes); and Leo Burnett Thailand’s ‘Panyee FC’ for TMB (one bronze).

Japan had a better batting average, converting 14 finalists to one gold, six silvers, and one bronze.

The gold and bronze went to Aoi Advertising Promotion Inc for Sour’s ‘Mirror’ in the digital and NEW categories. Silvers were split among Dentsu Inc., Dentsu Inc. Kansai, Eight Branding Design Co., Ogilvy & Mather Japan and Tokyu Agency Inc. Australia converted 38 shortlisted entries into 31 metals but went home with no gold though there were plenty of silvers (11) and bronzes (20).

The NEW Category Last year’s awards show saw also judges recommend that a special NEW Award be presented. “The NEW Category is protean by nature. Things that once were ‘new’ become established channels or concepts,” said NEW category jury president Faris Yakob. Warrior Poets for ‘Pom Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold’ took home the NEW Category prize.

Touching on a subject close to the industry’s heart, the documentary on product placement both cleverly and cheekily leveraged its topic to fund its making and provide the content. It documented the process of getting sponsors on board and the marketing deployed to promote the film. “It didn’t seem to sit comfortably alongside the other ideas being judged, but it did seem interesting and directional for the industry to discuss and highlight. Therefore, in the spirit of recognizing that, the jury decided to create a special award to recognize it, outside of The NEW Category,” Yakob noted.

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AdCon22

They came, they played and some of them also conquered The biggest advertising awards show in the country promised to change the game. From a new venue to an array of sports activities to a new process for the Araw Awards’ submission of entries to a slew of speakers that brought together, for the first time, the heads of the three broadcasting networks on the same stage – the 22nd Philippine Advertising Congress delivered – and then some.

After two days of rain, the sun shone down on Camarines Sur for the rest of the congress, turning up the heat for what turned out to be an ad congress to remember.

Contents: Ramon Jimenez’ keynote, pg 137 Speakers Charlene Li, pg 137 Geoff Tan, pg 140 Joeri van den Bergh, pg 140 Patrick Schult, Gregory Ho, Laura Wendt, pg 139 Match of the decade, pg 138 Araw Awards, pg 142 Winners’ showcase, pg 144 Dawn to dusk and dawn again, pg 156

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Coming to CamSur The Camarines Sur Watersports Complex, or CWC to most enthusiasts, isn’t a favored place for meetings or events but the committee and the province itself were determined to prove that CWC is more than just a sporting venue.

“We did not have a scarcity of skeptics about the choice of the place and everybody thought, everybody asked: Can it be done? Can it really happen? Well, it’s happening now,” said Barbie Atienza, vice chairman of AdCon22’s external affairs committee.

However, for AdCon22 overall chair Sandy Prieto-Romuladez, the biggest challenge by far was maximizing the venue for all that it could offer: learning, fellowship and networking, and fundraising.

The Ad Congress was also a game-changer with several innovations. Among these were shoutout walls where delegates and participants could write their game-changing ideas (or just the usual greeting or message), the ultimate Frisbee and water obstacle course, the free-for-all fun run, and the trade exhibit, dubbed TradEx22 RUGame?, that showcased local products from CamSur and the latest technology, including an electric bike that charges when pedaled and a glasses-free 3D TV, displayed for the first time in the country.

A digital year But for the most part, a lot of the new features were digital in nature. Perhaps the most notable were the online submission of entries, preliminary judging for the Araw Awards and the AdCon22 mobile app for iOS, BlackBerry, Symbian (Nokia), and Android-powered phones.

The registration process also took a digital turn with biometric registration for delegates, exhibitors, organizers, guests, and participants.

“We have to keep the delegates happy,” said Blen Fernando, who headed the administration committee. The registration lines moved smoothly, from

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station 1 to station 4, which Fernando likened to getting visas from foreign embassies, although in a much friendlier manner. The old-school IDs were also replaced; the tamperproof, waterproof colorcoded wristbands made for easy identification, documentation, and access to events, activities, and parties.

Even the Advertising Board of the Philippines (AdBoard) has made changes thanks to digital’s impact. Among the changes that will take effect in 2012 are a new trade practice manual, the inclusion of marketing organizations as AdBoard members, and, AdBoard chair Andre Kahn hopes, a level playing field for integrated marketing communications, instead of the usual dominance of the 4As and PANA. The game that was Araw Online submissions yielded over 2,000 entries for the Araw Awards, considered the country’s most prestigious advertising award. A total of 226 awards were given across craft (74), media (23), and the main Araw categories (129).

Renewing its focus on creative effectiveness, the entries were judged based on results, creativity and execution, and strategy with 40-40-20 point distribution. Said Joey Ong, ECD of DDB Philippines and a member of the press jury: “The judging was quite difficult because of the effectiveness angle (but) it creates a clear distinction from being just an art show.”

However, no matter how strict the judging process was, the agencies were given the chance to play and have fun during the awards show itself.

Staged by Grupo Lumina and Video Sonic, the creativity + effectiveness formula translated into a stunning, playful set, which began with the agency parade that brought video games (and one street game) to life. The game theme continued as the Araw Creative Committee was presented a la Tekken and the jury member’s faces were revealed in memory card game fashion.

BBDO Guerrero, DM9 JaymeSyfu, McCann Worldgroup, Publicis Manila, and TBWA\Santiago Mangada Puno frequented the stage as they went up for award after award, while Nestlé Philippines/ Lowe Philippines brought home the lone Gold Araw for film for its Selecta Cornetto ‘Bouncer’ TV ad, which coincidentally won the adobo magazine Ad of the Year award for 2010.

In the end, BBDO Guerrero was named Agency of the Year, led by its metal haul for clients Bayer (Saridon), FedEx, and Pepsi. Holding its own for a share of the gold trophies was Nestlé Philippines; it won the Advertiser of the Year award, fueled by its ‘Kasambuhay Habambuhay ’ film anthology. Sandra Puno, Nestlé Philippines’s

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director of communications, said: “It took us 100 years to win an Araw,” as she called the ‘Kasambuhay Habambuhay’ directors and Nestlé’s ad agency Publicis Manila onto the stage.

Revolver Studios, which took home several trophies in the craft category, was crowned Production House of the Year while Media Contacts brought home the Araw trophy for Media Agency of the Year.

Things will never be the same again Delegates were never short of learning opportunities, with the festival’s combination of both international and regional speakers from all sides of the communications industry.

There were Charlene Li and Charles Cadell talking social media; Patrick Schult, Gregory Ho, and Laura Wendt discussing TV; Geoff Tan addressing print; Joeri van den Bergh on youth branding; and Mark Tutssel on his favorite topic, Humankind. But perhaps the most awaited session was the one featuring TV network heads – Gabby Lopez of ABS-CBN, Felipe Gozon of GMA 7, and Manny Pangilinan of TV5 – who took the stage to the roar of applause and cheers from their respective camps.

And then there were the dinners and parties with a seemingly endless supply of food, drinks, and prizes. The TV5-sponsored party had five cars (including one MINI Cooper) waiting for delegates and featured superstar Nora Aunor, Alice Dixon, and Dina Bonnevie onstage. Not to be outdone, ABS-CBN raffled off PHP 300,000 in cash and brought in Piolo Pascual, John Lloyd Cruz, and Sam Milby to name a few, to the delight (and screams) of fans.

But the biggest game-changer of all? “After we leave, CamSur will never be the same again,” Atienza wryly observed.

Perhaps the delegates can also say the same for themselves.

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01 Keynote speaker DoT Secretary Mon Jimenez 02 AdCon22 chairwoman and Philippine Daily Inquirer president Sandy Prieto Romualdez 03 Fox party 04 windsurf all you want!

05 Gabby Lopez with Luchi Cruz Valdez 06 Delegates enjoy the free games and raffles at the exhibit hall 07 John Lloyd Cruz flocked by fans (and guards) 08 AdCon fun run 09 LRay cultural dancers performs during the Governor’s Night 10 Obstacle course at Lago del Ray

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AdCongress22 keynote DOT Secretary Mon Jimenez

Returning to familiar territory, adman turned Philippine Tourism Secretary Mon Jimenez’s keynote address on changing the tourism game was one the industry eagerly awaited.

Needless to say with the tourism account going into a pitch immediately after the congress, pitch participants among the delegates were all ears, looking for clues to beef up their presentation.

For Jimenez, the conference proved to be a respite of sorts.

“Boy, it’s good to be home,” he declared. In a nod to the gladiator in the opening ceremonies, Jimenez said three months as the tourism secretary had left him with a clear understanding of what it felt like standing in the former’s sandals. “The way the tourism game is played around the world places financially challenged countries like ours at a disadvantage,” he said. Richer countries have better facilities and in turn better image, security and pricing. “We have to work with what we’ve got. We have to change the way the game is played by the Philippines.”

Offering insights on his direction for the destination, he proposed a different marketing approach: “The Philippines is not a place to see but a place to be.”

A place where visitors want to be with lively people who love to sing and dance and experience.

To support the approach, Jimenez touched on one medium deemed “more powerful than any BTL and ATL”: social media, the power of word-of-mouth buzz. The campaign would capitalize on “a resource we never knew we had before: Filipinos love their country”. He called on Pinoys, who are some of the world’s most avid users of social media, to go online and spread the word about the country.

A populist at heart, he said that a genuine tourism campaign had to be a people’s campaign, but changing the game would be necessary if the Philippines wanted to win.

“The [Philippines] ad community is the oldest in this part of the world. We set the rules of the game in Asia. It is time to change the rules again,” Jimenez declared.

Words of comfort from Groundswell author Groundswell author Charlene Li offered words of comfort for brands facing a world where social media connections are paramount, and marketers face the real risk of losing control.

“It’s not about technology but about relationships,” the best-selling author and founder of the Altimeter Group reminded delegates during her session on ‘Harnessing the Power of Social Media’. Faced with an evolving media landscape, Li acknowledged brands were afraid of losing the control they previously enjoyed in a traditional media world. “The only way we can get back in control is to engage.”

Illustrating her point, Li recalled 2006’s ‘Dell Hell’ incident when news about an exploding laptop spread rapidly online. While the internet can amplify disasters, it also provides tools for a timely crisis response. Simple tweets can help brands repair relationships as they show a company is responsive to customers’ needs. “Customers are extremely forgiving.”

Li applauded Cebu Pacific and Nescafe Philippines for their savvy use of online channels. oNescafe earned kudos for sharing local euphoria of Manny Pacquiao’s November win with its Facebook victory post. “There is a new normal because customers are engaged,” said Li.

She listed three rules of engagement as social media becomes more pervasive: conversations, not messages; human, not corporate; and continuous, not episodic.

Brands should see social media as an investment. “Do you think of customer support as a cost center? Invest heavily in it so that customers can’t live without it.”

Li reserved real praise for Best Buy’s Twitterbased customer service tool, Twelpforce, which allows staff across every level of the organization to respond to customer tweets.

In press interviews, Best Buy executives said competitors would struggle to copy the initiative as it was based on years of experience and placed employees at the centre of the strategy.

Twelpforce exemplifies an open leadership style, one that Li firmly advocates. While ideal, the style is hardly ubiquitous as it requires a special type of business leader, one with both the confidence and humility to give up the need for control while inspiring commitment.

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Groundswell author Charlene Li

Prepare to engage 01 Align social with key strategic goals. Pick ones where social will have an impact. Start small but now.

02 Create a culture of sharing.

03 Discipline is needed to succeed.

04 Ask the right questions about value.

05 Master the art of failure. No relationships are perfect.

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The match of the decade

But hotly-anticipated showdown fails to deliver the expected fireworks

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It wasn’t the hotly anticipated yet still elusive Pacquiao-Mayweather dust-up but, AdCongress headline bout with TV’s Big 3 corporate titans sharing the stage generated red hot excitement among delegates.

TV’s established players GMA Networks Inc. CEO and chair Atty. Felipe Gozon and ABS-CBN CEO and chairman Eugenio “Gabby” Lopez III faced off against challenger TV5. While declaring otherwise, the latter’s chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan is clearly looking to replicate his stunning business success in telecoms and other utilities in television. Otherwise, why would an astute businessman enter a field if not to succeed and success generally depends on up-ending the established category order. Needless to say, the cheering of each camp’s supporters was loud and spirited.

But the event’s format precluded the fireworks a head-to-head match-up would probably have delivered. Instead, each TV chieftain delivered prepared speeches and were grilled by an interviewer from a rival network in the Q&A portion that followed.

While not as exciting as having the three go head-to-head, the format proved entertaining and informative. It allowed for more probing questions to be asked though responses suggested varying degrees of success for the seasoned journalists chosen by their network to cross-examine their rival.

The art of evasion Atty. Gozon painted a picture of GMA in broad strokes and spoke of audience empowerment with digital, from social TV to the rise of the third screen. “Primetime is now a movable feast,”

he said. GMA shows have become interactive, allowing viewers to choose outcomes and even the characters’ clothes through calls, texts, online voting and tweets. Gozon also mentioned the fantaseryes (fantasy TV series) GMA popularized and had since become a network fixture.

But the changes have heralded a period of uncertainty for advertisers. “The advertising business may be heading for trouble – or it may be heading for a new age of glory,” he said, channelling Edwin Artzt, the man who supercharged Procter & Gamble’s international growth.

Gozon’s forecast suggesting a new age of glory is not without foundation: the medium has an undeniable hold on local audiences. Despite online’s explosion, the Philippines remains a dynamic TV market since the medium offers the cheapest form of entertainment for the majority of the population. TV’s reach may actually grow, particularly on mobile screens, driven by quality content. In the current state of play, TV remains a crucial medium for advertisers to build brand loyalty.

ABS-CBN’s Korina Sanchez-Roxas sat with Gozon and attempted to probe her elusive rival with pointed questions, but to no avail. Instead, the audience were treated to light banter. Gozon also insisted that GMA was the ratings leader but did not specify the scope. The veteran lawyer failed to go into specifics, though he did reveal that he would retire ahead of the two other media heads because he was older and that succession plans were being put in place at the network.

The jejemon billionaire Manny Pangilinan, MVP to many, described TV5’s target as a copywriter with a connected lifestyle.

With contemporary graphics and an eloquent

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narrative, Pangilinan came across as self-effacing, referencing even his rare slip-up – his muchdiscussed plagiarized Ateneo commencement address. He spoke of the convergence of the businesses under his umbrella, noting the potential of targeted advertising that knows a consumer’s utility bills as well as media use while mentioning empowerment.

“Primetime is out, anytime is in,” he said.

“If content is king, consumer choice is queen.”

The internet, he acknowledged, is changing consumption.

Pangilinan stressed that his rival broadcasters had nothing to worry about: TV5 is the undisputed number three. He described the incumbents as “very strong” and maintained that TV5 was in the game for the long term, knowing that there could be a new disruptive force five to 10 years from now.

GMA’s Mike Enriquez had questions for Pangilinan that was just as interesting as Sanchez’s. Responding to a question on Twitter, Pangilinan denied political ambitions and acknowledged the job of media to be positive. On drawing talent from rival networks, Pangilinan had his game face on. “Just three words. We accept applications,” he said.

What do Filipinos need? “Creativeness, entrepreneurship and risk-taking,” said Pangilinan, pointing to traits he felt were lacking in the country.

“The digital tsunami is coming,” he said as “ d2 n me ” flashed on the screen.

Charismatic son With an introduction worthy of a Las Vegas boxing match, Gabby Lopez became a Twitter trend in the few minutes he had on the convention center stage.

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Of riveting content and making waves

Atty. Felipe Gozon, GMA “TV has reached its defining moment.”

“Primetime has now become a movable feast.”

“TV still the medium to beat for many years to come.”

“We do not believe in piracy [of talents].”

Manuel V. Pangilinan, TV5 “I thought telco was a difficult business until I got into TV.” “Prime time is out, anytime is in.”

“If content is king, consumer choice is queen.”

On going up against the giants: “It’s like terrorism. You don’t know who your enemy is.”

On getting talent leaving other networks. “Just three words. We accept applications.”

On running for office: “No politics in my blood.”

Eugenio Lopez III, ABS-CBN Once on the podium for his presentation: “We can go directly to the Q&A.” “It’s not a job, it’s a calling.”

On the media business: “It’s all I ever wanted to do.”

“We don’t want to intrude, we want to be part of your family.”

The future remained a great unknown, but Lopez insisted the network knew its direction, which was rooted in its mission to serve the Filipino, worldwide. He mentioned groundbreaking programs: Pinoy Big Brother, the user-generated content of the series Imortal, iBoto mo iPatrol mo, a Global Town Hall with President Benigno Aquino III, and the YouTube Worldview with ANC. The network, which he said has more digital properties than any other company, has a portfolio which includes top news site ABSCBNnews.com and Choose Philippines, launched eight months ago.

Lopez described his role as a calling rather than a job, saying it was all he wanted to do. The Kapamilya network, he said, wanted to be regarded as family, not an intruder in the daily lives of Filipinos.

He insisted that network was not “the last man standing” in the Lopez Group, as his interviewer TV5’s Luchi Cruz-Valdez described it. He claimed the power generation business, run by his cousins, was actually doing better.

“We were complacent,” Lopez said of making changes to ABS-CBN. “But I believe we have overcome that particular obstacle.”

Cruz-Valdez’s questioning produced more insightful answers. Lopez spoke about the group’s overseas business and how it was evolving because of challenges to the pay-TV model. The music channel Myx, for example, is available on cable and satellite, targeting an Asian audience.

He forecast an even wider array of viewing choices for consumers, especially when tablet prices fall below US$100. Advertising is still important to the network’s revenue stream. According to Lopez, the challenge now centered on getting advertisers to spend on multiple platforms, especially when digital TV rolls out.

So who won this legendary bout? Gozon for humor, MVP for honesty and Lopez for charm. As with TV, content for this bout was a toss-up though it remains the biggest challenge for all three, with digital increasingly calling the shots.

01 The big three Manny Pangilinan, Felipe Gozon and Gabby Lopez with Sandy Prieto-Romualdez, Margot Torres, Gov. LRay Villafuerte, and Andre Khan

01 Patrick Schult 02 Laura Wendt 03 Gregory Ho

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Holding an audience’s attention has never been harder for brands and the media. For broadcasters, the challenge is particularly acute: they must develop content that engages an audience that has grown increasingly impatient and has hundreds of channel choices a mouse click away.

At the AdCongress, three multinational networks shared their views on what makes good TV content, while keeping their core values intact.

FremantleMedia Asia, which made a name for itself with the hugely successful American Idol franchise, highlighted audience participation as a key quality in retaining viewer engagement season after season.

Patrick Schult, CEO of FremantleMedia Asia, said talent shows such as American Idol appeal because the audience has a big influence in choosing the winners. A feeling of involvement increases someone’s attachment to a show. Schult also mentioned the power of emotions and how the audience wants to be touched by the media. If the audience is emotionally attached to personalities, whether they are contestants or characters in a TV drama, then it is more than likely that they will stick around for more.

SPE Networks Asia’s vice president for communications, digital media and marketing, and English content, Gregory Ho pointed to reality TV, saying it had past the trend stage and was now an established genre.

Programs such as The Amazing Race and Big Brother, which has run for nearly 20 seasons and spawned several versions across the world, prove the genre has staying power, he said.

Ho believes great content has legs, it can travel the world. Innovating to create good content is essential in TV programming. “We can produce good content not only for (Asia), but for the world,” said Ho, citing the global phenomenon of Japanese anime and Korean soap operas.

Laura Wendt, vice president and managing director of Disney Southeast Asia, focused on how broadcasters must innovate while retaining their core values. “Disney doesn’t change and yet Disney is constantly changing,” she said.

Providing quality content that is unique, special, and memorable has been Disney’s legacy for more than 80 years, but the broadcaster continues to adapt to changing media platforms, adding more avenues for the world’s most famous mouse to interact with fans. “It’s all about connection.”

Mickey, according to Wendt, doesn’t simply ride the waves of his popularity but is also making new waves with career moves taking him from movies to music to TV to the internet. “(But) we will never change what Disney intrinsically is.”

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Bringing sexy back to turn heads for print

Geoff Tan

Could print’s obituary have been prematurely written? Geoff Tan, general manager of Singapore Press Holdings (SPH), believes there is plenty of

life left in the medium but it needs to reinvent itself, make a game-changing move, even as digital extends its dominance.

In a presentation at the Ad Congress, Tan reminded the audience: “Changing the game is something that we should be doing everyday.”

One way print can stay relevant amid digital’s seemingly unstoppable onslaught is to provide a multi-sensory experience to readers – something digital, no matter how much content it provides, no matter how interactive it becomes, simply cannot do.

Tan showed how print could inject other sensory experiences into the reading experience, starting with the tried and tested strips or panels offering perfume scents and sound clips and songs that play when a page is opened (remember the Christmas cards that played tinny instrumentals of carols?).

He then moved to more unique executions – bubble wrap attached to a page to illustrate the “pop” of a drink, a “taste strip” sealed in foil for a snack food ad, and blinking LED lights atop a photo of a police car.

Referencing Apple Inc.’s late founder and CEO Steve Jobs, Tan said that out-of-the-box

ideas were key to holding people’s attention.

Creative ideas are especially essential today given the staggering amount of media fragmentation. The daily newspaper today has to compete with an array of choices from TV to radio, mobile phones, music phones, email and social media to name a few, all vying for the audience’s attention.

“We decided, once and for all, that we didn’t want to sell boxes anymore, we don’t want to sell solutions… we want to sell ideas,” he said. Creating new ideas, or “ideation”, should always be a part of any organization if it hopes to keep its audience engaged and entertained.

Having said that, Tan cautioned against the dangers of “creating a bigger mousetrap”. Brands may be fooled into completely recreating themselves when all that is needed are a few modifications to the existing model. Inspiration for change can come from outside the industry – the way you tweak it to fit the print medium is what makes the difference.

In Tan’s view, print media is neither a dying nor an obsolete medium – it just needs to bring sexy back.

Is your brand cool enough to be hot?

Can brands that have been around for decades, if not more, stand a chance with the wired and coveted Gen Y demographic?

What will it take for a brand to be cool that it becomes hot with a demographic influenced more by word-of-mouth from social media connections than traditional advertising?

Joeri van den Bergh believes there are ways to navigating the fluid and evolving marketing landscape in connecting with this demographic.

The co-author of How Cool Brands Stay Hot, noted that while most of the youth today are wired and connected 24/7, there is one thing they still crave: human interaction.

Gen Y are “stimulation junkies” addicted to new things and ideas, but they rely on relationships and social connections for advice, opinions, and information.

He advised companies to “humanize your brand” in order to build better, stronger connections with the youth.

He also shared the “CRUSH” model featured in the book for brands to stay cool with this target segment. The acronym represents key brand features – cool, real, unique, self-brand identification, and happiness – that trigger brand

conversations and contribute to brand leverage and image with the demographic.

Of the five features, van den Bergh identified two as having the most bearing on the younger generation: being real and unique.

Gen Y wants to know if what is being said about a brand is real or not and this demographic has different avenues to determine a brand’s authenticity. If a brand is found to be a “real” brand for them, then that makes it cool.

Uniqueness does not always have to be something new and original. Something borrowed or inspired by someone else’s idea but given a personal touch can become unique.

The moonwalk, for example, became Michael Jackson’s trademark, but he wasn’t the first to make this move. Cab Calloway and David Bowie broke out the move decades ahead of the King of Pop (1932 and 1955 respectively). But it was Jackson’s catchy, passionate performance of the dance that made the moonwalk his signature move.

It’s not all about brands, van den Bergh also reminded the audience. It is about the human emotions and connections brands inspire that power their cool cachet, making them hot with their target segment.

www.adobomagazine.com

January - February 2012

Joeri van den Bergh

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Charles Cadell Nestle Chairman John Miller adobo team sporting Native footwear Phil and James Younghusband with Kenneth Cobonpue Joeri van den Bergh with Tessa Prieto and Tim Yap Leo Burnett global chief creative officer Mark Tutssel Publicis Manila’s Marlon Rivera with Preview magazine’s Pauline Suaco-Juan and Vince Uy

January - February 2012

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Araw Awards 2011

Industry celebrates the year’s best and brightest creative work and star talent For the Araw Awards 2011, nothing less than a stunning show at the CWC Convention Center would be true to the AdCongress’ game-changing theme.

What the ad industry got was a visually impressive staging, creating a playfully competitive atmosphere to celebrate the country’s most prestigious awards for creativity and effectiveness.

The Parade of Agencies took various games to the next level, with a few unexpected twists.

Runner-up Lowe Philippines turned the Halo video game on its head with a sing-along of Lionel Richie’s ‘Hello’ – and left CamSur with P30,000 worth of gift certificates. But it was parade winner TBWA\Santiago Mangada Puno that blew rivals away with a spectacular and campy march of a chess set. It kicked off with a funeral dirge for a dead king before bursting into a dance, led by a drag queen with an exploding cone breast, a performance that earned the agency P100,000 in cash. DDB’s Spartan tumbang preso inspired by the film 300, but with shields transformed into giant flipflops deserved a special mention.

After the parade wound down, the creative Committee led by its chair DM9 JaymeSyfu’s Merlee Jayme popped up onscreen in a Tekkeninspired introduction. Each judge had their few seconds of fame in a segment produced in collaboration with Provill, Optima Digital and Grupo Lumina.

“As we all know, the last AdCongress attempted to introduce effectiveness for the first time,” said Jayme. “During the process of entering and judging work we noticed that the biggest problem was evaluating brand performance.

Judges (mostly creatives) on the other hand, grew impatient reading results. To change the game, we patterned the process after AME, which has an online judging (component) to shortlist the work.”

DentsuIndio, NuWorks, Yehey and Hinge Inquirer worked together to streamline the digital submission process, a first for the Araw.

“Admittedly, being the first definitely gave us some glitches, but we took great pains in making sure that we gave all of the entries a fair chance to be judged properly,” she said.

A total of 1,478 entries were submitted and trimmed down for the on-site judging at the Makati Shangri-La to deliberate the awarding of metals.

The jury mix included creative, client service and planning heads.

In the end, a total of 121 bronzes, 78 silvers and 27 Gold Araw Awards were announced – 74 were in craft, 23 in media and 129 in the main Araw competition. Aids Tecson of Underground

Logic lent production support for the fast-paced winners’ reel.

Notable performers included TBWA\Santiago Mangada Puno’s ads for Peerless Manufacturing and Pacific Paint. ‘Creatures,’’ though not as successful as the ‘Flowers’ series, still scooped seven metals, including two for adphoto in craft.

Independent agency SEVEN A.D. carved its initials in the company of the multinational shops with a bronze in promo and activation for ‘Called to Rescue: Container Van’, as well as a bronze and three silvers for its PSBank commercials.

McCann Worldgroup's botanical feat of outdoor advertising, ‘Living Billboard’ for CocaCola, raked in eight trophies, including three golds.

Leo Burnett Manila’s ‘Fluorescent Candle’ for WWF was the lone gold in direct; Lowe took home the sole film gold of the night with the Selecta Cornetto ‘Bouncer’ for Unilever, which was named the adobo Ad of the Year 2010.

What would have been a second film gold for DM9 JaymeSyfu’s work for Tanduay was disqualified because of a technicality, but the agency drew its strength from print and outdoor work: ‘Bruise” for Gabriela, the ‘Just as Beautiful’ campaign for DoT and Smart, and the Pharex “Center of Attention’ ads.

BBDO Guerrero was named Agency of the Year, boosted by wins for clients including Bayer, FedEx and the viral ‘Action’ campaign, also known as ‘Sa Akin Ang Pinas’ for Pepsi Pinas.

Nestle Philippines, on the strength of its ‘Kasambuhay Habambuhay’ anthology of centennial short films, scooped the Advertiser of the Year award and shared its moment of glory by bringing its directors, suppliers and agencies to the stage Media Contacts Philippines retained its Media Agency of the Year title. Revolver Studios dominated the craft category and emerged as Production House of the Year.

After the awards were handed out, 6CycleMind brought the crowd to its feet with rock band tunes. Rovilson Fernandez was the host for the night. AdCon22 chair Sandy Prieto-Romualdez renewed the call to support children of slain journalists, the beneficiaries of this year’s congress. She turned over the reins to the Advertising Suppliers Association of the Philippines (ASAP) and the Market and Opinion Research Society (MORES), which will host the 23rd AdCongress in 2013.

www.adobomagazine.com

January - February 2012

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Campaigns & Grey’s Plants vs Zombie parade Saatchi goes Super Mario Seven A.D. takes their award An explosive ending won TBWA\ the best parade crown and Php10,000 DM9 creatives lead by Merlee Jayme recieves their Araw award Araw exhibit Leigh Reyes and Mariles Gustilo of Lowe waves back to their team Adcon turnover Merlee Jayme, chairman of Araw awards, takes the stage a la Tekken

January - February 2012

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ARAW Film

Selecta Cornetto ‘Bouncer’, Lowe Philippines

ARAW Outdoor, Ambient, POP and ARAW EXCELLENCE IN IDEA, STRATEGY, PERFORMANCE, Outdoor

The Coca-Cola Export Corporation ‘Living Billboard’ McCann Worldgroup Philippines

Ad title: ‘Bouncer’ / Advertiser: Selecta (Cornetto) / Creative agency: Lowe Philippines / Executive creative director: Leigh Reyes / creative director: Abi Aquino / copywriters: John Pabalan, Dos Roque / art director: John Pabalan account management: Peachy Tamayo, Mel Tomas / agency producers: Bunny Hukom, Tess Jasareno / production house: MCI/Abracadabra / executive producers: Calro Imperial, Lace Lacap / directors: Carlo Directo, Torts Villacorta / offline post: Billy de Leon / online post: Abi Sta. Ana / sound engineer: RJ Mortega / arranger: Arnold Buena

ARAW Outdoor, Ambient, POP Bayer ‘Butcher’ and ‘Carpenter’, BBDO Guerrero

Ad title: ‘Butcher’ and ‘Carpenter’ / Advertiser: Bayer Philippines / Creative agency: BBDO Guerrero / chief creative director and executive creative director: David Guerrero / executive creative director: Brandie Tan / creative director: Rey Tiempo, Gary Amante / producer: Al Salvador / copywrtier: David Guerrero, Rey Tiempo / art director: Gary Amante, Peepo David / advertising supervisor: Edward Go / account manager: Iking Uy / account supervisor: Cindy Evangelista / final artists: Vilma Magsino, Oliver Brillantes, Manny Vailoces / photographer: Paolo Grip, Abet Bagay

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January - February 2012

Ad title: ‘The Living Billboard’ / Advertiser: Coca-Cola / Agency: McCann Worldgroup Philippines / Chief creative officer: Raul Castro / executive creative director: Peter Acuna / head of art: Joseph Velasquez / media: Yasmin Mallari / media agency: Starcom MediaVest / AVP and director-incharge of Momentum: Majo Tomas / VP and managing partner: Bernadette Chincuanco

22ND PHILIPPINE ADVERTISING CONGRESS

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ARAW Direct

WWF Philippines ‘Fluorescent Candle’, Leo Burnett Philippines Ad title: ‘Fluorescent Candle’ / Advertiser: WWF Philippines / Creative agency: Leo Burnett Philippines / executive creative director: Raoul Panes / creative director and copywriter: Alvin Tecson / art director: Mela Advincula / print producer: Benjie Puno / accounts: Sue Ann Nolido, Gela Pena

ARAW Promo and Activations Gabriela ‘Bruise’, DM9 JaymeSyfu

Ad title: ‘Bruise’ / Advertiser: Gabriela / Creative agency: DM9 JaymeSyfu / chief creative officer: Merlee Jayme / executive creative officer: Eugene Demata / creative officer: Louie Sotto / copywriter: Kat Tapang, Louie Sotto, Merlee Jayme / art director: Apol Sta. Maria, Herbert Hernandez, Eugene Demata / final artist: Allan Montayre / editor: Ronnie Amador / producer: Jess Ramo, Sheila Villanueva / account supervisor: Merlee Jayme / photographer: Paolo Gripo / videographer: Ruben Hamahiga

January - February 2012

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ARAW MEDIA

Best Use of Screens Nestlé Philippines, Inc. ‘Nestlé Kasambuhay Habambuhay’ Film Anthology Publicis Manila and Zenith Optimedia Ad title: Nestlé ‘Kasambuhay Habambuhay’ Film Anthology / Advertiser: Nestlé Philippines / chairman & CEO: John Martin Miller / account director: Abby Nicolas / communications director: Sandra Puno / creative service manager: Leslie Go Alcantara / corporate management trainee: Marco Ordonez, Samantha Huang / Media agency: Zenith Optimedia/ chairman: Venus Navalta / corporate media executive: Lott Cuadra / corporate media manager: Glecy Arada / investment director: Sandie Lucas / associate media director: Christine Borillo / AOR director: Dinna Zaratan / Creative agency: Publicis Manila / president & chief creative officer: Marlon Rivera / chairman & chief executive officer: Matec Villanueva / creative director: Jayel Ladioray / producer: Jem Lim / associate producer: Syd Alcala, Dino dela Rama, Trisia Bustamante / account manager: Hannah Poblador

ARAW MEDIA

Best Use of Online Platforms, Excellence (Idea) and Excellence (Strategy) Unilever Phils.Vaseline ‘Road Trip of a Lifetime’ Media Contacts Ad title: ‘Vaseline Road Trip of a Lifetime’ / Advertiser: Unilever Philippines / Agency: Media Contacts / president and CEO: Eduardo Mapa Jr. / account executive: Rona Angeles / strategic planning director: Jonathan Joson / creative director: Paulo Famularcano / design lead: Pats Lavendelo / copywriter: Micheline Rama, Joey Herrera

ARAW Craft

Best Photography Pacific Paint ‘Jellyfish’, Adphoto Ad title: ‘Jellyfish’ / Advertiser: Pacific Paint (Boysen) / Creative agency: TBWA \ Santiago Mangada Puno / executive creative director: Melvin Mangada / creative art director: Jake Tesoro, Manuel Villafania / creative director and copywriter: Bryan Siy / account director: Kara Filamor / art director: Nolan Fabular / final artist: Rusby Gonzales / print producer: May Dalisay / photographer: G-nie Arambulo

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January - February 2012

22ND PHILIPPINE ADVERTISING CONGRESS

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ARAW Digital and ARAW Craft

Best Sound PepsiCo International ‘Sa Akin ang Pilipinas’, BBDO Guerrero, HIT Productions Ad title: ‘Sa Akin Ang Pilipinas’ / Advertiser: PepsiCo International / Agency: BBDO Guerrero / Chief creative officer: David Guerrero / executive creative director: David Guerrero / creative director: Dale Lopez / art directors: Dennis Niera, Tim Villela / writers: Rachel Teotico, Raymund Sison / accounts manager: Dalla Sucgang / account supervisor: Carmela Quirino-Montilla digital developer: Xerg Aguilar / digital accounts manager: Lawrence Villegas, Marga Marquez / digital account manager: Roshan Nandwani / audio production house: HIT Productions / music: Teddy Katigbak / audio engineer: Philip Jarilla

ARAW Craft

Best Direction Asian Development Bank ‘School’ Unitel Productions

ARAW Craft

Best Direction and Best Cinematography Nestlé Philippines ‘Nestlé Kasambuhay, Habambuhay: Tingala Sa Baba’, Film Experts Inc.

Ad title: ‘School’ / Advertiser: Asian Development Bank / Agency: Unitel Productions / offline director: Claire Villareal / production designer: Adeline Leung / DOP: Leslie Garchitorena / assistant director: Shamaine Bencamino / director: Jun Reyes / colorist: Daniel Inco

Ad title: Nestlé ‘Kasambuhay Habambuhay’ Film Anthology / Advertiser: Nestlé Philippines / chairman & CEO: John Martin Miller / account director: Abby Nicolas / communications director: Sandra Puno / Media agency: Zenith OptiMedia / Creative agency: Publicis Manila / president & chief creative officer: Marlon Rivera / chairman & chief executive officer: Matec Villanueva / senior copywriter: Mike Luchico / art directors: Barbie Penalba, Kitty Almazan, Mary Velmonte / senior copywriter: Mike Luchico / copywriter: Trina Martirez / producers: Jem Lim, Jayel Ladioray, Hannah Poblador, Abby Nicolas, Laurie Lee, Chinkee Andres, Matec Villanueva, Restie Maranon, Joi de Jesus, Gel Angeles, Steph Lim, Ely Mangahas, Ernie Mascenon, Leslie Go Alcantara, Sandra Puno, John Martin Miller / production house: Film Experts Inc. / casting: Grace Lasala / cast: Arvy Cesar Viduya, Eubert Marc dela Cruz, Aya Bundang / cinematographer: Dindo Martinez / director: Henry Frejas / producer: Dino dela Rama

January - February 2012

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ARAW EXCELLENCE IN IDEA, STRATEGY, PERFORMANCE

Outdoor – Excellence in Idea Department of Tourism & SMART Communications ‘Limestone’, DM9 JaymeSyfu Ad title: ‘Limestone’ / Advertiser: Department of Tourism and SMART Communications / Creative agency: DM9 JaymeSyfu / chief creative officer: Merlee Jayme / executive creative director: Eugene Demata / creative director: Louie Sotto / art director: Herbert Hernandez / copywriter: Louie Sotto / final artist: Allan Montayre / producer: Jess Ramo, Sheila Villanueva

ARAW CRAFT

Best Cinematography Ayala Center ‘Good Fight’, Revolver Studios Ad title: ‘Good Fight’ / Advertiser: Ayala Malls Inc. / Creative agency: TBWA\Santiago Mangada Puno / producer: Sonny Lucero and Francis Bagnes / director: Erik Matti / cinematography: JA Tadena / assistant director: Borgy Torre / production design: Richard Somes of Strawdogs / line producer: Bianca Clemente / executive producer: Jowel T. Laude / production manager: Gay Reyes / production assistants: Eva Duzman, Emma Agustin

ARAW CRAFT

Best Editing Andok’s ‘Perfect Breasts’, PostManila Ad title: ‘Perfect Breasts’ / Advertiser: Andoks / Creative agency: Campaigns & Grey / chief creative officer: Ompong Remigio / art director: Bunny Vivero / copywriter: Ompong Remigio / production house: Revolver Productions / line producer: Von de Guzman / executive producer: Hanne Gallardo / agency producer: Sonny Cruz / director: Joel Limchoc / production designer: Adeline Leung / Post production house: Post Manila / DOP: Odie Flores / audio production house: HIT Productions / audio technician: Eric Adorable / music: Arnold Buena

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January - February 2012

22ND PHILIPPINE ADVERTISING CONGRESS

ARAW CRAFT

Best Casting Nestle Philippines, Inc. “Nestle Kasambuhay Habambuhay: The Howl and the Fussyket” Straight Shooters Media Inc. Ad title: Nestle Philippines ‘Kasambuhay Habambuhay: The Howl and the Fussyket’/ Advertiser: Nestle Philippines / Agency: Publicis Manila, Inc. / president and CCO: Marlon Rivera Chairman and CEO: Matec Villanueva / creative director: Jayel Ladioray / communications director: Sandra Puno / art directors: Barbie Penalba, Kitty Almazan, Mary Velmonte / senior copywriter: Mike Luchico / copywriter: Trina Martirez / Production house: Straight Shooters Media, Inc / executive producer: Madonna Tarayo Director: Chris Martinez / assistant director: Christine Blando, Julius Alfonso / production designer: Jun Jacob / production designer: Adelina Leung / Casting: Nestea Naesa / Cast: Eugene Domingo, Dennis Padilla, Kiray Celis, Timothy Chan, Tess Antonio, Cris Pasturan, Ernie Concepcion, Madeleine Nicolas, Gerald Pasigan / Post production house: Engine Room / editor: Ike Veneracion / Post production house: Optima Digital / DOP: Gary Gardoce

Best Use of Music in Film Resorts World Manila 'Winner' HIT Productions Ad title: 'Winner' / Advertiser: Resorts World Manila / Agency: SEVEN A.D / audio production house: HIT Productions / musical scorer and Arranger: Brian Cua / sound engineer: Philip Jarilla, Glenn Mariano

Best Use of Music in Film Nestlé 'Home' HIT Productions Ad title: ‘Home” / Advertiser: Nestle / Creative agency: Publicis Manila / Audio production house: HIT Productions / Music: Mike Vilegas / audio engineer: RJ Mortega

Best Sound Design in Film PepsiCo International 'Action' HIT Productions Ad title: 'Sa Akin Ang Pilipinas' / Advertiser: PepsiCo International / Creative agency: BBDO Guerrero / chief creative officer: David Guerrero / executive creative director: David Guerrero / creative director: Dale Lopez / art directors: Dennis Niera, Tim Villela / writers: Rachel Teotico, Raymund Sison / accounts: Dalla Sucgang, Carmela Quirino / production company: Revolver Studios / producer: Aldous Pagaduan / director: Joel Limchoc / sound design: HIT Productions / music: Teddy Katigbak / audio engineer: Philip Jarilla

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Best Vocal Performance in Radio Panasonic Philippines 'Man On Bike' Dentsu Philippines Ad title: 'Man On Bike' / Advertiser: Panasonic Philippines, Inc. / Agency: Dentsu Philippines executive creative director: Noel San Juan / copywriter: Griffrey de Guzman / director for account management: Joee Manalo / account manager: Ceska Mendiola / account director: Grace Hilario / senior media partner / buyer: Nida Estrella / director for media: Mickey de Castro producer: Datu Gallaga/ voice talent: Allen Umali

Best Vocal Performance in Radio Hewlett-Packard Philippines 'List' HIT Productions Ad title: ‘List’ / Advertiser: Hewlett-Packard Philippines / sound production house: HIT Productions / audio engineer: Philip Jarilla

No Gold winner ARAW CRAFT Best Visual Effects Best Animation Best Production Design Best Music / Sound Design in Radio Best Illustration ARAW MEDIA Best Use of Outdoor Ambient – Excellence (Performance) Best Use of Outdoor Ambient – Excellence (Idea) Best Use of Branded Content – Excellence (Idea) Best Use of Outdoor, Ambient & POP – Excellence (Strategy) Best Use of Branded Content Best Use of Online Platforms Best Use of Sponsorship Best Use of Integrated

January - February 2012

ARAW Main Film Excellence (Strategy) Outdoor – Excellence (Strategy) Direct – Excellence (Idea) Digital – Excellence (Idea) Packaging and Design – Excellence (Idea) Integrated – Excellence (Idea) Print – Excellence (Idea) Radio – Excellence (Idea) Film – Excellence (Idea) Outdoor Ambient POP – Excellence (Performance) Digital – Excellence (Performance) Film – Excellence (Performance) Integrated – Excellence (Performance) Print – Excellence (Performance) Packaging & Design Integrated PrintRadio

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Summary of points: creative agency RANK

AGENCY

GOLD

SILVER

BRONZE

FINALIST

TOTAL

1

BBDO GUERRERO

21

46

41

8

116

2

DM9 JAYMESYFU

20

38

37

12

107

3

PUBLICIS MANILA

7

29

19

4

59

4

TBWA\SANTIAGO MANGADA PUNO

0

22

14

13

49

5

MCCANN WORLDGROUP

17

10

11

4

42

6

LEO BURNETT MANILA

7

0

23

10

40

7

WPP MARKETING COMM INC.

0

22

8

9

39

8

ACE SAATCHI & SAATCHI

0

15

12

10

37

9

CAMPAIGNS & GREY

0

15

6

13

34

10

OGILVY & MATHER PHILIPPINES

0

12

14

2

28

11

LOWE INC.

7

7

3

0

17

12

Y&R PHILIPPINES

0

4

5

5

14

13

PUBLICIS JIMENEZBASIC

0

0

0

13

13

14

MANILA 7 ADVERTISING & DESIGN

0

6

6

0

12

15

NUWORKS INTERACTIVE LABS

0

0

6

2

8

16

TRIBAL DDB PHILIPPINES

0

0

0

4

4

17

DDB PHILIPPINES

0

0

1

1

2

18

IDEASXMACHINA

0

0

0

2

2

19

ASPAC ADVERTISING

0

0

0

1

1

20

DENTSU PHILIPPINES

0

0

0

0

0

79

226

206

113

624

TOTAL

Summary of points: media agency RANK

AGENCY

GOLD

SILVER

BRONZE

FINALIST

TOTAL

1

MEDIA CONTACTS

6

2

6

1

15

2

ZENITHOPTIMEDIA

7

0

3

1

11

13

2

9

2

26

TOTAL

Summary of points: production house Summary of points: advertisers RANK

AGENCY

GOLD

SILVER

BRONZE

FINALIST

TOTAL

RANK

AGENCY

GOLD

SILVER

BRONZE

FINALIST

TOTAL

1

REVOLVER STUDIOS

14

10

36

8

68

1

NESTLE PHILIPPINES

14

34

25

8

81

2

HIT PRODUCTIONS

28

20

3

6

57

2

BAYER PHILIPPINES

14

24

10

0

48

3

ABRACADABRA

0

5

6

15

26

3

PROCTER & GAMBLE

0

20

12

12

44

4

FILMEX

7

5

9

2

23

4

UNILEVER PHILIPPINES

13

16

12

1

42

5

FILM PABRIKA

0

10

6

7

23

5

THE COCA-COLA EXPERT CORP.

17

6

5

4

32

6

POST MANILA

7

0

6

5

18

6

WWF PHILIPPINES

7

0

17

2

26

7

SOUND DESIGN

0

5

12

1

18

7

PEPSICO INTERNATIONAL

7

0

15

2

24

8

STRAIGHT SHOOTERS

7

5

6

0

18

8

SMART COMMUNICATIONS INC.

3

11

5

4

23

9

PROVIL

0

5

12

0

17

9

FEDEX

0

12

8

3

23

10

UNITEL

14

0

0

0

14

10

JOHNSON & JOHNSON PHILS.

0

12

9

2

23

Data from Punongbayan & Araullo

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KIDLAT AWARDS 2010

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LOCAL NEWS

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KIDLAT AWARDS 2010

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KIDLAT AWARDS 2010

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Agency of the year

BBDO Guerrero / Proximity Philippines With only a nine-point difference between them, BBDO Guerrero and DM9 JaymeSyfu went headto-head for the Agency of the Year trophy.

Each side was represented by work that had them on par at regional and international awards shows. But BBDO had an ace up its sleeve: ‘Action’, more popularly known as the Pepsi Pinas ‘Sa Akin ang Pinas’ a viral parody of old action films, which was a huge hit with the Philippine online audience.

BBDO Guerrero won three golds – two for the Bayer Saridon print ads and one in digital for Pepsi – as well as nine Silvers and 13 bronzes for clients, including Bayantel, FedEx, Johnson & Johnson, and Sky Broadband.

“It feels like a tremendous privilege to have been awarded Agency of the Year for our work across such a range of clients and I thank them all for the part they have played in helping us achieve these,” said CEO Tony Harris.

Added David Guerrero, chairman and chief creative officer: “We are always delighted to be acknowledged for our work but it is particularly pleasing when we are awarded because our creativity has been allied to actual effectiveness.

This is after all, the why we do what we do.”

Production house of the year Revolver Studios, Inc.

While Hit Productions had more gold and silver Araws, Revolver had nearly twice as many metals overall, which was more than enough to put an end to Hit’s winning streak.

It was a decidedly A-list year for Revolver, with multiple wins for clients such as Andoks, Ayala Center and even the AdCongress contributing to its harvest of two golds, two silvers and 12 bronzes.

After coming close to clinching the title last year, Revolver’s three managing directors, A/F Benaza, Dondon Monteverde and Erik Matti, were overwhelmed that they sealed the company’s fourth year with the Production House of the Year award.

Benaza credited the directors as well as the staff who helped them realize their vision.

“There are a lot of people who work so hard behind the scenes, and my thoughts went to them immediately,” he said.

“We take on every project that we handle head on, and expect to give back nothing but the best to our clients and agencies that have put their faith in us,” said Monteverde.

“This award pushes us to continue doing not just excellent but also relevant and progressive advertising work. To more worthy projects!” toasted Matti.

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January - February 2012

22ND PHILIPPINE ADVERTISING CONGRESS

Advertiser of the year Nestlé Philippines

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Nestle captured 2 golds, 7 silvers and 9 bronzes in the Araw and Araw Media divisions to become the runaway winner for Advertiser of the Year, a fitting win for the company’s 100th year in the Philippines.

The centennial campaign, including the “Pag-ibig” TVC and the Kasambahay Habambuhay short film anthology, was shown online, on TV and in cinemas nationwide and at the Cannes Lions festival.

The campaign also scooped several craft trophies.

“Perhaps the sweetest victory is one that is unexpected,” said Sandra Puno, director of communications. “We thank our agency partners, particularly ZenithOptimedia, Publicis, JWT and all the creative talents in our industry, for it is through their work that we are recognized,” said Puno.

Chairman and CEO John Miller said: “The award is a great honor for Nestlé Philippines. Our mission is to continue to nurture future generations of Filipino families and to contribute to the development of a strong and prosperous nation. This is a mission we have pursued in the last 100 years.

Our advertising is dedicated to supporting the accomplishment of that mission.”

Media agency of the year Media Contacts

It was a déjà vu to the Araw Awards 2009: The toss-up for Media Agency of the Year once again came down to ZenithOptimedia and Media Contacts, which picked up two golds, one silver, and four bronzes for Unilever brands Dove, Sunsilk and Vaseline, and bagged the title for the second Ad Congress in a row.

Going into the fray, Media Contacts’ battle cry was digital. Said CEO Eduardo Mapa Jr: “Our experiences have taught us to believe we can find clients like Unilever, who are as passionate as we are about creative work and insightful ideas. To believe that good work will be recognized. To believe that nothing is impossible. To believe and you will reap the fruits of your success.”

Executive director Jonathan Joson also commented on the recent rule changes: “I’m also glad that the Araw Awards now recognizes that good results come from good work, and good work from good insight.”

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SPECIAL FEATURE

22ND PHILIPPINE ADVERTISING CONGRESS

AdCon22...dawn to dusk and dawn again

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Famed as much for its grand parties and generous prizes as its seminar program and the Araw Awards, 2011’s Philippine Advertising Congress did not disappoint. Its meal sponsors and hosts brought in the expected raffle draws and trademark showmanship to CamSur. The governor, LRay Villafuerte truly owned the Smart-Cignal Governor’s Night, promoting his province in an extended two-part musical extravaganza.

Side A, DJ Funk Avy, DJ Celeste, and the raunchy Mocha Girls kept the crowd on their feet until past midnight, after which booming fireworks heard all over Pili town.

Sponsored meals and parties remained a media affair. At AdCon, it was never too early to samba, judging by The Philippine Star’s lunchtime Starnival. The program included a song-and-dance number from the broadsheet’s VP for Marketing, Lucien Dy-Tioco, and the Philippine Allstars. The Philippine Daily Inquirer took the funny route with a performance by the Silly People’s Improv Theater and gave away trips to Cannes.

TV5’s constellation of stars may have been an eyeful but it proved no match for ABS-CBN’s galaxy, which turned the meal tent into a stage for a noontime show of production numbers. But what TV5 lacked in starpower it made up in horsepower, raffling off four Toyota Vios and a MINI. Marlboro’s MINI promotion was an epic test of endurance. If the rule“keep your hand on it and it’s yours” sounds too easy, try doing it for 24 hours straight.

Early risers competed in the Laban ng Palaban challenges: water obstacle course, ultimate frisbee and the 5K and 10K runs. Or in the case of the water obstacle course winners, straight from the parties to Lago del Ray.

Young gamechangers keep event ticking AdCongress22 would not be the same without the support of the excellent student volunteers from various universities and colleges from Manila and Camarines Sur. Of the 200 applicants, there were a total 87 competent students that made it as an AdCongress22 Student Volunteer.

The bulk of the student volunteers came from CamSur. All of whom were pre-screened and selected by their schools. Participating universities and colleges were Mariner’s Polytechnic Colleges, Naga College Foundation, University of Nueva Caceres, University of St. Anthony, University of North-eastern Philippines, and University of Sta. Isabel.

And with the full on support of the Manila Bulletin, AdCongress22 decided to take in 11 students from Metro Manila. Participating universities and colleges were Ateneo De Manila University, Centro

Escolar University, Colegio de San Juan de Letran, Miriam College, Our Lady of Fatima College, Philippine Air Transport and Training Services, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, San Beda College and San Benildo Rizal.

Kudos tocEmil Yap III of the Manila Bulletin, the head of External Affairs Committee for the positive reviews of the AdCongress22 student volunteers! The students were a breath of fresh air; all willing to lend a helping hand everytime. At the registration area, the plenary, the trade exhibit and meal areas, their smiles radiatesd with confidence as they welcomed and assisted all the delegates.

All of this made it an exhilarating and enriching experience for each and every one of the voluteers. They deserve a big round of applause for a job well done!

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The victors of games held long before AdCon22 were also crowned. The Outdoor Advertising Association of the Philippines was named the overall champion of the four-leg Golf Tournament, while its golf rival United Print Media Group (UPMG) took home the first AdBoard Inter-Association Badminton Championship title. UPMG members also won the Petron Amazing Quest, which was more a test of determination and budget, with tasks spread across five Petron stations en-route to CamSur. Despite the light rainfall, the well-attended adobo Luau After-Party at the St. Jude Orchard Clubhouse minutes away from CWC proved that live music, good food, and overflowing beverages offered a chance to chill-out after the congress’ daily sensory overload. Luau co-presenter Havaianas and sponsors Chikka, GetCre8ive and Power Mac Center provided parlor game prizes.

Another late-night attraction was the Fox-Star World party that proved that all you really need to stay on until the wee hours are music and interesting conversation.

01 Fusion: Smart-Cignal Governor’s Night 02 MINI Cooper/Marlboro endurance challenge 03 ABS CBN’s star-studded party

KIDLAT AWARDS 2010

November - December 2011

LOCAL NEWS

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THE BIGGER PICTURE

The Bigger Picture by Cid Reyes

Mad Women

Unsung pioneers who broke through the glass ceiling

Move over Mad Men, it’s time to honor the Mad Women. CBC’s season five of the Age of Persuasion, which aired in the US last year, lauded the Great Women of Advertising – “The Hall of Famers who broke the rules, kicked open the doors and created some of the most famous advertising of our time...” Because there were no credits, no one knew they were written by women.

Yet some of the most famous campaigns were in fact created by extraordinary women.

Widow Weil gets the ball rolling The first ad woman on record was Mathilde C. Weil. She moved from Germany to New York in 1870. Not long after, her husband died, leaving her with no means of support. So she began booking magazine space for a friend, then decided to start her own agency, called The M.C. Weil Agency.

She had a knack for understanding what periodicals women liked to read, and was wildly successful. She died in 1903, and left behind a sizable fortune.

Across town in New York, an enterprising couple named Stanley and Helen Resor were growing an agency named J. Walter Thompson, bought from its namesake in 1916. Helen was the creative director. Stanley and Helen knew one thing: The major purchasers of goods and services were women, and this market could be expanded.

So Helen formed the Women’s Editorial Department – a creative group comprised solely of women. Soon, these women were overseeing 75% of the company’s clients and billings – and the agency was the biggest in America at the time.

One of the most famous ads Helen created was for Woodbury’s Facial Soap. It is credited as being the first time “sex” was used to sell a product.

Yes, Helen Resor brought sex to advertising in 1917, and it has reverberated every since. She is also credited with being the first to use nudity (albeit tastefully) in advertising with another print ad for Woodbury. Resor and her team would not only create landmark campaigns, but they helped define the “Happy Homemaker” imagery that Madison Avenue has used every since.

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WWW.CLIOHISTORY.ORG 01 Mathilde C. Weil 02 Helen Resor 03 Phyllis Robinson 04 Mary Wells 05 Linda Kaplan Thaler

Following in Weil’s footsteps Another Mad Woman, Bernice Fitz-Gibbon specialized in retail advertising, and would go

on to become the highest paid woman in the business in the 1940s, earning over US$50,000 – or over $800,000 – in today’s dollars. She did groundbreaking work for Macy’s and Gimbels, and wrote a book about her colorful career.

Phyllis Robinson was inspired by FitzGibbon, entering the business as a copywriter.

She was hired by Bill Bernbach when he started Doyle Dane Bernbach, which turned out to be one of the most influential around, and Robinson supervised some of the best, and toughest, admen of the era.

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Their work together changed the entire industry, and they did it with campaigns for Volkswagen.

One of the copywriters that Robinson hired was Mary Wells. She was beautiful, creative and confident, and she would go on to create her own highly awarded agency called Wells Rich Green.

Within six months, her agency was one of the Top 50 in the country. Their work was funny, strategic and memorable with commercials for Alka-Seltzer, Braniff, and that famous campaign that turned around New York’s fortunes.

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Another famous Mad Woman, Charlotte Beers, rose through the ranks to become an account director in an era where there were almost no females in that position. Beers also had a knack for landing new business, and that ability didn’t go unnoticed. She became the first female vice president in JWT’s history, and was later tapped to become the president of Ogilvy & Mather in 1992. She helped land the $500 million IBM account, and Fortune magazine named her one of the most powerful women in America.

Mad Woman Linda Kaplan Thaler began her career at JWT, following in the distant footsteps of Helen Resor. There, she wrote the famous Toys ’R Us jingle that is still used more than 25 years later.

She left JWT to start her own agency in 1997, called the Kaplan Thaler Group. The agency is largely managed by women, and as Kaplan Thaler says, “There’s enough estrogen around our offices to make Arnold Schwarzenegger ovulate.”

Lucy David: Philippine grande dame The Philippines, of course, is not wanting of its own Grande Dames, (or grande dames in the making.) A chapter on “Mavericks and Institutions” in a 1989 coffee table book by Chit dela Torre identified a number of local industry pioneers. One agency was founded by Anthony O. David, in 1948 who named it Great Wall Advertising – after, of course, The Great Wall of China. The agency had its own peaks and valleys with new accounts won, and lost, and its subsequent rebirth. As dela Torre narrates: Great Wall was incorporated in 1973 with Anthony O. David as chairman of the board, and the late Joe Luna Castro, the journalist, as president. When in 1978, Castro returned to the Manila Times as editor, David’s wife, Lucy took over the presidency. Under her leadership,

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Great Wall became instrumental “in arousing the consciousness of the Filipino-Chinese business community to use advertising as an effective marketing tool. This is regarded as a solid accomplishment, knowing that the ChineseFilipino advertisers are a hard nut to crack, in a manner of speaking.” A reluctant advertising practitioner at the beginning, Lucy David nonetheless worked for decades in the industry, her name and Great Wall becoming synonymous with each other, in her way, she inspired many women to join the advertising profession.

M. Fajardo, first female president of Philippine Association of National Advertisers (PANA).

“Women are more natural crisis managers.

Men are never home when baby falls down the staircase or swallows the diaper pins (he doesn’t bring home enough bacon to afford Pampers). Men need to unwind in watering holes after work. Mom goes straight home to face the stove and prepare the red carpet for dad. Dad forgets to pay the rent or the electric bill so mom needs to be a better cash flow manager. Dad brings home six colleagues and instant dinner must be served, etc. Is it any wonder many women are really such wonderful decisionmakers, treasurers, fund-raisers?” – Mary Jean Chua, ad manager for Asiaweek.

“I really became painfully aware of the handicap of my sex when I was attending an international Conference of JWT – not only was I the youngest, I was female and Asian.” – Yoly Ong, founder-chairman of Campaigns & Grey.

Making waves In 1981, an all-woman advertising agency called Pan Pacific Advertising was organized primarily because it wanted to address the women in the country, the biggest spenders.

Indeed, the 80s saw a number of women making waves in the industry. Interviews with dela Torre touched on various topics such as the advantages of being a woman, the hazards of the trade the burden of corporate responsibilities, and coping with male executives or colleagues. Here’s what they said: “Ninety-nine per cent of the time, women, get what they want. And this is because women are better negotiators than men. First of all they have their charm, their charisma, their intuition especially about people. They can also be assertive in their own right.” – Clarita “Laling” Ordonez, president of Consult Asia Pacific.

“In handling pressures or emotionally explosive situations, men tend to be less patient and less cool, so women can be a stabilizing factor… Women give a different point of view since they are the ones deciding on purchases.

They offer a different perspective which men do not normally perceive or appreciate.” – Lourdes

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An encouraging future The 80s were merely a portent of the decades to come when more women would enter and excel in advertising and marketing. A head count of practitioners from the 80s onwards is enough to make the case: There are now the likes of Nancy Harrel, Yoly Ong, Emily Abrera, Julie Lingan in Malaysia, Eleanor Modesto in Indonesia, Abby Jimenez, Matec Villanueva, Susan Dimacali, Merlee Jayme, Chiqui Lara, Mariles Gustilo, Rikki Arches, Ompong Remigio, Tina Coscolluela, Mio Chiongson, Sockie Petargue, Teeny Gonzales, Claire Lopez Dytianquin, Liezl Maralag in media, Lorna Tabuena and Cherry Salazar in production and Carmencita Esteban in research. They have either founded their own agencies or are heading multinationals.

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LOGIC & MAGIC

Logic & Magic by Bong Osorio

HumanKind

Changing the game with purpose-driven brand building

What defines a brand today? Mark Tutssel, chief creative officer of Leo Burnett Worldwide, shared his thoughts at the 22nd Philippine Advertising Congress in Camarines Sur and shared his thoughts on what defines an effective brand today.

It was a thought-provoking presentation, one amplified in an earnest book called HumanKind, which was launched to the press at the congress.

The book, co-authored by Leo Burnett CEO Tom Bernardin, tackles a new marketing and communications philosophy anchored on the belief that modern-day communication must be rooted in a fundamental human need. It espouses involvement over interruption when reaching out to consumers.

HumanKind is not about advertising or a brand promise or vending products and services.

It is about stories of people, their reason for being and their fast-changing behavior. It’s a look at marketing that delivers authentic human needs and not the other way around. The tome posits that the business of marketing communication can now be condensed to two critical elements – people and their behavior.

What matters to people must be the primordial concern of communication agencies, and creative people, strategists and planners must never lose sight of that. Everything they do for a brand must be designed with a human purpose in mind, knowing that a brand without purpose is a brand.

People not consumers In HumanKind, marketers deal with people, not “consumers”, a word that implies people yet simultaneously suggests a broader life beyond the narrow consumer definition. If brands simply think of people as consumers, their communication with them will remain as inauthentic as the word itself.

But in thinking of people as people, and advertising is created through that lens, brands have a shot at creating work that speaks to human needs and desires.

To create HumanKind communication, marketers must first understand humankind. And that depends on the people a brand is trying to reach and the people at the creative communication agency doing the work. HumanKind thrives in an atmosphere where people are encouraged and rewarded for seeking to know more.

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A case in point is McDonald’s three simple words and one idea campaign that allows the brand to efficiently connect with people – “simple, easy, enjoyment”. The line capitalizes on a massive trend. People today yearn for simplicity in life, and it’s what people desire of McDonald’s. The brand’s communication never utters the words, but it undoubtedly wants people to feel it.

Human purpose at the center For a brand to make real human connections, it needs to put a human purpose at its center. Without a purpose, it will never be understood or embraced. A purpose is simply a concise articulation of why a brand exists, what it believes in, and what it’s trying to do. It is bigger than any brand promise, position, proposition and brand function.

Guilt, as a way to connect with people emotionally, is losing its get-up-and-go impetus. Hope, on the other hand, has bona fide opportunities.

This was what Leo Burnett Lisbon discovered when the Red Cross there asked for help in raising money during the Christmas holidays. Red Cross serves a purpose beyond the functional – food for the hungry, blankets for the weary, water for the parched, first aid for disaster victims, and blood for those who need of transfusion. But beyond these, its real purpose is to give hope.

Yet hope is something people can neither hear, taste, touch, see, wear, use, display, read, nor gift-wrap. Where would Red Cross peddle hope?

The charity rented a storefront in one of Lisbon’s busiest shopping malls, and designed a sleek, modern boutique, which was both like and unlike the others. On the one hand, it had the trappings of a traditional store – hangers, shelves and all, but the store’s only merchandise was hope. This was a shopping event that genuinely gave people the satisfaction of both a conventional mall transaction and paying for acts of charity for those in need.

While people left the store without a shopping bag, their hearts were filled with joy as the experience changed the way they looked at giving.

Capturing collective consciousness Participation as a consequence of a brand’s human purpose is a new way of looking at how a brand communicates because an act that allows

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people to participate feels and comes out authentic. Participation moves advertising from an ad as a proposition, a promise and a message to an act that involves, invites, delights, challenges, serves, inspires, teaches, protects, tempts, and ultimately, incites behavior change.

A good example of participation is the World Wildlife Fund’s Earth Hour. In just three years, the project went from being an idea that motivated 2.2 million people in Sydney, Australia, to turn off the lights for one hour to a worldwide phenomenon that in 2010 reached more than a billion people in 129 countries switching off their lights.

The insight that drove the idea is that people want to make a positive difference but often feel that anything they do as individuals won’t matter. But when hundreds of millions of individuals band together their action can inspire real change.

In HumanKind, it isn’t commercials or print ads or posters or web sites or radio spots or short films or viral videos or Facebook pages or twitter streams or mobile apps or coupons or concerts or celebrities or tag lines or jingles or any other form of communication that create great life-affirming, enjoyable, meaningful, valuable, iconic people’s brands. It’s people who do. In today’s world, imagination is the currency of what communication agencies can do, and brand populism is the result of what they do. As the book emphasizes, creativity has the power to transform human behavior.

“When a brand is purpose-inspired, meaningful acts bring that purpose to life,” Bernardin and Tutssel explained.

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Adnauseum

In a word, this ad nauseum spot left us literally nauseous. And with good reason.

Ambi Pur thinks the sheer power of its scent is enough to overturn reality. So the spot opens with a news anchor leading a glamorous (albeit obviously dressed-down) actress inside the filthiest public bathroom in recent TV memory. With Ambi Pur in the air and a blindfold on, the poor woman is led to believe she’s in a perfume store. And just in case viewers remained doubtful, more shots of unbelievably stained toilets and mold-ridden floors are flashed on screen. The assault on our retina is so violent so much so it appears to trick our olfactory senses into believing we can actually smell the foul odor even after Ambi Pur is liberally sprayed.

Needless to say, viewers are neither gullible nor amused, especially when the badly-timed spots flash on screen during lunch or dinner.

We only wish Ambi Pur provided nose plugs and blindfolds to protect the unsuspecting viewing public?

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ROUNDTABLE: MAD ABOUT POACHING

Mad about Poaching Turning spotlight on a fact of life in talent-driven industry suffering talent gap In this issue’s Roundtable, adobo looks at both sides of the staff poaching debate, a challenge that keeps agency heads up at night as they deal with the talent shortage. Predictably, staff see piracy in a more attractive light

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Has your agency lost staff due to poaching?

Randy Aquino, Ogilvy & Mather country head: “Yes. It’s unavoidable in our industry.”

Portia Catuira, TBWA\SMP managing director: “Yes, some agencies have poached from our agency but not to the point where the agency suffered because of it.”

Boboy Consunji, Campaigns & Grey managing director: “We’ve seen some leave to work for other agencies. The consequences, however, have not been debilitating.”

for training, career growth and exposure to our agency network to allow them to see the value of being in Ogilvy.”

Consunji: “We’re enforcing the noncompete clause for WPP agencies.

Our own employment contracts also prevent employees from working on competitive brands in other agencies. Naturally, we also try to keep everyone happy with competitive packages, skills training and mentoring, exciting portfolios, and by keeping Campaigns’ familial and fun spirit alive.”

Have you poached from other agencies?

Aquino: “Yes.” Catuira: “We have hired some people from other shops as well but only after they signify their intentions.”

Consunji: “Yes, especially for senior positions.”

How do you boost your talent pool if you don’t poach?

Aquino: “The fact of the matter is that there is a dearth in talent due to the availability of options available outside our agency, our industry and our country. It is therefore important to look not just at available talent from other agencies but also in other industries as well as having a fresh graduate program that helps identify those with potential.”

Consunji: “We actively recruit from schools. We’re not afraid to

What are you doing to limit poaching?

Aquino: “We make sure that we provide our talent with opportunities

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take on newbies. We also mount a challenging and extensive OJT (onthe-job training) program at least once a year. We now have several kids in creative and accounts who came from our OJT programs.”

Can anything be done at the industry level to limit poaching?

Aquino: “I don’t think you can mandate a ‘no poaching’ policy.

All you can do is to make sure your own agency is attractive enough for people to actually want to work for you.”

Catuira: “Poaching is something that the industry has come to terms with – most of us do not go into a loyalty contract with anybody, even those that we consider heavyweights.”

Consunji: “It shouldn’t be an industry issue as long as contractual obligations are not violated. And it’s not a unilateral thing. Ultimately, it’s the ‘poachee’s’ decision.”

Has poaching affected compensation levels?

Aquino: “Of course. You have to entice people, who aren’t really

seeking you out. Unless, your agency is so ‘hot’, they are the ones asking you to take them in. With agency fees being forced lower, there is more pressure to find the means to continually pay talent and recruits well.”

Catuira: “Staff cost would change because of piracy but at the end of the day you realize that you are only paying the person’s true worth after all.”

Consunji: “No it hasn’t.”

What qualities make an employee as close to ideal as possible?

Aquino: “A genuine interest in marketing communications, creating ideas; passionate and self-propelled/ driven; someone who does not easily give up; and most important of all, someone who wants to learn and be good at what we do.”

Consunji: To quote Marilyn Monroe loosely, one who just doesn’t want to make money; one who wants to be wonderful.”

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01 Randy Aquino 02 Portia Catuira

Creative heads weigh in on the poaching issue and say it’s too late for an agency to act when staff start to get itchy feet

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Have you been poached?

Brandie Tan, former executive creative director, BBDO Guerrero: “Yes, twice before. The first time was by JWT Manila and the second time by Lowe Vietnam” Joey Ong, executive creative director, DDB Philippines: “Yes, it’s part of agency life. We belong in an industry based on talent very much like showbiz” James Bernardo, bates Philippines executive creative director: “I have been approached several times before.”

Would you consider moving if another agency came calling?

Tan: “If the other agency offers new challenges which I won’t be able to get in my current office, yes.”

Ong: “(If) I’m at a point where I’m looking for challenges and opportunities, why not?”

Bernardo: “It really depends on what I’m looking for at a certain point in my career. If I feel that I can no longer make a difference or if I’ve already accomplished what needed to be done, I would be open to move.”

Is compensation the main factor in moving?

Tan: “The company should be able to offer you what you are looking for in your career which your current company can’t. (But) anyone who

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tells you, an increase in salary is not a reason for moving, might be not be telling the truth.”

Ong: “Yes, the reason why we work is for the compensation but it still depends on the role and responsibility that goes with it. I think every opportunity has a price.”

Bernardo: “I would be a hypocrite if I said it’s not a factor. But I think it’s more important to see if I can effect a shift in that agency, whether it’s creatively, culturally or financially.”

What would it take for your current employer to persuade you to stay when a competing shop recruits you?

Tan: “If I’ve decided to move, there’s nothing my current place can do to make me stay. It would have been too late at that point.”

Ong: “I think the moment a person starts getting curious it’s already a relationship gone sour. I only entertain offers when I’m already curious.”

Bernardo: “Once you’ve decided to leave or stay with a company, it must be for a really good reason. Some people want to try another culture, be trained under a different mentor, get better pay, the opportunity to travel or all of these combined.

Whatever it is, it’s their reason and that, in itself, makes it right.”

Do you believe poaching is good for employees?

03 Boboy Consunji 04 Brandie Tan 05 Joey Ong 06 James Bernardo

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Tan: “Staff poaching is good for the morale of the person being poached. It makes him confident that he’s done well in his current agency and has been noticed by the competition.”

Ong: “Getting the right team in place is important. As a head of a department, I’ve learned to be very cold at these things. My role is to make the engine run as smoothly and as powerfully as I can. Getting good people in can either inspire or intimidate employees, both does good for the agency in my opinion.”

Bernardo: “It’s neither good nor bad but it is a reality that agencies face and must be prepared to deal with. It opens up opportunities for talented individuals to get better compensated and it also makes agencies aware that they cannot keep these talented people on a short lease. Loyalty can never be bought; it is earned.”

What about the employer?

Tan: “Employers should feel proud their people are being talked to by other companies. It only means they have guided their people well towards winning awards or pitches.

The way I see it, as a country, we’re really all underpaid compared with neighboring markets and especially the West.”

Ong: “We belong in a talent driven

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industry. At the end of the day, rotation creates better creatives.”

Bernardo: “it is a wake-up call to employers and to the industry to cast their nets wider and give young and hungry talent a chance. The funny thing is, they’re all drinking from the same shallow well when there is a river just besides them.”

What qualities would make an employer as close to ideal as possible?

Tan: “For me, the perfect employer has good faith in the imperfect employee. I think having a boss who believes in your capability is very important.”

Ong: “The one good thing an employer could/should do is hire people who are better then him.

Then let them have fun doing what they do best.”

Bernardo: “I’ve been searching for that employer for a long time.

In my opinion, the ideal employer allows its employees to have a point of view, hires diverse personalities from different disciplines, practices true meritocracy, does not punish its performers with the burden of carrying the under-performers, is transparent and above-board with the staff in their dealings, removes the fear of failure and fosters a play culture.”

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MOVIE REVIEW: THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN

Movie Review The Adventures of Tintin

Bilious blue blistering barnacles Ompong Remigio Chief creative officer Campaigns & Grey That’s exactly how I felt when I watched it. It was the comic book coming to life. I was my lone wolf self again. I regressed to my better days having a child’s selfish indulgence in an adventure that could not be shared with brain-constricted adults.

Peter Jackson aptly captured Tintin. Jackson had earlier claimed, “We’re making them look photo-realistic; the fibres of their clothing; the pores of their skin and each individual hair. They look exactly like real people – but real Hergé people!” Indeed! It was as my pre-pubescent brain had translated the adventures. And the only missing piece was me in the comics as Captain Haddock. I was hopelessly infatuated with his challenging expletives. And it made a great impression to beholders of my supposedly wide vocabulary – no other nine-year old could mouth back then.

You pickled herring! Sycophant! Dizzards!

Bashi-bazouk! Sea- gherkins! Gallows-fodder!

Lubberly scum! Squawking popinjay! Fancy-dress Freebooter! Pithecanthropus! Prattling porpoise!

Troglodyte! Ostrogoth! Kilikilikilikilikili! And the classic billions of bilious blue blistering barnacles!!!

Breathing life in Hergé’s legacy I was so relieved that Steven Spielberg, devoid of creative ego, collaborated with Jackson and ended up not doing live action. As Jackson had impressed on him, motion capture was the best option to breathe life into Hergé’s legacy.

Tintin became larger than the splash page.

He wasn’t the kid or some androgynous character in retracted harem pants anymore. It didn’t matter if his voice ever changed or not. It didn’t hurt even if the dog’s name was Snowy (as it tortured me before). Hollywood simply took over. And refreshed Hergé’s journalist as the anti-thesis of Marvel and DC’s steroidized, spandexed, angstridden troglodytes. Or fancy mutant popinjays.

Georges Prosper Remi a.k.a. Hergé was a Belgian who didn’t bother about chocolates.

Describing life in Belgium as monochrome gray or exceedingly boring, he immersed himself and escaped in literature and survived being Belgian, Roman Catholic and being born in the 1900s.

In 1928, Tintin appeared as the most satirical piece of funny comics defaming 20thcentury history

and politics in the most charming manner. The comics’ vivid humanism was magnified on big screen with an intelligent screenplay. I applauded the total lack of James Cameron killer lines, theme song and the ubiquitous Celine Dion anthem despite Cameron’s presence during motioncapture filming, which took place where Avatar was also shot.

Tintin is Tintin as Hergé wanted him to be.

Or the makers would have faced the wrath of the Belgians. Hergé is a national hero and declared as the actual “personification of Belgium”.

As to Hergé’s pioneering ligne claire (clear lines) drawing style, Weta Digital under Jackson’s obsessive eye, turned the strip into a photorealistic depiction with a very atmospheric finish.

Yes, the cinematography made the audience swoon. And they gasped at the whiz-bang swoosh ride that verged on overkill in my opinion. There was no pause to digest and relish the splendid

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artwork animated with true-to-form Indiana Jones extravaganza.

I can watch the movie again and again. The goose bumps happened because it was so much like the comics yet almost human. It was pleasantly strange that it disturbed me. While the likes of Kung-Fu Panda delivered plain happiness – like eating a bar of chocolate to satiate a craving – Tintin left me with acid attack that I didn’t want to silence with Maalox. Thundering typhoons!

Krrrtchmurtz! Blue blistering barnacles were still brewing inside me long after the credits ended.

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REGULAR SECTION

TRUTH IN ADVERTISING / EVENTS CALENDAR

Truth in Advertising

Events Calendar Intercontinental advertising cup January 26-27, 2012 Istanbul, Turkey www.thecupawards.com The 5th Student Advertising Congress January 27-28, 2012 Rockwell Tent, Makati www.5thsac.webs.com

Is it 2011 or 2012? It may be a new year but a look at office bearers at the associations here leaves us feeling like we’re stuck in Ground Hog Day. Same old faces in the same old roles. Come to think of it, it’s easier to dislodge incumbents in a creative review than it is in the elections.

If anything, board elections provide remarkably creative ways for incumbents to dig in. But at least, wannabe office holders get a chance to exercise their creativity for a shot at the roll call.

Here’s our vote for remarkable election creativity that would do our politicians proud:

• When the top role is all but out of reach, challengers show their chutzpah by creating one like spin-meister; we mean spokesman. Only problem is that top man generally does his own spinning.

• Change is not a good thing with associations. Otherwise how can we explain this puzzling reason for keeping incumbents in place: “He’s been our president for years, why change?”If that reason fails to fly, create a new role for Mr President Incumbent like President Emeritus.

When associations play musical chairs, no one loses – but only if you are already an office bearer.

ADFEST 2012 March 18 – 20, 2012 Pattaya, Thailand www.adfest.com ANDY Awards 2012 Deadline of Entries: January 19, 2012 April 14, 2012 New York, New York 2012.andyawards.com New York Festival Deadline of Entries: January 28, 2012 May 4-5, 2012 New York, New York www.newyorkfestivals.com KIDLAT AWARDS May 9-11 Boracay, Philippines www.kidlatawards.com ADC New York Deadline of Entries: January 22, 2012 May 10, 2012 New York, New York www.adcglobal.org One Show Deadline of Entries: February 11, 2012 May 12, 2012 New York www.oneclub.org Clio Awards Deadline of Entries: January 28, 2012 May 19, 2012 New York www.clioawards.com D&AD Deadline of Entries: February 11, 2012 June 16, 2012 London www.dandad.org Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity Deadline of Entries: March 11, 2012 June 18-25, 2012 Cannes, France www.canneslions.com

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