Advertising + Marketing MY - Aug 2015 by Marketing Magazine Group

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AUGUST 2015

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ED’S LETTER ................................................................................................................................................................................................................

BACKS NO LONGER TO THE WALL Elizabeth Low, Deputy Editor elizabethl@marketing-interactive.com Rezwana Manjur, Senior Journalist rezwanam@marketing-interactive.com Noreen Ismail, Journalist noreeni@marketing-interactive.com Editorial – International Matt Eaton, Editor (Hong Kong) matte@marketing-interactive.com Production and Design Shahrom Kamarulzaman, Regional Art Director shahrom@lighthousemedia.com.sg Fauzie Rasid, Senior Designer fauzier@lighthousemedia.com.sg Advertising Sales – Singapore & Malaysia Johnathan Tiang, Senior Account Manager johnathant@marketing-interactive.com Ee Kai Li, Account Manager kailie@marketing-interactive.com Grace Goh, Account Manager graceg@marketing-interactive.com Jocelyn Ma, Account Manager jocelynm@marketing-interactive.com Ong Yi Xuan, Advertising Sales Coordinator yixuano@marketing-interactive.com Advertising Sales – International Josi Yan, Sales Director (Hong Kong) josiy@marketing-interactive.com Events Yeo Wei Qi, Regional Head of Events Services weiqi@marketing-interactive.com Circulation Executive Deborah Quek, Circulations Executive deborahq@marketing-interactive.com Finance Evelyn Wong, Regional Finance Director evelynw@lighthousemedia.com.sg Management Søren Beaulieu, Publisher sorenb@marketing-interactive.com

Most of the mentors I have had at different stages of my life (including work) have been women – each with a unique style of management. They’ve nurtured and influenced me in a way that I can only be grateful. And now a manager myself, I think of those lessons in everything I do. There was a quote I read recently which said picking the right boss is more important than picking the right job. Although, not fully convinced, I still think it says a lot about the right kind of a boss – men or women alike. However, the issue of women bosses seems to strike a chord with everyone in the industry – precisely because there are so few of them. The issues of women in top management and gender equality in the workplace are our industry’s pet peeves. A lot has been written and said about these in the past and they are mostly gloomy. Rightly so, as we are only beginning to see the rise of female leaders in our industry. In fact, our sister publication Human Resources magazine recently published the Global Gender Gap Report 2014 which stated the gender gap for economic participation and opportunity now stands at 60% globally, having lifted by 4% from 56% in 2006, when Forum first started measuring it. “In nine years of measuring the global gender gap, the world has seen only a small improvement in equality for women in the workplace,” the report stated.

Based on this trajectory, with all else remaining equal, it will take 81 years for the world to close this gap completely. Gloomy, isn’t it? Here’s a silver lining though – the marketing/advertising industry in Malaysia is seeing positive changes on this front. Our cover story this month explores the rise of women leaders in the local industry. According to the study by font, which specialises in the creative, digital and marketing sectors, women continue to take on more leadership positions with almost half of the firms interviewed claiming they have more than 30% of senior positions occupied by women. Also, in Malaysia, female employees are fast drawing equal salaries to their male counterparts, and many are finding a spot on the leadership bench. Read the full article on page 12. It makes for a happy read!

Photography: Stefanus Elliot Lee – www.elliotly.com; Makeup & Hair: Michmakeover using Make Up For Ever & hair using Sebastian Professional – www.michmakeover.com

Editorial Rayana Pandey, Editor rayanap@marketing-interactive.com

Tony Kelly, Editorial Director tk@marketing-interactive.com Justin Randles, Group Managing Director jr@marketing-interactive.com Advertising + Marketing Malaysia is published 6 times per year by Lighthouse Independent Media Pte Ltd PP 16093/12/2011 (026708). Printed in Malaysia on CTP process by Percetakan Skyline Sdn Bhd No. 35 & 37 Jalan 12/32B, TSI Business Industrial Park, Batu 61/2 Off Jalan Kepong, 52100 Kuala Lumpur Tel: 03-6257 4846. For subscriptions, contact circulations at +65 6423 0329 or email subscriptions@marketing-interactive. com. COPYRIGHT & REPRINTS: All material printed in Advertising + Marketing Malaysia is protected under the copyright act. All rights reserved. No material may be reproduced in part or in whole without the prior written consent of the publisher and copyright holder. Permission may be requested through the Singapore office. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in Advertising + Marketing Malaysia are not necessarily the views of the publisher. Singapore: Lighthouse Independent Media Pte Ltd 100C Pasir Panjang Road, #05-01 See Hoy Chan Hub Singapore 118519 Tel: +65 6423 0329 Fax: +65 6423 0117 Hong Kong: Lighthouse Independent Media Ltd Unit A, 7/F, Wah Kit Commercial Building 302 Des Voeux Road Central, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong Tel: +852 2861 1882 Fax: +852 2861 1336 To subscribe to A+M Malaysia magazine, go to: www.marketing-interactive.com ...............................................................................................................

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Rayana Pandey Editor

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NEWS

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WANT MORE BREAKING NEWS? SCAN THE CODE TO FIND OUT WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE INDUSTRY.

Digital debut The Malaysian Women’s Weekly magazine launched its new website – womensweekly.my – to extend its reach and influence as a multi-platform media that encompasses both print and digital. With online advertising, The Malaysian Women’s Weekly’s digital presence provides advertisers with a new reach of audience via web executions such as banner ads, site takeover, editorial sponsorship, multiplatform campaigns across print and digital and others.

Lending a hand Oppo’s Malaysia staff visited shelter home Rumah Safiyyah to meet underprivileged children and women as part of a major CSR drive in Malaysia. The visit to the home is a reaffirmation of the smartphone maker’s desire to contribute to social causes as part of its recently launched Ramadan CSR campaign in Malaysia. Oppo also contributed RM5,000 to the Food Aid Foundation.

MP & Silva expands Sports media company MP & Silva is opening two new offices, bringing the company’s global footprint to 20. The company said in a statement the opening of a new office in Kuala Lumpur was a strategic move to capitalise on the company’s appointment by the Football Association of Malaysia as its global advisor for all media and commercial rights until 2030.

L’Oréal expands e-presence Beauty online marketplace Hermo has partnered with cosmetics brand L’Oréal to be the first full-listings e-commerce supplier for L’Oréal’s brands online in Malaysia. All the other brands under the L’Oréal group, namely, L’Oréal Paris, Maybelline, Garnier, Biotherm and Clarisonic were made available on Hermo on 1 August 2015. Boasting a traffic rate of 550,000 visitors each month with 100,000 users, Hermo caters to females aged 18-45.

Silencing the Sarawak Report The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) blocked online news site Sarawak Report in Malaysia under Section 211 and Section 233 of the MCMC Act. “The site has displayed information that is yet to be verified, and information that is still under investigation,” MCMC said. However, the site remained accessible via servers across the world. Sarawak Report’s Facebook page also put up instructions on how users could access the site.

Deeper insights Astro partnered with Kantar Media to deploy Dynamic Television Audience Measurement (DTAM) to accurately capture and collate viewing data from Astro’s 4.5 million households across Peninsular and East Malaysia. DTAM aims to offer advertisers and media buyers deeper insights into the viewing habits of Malaysian pay-TV homes. The proprietary system, DTAM, uses return path data technology to capture and collate viewing data directly from Astro set-top boxes.

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Prepping for the future Google Malaysia launched a training-to-internship pilot programme called “Google Ignite” that focuses on the development of digital marketing skills on Google platforms for selected final-year university students. The programme ends in late October with a job fair that will place 150 of the best-performing students and graduates with internship positions in some of the largest digital agencies in Malaysia. Adidas sets up competition Adidas launched 2V2 Destroy vs Control tournaments across three main Southeast Asia cities – Bangkok, Thailand, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Jakarta, Indonesia. The 2V2 Destroy vs Control tournament featured four players, two on each team, on a small street pitch with no goalkeepers for a six-minute game. To kickstart the recruitment phase for the adidas 2V2 tournaments in these cities, adidas launched an activation video featuring noted football athletes in Southeast Asia.

Spreading joy Cadbury Malaysia and Tourism Selangor partnered to host a group of 50 underprivileged children to a shopping spree at a Tesco outlet. The two entities co-organised the event as part of the “Program Sentuhan Kasih Lebaran 2015”. The programme aimed to spread joy to children during this festive occasion. Cadbury Malaysia reportedly contributed portion of its proceeds from its Joy Sale events to this initiative.

PropertyGuru makes purchase Online property portal group PropertyGuru acquired sales and marketing company ePropertyTrack for an undisclosed amount. This deal came on the back of the recent SG$175 million investment in PropertyGuru by a group of investors comprising of TPG, Emtek Group and Square Peg Capita. ePropertyTrack helps developers and agencies streamline the sales and marketing process of their new projects. Nike loses battle Penang-based apparel and footwear company Southern Rubber Works (SRW) won a trademark battle against sportswear giant Nike. Nike, which owns the “Converse All Star” basketball shoes, opposed SRW’s registration of the trademark for its “Classic Jazz Star” brand, arguing the latter bears similarities with the iconic Converse brand. The court overruled all of Nike’s objections and ruled in favour of SRW which can now register the trademark. Mistaken identity An ad by Servcorp Malaysia featuring a wombat in a traditional Malay costume, wishing Malaysians “Selamat Hari Raya” was retracted after several members of the public thought the wombat was a pig. Several consumers, mistaking the wombat for a pig, said the animal was haram (forbidden) to the Muslim community. Servcorp, on its social media channels apologised for the “confusion”. WWW. MARK E TING-IN TE RAC TI VE . C OM

NEWS

LVMH acquires Luxola French luxury brand LVMH acquired Singapore-based beauty products e-tailer Luxola through the former’s cosmetics subsidiary Sephora. Based in Singapore, Luxola was founded in 2011 by Alexis Horowitz-Burdick, CEO of Luxola. Luxola sells various beauty products and accessories on its e-commerce site. It carries more than 250 brands and has a presence in 11 markets, including Australia, India and the UAE. Kalbe reappoints Mindshare Marketing company Kalbe International reappointed Mindshare, the global media agency network part of GroupM and WPP, as its media agency following a pitch. The agency was contracted for one year with an option to extend for another. The account is for the Singapore market and the agency will work on all media planning and buying duties for the company’s Woods’ cough medicine.

LEGO calls for pitch LEGO has launched a media pitch that will cover the Southeast Asia market of Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Earlier this year, LEGO also signed on Iris Worldwide Singapore on a project to help rejuvenate and garner brand awareness for the brand in Singapore. LEGO has been actively pushing its marketing agenda in Singapore to build brand awareness with the local public. WWW.M A R K ET I N G - I N T ER A C T I V E.C O M

Alibaba partners SingPost Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba will invest a further SG$279.1 million into Singapore Post (SingPost) to launch three new initiatives for collaboration and growth. With the newly acquired capital, SingPost and Alibaba aim to increase e-commerce logistics collaboration and build a leading e-commerce logistics platform. Alibaba will invest up to about SG$92 million in Quantium Solutions International and will purchase 107,553,907 new ordinary shares.

Changing ship SPH Radio has hired MediaCorp radio veterans Glenn Ong and Mark Van Cuylenburg, better known as The Flying Dutchman. The duo now helms One FM 91.3’s Breakfast Show on weekdays from six to 10am, along with Andre Hoeden. The station is “anticipating more advertiser interest” and engagement of the morning show, according to an SPH spokesperson. Telling a good Story Far East Hospitality Management appointed SG Story to handle its social media activities for two of its Singapore-based brands: Village Hotels and Residences, and The Quincy Hotel. SG Story will also be managing Stay Far East, the company’s main Facebook page. Through this partnership, SG Story will build and execute campaigns to boost the brand’s local and global awareness.

Media trip MediaCorp’s OOH Media hosted 100 marketing students from Temasek Polytechnic to help them better understand the different business units in MediaCorp. The first stop on the tour was OOH Media’s on-the-move billboard (OTMB) trucks. Staff from OOH Media showed the students the versatile OTMB trucks, whose appearance can be transformed according to a company’s branding. MediaCorp’s OOH Media team also highlighted the trucks’ special angled features.

Buying up Ronaldo Mint media owner Peter Lim acquired the image rights for soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo. Mint Media will own and administer all of Ronaldo’s image rights except for those relating to Real Madrid football club. Ronaldo has an existing management contract which will be retained by Mint Media. The agency’s acquisition of Ronaldo’s image rights was contracted for six years.

Joining hands Dentsu Aegis Network has made an initial 20% investment into Singapore-based creative agency Mangham Gaxiola. The network said that Mangham Gaxiola would help expand the mcgarrybowen brand into Singapore. The agency is now known as manghamgaxiola mcgarrybowen – a Dentsu Aegis Network company. Following the formation of the new entity, Stephen Mangham and Robert Gaxiola will continue to lead the new agency as joint managing partners of manghamgaxiola mcgarrybowen.

A new PR agency DiningCity appointed HEAT Branding for its 11th edition of Singapore Restaurant Week. The biannual food-fest launches on 24 October and will feature a myriad cuisines available across the island until 1 November. Themed SIN City, the 11th edition pays tribute to Singapore’s 50th birthday. The agency is tasked to oversee the marketing and PR efforts for the event.

McDonald’s new mascot McDonald’s Singapore launched a new campaign to spread awareness on its latest offering. The chain now serves slices of apples and low calorie/high calcium milk as part of its Happy Meals options in the menu. Its new mascot for wholesome food and beverage choices for kids, “Happy”, was launched as a three-dimensional advertisement on four SBS Transit single-deck buses at Suntec City, West Coast, Kallang, Ang Mo Kio and Jurong East.

Renewed appointment Singapore Science Centre’s KidsSTOP appointed WS Group as its social media agency for one year. The home-grown edutainment brand has just completed its first year of operations. The agency created a 360-degree digital marketing infrastructure required by the brand. WS Group was retained for the second year for the services provided to the edutainment brand. The agency was tasked to further promote the centre to its niche audience. AU G U S T 201 5 | a dvert i s i ng + m a r ke t i ng 5

NEWS

NTUC FairPrice splits duties NTUC FairPrice appointed ADK for its creative account and Havas Media as its media agency. NTUC FairPrice told Marketingin a statement: “Following a stringent evaluation process Asatsu-DK was selected as the creative agency while Havas Media was retained as the media buying agency. Asatsu-DK will officially assume its role in the fourth quarter of this year. All agencies that met the criteria of the exercise were eligible to pitch for the account.”

A continuing partnership StarHub and Discovery Networks Asia Pacific renewed their long-term partnership for the carriage of services and channels in Singapore. According to a statement, the move reaffirmed the two companies’ deep-rooted commitment to delivering content to the Singaporean public. Beginning with StarHub TV’s launch of Discovery Channel two decades ago, Discovery Networks has developed a staunch partnership with the Singaporean communications giant. StarHub’s Discovery portfolio has expanded to a collection of 11 channels.

ST's major revamp Singapore daily The Straits Times (ST) revamped its pages on 1 July in celebration of the newspaper’s 170th anniversary this year. The newspaper’s SG$1.6 million revamp includes integrated designs, better apps and key content changes. ST’s team of editors and designers worked with designer Lucie Lacava to come up with a new design. All sections and covers have been reworked to be bolder and make more impact. Grooming talent Microsoft partnered with IDA to launch a three-year nationwide initiative called “Code for Change”. This is to boost next-generation talent development to support Singapore’s Smart Nation vision. The pair will collectively put in place ways to groom the talent and ensure the nation’s long-term competitiveness in the 21st century. Supported by IDA, Microsoft will spearhead specific programmes under the “Code for Change” initiative to help youths nationwide develop computational thinking skills. 6 a d verti s i ng + marketi ng | AU G U S T 2015

Striking the right balance New Balance unveiled a global brand platform – Always in Beta – highlighting its focus on inspiring sports fans and professional athletes. The cornerstone of the campaign is “The Storm”, a video featuring 17 of the brand’s sponsored global professional athletes across the sports of running, baseball, tennis, soccer and triathlons. The campaign was developed by Arnold Worldwide which was named New Balance’s global creative agency in June 2010. Issues of the Colour Run The Singapore Police Force (SPF) and Singapore Civil Defence Force have voiced concerns over the upcoming Colour Run which attracted over 18,000 participants last year. This came following an explosion occurring in a similar “colour party” in Taipei where a Singaporean was said to have suffered severe burns from an incident. On the Colour Run Singapore’s Facebook page, many locals have expressed their concern over the event.

Special Moments Telecommunications company M1 launched a campaign built on its brand promise, “M1. For Every One”. The campaign, “Making Moments Special”, showcased the lives of individuals, while demonstrating the use of M1’s products and services in their lives. The campaign launched in June and consisted of press insertions in Singapore newspapers The Straits Times and the Chinese language daily Lianhe Zaobao. Pazzion hires PR firm Singaporean shoe brand Pazzion appointed PR Communications to manage its PR outreach initiatives. The PR agency was tasked with continuing the brand’s rapid growth through the co-ordination and execution of media relations programmes and special events. Founded in Singapore in 2001, over the span of 14 years, Pazzion expanded from a single store in Wisma Atria Shopping Mall to a presence in more than 10 countries.

Sentosa looks for media agency Sentosa Development Corporation has launched a media pitch. According to GeBIZ, the contract is for two years with an option to extend for another year. The incumbent on the account is OMD which was appointed to handle the Sentosa business and deal with branding, strategic planning and creative planning.

GroupM’s apprentice programme GroupM Singapore launched its first apprenticeship programme aimed at helping undergraduates understand the local and regional media landscape. GroupM Singapore’s talent acquisition team has worked closely with local tertiary institutions, including NUS, NTU and SMU, to match students with GroupM’s subsidiaries so they would have an immersive and educational stint. Out of a pool of 550 applications, 27 students were selected for tenure between one to six months.

Touring Thailand Tourism Thailand launched the campaign, “Discover Thainess 2015” aimed at promoting Thailand as a tourist destination. As part of its marketing efforts for the campaign, Tourism Thailand used 3D effects in its advertising on SMRT Media’s City Hall platform. The immersive experience allowed commuters to picture themselves in Thailand floating down the Chao Phraya River or enjoying Thai cuisine at the platform of City Hall MRT Station. The Real Love Never Stops AIA Singapore launched “The Real Love Never Stops” campaign to communicate AIA Singapore’s commitment as The Real Life Company that understands its customers across generations. The campaign was an extension of the strategic group rebranding initiative – The Real Life Company – which was launched two years ago with an integrated campaign. The video revealed how mothers juggle between family, children and work for the benefit of their loved ones. WWW. MARK E TING-IN TE RAC TI VE . C OM

28 October 2015 InterContinental Hotel Kuala Lumpur

MALAYSIA’S 360˚ FORUM FOR CONTENT MARKETING Does your organisation have a content strategy? What’s your connection game plan? Curious how some of the top brands are innovating marketing practices in order to leverage content and improve the customer experience? Content 360 is your one stop immersive look into the world of best practice content marketing from across the region. Stay connected, learn from our experts, share your ideas and join in the content revolution!

Early-bird Rates (Till 30 September) Client-side: USD699 Solutions Providers: USD999 * Under the Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF), registered employers can claim rebates for trainings conducted by an overseas trainer/training provider. For more information, contact Joven Barcenas, senior project manager at +65 6423 0329 or jovenb@marketing-interactive.com

To learn more and view the agenda, visit: www.marketing-interactive.com/content360/my Content 360 takes place at InterContinental Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, 28 October 2015, 9.00 am – 5.00 pm

Brought to you by:

CONTENTS

4 A MONTH IN NEWS 11 MALAYSIA’S MARKETING TALENT DRAIN Just over half of respondents felt they were fairly remunerated last year, despite 60% of them receiving a pay rise in 2014. Rezwana Manjur writes.

12 WOMEN TAKING LEADERSHIP ROLES IN MALAYSIA’S MARKETING INDUSTRY One has to simply look at the advertising agency scene to see the rise of female bosses. Rezwana Manjur reports.

18 RETHINKING TELCO MARKETING Telcos are struggling with their business model. Maxis’ marketer Sulin Lau explains the telco’s radically different approach to marketing. Elizabeth Low reports.

19 OPPO’S MALAYSIA PLANS Oppo is targeting to be one of the top three brands in Malaysia, brand manager Chen Lu tells Noreen Ismail. Female bosses are on the rise, according to a study by specialist recruitment firm font. Women continue to take on more leadership positions with almost half of the firms interviewed claiming they have more than 30% of senior positions occupied by women. A+M reports.

22 PROFILE: JETSTAR STEPS UPS ITS MARKETING GAME The airline’s latest campaign targets seven markets in Southeast Asia. Noreen Ismail reports.

27 E-COMMERCE SET TO BOOM IN MALAYSIA Malaysia is seeing consistent and steady growth in digital ad spending, with the segment seeing a 20% growth since last year. Rezwana Manjur reports.

28 MALAYSIA AIRLINES’ BRANDING CHALLENGES MAS says it is fully aware the process of launching a new identity will need the full support of its entire staff. Rezwana Manjur writes.

SCAN TO SUBSCRIBE!

18 12 What you’ll learn in this issue: >> How to spot bad pitch behaviour >> Malaysian industry’s talent issues >> Shopper trends in Malaysia WWW.M A R K ET I N G - I N T ER A C T I V E.C O M

19 28 AU G U S T 201 5 | a dvert i s i ng + m a r ke t i ng 3

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NEWS

HOW MUCH DOES THAT COST?

Divesting beauty P&G sold 43 of its beauty brands for US$12.5 billion to fragrance and beauty company Coty Inc. According to a statement, the transaction will be conducted as a Reverse Morris Trust. This means that P&G is splitting the business to merge with a Coty subsidiary to create a new entity. Some of the brands included in the transaction were Wella Professionals, Hugo Boss, Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, Lacoste, Escada, Stella McCartney, Alexander McQueen and Covergirl.

Microsoft makes job cuts Microsoft will be cutting about 7,800 jobs worldwide, most of which are coming from its mobile and devices sector. The company will record an impairment charge of about US$7.6 billion related to assets associated with the acquisition of the Nokia Devices and Services business, in addition to a restructuring charge of about US$750 million to US$850 million. The Nokia brand was acquired by Microsoft in April 2014 for US$7.2 billion.

TEA-MING UP FOR AN IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE

Beverage company F&N launched its Oishi Green Tea and ran a campaign that included a full buy-out at the SMRT Media City Hall platform. To encourage consumers to try its new drink brewed from 100% organic green tea leaves, F&N wrapped the entire platform with visuals of the product to create an immersive

Edible minions In its latest packaging stunt, Tic Tac got cute with its mini oblong candies by shaping them to resemble minion characters from the cartoon Despicable Me. Taking a cue from consumers’ observations of the similarities between the cartoon characters and the Tic Tac shape, the candy launched a campaign, “Making mountains out of minions”. The campaign will run in 21 markets worldwide.

Taking off with Starcom Etihad Airways has appointed Starcom Mediavest Group as its media agency. Etihad Airways Partner (EAP) airlines, Alitalia, Air Berlin and Jet Airways will also be working with Starcom going forward. The agency won the contract to become the airline group’s new global media agency following a joint tender sent to several agency networks. Starcom was selected by EAP to deliver scaled benefits by aligning media spending power across key markets.

Anger over Rihanna Rihanna’s latest music video B***h Better Have My Money earned the ire of several companies who are pulling their ads from appearing before the music video. According to an article on Daily Mail UK, tourism company Kuoni and retail business group the Co-operative Group told video streaming site Vevo to put an end to their ads playing before the video.

AOL looks to buy According to reports on TechCrunch, AOL is making a move to buy mobile ad network Millennial Media. The article reported the acquisition price tag is set between US$300 million and US$350 million. Most recently, AOL bought tech company Verizon for US$4.4 billion. Late last year, Millennial Media acquired mobile supplyside platform and programmatic platform Nexage.

Pernod talks the Talk Pernod Ricard Group’s retail subsidiary, known as Pernod Ricard Travel Retail, appointed global luxury and lifestyle agency Talk PR as its global travel retail communications agency for Europe, Asia, America and the Gulf. Pernod Ricard Travel Retail promotes and distributes Pernod Ricard’s brands to the duty free and travel retail channels throughout Europe, Asia Pacific, the Gulf and the Americas.

No labels Coca-Cola stripped its name off its Coke cans in the Middle East as part of a Ramadan-themed ad campaign. The soda maker has left only a white ribbon with the message: “Labels are for cans not for people.” Created by FP7/ DXB, an agency part of McCann Worldgroup, the campaign aimed to unify the 200-plus nationalities present in the Middle East.

8 a d verti s i ng + marketi ng | AU G U S T 2015

experience for consumers. The campaign also ran on other out-ofhome mediums such as six-sheet posters at bus shelters and bus wraps. The creative agency behind the campaign was JWT, while PHD handled the media buying. The concept station wrap cost about SG$45,000.

Hakuhodo acquires Sid Lee Hakuhodo’s strategic operating unit kyu has made a complete acquisition of creative agency Sid Lee, and a 49% stake in Sid Lee Architecture. Sid Lee has offices in six cities in Canada, the Netherlands, France and the US. The agency provides services such as advertising, architecture, digital marketing, social marketing, interior design and others. Acquiring technology SSI has completed the acquisition of the assets of MyOpinions in Australia and SmileCity in New Zealand. The acquisition combined these large high quality panels with SSI’s existing online panel assets to create the largest online panel in each country. For market researchers, this means SSI now offers broader reach and better feasibility for conducting B2C and B2B research. WWW. MARK E TING-IN TE RAC TI VE . C OM

NEWS

Ubisoft picks Havas Media Ubisoft, a major entertainment developer and publisher, picked Havas Media as its media agency. The partnership affects Ubisoft’s entire global operations, as the company’s offices in 17 countries in Europe and Australia will all be integrating Havas Media’s complete offering of media, digital and specialist services. The move was also aimed at strengthening the central co-ordination and management of Ubisoft’s central and local media activation. Nat Geo takes off The National Geographic Channel launched a travel feature designed for Emirates as part of an integrated marketing campaign called “Be There”. The travel feature is a series of vignettes about seven Emirates “Globalistas”. These are staff members of the airline who have been chosen to travel the world and present their discoveries about their diverse passions – from music, food, fashion to adventure – on a six-month journey around the world.

Sporty buyout Authentic Brands Group (ABG), owner and manager of a global portfolio of iconic fashion, sports, celebrity and media brands, acquired Tretorn, the Swedenbased, outdoor-lifestyle brand, from sports company PUMA. Tretorn is best known for its Nylite shoes. The Tretorn acquisition displayed the holding group’s keen expansion into sportswear, further branching out its range of brands. This latest acquisition marks the third one for ABG this year. WWW.M A R K ET I N G - I N T ER A C T I V E.C O M

H&M unveils new brand H&M is unveiling a new brand entirely different from anything it has produced before, according to Bloomberg. Few details have been shared on the mysterious new brand, but it is set to launch as early as 2017. The H&M group owns six brands, including Cheap Monday, Monki, and & Other Stories and COS, among others. Karl-Johan Persson, CEO of H&M, said the new brand would also be nothing like the company’s sister brands.

WPP acquires SET Creative WPP acquired a majority stake in brand experience agency SET Management (SET Creative), growing its branding and identity offering. Based in Portland, Oregon with offices in New York and Los Angeles, SET’s suite of services include strategy, creative, digital and design. To strengthen its capability in live events and expand its offer into Europe, SET recently acquired Flourish, a live experience agency based in London.

Lenovo hires CMO Lenovo appointed Nick Reynolds as its chief marketing officer for the Asia Pacific region. As the CMO, he will oversee branding, demandgeneration, digital marketing, public relations and social media for Lenovo across Asia Pacific’s diverse markets. He is based in Sydney. Previously, he led marketing for Lenovo’s Asia Pacific Mature Markets group covering ANZ and Japan. He also served as the executive director for Lenovo’s worldwide product launch division.

A high Velocity launch GroupM’s media agency MEC launched MEC Velocity, a new predictive modelling technique that it claims was borrowed from epidemiology to create purchase journey simulations. MEC Velocity has the ability to predict consumer behaviour and interactions with brands. With MEC Velocity, the agency is able to build simulations that run into the future, predicting consumer behaviour and interactions with brands and services.

AUDIT WATCH

MANDARIN MAGAZINE LAUNCHED Kingsman Media launched a new lifestyle magazine. The media group offers Asian consumer lifestyle titles, contract publishing and digital publishing solutions, said founder Lawrence Leong. Its first publication 尚族Life (Shang Zhu Life) debuted its first issue in July this year. It is targeted at local Chinese and Mandarinspeaking expatriates (from China, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Indonesia and Taiwan) residing in Singapore. A bimonthly print, 尚族Life provides information on the latest seasonal product launches (fashion, beauty, gadgets, watches, jewellery, entertainment, etc) as well as celebrity interviews and product or trend reviews. There will also be a special 尚族China column. The magazine looks to reach fashion, beauty, watch and gadget

advertisers and already counts Patek Philippe, Hublot, Girard Perregaux, Anteprima, Jacob & Co, Chopard, Marimekko, Christian Dior, Ulysse Nardin, Dita Eyewear, and more as its advertisers. It has also appointed Lee Ann as its chief editor. Lee was previously with SPH Magazines for 10 years. The magazine launched with a print run of 15,000, but targets to reach 7,000 sold copies in a year before being audited by the Audit Bureau of Circulations, Leong told Marketing. It is available in print and digital.

Starcom wins BIG Starcom MediaVest Group (SMG) won AirAsia’s BIG airline loyalty business in Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. The incumbent on the account was Carat Media Services and the account was handed to SMG without a pitch. The AirAsia BIG loyalty programme is operated by Think Big Digital, a joint venture between AirAsia and Tune Money International. Under the programme, members earn BIG points from AirAsia, Tune Talk, Tune Hotels and many other partners.

On the track Tata Communications’ branded Heathrow Express trains have rolled into service. This is part of a campaign that sees the company wrap Heathrow Express’ entire fleet of trains. The campaign creative was developed by McCann Enterprise. Media was planned and booked with JCDecaux Airport UK by Initiative and OOH specialist Rapport. This was the first UK advertising sponsorship deal for Tata Communications, the flagship communications arm of the US$100 billion Tata group. The Keys to success Levi’s launched its new women’s denim collection and Fall 2015 global brand campaign around the “Live In Levi’s” theme and features singer Alicia Keys. Keys lends her voice and style to the Levi’s brand for the debut of its new women’s denim collection. The campaign spans digital and social platforms with the hashtags #LiveInLevis and #LadiesInLevis, TV, cinema and print globally. AU G U S T 201 5 | a dvert i s i ng + m a r ke t i ng 9

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MALAYSIAN BRANDS MOST PREFERRED BY SINGAPOREANS

According to the study, Malaysian brands leverage on their shared culture and heritage with Singapore as their branding strategy. Noreen Ismail writes.

Malaysian brands top the list in Singapore when it comes to the latter’s favourite Asian brands, according to a study by brand leadership platform Influential Brands. The list is based on consolidated research conducted from 2013 to 2015. The study covered more than 4,000 consumers nationwide and fielded brands from China, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, Indonesia, Thailand, South Korea and Malaysia. Brands from Malaysia that topped the list were observed to be largely from FMCG such as Julie’s Biscuits, Ah Huat White Coffee, Hup Seng and from the food and beverage industry such as The Manhattan Fish Market and PappaRich. In addition, Singapore consumers also named AirAsia (low-cost carrier), Royal Selangor (luxury pewter), Resorts World (integrated resort) and Hatten Group (property developer) for their leadership positions within their respective industries regionally. Other regional brands which topped the minds of consumers in Singapore included 10 a d verti s i ng + marketi ng | AU G U S T 2015

Samsung, Watsons, Din Tai Fung, Toyota and Uniqlo, among others. Because of the close proximity and free trading efforts between Singapore and Malaysia, most companies in Malaysia penetrate into Singapore as its first overseas market as part of its growth plans. Moreover, Malaysian brands are also able to leverage the overlapping heritage and culture of the two countries. Consequently, Malaysian brands have gained strong brand recall among Singapore consumers for their nostalgic attachment, strong branding and exposure in Singapore, the study said. Malaysian brands also capitalise on their shared culture with Singapore as their branding strategy. Brands such as Ah Huat White Coffee and Hup Seng emphasise their tradition and origins and market themselves as a “go-to” brand for hearty and comfort food. On the other hand, Julie’s Biscuits adopts a modern, yet vintage look to better differentiate itself in the market. While classics such as

the brand’s Cheese Sandwich and Peanut Butter Sandwich remain staples of Singapore consumers’ snacking habits, the brand has built a goodwill of trust and loyalty which has spurred the brand’s next growth of development to unveil new and healthy options. With the management’s clear objective to achieve 100 countries by 2020, Julie’s Biscuit will continue to expand aggressively by putting an emphasis on growing in ASEAN countries this year. “We established our first biscuit factory in Malacca 33 years ago and today we are the single largest biscuit exporter in Malaysia, offering a wide range. We are proud that our biscuits have been ‘baked with love’ for many years and we want to share them with the rest of the world,” said Julie’s director Martin Ang. Jorge Rodriguez, director of strategy at Influential Brands, said there was still an appeal for Asian brands despite the influx of international brands in the region as a result of globalisation and internationalisation. WWW. MARK E TING-IN TE RAC TI VE . C OM

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HOW TO STOP MALAYSIA’S MARKETING TALENT DRAIN

Just over half of respondents felt they were fairly remunerated last year, despite 60% of them receiving a pay rise in 2014. Rezwana Manjur writes. Marketing, communications and events roles have the highest median annual salaries in Malaysia, while creative and creative services jobs have the lowest. Nonetheless, much like their counterparts in Singapore, Malaysian marketing professionals say that professional development and a pay disconnect are two issues that Malaysian companies need to address, despite a strong bonus reward culture. According to a study by marketing recruitment agency font, (which saw responses from more than 500 marketing professionals across Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong), just over half of respondents felt they were fairly remunerated last year, despite 60% of them receiving a pay rise in 2014. The study also added this complaint by respondents was not surprising as Malaysian companies might feel their bonus structure makes up for lower salaries with nearly two thirds claiming to offer staff bonuses. Yet, employees indicated only 41% of talent received bonuses in 2014. However, companies aren’t keeping pace with the desire for professional development, it seems. Less than a third of talent said they had a career plan, despite 76% counting development opportunities as a top priority. This was despite the workforce wanting a well mapped-out career development scheme. In fact, Malaysian men cited career development as one of the top factors, over money. “While there is still a need for marcomms and events professionals in Malaysia, those with more specialised skills in analytics, digital and social media will be increasingly in demand, especially at a senior level,” said Priya Bala, regional director of font. “As Malaysia continues to face a brain drain, it is expected the base salaries for these specialist roles will rise. It is a problem that only half of talent would recommend their company to family and friends. This is indicative of a neutral attitude towards their work environment.” She explained that money and professional development are two consistent factors affecting staff’s decisions to stay or job hop. Rather than deal with unhappy staff when it’s too late, organisations must put talent WWW.M A R K ET I N G - I N T ER A C T I V E.C O M

Source: font

management measures in place that involve proper targets and show a vested interest in development and career growth. She added this gap in communication between the company and employees could exist for a number of reasons, including performance-based bonuses. However, the low number of staff with a career plan shows companies in Malaysia are not focusing enough on the professional development of their staff. “The disconnect between what employers say they offer to candidates and what staff say they actually receive is somewhat worrying. “Whether talking about money or development opportunities – the two main

things candidates look for when considering a new role – what talent receives appears to be significantly less than what the company believes they are offering.” In-house versus agency The median annual wage for in-house professionals is 31% higher than that of agency staff. According to font, there could be a number of reasons for this, including sample size, however, in-house salaries can be higher when combining the total package. Marketing roles also require a combination of experiences and skills, while agency roles tend to be more specialised, meaning in-house might pay more for well-rounded talent. AU G U S T 201 5 | a dvert i s i ng + m a r ke t i ng 1 1

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MORE WOMEN TAKING LEADERSHIP ROLES IN MALAYSIA’S MARKETING INDUSTRY One has to simply look at the advertising agency scene to see the rise of female bosses. Rezwana Manjur writes.

While several other markets struggle with empowering women in senior leadership, it looks like Malaysia is on the right track. Female bosses are on the rise, according to a study by specialist recruitment firm font. One has to simply look at the advertising agency scene to see the presence of strong female leads in agencies. For example, Michelle Achuthan of BBDO Malaysia, Lara Hussein of M&C Saatchi, Mazuin Zin of Mullen Lowe, Margaret Lim of Dentsu Aegis, Nicole Tan of JWT, Irene Wong of Grey Malaysia and Wong Piyee of Zenith Malaysia. According to the study 12 a d verti s i ng + marketi ng | AU G U S T 2015

“We see this trend rising for 2015 and beyond, as Malaysia continues to strengthen its stance towards strategic diversity programmes, and the government strengthens its support for businesses to entice women back to the workforce.” Priya Bala - regional marketing director of font

by font, which specialises in the creative, digital and marketing sectors, women continue to take on more leadership positions with almost

half of the firms interviewed claiming they have more than 30% of senior positions occupied by women. WWW. MARK E TING-IN TE RAC TI VE . C OM

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jumping between roles more frequently than men, perhaps to shift to businesses with more flexible working hours and childcare facilities. This is shown by the fact that more than 60% of women have been in their current role for less than two years. The study also states that money and professional development are two consistent factors affecting talent’s decisions to stay or job hop. What else are companies looking for? Meanwhile, the job market in Malaysia is also looking positive for people with specialised skills in social media, search, analytics and developers, as well as for people who are integrated or hybrid, particularly at the mid-tosenior level. This includes PR managers who have a strong grasp of digital and social media; project managers who face clients and lead business development; art directors and designers who are savvy with digital platforms; copywriters or content writers for multiple mediums, and marketing managers with digital capabilities. Malaysian companies are adopting a neutral outlook to business in 2015. Nearly 42% think the industry will remain at a similar level, while almost a third are positive it will strengthen. Respondents are also confident about their company’s growth, with 68% expecting permanent staff members to increase.

Source: font

Also, in Malaysia, female employees are fast drawing equal salaries to their male counterparts, and many are finding a spot on the leadership bench. Similar to Singapore, women in Malaysia are more likely to have received a pay rise in the past 12 months than men. Gender Women “We see this trend rising for 2015 and beyond, as Malaysia continues to strengthen its stance towards strategic diversity programmes, WWW.M A R K ET I N G - I N T ER A C T I V E.C O M

and the government strengthens its support for businesses to entice women back to the workforce,” said Priya Bala, regional marketing director of font. So why is this so? Bala explained this could be because of the country’s concerted diversity push, as the government aims for Malaysia to be considered a developed nation by 2020. However, it could also be due to women

Outlook There is also a lot of crossover of talent from creative to media agencies and from media owners to media agencies, and vice versa. The days of pure TV, radio or print have ended, and talent who are loyal to these traditional channels will soon find themselves becoming irrelevant. It is imperative for them to make the switch and embrace the digital era, said a note in the study. AU G U S T 201 5 | a dvert i s i ng + m a r ke t i ng 1 3

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EXPOSING BAD PITCH BEHAVIOUR

Agencies pipe up on key things clients could do better in pitches. Noreen Ismail writes.

Time to put a stop: What are the signs of a badly managed pitch you should be watching out for?

The pitching process can be a gruelling task for agencies and clients alike. In making such a crucial decision on how to make your business and brand better, you would think that certain practices have been set in place to ease the entire process, but alas, the pitching process remains notoriously flawed. Dragging timelines, unnecessary paperwork, mile-long and poorly written briefs, unresponsive clients – agencies have seen their bulk of pitch drama when it comes to bad pitch behaviour. So in the spirit of resolving the unspoken tension between rejected agencies and painful clients, agency veterans chime in on how to keep calm and pitch on. Below are some recommendations and solutions from industry professionals to fix some of the more thematic traits that plague the pitch process. 14 a d verti s i ng + marketi ng | AU G U S T 2015

Be honest – is there really a fair pitch going on? Companies have long been guilty of making the review process purely ceremonial for the purpose of “transparency”. In their quest to appear democratic and fair, a company may call for a pitch only to already have a favourite in their pocket. Fiona Bartholomeusz, managing director of Formul8 Singapore, recalls one such incident. “We had a large private organisation awarding the work to an ad agency that didn’t even pitch for the project. Of course, everyone knew that the CEO had shares in that ad agency – it’s the worst kept secret in the industry, but we expected some professional courtesy that the pitch would still be for legitimate reasons.” Tyler Muñoz, client services director for SapientNitro Asia Pacific, echoes this

sentiment, taking a more sceptical stance on the issue. “The RFP is not ‘real’ to begin with. There have been times when senior stakeholders are just ticking the boxes for their procurement team and have no intention of the work being awarded to someone other than the agency who has already been selected behind the scenes,” he explains. “Similarly, some have used the RFP process to confirm another vendor’s proposed solution. These are time wasters for both the clients and the agencies.” To avoid these issues and detect suspicious RFPs, Craig Mapleston, managing director of iris Worldwide Singapore, recommends a few questions that any self-respecting agency needs to ask before getting involved. “Agencies should ask, ‘Will the winning pitch response actually run?’ It’s important to know whether the pitch task is a test or a live brief. If it’s a test and will never run, you’re taking a big risk on ever getting any work produced if you win.” Another key clarification pre-pitch should be: “Are the selection criteria clear and shared among all agencies?” Mapleston says: “If this is a secret, or can’t be defined, then you’re back to pitch lucky draws, or pitches that have been decided before they begin. Insist on the selection criteria, and insist that all agencies are aware.” Clients, please note, agencies are not your puppets. Adhering to a false sense of democracy in a guise of a pitch is an incredible inconvenience. Changing minds – respect the agency’s time and talents Bureaucratic idiosyncrasies are best kept behind doors. When it comes to altering brief objectives, it’s best to do it in a timely manner, respecting the time and money agencies would have to spend in fulfilling those expectations for you. Bartholomeusz had an experience of a client changing the pitch’s brief objectives and target audience during the agency’s presentation. “The CEO didn’t agree with his marketing team and decided the work wasn’t what he WWW. MARK E TING-IN TE RAC TI VE . C OM

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wanted because he wanted a different target audience and direction. We just sat there and watched him argue with his team. Brilliant.” A major faux pas according to Bartholomeusz is giving an agency insufficient time to produce the work: “We’ve had clients ask for five concepts to be presented in three days! And this was a huge listed MNC.” For this reason, Mapleston recommends dealing with decision-makers from the start. “If the pitch has been ‘juniorised’ and the decision makers don’t appear till the last moment, then it’s probably not very important to the client’s business. Insist on knowing and dealing with the ultimate decision-makers from the beginning of the process.”

“Knowing who is in the fray allows each agency to work out its pitch strategy better because we would know how we stack up against the competition. It’s a very small market, we would find out anyway, so what’s the big deal? We’re not going to voodoo hex the competition.”

Transparency is needed Being accessible and transparent in the pitch process is much like a sneak peek for agencies on what it’s like to partner up with your company or brand. Mapleston advises: “Asking the client about the set budget must be a mandatory to participation. We know how important budget management is to every client, once they become clients. So why wouldn’t that be a critical assessment criteria during the pitch? You’ll also get another indication of importance and commitment to the job ever running.” Likewise, clients need to be honest about their business goals and expectations by communicating with agencies openly about the eventual budget. Clients should be forthcoming about any issues that they foresee, and ask for the agencies’ help. According to Bartholomeusz, clients should not be asking the agency to produce work across APAC only to reveal they do not have the budget for such a task. She says: “Some clients have told us, ‘We don’t have a budget, it depends on the creative work’. Please note, we are ad agencies, not magicians.” Transparency is key to opening up the communication lines on both sides. “When an agency asks you, ‘who else is pitching’, please don’t decline divulging,” Bartholomeusz says, since the information may actually add to the quality of the pitching process. “Knowing who is in the fray allows each agency to work out its pitch strategy better because we would know how we stack up against the competition. It’s a very small market, we would find out anyway, so what’s the big deal? We’re not going to voodoo hex the competition.” An open mindset is key to helping your business. For Muñoz, ad agencies exist for a

The ‘fish market’ for agencies – do you really know what you want? Having the ideal brief is more than just having the right team to prepare it. The brief should include a clear set of evaluation criteria that clients should ideally adhere to. One of the things clients are guilty of is, “Making it a fish market and opening the pitch to 25 agencies,” Bartholomeusz says. “You’re not going to get any serious contenders because the professional agencies will never pander to that kind of scenario. More isn’t merrier.” To guarantee a more fruitful partnership, clients should do their homework and first assess if a particular agency is a good fit before inviting them to pitch. This saves time and energy for all parties. Perhaps schedule some face time with your potential business partner, after all, you need them to believe in your version of the greater good to take the business further in the most authentic and believable manner. Bartholomeusz advises: “Be selective, do your homework and find out which three agencies really have the experience or knowledge and team to do the work for you, call those guys in. You will get better results from a more motivated bunch.” Mapleston agrees with this view and recommends that agencies be aware of the reasons behind the client’s invitation to pitch. He says: “It’s not just a good ice-breaker to understand how the client has come across you and what they believe makes your agency suitable. It’s also a fair assessment on whether the client has done their homework, whether you’ve got a real chance of winning, or whether you are just making up the numbers.” Like Bartholomeusz, Mapleston believes in quality and not quantity. Agencies should be wary if there are more than four agencies pitching.

WWW.M A R K ET I N G - I N T ER A C T I V E.C O M

Fiona Bartholomeusz - managing director of Formul8 Singapore.

reason, that is to inspire you to open up your horizons. “Many times you have an idea of what you want, but let the people behind the vision inspire you. Perhaps, the solution could be bigger than what you initially considered.”

“The rule of four means that all four agencies can present in one day, and the likelihood of information overload is reduced. Once you get beyond four agencies, presentations will be shared across a couple of days, some clients will be present at all, others will drop out. “With four or less agencies, it also indicates that the client has a fair idea of the right type of agency for their needs. With more than four, you start to get into pitch lucky draw territory once again.” Seek improvements To ensure the best pitch practice for both clients and agencies, the call for better regulations in the industry has been met with resounding enthusiasm. For example, clients should be timely with their notifications and notify all the agencies regardless of their appointment. They should manage the announcement to ensure that all agencies receive detailed and constructive feedback. Muñoz says: “The industry would be better served if there were better regulations around the conflict of interest for competing clients.” Bartholomeusz cites the example of 4As Malaysia’s strict enforcement of pitch fees amounting to RM10,000 per pitch paid by the client to the agency. “Clients don’t realise the amount of man hours and costs involved in a pitch. Not forgetting the opportunity cost of doing other paid work,” she added. For instance, the body issued a stern letter to MAS to pay pitch fees to participating agencies. 4As Singapore can follow in Malaysia’s footsteps in helping agencies defray costs of pitching, says Bartholomeusz. Since its mission – according to its site – is “to advocate the role of advertising by providing leadership and promoting knowledge, skills and professional enhancements to serve our members and the community”, the 4As can potentially do more to resolve the discrepancies between client perceptions and agency realities. Will the 4As carry real influence to reform the pitching process and advocate the rights and sanity of agencies and clients alike? Only time will tell. AU G U S T 201 5 | a dvert i s i ng + m a r ke t i ng 1 5

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IS MOVING FROM AN AGENCY TO IN-HOUSE PR ROLE ALWAYS THE BEST THING? What the considerations before making the move? Rezwana Manjur finds out.

Long hours, low pay and difficult pay – these are the commonly conceived notions of what PR agency life is like. So is it any surprise this industry is one that is packed with people moves? A recent study called “The Pulse” by recruiter VMA Group said that of all the communications disciplines, those working in PR agencies are by far the least likely to feel that they are being adequately paid. This group is also most likely to describe itself as underpaid. The study noted that three in five (60%) PR consultants feel inadequately compensated. This then leads them to want a career change and, most notably, they then choose to move in-house. 16 a d verti s i ng + marketi ng | AU G U S T 2015

“This is recognised across the market,” said Lisa MacMillan, managing consultant for VMA. She explained that one reason why so many agency professionals chose to move inhouse was because of the idea that bonuses were better in-house. “The working hours are more controlled, and you build up more sector-specific expertise. For many, in-house work seems to be the Holy Grail,” she said. But is this really the case? Shane Chiang, head of communications, PR and social media at HTC, however, told Marketing that given the option to move back

“Hiring in the PR world today isn’t based on which company you were from previously, but rather what skill sets you possess. We are all looking for specialists.” Tarun Deo - managing director of Singapore and Southeast Asia for Golin

to an agency role, he wouldn’t necessarily say no. Chiang, who led his own PR stint called Next Generation Media, said that both WWW. MARK E TING-IN TE RAC TI VE . C OM

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sides had their own set of perks. “In-house roles definitely provide more stability in terms of lifestyle compared to an agency role. However, in-house roles can also be somewhat mundane with administrative work,” he said. In the agency world, however, opportunities are endless and it provides a great learning experience for new faces in the industry. Meanwhile, Manali Pattnaik, assistant vice-president of the group marketing and communications function at CIMB Bank, seconded the view adding that PR industry experience is definitely vital for any person wanting to work in-house. She has over the years worked in PR roles for brands such as Lenovo, Yahoo and also on the agency side with FleishmanHillard. “In a PR role you learn so much about different types of personalities, clients and industries. There is much more exposure. Only then can you figure out as an individual what makes you ‘tick’ and which industries you are interested in,” she said. With regard to the perception that pay and a work-life balance is better on the client side, she explained that while these are true for some companies, what keeps her in the in-house role is the “sense of belonging” to the brand she is representing. “In-house you are your own person and you have a sense of belonging. You know the brand inside out and you are talking to internal folks and stakeholders. You are living and breathing the brand you work for.” The traffic goes both ways Tarun Deo, managing director of Singapore and Southeast Asia for Golin, said his career had always spanned across the agency world. What keeps him on the agency side is the fact that in PR agencies, communication is the central role in the company. “Over on the client side, this might not always be the case and the role might just be seen as a support function,” he said. He explained it is usually into the three to four-year mark on a managerial level that PR folks look to move in-house. However, since communication is not necessarily a strategic or central function in many companies, there is always the possibility of a career plateau. This is when many people return to the agency world. “Today we are seeing traffic going both ways. It is not just PR executives or managers going in-house, but rather, in-house communications leads are also moving back to the PR agency,” he said. WWW.M A R K ET I N G - I N T ER A C T I V E.C O M

Source: “The Pulse” by recruiter VMA Group

“Also, hiring in the PR world today isn’t based on which company you were from previously, but rather what skill sets you possess. We are all looking for specialists.” The study also supported Deo’s views, adding that despite the common belief that client-side may have more stability, job security in agency work is far higher than for any inhouse functions. “It’s all part of the economics of agencies,”

MacMillan said. “Consultants are not seen as ‘overheads’ in the same way as in-house practitioners. They’re paid on the basis of the hours they fulfil, and if the work’s coming in, it needs doing. “For in-house staff, there is always the threat of a sudden crisis leading to cost-cutting redundancies across the company – and in such circumstances, unfortunately, comms people often feel the first swing of the axe.” AU G U S T 201 5 | a dvert i s i ng + m a r ke t i ng 1 7

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MAXIS’ SULIN LAU ON RETHINKING TELCO MARKETING

Telcos are struggling with their business model. Maxis’ marketer Sulin Lau on the telco’s radically different approach to marketing. Elizabeth Low writes.

Breaking new ground: The challenge facing telcos is to constantly innovate to engage audiences.

It has been a year since Maxis announced a major rebranding, both internally and externally of the entire company. Morten Lundal, chief executive officer of Maxis, said at the announcement of the rebrand: “This is still just the beginning of our journey. We are diligently going through the list of things to improve, which involves an end-toend review of all processes, policies, products, customer touch-points, communication and insights, so we can provide what we and our customers define as a truly ‘great experience’.” Fast-forward to a year later, and many changes have taken place. In June, Maxis said it would invest at least RM 1.1 billion or $284 million as capex to complete its network modernisation, drive the 4G LTE expansion, as well as improving capacity and quality. Maxis said its 4G LTE coverage reached 41% of the population and covered key market centres and state capitals. The target is to reach over half of the Malaysian population by year-end, according to Telecom Lead. It’s no secret that with the internet age, the 18 a d verti s i ng + marketi ng | AU G U S T 2015

old telco model is coming under threat. This means major changes. In short, Sulin Lau, head of marketing services at Maxis, sums up its overall new direction this way: “We have to be more agile, move faster and break things, attract start-up-mindset people away from start-ups, embrace experiments (and be OK if they don’t always work). In short, (we have to be) everything a telco isn’t.” One of the key ways to initiate change is to draw in the right talent. Some of the company wide changes the firm did in the past year included changing its reporting structure and culture. For example, moving to a flatter organisation structure, where there are only five levels of reporting lines between a fresh grad and the CEO. The firm has done away with cubicles and offices. No one in Maxis has their own office, not even the CEO. Of course, this applies to changing the dynamics of its marketing team as well. Lau talks about pushing for more diversity in her team. While a year ago, she describes the team as having been more of a classic marcomms

and branding team – her 35-person strong marketing team today consists of a diverse staff with varying skills: data and insights, content, social influence and more. This, in turn, means a change in Maxis’ marketing strategy. She talks about having a digital-first, customer-centric way of thinking. “Digital comes first in terms of how we think about spending, and how we measure our efforts,” she said. “The days when digital and social are adapted from a press ad are thankfully over.” For example, the success of any ground event now will be measured not in what happens on the ground, but in online shares and views. “So even event people start thinking in terms of shareable content and conversations.” There are a number of reasons traditional marketing methods won’t work for telcos anymore. “Telco brands are generally (in)famous for outlandish claims and consistent underdelivery, wrongful charging and slippery T&Cs,” she said. “We acknowledge that telco customers have been trained to always view traditional advertising claims with extreme scepticism. “Thus, the challenge this year is to find new formats of communication that better represent the brand’s humanity, truth and sincerity. “And of course, we can only promise things that we are 100% sure that we can deliver,” she added, referring to the campaign Maxis did where chief technology officer Morten Bangsgaard underwent a series of life threatening situations to test the network in three key areas – namely download speeds, loading time for popular websites and YouTube streaming. “All telcos everywhere are trying their best not to be relegated to a dumb pipe. Our brand challenge in Maxis is this: how do we transform our brand purpose, our products, our people, our partners and fundamental ways of working in order to surf this tidal wave of internet change.” WWW. MARK E TING-IN TE RAC TI VE . C OM

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OPPO LOOKS TO RAMP UP ITS BRAND IN MALAYSIA

It is targeting to be one of the top three brands in Malaysia, brand manager Chen Lu tells Noreen Ismail. Chinese smartphone brand Oppo is on a massive marketing push globally. It recently entered into a new three-year partnership with FC Barcelona in a move to drive public awareness and interest of the Oppo brand as a serious contender in the global market. The partnership, announced on 31 May 2015, will see Oppo serve as Barcelona’s official partner for the mobile phone device category starting from the current season until 2018. The agreement covers a wide range of activities, including soccer events, fan activities, TV advertisements and accessories. Oppo’s logo will also be prominently displayed at the Spanish football club’s home stadium, Camp Nou. The deal with Barcelona signals a new dawn for the brand in its global expansion strategy. As of April 2015, the brand has been registered in 116 countries worldwide. “Oppo has been focusing heavily on overseas expansion in recent years,” said Oppo CEO Tony Chen. “From the very beginning, we have positioned ourselves as a global company and our dynamic expansion strategy fully demonstrates this commitment.” Meanwhile, it has set its sights on conquering the Malaysia market. In 2015, the smartphone brand achieved registered market share of 10% in Malaysia. Moving forward, Oppo aims to implant stronger brand awareness and impression among Malaysians. According to the latest branding research by Nielsen, the brand has achieved 88% brand awareness in Malaysia. Chen Lu, brand manager of Oppo Malaysia, told A+M: “This year we hope to narrow the gap between our products and our consumers which is why we are bringing in more variants into the market to expand our range of product offerings.” The company aims to be among the top three brands in Malaysia. “This year we will work closely with other brands or delve into more online marketing targeted at the young and urban market.” Oppo is working with E-Plus Entertainment Productions as its PR agency for Malaysia, WWW.M A R K ET I N G - I N T ER A C T I V E.C O M

“This year we hope to narrow the gap between our products and our consumers which is why we are bringing in more variants into the market to expand our range of product offerings.” Chen Lu - brand manager of Oppo Malaysia

beginning mid-2015. Other than that, the company relies on its in-house teams for advertising and digital marketing efforts. At present, the core campaign for Oppo revolves around the newly launched Oppo R7 Series. This includes pre-order campaigns with special giveaways for its customers. The company also recently launched the “R7 Series Place Race” digital game to engage its customers. Oppo is also in the midst of planning for a line-up of CSR programmes customised for the Malaysia market, Chen said. To engage consumers of the youth demographic, Oppo is looking into sponsoring

TV shows such as Voice of China which will run on 8TV. Chen added: “We are also working with L’Oréal Paris on their New Revitalift Magic Blur project. We are looking into more crossbranding partnerships in the future.” While the company is still on the hunt for local ambassadors, it has been working with celebrities such as Virus Ngu, Peace Teo and Dato AC Mizal for its campaigns. Founded in 2004, Oppo started its business journey as a global electronics and technology service provider. It started its foray into the mobile phone market in 2008 and made its first step overseas – in Thailand – the following year. AU G U S T 201 5 | a dvert i s i ng + m a r ke t i ng 1 9

NEWS ANALYSIS

SKETCHING A BRIGHT FUTURE IN ASIA

How a “think global, act local” approach is helping Skechers. Noreen Ismail writes. Founded in California in 1992, sportswear brand Skechers was once focused solely on the US before expanding internationally. Eventually, it reached Asia’s shores in 2005, when it began to ramp up it marketing efforts to translate the American brand’s relevance in the region. A+M sat down with Vincent Leung, the Asia Pacific CEO for Skechers, to find out more about how the brand has succeeded in marketing its name to Asian consumers, particularly after opening its shutters in Singapore in 2009. It now has 16 concept stores in the market. Think global, act local In adopting a regional strategy Leung expounded on a simple mantra that has helped the brand propel its name in Asia Pacific: “Think global, act local.” “We are an international brand, our brand DNA is American so we have to adopt it differently when we come to Asia.” For example, in the US, Skechers executes different marketing strategies for various collections to cater to the large and segmented market. Whereas in smaller Asian markets such as Singapore, Leung explained the brand pursues a more holistic approach in its marketing. For one, Skechers has to tell its brand story in a fresh manner, and work to place the “Skechers” brand into the consumers mind first. “We can’t educate the audience the same way as we do in the States, where consumers are already familiar with the brand.” True to its DNA, the brand continues to portray itself as a fun lifestyle brand, and conveys the message through various campaigns. For Asian consumers, Skechers believes in a customer-first approach, that is, it communicates its brand story only after communicating with its customers and understanding their needs. For example, capitalising on the Korean wave and the ensuing trend hitting across Asia, Skechers ramped up marketing efforts for its women’s D’lite shoes by signing on K-Pop girl band Sistar as its brand ambassador. “Today, we see a very big Korean trend across Asia, and our D’lite shoes are making a big comeback, thanks to it being marketed in Korea – so we signed on Korean celebrities to drive the Skechers message.” While creative visions largely come from the US, for its 2 0 a d verti s i ng + marketi ng | AU G U S T 2015

Being a sport: Skechers is mindful of the nuances of a global brand playing in Asia.

partnership with Sistar, the brand worked with Ogilvy in Korea for its D’lite campaign. Singapore versus Malaysia Aside from regional variations in its marketing strategies, Skechers revealed some interesting insights on the differences between the Singapore and Malaysian markets. In Singapore, Skechers works with key opinion leaders (KOLs) and bloggers to promote its shoes. It partnered with Shape Run to market its brand to families. In terms of seeding, Skechers works with sports athletes, mummy bloggers and fashion influencers to promote its shoes at events. Currently, the brand has enlisted celebrities such as Vincent Ng, Hanli Hoefer, Jamie Yeo and Joscelin Yeo to propel its name even further. “We sponsor running events and musicrelated events like the Sundown Festival, which we use to highlight different categories of our products,” Leung said. While the brand seems to focus a lot on events and celebrities when it comes to marketing in Singapore, I asked Leung how marketing the brand is different in Malaysia. He explained that while the product range is similar, Skechers tries to cater to the different tastes of its consumers. In terms of advertising, he said the brand needed to be more attuned to the local trends in Malaysia compared to Singapore. “In Singapore, a lot of the international marketing works. In Malaysia we have to do a lot more with local KOLs. Especially when we are pushing more into the Malay market. We work a lot with local celebrities and do interviews or

short campaigns in magazines to collaborate with them.” For the Malaysia market, the brand focuses more on on-the-ground influences. For its performance line, the brand is seeding some of the top amateur runners in Malaysia to leverage the frequent run events there. “There is so much more footprint to grab in Malaysia as well, with so many new malls coming up in the next few years. But the business model is different.” In Malaysia, Skechers follows an authorised dealer approach, whereas in Singapore the brand grants its franchise to retailer groups. According to Leung, the barriers to entry in Malaysia are less as compared to Singapore and the business environment more entrepreneurial. E-commerce plans While Skechers has started e-commerce in China, it is still holding back in Singapore. Instead, it works with e-tailers such as Zalora and Taobao. “Just through the available online platforms, we believe e-commerce has taken off well for apparel and accessories in Singapore, but for shoes, due to size and fitting issues, customers still prefer to try on and purchase from physical store set-ups.” He asserted that having a good presence offline is key before making any plans for moving to e-commerce. “I always dreamt of one of our panels in the store being changed into an interactive iPadtype thing so we can actually sell what we don’t sell in the stores.” This dream, Leung says, is what he wants to achieve within five years. WWW. MARK E TING-IN TE RAC TI VE . C OM

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PROFILE

JETSTAR’S LATEST CAMPAIGN TARGETS SEVEN MARKETS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA. NOREEN ISMAIL WRITES.

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PROFILE

Jetstar is stepping up its marketing game with the launch of a new campaign that taps on the cultural phenomenon of the selfie. Launching a new brand refresh campaign, “Because You Can”, the low-cost carrier aims to empower travellers to travel their way. The campaign marks the airline’s first regional campaign specially tailored for the Southeast Asian audience. Featuring travellers in different selfie poses, paired with various tag lines and updated with a touch of magenta, the new brand campaign is being rolled out in seven markets across Southeast Asia: Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, Myanmar and the Philippines. In Singapore and Malaysia the campaign rolled out on 20 August. In an interview with Marketing, Chantal van Wijnbergen, regional marketing manager for SEA, talked about how the brand has shifted its communications model to enhance its marketing strategy in the Southeast Asian region. She also shared some of Jetstar’s marketing pitfalls and how the brand aims to remedy that through its latest campaign. From functional to emotional With a presence in the industry for more than 10 years, Wijnbergen said the company had to be mindful of a brand revolution. Instead, it prefers to evolve and tailor its brand positioning to the needs and wants of the modern consumer. When it comes to marketing, she pointed out that Jetstar’s advertising in the past sided more into a functional, price-oriented approach. WWW.M A R K ET I N G - I N T ER A C T I V E.C O M

“There was no point of difference at all in our ads. We failed to give customers a reason to fly with us. It was a more price-driven type of advertising. The consumer might not even know what kind of company we were – whether we were an airline company or a travel agency. So we were ready for something new.” Jetstar has also rejuvenated its communication model, aligning it with its latest marketing initiative, “Because You Can”. While a lot of its past marketing efforts were more focused on sales, now it prefers to communicate more about its latest product offerings and services that are different from its competitors. “We used to be more focused on price and destination, with our ‘all day everyday low prices’ offers. While sales is still important for the brand, we want to give our customers the feeling they have options and choices. So we needed a new marketing strategy that tailors to our brand purpose and is applicable to all media.” The company aims to change its approach from a more functional model to one that will enable the brand to emotionally connect with its customers in every communication channel. She added the company was eager to build a personality for the brand – a key trait the airline was lacking in the past. Enhancing its service Besides bringing the fun back to Jetstar’s advertising, the airline wants to offer travellers the freedom of customising their own travels. “Low-cost carrier advertising has always focused on destination and price, but travel should be more than that. It is about the experience, the rush of excitement you feel when you click ‘book’ and the ‘I can’tAU G U S T 201 5 | a dvert i s i ng + m a r ke t i ng 2 3

PROFILE

“WE WANTED TO REDEFINE OUR BRAND PURPOSE IN SOUTHEAST ASIA AND EMPOWER TRAVELLERS TO DESIGN THEIR TRAVELS THEIR WAY, WHERE WE BELIEVE LOW PRICE SHOULD NOT EQUAL POOR AND CHEAP EXPERIENCE.” believe-I’m-here’ moments when you finally reach the destination after weeks of planning,” she said. “Because You Can is the perfect platform for us to talk to our customers about the little things Jetstar does to make their travels better. We’re excited to see the reaction to the first phase of the campaign and can’t wait for what’s coming next. “We wanted to redefine our brand purpose in Southeast Asia and empower travellers to design their travels their way, where we believe low price should not equal poor and cheap experience.” Before embarking on its brand repositioning, Jetstar researched the needs of budget travellers and found there was a high level of anxiety

among consumers when in comes to travelling on a budget airline. The company wanted to not only alleviate consumers’ concerns, but also increase travellers’ autonomy. For one, Jetstar has since introduced more smart services such as providing online check-in for its travellers. The brand also wanted to carve out its own niche in the hospitality industry by stepping up on its customer service. “We want to be the credible airline that continuously provides great service. For example, a smile doesn’t cost anything and it makes the whole difference in a customer’s experience. In our new communication model, we want to show how much we value our customers and their needs by providing great service for a great price.” Localising content within the region Launching in Singapore with out-of-home advertising, press advertisements, on-ground and social activation, “Because You Can” celebrates the stereotypical tourist and encourages people to have more fun on their travels through the selfie. The campaign was developed in collaboration with creative agency, The Secret Little Agency (TSLA). Mavis Neo, creative director at TSLA, said the campaign was a social and cultural response to the clamp down on self-expression, experienced by the average traveller. “There are not many brands that can pull this off, and Jetstar has been a true ally to tourists and travellers, allowing them to embrace the little things that make travel so exciting,” Neo said. The airline gave away 20,000 selfie sticks over a two-week period to encourage Singaporeans to exercise their creative selfie-taking skills. In addition, from 27 August, a series of 3D trick art designed by local artist Ben Quek will be installed in four travel hubs across Singapore – Bugis, Dhoby Ghaut and Serangoon MRT stations, as well as the Bedok bus interchange. The best selfies posted on social media with the hashtag #JetstarBecauseYouCan and creative captions will be rewarded daily with SG$100 Jetstar vouchers. In Malaysia, the campaign launched with three press ads in the Malaysian daily The Star. Acknowledging the unique consumer needs in the various markets, Jetstar will translate and transcreate its “Because You Can” campaign to ensure its ads are suitable for each country. To localise its ads, the company will be working with respective production houses in each market, with TSLA overseeing the creative executions. Moving forward, the brand will also roll out various phases of the campaign throughout the year with “Because You Can” as the overarching theme. Along with TSLA, Jetstar works with Maxus, its media agency of record, and AKA Asia as its PR agency.

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NEWS ANALYSIS

MALAYSIA: THE NEXT BIG SHOPPING DESTINATION

The mall aims to boost Kuala Lumpur’s appeal as a transit hub and shopping destination. Rezwana Manjur writes.

A new development: The mall aims to contribute towards making KL a world-class shopping destination.

MFMA Development Sdn Bhd, a joint venture between Mitsui Fudosan and Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (Malaysia Airports), has launched Mitsui Outlet Park KLIA Sepang (MOP KLIA Sepang). This marks a milestone in Malaysia’s transformation to becoming a major shopping destination in Southeast Asia and aims to boost Kuala Lumpur’s appeal as a transit hub and shopping destination to more than 27 million international and regional travellers who land in Malaysia each year. Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Wan Abdul Aziz Wan Abdullah, chairman of Malaysia Airports, said the move was in line with Malaysia Airports’ vision to be a global leader in creating airport cities and said the development of KLIA Aeropolis was one of the major catalysts in the achievement of this vision. “We are certain that not only will this vision benefit the group, but our nation in general. 2 6 a d verti s i ng + marketi ng | AU G U S T 2015

The development of KLIA Aeropolis will spur an increase in employment opportunities, thus stimulating the local economy. On top of that, the facilities provided will also spur domestic and foreign investments, as well as strategically position Malaysia on the map as a global business hub for Southeast Asia.” The project is also set to provide more than 1,800 employment opportunities by the end of this year. MOP KLIA Sepang features a unique “paradise village” design concept with four nature-inspired zones – the Sunshine Square, Pier Walk, Tropical Plaza and Beach Walk – to evoke a tropical feel. The mall has 127 outlets and claims to be “Malaysia’s new shopping paradise where luxury meets affordability”. MOP KLIA Sepang will also enrich the shopping experience for regional and international travellers who visit and transit via Kuala Lumpur by offering them a taste of

both Malaysian and Japanese culture, and is a stone’s throw away from the airport. The outlet mall also boasts a flight check-in centre which is a dedicated service for travellers that adds a new dynamic to the regional traveller’s layover experience. MOP KLIA Sepang also features a flight check-in system and flight information displays within the premises of the outlet mall. Masanobu Komoda, president and chief executive officer of Mitsui Fudosan, said: “We will unite the Malaysian culture and needs with our Japanese style of hospitality, and we will strive to operate Mitsui Outlet Park KLIA Sepang to be an attractive and safe destination complemented by comfort and convenience. “We have injected our experience and knowledge acquired from the development and operations of 13 existing outlet malls in Japan as well as many other retail malls that we own and manage internationally.” WWW. MARK E TING-IN TE RAC TI VE . C OM

NEWS ANALYSIS

E-COMMERCE SET TO BOOM IN MALAYSIA Malaysia is seeing consistent and steady growth in digital ad spending, with the segment seeing a 20% growth since last year. Rezwana Manjur writes. Malaysian consumers like to shop and they are very much ready to dish out their dollars online. According to a recent survey by Adobe,

Malaysia is seeing consistent and steady growth in digital ad spending, with the segment seeing a 20% growth since last year. The study also found that Malaysia has

a strong online penetration rate (66%) with around 20 million users, and although the forecasted growth is within single digits, there are strong areas of opportunity. With some of the highest usage rates of desktop and mobile online, Malaysian consumers are relatively more reliant on the internet than others. Today, nearly 80% of Malaysian netizens stream or download online video content each month, while 42% of Malaysian netizens watch TV content and movies via the internet.

Malaysians also prefer to begin their online customer journey through Google Search. Nearly 69% of respondents indicated this was their preferred means of finding out more about the products they are interested in. Social media also has great potential in Malaysia as 51% of consumers also discover and find inspiration to purchase products from brands on Facebook. Malaysian citizens view social network sites 14 billion times a month, which according to Adobe, is almost 731 times per person. They have an average of 233 friends on Facebook per user which is nearly 80% higher than the global average. Meanwhile, 70% of Malaysian users refer to a brandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s social media presence before making a purchase decision. Malaysia came second to Singapore with a social media penetration of 64% with almost 19 million users and considering the consumersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; social media maturity, social is a strong opportunity to engage the Malaysian market. WWW.M A R K ET I N G - I N T ER A C T I V E.C O M

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NEWS ANALYSIS

MALAYSIA AIRLINES’ BRANDING CHALLENGES

In the past two years, the airline has had its name splashed across every major publication with industry experts from marketing to aviation to security, scrutinising every move it makes. Rezwana Manjur writes.

Flying into trouble: What has brand MAS learnt following the series of tragedies it has seen in recent times?

Malaysia Airlines is no stranger to media scrutiny. In the past two years, the airline has had its name splashed across every major publication with industry experts from marketing to aviation to security scrutinising every move it makes. Millions of people today are still following every word the airline utters as the mystery of its airline MH370 goes unresolved. “That kind of scrutiny can force you to not move, but we knew we had to move,” said Dean Dacko, CMO of Malaysia Airlines, who was speaking at the Adobe Digital Marketing Symposium 2015. He was quick to admit the 2 8 a d verti s i ng + marketi ng | AU G U S T 2015

past two years for the airline had not been easy ones, describing the entire journey as a “blur” and somewhat “surreal”. In the first 10 days after the MH370 tragedy, the company saw a huge commercial impact with 10 straight days of an average of 100,000 cancellations a day. “The commercial impact was absolutely devastating and the magnitude of it was unbelievable. But more dramatic was the emotional component of the event impacting over 500 lives along with the staff members and colleagues we personally knew and worked with,” he said.

“Some days we could not believe what was happening to us. We went from managing one crisis to the second crisis of MH17, to moving into totally recreating and the redevelopment of an entire organisation. All of which were across a relatively short period of time.” Challenges of creating a refreshed identity According to Dacko, because of the current restructuring of various MAS operations, the budget for rebranding is yet to be determined. However, he shared that a strategic brand steering committee had been created WWW. MARK E TING-IN TE RAC TI VE . C OM

NEWS ANALYSIS

comprising of various teams internally and externally (including stakeholders) and agencies to develop this new visual identity. MAS recently appointed M&C Saatchi Malaysia as its master creative agency, and handed its brand identity task to recreate its logo and the visual aspects of the aircraft livery to a Singapore-based shop called Profit. The agency, which beat 18 other branding agencies, including several big network names, will be helping MAS develop its brand strategy and visual components of the new logo. For its rebranding, MAS is also looking to actively involve its staff members across various teams and departments so as to garner realtime feedback on various aspects. The airline is investing its time into creating employee “brand ambassadors” who can give guidance on the new MAS direction. “We are fully aware that in the process of launching that new identity we will need the full support of its team of 14,000. They will be the first ones leveraged with going out and promoting our new brand. So we need to engage them early on in the process. The new brand identity is not just something we present to them, but rather something they are involved in creating. That’s part of our process now, to really engage and involve our staff.” However, the exact process is still undetermined as the organisation is in the midst of restarting things under new management. The rebranding process, added Dacko, will be one which is drawn out and carefully thought through because of the strong ties the airline has with the Malaysian people and its principal stakeholders. “This rebranding is done not only from a financial standpoint, but rather keeping in mind the 42 years of history MAS has had with our audience. The airline is very much ingrained with the culture of Malaysia. They refer to us as a Malaysian icon and that is true. Changing and moving that is something that requires back and forth engagement, dialogue and serious thought.” He reiterated that outside of Malaysia, the airline’s loyalty also runs deep with non-resident Malaysians because of the emotional warmth and support associated with the brand. “One of the very first times that people travelled out of Malaysia was on MAS and they remember how warm and comforting it was for them. That’s not a feeling that goes away. When we talk about possibly creating a new brand that would change that relationship, we really need to take seriously the emotional ties beyond the reality of the commercial component of it.” If the revamped identity falls short of the WWW.M A R K ET I N G - I N T ER A C T I V E.C O M

public’s expectations, one of the major risks would be losing the supporters of the brand and potentially turning them into the airline’s biggest detractors. “It is very easy to just create a logo, but there is so much that goes beyond it. So on 1 September when we launch a new identity, rather than a new image, it will be the start of our new journey of evolution with tweaks and changes being made along the way.” MAS’ digital evolution Early last year, when Dacko spoke to Marketing, the airline was in the midst of making a big push into digital. MAS was then looking to move 70% of its marketing budget to digital. In 2013, the split was 50-50 between traditional and digital. Before that, MAS’ marketing was completely tactical. We ask Dacko where in the digital evolution journey the brand stands at, now. Currently MAS’ marketing split between digital and traditional stands at 60-40, he said.

before the tragic event of MH370 going missing was purely due to commercial reasons because the airline saw that it needed to move from a traditional environment to a digital one. “Had we not made the new digital investments, our whole infrastructure would have collapsed. It was all the new technology and tools and resources we had just built that allowed us to move forward and continue engaging with audiences worldwide. It was never in the context of preparing for a crisis.” Lessons learnt Nonetheless, Dacko is positive his marketing team, and he personally, learnt a fair bit from the tragedies. Today, the brand is much more customer-centric and engaged on social media in an authentic way. Slowly, Dacko said, he sees consumer sentiment and trust growing. No doubt in some markets such as China, the damage is bigger and it has been harder to gain back trust. But in Malaysia, the public has been immensely supportive.

“The speed and pace of what we have done towards digital has slowed because of the nature of events we have faced over the past two years which has led us to balance a lot more of our investments across a lot of channels,” he said. While MAS has kept up its presence and velocity in making digital its primary channel of communication, it has probably not reached its earlier stated goals, Dacko admits. The brand is nonetheless still as dedicated to moving in that direction and he remains firm in growing the investments being made into digital. This commitment and need for digital was further reiterated in the first three weeks of MH370 going missing. From a digital platform perspective, MAS saw three major spikes in its website hits after the disaster. On a usual day, the website would take about 2000-3000 hits a second, but on those days it was tracking up to 230,000 hits per second. “All the things we have leveraged in our communication, were never built on the premise of us facing a crisis such as the ones we faced. It was built purely for a business transformation process,” he said. He explained the digital investments the brand made only four weeks

One such early signs of support came from MAS’ #staystrong campaigns. The campaign was initially created to send a message to its internal staff to stay strong and fight through the calamities. But soon after, it was picked up by the public where consumers started communicating to the brand showing their love and support. This, according to Dacko, was one of the pivotal moments that led him and his team to really open their eyes to the impact of social media being the backbone of modern communication. The open dialogue with consumers is now something that has really taken root and MAS and the marketing team have been quick to capitalise and communicate on the platform. “The reason for consumers having trust and confidence to fly the airline is based on the level of engagement we can create for them. “On digital, you can’t afford to go halfway. You can’t be timid. The reality is that you have to make a commitment and you have to be real and authentic in communicating digitally. Otherwise the audience will see through it.” Update: Dacko has left MAS since the time this interview was done. AU G U S T 201 5 | a dvert i s i ng + m a r ke t i ng 2 9

NEWS ANALYSIS

MORE JOBS FOR THE MALAYSIA AD INDUSTRY

After months of decline, online hiring in the advertising, market research, public relations, media and entertainment industry is finally seeing an improvement. Rezwana Manjur reports. After months of decline, online hiring in the advertising, market research, public relations, media and entertainment industry in Malaysia is finally seeing slight improvements in job opportunities. The spike comes after three consecutive months of this sector facing steep declines of -23%. According to the study, online hiring for marketing and communications professionals saw an improvement between May 2015 and June 2015, indicating an increased demand for these roles. Nonetheless, comparisons to last year show the number of job postings have declined by 15%. Moreover, this is the only industry to have seen an improvement whereas all other industries are on a decline as far as online hiring is concerned. Here’s look at comparative stats for this year and 2014. Overall, Malaysia’s online hiring activities have fallen by 24% year-on-year between June 2014 and June 2015. This is a slight dip from last month’s 23% decline, according to the Monster Employment Index (MEI) Malaysia. The MEI, a gauge of online job posting activity, was first released in Malaysia in April 2015. It records the industries and occupations that show the highest and lowest growth in recruitment activity locally. “Many service industry sectors and occupations are witnessing dramatic declines in online hiring, as seen in the MEI,” said Sanjay Modi, managing director of Monster.com (India, Middle East, Southeast Asia and Hong Kong). “Malaysia’s manufacturing sector is currently seeing its weakest performance management index readings due to poor economic conditions. “This will prompt layoffs within companies and online hiring activities will continue to see poor growth in the coming quarter.” Unaffected by the overall decline year-onyear, the BFSI (banking, financial services and insurance) sector continues to lead for the third consecutive month at 5% year-on-year. This was followed by the hospitality sector, which witnessed a growth of 3% yearon-year. 3 0 a d verti s i ng + marketi ng | AU G U S T 2015

Source: Monster Employment Index

Online hiring in the IT, Telecom/ISP and BPO/ITES sector has been steadily declining,

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SPONSORED CONTENT: MEDIA PRIMA

CROSS DEVICES AND PLATFORMS IS THE NEW NORM TO ENABLE EFFECTIVE REACH AND ENGAGEMENT Malaysia’s largest media platform Media Prima Television Networks has successfully concluded its “Syukur Selalu” brand campaign, leveraging on its extensive digital, social media and on-ground engagement in addition to its command of more than 80% of the Malay TV viewers. Driven to help brands win over the lucrative Malay audience during Ramadan and Hari Raya, the holistic campaign reaped success from the network’s brilliant content, innovative partnerships and comprehensive media platforms, including on-air, digital, social media, outdoor, radio and print. Media Prima stands out with its ability in understanding the Malay demographic that no other media networks can top. The good results also reaffirms Media Prima’s top-performing TV channels hold a powerful influence which is capable of driving impactful engagement across various media platforms. On Twitter, the hashtag, #SyukurSelalu achieved a total of 10 million during Ramadan and Hari Raya while the music video for the celebration anthem “Syukur Selalu”, featuring Dayang Nurfaizah and Black Hanifah, garnered more than half a million views on YouTube. Together with other brand partners, Media Prima also engaged more than 150,000 fans through on-ground events. These included “Bazar Syukur Selalu” held in Pahang and Johor, as well as “Bazar Attack” in Klang Valley where a team of Vespa riders hit the town to brighten the celebrations. Riding on the effectiveness of the integrated platforms, Media Prima TV Networks also extended engagement for NESCAFÉ, Coca-Cola, Watsons, Senheng and TOP to develop content to connect with the Malay audience.

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The TV3’s popular drama, Rindu Awak 200% Raya, a content series created for NESCAFÉ, drew more than 5.2 million viewers on air and online. Similarly, the Coca-Cola commercial featuring popular stars Elfira Loy and Fizo Omar captured the attention of more than half a million viewers in a matter of days. Watsons Malaysia extended its brand exposure to more than 2.6 million viewers by jointly presenting “Raya Ni Dah Kahwin”, a sequel to last year’s popular drama series “Raya Ni Mesti Kahwin”. The collaboration with Senheng, which resulted in a romantic webisode titled “Cinta Karan”, emerged as one of the top five highest views on Malaysia’s No.1 video portal Tonton (www.tonton.com.my). The brands successfully broadened their awareness while engaging audiences in the most cost-effective manner through Media Prima’s thorough understanding of the Malay demographics. On top of that the massive reach of audiences through the channels and platforms also validates Media Prima’s expertise in delivering high quality content to audiences. The effective expansion of Media Prima TV Networks beyond TV channels to social media, outdoor events and partnerships with renowned brands has further illuminated the need of developing stronger engagement methods with wider audiences in the celebratory atmosphere of Ramadan and Hari Raya.

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NEWS ANALYSIS

SHOULD MORE ECDS DEMAND THE CEO ROLE?

While the former is abundant in any agency’s creative department, the misconception is that creative folks do not necessarily have what it takes to win the numbers game. Rezwana Manjur writes.

Striking the right balance: What’s stopping more ECDs from taking on the top role at the aegncy?

Appointing a CEO is never easy. The CEO role, especially in the arena of advertising, is one which requires a delicate balance of understanding creativity and the game of numbers. While the former is abundant in any agency’s creative department, the misconception is that creative folks do not necessarily have what it takes to win the numbers game. One agency that recently challenged this notion was Leo Burnett Asia Pacific. The agency handed Chris Chiu, chief creative officer of the agency’s Singapore operations, the CEO role. The appointment will see Chiu 3 4 a d verti s i ng + marketi ng | AU G U S T 2015

“If you can, hire a top-notch management guru as your personal coach. It’s a minefield out there and everyone needs a Yoda.” “If you can, hire a top-notch management guru as your personal coach. It’s a minefield out there and everyone needs a Yoda.” S P Lee - managing director and ECD of Dentsu Malaysia

lead the agency in a dual capacity of CEO and creative head. Just next door, the agency’s Malaysia operations is also being led by Tan Kien Eng, who took on the role in 2009. Much like Chiu,

Tan also came from a creative background, holding the role of ECD of Arc Worldwide before the CEO role. Both Tan and Chiu report to Jarek Ziebinski, president for Leo Burnett Asia Pacific. WWW. MARK E TING-IN TE RAC TI VE . C OM

NEWS ANALYSIS

We ask Ziebinski if the agency has a soft spot for its creative folks and sees a special talent that its creative folks harbour. He said: “As an industry that has created some of the most innovative and creative works, we operate in a surprisingly rigid and traditional set up that we seemed to have worked ourselves into over the years.” The real paradox, he added, lies in the fact there are so few creatives sitting in the top positions in leading ad agency businesses.

“If you think about it, our industry was built by creative leaders. From Leo Burnett and Ogilvy, to Dan Wieden or David Droga, they all shared the same beginnings as creatives and entrepreneurs. It is therefore rather bizarre there seems to be a perception in our industry that questions the effectiveness of creative leaders as CEOs.” Short comings of an ECD-turned CEO According to Ziebinski, there really are no stark points of differences when it comes to challenges in taking on the CEO role. Whether an individual comes from a WWW.M A R K ET I N G - I N T ER A C T I V E.C O M

“As an industry that has created some of the most innovative and creative works, we operate in a surprisingly rigid and traditional set up that we seemed to have worked ourselves into over the years.” Jarek Ziebinski - president for Leo Burnett Asia Pacific

creative background or not, business acumen will be needed to excel in the role of a CEO. What he specifically looks out for is leadership qualities and the ability to set a clear vision for the company. “I have met many well-educated, smart, talented people who lack the determination and energy to be a successful CEO. I strongly believe that it really isn’t about what you know, but what you can do to achieve success in today’s hyper competitive world. Attitude, energy and determination are key. This is especially true for a CEO, or any leader,” he said. In many organisations, the CEO is the face of the business and has to be a great storyteller. This is where creatives can play to their strengths, explained Priya Bala, regional director of specialist marketing, digital and creative industry recruiter font. By nature, a creative director’s problemsolving approach is likely to be different from a suit’s, and hence, these creative folks will not be restricted by what they have seen or done before. Where they are likely to struggle, said Bala, was in management and strategic business skills. Good creative work alone will not ensure the success of an agency. A CEO in the ad industry needs to also be able to manage P&L, staff, clients and have a “holistic view of all the moving parts of the operation they may not enjoy”. Another point of challenge for an ECDturned CEO might be with the relinquishment of control over the creative department. “I have heard of some agencies facing bottlenecks because the CEO/ECD wants to have the final approval. But because he has not worked with the teams in the creative process, coming in at the end and wanting things changed ends up delaying the output and causing a lot of frustration,” Bala said. In a conversation with Marketing, S P Lee, who has been the managing director and ECD of Dentsu Malaysia since August 2005, said the role essentially required a right-brain person to do a left-brain job. “Going from ECD to CEO is the fastest way to lose your sense of humour. All creative businesses thrive on chaos, and how successful you are depends on how well you organise the

chaos. One is risk-averse and the other seeks risks. One believes in discipline, the other is given to impulse. One creates process and the other tries to take it apart. This is the inherent discord in our business, but it is a necessary one,” he said. He added that whether you were a suit or a creative who had been saddled with the job, recognising this conflict was necessary to harness it positively. “If you can, hire a top-notch management guru as your personal coach. It’s a minefield out there and everyone needs a Yoda.” Confessions of an ex ECD-turned CEO Linda Locke spoke to Marketing about her experiences prior to her current role of marketing consultant of Club 21. Locke held the role of CEO and executive creative director of Saatchi & Saatchi for more than 13 years. She was also chairman and regional ECD of Leo Burnett for nine years. Much like Bala, she is of the view that CEOs of ad agencies needed a right mix of strong business, finance and strategic skills. Most of all, ECDs, who have decided to don the CEO role, need good people management and leadership aptitude, communication and organisational capabilities. “Not many would be able to compartmentalise the roles to function optimally and have enough perspective. Equally, not many creatives make good creative directors for many of the same reasons,” Locke said. When asked what she would have done differently in hindsight, Locke didn’t feel like there was a whole lot. She added that despite the doubled hard work and stress levels, the role came with its own set of pros. As both creative lead and CEO, an individual in this role has the ability to truly shape an agency and decide on favouring the quality of the creative product over money, especially when it will lead to more new business. Meanwhile, when it comes to briefs, the CEO/ECD can also look at both the business implications and problems, as well as give the strategic and creative input that can potentially lead to more focused creative work. She said: I would, however, have told my younger self to delegate the work a bit more, so there are less monkeys on your back. AU G U S T 201 5 | a dvert i s i ng + m a r ke t i ng 3 5

DATA DEMOCRACY: WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR BRANDS? BROUGHT TO YOU BY:

3 6 a d verti s i ng + marketi ng | AU G U S T 2015

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As much as its important for brands to become data-centric in their marketing, it is equally important to democratise data within the organisation, for businesses need to break down internal silos in order to truly become customer-oriented.

EQUIPPING ORGANISATIONS FOR THE DIGITAL ERA While digital has disrupted many sectors, companies making it the centre of gravity and a core capability could create more shareholder value. In a single lifetime, digital has changed the face of markets and economies. From social media to big data, the digital revolution has had three overarching effects on businesses – so far. First, it has created mega companies such as Baidu, Facebook, Google, and Tencent. The market value of the world’s largest 20 internet companies, most of which are no more than 15 years old, is already a quarter of the value of the world’s biggest 20 companies by revenue, some of which have been in business for a century or more.

Second, digital has disrupted many sectors, from music to automotive. Finally, it has given consumers enormous power. In developed countries in Asia, for example, more than a third of financial services customers said online research had influenced their decisions across a range of banking products. For all the change that’s already happened, the next wave of disruption is already bearing down. The use of big data has facilitated the refinement of machine-learning algorithms that help manage energy usage, make ever more relevant recommendations to consumers, and

Source: McKinsey

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for companies with top DQ scores is about three times that of companies with low DQ scores. Five-year average compounded annual growth rates for revenue are almost five times greater. The best-performing companies often score high on all four aspects of DQ, even if they rarely excel at every DQ management practice. Given this reality, we identified three archetypes among the top scorers: superstars, which did well across the board; digital souls, whose outstanding culture overcame weak capabilities; and digital hands, whose outstanding capabilities overcame cultural shortfalls, such as inadequate external orientation. Among the crucial characteristics shared by the best companies is making digital integral to corporate strategy and having a culture that accepts and encourages risk taking. Many companies with high DQ scores, for example, express a high tolerance for bold initiatives. In addition, many of these companies actively use prototypes and limited releases to test ideas with real customers. Other qualities associated with high-scoring companies are related to capabilities. Executives at these companies have the necessary resources and capabilities to produce, share and update digital content at scale. Their companies are also effective at investing in digital infrastructure. In

"Among the crucial characteristics shared by the best companies is making digital integral to corporate strategy and having a culture that accepts and encourages risk taking. Many companies with high DQ scores, for example, express a high tolerance for bold initiatives." automate a massive array of processes. And the effects of the internet of things and digital artificial intelligence are just beginning. Asia is at the forefront of many of these digital developments. Chinese businesses, Tencent and Baidu, for example, are among the world’s leading internet companies. Among other innovators, GrabTaxi offers automated location-based smartphone bookings of taxis in Southeast Asia; Codapay is a digitalpayment service that can be used throughout Southeast Asia; and Samsung Smart Driving, from South Korea, provides a suite of automotive diagnostic and maintenance utilities. Nevertheless, many companies in Asia and elsewhere are struggling to adapt to the changes. When companies invest in digital, they tend to treat it as a mere experiment or still a simple add-on to their traditional business models without addressing how digitisation is fundamentally changing their enterprises. The time to experiment with digital or to consider it peripheral is ending; companies should take the big leap and make digital the core capability to create their shareholder value today and in the future. To help companies understand how to make that change, McKinsey has developed digital quotient (DQ), a benchmarking capability that assesses an organisation’s digital strengths and weaknesses. Based on extensive research, DQ has identified the 18 management practices across four areas – culture, strategy, capabilities, and organisation – that have the greatest impact on the future financial performance of a company undergoing digital transformation. According to an analysis of a large sample of publicly traded companies, the average three-year annual total return to shareholders WWW.M A R K ET I N G - I N T ER A C T I V E.C O M

addition, many of the top companies have clear metrics centred on digital performance and earmark funds to scale promising initiatives. For all the positive attributes of digital leaders, there are some common challenges. Many continue to struggle, for example, with connectivity in delivering a consistent, high-quality customer experience across channels. Even at high-DQ organisations, finding digital talent outside the company is difficult, roles and responsibilities within the company are often unclear, and measuring return on digital investment is challenging. Companies struggling to become digital winners may find the breadth of the challenge daunting. But our analysis also identified three steps to build momentum and deliver early benefits: reach an internal consensus on the company’s digital status and objectives; identify a few initiatives with the greatest value potential; and focus on scaling the most promising initiatives quickly. Without that kind of focus and commitment, we find that companies may be left with a series of pilot programmes that do not deliver the impact they should. McKinsey research has shown distinctive characteristics across companies that are thriving in the new digital era. By building up their digital quotient, companies can begin to take advantage of digital’s growth potential. Jacques Bughin is a director in McKinsey’s Brussels office, and Michael Gryseels is the leader of McKinsey’s telecom, media, and technology practice for Southeast Asia and a director in the Singapore office. AU G U S T 201 5 | a dvert i s i ng + m a r ke t i ng 3 9

DATA-DRIVEN MARKETING: HOW BRANDS CAN DEAL WITH CONSUMER DEMOCRACY AND DIGITAL DISRUPTION

Data overload: What can brands do to fully harness data to drive business results?

Since smart device usage became mainstream, industry wide change has been on the cards. Digital disruption is throwing the physical world of processes and goods into disorder. Audiences are now fragmented and elusive, yet more empowered and more demanding than ever before. With this complexity being the biggest obstacle, marketers have been dealt a hard hand. Under pressure to create a competitive advantage, we ask ourselves a critical question: “What do we aspire to do tomorrow that we are unable to accomplish today?” The answer, however, remains unchanged – better consumer engagement and increased sales. “[This industry] demands bold and persistent experimentation. It is common sense to take a [new] method and try it,” said Frank Underwood in the acclaimed political drama House of Cards, aired on Singtel TV earlier this year. If Underwood were a marketer, he would probably zero down on “data-driven marketing”, as this ace up your sleeve is the provider of insight-driven certainty (and sanity!). House of Cards focuses on the story of congressman Underwood (Kevin Spacey), who, after being passed over for appointment as 4 0 a d verti s i ng + marketi ng | AU G U S T 2015

secretary of state, initiates an elaborate plan to elevate his position, based on a holistic understanding of his immediate surroundings and target audience behaviour. We can take a leaf out of his playbook to engage consumers more effectively and propel brand value. In the age of consumer democracy, here are three Underwoodinspired things brands must take note of to regain control of today’s complex environment and master data-driven marketing. THE CONSUMER ENGAGEMENT PROCESS: “YOU CAN’T TURN A ‘NO’ INTO A ‘YES’ WITHOUT A ‘MAYBE’ FIRST.” Before you campaign for a consumer’s vote of confidence, you must first seek out a comprehensive understanding of his or her purchasing journey – from first contact to purchase to post-purchase behaviour. This understanding can come about through data analytics, which then sets us up well to embark on a series of relevant and meaningful engagement efforts, using integrated marketing applications. Collecting and connecting as much as possible of an individual’s cross-channel data is the first step in acquiring a holistic view of the WWW. MARK E TING-IN TE RAC TI VE . C OM

consumer’s interests and activities. A customer’s TV programme preferences may indicate he loves the Barclays Premier League and Wimbledon – football and tennis, but his social media handle or web browsing behaviour may also reveal his affinity for the latest tech gadgets or his desire to adopt a healthy lifestyle. Therefore, if you represent a brand that sells smartphones, nutritional products or even financial products, missing out on any one of these details would mean a missed opportunity for strategic interactions that address the consumer’s unique interests. By adopting a customer-centric, multi-channel understanding, we can respond more appropriately to each consumer’s multi-faceted wants and needs, gradually winning them over. With the help of big data analytics, we can even study past behaviours to predict the consumer’s possible next move. When done effectively, this feels like engineered serendipity – it leaves customers satisfied and more willing to be brand advocates. THE NEW PARADIGM: “WE HAVE TO REVERSE OUR THINKING. WHEN THE WIND’S BLOWING AT GALE FORCE, THERE’S NO POINT IN SAILING AGAINST IT.” Brands that are leaders in data-driven, integrated marketing are three times more likely to successfully engage customers and almost three times more likely to have increased revenues[1]. Some marketers have already stepped up their data-driven marketing efforts. The bad news, however, is these efforts often exist in silos and are rendered ineffective as a result. Brands are often found to be collecting large amounts of data from mobile or social channels, but ignoring other channels and overlooking data integration as a whole. We need to appreciate that data-driven marketing cannot happen in isolation or solely within one section of the marketing department. For a brand to be considered a leader in modern marketing, it will need to successfully capture, integrate and analyse consumer data from diverse environments such as TV, out-of-home, social and mobile. Unfortunately, globally, only 18% of marketers have such a holistic view of their consumers[2]. The full incorporation of data analytics is a marketing imperative. Without this, brands will continue to be hard-pressed to keep customers interested and supportive. We need to stop resisting, and start rethinking and integrating. THE NEW DESIGNATION: “IMAGINATION IS ITS OWN FORM OF COURAGE” Finally, the importance of having a multi-disciplinary team comprising data scientists and creative personnel will increase as their roles become increasingly intertwined. Enter the “data artist”, a new role that requires a blend of statistical know-how, ability to distil consumer trends, and novel problem-solving abilities. Top quality analytics require creativity in interpreting, positioning and acting upon data. Statistical know-how must be augmented by a strategic sense – intuition, business acumen, excellent communication skills and, most importantly, the courage to try new approaches in search of game-changing insights that create value from data. Despite increasing emphasis on data-driven marketing, many organisations do not offer training or education to develop employees into “data artists”. Brands need to start investing in this area, or at the very least, enlist a vendor that can provide this capability. As Underwood might assertively add: “I don’t want to assume, I want to know.” WWW.M A R K ET I N G - I N T ER A C T I V E.C O M

In need of rewiring: Brands need to unlearn a few things to become agile.

Back when brands concentrated on just a few channels, intuitionbased decisions drove most of a brand’s marketing strategies, but in the age of digital disruption and consumer democracy, both online and offline actions can now be measured and analysed. To grab the right slice of an audience’s attention and avoid having your marketing strategy become a house of cards, it becomes increasingly critical to commit to an understanding of your consumers by incorporating the right metrics and analyses. Forbes Insights. Data driven and digitally savvy: The rise of the new marketing organisation. [2] Teradata. Data Driven Marketing Survey 2013. [1]

Anurag Dahiya, Head of Content and Advertising Sales, Group Consumer, Singtel

AU G U S T 201 5 | a dvert i s i ng + m a r ke t i ng 4 1

CASE STUDY

SINGTEL ADVERTISING ANNOUNCES PRESENTING BROADCAST SPONSOR OPPO, AND BROADCAST SPONSORS BRAND’S® AND NTUC INCOME FOR SINGTEL TV’S BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE SEASON 2015/16 On 15 July 2015, Singtel Advertising’s partners witnessed the signing of global technology brand OPPO, health supplements market leader in Asia, BRAND’S®, and insurance provider NTUC Income, as sponsors of Singtel TV’s Barclays Premier League season 2015/16 at the Barclays Asia Trophy 2015 game which pitted Everton against Stoke City, and Arsenal against a Singapore Select XI. Sean Deng, managing director of OPPO Singapore, said: “Precision and speed are the hallmarks of football and similarly, OPPO’s products embody the high level of performance that is associated with sports. For example, our R7 launch on 17 July featured the latest ColorOS 2.1 and New Flash Shot that will truly up the ante on innovation.” Added Isabella Tan, general manager of Singapore, Brunei and the Philippines for Cerebos Pacific Limited: “This is definitely a mustwatch football league for hardcore football fans in Singapore and the region. “BRAND’S® is delighted to come on board as a broadcast sponsor. This sponsorship is a good opportunity for us to reach out to the massive fan base and support them when they need their daily boost of mental concentration and energy the most.” Marcus Chew, senior vice-president of strategic marketing and communications at NTUC Income, said: “People in Singapore are

passionate about football, and the immense interest in the Barclays Premier League cuts across all segments of society. That is why we see Singtel TV’s live broadcast as the ideal platform to reach out to this large group of fans and to spread the message that insurance plays an important part in protection and financial planning.” Goh Seow Eng, managing director, home, consumer Singapore at Singtel, summed it up: “As the official broadcaster of the BPL, we are pleased to continue bringing world-class sporting action to fans and delivering a differentiated football experience. Singapore’s mostwatched football league, BPL, is the perfect platform for these brands to put themselves in the spotlight, raise brand awareness and engage fans.”

ABOUT SINGTEL ADVERTISING Singtel Advertising, under Group Consumer, Singtel is a media platform that offers an array of integrated digital advertising solutions to marketers in Singapore and the Asia Pacific region. Utilising innovative and data-driven marketing technology, Singtel Advertising’s differentiated solutions help businesses effectively engage their target audiences across four platforms – IPTV marketing, digital marketing, direct marketing and mobile marketing. Its extensive mobile app ecosystem also allows advertisers to deliver brand messages that can be personalised according to an individual’s data consumption and online browsing behaviour.

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LAST WORD

THE WORST THING YOU COULD SAY TO YOUR COLLEAGUES IN PR Can you “PR” this? One senior PR professional goes on a rant.

“Can we PR this?” Now, how many times would a PR person have received such a request? I never fail to cringe whenever I hear this. What does it mean really when someone asks you to “PR” something? Does it mean to publicise it, write a press release about it or just have your work seen by the world? When people don’t know just what to get out of a piece of information, “PR-ing” it, seems to be the best ROI. You can show it to your boss, or your client, or your internal teams and they will all be happy their work was featured somewhere. To all PR folks, PR-ing something is a cringe-worthy word and, even more, a dreaded task. If something is worthy of being out there, it gets out there regardless of being “PR-ed”. Now there are some things that need a strategy, a plan, a team telling the same story – the product team, the marketing team, the sales team, the advertising team, even the CEO. I am not talking about such big launches. These are often global or regional in nature. But small, intangible efforts that don’t add up to the bigger picture, that don’t show a corporate as a differentiator from its competitors, that don’t tell a good story, often come to a communications lead’s desk to be “PR-ed”. And the comms lead takes one for the team, writes a press release to ensure their team feels good about their work and “PRs” it. 4 4 a d verti s i ng + marketi ng | AU G U S T 2015

“To all PR folks, PR-ing something is a cringe-worthy word and, even more, a dreaded task. If something is worthy of being out there, it gets out there regardless of being ‘PR-ed’.” From university open days to intern grad days; from climbing Kota Kinabalu to running a marathon for fun; from birthday celebrations to employee or client outings; website or app updates; trade-fair participation; wearing pink or green or white or whatever the colour day; selfie or wefie competitions – the examples are aplenty. Such “PR-ed” activities unfortunately diminish the value of communications to a company, to its peers and the industry at large. Communicating at the right time, in the right way, to the right audience is a combination of art and science. It takes years of practice and experience. It takes a thorough understanding of the market, its competitors or the target audiences and the mode to reach these audiences via the various forms of media. Most importantly, it is aimed at building a good story about a company. So, if there is no story or a strategy, don’t PR it. Just please don’t. The writer is a senior PR professional who is working at a major MNC. WWW. MARK E TING-IN TE RAC TI VE . C OM

3-4 DECEMBER PULLMAN JAKARTA INDONESIA THAMRIN CBD

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