Marketing Magazine SG - Dec 2014

MARKETING MAGAZINE SINGAPORE EDITION

THE ART & SCIENCE OF CONNECTING WITH CONSUMERS

SINGAPORE

DECEMBER 2014

marketing-interactive.com

DECEMBER 2014

OCBC’S ANALYTICS STRATEGY AND WHAT BRANDS CAN LEARN FROM IT PAGE 14

S$5.90 INC GST

11 CONSUMER TRENDS FOR 2015 PAGE 30

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45 Ubi Road 1, #03-03A, Singapore 408696

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

Elizabeth Low, Deputy Editor elizabethl@marketing-interactive.com Rezwana Manjur, Senior Journalist rezwanam@marketing-interactive.com Editorial – International Matt Eaton, Editor (Hong Kong) matte@marketing-interactive.com Oliver Bayani, Editor (Philippines) oliverb@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 Che Winstrom, Sales Manager chew@marketing-interactive.com Johnathan Tiang, Senior Account Manager johnathant@marketing-interactive.com Trina Choy, Senior Account Manager trinac@marketing-interactive.com Joey Lau, Account Manager joeyl@marketing-interactive.com Jocelyn Ma, Account Manager jocelynm@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 Marketing June Tan, Regional Marketing Executive junet@lighthousemedia.com.sg

One of the key themes of the year for the industry has been that of data-driven marketing.

Looking back on the stories of the year, one of the top stories was about the top 10 skills sets businesses were looking for – skills sets that didn’t exist five years ago. iOS developers and Android developers topped the list, while roles such as user experience designers and data scientists were close behind, signalling companies’ demand for these skill sets.

The rising importance for digital and data-driven marketing has been emphasised enough. The issue is not one of awareness, but now of practicalities – what does data-driven marketing look like in an organisation, and yours in particular? In this issue, we break down the simple realities OCBC is one such example. Last year, its analytics department helped the company run 1,600 campaigns which led to 19 million leads, generating more than $85 million in shadow revenue for the bank – a significant generator of revenue for the frontline. But these operations began small, as you’ll read about on page 14.

But on the other hand, one gripe from creatives is how too much talk of data is killing creativity. With the evolution of technology and how much predictive algorithms are expected to take precedence, will key decision-making be replaced by data-churning machines? The answer is still no.

At Marketing’s Big Data 2014 conference held at the Four Seasons, Abdul Rahim Bawa, MasterCard’s VP of insights and marketing analytics, rightly summed it up by saying: “Big data is not a silver bullet to solve all your problems. In fact, it won’t solve your problems.

Ultimately, common sense will.”

Data, in fact, should work in tandem to enhance and humanise the marketing function.

Data enables marketers to understand and relate to consumers. It makes giant corporations less intimidating, he added. Read more about the topics discussed on page 62.

While digital is a fast growing medium, we can’t forget a medium which is still a significant part of the marketing mix - out of home, which takes up 12% of local marketing dollars. We bring you the best of Singapore’s outdoor landscape on page 34 in our first ever Out of Home Showcase.

Enjoy the issue.

Photography: Teck Lim — Lumina Photography (www.animulstudio.com); Makeup & Hair: Michmakeover using Make Up For Ever & hair using Sebastian Professional – www.michmakeover.com

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

ARE YOU GETTING LOST IN DATA-DRIVEN MARKETING?

Finance Evelyn Wong, Regional Finance Director evelynw@lighthousemedia.com.sg Management Søren Beaulieu, Publisher sorenb@marketing-interactive.com Tony Kelly, Editorial Director tk@marketing-interactive.com Justin Randles, Group Managing Director jr@marketing-interactive.com

Marketing is published 12 times per year by Lighthouse Independent Media Pte Ltd. Printed in Singapore on CTP process by Sun Rise Printing & Supplies Pte Ltd, 10 Admiralty Street, #06-20 North Link Building, Singapore 757695. Tel: (65) 6383 5290.

MICA (P) 180/03/2009. For subscriptions, contact circulations at +65 6423 0329 or email subscriptions@marketing-interactive.com. COPYRIGHT & REPRINTS: All material printed in Marketing 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 Marketing 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 198755 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 Marketing magazine, go to: www.marketing-interactive.com

Elizabeth Low Deputy Editor

W WWWW.MA W .MA R KET R KET INGING - INT - INT ERAC ERAC TIVE TIVE . COM . COM

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DE C E MM BEAYR 2 01 4 M ARKE TI N G 1

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WANT TO PLAY? 1

ENTER MOB-EX

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CONTENTS FEA TU R ES 14 OCBC’S ANALYTICS STRATEGY Analytics for OCBC originated as a small function on the consumer banking side, but over time has been elevated to become a group function. Here’s what the journey was like. Rayana Pandey reports.

22 LOYALTY MASTER REPORT How do you inspire loyalty in the consumer? Industry players reveal tips and tricks to keep them coming back in this report.

30 NEWS ANALYSIS: 11 CONSUMER TRENDS FOR 2015 Eleven consumer trends for 2015 – B2B over B2C; finance enters the mobile age and brands will speak more like real people. This is one agency’s predictions.

32 OOH SHOWCASE A showcase on the most innovative campaigns across Singapore’s outdoor advertising landscape.

Is Singapore’s outdoor ad landscape creative enough? We bring you the highlights of this year in this issue’s Out of Home Showcase on page 32.

50 DIGITAL MEDIA OF THE YEAR The top websites and digital platforms across the Singapore and Asia Pacific landscape, as voted by marketers.

OPINIONS

D E PA RT M E NT S

20 AD WATCH/WEB WATCH

4 NEWS

Lowe Singapore’s Erick Rosa on why he loves StarHub’s 4G for Good ad; and Leo Burnett’s Suresh Ramaswamy talks about how Craigslist shows that a site is about more than just good design.

T3 magazine closes in Singapore; Resorts World Sentosa calls for regional media pitch; OCBC looks to launch a creative pitch for its Frank brand; plus Pernod Ricard appoints Bates CHI & Partners.

72 LAST WORD: Foreign talent in the industry

21 DIRECT MAIL CASE STUDY

Carat Asia Pacific’s Marie Gruy writes about how limiting cultural diversity in the workplace will eventually hurt business results.

HBO Asia sent a doctor’s letter and faux apothecary kit as part of the publicity efforts for The Knick TV series.

SCAN TO SUBSCRIBE!

21 14 KEY TAKEAWAYS: >> How to start an analytics practice for your business. >> Key consumer trends in 2015. >> Highlights of the Singapore outdoor advertising landscape.

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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.

Sensing a change Havas Worldwide Siren has started using a new strategy called the “uncommon sense” to equip existing and potential clients with new ways of breaking through the clutter of today’s information in the region. According to the agency, other markets are already using this strategy. The "uncommon sense" approach is being adopted across Havas Worldwide’s agencies in Southeast Asia and is integrated into Havas Siren’s creative process.

T3 magazine finishes Publishing house Playworks has stopped publishing T3 Singapore. Issue 106, published in September, was the last one for the magazine. In a statement, a spokesperson told Marketing the company “has decided at this point to pivot its business and focus its business in the digital space”. The magazine ran monthly issues and underwent a revamp in 2011.

New appointment The Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth appointed Havas Worldwide Siren for its marketing communications and consultancy services. The agency will be tasked to promote Youth Corps Singapore. According to GeBIZ, also vying for the account was Ogilvy & Mather and Omnifluence.

The appointment is for a year.

Havas will also be handling digital media, communication, media buying and creative executions for the ministry.

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Flash mob a big hit Local furnishing brand Lorenzo staged one of the largest flash mobs at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore. The flash mob took place minutes before the start of the first semi-final. Lorenzo worked with its creative agency, The Fat Oracle, to pull off the activation, with more than 100 dancers – aged between eight and 17 – who danced to Taylor Swift’s ke It Off. latest hit Shake

Media pitch called Resorts World Sentosa called for a regional media pitch, Marketing understands. According to sources close to the pitch, the shortlisted agencies are incumbents Carat and Maxus and the pitch is currently ongoing. Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore’s first integrated resort, is home to attractions such as Universal Studios Singapore and Adventure Cove Waterpark, as well as six onsite luxury hotels.

On the lookout Telekom Malaysia has called for a branding pitch. The recently launched pitch has agencies from Singapore and Malaysia vying for the account, confirmed Izlyn Ramli (pictured), VP of group brand and communication at Telekom Malaysia, to Marketing.

Meanwhile, UM’s social media arm was recently appointed to handle Telekom Malaysia’s social media account. UM’s digital team also handles Telekom Malaysia’s digital account.

Name change Yolk(at)Grey, Grey Group’s digital and social media arm, is now known as Grey Digital in a move to create tighter brand integration with Grey Group. The Yolk brand, which has been such a part of the Singaporean digital landscape since 2001, will return to its roots as the Innovation Lab within Grey Group in Southeast Asia and will explore and test digitally innovative ideas.

Big birthday bash Last month, a Hello Kitty run was held to celebrate the mascot’s 40th birthday at Sentosa. While the event kicked off with much hype, it didn’t run without several bumps during the 17,000-strong event. Postevent, organisers saw numerous complaints on their page.

Adding new clients Starcom MediaVest Group Singapore bagged two new clients.

Zespri International Limited and Avenza signed the media agency as their AOR. Zespri is the world’s largest marketer of kiwi fruit with a presence in more than 60 countries. Avenza Singapore is a life sciences company that focuses on research and development of health-enhancing solutions. The agency is handling media planning and implementation.

Getting creepy Homemaker IKEA played homage to Stanley Kubrick’s cult classic, The Shining, in a new Halloween web film. Created by BBH Asia Pacific, the iconic IKEA showroom lanes serve as a perfect setting for the re-enactment of the infamous Overlook Hotel scene of a small boy cycling a tricycle along eerie corridors to equally eerie music.

Doubling the value SMRT Media unveiled its latest initiatives where advertisers can get on board with the company’s latest fleet of double decker buses from December onwards.

In a press statement, SMRT said its latest fleet of double decker buses would allow “for double the exposure and double the impact, non-stop, all throughout its 18 hours on the road, as it plies the CBD and Orchard routes”.

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NEWS

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New technology push Mindshare partnered with beacon technology company Footmarks to bring relevant and personalised solutions to brands across Southeast Asia looking to create leading-edge retail experiences for their customers. The alliance will be managed out of Mindshare Singapore’s “Discovery” unit.

Christopher Smith (pictured), head of Mindshare Discovery, said the beacons were becoming a vital link in delivering the growing demand of engagement in retail.

SCA gets Wild SCA Hygiene, which owns Drypers Singapore, appointed Wild Advertising & Marketing for its digital account to roll out various campaigns and marketing initiatives. The account was won in a three-way pitch and is for one year. The brand said it was faced with the challenge of engaging young parents who are digital natives, as well as turning its strategy towards digital and social media.

Tap and read Clear Channel Singapore has partnered JobStreet.com, Juice Media, Magazines Integrated, and SPH Digital to bring content from their respective web and mobile sites to commuters. Consumers can now access this variety of content on smartphones by tapping or scanning the interactive tags found on 3,800 of Clear Channel’s signature six-sheet advertising panels and 30 digital advertising panels in the city.

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Kicking off Phnom Penh Crown Football Club (PPCFC) appointed the Singaporebased sports marketing subsidiary of Dentsu, Dentsu Sports Asia (DSA), as its strategic partner. The two-year deal sees DSA provide PPCFC with a host of marketing, branding, commercial and sponsorship opportunities. Earlier, DSA signed a formal partnership with the Football Federation of Cambodia in February, procuring sponsors for the 2014 edition of the Hun Sen Cup. Growing its base AirMedia, a leading OOH operator in China, which launched in Singapore six months ago, is looking to make Singapore its regional hub in SEA. In a conversation with Marketing, a spokesperson said it aimed to introduce and lead advertisers to its platforms in China. It is also looking to expand its frontline staff to take care of clients in different countries within SEA.

Shutting down Teens magazine, under Eastern Holdings, is no longer being published. Marketing understands the last copy of the magazine was published in August. A spokesperson for Eastern Holdings has told Marketing its website and Facebook operations would remain in place and new content would be published there. The company will also be taking an event focus for its other magazines such as Motherhood and Golf.

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NEWS

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Revving up Audi rolled out an enhanced version of its “Singapore – Land of quattro” campaign with a microsite dedicated to Audi’s signature quattro technology. This online portal serves to educate consumers on the history of quattro and its benefits in all road and weather conditions. As part of the new campaign, a Facebook photo contest has also been launched on favourite scenic routes in Singapore.

HSBC’s digital campaign HSBC launched a digital SG$10,000 campaign which ran until 30 November. The campaign aimed to create awareness for HSBC’s personal internet banking capabilities through a gamification approach. The marketing approach for this challenge focused on multi-digital channels, moving away from traditional marketing platforms. Promotions were done via the microsite, web banner on the corporate website, EDM blasts, and digital banners on ATM digital screens and branches.

Girl power NTUC Women’s Development Secretariat appointed social and mobile agency KRDS Singapore following a multi-agency pitch. The agency will handle the social media mandate for the organisation. It is in charge of NTUC Women’s Development Secretariat’s Facebook page, as well as the organisation’s media spends on the social network.

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Property push SPH Interactive acquired a 60% equity stake in the privately held CoSine Holdings. The purchase consideration of SG$30 million was for the 60% stake on a willingbuyer, willing-seller basis and was paid in cash. Cosine is the holding company for the StreetSine Technology Group, which consists of StreetSine Singapore, StreetSine Hong Kong, and the digital platforms Singapore Real Estate Exchange and Hong Kong Real Estate Exchange.

Outage and outrage Following the power outage of more than three hours, the Singapore Exchange (SGX) drew criticism from deputy prime minister and minister for finance, Tharman Shanmugaratnam.

According to The Straits Times, securities and derivatives markets were halted as the hardware which enables connectivity was disrupted by power supply issues. He said the incident put in jeopardy Singapore’s reputation as a financial hub.

New pitch for Frank OCBC is looking to launch a creative pitch for its Frank brand.

Marketing understands R3 is currently running the pitch and the agency appointed would be handling duties for through-theline executions. R3 declined to comment on the pitch details.

OCBC was last working with Arcade for the Frank brand. Before that, Wild Advertising & Marketing was working on the digital aspects of the brand.

Driving communications LEWIS PR, the global communications agency, was appointed the Asia Pacific agency of record for Harvey Nash, the global executive search and leadership services firm. LEWIS is helping drive Harvey Nash’s regional communications strategy out of Hong Kong, with a focus on raising the profile of the firm’s executive search services. Harvey Nash has tasked LEWIS with driving communications around the company’s industry leading capabilities.

KRDS wins WWF account Following a multi-agency pitch, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) awarded the redesign of its gift catalogue e-commerce site to social and mobile marketing agency, KRDS Singapore. The new website aims to improve and redefine the user experience, and also ease the process of donating to the WWF. In addition, the agency is in charge of the media campaign for the launch of the NGO’s website.

Growing in style Local creative digital and technology company Section clinched deals with five brands – Bata Singapore, De Dietrich Asia, Din Tai Fung Singapore, RamenPlay Singapore, and Mary Chia. The company also partnered with local celebrity Wong Li-Lin. With these account wins, Section adds social media marketing, with a focus on strategic content planning and outreach strategy, to its portfolio.

Microsoft expands remit Microsoft Asia Pacific expanded the public relations and communications agency IN.FOM’s remit as its agency-of-record (AOR). The agency now covers corporate and citizenship function in the region. IN.FOM has been partnering with Microsoft Asia Pacific since September 2013, where it took on its commercial and consumer AOR remit.

With this appointment, the agency will become the single communications AOR for Microsoft at its Asia Pacific HQ level.

New name Corporate communications agency Ryan Financial Communications rebranded itself as Ryan Communication, dropping the word “financial” from its name.

Damien Ryan (pictured), founder and managing director at Ryan Communication, said the new name reflected the agency’s diversification from crisis and issue management for financial companies into content, digital and social media marketing for financial and non-financial B2B corporations. The diversification started two to three years ago.

Creating new friends Nescafé Singapore launched a nationwide campaign called “Creating Friendships” in lieu of “Good Neighbour Day”. The real-life social experiment aims to bring across the importance of neighbourliness as a building block for strong community bonds, throwing back to the Singaporean kampong spirit. The campaign will see Nescafé working with various residents committees to organise “Know Your Neighbours” parties from November to December.

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10/12/2014 6:43:37 PM

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Imagine the data we have on your audience for an entire month!

Exponential provides advertising intelligence that turns data into action enabling smarter marketing decisions. We combine media, data and technology to help advertisers find their perfect audience and reach them across display, video and mobile media at a global scale. +65 6831 5293 | www.exponential.com | scott.lee@exponential.com *Data shown above indicates the number of unique users across the eX Advertising Intelligence Platform who were interested in that category or brand in Singapore in a single day in October 2014.

Exponential Divisions

NEWS

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Two sides of a story Honda and Wieden+Kennedy London came together for an ad to promote the new Civic Type R alongside its predecessor, the regular Civic. The ad, “The Other Side”, is a double-sided story.

While the protagonist remains the same, viewers have the option of toggling between the parallel stories by pressing and holding “R” on their keyboards at any time during the video.

A separate entity Procter & Gamble (P&G) announced its Duracell battery business would be split off as a separate brand as the company zooms in on its faster growing brands.

AUDIT WATCH

Quitting early International advertising agency M&C Saatchi Sydney launched a tactical anti-smoking campaign for QUIT, the UK charity aimed at helping smokers quit the habit. The integrated campaign incorporated cigarettes to depict hands on a clock set at 2am, the exact time when people in the UK had to reverse an hour, marking the end of daylight savings on 26 October.

A unique look Diet Coke brought its brand value to life with an “extraordinary collection” of two million bottles, each with its own one-of-akind design. According to global reports, the concept was conceived by Coca-Cola Israel in collaboration with Gefen Team, Q Digital and HP Indigo.

MAKING AN HONEST LIVING SINGAPORE

Having been audited since 2006, Expat Living magazine completed its latest round of circulation auditing for the year ended December 2013.

Its circulation stands China Getaways Return to Angkor Boats for Hire at 18,455.

In a market where few do official audits, what is the benefit of auditing? Marketing asked. “We feel it’s important to audit as it has helped us to gain clients’ trust and opened us up to a new sector of advertisers who respect the transparency of audited figures,” said a spokesperson for the magazine.

While sometimes a fairly arduous process, it is worth the time and cost, said the spokesperson.

“It’s important to us that our advertisers know exactly what our

October 2014

circulation is, and we feel an audit is the Inside only true reflection HOMES of this. We now FAMILY audit both print and digital versions with Our the ABC,” said the Favourite STEAKS spokesperson.

Storage Ideas Expat Living’s audited net circulation stands at 1,738, according to reports on the Audit Bureau of Circulations Singapore.

This has had an effect on advertisers as well, said the spokesperson.

“We’ve been able to attract bigger clients and agencies since we’ve had our figures audited as they can be sure they are making decisions based on accurate information and targeting the right audience,” she said.

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Running free Publicis Groupe acquired Run, a real-time data management and multi-channel programmatic buying platform. Run boasts a mobile-focused data management platform (DMP). The platform is aligned with Starcom MediaVest Group (SMG) and is available as a resource to all networks of the Groupe, including ZenithOptimedia, DigitasLBi and Razorfish. VivaKi is using Run’s DMP and DSP technology for Publicis Groupe-wide solutions to boost its programmatic offering – audience on demand.

PORTRAITS

Lamps & Lights

8 MARKETING D EC EMBER 2 014

Getting fit Havas Media Melbourne bagged its first local client – localfitness. com.au – for which the agency is overlooking both the planning and real-time buying of display advertising. Damian Kovach, co-founder of LocalFitness, said: “With a huge demand for gyms across the country, the Havas Media team and its state-of-theart data and technology platforms will help us grow and help more Australians find their best fit.”

Hasbro has a dream Hasbro is in talks with DreamWorks Animation for an acquisition plan, according to global reports.

According to Deadline.com, a family entertainment company called DreamWorks-Hasbro will be created and Jeffrey Katzenberg, DreamWorks’ CEO will head operations. Negotiations are still underway. Hasbro reported in its financial results that net revenues for the third quarter of 2014 increased 7% to US$1.47 billion compared with US$1.37 billion in 2013.

Biostime appoints Y&R Biostime, a maternal and child nutrition brand, appointed Y&R Guangzhou its creative agency to handle the brand’s milk powder and probiotic brand strategy and creative communications. The new advertising campaign will be launched in February 2015 and will include all aspects of strategic planning, communications, creativity and execution. This is the first time Biostime has chosen to work with an international 4A’s advertising agency.

Underwater party Lager brand Skol launched a campaign for its new Beats Senses beer in Brazil. The campaign was created by F/Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi. The television commercial depicts an entirely blue party – a reference to the colour of the Skol bottle – where the DJ, barman and partygoers are shown partying underwater. The actual film was shot underwater using specialised imported equipment.

An explosive campaign Electrolux, together with creative agency F/Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi, launched a new campaign to promote its DT52X. According to a press statement by Electrolux, it is the first refrigerator in Brazil that will be “focused on healthy eating, making way for balanced eating habits”.

A good cause TBWA Sri Lanka and PHD Sri Lanka joined forces to put forth a media-first initiative for International Day of Elders. Given that sight weakens with age, both companies sought to find a way to allow these elders to continue to read their favourite newspapers effortlessly.

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NEW WORK .................................................................................................................................................................................................................

1 Campaign MSIG Consumer Education Brief MSIG launched a new campaign to drive consumers’ understanding of insurance and its coverage. The campaign sees a five-year-old boy named Max take centre stage as he eloquently explains the differences between the types of insurance available for travel and home. The idea was if a five-year-old could explain tricky insurance misconceptions to audiences, it was probably going to stick.

Client

MSIG Insurance Singapore

Creative

Leo Burnett

Media

MEC

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2 Campaign Why queue if you don’t have to?

Go Straight to Gate with our mobile boarding pass!

Brief This campaign is a follow-up to the previous Go Straight to Gate introduction campaign in November 2013. The campaign is based on the insight that no one likes to queue and promotes the new Go Straight to Gate service provided by Jetstar.

Client

Jetstar Asia Airways

Creative

Jetstar in-house

Media

Maxus Communications Singapore

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NEW WORK ................................................................................................................................................................................................................

3 Campaign Stay on top with Pure Cordyceps Brief The campaign aims to promote the new and improved Pure Cordyceps by Eu Yan Sang and create awareness and influence purchase of the product.

The campaign runs until January next year on OOH, print, digital, social media and radio.

Client

Eu Yan Sang

Creative

Wild Advertising & Marketing

Media

OMD

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4 Campaign Pioneers OK! Brief Through the “Dress Normal” campaign, Gap asks individuals to shape their own authentic personal style. The print advertisements carry tag lines such as “dress like no one’s watching” and “let your actions speak louder than your clothes”. A 360 marketing matrix across print, outdoor, TV, digital, social, mobile and BTL initiatives have been rolled out for the campaign. The campaign also consists of a series of commercials that will air on TV, in stores and online.

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Client

NTUC Enterprise

Creative

BBH Singapore

Media

OMD

SUBMISSIONS PLEASE SEND US YOUR BEST NEW WORK REGULARLY IN HIGH-RES JPEG OR PDF TO BE CONSIDERED FOR THESE PAGES. EMAIL RAYANAP@MARKETING-INTERACTIVE.COM

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we are freeflow “How about a free flow of drinks?”

“Why don’t you give us a free flow package?”

Today, there are still many who doubt us – many who can’t comprehend why we do what we do.

These were the jokes we used to get when we introduced ourselves.

“How did this small company grow so big overnight?”

Of course we laughed along. We were after all, that tiny video production house located at a small and dusty shophouse along Keong Saik Road.

“Why are there people who have stayed so long in this company? Are they crazy?”

Not forgetting the dirty looks our families and friends gave us when we told them where we worked.

“You do videos? Can make money or not?”

“Work so late everyday! Are you even paid enough?”

Perhaps we were stupid. Maybe a little obstinate. However, the more doubts we got, the more we persisted. The more dirty looks we got, the tougher we became.

Then, we won the first job that hit $50k. We celebrated, then worked even harder.

Our first commercial was broadcasted. Only 30 seconds, but we ran back home to catch it every night.

A few years later, we moved down the road to a 6,178-square-foot office along Neil Road. We congratulated each other and proudly marked our territories.

Our first award came in soon after. Well, we were speechless for a while.

hello. www.freef low.com.sg

And recently, we expanded beyond the Singapore shores. Cheers to China. Cheers to Myanmar. And hopefully, cheers to more to come.

vimeo.com/freef lowproductions

www.facebook.com/freef lowproductions

This journey didn’t come easy. And now, it is even harder with higher expectations to meet.

But in our hearts, lies a firm belief of what freeflow is: It is our base camp. It is where we return to no matter how battered we are out there in the field.

Some of us often return to visit our old, humble shophouse at Keong Saik Road. It reminds us of our inconspicuous beginnings: The tiny space where we constantly elbowed each other while working.

The couches where we spent a few precious hours of sleep each night.

The deadly stairs where a few of us tumbled down moving heavy props and equipment.

It was worth it.

Despite the vast differences between the old and new freeflow, our desire to make each gig better than the last remains the same.

What we most love to hear now, surprisingly, is not how big or how good we are. It is the responses we get when we introduce ourselves.

“Oh freeflow! I know you guys!”

To our clients, old and new: Thank you for knowing us.

To our colleagues, old and new: Thank you for fighting alongside us.

To the rest of you who don’t know us: Hello. We are freeflow.

By freeflow productions A 10-year-old video production house at 89 Neil Road

we are freeflow “How about a free flow of drinks?”

“Why don’t you give us a free flow package?”

Today, there are still many who doubt us – many who can’t comprehend why we do what we do.

These were the jokes we used to get when we introduced ourselves.

“How did this small company grow so big overnight?”

Of course we laughed along. We were after all, that tiny video production house located at a small and dusty shophouse along Keong Saik Road.

“Why are there people who have stayed so long in this company? Are they crazy?”

Not forgetting the dirty looks our families and friends gave us when we told them where we worked.

“You do videos? Can make money or not?”

“Work so late everyday! Are you even paid enough?”

Perhaps we were stupid. Maybe a little obstinate. However, the more doubts we got, the more we persisted. The more dirty looks we got, the tougher we became.

Then, we won the first job that hit $50k. We celebrated, then worked even harder.

Our first commercial was broadcasted. Only 30 seconds, but we ran back home to catch it every night.

A few years later, we moved down the road to a 6,178-square-foot office along Neil Road. We congratulated each other and proudly marked our territories.

Our first award came in soon after. Well, we were speechless for a while.

hello. www.freef low.com.sg

And recently, we expanded beyond the Singapore shores. Cheers to China. Cheers to Myanmar. And hopefully, cheers to more to come.

vimeo.com/freef lowproductions

www.facebook.com/freef lowproductions

This journey didn’t come easy. And now, it is even harder with higher expectations to meet.

But in our hearts, lies a firm belief of what freeflow is: It is our base camp. It is where we return to no matter how battered we are out there in the field.

Some of us often return to visit our old, humble shophouse at Keong Saik Road. It reminds us of our inconspicuous beginnings: The tiny space where we constantly elbowed each other while working.

The couches where we spent a few precious hours of sleep each night.

The deadly stairs where a few of us tumbled down moving heavy props and equipment.

It was worth it.

Despite the vast differences between the old and new freeflow, our desire to make each gig better than the last remains the same.

What we most love to hear now, surprisingly, is not how big or how good we are. It is the responses we get when we introduce ourselves.

“Oh freeflow! I know you guys!”

To our clients, old and new: Thank you for knowing us.

To our colleagues, old and new: Thank you for fighting alongside us.

To the rest of you who don’t know us: Hello. We are freeflow.

By freeflow productions A 10-year-old video production house at 89 Neil Road

MARKETING FEATURE: ANALYTICS

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ANALYTICS FOR OCBC ORIGINATED AS A SMALL FUNCTION IN THE CONSUMER BANKING SIDE, BUT OVER TIME WAS ELEVATED TO BECOME A GROUP FUNCTION. HERE'S WHAT THE JOURNEY WAS LIKE. RAYANA PANDEY WRITES. 1 4 MA R KET ING D EC EMBER 2 014

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MARKETING FEATURE: ANALYTICS

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MARKETING FEATURE: ANALYTICS

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Analytics for OCBC originated as a small function on the consumer banking side, but over time was elevated to become a group function.

All the direct marketing duties for the consumer bank came to the analytics team.

Last year, it ran 1,600 campaigns which led to 19 million leads, generating more than $85 million in shadow revenue for the bank.

Almost 30% of credit cards and 35% of wealth management comes from leads generated by the team – so it’s a significant generator of revenue for the frontline.

What was the journey like? I sit down for a chat with Donald MacDonald (pictured), head of group customer analytics and decisioning for CRM at OCBC Bank.

MacDonald leads a team of nearly 40 called G-CAD (group customer analytics and decisioning) which he says acts like a centre of marketing analytics excellence in the OCBC Group. The team is broken into four divisions – relationship management, analytics (or the data geeks), campaign management and CRM – and supports the business’ banking side, Great Eastern, OCBC securities, and even human resources.

In my many conversations with marketers, a common challenge faced with analytics is that

The first steps: How it all started OCBC had a basic analytics function even in the late 1990s. It had a warehouse, some campaign management tools and was doing data marketing, albeit pretty rudimentary. Like a lot of banks, it invested very heavily in CRM back around 2001.

Back then, MacDonald was a consultant, and consultants, typically, would go around to banks promising huge returns from CRM and so on.

“So OCBC implemented CRM, expecting these returns and they found the consultants hadn’t maybe told the truth. The returns they got weren’t what they expected. In 2001, they did an analysis to find out why the CRM investment did not really pay off,” he says.

MacDonald uses an analogy to explain.

Back in the day, the bank built a great pipe to the customer; Siebel was a great platform and it had a well-trained salesforce, but “the oil that was going down the pipe was no good, i.e, the analytics at the back was not sophisticated enough”.

“So the quality of the leads was very poor to be honest.”

OCBC managed to build a business case to show the analytics could return some business

but not enough people to make use of it,” he says.

OCBC then focused on maximising and strengthening the team and working with the business to make sure it made use of the improved data and analytics capabilities. That’s when it introduced the RM model as well.

From 2006-2008, it was all about maximising this in Singapore and given its success, it was asked to regionalise the effort. In 2008, OCBC effectively extended the capability to Malaysia and China, which are the bank’s other major operations. It was the same year, Macdonald set up its offshore team in China, in keeping with its regional plans.

Since then it has also taken on the function for the entire OCBC Group.

Shifting the focus to small data Increasingly, the role of this team is becoming real-time. If a customer opens an account with OCBC, the bank shares the entire process with the customer during which it captures the information about the customer and passes it back to the data warehouse to see if it knows anything else about that customer.

Even if it doesn’t, it is still able to score the customer and present an offer, while they are

“If you’re dealing with individual analysts, they may not have the bigger picture for each of the business units. So we’re probably the first team to introduce a model like this and I think it was one of our greatest successes actually.” you have a lot of smart data guys sitting at the back, but they can’t translate the analytics into business action because they don’t speak the same language as the business.

One of the ways, MacDonald worked around that was creating a relationship management (RM) team. The team boasts people who sit between the data geeks and business managers and “translates” each others’ needs and also acts as a filter.

“If it’s just a pipe between the business and the analyst, there will be a deluge of requests.

We only have limited capacity. So it has to be filtered. One of my biggest challenges is that I have too much work, not too little, so the RM is kind of a filter there,” he says.

The RM team is the one that centralises the learning as well.

“If you’re dealing with individual analysts, they may not have the bigger picture for each of the business units. So we’re probably the first team to introduce a model like this and I think it was one of our greatest successes actually,” he says.

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value. In 2004, it built its core infrastructure – an enterprise warehouse, which allowed the bank to see every single customer, every single product, and every single transaction that was made.

That’s when MacDonald joined the company to run that project. OCBC integrated that data with all the channels with the focus to maximise investments.

The bank had invested $10 million and it had to pay the investment back. “With the returns, the incremental lift that we created, we managed to pay it back in just nine months. And it was actually a huge success which exceeded all of our expectations.”

Expansion: Getting the right talent on board You can have great data, a great platform, but if you don’t have great people to take advantage of it, then you are bound to fail. What did OCBC do to hire the right people?

“We spent a lot of time then, strengthening the team and expanding. The first year when I arrived, I think we only had maybe six people at that point in time. So we had this great engine,

sitting there with a salesperson.

In terms of the data, the analytics team works with the product and segment managers to let them understand who their customers are.

If they can understand that, they can obviously develop solutions that meet the needs of those customers. So the most basic thing the G-CAD team does is customer profiles – from individual profiles to standard ones to customer DNAs where it is looking at different segments.

The team over the past nine years has had access to five billion transactions and a lot of those are credit card transactions. “We use big data to make the small things relevant. Small things meaning even the SMS you get on your phone.”

It has identified about a 100 different segments/usage of its credit card customer base. “We then use this to influence the SMSs they get from the card to make sure they’re relevant to the things you’ve actually bought. We also use this for strategic purposes such as the launch of Frank, OCBC’s youth banking arm.”

There is a lot of talk about big data, but

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MARKETING FEATURE: ANALYTICS

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CHALLENGES OF GETTING ANALYTICS RIGHT FOR YOUR ORGANISATION Donald MacDonald, head of group customer analytics and decisioning for CRM at OCBC Bank, has been with OCBC for 11 years, and overall, he has about two decades of experience in this space. In the second part of the interview, we talk about some of the challenges around data and analytics in the industry in general.

A lot of brands and marketers face a huge challenge in data integration, he says. They have a lot of data, but it sits in different sources so bringing it together in one place to access and analyse it is typically very costly and very time consuming.

“This puts a lot of companies off,” he says.

There are several banks in the region which still have not managed to centralise their data and create a single customised view of their customer base.

This, according to MacDonald, is fundamental.

What makes this difficult is having to integrate multiple systems which is usually very costly.

The second challenge is finding the right talent – someone who can be a visionary in the company, who can explain to the seniors why investing in analytics is a must because it’s a major step.

“It’s going to cost a brand a lot of time and effort – and they need to have someone who is passionate about it and explain that. That’s a challenge.”

Brands can invest in the data and get it, but ultimately it comes down to the people using the data. Even with the best data in the world, if you don’t have the people with passion and curiosity and skills to get

OCBC gets a lot of power out of small data – and a great example is complaints.

“We probably only get about a 1000 complaints a month which I don’t feel is a lot.

But from that very small data set, I can get a lot of good insight.”

Once the team has analysed the nature of the complaint, the profile of the customer who complained, the reasons behind it, the bank can understand what to do next. It also uses it to predict who is likely to complain in the future and what nature of complaints can be expected.

Once it has found that insight, it needs to be shared.

“It’s not about having an analytics team sitting in the ivory tower, but one that is embedded in the business and actually changing things on a daily basis – and that only happens if you share the daily insights and information.”

The analytics team does that at different levels of the business. It comes up with net promoter scores for senior management looking at strategic segments, while also coming up with that score for the frontline staff, but sliced differently.

“If you’re the one picking up the phone,

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value out of that data, then it’s going to sit there wasted.

And those skill sets are in short supply in the market which is already very competitive. Finding them and retaining them is a challenge for many companies.

“That’s why you’ll find there are only three or four companies in Singapore the data guys tend to go to. If you’re coming into the market just now, the infrastructure may not be there, the analytics may not be there – as an analyst, you may be sceptical.

I think you’re finding clusters now that are really investing in these areas and all of the talent is going to those companies.”

If finding the right talent is so tough is outsourcing a good idea then? While some banks may, according to MacDonald, for OCBC, it’s a core competency in which the bank wants to invest in.

“We have never outsourced any of our analytics work. We don’t want to put those skills out to a third party because that third party can then go out and work with somebody else and take the knowledge away. So we build it all in-house.”

However, for other industries outsourcing may make sense. It could be a better alternative for those who are first starting out, as it might be cheaper to outsource than invest in-house.

Privacy is another challenge brands face when dealing with data and analytics. Companies need to keep that data in a secure environment that has appropriate controls.

“You have to have a rigorous robust process around that and it requires effort and cost to get it done properly,” he says.

you may wonder how you are in comparison to your team – how is your satisfaction versus the other people on the team. We’d also look at tenure – we do this for the training team – so we look at net promoter scores for new staff versus experienced staff,” he says.

Increasingly, the learnings are also being shared externally.

“We use our analytics capabilities with our partners to try and deepen the relationship.”

A great example is Robinsons Group – one of the bank’s biggest credit card partners.

OCBC’s analytics team has helped Robinsons understand who its customers are and build a capability like theirs on an outsource basis. It also did similar work for Marks & Spencer. The partner gets increased access to insights and OCBC gets more access to data.

The way forward One of the challenges for the analytics team is to manage enormous amounts of data and insights which goes through it. What it’s trying to do, therefore, is to deploy the power of insights into the hands of the business users so they don’t always have to come to the team.

The offering called QlikView allows the end product manager to do the analysis themselves.

“It is a very nicely built front-end – you go in there using pre-built reports and dice and slice the data up to the individual transactions.”

Unlike many other dashboards that are aggregated with a lot of predefined dimensions, this tool is a memory intelligence tool which is a lot more powerful, he explains.

“The user can literally go down to the individual transaction level. So if you’re the credit card product manager, you can see how the trend is going in food and beverage, or at outlets, say Thai Express, and so on.”

“It’s a lot more about empowering the user.”

And the next frontier is HR. Things such as recruitment and being able to predict which candidates are likely to stay for a long period of time.

“We’re basing that on people we’ve hired in the past. We spent millions of dollars on training, which training courses work, will you benefit, will your performance lift, who is the best trainer to take that cost, etc. These are the types of decisions that we can use data for to help us understand things.”

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Taking the customer conversation forward Brought to you by:

The conversation around the customer has evolved such that loyalty, CRM and engagement are no longer spoken of in isolation. This is why we’re bringing to you our Customer Experience Conference in 2015. Some of you will remember our Customer Loyalty conference, which ran to great acclaim in 2013 and 2014. This conference is a continuation of that. We’ll be talking about loyalty and CRM, but we’ll also be talking about fascinating topics like UX design, complaint management, anticipatory customer service and more.

Dates / Time / Location: 11 - 12 March, 9am - 5pm Venue: InterContinental Singapore Prices: Pre-Early Bird till 9 January Client-side: S$990 Marketing Solutions Providers: S$1,690

speakers

Jon Sugihara Head of product RedMart

Enny Hartati Head of design Luxola

Souad-Marie Assaad Product manager Luxola

Karen Eidsvik Regional director, Asia Subway Systems Singapore

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OPINION: AD WATCH/WEB WATCH

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Erick Rosa ECD Lowe Singapore

AD WATCH HOT: Star Hub – 4G for Good

NOT: Nutella – The tasty way to start the day

This “critique” is not about a TVC, but the whole idea – the end product of the campaign and the movement itself. I came across this campaign twice.

The first time was a couple of months ago at a movie theatre and more recently at the Gong Awards. The first time it made me jealous in a good way – that feeling of, “I wish I had made that,” added to “What a great and relevant gift to the beneficiaries of the campaign”. It is a beautiful insight.

Contemporary, useful, kind and generous, and for a communications company and a data-related campaign, it’s one of those things that must have taken a lot of effort and energy on both sides: client and agency – but it was all worth it. Ah, the second time I saw it, at the Gongs, I was lucky to be in the same jury as one of the creatives behind it and could say to him in person how great this work is.

I have kids.

Three. And all of them, if they could, would jump into a bathtub filled with Nutella every morning.

I guess Nutella doesn’t want to mess with a formula. And maybe the brand is so strong that just by showing the ingredients in slow motion, people will connect and remember. Yet I do think it has the opportunity to push the storytelling and the ideas further – precisely because people already know what Nutella is. And a lot of us, and our kids, already love it. This brand doesn’t need to explain in every commercial what it is made of and show the same happy morning ritual.

Suresh Ramaswamy Regional director, social and mobile Leo Burnett

WEB WATCH HOT: singapore.craigslist.com.sg

NOT: singapore.kinokuniya.com

Craigslist is proof that good design is more than aesthetics. It may not win design awards. Some even consider it an eyesore. But I love it.

Here’s why. People usually use Craigslist to find something specific. To help start the journey, the labels and categorisation on the home page is intuitive. For the lazy or unsure, there is search. In one click you are viewing listings arranged by date of posting with options to sort. If the poster of the classified ad has done a good job with the catnip and the sell, it’s one click to start a conversation. Posting an ad is also simple.

Besides being intuitive, for writers with a block, the “best of” provides the inspiration. To summarise, Craigslist is proof people respond well when things are clear and understandable. If I’m allowed a suggestion, I’d provide a simple crowd-sourced rating of the seller.

Kinokuniya Singapore is a great bookshop. Probably the best in Asia.

But its online store is a far cry from its physical store experience. The basics – finding stuff, adding it to a cart and using the site on a mobile works well. But there’s something about the use of space, navigation and overall experience that just doesn’t work. The site seems to lack soul. For a world used to the Amazon shopping experience, Kinokuniya Singapore needs to step up to compete online.

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DIRECT MAIL CASE STUDY

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JUST WHAT THE DOCTOR ORDERED HBO Asia sent a doctor’s letter and faux apothecary kit as part of the publicity efforts for The Knick TV series.

For the Asian premiere of Cinemax’s new original series, The Knick, HBO Asia’s communications team produced and delivered a creative influencer kit to key media outlets and influencers.

Inspired by the series, the kit was designed as a 1900s surgeon’s box of essential medical supplies for the purpose of highlighting the historical significance, provocative medical nature and premium production quality of the series.

Set in downtown New York in 1900, The Knick centres on the groundbreaking surgeons, nurses and staff at the Knickerbocker Hospital, who pushed the bounds of medicine in a time of astonishingly high mortality rates and zero antibiotics.

HBO Asia’s objectives were clear: To create awareness for the season premiere of The Knick.

1. To drive interest in the series among the target audience for the purpose of generating editorial coverage and social conversations about the series.

2. To pervade the content of editorials and social conversations relating to the series with the following key messages: • The pedigree of talent behind the series,

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• •

including Academy Award-winning director Steven Soderbergh and Golden Globe-winning actor Clive Owen.

The broadcast information for The Knick.

The pilot episode of the series being available to non-subscribers for free via streaming on YouTube and Cinemax Asia’s website.

The kit was sent to HBO Asia’s key trade and consumer media, vocal fans of HBO/Cinemax content and pop culture influencers across five Asian territories – Hong Kong, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Taiwan.

The Knick influencer kit contained apothecary bottles of faux medical remedies (“cocaine” for toothaches, anyone?), carbolic soap for scrubbing in and a syringe, which was actually a USB flash drive loaded with a trailer and press kit of the series placed snugly in a box that was customised to resemble a 1900s surgeon’s medical kit.

Accompanying the kit and printed using vintage treatment was an introductory letter from the fictitious Knickerbocker Hospital’s chief of surgery welcoming recipients as new surgeons of the hospital. Production notes on the series were also included.

The elaborate and intricate kit took almost

two months to produce.

The results were remarkable. Through the brilliant use of direct mail, with strong media angles as key components of HBO Asia’s overall communications campaign for The Knick, HBO Asia gained a total PR value of more than US$1.7 million in media coverage across five key territories. The key messages were mentioned in 100% of the editorial coverage and social conversations generated.

THE MAIL Objective: To create awareness for the season premiere of The Knick.

Idea: An influencer kit resembling a vintage surgeon’s kit was sent out.

Results: A total PR value of more than US$1.7 million in media coverage across five key territories.

Magdalene Ew Head of marketing for creative and content, HBO Asia.

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Loyalty marketing is seeing growing importance in companies. But how do you inspire loyalty in the consumer? Industry players reveal tips and tricks to keep them coming back in this report.

BROUGHT TO YOU BY:

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THE RISE OF THE CHIEF CUSTOMER OFFICER Businesses are now putting the customer right in the centre and orienting the company around them, signalling the importance of customer loyalty for firms. Rayana Pandey writes.

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If there is one priority businesses have for 2015, it’s to become more and more customer-centric. To that effect, globally, the industry is seeing the rise of the chief customer officer (CCO), a new role within the C-suite, to understand critical issues related to their customers, their demands and behaviours. As firms shift from merely wanting customer satisfaction to wanting to incite customer loyalty, more firms see the need for such a role.

A TNS survey highlighted how crucial customer loyalty is to businesses. According to the survey, companies can no longer ensure loyalty and spend just by providing a reliable, consistent service. In fact, many of those who defected to a competitor actually felt their current provider was performing well.

“What is absolutely crucial is being highly active on an individual customer level to deliver a consistent and on-brand experience wherever and whenever the customer connects with you – and to be able to rescue any shortcoming immediately,” said Graham Tocher, managing director, customer, employee, and reputation management, at TNS Asia Pacific.

While not as prevalent in Asia at the moment, the rise of the chief customer officer is perhaps the one thing to look out for in 2015.

The CCO Council defines the chief customer officer as “an executive that provides the comprehensive and authoritative view of the customer and creates corporate and customer strategy at the highest levels of the company to maximise customer acquisition, retention and profitability”.

According to Paul Hagan, principal analyst at Forrester Research, in a HBR article, there are several labels firms typically give this role. Chief client officer, chief experience officer, executive vice-president, member experience or chief global customer and marketing officer are some of the alternative titles.

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According to a study carried out by the council, the chief customer officer is becoming a staple of modern business: 22% of Fortune 100 companies and 10% of Fortune 500 companies have adopted the role.

It is common in small companies and, to a lesser extent, enterprise companies, but inexplicably uncommon in mid-size companies.

I sat down for a chat with Michael McLaren, MRM//McCann’s global CEO, who agreed this trend was on the rise.

“Several clients have moved to this way of doing business. They have what is now a chief customer officer and what this signals is a huge shift of focus towards customer-centricity,” he said.

Businesses are now putting the customer right in the centre and orienting the company around them.

CCOs typically report to the CEOs, and function independently, and as McLaren says, they have an end-to-end remit, and are much like an “ombudsman, rolling across the organisation” measuring and monitoring touch-points and looking at pain points of customers when dealing with the company.

Questions over the future of CMOs and their role in the organisation have always come up in industry forums and discussions from time to time. There are also various surveys indicating why CMOs are not considered for CEOs role. Could CCOs be the next natural step for marketers?

“If the marketer is the voice of the customer within the organisation, then they are best suited to assume the role of a CCO,” McLaren said.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR COMPANIES? In a highly siloed organisation structure, a CCO is perhaps a solid step to break these silos down. This sort of reorganisation within companies also has bigger implications for the marketing agency landscape.

While at one point, agencies were busy building specialities within their structure, large global agencies serving global clients have moved towards a centralised set-up to serve these clients.

MRM//McCann has recently snapped up Cisco’s global demandgeneration duties and new business from Microsoft as its AOR. For Microsoft, which was an IPG global win hubbed out of McCann WG Singapore for the Asia Pacific region, the agency group has put together a consortium.

The business unit is recognised globally as m:united, and in Asia, is led by Nicholas Handel, IPG lead; Simon Clancy, strategic lead; Peter Hibberd, creative lead; Avaneesh Sharma, finance lead; with Rob Doswell as CEO of McCann Worldgroup Singapore.

McLaren said the burden of integration was higher in bigger, global clients, both in terms of time and money.

“If the agency partners can deliver that for you – it will allow marketers to do what they’re supposed to be doing, which is marketing.”

The study by the CCO Council further stated that currently, the role was most commonly found in technology sectors and was largely concentrated in the US, however, worldwide adoption had increased in recent years.

What impedes the adoption of this across companies though, is partly the lack of standardisation in how it is defined and also challenges of proving definitive ROI. “In earlier days, the CCO role was a terminal position. Most CCOs retired from their jobs; they were not usually promoted. For the first time, however, CCOs are experiencing upward mobility, receiving promotions to COOs, presidents of business units, and even CEOs,” the study said.

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FORGET THE HARD SELL, TRY THE SMART SELL

Long gone are the days where merchants employ stick-and-carrot tactics to drive sales performance. Increasingly these days, the focus has shifted to empowering the sales team so it is able to sell more effectively and turn them into ambassadors of their brand.

As such, companies are zooming in on specific behavioural data to help develop effective strategies that address the heart of the problem – this means translating insights into actionable business plans by the sales team. As a global leader in loyalty marketing and data analytics, we showcase three examples on how a data-driven approach can improve sales performance by leaps and bounds.

Case example 1: Corporate booker programme in a leading hotel chain THE PROBLEM In the largest global hotel chains, corporate bookers make up a substantial

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revenue stream and hotel chains often develop loyalty programmes especially for their corporate bookers. However, in this case, the regional sales team had limited visibility on how the corporate booker programme impacted each hotel property.

Furthermore, with hundreds of properties throughout the region, it was extremely challenging to pinpoint opportunities or at-risk member segments and translate it into actionable insights for each hotel property’s sales agents.

THE SOLUTION What they needed was to empower the sales agents of each property with insights that were specifically relevant to them. This meant hundreds of customised sales reports had to be developed, not only displaying sales KPIs, but also including latest member acquisitions, profiles of the corporate booker segments and suggestions on how hotels could engage their new, potential, at-risk or loyal customers.

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Content library

Data fields

Sales report

This resulted in significantly higher retention of top-tier members and accelerated the growth in new member booking revenue.

Case example 2: Building the toolbox for a high-end cosmetics retailer THE PROBLEM In most cases, beauty consultants are given incentives if monthly upsell targets are met. These targets drive beauty consultants into aggressively pursuing their customers repeatedly within short periods. In most cases, this leads customers to experience “spend fatigue” and the relationship with beauty consultants deteriorates as a result of hard-sell, naturally leading to poorer sales performances.

THE SOLUTION By distilling membership data, a list of specially targeted customers are sent to each store every month. This empowers beauty consultants by giving them the right tools to reach the right customers and more effectively achieve their targets. This solution also ensures that no one customer will appear on more than one list and helps to avoid spend fatigue.

This collaborative approach results in greater return on effort and perfectly aligns the sales activity in the organisation.

Case example 3: Effective discounts turn transactions into interaction for supermarket chain THE PROBLEM Retailers from grocery to fashion often risk the slippery slope of over

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discounting, which is dangerous and often damaging to the brand. Most retailers are aware of this danger, but still use the lever as a quick fix to bump up sales.

THE SOLUTION By using purchase data to paint a holistic customer profile, the retailer is able to design a personalised experience for each customer, instantly turning transactions into interactions and shifting the customer experience from price hunting into a more rewarding one.

For example, personalised digital flyers for each individual member instantly converts a mass marketing message into a one-on-one personalised experience. Greater relevance results in greater reciprocity and ultimately brand affinity.

This allows for fewer but more effective promotions, thus avoiding the trap of encouraging discount-seeking customer behaviour – and preventing unnecessary margin erosion.

IN SUMMARY 1. Help them to help you. Insights from transactional or membership data is not only for management’s eyes – use it to empower the sales team. This empowerment streamlines the organisation’s sales function and makes it highly effective.

2. Design the right tools. Effective business tools must be relevant and timely – customer insights are only useful when they can be applied swiftly by the front-line to target opportunities or respond to impending threats.

3. If you keep doing the same thing, expect to get the same results.

Stop the vicious cycle of deeper margin discounts. Sell smart not hard by attracting the right customer with the right offer and turn transactions into interactions.

ABOUT AIMIA Aimia Inc. (“Aimia”) is a global leader in loyalty management. Aimia’s unique capabilities include proven expertise in delivering proprietary loyalty services, launching and managing coalition loyalty programmes, creating value through loyalty analytics and driving innovation in the emerging digital and mobile spaces. Aimia owns and operates Aeroplan, Canada’s premier coalition loyalty programme and Nectar, the United Kingdom’s largest coalition loyalty programme. In addition, Aimia has majority equity position in Air Miles Middle East and Nectar Italia as well as minority positions in Club Premier, Mexico’s leading coalition loyalty and programme and most recently, in AirAsia’s BIG loyalty programme. Aimia is a Canadian public company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX:AIM) and has over 4,000 employees in more than 20 countries. For more information, visit www.aimia.com or email enquiries.asiapacific@aimia.com.

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THE KEY TO A SUCCESSFUL CRM/LOYALTY STRATEGY

Have an eye on the “softer” side of value creation; that which is based on the emotional connection between your company and its customers.

Projects that focus on technology first, rather than the customer and business objectives, are destined for a bumpy ride or failure.

Our decades in the business of helping global brands grow their business suggests the most successful, memorable and profitable CRM or loyalty plays always start with a business strategy that drives changes in the organisation and work processes, which are in turn enabled by information technology.

A customer-centric approach pays lasting dividends, especially as a result of product advantages being reduced or neutralised in many industries because of increased “commoditisation” – so the customer relationship itself becomes the focus for a competitive advantage.

No matter how hyped up the technical changes are, you won’t get the results you want from CRM/loyalty without first understanding and managing its impact upon the customer and your people who will have to live with it and make it work on a daily basis.

Everyone talks about value, how to create customer value and how to add to it, yet few companies really understand value from the customer’s perspective, and instead, they gravitate towards the latest fad or shiniest toy to dangle in front of them.

As we implement CRM programmes and activities, ask yourself if you are really creating value for your customers. What kind of value is it – functional or emotional? Remember the emotional is the more lasting,

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yet the more difficult to create. A reliance on technology alone will not do it.

A successful CRM initiative starts with a business philosophy that aligns company activities around customer needs.

THERE ARE TWO DOMINANT TRENDS TRANSFORMING OUR FUTURE: 1. The explosion of data being created by business, governments and customers.

2. The shift in power from companies to consumers.

We are now seeing the convergence of unprecedented access to customer data and the emergence of highly empowered customers who demand highly personalised offers and services.

Companies that survive and thrive will be those that can turn customer data into insight, use it to align around their customer and build trustbased relationships with them. Businesses that fail to achieve the above will gradually become obsolete over time.

Let’s dive a little deeper on these two critical areas that will make or break you.

DATA: As data becomes more abundant the challenge is to leverage the right data to make timely, informed decisions. (Walmart handles more than one million customer transactions every hour, feeding databases estimated at

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2.5 petabytes, which is equal to 167 times the number of books in the US Library of Congress.)

Data is growing exponentially as is the strategic value to marketers – hence, the importance of having a clear data strategy in place to set the foundation to filter out/define “what” data is important to drive loyalty, “how” it will be captured and what is the “right” system to help leverage and manage the information to allow you to explore and then execute targeted, personalised, relevant campaigns and strategies effortlessly.

6. Put the right people and platforms in place and implement your data, customer strategy.

7. Manage this process with KPIs that help you continually improve.

THE CUSTOMER: In the past few years, there has been an inexorable power shift to customers – example, comparison shopping sites such as Pricegrabber.com enables customers to find the lowest-cost vendors for specific items in seconds.

Cameras in phones to scan barcodes to compare prices, customer peer review sites – bottom line – today’s customers demand product/service and information that’s relevant, timely and delivered through their preferred channel.

The customers are in the driving seat. They expect a seamless, consistent experience with a company across channels and they want a dialogue with companies that demonstrate that you know, care and understand their needs/wants.

What should you do? Start by putting yourself in the customer's shoes, work a strategy that puts the customer first – start with the basics, and only once you have a clear customer roadmap only then align the right technology mix to support it.

Where we see clients make a mistake is not having a clear data and customer strategy or trying to bolt on different technology platforms or vendors that act like a band-aid – causing more issues and results in what we now call “big data” – resulting in data (conversations) being stuck in separate silos/systems or platforms making it near impossible to have a clear vision/picture of a customer.

While this approach is the easiest short-term, it is also extremely costly to maintain and manage in the long run – juggling different email, mobile, social, analytics vendors/systems and trying to connect the data in these separate systems so as to have visibility of the customer is almost impossible.

Companies which have succeeded have three things in common: 1. A shared vision – leadership at the top that shares the same vision.

2. Enterprise-wide focus and strategy that is data, customer-driven and will align systems to support.

3. An integrated technology or marketing automation platform (campaigns, surveys, analytics, loyalty, automation and ability to track interactions and effortlessly execute or action).

HOW DO YOU TURN A FICKLE FAN INTO A FOLLOWER? Start by understanding the needs and motivations that drive their purchase decisions. And then you deploy the strategies and tactics that deliver the most value. Follow these simple steps to help lay the foundations and set the stage.

1. Put the customer at the heart – start with them in mind, treat them like they own you. Because they do.

2. Identify the various offline/online customer interaction points in your organisation.

3. Create a data strategy that helps identify the right data that will deliver the organisation’s strategic objectives.

4. Run a technology/systems audit to ensure you have the right tools/ systems in place.

5. Identify possible obstacles (people/platforms) that will prevent you from being able to have a full 360-degree view of a customer (profile, campaign history, transactions offline/online, social influence, feedback) in one location.

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Your success is a function of the quality of your customer’s data and insight and how you choose to leverage customer data to drive better decision-making to better recruit and retain customers. Doing so will create a powerful and sustainable competitive advantage.

If you feel overwhelmed just remember to keep it real, keep it relevant and if someone is promising you the world or a solution that will make profits rain overnight – as my dad always said – if it’s too good to be true … it usually is.

Go back to the basics, it’s not rocket science – and don’t forget your best relationships are built over time with trust and authenticity; and when you invest in the relationship, and in doing so gather information, that helps create a bond and understanding, and a feeling of value.

ABOUT CPR VISION CPR has a unique fusion of cutting-edge technology, creative and strategy solutions that have helped leading global brands grow a sustainable competitive advantage.

1. Established market leader with over 12 years of experience.

2. Proven track record with leading global brands.

3. CRM, loyalty and digital specialists.

4. CRM Agency of the Year 2012/13/14 14 and Loyalty Agency of the Year 2014.

5. Our “client testimonials” also vote uss No.1 6. We are not afraid to push the boundaries undaries and don’t do “ordinary” 7. If there is a better way to do it we will ill find it.

8. We live and breathe data and analytics ics ans we can adapt, Our unique proprietary approach means innovate and respond faster to provide de you with a “customised” solution that is scalable e and more competitive!

For a fresh perspective and approach ch contact Cameron@cprvision.com or call all (+65) 6535 – 0996. www.cprvision.com.

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NEWS ANALYSIS

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11 CONSUMER TRENDS FOR 2015 B2B over B2C, Finance enters the mobile age and brands will speak more like real people: 11 trends for 2015 by Landor.

2015: A mass coming-of-age for the consumer?

What will the best brands of the future look like? One agency has made its predictions for 2015.

In its trends forecast for the next year, branding agency Landor has made this list of upcoming consumer trends: 1. Megacities spur consumer desire for a stronger sense of belonging.

Welcome to the age of megacities and megadevelopments. Urban growth is exploding at the seams, growing faster, bigger, wider and taller than ever before. As a result, there’s a rising demand for more distinctive urban environments with a stronger sense of place.

Melbourne and Vancouver are just a few of the cities that have bolstered their identities in recent years, drawing millions of tourists and

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fostering a sense of community.

On a smaller scale, Barcelona’s infamous inner district El Raval is changing negative perceptions and encouraging local pride with a fresh campaign and identity centred around ravalejar, a new Spanish verb celebrating the neighbourhood’s edgy charm. Looking ahead, branding will play an even greater role in helping to humanise mega developments, alter viewpoints and bring communities together.

2. Naming With more noise in the digital marketplace, where it will become harder to stand out, brands will streamline the path to sales by opting for naming that is simple. More monikers will have universal easy to grasp concepts that consumers can instantly connect to.

Apple recently dropped its iconic “i” naming convention – now you have simple product descriptors such as Apple Watch, Apple TV and Apple Pay. Google has also transitioned to this elementary naming approach, with its Google Glass, Google Wallet and Google Play.

3. Millennials It is no secret millennials are driving the growth of the marketplace. This particular group of consumers looks out for local, artisanal goods where quality is seen in the handmade. Forget label-reading, facts upfront and brand origin stories. Packaging of the future will look towards design that hails from the pre-digital era.

4. B2B over B2C Move over millennials and consumer brands

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NEWS ANALYSIS

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– the B2B world is fast realising the growing importance and usefulness of these social media tools in building relationships. And what better way to make connections, discover potential clients, share white papers and engage with communities, stakeholders and NGOs than on LinkedIn, Twitter and other dynamic platforms? These tools will become increasingly powerful, go-to resources for the future of B2B. For example, global shipping container company Maersk has become a surprising Twitter darling with more than 112,000 followers that has resulted in greater brand awareness and reputation.

5. What is social responsibility?

The quest for social responsibility has become an idea of the past – now it is simply expected and non-negotiable. In 2015, this conversation will expand to focus on value and quality with people seeking to work for and buy from companies that provide meaningful, authentic products and services.

Whether it’s making all-natural cleaning products and employing and educating at-risk teens, such as Manila’s Messy Bessy cleaners, or detailing the step-by-step rigorous process of how quality tees are perfected in apparel brand Everlane’s US factories, a standard of excellence beyond profitability will be the new norm.

6. Shift to personalised marketing Goodbye mass distribution, hello niche markets.

Brands will move towards more specialised offers to meet with consumers’ demand for personalised products. Honing social media listening, figuring out how to best leverage big data, and responding ASAP to changing customer wants will be the key to competing, with nimble businesses already on this rapid specialisation trend.

Holiday Inn, which was founded on consistency, is starting to shift its brand strategy towards more customised experiences that meet individual needs – from business travellers and families to young couples and adventurous singles. Coca-Cola proved it was a master of personalisation with the Share a Coke campaign in the US for which it printed bottles featuring 250 popular names, letting consumers search for their name on the shelf.

Coca-Cola Israel took the trend a step further by printing two million labels individually designed by consumers.

7. Consumers declare their own definitions of beauty Consumers continue to lead the charge for

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Getting people to love your brand is increasingly less about product benefits and more about creating unique meaningful experiences at every possible touch-point. self-expression and individuality, with real and imagined beauty manifesting on opposite ends of the transformation spectrum. The beauty brands that face up and authentically join the conversation will experience the greatest success.

For example, Dove’s 2004 Campaign for Real Beauty spurred a revolution of body acceptance. Joining the band of companies who have ditched photoshop and size-zero models, lingerie brand Aerie launched “The Real You Is Sexy” campaign. Hence, in the coming year, more products, campaigns and social media discussions will surface on acceptance, health and dissent against a manufactured ideal.

8. Experiential marketing wins greatest customer loyalty Getting people to love your brand is increasingly less about product benefits and more about creating unique meaningful experiences at every possible touch-point. In other words, those that bring mobile, online and in-store experiences together will be miles ahead in building community and loyalty.

Tesla’s Hong Kong design studio was built for hands-on adventure – not just the take-ithome kind. While you won’t be able to drive off with your very own car, you can do just about everything else to get the full-throttle experience – from 3D car customisation on touchscreens to sampling real materials to taking the sleek wheels for a spin.

9. The Chinese consumer comes of age In 2015, marketers in China will have to take a cue from academics and economists and familiarise themselves with “rebalancing.” The concept, long bandied about in the ivory tower, is coming to the streets. The idea is simple: As the middle class grows and labour costs increase, profit margins shrink and a reliance on cheap exports for economic growth becomes untenable. Domestic household spending must begin to take on some of the burden.

But rebalancing is not so easy. Household consumption is about 37% of the gross domestic product, far lower than the 55% seen in most developed nations. However, in 2013, the Xi Jinping administration laid out an ambitious plan to boost consumption, which includes providing greater choice, access to credit and financial security.

To take advantage of this shift towards consumer consumption, marketers need to be aware of three major trends.

First, new policies are emphasising growth in western tier 3 cities, so those traditionally underserved areas must not be ignored. Second, access to personal credit increases demand for affordable, everyday luxuries. Finally, a key feature of the new policy encourages engagement with culture and entertainment. This has increased the Chinese consumer’s interest in novelty and variety in the goods they buy, creating an incredible opportunity for consumer brands.

10. Finance enters the mobile age Move over plastic. Step aside wallets. Mobile payment has finally gone mainstream thanks to the launch of Apple Pay. Consumers have begun phone-swiping purchases and are leaving their logo-stamped bank and payment cards behind, making transactional providers less visible in the process. But this is just the cusp of on-the-go financial solutions. In 2015, we’ll see the rapid outcrop of innovative new apps and sites that help consumers manage their financial lives remotely, such as financial aggregator Mint.com and DIY wealth management planner Betterment.com.

To keep up with these new players, earn consumer confidence and deliver the seamless experience connected users expect, brands will need to build a stellar collection of trusted financial partnerships, retool their engines with rock-solid data security, and revamp user experiences for intuitive, real-time transactions.

11. Brands speak more like real people Taking communications to the next decibel, brands will be pumping up their personality to engage with consumers on more human terms.

We are talking plain, straightforward, hey-I’ma-person-just-like-you honesty communication.

The oral care line Hello Products has rocked the hygiene market by making toothpaste and mouthwash sound utterly friendly and inviting. Zipcar has zoomed past the rental car competition with an approachable voice that speaks like your best bud. With technology exploding evermore opportunities to touch consumers, we’ll see even the smallest messages – from automatic alerts to texts and tweets –infused with more emotion.

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IS SINGAPORE’S OUTDOOR ADVERTISING SCENE CREATIVE ENOUGH? With OOH platform players quickly evolving, what’s holding Singapore back from a livelier outdoor ad landscape?

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Singapore’s outdoor advertising landscape has long been described as dull and boxed-in when it comes to ideas and creativity. Many an aspiring creative or media planner has echoed the same frustrations of being unable to execute a great idea due to strict regulations by the authorities.

One media agency lead expressed his frustrations: “I have not been impressed with the creativity of our outdoor advertisements in Singapore but this is definitely not attributed to us not having the creative thinkers,” said CEO and founder of Briq Communications Jim Goh. Goh listed the strict outdoor advertising regulations imposed by the authorities, aside from the usual issues of risk-adverse clients and small ad budget, as the main barrier to creativity.

“Creative executions may not necessarily mean that we need to spend a lot of money but, being allowed to execute interesting ideas which sometimes “fall outside the regulatory parameters” – is important,” said Goh. Goh feels that there needs to be a discussion with relevant authorities for greater freedom for outdoor ad platforms.

OOH PLAYERS’ DIGITAL EVOLUTION But it looks like there is hope for innovation yet.

The digital revolution has pushed OOH platform owners reinvent themselves as well. According to Nielsen, OOH spend contributed to about 12% of Singapore’s total advertising spend for the first nine months of this year, ending in October, at an estimated to be US$184.3 million.

For example, steps have been taken towards a more concrete form of measurement for outdoor advertising. Singapore Outdoor Audience Research, the first official provider of audience measurement data for the Singapore out-of-home media industry, was launched.

An initiative by Nielsen and co-funded by Clear Channel Singapore, MediaCorp, Moove Media and SMRT Media, it produces audience insights for OOH advertising that can be used in planning, trading and valuing advertising investment in the medium. Travel journeys of the consumers will be visually tracked via software and trips will be

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mapped out to show which outdoor sites the consumers passed by.

Also, outdoor advertising players are taking quick steps to integrate with the digital realm.

For example, SMRT Media launched its latest e-commerce initiative – iMOB/I’m On Board in May 2014. The platform was created to integrate advertising, digital and retail business, and offers passengers immediate access to branded content and lifestyle deals in and around SMRT’s transport network.

Clear Channel is another player that has been integrating digital offerings on its platform.

In its new offering, Connect, advertising panels on its pedestrian-accessible sites will be turned into mobile launch pads, allowing consumers to access interactive content from advertisers via their smartphones.

Since September 2014, all 4,000 6-sheet advertising panels in Singapore, in addition to existing Mobile Life!-enabled panels in the CBD, were equipped with Connect capabilities, allowing advertisers to launch mobile-enabled campaigns.

JCDecaux also invested several million dollars in new digital media landmarks, interactive platforms and enhancing its current sites in the past year.

For example, digital towers were installed at Changi Airport Terminal 1 equipped with programmable screen rotation. It also launched a new interactive media platform at ION Orchard which allows for a range of capabilities such as augmented reality, touchscreen and kinect and is equipped with social media connection.

Its billboards in Chinatown were also rebuilt and increased by 70%. It also commissioned a market study of 500 respondents about the effectiveness of billboard advertising.

In all, while much has been said about the move of marketing dollars to digital, it looks like the outdoor advertising landscape has not been resting on its laurels either, rapidly evolving offerings for more creative formats for advertisers.

In Marketing’s first OOH Showcase feature, we document the top outdoor campaigns run by these players this year.

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F&N Creameries’ Meadow Gold Indulgence Collection

by Clear Channel

Client F&N Creameries Campaign period 30 October – 12 November 2014.

OOH format 6-sheet, Connect (OOH mobile interactive) and Play (digital 6-sheet).

Campaign objective F&N Creameries launched its latest range of ice-cream, Meadow Gold Indulgence Collection, wanting to advertise its new flavours: delectable caramel pecan, heavenly macadamia, lush red velvet and old chocolate decadence. The target audience was adults aged 25 to 40 who were grocery buyers.

Strategy and execution A network of bus or taxi shelters where most

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potential consumers were on route to a supermarket or grocery shop were chosen, creating a path-to-purchase to evoke trials.

The campaign also appeared on Clear Channel’s digital panels (Play) targeting the PMEBs and shoppers who also happened to be housewives and grocery shoppers in the CBD and Orchard area.

Connect (mobile OOH) was used for both 6-sheet and Play. Commuters were encouraged to tap or scan the advertising panels with their smartphones for more information on the Meadow Gold Indulgence Collection.

A concise call-to-action was shown on the advertisement.

Upon tapping or scanning, the public was redirected to meadowgold.sg where they could possibly receive a free tub of Meadow Gold Indulgence ice-cream or other exclusive merchandise.

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Wildlife Reserves Singapore’s River Safari

Client Wildlife Reserves Singapore Campaign period 5 December 2013 – 1 January 2014.

by Clear Channel OOH format 6-sheet (with creative execution).

Campaign objective The campaign aimed to reach out to Singaporeans and visiting tourists, of all ages and gender, and to draw them to visit the latest addition to the Wildlife Reserves Singapore’s portfolio of award-winning parks, River Safari.

It was scheduled to coincide with the holiday season, where an influx of tourists was expected.

The chosen platform allowed River Safari to reach out to its target audience in high traffic central areas such as Church Street, Marine Parade, Grange Road and Bras Brasah.

Strategy and execution Bringing the River Safari wildlife experience to ten strategically selected bus and taxi shelters through

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specially crafted 3D polyfoam of the Indian Ghairals and Red Pandas, both of which are key attractions of the park, being placed on the top of a 6-sheet advertising panel. Images of freshwater fishes and the adorable pandas, Jia Jia and Kai Kai, were printed on vinyl stickers and strategically positioned on the panels.

These panels were gutted to create a seethrough effect, encouraging and urging the public to interact with these creatures and get close enough for photo opportunities. Each creative had a clear call to action: • Come face-to-face with the pandas. The River is calling • (Front) The River is calling. Now Open.

(Back) Take a snap round the back. The River is calling.

The campaign was further supported with 600 6-sheet printed poster, nationwide (including CBD, Orchard and key regional sites), to drive branding and awareness.

River Safari website was shown at the bottom of each poster to allow the public to find out more about the attraction.

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Disney’s The Hundred-Foot Journey

Client Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Campaign period 14 August to 3 September 2014.

by Clear Channel OOH format 6-sheet (with creative execution).

Campaign objective The objective of the campaign was to communicate the themes of food fusion between Indian and French cuisines. The media objective was to drive cinema ticket sales for The Hundred Foot Journey in Singapore. Targeted at foodies and cultural enthusiasts, our platform enabled Walt Disney to reach out to its target audience effectively at selected high footfall locations in close proximity to ‘food meccas’ such as Victoria Street, New Bridge Road and Holland Avenue.

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Strategy and execution As part of an integrated campaign that promoted the food-centered film, Disney collaborated exclusively with Clear Channel and m/SIX for an interactive OOH campaign.

A custom built casing placed at the side of a 6-sheet advertising panel housed a diffuser that sprayed the aromatic scent of garlic periodically to capture the attention of commuters. The aim was to engage its target audience through the sense of smell, backed by a visually attractive poster.

Curious commuters could interact with the panel by pushing a button to release the scent on demand.

Garlic was chosen over other food scents because of its unique smell. Also, it is famously known to be a common denominator between Indian and French cuisine.

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Every day, Clear Channel Singapore provides over 100 million opportunities for brands to meet people.

With 5,000 out-of-home advertising sites, our second-to-none island wide coverage offers a variety of activation opportunities through 7 different media formats. So, while we supply the medium, we also supply the thinking and ideas about how, where, and when to extend advertising concepts most effectively into the out-of-home realm.

To us, out-of-home is where brands meet people and tell their story.

For more information, call 6415 4800 or email sales@clearchannel.com.sg to speak to our sales team today.

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NCPG’s Social Awareness for Problem Gambling

by Gleamedia

Client National Council On Problem Gambling Campaign period June 2014 to May 2015.

OOH format Large sized light boxes, wall sticker displays and location light boxes.

Campaign objective The campaign is aimed at targeting problem gamblers on both their departures and arrivals at Singapore Cruise Centre, Harbourfront. It is also aimed at informing how problem gambling can affect their family, and ďŹ nally, to create awareness about the hotline for passengers who need help.

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Strategy and execution Different formats of ads have been placed at every waiting corner of the terminal to give the campaign a stronger impact. Large sized light boxes in front of the cruise check-in area serve to inform/educate the passengers that gambling is a problem and it can affect the family.

Standing light boxes at the departure waiting area serves as a prevention message and reminder to passengers on problem gambling before they board the ship.

Large wall sticker displays on the wall facade facing both arrival gates create an awareness on the hotline for returning passengers from the cruise ship.

Other formats used include glass panel stickers and counter display stickers.

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StarHub’s Prepaid Products

by Gleamedia

Client StarHub Campaign period January 2014 to December 2014.

OOH format Large outdoor billboard and light box.

Campaign objective To publicise the prepaid card by StarHub for domestic helpers, particularly the Indonesians. A BlackBerry prepaid offering was also targeted at Indonesian businessmen who often come in and out of Singapore.

A tourist card for leisure visitors into Singapore was also on offer.

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Strategy and execution A large outdoor billboard, visible from Paya Lebar MRT station along Guillemard Road and Geylang Road, was placed targeting domestic helpers walking from the MRT station to City Plaza.

A light box was also placed facing Tanjong Katong Road, reaching out to Estelar 77, where Indonesians frequent with friends over drinks and snacks.

To target Indonesian businessmen and tourists, displays were placed along ferry berths at the Singapore Cruise Centre. A standing light box in the arrival hall further enhanced the campaign’s presence.

TVs in the main lobby right outside the arrival gate were aimed at triggering buying power from the nearby distributors.

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American Express’ No Strings Attached

Client American Express Campaign period November-December 2014.

by MediaCorp OOH format 6-sheet poster.

Campaign objective The campaign objective was to influence commuters and persuade them to sign up for the new American Express True Cashback card. The targeted audience was the mass public.

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Strategy and execution The 6-sheet panels were strategically located in places island-wide where the mass public commuted.

A 3D creative was also applied whereby a puppeteer’s marionette was placed above the advertising panel with some of the strings being cut off.

This was to enforce the key message of the product which is “no strings attached” at hightraffic volume areas.

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Singapore Kindness Movement’s Mirror Mirror on 6-sheet panel

Client Singapore Kindness Movement Campaign period September to October 2014.

OOH format 6-sheet poster.

by MediaCorp Campaign objective This was a joint collaboration between MediaCorp OOH Media and the Singapore Kindness Movement which focused on this year’s Singapore Kindness Movement campaign – “A nation of kindness starts with one”.

The central message was, “If I can smile at myself, I can make someone smile today”. The objective of the campaign was to encourage Singaporeans to partake in an act of kindness and charity by performing a simple action.

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Strategy and execution MediaCorp OOH Media identified 120 bus shelter 6-sheet panels to get maximum impact for the creative island-wide.

Each panel was outfitted with a mirror and a note encouraging passersby to take a selfie using the mirror.

For each selfie taken and posted online with the hashtag #nationofkindness, Singapore Kindness Movement’s partner Gardenia would pledge a loaf of bread to be donated to a needy family on the participant’s behalf.

The campaign was also aimed at reinforcing Singapore Kindness Movement’s message because the passersby were encouraged to smile at themselves, while taking a selfie in order to make a needy family smile, with a simple charity that started from themselves.

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MediaCorp’s integrated campaign

Client MediaCorp Campaign period 2 October to 5 November 2014.

by MediaCorp OOH format 3D flagship.

Campaign objective It brought together MediaCorp’s various units for one big campaign: MediaCorp OOH Media, radio, publishing, TV and Toggle on a single bus shelter from 2 October to 5 November.

The 3D flagship structure on the bus stop shelter rooftop was one of OOH Media’s initiatives to show ability to bring different business units together for a joint campaign, showcasing MediaCorp’s offerings.

Strategy and execution The flagship was a 3D creative execution using an

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OOH bus shelter located outside of The Heeren that showcased different media offerings from four different MediaCorp business units namely radio, Toggle, publishing and television.

This bus shelter was used to increase awareness for each business unit as well as to interest potential advertisers. The bus shelter was created with rotating drums and silver ribbons to add elements of movement and a fresh new look for each unit every week.

Radio and Toggle kicked off the campaign with on-site engagement activation with free goodie bags for consumers. In the first week, Class 95FM listeners were given a specified date, time and a special code on air to the bus shelter for premiums.

Radio DJs had close interactions with the listeners. In the following week, Toggle revealed details of its on-site engagement activation on social media to the consumers. The first 120 supporters who answered the crew’s questions got to take part in their mystery sure-win lucky dip.

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Rediscover Global Opportunities

by SPH MBO

Client Franklin Templeton Investments.

Campaign period 31 March to 25 May 2014.

OOH format Large format wall banner with 2 x interactive walls at OFC 5/6, Ocean Financial Centre.

Campaign objective To encourage Singaporean investors to diversify their investments beyond real estate and Singapore equities and consider investing in global equities. The campaign was primarily targeted at mass affluent investors as well as distributors (retail, private bank relationship managers, etc) to reinforce the sales process.

Strategy and execution The outdoor site was chosen because of its high

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traffic location within Singapore’s Central Business District to target the right audience.

Ocean Financial Centre 5/6 is a new and shorter passageway between Raffles Place MRT station and Singapore’s new financial district, Marina Bay Financial Centre and One Raffles Quay.

The wall is also next to many new eateries that would help pull traffic.

A key objective was to drive audience interaction with the campaign message.

As such, two interactive walls were set up along the large outdoor wall banner, posing simple questions to poll audience sentiment and to test their knowledge on global financial markets.

Questions were refreshed five times over the eight-week campaign period to keep the content fresh, and regular passersby engaged.

For answers to the questions, the call-toaction pointed passersby to Franklin Templeton’s campaign site at rediscoverglobal.com.sg.

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ComChest’s Care & Share Movement – “Dreams”

by SMRT Media

Client The Community Chest (ComChest)

celebrating what they could or were able to do, instead of their disabilities.

Campaign period 29 November 2013 to 5 February 2014

Strategy and execution SMRT Media partnered ComChest, Tribal Worldwide and EZ-Link to develop Singapore’s first donation-on-the-go platform, where commuters could interact and donate directly through SMRT Media advertisement panels.

Consumers could simply tap their EZ-Link cards on SMRT ad panels to donate SG$1 to ComChest as they viewed the ads at any of the five high-traffic SMRT stations – Orchard, Somerset, Tiong Bahru, Yishun and Bishan.

In addition, island-wide posters in SMRT’s network added greater convenience to consumers to donate larger amounts via QR codes, which would be directed to the ComChest website.

OOH format 4/6/12 sheet panel, large format wall, Orchard showcase Campaign objective ComChest partnered SMRT Media to launch Singapore’s first OOH digital donation drive in a transit environment to help the disadvantaged in ComChest’s Care & Share campaign.

The objective was to bring greater public awareness and encourage more in the community to support those with disabilities through their donations. The campaign “Dreams” featured the hopes and dreams of children with disabilities –

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Bvlgari Watches’ LVCEA

by SMRT Media

Client Bvlgari Campaign period 2 to 15 October 2014 OOH format Orchard Media Hub Concept Linkway Campaign objective Luxury brands are venturing out of mainstream media into OOH. The trend is due to the increasing

EVA Air

Client EVA Air

by SMRT Media Campaign period 6 to 27 August 2014 OOH format Raffles Place iBillboard, Tanjong Pagar Bulkhead, SMRT Buses Campaign objective EVA Air wanted to celebrate their inclusion in the

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number of PMEBs taking public transport. Hence, Bvlgari wanted to showcase its new LVCEA timepiece collection on an OOH medium to commuters.

Strategy and execution Orchard Media Hub’s linkway was transformed with videos and creatives of Bvlgari’s new collection.

Ambient advertising surrounded commuters as they walked into Orchard station en route to ION Orchard. This made sure the brand’s target audience was fully aware of the product.

prestigious Star Alliance network and their recent conferment of “Best Airline Staff Service in Asia” award.

Strategy and execution First time advertiser, EVA Air, dominated Raffles Place station with 2 large 5x2m digital screens at both entrances of Raffles Place station. They effectively combined bright and immersive visual effects with captivating audio to engage commuters in the unique Eva experience the moment they stepped into the station.

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Campaign objective SMRT Media wanted to launch and create awareness around its latest e-commerce initiative, iMOB Shop. The platform offers commuters immediate access to rich branded content and lifestyle deals on-the-go.

iMOB Shop’s launch

by SMRT Media

Client iMOB Shop by SMRT Media Campaign period From 19 June 2014 OOH format Multiple platforms – Platform screen doors, iPlasma, iViewSMRT, Large format walls, 4 sheet.

Neo Garden’s Snap & Win

by SMRT Media

Client Neo Group Limited Campaign period 19 December 2013 to 18 March 2014 OOH format Taxi wraps, iView, 4 Sheets Campaign objective Neo Garden launched an islandwide “Snap & Win” contest to drive greater brand awareness and to increase social media presence.

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Strategy and execution iMOB Shop ads at strategic locations across the network (large format walls, in-train panels, iPlasma screens) were placed on SMRT Media’s platforms. This gives commuters a more rewarding travel experience when they get on board the iMOB Shop, offering them value offers across nine categories – food, fun, technology, fashion, wellness, travel, home, family and shopping.

Commuters can shop and pay for their purchases instantly without having to visit a shop and can expect to receive their products when they get home. Using their smartphones and the advertisements in SMRT stations, commuters can simply scan the QR code to make a purchase.

In addition, as part of iMOB Shop’s on-ground activation, various pop-up stores were set up at key Xchanges to encourage sign-ups and raise awareness of the new interactive space.

Strategy and execution Neo Group rolled out an island-wide contest on 100 SMRT taxis, together with the support of the SMRT taxi drivers as brand ambassadors.

To participate in the contest, commuters simply need to snap a photo with the Neo Garden SMRT taxi and post it up on the NeoGroupSG facebook page. Both the consumer and taxi driver of the winning photos will score $500 cash each. The campaign recorded hundreds of entries and drove up their fan base to over 7000 likes.

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Puma’s Forever Faster

by SMRT Media

Client

Strategy and execution

Puma

PUMA utilised Orchard Station to reach audiences with ambient advertising combined with an electrifying video that featured top sporting personalities such as Mario Balotelli, Sergio Agüero and Usain Bolt.

To increase engagement, commuters were instantly rewarded when they walked through Orchard Media Hub Wall linkway – a special panel with 800 peelable stickers was installed allowing customers to peel off a discount coupon to enjoy instant deals at the PUMA shop in ION Orchard.

Campaign period

7 August to 3 September 2014 OOH format

Orchard Media Hub Concept Linkway, Orchard iBillboard, Somerset Concept Linkway Campaign objective

PUMA wanted to raise awareness for its new brand platform, Forever Faster, with a brand promise it’s the fastest sports brand in the world.

MBS’ Dinosaurs: Dawn to Extinction

Client

Marina Bay Sands (MBS) Art Science Museum Campaign period

Strategy and execution

15 April to 14 July 2014

SMRT buses were fitted with life-like dinosaur 2D images which popped out of the buses to give Singaporeans a glimpse at the enormity of the dinosaurs and entice them down to the ticketed exhibition. Commuters were also able to pick up a bus hanger, scan the QR code to interact with the message throughout their journey and be transported back to the time where dinosaurs roamed the earth.

by SMRT Media OOH format

Concept bus (wholly wrapped buses and bus hangers) Campaign objective

MBS launched a campaign to encourage

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Singaporeans to visit their latest exhibition, “Dinosaurs: Dawn to Extinction”.

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DIGITAL MEDIA OF THE YEAR

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DIGITAL MEDIA OF While the move to digital for most media platforms is imminent, not all do it well. Here are the ones that have come out on top, according to marketers.

METHODOLOGY HOW DID WE ACHIEVE THIS? The Digital Media of the Year rankings were derived from questions in Marketing Research’s annual Media Spend Benchmarking Survey.

Marketing Research employed an online questionnaire and surveyed its database of client advertisers and marketing services agency professionals. All answers given by respondents were considered by Marketing when finalising the rankings.

QUALITY RECIPIENTS AND RESPONDENTS More than 700 respondents participated in the Media Spend Benchmarking Survey. Genuine advertising decision-makers and influencers across key agency-using industries were well represented as were agency professionals from various marketing services.

Nearly 87% of client advertiser-side respondents were manager-level decisionmakers and above, with 10% from the most

senior ranks of client advertisers – CEOs, MDs or GMs – and another 18% were VPs or director-level marketers.

The majority of the respondents from the agency side were CEOs, MDs or GMs (32%), 16% were marketing personnel, while 23% were sales personnel. The remaining 29% were operations, creative and media personnel.

Advertisers from major and local international banks, FMCG companies, property

2 | AugustMan.com

3 | fhm.com

MEN 1 | menshealth.com.sg

askmen.com

Men’s Health’s website clinches top spot for this category. The brand has continued to attract a strong following across all platforms – site, print, social media and also signature events. The publication told Marketing the team was working on a site revamp to deliver a better experience for the readers. Its Facebook handle is particularly active with more than 36,000 followers, whereas its Twitter handle (@menshealth_sg) has more than 5,000 followers, both updated constantly with relevant content.

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August Man is in second place this year for the men’s category in Digital Media of the Year. The men’s lifestyle portal was launched in 2009 and was recently given a facelift in June this year to improve reader experience and integrate social media activity into the site. Internally, William Tan, one of the pioneers of the site, joined the team again in January 2014 as digital strategist for all digital platforms in Burda Singapore’s publications.

FHM’s site takes third spot for this category.

Every month, the site’s FHM TV features behind-the-scenes videos of the cover and event shoots, allowing readers to get up close and personal with the cover girls. The videos are also simultaneously shared on Instagram and Facebook, making way for social sharing.

Similarly, the FHM Exclusive Photos column offers a browsing experience of photos from the cover shoot, interviews and events.

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DIGITAL MEDIA OF THE YEAR

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THE YEAR and construction, IT and telecommunications firms, as well as those from travel and tourism companies participated in the survey. Agency professionals across the marketing services spectrum were also well represented.

WOMEN 1 | herworldplus.com

HerworldPlus comes in first for the women’s category. The site launched a responsive design earlier in the year to facilitate a better experience for its users. Concurrently, herworldPlus has also embarked on native advertising, incorporating call-to-action within content. In addition, e-commerce functionalities have been embedded as part of the reading process as well allowing consumers to buy on its site. The response garnered to date has been encouraging, said a spokesperson. Several advertisers have shown continued support such as Lancôme, Chanel, Estée Lauder, Burberry and Rolex.

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2 | holygrail.cozycot.com

CozyCot finished in second place for this category. The women’s beauty site has dedicated itself to connecting women through a social community with more than 28,000 forum threads and more than two million posts to share. The site has a wide variety of offerings from a CozyCot TV, which is a section with various beauty related videos curated by the team, to an ongoing live feed of forum posts.

CozyCot’s Facebook handle also has more than 60,000 likes, engaging consumers with relevant content.

3 | sites.xinmsnent.mediacorp.sg/en/ magazine/style

Style’s site comes in third place this year. The women’s magazine website has added more content to its fashion, bijoux and beauty sections with a focus on concision in articles to allow for easy reading on the web. Under its “textbook” tab, Style has put up more photos in its galleries to provide readers with a more complete and attractive set of visuals to complement the articles. It has also made behind-the-scenes videos available to allow readers to understand the workings behind each issue – from cover shoots to fashion spreads.

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DIGITAL MEDIA OF THE YEAR

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PROPERTY 1 | propertyguru.com.sg

2 | stproperty.sg

3 | iproperty.com.sg

Coming in first for the property category is PropertyGuru. The site introduced an interactive transactor module for the benefit of property agents, empowering them to provide essential reports on valuation assessment and more.

Internally, Lewis Ng was appointed managing director of PropertyGuru Singapore. Between May and July 2015, the site ran the “PropertyGuru Great Singapore Specials” which was an online catalogue of condo developments with exclusive deals and an editorial supplement to detail trends in the market.

STProperty takes second place for the property category. In March, the site organised its biggest event, STProperty Expo, which saw more than 3,500 attendees and a total of 14 established exhibitors from Malaysia. It also collaborated with SAEA Ltd for the STProperty-SAEA Real Estate Excellence Awards 2014 to honour the best in the industry. The site also underwent a revamp in August and was launched again via various media platforms. Key advertisers that have signed on with STProperty are Citibank, Mapletree, UEM Sunrise, City Development Limited and Savills.

In third place is iProperty this year. It recently launched iBonus, the iProperty.com consumer loyalty programme to bring client-prospect engagement to a deeper level. In terms of senior hires, Georg Chmiel, from REA Group Ltd, has joined the company as CEO and managing director. Sean Tan, general manager of iProperty. com Singapore, is also holding the portfolio of regional general manager for GoHome.com.hk and vProperty.com Macau.

1 | insing.com

2 | lifestyleasia.com

3 | TimeOutSingapore.com

Taking top spot in the lifestyle category is inSing.

Under SingTel Digital Media, the Singaporean lifestyle guide site has continued to extend its reach with more than 220,000 followers on its Facebook handle, where the team posts and shares relevant content such as that from HungryGoWhere, along with deals and contests regularly. It also engages its target audiences via Twitter and Instagram. It has also been made available on mobile along with a complementary movies app.

LifestyleAsia comes in second place for this year’s rankings. The site underwent a complete revamp six months ago taking on a mobile-first approach. In regards to the team, Joannah Zhong has been hired as the Singapore editor.

Notably, the site has integrated its Singapore online edition into AsiaOne.com powering the luxury tab on the news site to further increase its reach in Singapore. Furthermore, LifestyleAsia also syndicates lifestyle content to MSN Southeast Asia. Advertisers that have come onboard include Rolls-Royce, St Regis Hermès and Gucci.

Time Out Singapore comes in third place for this year’s lifestyle category. It has continued to be a definitive entertainment website, enjoying double-digit growth and covering all there is to know about Singapore. A new editorial management team has come on board to helm both the magazine and site – Iliyas Ong (editor) and Mia Chenyze (online editor). A digital relaunch of the site was also planned for December 2014, along with a new TOSG app. Jaguar Cars and Skyscanner are among the new advertisers who have come on board.

LIFESTYLE

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SEARCH 1 | google.com.sg

Google clinches top spot in the search category.

The search engine, which was founded in 1998, most recently introduced a new service – the Google Contributor – that allows users to block ads via paying. The Singapore team also saw the introduction of Joanna Flint as country manager in mid-December last year. In June this year, Google Singapore also worked with Nestlé via the Google+ “Hangouts on Air” platform to allow the brand to engage with consumers online.

2 | yahoo.com.sg

Yahoo takes second spot in the search category.

The local home page was refreshed earlier this year. Furthermore, there have been a slew of mobile product launches, including the new Yahoo mail app and the international edition of the Yahoo News Digest app. Internally, managing director for the overall India and SEA business, Yvonne Chang, has exited the team. The team ran the Yahoo Fast Flicks made-for-web video competition in October to positive responses.

Key advertisers for the site include Starwood, HSBC, Sentosa, Singapore Airlines and Marina Bay Sands.

3 | xin.msn.com/en-sg

XinMSN takes third spot for the search category. Microsoft and MediaCorp recently released a new version of the site in October, which will combine premium content from the world’s leading media outlets with personal productivity tools to help consumers do more.

The new experience is available on the web and will soon be available across all major device platforms, including Windows, iOS and Android.

MediaCorp’s William Lee, senior vice-president for convergent media, was tasked to oversee XinMSN in June this year.

SOCIAL MEDIA 1 | facebook.com

Facebook clinches top spot for this category.

After reprioritising to become a mobile-first company, Facebook has launched new tools for a better consumer experience and more detailed metrics to help brands reach their audiences.

For example, earlier this year, Facebook worked with Coca-Cola to grow brand awareness among youth in Indonesia through a FIFA World Cup 2014 music video: Dunia Kita. It also drove new customer acquisition and sales for online retailers such as Lazada, which used the custom audiences tool to engage its customers better.

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2 | linkedin.com

LinkedIn finishes second in the social media category.

The business-oriented social networking site has expanded its offerings to better service its expanding network users. It launched a new analytics tool earlier this year, content marketing score, to help brands assess their content marketing efforts. The site has also introduced a trending content section to allow brands to sift through popular topics relevant to their audiences.

3 | twitter.com

Twitter comes in third for this year’s social media category. The social media site has been made more user-friendly and multi-media friendly and has continued to expand its advertising products across the region, educating businesses on how to leverage the power of real-time marketing.

In November, the self-service Twitter Ads was introduced for small and medium businesses, along with Twitter Flight School, an online resource to assist agencies in using the site.

Notable advertisers who have come on board include cable channel History Asia and the Health Promotion Board.

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DIGITAL MEDIA OF THE YEAR

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LUXURY 1 | singaporetatler.com

Tatler clinches top spot in the luxury category.

Tatler has experienced tremendous growth in its online traffic, with more than 700,000 views monthly. In terms of its team, the publication has created the position of online director filled

by Olga Sych to oversee all digital development, content and revenue. The Tatler team has also hired a new online editor, Poppy Skinner. Some major clients who have worked with the site include Cartier, Tiffany, Burberry and Porsche.

2 | luxury-insider.com

3 | prestige-singapore.com.sg

Luxury Insider comes in second place for the luxury category this year. Most significantly, the publication became part of the SPH Magazines family this year. Internally, Stefanus Wongsodiredjo joined as digital operations manager, while Charis Liang joined as business development director.

Some key advertisers who signed with Luxury Insider include Cartier, Royal Salute, Chaumet, BMW and Rolls-Royce. A key campaign for Luxury Insider this year was with Van Cleef & Arpels in Malaysia.

Prestige Asia comes in third for this category.

William Tan joined the team in January as the digital strategist for the digital platforms of all publications under Burda Singapore. Meanwhile, Lauren Tan was also promoted to deputy editor for Prestige Singapore, helming the online component of the publication’s site. One key advertising campaign was Burberry’s Social Media Superstars. Meanwhile, Coach also had an advertising campaign on the Prestige Asia website.

2 | expedia.com.sg

3 | zuji.com.sg

TRAVEL 1 | tripadvisor.com.sg

TripAdvisor comes first in this category. Currently, there are 13 TripAdvisor domains in Asia Pacific, with the introduction of the Philippines, New Zealand and Vietnam just this year. Angie Vaux was recently appointed the commercial director of APAC for business. She is based in Singapore. New advertisers who have come on board include Singapore Tourism Board, Marina Bay Sands and DBS. TripAdvisor also launched its first-ever user-generated ad contest in the US, France and Australia where the TripAdvisor “Don’t Just Visit” TV ads initially aired.

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Expedia takes second spot for this year’s rankings. Expedia Singapore is one of the 11 sites operating in the Asian region. The site has continued to offer a personalised service to its wide base of customers to suit all travelling needs – from cheap flights to reliable hotel bookings as well as cheap deals. Some of the key advertisers working with Expedia are China Southern, Japan Tourism Agency, SingTel, Tourism Northern Territory, and National Tourism Administration of China. It also recently launched the new Expedia tablet app which is now available in 30 countries and 17 languages.

Zuji finishes third for this category. The regional travel agency site, which was founded in 2002, has continued to enable thousands of trips for its network of users. Working with more than 400 airlines and 150,000 hotels, Zuji attracts more than 60,000 unique customers with a range of travel offerings to top destinations.

Zuji also engages customers consistently via its social media platforms with more than 83,000 followers on its Singaporean Facebook account. In Hong Kong, it appointed MEC to handle media business after an open pitch.

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DIGITAL MEDIA OF THE YEAR

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NEWS 1 | asiaone.com

2 | channelnewsasia.com

3 | straitstimes.com

AsiaOne clinches top spot for this category. In January, the news site launched its iPad app which was widely recognised. It also embarked on a campaign to grow its Facebook fan base earlier this year. This was in its continued efforts to improve its social media engagement strategy.

The team has also remained consistent with no new hires. Repeat advertisers who have continued supporting the AsiaOne site include Changi Airport, Rakuten, Pan Pacific, Harvey Norman and Qatar.

Channel NewsAsia takes second spot in this year’s rankings. The site has introduced tabbed sections for hot global topics such as Ebola and ISIS. The news site has also been made better for navigation and access to content. With regards to the team, Edric Sng has been appointed supervising editor for digital news. The site also saw several new advertisers. These include Rolex, Cartier and Reebonz.

The Straits Times comes in third spot this year.

It has reorganised its newsroom workflow to serve its digital audience better and also formed a “breaking news” team to get the news out as soon as possible. In addition, because of the success of the daily morning newsletter, The Straits Times launched a daily afternoon edition starting November. According to the latest Nielsen Media Index Report, ST Digital reaches up to 10% of the Singaporean population, with four million unique visitors per month.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS AND CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 | cnn.com

CNN clinches top spot for this category. The international edition of the global news site is produced by staff from both London and Hong Kong with bureaus worldwide. With a strong global team of 4,000 news professionals, the site ensures news coverage throughout the day. Furthermore, the site features the latest media technologies from live video streaming to audio packages, making the content more diverse and engaging. The site has also been optimised across all devices for a seamless user experience.

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2 | Forbes.com

Forbes has finished second this year. Forbes. com recently relaunched and is now investing in newsletters and premium content. It has also developed a new home page for contributors and marketers on mobile and desktop. This comes with customisation and programming options. In addition, Forbes recently launched luxury lifestyle website ForbesLife.com on both mobile and desktop. New hires include senior front-end designer Johnny McCampbell, and VP for advertising sales for the US Eastern region, Jessica Sibley.

3 | online.wsj.com/asia

The Wall Street Journal takes third spot in this category. The publication’s website is undergoing a redesign with more responsive and livelier graphics set to grace the site around its completion in March 2015. As a complement, a new android product is being designed in Hong Kong for global use. This is set to launch in December 2015. Internally, Yumiko Ono, who previously headed the WSJ Japanese edition, has been named the Asia audience engagement editor and will be based in Hong Kong.

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DIGITAL MEDIA OF THE YEAR

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BUSINESS & FINANCE 1 | businesstimes.com.sg

The BT website relaunched on 8 October this year with a responsive web design for optimised news and ad displays on any screen. The site follows the new print edition which groups news by sector. It also weaves print and digital-only stories together to efficiently present news in context for readers.

The BT team is also using more interactive infographics to tell stories visually. New advertisers for BT include UBS, DBS, National Library Board, Samsung and Singapore Turf Club. ST digital’s Charmaine Martin also joined BT in September.

2 | theedgemarkets.com

As part of The Edge Media Group’s launch of its new website, www.theedgemarkets.com, links to download sponsored digital copies of The Edge Financial Daily are emailed to all registered users of the website. Leading property developer S P Setia was the launch partner of The Edge’s new financial news portal. In conjunction with the launch of www.theedgemarkets.com, three new columns were introduced in The Edge Financial Daily on October 10. These are Stocks With Momentum, Tong’s Momentum Portfolio and Insider Asia’s Stock Pick of the Day.

3 | sbr.com.sg

The Singapore Business Review website upgraded its writing style from “telling the news” to “telling the story behind the news”.

This was initiated to give readers a better view of what’s really going on behind economic statistics, company profits and property policies.

The Singapore Business Review International Business Awards was also launched this year to recognise the best in the legal, commercial banking, property brokerage, architecture and engineering industries.

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS & FINANCE 1 | Bloomberg.com

Bloomberg.com is Bloomberg’s leading digital destination – targeting regional and global businesses and premium consumer audiences.

It has more than 22 million global unique users monthly and 2.6 million unique users in the Asia Pacific. Bloomberg’s media strategy has digital at its core and Bloomberg plans to roll out new digital brands from early 2015. It is led by former Verge co-founder Joshua Topolsky who joined Bloomberg in August as chief digital content officer. Bloomberg.com aims to combine leadership in business news content and videos with contemporary design. From 2015, Bloomberg.com will also focus on a more regionalised content and design approach to further engage its Asia-based audience.

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2 | ft.com

The Financial Times is known as one of the world’s leading business news organisations.

The FT has a combined paid print and digital circulation of more than 700,000, said a spokesperson. Mobile is an increasingly important channel for the FT, driving almost half of total traffic and 20% of digital subscriptions.

This year, FT unveiled a refreshed design which gives the pink newspaper a consistent look across all editions and complements FT.com.

3 | Businessweek.com

Businessweek.com’s traffic has been steadily growing because of a constantly updated variety of stories, graphics and videos. It adheres closely to its missions of making people smarter while saving them time. Businessweek.com stories are complemented with content from Bloomberg TV and highly produced field pieces that take users to worlds far away from their desks. Even explanatory pieces are greenscreened and layered with engaging graphics and animation. The Bloomberg Businessweek+ app is available on the iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, and Samsung devices.

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DIGITAL MEDIA OF THE YEAR

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TECH 1 | hardwarezone.com.sg

HardwareZone has been carefully monitoring consumption patterns of its readers and found a growing trend of users reading its content on mobile devices. To better serve content on smartphones and small tablets, the team has built a mobile-friendly content site to optimise readability and touch-based interactivity. Following that, the team modernised the desktop version of the site with improved fonts, page layout and better content-sharing functions. Accompanying these front-end changes, the editorial team improved content headlines to increase site stickiness. The forums have also seen a number of changes to increase content awareness and visibility after it streamlined the forum sections.

2 | cnet.com

Taking second place is CNET. CNET tracks all the latest consumer technology breakthroughs and shows its readers what is new, what matters and how technology can enrich their lives. It aims to give readers the information, tools and advice that will help them decide what to buy and how to get the most out of the tech. CNET also offers a huge array of videos with some of its most popular editors. From Apple Byte with Brian Tong to CNET On Cars with Brian Cooley, CNET videos aim to deliver the same content you find online in a more dynamic and entertaining format.

3 | Zdnet.com

Taking third spot is Zdnet.com. ZDNet Tech Properties covers information on technology in an unparalleled business social networking environment. The online publisher claims it attracts one of the largest audiences of IT business leadership. Its audiences range from C-level to the IT professional who rely on ZDNet Tech Properties for news and analysis, insights on vendors, and leveraging peer communities to help them make business technology purchase decisions. On its site, it claims that monthly it draws 25.2 million global unique users.

PARENTING 1 | sg.theasianparent.com

2 | SingaporeMotherhood.com

3 | youngparents.com.sg

TheAsianparent redesigned itself in April to provide mums with a mobile-friendly platform they can access on-the-go. It also launched with The ASEAN Digital Mum Report 2014, revealing research from more than 10,000 mums across Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. In October, theAsianparent Groups was launched, which is one of the first Q&A communities for Asian mums in Singapore.

In the past 12 months, it has worked with more than 250 clients. GSK, Samsung, Abbott, HSBC, MindChamps, Unilever, StarHub, Kimberly-Clark, Resorts World Sentosa are a few of its clients.

The purpose for SingaporeMotherhood.com is to provide a one-stop portal to cater to the needs of local parents and parents-to-be with information relevant to this new and exciting phase of their lives. SingaporeMotherhood. com was set up in 2005 by the same people who started SingaporeBrides.com and founded Tian Dot Com. SingaporeMotherhood.com was grown from the support of users who continued to participate in the forums of SingaporeBrides. com after their wedding. Many threads related to pregnancies and motherhood were created to engage online readers.

Young Parents takes third spot this year. This year, the site wanted to reach out to parents and new readers beyond its print magazine.

Hence, in the past year it has added more interactivity to its digital editions and enhanced its website with a blog section to share parenting experiences and tips. It has plans to further develop the website in 2015. In 2014, it worked with major brands such as Knowledge Universe, Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital and NTUC on eDMs; and Safra, Mead Johnson, the British Council and more.

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DIGITAL MEDIA OF THE YEAR

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CARS 1 | sgcarmart.com

In the past year, SPH launched the sgCarMart mobile site to offer its mobile users a better experience. It now has more than 10 million page views per month from its mobile site. As a result, it can offer clients and ad agencies an added platform for their advertising campaigns.

Many advertisers have come on board with sgCarMart in the past year. They include the likes of Standard Chartered Bank, DBS, CIMB, American Express, Direct Asia, Cycle and Carriage Group and Shell Eastern Petroleum.

2 | torque.com.sg

Taking second spot is Torque. The Torque brand maintains a strong audience across all its platforms. Its signature “Torque On The Move” event has also consistently attracted car enthusiasts. Currently the team is working on a revamp to deliver a better site and content experience for readers. Torque features the latest motoring news, informative articles and what it claims are unbiased test-drive reports in a “visually attractive package of top-quality photography and sleek design”.

3 | topgear.com/sg

Top Gear remained somewhat stable this year with no huge changes. The focus for Top Gear Singapore is still about having driving fun and giving readers compelling products to spend their money wisely on. The magazine version of Top Gear features not only new cars, but historical pedigrees of cars which it feels is just as important. It recently revamped its website, which it’s now starting to populate with more pertinent local automotive lifestyle content. It is also on Instagram as topgear_singapore and Facebook.

AD NETWORK 1 | google.com.sg/ads/displaynetwork

Google comes in top for the ad network. Google has continued to debut mobile-friendly formats for apps promotions and new targeting options, including the ability to reach users who have previously visited a site or app with tailored messaging. “Over the past 12 months consumers have continued to move to mobile, especially in Asia. Two of the top five smartphone-adopting nations come from the region (Singapore 85%, Korea 80%) and others in the region are not far behind, with many countries over the 50% mark,” said a spokesperson.

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2 | tribalfusion.com

Tribal Fusion, under Exponential, has come in second place for the ad network category. In July, it launched a range of new video-enabled engagement ad formats across its video and mobile audience engagement divisions – Firefly Video, AdoTube and Appsnack – to give advertisers a wider range of rich media options.

It also promoted Ben Maudsley to the role of managing director of APAC and South Africa for Exponential, earlier this year, working alongside Kelvin Tan, general manager of Southeast and North Asia.

3 | komli.com

Komli Media is the third top ad network in Digital Media of the Year. In the past year, the company has continued to develop its audience-based digital media solutions across Southeast Asia. “We have focused on the channels that are growing with more velocity such as video, mobile and performance,” a spokesperson said. The company also saw major changes to its senior management ranks, with founders Prashant Mehta and Akshay Garg exiting the firm. Damien Lavin is the new VP of SEA/ANZ; Matt Sutton the new VP of social; and Ashwin Puri the new VP of RevX and mobile.

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DIGITAL MEDIA OF THE YEAR

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MOBILE AD NETWORK 1 | google.com/AdMob

2 | inmobi.com

3 | millennialmedia.com millennial media

campaign summary

NTUC FairPrice Xtra Chooses Mobile For 7th Anniversary Contest OPPORTUNITY In celebration of its 7th Anniversary, NTUC FairPrice Xtra Supermarket was looking to encourage local families to participate in the Trolley Dash; a 3-week contest designed to drive customers in-stores and online. Utilizing Millennial Media’s leading targeting capabilities around key supermarket locations was the catalyst to the success of the campaign.

Google’s AdMob comes in first place for the mobile ad network category. “Over the past 12 months consumers have continued to move to mobile, especially in Asia. Two of the top five smartphone-adopting nations come from the region (Singapore 85%, Korea 80%) and others in the region are not far behind, with many countries over the 50% mark,” said a spokesperson. Recent innovations for AdMob include improvements to app install ads, app re-engagement campaigns, along with measurement giving advertisers the ability to measure conversions across the entire life cycle of the app.

STRATEGY

InMobi finishes in second place in this year’s rankings. According to the company, it was a successful year of many milestones achieved, with a number of new product launches aimed at pushing the boundaries of mobile advertising.

It started 2014 by introducing its Native Ads platform, which allows app developers and mobile publishers to deliver an engaging in-context native advertising experience to their end users. InMobi also launched an interactive Video Ads platform designed to deliver five times higher engagement.

Mid-year, it partnered with Rubicon Project to launch InMobi Exchange, a mobile programmatic buying and selling platform.

Millennial Media comes in third place. In the past 12 months, it launched or rebranded a handful of new mobile ad targeting offerings, including cross-screen (path), location (point), audience targeting (focus) and measurement (omni).

Most prominently, the company announced the decision to acquire mobile SSP and RTB platform Nexage. The acquisition strengthens Millennial Media’s programmatic positioning and solidifies the company’s creation of an independent, endto-end, premium mobile marketplace. In the past year, the company hired Michael Barrett as president and CEO.

DSPs 1 | thinkwithgoogle.com/products/ doubleclick-bid-manager.html

Google’s DoubleClick Bid Manager came in top place in the DSP category for this year in Digital Media of the Year. This year, in terms of product development, it added broad support for video campaigns; integrated brand metrics such as view-ability reporting and targeting; launched dynamic creatives and came up with a series of mobile features. At the same time, Bid Manager’s core automated bidding and budget allocation features have been improved.

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2 | revx.komli.com/platform.html

Komli Media’s RevX comes in second place for the DSP category under Digital Media of the Year. Previously known as ATOM, RevX has evolved to be a CRM advertising DSP platform that helps marketers utilise data across their desktop and mobile websites, mobile app and CRM infrastructure. Ashwin Puri was appointed the new vice-president of RevX. The DSP has since seen more than 30 e-commerce, online travel agencies and classified companies in the region come on board as clients.

3 | vivaki.com/services/addressability/ audience-on-demand

VivaKi’s audience on demand (AOD) comes in third place for the DSP category. Operating in 43 countries with 377 employees globally, it allows brands to deliver highly targeted messages to customised audiences across display, video, mobile, native and social media. AOD wraps proprietary technology and engineering expertise around the world’s most respected technology and data platforms from companies such as Google, Turn, Videology, Voxsup and BlueKai to create differentiated offers. New initiatives include AOD native, AOD sync and AOD’s the headroom analysis tool.

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WHO SHOULD LEAD DATA-DRIVEN MARKETING INITIATIVES? Here’s a round-up of what was discussed at Marketing Magazine’s Big Data 2014 conference.

While the marketing industry has been making the case for more data-driven strategies, one concern that comes up often is getting CEO buy-in for data-driven initiatives. Many have trouble justifying such moves, stumbling when it comes to the dreaded ROI question.

And the issue is real, particularly as many CEOs haven’t yet been convinced about the positives of data-driven strategies.

At the conference, CEO and founder of MHC Asia, Low Lee Yong, told marketers that insights from data-driven technology had put them in the perfect position to make a strong argument for CEOs to move in the direction of a data-driven strategy.

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“You could be sitting on a gold mine of data, don’t wait for a directive to come from the top. You could be feeding insights to top management,” Low said.

CEOs, CIOs or CMOs: Who should take charge of the data revolution?

In a discussion at Marketing magazine’s Big Data 2014 Singapore conference, the issues faced in the CIO-CMO relationship were brought up.

Matthias de Ferrieres, regional director of Asia, and head of marketing and digital, general insurance, for Axa Asia, said he viewed IT as supplying services to marketers, and

that marketers should supply solutions to the business.

Alvin Neo, chief marketing officer at Parkway Hospitals Singapore, said while CIOCMO tensions exist, things largely hinge on how the CEO creates KPIs for each department.

“A big role is played in this tense situation by the CEO – it is about KPIs. If I as a CEO hold my CIO to traditional IT KPIs, then can I blame my CIO for not wanting to jeopardise his position by supporting marketing for some social media stunt?”

Low said: “The answer is obvious – it’s the CEO (who should drive it). If the CEO does not believe that data can give valuable insights, WWW. M ARKE TI N G- I N TE RAC TI VE . C OM

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and does not know the latest technology, then you’re on an uphill task. In my company, I personally take charge of the data portion – I make sure that I sit in all the meetings.

“We do not allow the IT people to pull a fast one, and put in stumbling blocks in the name of security.”

MHC Asia is in the technology healthcare business, and works by helping firms make speedy medical claims from insurers. Low demonstrated how the use of data enabled it to weed out medical fraud, and help its clients by reducing absenteeism, etc.

“We’ve definitely seen it produce results for the business,” he said.

Namita Mediratta, director of global spreads and dressings, consumer and marketing insights, at Unilever, echoed the same sentiments.

“Big data is not just about marketing, but an overall organisational change,” she said.

She added that every firm would have “dark data”, that is, areas of under-utilised data, and in turn, opportunity.

Attributing ROI On the topic of demonstrating ROI, Anil Srinivas, director of e-commerce at Dell, APJ, talked about why marketing attribution requires big data analysis.

Sales volume is attributed to many different factors: PR, brand promotions, the overall economy, pricing, seasonality, competition and more. Marketing attribution attempts to describe the customer journey.

Srinivas advised working insights from data into the attribution model and workflow so it’s used regularly.

Why big data still requires a human touch With the evolution of technology and how much predictive algorithms are expected to take precedence, will key decision-making be replaced by data-churning machines? The answer is no.

While big data has been the buzzword of late, it’s important to remember it won’t solve all problems.

At Marketing’s Big Data 2014 conference held at the Four Seasons, Abdul Rahim Bawa, VP of insights and marketing analytics for (SEA) for MasterCard, said: “Big data is not a silver bullet to solve all your problems. In fact, it won’t solve your problems. Ultimately, common sense will.”

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the influx of data, mundane and repetitive work needed to be automised and this was simply to make room for a long-term data strategy.

Making headway in the world of data requires the right people and, of course, talented data scientists. Without the right people to make sense of the data, navigating the world of big data is close to impossible.

Data, in fact, should work in tandem to enhance and humanise the marketing function.

Data enables marketers to understand and relate to consumers. It makes giant corporations less intimidating “Today consumers are talking among themselves. Marketers can either sit back and be part of the audience, or they can take part in the conversation. And you can only be part of the conversation when you know where it is happening. With big data, marketers can then know where to be to join the conversation.”

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He added silos inside the marketing team and IT teams also needed to be broken.

“When you are working with big data, you are part of the group. No matter what your role is, you are part of the data analysis team. Stop looking at the team as a ‘them or us’ – you need to go back and work with the business analyst and data scientists as a team to optimise the way you understand your consumer.”

On the issue of social media listening, Anna Rokina, social data consultant at Lenovo, said despite Lenovo wanting to move ahead and be completely automised in the way it analyses data, analysts were still vital to the company and marketing to understand the reasons behind a peak in social dynamics on a certain day and a dip on other days.

Meanwhile, if you missed the Big Data 2014 conference, take a look at what went on below: Social media listening has been a core

strategy for Lenovo. This year saw the brand launch its “social pulse” in Singapore.

This was soon followed by social media listening command centres in China and the US. These offices displayed real-time social data and analysis on screens. The screens also amplified social media data to bring the brand “closer to people”, said Anna Rokina, social data consultant at Lenovo.

“If you place the screens near your CEO’s office, you will get him interested and asking on why people are saying certain things about your brand,” she said.

Social media listening brings everybody else in the organisation together to understand how the product can be improved or adjusted to meet the consumer’s satisfaction, she added.

However, vetting this immense amount of data comes with its own set of challenges.

One challenge the Lenovo team uncovered

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was that with data from social platforms, the amount of data garnered is uncertain.

“Hence, there is always a need to be flexible and adapt,” she said.

Lenovo’s challenges in social media listening Another challenge is there is always a substantial amount of “noise” and chatter in social, and sifting through that to find a “signal” is also a tedious task.

Also, with data and the ability to provide a packaged bundle of it being the new hype, many social platforms are also jumping on the bandwagon. However, “text data and meta data are not always consistent throughout the data set. Facebook gives you different data than Twitter or forums”.

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While full automation of the research process is something Lenovo is looking towards, it is still difficult to achieve. Currently an analyst is still vital for the team to understand why a certain peak or dip happened in a conversation on a certain day.

But nonetheless, the brand has still moved forward and reaped the benefits of social media listening.

Today, social media listening allows the brand to uncover “unknowns” and understand what the consumer is passionate about – whether good or bad. Social media listening also opened doors for Lenovo when it came to getting access to a niche audience in a costeffective manner.

“We were able to get access to big social data and historical data that gave us the ability

to zoom in on any theme or data point and discover niche audiences,” she said.

Meanwhile, having its own command centre also adds flexibility to Lenovo’s approach to data. The team is quickly able to change or add new themes in its reports and optimise data if the initial research proves unproductive.

“Data helps build customer profiles to see what types of campaigns would work on them. Not only that, data also helps us in creating a product and validates a product idea we might have already had. Today we look at very different data points to see how people converse or behave.”

Marketing magazine’s Big Data 2014 conference took place on 11 November 2014 at the Four Seasons Hotel Singapore.

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HOW BRANDS ARE TARGETING THE LUCRATIVE CHINESE TRAVEL MARKET Key brands such as Accor Group and Banyan Tree reveal their strategies for reaching travellers in the Marketing to Travellers 2014 conference.

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With Chinese travellers being ranked as the top travel spenders, it is little surprise the hospitality industry is making them one of its priorities.

According to UNWTO, top travel spenders in 2013 were from China.

In Marketing Magazine’s Marketing to Travellers conference, David Spooner (pictured), vice-president of sales and marketing at Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts, talks about the resort chain’s success in China and how it tailored its approach.

While looking like a global brand is important, tailoring to fit Chinese tourists is also a tricky balance to manage, he said.

While the main market is still Shanghai for the brand, it is expecting huge growth in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. Tier 3 consists of 229 cities – that’s a lot of potential business.

“While we are still looking at Tier 1 and 2 cities, which are obvious targets, Tier 3 is also expanding in the jewellery and watches market – an indicator of a growing luxury market,” he said.

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He said Banyan Tree was banking on taking a different strategy for its target audience.

“They want new experiences, special treatment, new destinations and insider access.

As a hotel group, how do you provide these and also gain a reputation for it?” he said.

He talked about the brand’s strategy in branding itself as the perfect proposal spot.

Marketing itself as a couples’ getaway, hotel staff will help people to prepare the settings, for example, for men who want to propose.

“When the pictures of it goes up (on social media), it builds our brand,” he said, It also adds other personal touches such as personalising the minibar. It also has hosts, butlers, a 24-hour service and chefs to cook breakfast for guests in their villas. The resort also prepares itself for social media shareability.

It makes sure its staff are trained to take pictures of food and guests at the best angles for social media.

Chinese-speaking staff are a must. “They don’t have to be Chinese, but they just have to be able to speak Chinese and understand the culture in general. We have language classes for our employees,” he said.

Also, aside from altering its Banyan Tree magazine to focus on key interests of Chinese travellers, it offers souvenirs at its resort destinations that are not found at duty free shops or at branded department stores.

Hotel group Accor also said that going forward the focus would be on Asia Pacific. It owns brands such Sofitel and Pullman.

“The money in Europe has dried up. It’s now going to happen in Asia – a space where there is the money and the willingness to create these state-of-the-art/state-of-the-archive buildings,”

said Rick Lam, Accor’s senior vice-president of global marketing.

However, its strategy is to also target the growing millennials market, on top of plans to reach China and India.

“Those who are 33 and below – by 2030, they will outnumber the baby boomers by 22 million,” Lam said.

As a hotel brand, this is seeing Accor push heavily into engaging people on social media platforms.

“Social media is especially important.

Unrecovered critics – unfortunately, new technology allows everyone to be a critic.

Increasingly, we are under constant scrutiny.

We need to perform. We need to be good all the time – as good as the last experience we provided,” he said.

But it is careful to avoid the clichés of creating a “hub” or designated space for its consumers to interact. Rather, it creates spaces where it is easy for them to do so.

Rick Lam and David Spooner were speakers at Marketing magazine’s Marketing to Travellers conference at Four Seasons Hotel Singapore on 12 November 2014.

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TO ATTRACT TALENT, YOU NEED STAR CMOS Industry players discuss how to tackle talent woes in The Marketing Talent Forum.

It comes as no surprise that marketing and advertising has had a difficult time attracting and retaining talent. In the US alone, graduates who get jobs with Facebook and Google draw in three times the salary compared with those in advertising and marketing. Meanwhile, the salary figures for those in finance and law rake in even higher, said Shufen Goh, co-founder and principal of R3, and president of IAS, following a study the IAS did.

So does this mean marketers should simply scrape for talent at the bottom of the barrel? Or can more be done to attract the brightest minds into the industry?

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of the client. CMOs need to take accountability of business and not shy away from attributing results to the marketing teams, and taking clear measures to let marketing be responsible for driving business outcomes. Only then will you see marketing getting a say at the table on longterm strategic solutions and growing as a field,” Goh said.

Branding your brand Goh added that attracting talent was easier if you were a known company. Otherwise more needs to be done to brand the company.

“Not enough is being done to attract graduates in the field of advertising. In fact, advertising is not even on the radar of those students graduating in the fields of marketing communications. Agencies that take care of their own brand do attract more talent because perception does matter.”

Fiona Gordon, group chairman of Ogilvy &

Mather Singapore, added that especially in a tight-knit market such as Singapore, your talent and employees become the face of your brand.

“Everyone who has worked for your agency is now your brand ambassador. You need to make their work experience count to build your brand,” she said.

She added that today’s generation needed to see a purpose in every piece of work they do and a sense of culture needs to be created in the industry for individuals to thrive.

“Money follows culture, culture doesn’t follow money. In the end, the longevity of your staff is related to the success of your business.”

Letting the inner entrepreneur shine Kristian Barnes, APAC CEO of Vizeum, seconded that notion adding the marketing industry as a whole needed to do a better job of branding itself to attract talent. However, he said it was crucial that when the right talent was WWW. M ARKE TI N G- I N TE RAC TI VE . C OM

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attracted, a career path was carved out that allowed for entrepreneurial spirits to flourish.

Pete Mitchell, global media innovations director at Mondelēz International, also echoed similar sentiments in his session. He said that today’s millennial generation possessed a strong entrepreneurial spirit where they were more at ease with trying and failing.

When it comes to pushing boundaries and moving forward, this entrepreneurial spirit is vital in a large company because it changes the way people think in an organisation, Mitchell added.

The age of digital Aseem Puri, marketing director at Unilever Asia, added that attracting the right talent was especially necessary in the world of digital because marketing today can no longer get away with making claims. The consumer today is much savvier and, moreover, talking among themselves.

“Consumers trust anybody, even a stranger on the internet, more than the brand,” he said.

Hence, when forming a marketing team in the digital world, you need to look out for five key skills, he said.

The right fit When it comes to retaining talent, a more structured approach is needed.

Sandeep Khanna, the APAC managing director of Brand Learning, explained that to retain talent, you needed to create a value proposition for employees in a structured way and not just hope for the best. Ultimately, it is the right fit that is necessary.

Across industries, employers today are more experimental in their hires’ skills and capabilities. Skill sets which are of value today to any company are diverse and capabilities can be nurtured over time. But what is integral for success is an individual with the right fit and mindset.

No.1 Purpose:Your team must have the ability to convert a brand from a product in a box to a movement with a mission and goal that is larger than itself.

“All great brands began with a purpose.

Purpose unlocks digital potential,” he said. He added that before embarking on creating your next “viral” video, your team needs to ask these four vital questions.

• Who do we serve?

• What is their issue that we want to own?

• What is our point of view?

• What is our purpose?

No.2 Media: Your team also needs the skills to craft and create content on demand across media as they evolve.

“The need to be able to use text, video, vines, posts and tweets, using a combination of original ideas, curating the best from others and integrating under the brand purpose.”

These seven points need to be asked when creating content for the future: • What useful content can I publish?

• What info are consumers looking for?

• • • •

Where are they confused, unsure, worried?

What makes them stressed about my category?

What kind of interesting/funny stories do we get from customers ?

How can we change the life of one real person in a dramatic way?

What are their deepest fears and worries?

No.3 Growth hacking: This is a skill where marketers get customers by hustling, through creating hype, using technology and leveraging loopholes using minimal capital, but maximum intelligence.

No.4 Analytics insights: Your team needs to have the skill to analyse consumer behaviour online, buy traffic to target it to a destination and convert it into a specific action for consumers to take.

No.5 Lean start-up leadership: The skill to create successful business, innovation and start-up ventures based on real-world testing, learning and the ability to pivot in minimal time and often with no money.

The Marketing Talent Forum took place at Four Seasons Hotel Singapore on 12 November 2014.

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CAREERS

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CAREER PATH Jacqueline Lim

Department head, digital imaging and mobile products marketing department Sony Electronics Singapore First job? The first job that I had was in the education sector, where I was part of the sales and marketing department.

First job in advertising/ marketing? I joined Sony right

after my stint in the education sector, and I have been in the product marketing team ever since. I’ve spent over seven years in charge of various categories in the digital imaging group within the marketing team.

Best job? I love what I’m

doing now. In the ever-changing technology and marketing industry, the constant need to think out of the box and push the envelope in creativity keeps me engaged and on my toes.

Perks of your current job?

Though I’m not a tech geek, I still find it exciting to be one of the first to try new cameras or phones that have not been launched in the market.

Worst job? Honestly, I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve done so far.

Marketing professionals you admire? A brand that I admire

is IKEA. I feel the brand relates closely to its consumers and gives lots of thought to everything it does – from product design to shop concept to customisation and even to its delivery service.

Best career advice you’ve been given? People will always

say follow your passion. But in fact, passion can be built over time. Before I joined Sony, I wasn’t interested in photography, but after being in the industry for so many years, I have grown to it and have even improved my photography skills.

Why a career in marketing? I

believe marketing is the heart of a company, the starting point.

The market landscape is everchanging and the ability to successfully market and influence is immensely satisfying.

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JOB SHUFFLE Clear Channel Singapore appointed Alison Lim (pictured) to the newly created role of head of business operations. Dorothy Lim was appointed sales director, assuming overall responsibility for the sales team, while Low Sing Yee, previously the senior marketing manager at Clear Channel Singapore, has been promoted to marketing director.

Lynn Tan moves from BusAds Singapore to Clear Channel Singapore as operations director.

Patricia Goh was promoted to managing director of Starcom MediaVest Group (SMG) Singapore.

She was last general manager where she was responsible for P&L management, strategy, growth, deliverables and the grooming of talent for both SMG and the industry at large. Goh has led the way in new business wins for SMG and reports to Ranga Somanathan, chairman of Starcom MediaVest Group Singapore and CIO of SEA. Co-founder of HungryGoWhere Dennis Goh has left SingTel to join Singapore-based venture capital fundraising company Wavemaker Pacific. Goh joins as partner and will be based in Singapore. As part of the SingTel team, he led its international expansion as director of international digital media operations. This was following HungryGoWhere being acquired by SingTel in 2012 for US$9.4 million.

Hill+Knowlton Strategies appointed former DeVries Asia lead Michelle Tham managing director of its Singapore operations. She assumes the

role previously held

by Jamie Morse who has stepped down to pursue other opportunities.

Morse will continue as a senior advisor to assist with the leadership transition. Morse took on the role of Singapore lead in March 2013. Tham reports to H+K president and CEO of Asia, John Morgan.

Kinetic Worldwide, WPP’s OOH media buying arm, appointed Manjiri Kamat managing director of Malaysia and Singapore. She will be based in Kuala Lumpur.

She has more than 22 years of experience in the advertising and communications industry, and has held various leadership positions within WPP. Meanwhile, Agnes Law has been promoted to general manager of the Singaporean branch from her previous position as business director.

Digital marketing company Amobee appointed Adam Wade to the position of business director.

He is based in Sydney and is responsible for accelerating Amobee’s business growth in 2015 by driving strategic planning and implementation to ensure the company continues on an upward trajectory. With more than 13 years of experience in digital media at agencies in London and Sydney, he was previously the digital director at Carat.

After more than seven years as the chief marketing and commercial officer, Joe Tripodi will be officially retiring from The Coca-Cola Company at the end of February 2015.

Replacing him will be Marcos De Quinto, who is currently the president of the Iberia business unit and vice-president of Europe group. De Quinto (pictured) will serve as chief marketing officer from 1 January 2015.

Intel appointed Sumner Lemon country manager for Intel Malaysia and Singapore.

Lemon will be accountable for all of Intel’s sales and marketing activities in both countries. He will also be driving strategic partnerships with the government and ecosystem partners to accelerate technology adoption in both countries.

Lemon first joined Intel in 2010 as a corporate communications manager based in Singapore.

Mobext appointed Marco Rigon as its global head to further develop Havas Group’s overall mobile marketing strategy for its clients worldwide. Mobext has offices in 53 countries and offers specialised end-to-end mobile marketing services within the global arena. Before joining Mobext, Rigon (pictured) spent six years as associate director at Phonevalley, Publicis Groupe’s mobile marketing agency.

MSLGROUP, the strategic communications and engagement consultancy of Publicis Groupe, appointed Benjamin Koe regional director of strategic insight and impact. His appointment will enable the agency to enhance its capabilities in data and analytics, allowing its teams to provide clients with greater insight. He will also be responsible for establishing two Asia centres of excellence – one in China and India.

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SENIOR APPOINTMENTS

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ABOUT AMBITION

Ambition is a leading global boutique recruitment business with coverage across Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia and United Kingdom. Founded and listed on the Australian Securities Exchange in 1999, the company has grown to become a prominent specialist player within marketing recruitment. For more information, please visit www.ambition.com.sg.

Head of Meetings & Events, APAC F General Management Position F Full P&L Responsibility F Regional APAC position 30 !*'#,2 '1 5-0*" *# "',% 2& 2 '1 5#** #12 *'1&#" ," %0-5',% 0 .'"*7 ', 1' !'i!@ 3# to its global strategy and growth targets, it is are now looking to recruit a high calibre individual to "0'4# '21 #4#,21 31',#11 !0-11 2&# 0#%'-,@ Reporting to the global head, this role will be responsible for developing and implementing the 31',#11 120 2#%7 $-0 2&# 0#%'-, 5'2& 2&# %- * -$ #!-+',% 2&# 3,"'1.32#" + 0)#2 *# "#0@ Managing a regional team, you will lead in developing new and existing business, increase the presence and reputation in the market, strengthen operations to ensure excellent service delivery, ," ',,-4 2# 2&0-3%& 2&# 31# -$ 2#!&,-*-%'#1@ -0)',% 5'2& 2&# *# "#01&'. 2# +1 0#%'-, **7 ," %*- **7A 2&'1 '1 &'%&*7 120 2#%'! .-1'2'-, 2& 2 0#/3'0#1 120-,% ',j3#,!',% 1)'**1 !-3.*#" 5'2& !0#"' '*'27 ," %0 4'2 1@ To qualify, individuals must possess: F minimum 10 years’ business development / general management experience F a strong track record in driving revenue growth and a successful business proposition F experience within the events industry F a track record in P&L management F #6!#**#,2 ',j3#,!',% 1)'**1 ," 2&# '*'27 2- *' '1# 2 ** *#4#*1 Contact Matthew Gardner on (65) 6854 5633 or email matthew.gardner@ambition.com.sg quoting reference number MXG27174.

Head of Marketing & Corporate Communications F Leading Multinational Company F APAC Leadership opportunity F umkk Q umpk 1# 1 * 07 Our client is a world leading US Multinational that is well established and growing rapidly in Asia !'i!@ 3# 2- 2&#'0 %*- * 120 2#%7 ," %0-52& 2 0%#21 2&#7 0# ,-5 *--)',% 2- 0#!03'2 &'%& ! *' 0# ',"'4'"3 * 2- *# " 2&#'0 0)#2',% ," -0.-0 2# -++3,'! 2'-,1 $-0 2&# 0#%'-,@ Reporting to the President, you will take responsibility for planning and directing all marketing and !-++3,'! 2'-,1 120 2#%'#1 .0'+ 0'*7 2- 1#!30# !*'#,2 0#2#,2'-, ," "0'4# %0-52& $-0 2&# 0#%'-,@ -3 will work closely with the global heads in relation to strategy and products and ensure the execution -$ %*- * ','2' 2'4#1 2 0#%'-, * *# 4#@ &# 0-*# 5'** #,!-+. 11 ** -$ + 0)#2',%A .0-"3!2 + 0)#2',%A ',,-4 2'-,A !-0.-0 2# !-++3,'! 2'-,1A 0#1# 0!& ," 1 *#1 -.2'+'8 2'-,@ To qualify, individuals must possess: F proven experience across marketing, public relations, communications F B2B experience F experience in leadership capacities managing regional teams F 120-,% ',j3#,!',% 1)'**1 F experience in travel is preferred Contact Matthew Gardner on (65) 6854 5633 or email matthew.gardner@ambition.com.sg quoting reference number MXG29544.

Data provided is for recruitment purposes only Business Licence Number: 200611680D. Licence Number: 10C5117.

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LAST WORD

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ADDRESSING THE ISSUE OF FOREIGN TALENT IN SINGAPORE Why cutting out cultural diversity will hurt business results. Carat’s Marie Gruy writes.

A recent headline from the UK’s The Telegraph reported, “Foreigners are taking our jobs” complain Singaporeans.

Jobs in the marketing industry in Singapore are particularly fiercely contested, given the popularity of media and advertising, without any added competition from “ang mohs”.

Marketing as an industry is driven by talent and great business minds which can come from anywhere – whether here in Singapore or from abroad. The more diverse and multi-cultural our companies are, the more they are able to deal with every client challenge.

Yet on online forums, “ang mohs” are widely considered to be the root cause of all employment evil as well as driving Singapore’s housing price index through the roof (pun intended, I was asked to write a light commentary!). Unfortunately the commentary in forums makes for less light reading.

“Foreign trash” is a frequent refrain, but is by no means the worst.

However, despite all of the online anti-foreigner sentiment, this is far exceeded by even more digital vitriol directed towards PAP’s policies.

This at least, recognises that the current infrastructure promotes foreign investment in Singapore making an increase in foreign talent inevitable.

When an international firm sets up shop in Singapore it’s expected that some talent will be imported, particularly at the executive level. It also makes sound business sense for any Singaporean outpost abroad to import Singaporean exec talent as they have the best understanding of that business.

Taking Singapore Post as an example of a thriving Singaporean business, sitting on the board is Aliza Knox, who originally hails from the US. Knox also currently heads Twitter’s digital APAC sales and used to head digital APAC sales at Google. Another director is Michael Murphy who is also the CEO and founder of a US postal technology group and brings a degree in nuclear engineering and connections to MIT’s graduate programme.

Arguably their international experience lends a diverse and competitive edge to SingPost. Nonetheless having highly experienced local execs at the helm must still form the bedrock of any Singapore business and in this case foreign directors at SingPost only total 25% of the board. Yet 38% of Singapore’s workforce are foreign – considerably more than 25%.

With foreigners making up 38% of Singapore’s workforce, on an island the size of Chicago and with a population of 5.47 million, we can perhaps see how “foreign trash Singapore” became a Google auto fill option.

It’s worth noting that 43% of the current foreign workforce consists of foreign domestic workers or construction workers and it’s a fairly safe assumption these lowest paid jobs aren’t the issue. A quote from the original Telegraph article supports this: “What person with a degree, who has studied hard for years, wants to then get a low-paid job in a coffee shop? We want to get a graduate job, work in a bank or big company.”

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So, excluding higher and lower-end roles, this leaves the middle income jobs. Data from a recent APAC consumer survey, CCS (consumer connection system), shows the main bulk of these middle income workers are Generation Y, born in the 1980s to 1990s.

CCS also shows that agreement to career and ambition-related attitudes among Singaporean Gen Ys, for example, “Seize every opportunity as it arises” and “I like to challenge myself and be the best I can”, are no different to the national average.

However, agreement to the same statements among Gen Y in other APAC markets are 34% higher on average versus Singaporeans.

Gen Ys are almost twice as likely to comment on forums versus the rest of Singapore’s online population. So potentially it may be that only a few, albeit more vocal individuals, are driving commentary on forums.

As a foreign employer working in Singapore who interviews and hires middle income local talent many times over within the marketing industry, I can honestly say we always choose the best candidate based on merit.

Any Singaporean who is both at the top of their game and ready for a new role should inherently represent the best of the best. A passion for the role, relevant experience plus a curiosity to learn will always gain results and an appreciation of the benefits of business diversity.

In conclusion, just like Foreigner sang: “I want to know what love is” …

No seriously – Singapore is a fantastically diverse, multicultural marketing business hub that continues to grow and develop as a result of diversity and harmony. If a company or government regulates recruitment to limit social and, therefore, business diversity in the workplace, then in the longer term it will adversely affect business success in Singapore.

The writer is Marie Gruy (pictured), regional director of Carat Asia Pacific.

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