Adoi Malaysia 1998 December

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New approaches to stretch AD ringgit Although there are positive signs that the Malaysian economy may have bottomed out and will come out of recession next year, Mr Osborn believes advertising budgets will continue to remain under pressure for sometime.

The Malaysian advertising industry must adopt new approaches to brand building and generating sales if it is to continue to perform its role in the face of shrinking advertising budgets these days.

This was stated by Rick Osborn, president of Bates Asia, at the end of a two-day Bates Asia advertising conference held at PanPacific Glenmarie Resort in Shah Alam.

"The need for integration, as compared to prepondeerantly media solutions, is even more pronounced today than at any time in the recent past. This integrated approach encom­ passes communication in its broadest sense, including, but not confined to, traditional adver­ tising and its emphasis on traditional media.

Event marketing, sponsorship, promotions, direct marketing and Internet marketing must now go hand in hand with traditional main­ stream advertising."

"It is a new total communication solutions approach which moulds these various disciplines and specialisations for seamless campaigns using the most economical and efficient pathways to reach consumers. I believe a similar approach in this country will also result in more targetted advertising campaigns."

After a four-year bull run from 1994 to 1997, advertising spending in Malaysia is expected to contract by more than 20 per cent to around RM2 billion this year from 1997 expenditure.

Although there are positive signs that the Malaysian economy may have bottomed out and will come out of recession next year, Mr Osborn believes advertising budgets will continue to remain under pressure for sometime.

He also expressed concern that some marketers still continued to view advertising as a cost to them to do business rather than as an investment in their product brands and businesses.

"In reality advertising adds brand equity,

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conducted by Bates Worldwide. shareholder value and consumer loyalty to their In Malaysia, Bates has a fully integrated businesses, all of which contribute to a return on total communications investment." solutions presence with "Advertising is "This integrated five specialist operating the single most costapproach encompasses business units. They are effective tool to build Bates (advertising), Art brands. Factories may communication in its broadest & Magic (design), rust away, packages may sense, including, but not Creative Retail (retail become obsolete, prod­ communications), 141 ucts lose their confined to, traditional Malaysia (below-the-line, relevance, but great advertising and its emphasis direct marketing, sales brands live forever." promotion and events) on traditional media.

Mr Osborn has and XM Malaysia worked in advertising (Internet applications). in Australia, England, Zenith Media Malaysia, a member of one of the Africa and Asia for the past 25 years and is now world's foremost media specialists, Zenith Media based in Hong Kong with overall responsibility Worldwide, is also a part of the Bates Group. for Bates' Asian operations.

The two-day conference brought together 22 top Bates advertising executives from Asia to evaluate results of new research

RE Mc

by Julie P. Lingan Same name, different spelling. One based on fiction which could very well be reality. One based on reality which could very well be fiction.

Jerry Maguire from a movie of the same title and Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals. They came to my life almost simultaneously at a time when I thought I was too jaded to idolize heroes and too cynical to admit that the likes of them do exist in this robotic, material world.

The first time I saw Jerry Maguire, I rushed out to buy one copy for my collection and one for a client-friend. I scribbled a note that said we're not a vanished breed after all. For a moment there, I chose to see Hollywood as reality, a game we creatives escape to when reality becomes too harsh, a game Vincent Van Gogh should have played and maybe he could've saved an ear.

In the dark of night, Jerry saw the light of day and wrote with unrestrained fire his classic Mission Statement "The Things We Think and Do Not Say: The Future of our Business." When awakening comes, conscience still takes over, causing us to take a step back and reflect on the things that truly matter.

Jerry's theory that the company should focus on real caring for fewer clients, quality rather than quantity, is based on the premise that life is not all about money, life is still about

people and relationships.

Of course, he got fired.

Idealists like Maguire are anathema in the real world.

And as I watched him start all over again in his effort to climb back to where he was before the fall, I fell for him like the proverbial ton of bricks. And it had nothing to do with Tom Cruise.

The other McGwire has feet of clay and hands of steel. He also has a heart of gold.

My husband and I watched him play at the Busch Stadium in St. Louis last year.

Though there were no homeruns, the crowd went ballistic each time he made his appearance. Couch potatoes balancing Budweisers, hotdogs and chips miraculously jumped out of their ennui, shouting his name like their lives depended on it. It was as though a cloud of magic descended on the field and the centre of it all was Mark McGwire.

His 61st homerun on his dad's 61st birth­ day had McGwire fanatics swooning over this hunk of a man who was sheepishly smiling like a 5-year-old when he dedicated it to his dad.

His 70th homerun was dedicated to his son and the family of Roger Maris whose record he broke.

He never publicised his yearly US$1MM charity donations. And according to Ad Age, McGwire is "immensely likeable yet a reluctant hero, apparently disinterested in cashing in on endorsement millions." Is he for real? Sounds more like fiction to me.

Maguire and McGwire. Fiction is fiction and reality is reality and the more the twain meet, the better the world becomes.

WEL

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McCANN-ERICKSON's CONSUMER

INSIGHTS

McCann-Erickson puts you in touch with the Malaysian consumer. As part of an ongoing, global initiative, executives at McCann Malaysia meet with groups of consumers in Kuala Lumpur every month.

Findings from these group discussions form the basis of brand strategy and creative selling ideas.

In this month's issue, we take a look at what youth think about movies, their favourite TV commercials and free time activities enjoyed by them.

Different from stereotypes expected by ad executives They came across as being mature, independent, friendly, cooperative, eager to share views, ideas ..."Different from my pre-conceived mind-set as an ad professional...not party animals, not the kind to spend their parents' money without a qualm...".

Enjoyable free-time activities included: Chatting on the V phone, Cycling/Jogging, Playing the guitar, Just hang around, Cyber cafe visits, Jamming, Music, Video games Involvement with the Net has been on the rise...will increasingly shape the way they think and feel. The Net satisfies their needs for Novelty, Excitement, Information and Modernity quite effectively. Brands targeted at the youth need to be present and alive on the Net. Hostile but not hopeless They are faced with a 'hostile' economic environment today, very different from the 'indulgent' environment they had been used to.... Shared emotions of being Frustrated,Disappointed, Confused, Angry....BUT Hopeful that things will get better with time.

Movies and the teenager • Movies constitute a vital part of their lives, stimulate the heart and mind..

• Cinema Trailers the most exciting source of information, followed by magazines and word-of-mouth recommendations by friends • Movie advertising most remembered for the Titanic and Godzilla • A Value-for-money form of entertainment. 'Cheap' when compared with money spent at a Disco or Pub on a weekend - RM10 v/s RM 20.

• Watching movies part of being modern, of belonging to their generation, being up-to-date on trends and news....

• The Cinema is an experience: The big screen • The people around • The ambience / atmosphere • The air-conditioned comfort • The 'foreign' look and feel • Safe, late entertainment • Still affordable! • A friend in these ^ harsh times. fej) — Popular movies today include LETHAL WEAPON 4, X FILES. The teens were appreciative of the Student Discount Cards offered by the TGV group of theatres.

Biggest Star: Michael Jackson, King of Pop. Football hero, Ronaldo, 'so skilled'. Michael Owen, young, cute, rich (softer, more feminine looks preferred in men, as compared to, hard, tough, macho looks!)

But look up to: Bill Gates, self-made, successful parents, especially Mother

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Coolest brands: Nike, Adidas, DKNY, Coca-Cola, Garfield.

The In-thing: Their involvement with computers keeps on increa- '} • , sing, with a Laptop emerging as one of the coolest things to own. ^ Music continues to be a fundamental part of their lives. Provides Comfort, Satisfaction, Excitement, Novelty, Enjoyment. Makes their world a more livable place, a more meaningful place. Reaches out in understanding and friendship.

Favourite weekend activities include: Bowling, Ice skating (in the shopping malls), going to the cinema, Jamming, Computer games at Intencity / Sega City, visiting Cyber Cafes, shopping, just spending time with friends at cafes \/ like Modestois, Coffee Bean, Hard __ R°ck ^afe, t^ie JumP> and then when X one is broke, at the Mamak stall....

Favourite TV commercials include: ov Nando's Chicken, Prado Cruisers, Peter Stuyvesant Breakaway, Dunhill, Marlboro, Coca-Cola Stay Refreshed, Hongkong Bank Power Vantage. (/ f\ } Sponsoring the World Cup has strengthened ' ViA Coca-Cola's equity with this segment.

Media tip : A teenager's day starts at 12 noon on a Sunday! Most don't wake up until noon on Sundays ....

Media inputs on Sunday mornings are generally lost on this age group.

1

For further Information/Insights, feel free to call: Dr Deenaz Damania, Director of Consumer Research & Training.

E-mail: deenaz~damania@mccann.com Tel: 03-2334794 Fax: 03-2305598

A IMl 10

OVERHEARD IN A CUBICLE SERIES 'DO WHAT THE CLIENT WANTS AND TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN' SCENARIO

Writer: He'll just tell you there are 24 hours in a day, so who says got no time?

Servicing: The client has reverted.

He says to rewrite the headline.

Art Dir: Actually-ah, these people don't care what it takes, you know.

As long as they get what they want.

Creative: This is the fifth time.

What does he want now?

Servicing: He says to forget everything else and just sell on convenience.

Creative: That's ridiculous. It's not convenient, there are so few of them in the whole country.

Servicing: I know.

Creative: And??

Servicing: But he says to write about the convenience.

Creative: That's what he wants.

What do you think? Did you even give him your opinion?

Servicing: Aiya, I don't know-lah, I showed him the ad and he tells me that this is what he wants.

Creative: You just sat there lapping up everything he tells you to change.Are you working for him or what?

Servicing: Aiya, why you all so difficult-ah?

Creative: Because you didn't both­ er to fight the client. You think headlines grow on trees?

Servicing: He won't listen, okay?

Can we just do it?

Creative: So if he asks you to shit you shit-lah!

THE MD'S PRIORITIES ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN YOURS' SCENARIO Writer: Every time also last minute.

He jumps and everyone jumps.

Art Dir: Like we have no work-ah?

Just drop everything and do all this nonsense. Just because some big shot is coming.

Writer: Who say you can drop everything? You have to do this and everything else on your plate as well. The fact that you do have things on your plate has never occurred to him.

L

Art Dir: .Two bloody days only.

Writer: That's why he's boss and you're not. He can control whether you get to sleep or not.

Art Dir: Why are bosses like that?

Writer: If not they cannot be bosses.

Writer: Some more got XYZ to finish up. How to rush?

Art Dir: We sleep here tonight-lah, nobody cares.

Art Dir: Yeah-lah. We die first-lah.

GET THEM ALL EXCITED SO THEY WONT MIND THE SHORT DEADLINE' SCENARIO Servicing: Guys, I have a great project for you. New packaging for XYZ. Electric blue colour. Can you imagine - XYZ in electric blue?

Got chance to do some nice work here. Maybe win some awards.

Look at it. Cool, huh?

Creative: They finally have balls.

Servicing: Don't have a lot of money, you know, but let's do some short clever TVCs. And some print ads. We can really go wild on this.

The client has given us full permis­ sion to be as creative as we want, he has no restrictions at all, and he's open to all kinds of directions because he doesn't have any. So you can really fly, guys.

Creative: Bring a few packs-lah.

Servicing: Yeah! So... can we have an internal on Thursday?

Creative: (censored) Servicing: Sorry-lah guys, but if we want this piece of business we got to move quickly or the other agency will. And this is our chance to do some great stuff. How often do you get something interesting like this?

Creative: You're full of shit.

Where's the brief?

Servicing: Coming. I promise.

PHOTO FOR OIL OF OLAY

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEN SIOW JEN STUDIO TEL 03-7186227 FAX 03-7177005 EMAIL jensiow@pc.jaring.my WEB PAGE http://www.mol.com.my/jensiow

Abhijeet Dutta Ray Media Consultant

I am sure the Malaysian satellite-driven stations continue to provide updates on their viewership patterns, but I would be surprised if they have revealed any overall channel preference/popularity figures so far.

Who is winning the satellite TV viewership wars?

Although it is safe to assume that it would take a while before satellite-driven TV net­ works lay siege on the audiences of the terrestrial networks, most planners have already recognized the usefulness of supple­ menting free TV with niche pay TV, not the least reason being that terrestrial viewership

has eroded in favour of satellite-driven channels.

I am sure the Malaysian satellite-driven stations continue to provide updates on their viewership patterns, but I would be surprised if they have revealed any overall channel preference / popularity figures so far. The reason is obvious - as soon as channel specific viewership figures are revealed it is possible to see a shift of the ad revenues from the lesser viewed channels to those that are most viewed. I generalize of course, because there will always be a need to get target specific and hence possibly genre specific (for example sports and music to target youth etc).

In their recent release of the Pan Asia Cross Media Survey 1998 (PAX 98 for short), research company AMI, among other things, measured 'past 7 days viewing of Cable and Satellite Network channels'.

The survey had a sample size of 800 spread over KL and PJ.

In 1997, the total advertising revenue for six out of the eight Asean countries summed up to approximately US$4.4 bil­ lion. Television advertising con­ tributed to slightly more than 50% of the revenue followed by print (38%) and radio (9%). Media research is relatively a new development in these markets.

Only 0.5% to 0.8% of the total advertising revenue in these markets is spent on actual media research.

Media research provides reliable, consistent and actionable audience data which buyers and sellers of media time and space use to plan, buy and market different media options for the advertiser. Media research approaches or methodologies may vary from one country to another but the services are judged and benchmarked based on at least six standard criteria.

Geographical Coverage: The ideal is national coverage of a country's population. Economic and technical barriers may exist to prevent this from being fully realised.

Sampling: Ideally a random sampling will be employed.

probability

Data Collection: For television, people-meters represent the current state-of-the-art. For print, generally a face to face interview produces the ideal data. The jury is still out on whether radio listening data is best collected via diary or telephone interviews.

Response Rate: The higher the better!

Data Delivery: Depending on the complexity

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The findings are available for two targets Affluents defined as adults aged 25-64 with a HHI of RM 6,000+, and Business Decision Makers defined as adults aged 25-64 who are in positions of business decision making (departmental heads and above) from companies with at least 10 or more employees and personal income of RM 4,000+.

I thought readers of ADoi would be interested in getting a glimpse of how the viewership cookie crumbled:

CHANNEL CNNI Discovery HBO ESPN CNBC/ABN MTV Star Sports TNT/Cartoon Network Star Movies Channel [V] AXN NHK

Affluents % VIEWED 31 21 21 14 11 14 9 9 10 7 3 4

Business Decision Makers % VIEWED 46 36 30 22 16 14 13 12 12 8 7 4

Source: AMI

Media Overview The objective of media research is to provide a reliable, consistent and actionable set of audience data with which the buyers and sellers of media time and space can plan, buy and market different media options on behalf of the advertiser. of the market but most important here is the availability of analysis software.

Transparency: Establishing a Joint Industry Committee is the best approach to work togeth­ er with any research agency. The ideal is to make respondents level data available.

Looking at the variety of media available in the market, there's no doubt there are many types of media research available. However, judging by the small amount of investment committed to this area there are mainly three media which are occasionally being surveyed, ie.

Television, Print and Radio.

Malaysian Media Scene The media scene in Malaysia is one of the most dynamic in the region. With the introduction of pay TV (Mega TV and ASTRO), Malaysian viewers are now exposed to more than 20-odd channels to choose from. Furthermore, with the evolving of new technology, more and more

niche media are slowly making their way into the market.

Believe it or not, we are moving from a supplier's market to a buyer's market now. With media getting more fragmented through the introduction of more channels and media options, consumers are getting more demand­ ing. They want to be in control, to be able to decide for themselves which media product they want to be exposed to and also which brand, ie.

TV1, TV2, TV3, Metrovision, NTV7, Mega, ASTRO, press titles, radio channels and so on.

The era of achieving maximum audience coverage with a particular selected medium is coming to an end. The target audi­ ence is getting harder to reach with one single mass media vehicle. Therefore, a more up-dated and ongoing media research programme needs to be implemented and done more consistently to measure the habits and behaviour patterns of Malaysian consumers.

Peter Tan is Media Research Director at Taylor Nelson SOFRES Malaysia Sdn Bhd

We, the Graduating Class of December '98 from The One Academy of Communication Design, believe that we have been better trained and better equipped for the career we foresee for ourselves than any other comparable group.

We, 57 intelligent and industrious people, have been taught not merely to decorate but to ideate: the combination of skills the business really needs.

We, the people who paid for this advertisement, believe in advertising and that it works.

Tou want to take that belief away from us?

Ho Swee Liang

03-413

Hoo Cheng Yong How Yuan Yi

Chan Kheng Yann

03-732 3096 010-821 6319

Chen Yoke Chern

03-331

Abelynn Chin

03-733

Alvin Choo Choo Mang Hoo

- 1^

03-756 8092 07-772 1180

00

Sharifah Azlene

We, whose names are beneath, believe that if the people in the design, advertising and marketing businesses give us a fair hearing when we knock on their doors they will see that excellence in our work.

Ong Suk Ping

03-781 9015

06-951 1798

Pang Nee Fong

03-368 7073

03-718

5150

Nicholas Quah

03-718

7055

Melissa Revathy

03-732 3260

0825

Khor Chiew Choon 03-738 Khor Chun Nee 03-738

7055

Olivia Siow

03-703

2392

Koh Kai Chuan

03-411

5189

Alex Tan

06-335 2497

03-984 4291

Koh Ket Wee

03-442 0625

Tan Ger Peng

03-736

5263

03-773

Kok Yoon Kian

03-973 3302

Genie Tay

03-323

5236

Chong Mun Ping

6455 4801 03-776

Kuan Seik Looi

03-758

Wilson Teh

04-642 9232

Chong Chin Fei

03-971 2945

V. Prem Kumar

03-732 3096

Teo Choon Ee

019-773 6885

Chong Wei Ling

Lai Chee Yan

03-718

Johnny Tey

07-333

Choong Pey Yeng

03-331 4096 03-971 2182

Lau Kin Weng

03-724 6082

Teoh Sie Chin

04-229 1443

Chow Chin Ling

04-826 6714

Eugene Leong

03-221 9079

Jamie Thian

012-438 5867

Eng Kian Keong

03-368 9889

Liew Hoi Yin

05-545 4555

Yap Seng Teck

03-341 2808

Jenet Foo

03-331 0695

Lim Yen Ling

012-313 3026

Yap Shoke Lui

03-733

Gan Chin Lee

03-868 1598

Loh Li Sim

03-331

Yeo Li Yin

016-275 9163

Goh Siew Leng

012-608 4430

Loh Pei Chuen

03-736 0806

Yeoh Ken Tee

03-718

Goh Yoke Hiong

06-441 5527

Ng Chea Wei

03-957 2272

Yew Huey Mien

03-738 8468

Heng Chooi Keng

03-904 9168

Ng Ping Chin

03-906 6333

Yong Sze Chin

017-870 0582

Chan Chuan Li Jonathan Chan

2416 1146

5023

CLASS OF DECEMBER '98 j Please contact any individual at the number given or call Yap Siew Li on 603-737 5510 for The One Academy's free placement service.

V

9188 4171

5579

2801 9188

The magic wand of Public Relations Indira Nair is

Managing Director oj Edelman Pub!"

.

. .

,

At a time like this, it is even more critical

RehU kiiis, A L

that ivego back to basics and look....

Have I told you lately that PR practitioners do not walk around with a magic wand? You know, the type of wand, that can create magic where there's none. Dan Edelman, the founder of Edelman Worldwide, has a simple description for the role of public relations: have the right product or service and use public relations to deliver the right message to the right peo­ ple at the right time. It all begins with: having the right product or service.

In my PR career, there have been many times when I have been told: • I don't have anything new to say but I'd like some PR mileage.

• We did the same programme last year but we'd like you to use your creativity to put a new spin to it.

• There is nothing special about my product, but can you make it look special?

• I want a guarantee the media will not write about this negative bit.

What solution can I offer other than to bring out the magic wand.

But if the wand cannot create magic, what do I do? Every time I have been told such comments I have had to grit my teeth, and hold back the words of ... And spew out, instead, presumably magical words of wisdom. To all clients reading this article, take heart. I have not always heard such ques­ tions from clients. I have also had such questions raised by colleagues in PR and from other communication disciplines. Then, there is the $64,000 question: Where does one begin?

DETOX The time comes when you have had enough and your brain sends you unignorable signals that it's tired and overwhelmed A creative person's job is never done, to paraphrase a familiar say­ ing. Difficult as it may be for most laymen and clients to imagine or even understand, being creative is indeed a 24-hour job. Ideas don't come just as you sit at your desk, and they don't stop when you switch off your lights and head for home. Ideas come, oftentimes unbidden, at any time of the day or night. On your long drive to work...

While you're in the can... As you press the button of your floor on the elevator... In the middle of a satisfying midnight snore... Or even (heaven forbid) while you're making love!

The time comes when you have had enough and your brain sends you unignorable signals that it's tired and overwhelmed. You must take a break. For your sanity,

•HEEEB14

for your work's sake. But when is there a good time for that muchneeded break when the gruelling pace never lets up and work demands never seem to end? Do you wait until you are on the verge of a nervous breakdown? When the littlest nitpick of your client sends you into paroxysms of agony as you heroically swallow an urge to scream? Should you hang on until all the big campaigns and major projects are all over and done with?

To a truly conscientious and com­ mitted creative person, is there really such a thing as a campaign so small or a project so minor as not to warrant your attention? But there has to be. You shouldn't wait until you are so exhausted that you become insufferably negative and unproductive (or even counter­ productive), until your brain cir­ cuits are about to overload and until the faintest glimpse of your client service person coming your way morphs you into a fire-breathing Godzilla.

You must take a break. And I mean a long one. Not just a day off or even a 3-day weekend at the beach.

But long enough to detoxify your mind, your system, your psyche. Yes, detox! Cleanse yourself from the poisons of stress, pressure and clients with very limited budgets and even more limited intelligence.

Unglue your foot from the pedal of advertising life, shift your gears down and idle. Release yourself from your addiction to write concepts on table

I was once asked by an organisation to put together a customer rela­ tions programme. This was for a large, well-established organisation, which had over 10,000 employees. The brief: conceptualise for us the best cus­ tomer relations programme, one that makes sure customers recognise us as the best customer oriented organisation.

My answer: I could put together the best program possible but would it produce the right results? Why? For service to happen, people have to hap­ pen. And if you do not have the right internal environment, both in terms of people and infrastructure, nothing happens.

At a time like this, it is even more critical that we go back to basics and look at our product or our service. Is it something that provides a real benefit to the consumer, or the customer? Is it a value-based product or ser­ vice? What differentiates the product or service from others? Do we know who we are reaching out to? Have we thought through the objectives? Do the strategies help us achieve the objectives? Are we getting the right messages to the right people at the right time? Then there is the other end of the coin.

People who have the right product or service, but do not want to talk about it. Why? Because they feel if they do so, then they will be blowing their own trumpet. Or they think: why should I? There's no winning this game, right?

My advice would be to take a balanced approach to anything you do. First, ensure you have the right product or service. Then build your programme off the overall business objectives. Identify strategies based on research rooted in the business objectives. Create tactics to deliver strate­ gies. Review tactics to ensure that you achieve overall business objectives.

Refine and repeat the process all over again. When a public relations programme is strategically thought through and built upon a strong foundation of the right product or service, believe me you don't need a magic wand.

As always, I look forward to comments, questions. You can e-mail me at inair@edelman.com.my

napkins while on a date or to scout for potential talents for your ad in the middle of a church service. Release, rest, rewind, recuperate, recharge...

Rela-a-a-x!

I know it's hard at first but you have to do it. I remember that it used to take me a week of waking up to nightmares - of glaring typographical errors in my print ad headlines or of extreme close-ups of my clients' faces shot with a fish-eye lens leaning over me and telling me that the TV ad does not synch - before my mind could accept the fact that I was on holiday.

The first few days of waking up and realizing that you don't have to go to work can be a little disorient­ ing and even disconcerting, too. You wake up at your usual hour and you ask yourself 'What am I going to do today?' And the answer is simply 'Nothing'. Nothing but anything you feel like doing that day. Nothing? At first your mind is gripped with both euphoria and fear at the same time.

Take a deep breath and enter the moment. Ah, yes. Finally, you can read those books you've been hop­ ing to read for over a year now. Take a walk, take a tour, take up sky-div­ ing. Get re-acquainted with your­ self. Sleep in. Do anything but noth­ ing that will remind you of work.

And, if you can, get away. Far far away. Out of town or even out of the country. Don't bring your cel phone or your laptop or your pager.

Because if you do, they will find you and guilt in all its gruesome

glory will claw at your heart and make you feel bad, really bad, for taking a holiday. How could you take a rest while everybody else is slaving away back at the office.

Stop. Don't let the guilt get you after all, you deserve this break. It's not just for your own good. It will be to your agency's advantage as well. You'll see. If possible, don't even tell anyone where you will be.

If you really really have to, leave a contact number or address to a trusted secretary or your team partner and make them swear that they will get in touch with you only during a life-or-death emergency (as if there were really such a thing in advertising).

By the time your holiday is over, you are a New and Improved you! The old gung-ho enthusiasm and passion you thought you had lost are back. You're back to what you should be - 100% pure and unadulterated creative energy!

Ready to take on all comers, ready to pounce on your job jackets, ready and raring to get to work!

Then a thought pops into your mind 'I can't believe it - I actually missed this job!' You chuckle to yourself and tell your brain to remember a couple of slogans you just thought of as you were maoeuvering your car into a parking slot.

Jigs Javier is Manila's leading advertising creative consultant who writes like hell and looks like heaven.

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What, do consumers want,

from Companies during the

festive season?

by Sharifah Lara Hussein

Against this strong and legitimate principle of What do consumers want from you?, I commissioned an independent study to find out what truly attracts consumers. nil jp)

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L VI wm It's that time of year again. That year-endnew-year when festive celebrations reign supreme. First there's Christmas, followed by Hari Raya, then Chinese New Year. It's the season for giving, sharing, forgiving, and of course, buying. A good time for marketers to push sales while the iron is hot. Usually the modus operandi is similar every time - shoppers are quickly reminded that the festive season is fast approaching, then they are bombarded with glossy catalogues, bulletins, leaflets, window displays, ads and premiums.

In the jumble of pitches and products, some marketers have also adopted a longer term strategy to build brand image during the festive season. They have leveraged this 'time for giv­ ing' by vesting their brand with profound messages of corporate goodwill. These festive ads are differentiated by their highly profound cultural significance and emotionally strong con­ cepts. And rightly so, they have successfully left the consumer with a 'feel good' effect, an endearment towards the brand, whilst at the same time lifting the Brand to an emotional platform away from its ordinary daily existence.

So what else should marketers do if they have already struck upon a winning formula?

Why not ask the consumers? What type of mes­ sages would they like to receive during the fes­ tive season? After all, a winning strategy should always emanate from a consumer need or desire, not merely from what companies can deliver.

Against this strong and legitimate princi­ ple of vWhat do consumers want from you", I decided to commission an independent dipstick study to find out what truly attracts consumers.

The survey consisted of a sample of 120 respondents in the Klang Valley, all races, inter­ viewed via the telephone. The findings provided me with the following interesting insights.

• The Brand most remembered during the festive season amongst all races were Dunhill first, followed by Petronas.

• Amongst the Chinese, it was Salem followed by Dunhill. The Malays were similar to that of "all races" whilst the Indians preferred Petronas, possibly spurred on by the wonderfully crafted

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• • • •

CHRISTMAS APPEAL

Deepavali ad launched recently.

With regards to the type of messages preferred,respondents mentioned the following; Corporate goodwill messages were rated the most preferred type of greeting.

Sponsored programming was noted by a quarter of respondents as appealing.

Least appealing were sales promotions and ordinary greetings had a 'less than average' appeal by 59% of respondents.

Charity driven campaigns garnered high appeal amongst those aware but clear indications showed a lack of awareness for such type of activity.

For the purpose of clarification, Corporate Goodwill is defined as greetings car­ rying a profound message and concept such as those launched by Petronas, Dunhill, Marlboro and Celcom. Charity-driven ones are those that build towards a specific cause, for example,

raising funds for children.

Festive Greetings are the usual straightforward greet­ ings usually done by TV sta­ tions.

From this brief and quick dipstick check, con­ sumers warm up better with goodwill type ads and perhaps even warmer with charity ones, given. The most appealing and preferred strategy for festive ads is clearly the ability to give something back to those in need, a charitable cause. Marketers will do well to bear in mind that consumers will always want to be greeted by a caring, endearing corporate person, as opposed to someone who is out to make an impact on his own revenue.

Interestingly I have seen many goodwill messages that captured the imagination and hearts of the public because of their collective effort to push for a single cause. The 'Save the Children Fund' which runs every Christmas in the UK is a role model for the type of activity companies could take. For example, their trueto-life stories of abused children and appeal for donations were indeed an inspiration to people to contribute generously in the spirit of Christmas. Another captivating idea was the 'Skip Lunch and Save a Life' campaign - a cause to raise funds for children during Christmas. An idea that captured the hearts of many.

Promoting goodwill through charitable cause is by no means a new phenomenon. The issue, however, is creating a single theme that can take root and flourish while reaping rich rewards. A theme that speaks out for a cause and is empowering in its emotional interest and relevance. Who would have thought that MTV would turn into a moral authority and educator?

Its public service announcements during festivi­ ties have indeed created inter-generation soli­ darity. One announcement said 'spend time not only with the one you love this Christmas but also those who need love", referring to an orphanage home. What is stopping us from launching a similar campaign for this festive sea­ son? Wouldn't it trigger greater respect and admiration for the company in question than just a goodwill message?

Malaysian newspapers undecided on cover prices It all happened so fast. In September, Utusan's Sunday paper, Utusan Mingguan increased its cover price by 50 sen citing economic pressures. By November its daily, Utusan Malaysia also shot up by 20 sen. Berita Harian and Berita Minggu followed suit and increased their prices too.

The English papers appeared to be at a stand-off when the New Straits Times and The Sun agreed to raise their prices but The Star wanted to stay put. Word has it that The Star also wanted The Sun to raise its cover price by 40 sen bringing it to parity with all the other English dailies.

The Chinese papers were alleged to have discussed raising prices but couldn't agree on the final terms with Kwong Wah, a stronghold in Penang, refusing to budge on increasing its cover price for Penang. This put Sin Chew and Nanyang Siang Pau, with their sister editions Guang Ming and China Press respectively, in a deadlock over a price hike. The Tamil papers, who were crying for a price increase since the beginning of the year surprisingly backed down recently from any suggestion of a price increase.

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PalmenGarten

Amnistia International 8

•dies"

Pflumen. Lebtn. Kahur.

Product & Title: Palmengarten "Botanic Garden" Entrant: Lesch + Frei, Frankfurt.

Product & Title: McDonald's "Did Somebody Say McDonald's?"

Entrant: Del Rivero Messianu, Coral Gables.

IWNS

York recently, 59 entries from led in 1993 by Creative Standards ved over 3,000 entries from more ted in 15 cities, including Kuala top creatives from 30 countries, ards, is now proud to present you e world. Enjoy!

Product & Title: Vaasan Bread "Toasters" Entrant: Paltemaa Huttunen Santala TBWA Helsinki.

rather good.

luflNSS

Product & Title: Audi 19 "Paper Plane" Entrant: Bates Backer, Oslo.

Product & Title: Burger King "Cool To Be King" Entrant: The Missing Link, Oslo.

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Product & Title: Nike "Mitsu Morita", "Giichi Suda" Entrant: McCann-Erickson, Tokyo.

19 ŠEES i

Malaysian photographer

scores international acclaim

When 20 selected works by top-notch photographers from around the world were exhibited in Kuala Lumpur recently, local fash­ ion photographer Jenhor Siow was one of the chosen few whose two photographs ranked alongside some of the world's best. In an exhibition dubbed "Olay Face of the New Millennium", the event has staged to celebrate the launch of Oil of Ulan's new name Oil of Olay. Capturing the essence of feminine beauty, the show featured works by celebrated pho­ tographers like Patrick Demarchelier who did the portrait of famous Princess Diana, Michael Myers, John Clang, Russell Wong who has shot the cover of Time magazine and many other luminaries. Procter & Gamble's assistant brand manager, Rozanna Josef said, "We were delighted to collaborate with such renowned photographers who showcased their interpretations of a woman's beauty. The exhibition featured both talent and beauty from the East and the West and demonstrated that beauty, like Oil of Olay, is truly global."

Oil of Olay is the world's number one self-select moisturizer

Malaysia's leading photographer Jen, known for his beauty, glamour and fashion work and has amongst his clients advertisers like Dunhill, Bistro, Celcom and Kao said, "It is indeed an honour for Malaysia to have been featured and to have hosted this prestigious international event. brand and is leading the market in Malaysia and Singapore with more than 30% market share.

New Media for a brave new world!

by Solomon Morais

Relax. These are only tongue-in-cheek suggestions of new media for a world bent on multimedia and the Internet for new growth

Weddings. Two of the country's most prominent families look set to be

united through marriage. There's a huge reception that brings together the country's elite in one venue. Guess who underwrites the costs of the recep­ tion? The sawiest jewellers in the Klang Valley. They send out the ritzy invitations to the wedding, follow through with full page ads to announce the event to all those who aren't being invited, and who finally set up shop in the lobby of the hotel where the reception is held.

Funerals. If it can work for weddings, it can for funerals too. Especially for a sympathetic insurance company that steps in to inform the world of the recently departed and how, having kept up his premiums, he died a wiseman, leaving his family well provided for.

Jen, known for his beauty, glamour and fashion work and has amongst his clients advertisers like Dunhill, Bistro, Celcom and Kao said, "It is indeed an honour for Malaysia to have been featured and to have hosted this prestigious internation­ al event. For me, it's a milestone as a photographer after almost 20 years in the business." Jen's photo­ graph of model Uma Tatiana is his perception of seeing beauty amidst chaos as the new millennium dawns (left). "Using special computer effects similar to that of brush strokes, this photo is somewhat surreal if not abstract," continued Jen. And his second work titled Ethnic Beauty, (far left) is designed to reflect both old and new, while the model's looks depict selfconfidence and strength.

"All proceeds from the sale of the photographs were donated to charity," added Jen.

Births. Same strategy as the earlier two. Sponsors could be gleeful banks, of course. They know it's true - there's a sucker being born every minute for a lifetime of repaying loans.

Highways. It's an unfolding canvas! Paint your product's name on the asphalt every 2 km or so, and you'll have motorists thirsting for your cola at the nearest stop.

The ride won't be so boring either.

La Nina. Insurance companies could win again.

TV Test Patterns. The addicts are going to tune in anyway before the station broadcasts. Why not create a test pattern using someone's logo?

Cemeteries. Ever notice how stubborn weeds and undergrowth are where there are dead people? Lease out cemeteries to the weedicide companies for a year to test their products. You'll be pleasantly surprised next Cheng Beng when you visit your ancestors and see how easy it is to locate their graves, all kept respectfully neat.

21CE@^H

#@%* the brief: let's do an ad |~by Deane Johns |

Back in the early '80s, my old friend and art director Fred Crowle and I were hired as a team by JWT Sydney. Our first assignment there was to come up with a campaign to save the Hungry Jacks fast-food account. As is customary when a big, high-profile client threatens to walk, the agency became fired with enthusiasm and briefed us within an inch of our lives.

After several mind-numbing hours of facts, figures and research findings, Fred, always somewhat twitchy when deprived too long of his markers and layout pad, could finally take no more. "#@%* the brief', he said in his quiet but quite definite way, "let's do an ad".

So we got to work without further ado. And eventually came up with an idea that we both thought was a winner. The only trouble with it being that, as nobody who saw it could help but remark, it wasn't even remotely on brief. But come the day of the presentation it was pretty well all we had, so it was up to yours truly - Fred being as allergic to meetings in general as to briefings in particular - to try and sell it to the client.

Fortunately for all concerned, this turned out to be no sweat. Jack Cowin, founder and then as now Chairman and CEO of the company owning Hungry Jacks, absolutely loved the campaign. At the end of the presentation he did have a question, though. "Just curious," he asked, "but how on earth did you get from the brief all the way to this?"

'Hungry' Jack Cowin, as the press refers to him these days, his appetite for further success seemingly stimulated rather than sated by the killing he's made in the hamburger trade, still chuckles at the memory of being told about Fred's deathless one-liner. Me? I've made a career of bear­ ing it in mind every brief I've been given ever since. Because the reality is, despite the prevalence in the industry of so-called 'strategy planners', far too many briefs are fundamentally flawed if not downright, flat-out wrong.

Sometimes about the very product or service itself. Assumptions that appear perfectly sound and rational to the client and agency can seem to the consumer like flights of ridiculous presumption. A classic example of this was the launch of New Coke in the U.S. a decade or so ago with the

desperate proclamation 'The Best Is Now Even Better'. Less high-profile but just as potentially disastrous was the launch of a new lightweight iron I worked on at about the same time. 'Housewives loathe ironing', said the brief, 'but with this new product at least they can now make light work of it'. Three weeks and 12 creative concepts later, focus groups revealed that consumers believed (erroneously, but who can afford to argue) that an iron needs to be heavy to press clothes properly.

Examples of miserable mis-briefs abound. The most recent one I encountered was for a Pacific Island holiday destination. A group of islands that the brief described as so well-known and much-visited as to be 'tired' and in dire need of re-launch And eventually came up with a campaign based on 'all the surprising things even frequent with an idea that we both visitors don't know about it'. A thought was a winner. pretty tall order, considering The only trouble with it there wasn't much more of any to tell. The client saved being that, as nobody who interest the day on this one. He happened saw it could help but to remark one day that he wished his advertising could be more remark, it wasn't even competitive. Steering us in a remotely on brief! direction that quickly led us to seeing the destination's familiarity and predictability as its strengths, not weaknesses, turning the entire brief upside-down.

Exactly the kind of change that's way past due in the whole briefing procedure. A brief should be more than a rational distillation of facts, figures and accepted or would-be wisdoms. It should be as much a product of intuition as intellect; as 'creative' as the work it is supposed to inspire. As the great Bill Bernbach famously remarked, "Great advertising is 90% what you say, and 10% how you say it". So creative people shouldn't be 'given' briefs, or sit back and wait for the client, the suits and the strategists to come up with them. They should be totally involved from the start. In fact every creative person should start every job with the thought, as my old friend Fred might put it: "#@%* the ad: let's do a brief'.

Times are a changing/ have you changed your underwear yet?

by Leslie Jeyam Everything is changing around us... nuclear disarmament, ecolog­ ical marketing strategies, direct approach methods, space travel, Viagra, spiritual emphasis, alien visitors... in fact everything has changed within, and around us. My concern is... how has the advertis­ ing agency changed?

Not as fast, and as much, as the individual has changed in terms of habits and behaviour... not as fast as fads change (which is a good thing) but in many instances we are not fast enough to recognise the real thing either. CHANGE is a grand word, the one word that has institutionalised its ideas into every aspect of business, trade and politics. Let's take the advent of computers in the advertising process. All departments rely on it today, but not all of us use it to its full potential. The truth is out there and the only way to spur creativity in a depressed market place (any market place for that matter) is to nurture it with the right tools... which beckons me to put forth

A 32) 22

another important question. How are we coping with selling the invisible in a very visible age?

The answer is intuitive thinking, the mighty pen, marker to paper... and a slick network of computers and digital wizardry to make it look, feel and be right on the money. This in turn can only be brought about if we keep our bright young hopefuls constantly abreast with technological changes, show­ er them with advertising trends and expose them to varied ideolo­ gies that sometimes change as fast as fashion statements.

How many agencies have direct digital links with colour sep­ arators, printers, direct mail dis­ tributors, production houses, data­ bases and clients? How many use multimedia presentation tech­ niques outside of 2D charts of media facts and figures? How many of them really understand how to use these new visible platforms to sell invisible ideas? If they did, all departmental profit margins will improve, accountability is enhanced, accountants take note.

How? The elimination of duplication which almost immedi­

ately improves turnaround times, better control of unnecessary expense in servicing a client port­ folio throughout the agency struc­ ture, better control of budgets, bet­ ter inventory in both office man­ agement and creative production budgets, better communication of creative thought via more accurate illustrative presentations, better internal communication, the rea­ sons are infinite. This is how IBM re-established its competitiveness, it is telling people that they can save millions by stream-lining a company's outdated organisational trail, which not only saves money, but in many cases induces innova­ tive and radical creativity within the organisation.

Let us touch on creativity, the soul of an agency, and the place where computerisation has so much to offer. Cutting edge cre­ ativity needs new tools to be differ­ ent, technology can help new creatives to be presented as if they are ready to be run tomorrow, no more ridiculous storyboards but more shootboards to illustrate a good idea in today's picturesque environment.

The information via the worldwide web is another sorely lacking aspect of many agency structures today. Most just don't understand the power it holds in unleashing creativity in any and every aspect of advertising and marketing, the information it con­ tains is but a small part of it vast potential. For example, who says an agency in Malaysia cannot pitch for a piece of business in New York in the morning and then teleport across to Beijing in the afternoon that same day for a WIP? Who is to say that we can't tap the best resources for a given job and still stay within budget? And who is to say agencies can't have full time surfers globe trotting for new busi­ ness and creative opportunities?

Someone did say that we are only limited by our lack of imagination and the underwear we wear.

We need to change to stay competitive. To do this, we need to understand change to change and we need to manage change from the bottom up from the creative to accounts to production to manage­ ment right up to the CEO's desk.

What we need are new ideas on change itself, after all even the undergarment business is more visible today.

The Making of NTV7's 'Alice'...

Paragon Communications chose Filmpoint's Director (Yoki Chin) to direct the latest 60-secs. thematic commercial for NTV7. Loosely based on 'Alice in Wonderland', the commercial begins with Alice following a rabbit through a tunnel. As she emerges, she finds herself in the 'ideal world' of her imagination.

Paragon's creative team comprising Ashling (Copywriter) and Clare (Art Director) spent a hectic 4 days on location and a further 2 weeks on post production. A quick look at what went on behind the scenes. . .

Most of us went to bed that night with a silent prayer that La Nina wouldn't arrive tomorrow. Someone must have heard us because there wasnt a cloud in the sky the next morning. University Putera Golf Course turned out to be an ideal location for most of our running shots. Under Yoki's patient direction, our 'Alice' turned out to be quite a little actress. Directing the rabbit on the other hand...was a different story altogether.

Day 2 By chance, we found an old tree in the Lake Garden which looked exactly like something out of Alice in Wonderland. To create a thin layer of mist, the smoke from sacks of dried ice was dispersed through two huge industrial fans. Amazingly enough the twenty foot mock up tunnel survived the journey from the prop makers and arrived in one piece.

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With the help of a few filters from Cheong (DOP) and TC, the coffee coloured water was miraculously transformed into an emerald green sea. Unfortunately he had no control over the tide which kept receeding just as we were ready to roll.

Day 4 Our last location was the light house at Kuala Selangor. It was a good thing that neither the talent or crew suffered from vertigo. And finally, back to the studio to shoot the closing fire flies scene and the fish. The glow from the fire flies was created by flickering light bulbs suspended from wooden poles. The production house then taught the fish to swim in one direction by placing them in a custom made tank which measured 6ft(L) x lft(H) x 4"(W). All in all the shoot went very smoothly. Phew! Now for the really hard part

Over the next two weeks, VHQ became our second home. And toasted tuna sandwiches our staple diet. Under the supervision of Yoki (Filmpoint), Antonio (VHQ s Creative Director) and Mun Chong (Flame operator), the commercial began to take shape. The most challenging special effect was the transformation of a bed of dry leaves to water and falling leaves into fish. Next, the layering of several hundred clown fishes. Then the "Contact" gel effect, followed by the unrolling of a carpet of daisies. And lastly stars turning into fire flies. Hats off to the duo who spent endless nights patiently rendering and re-rendering the effects to achieve a stunning end result of near seamless transitions.

A special mention to Wah Idris who composed a simple and beautiful piece of music to complement the commercial. Lastly many many thanks to all involved for their hard work and dedication. And to the client Shazalli Ramly (CEO-NTV7) for entrusting us with such a challenge. (written by Ashling Geh)

1~ 0

P S T () Ill E S

Industry

I~

R 0 M A S I A ' S M E I) I A & M A R K I~ T I N C N I~ \\' S 11 1\ P E It

A whole new order will have to be set up if the advertising

industry is to survive and evolve in the new millennium, according to BBDO Asia-Pacific chairman Chris Jaques. Speaking at the MEDIA Summit early this month, Mr Jaques said that the question was "not how much we should be paid, but why we should be paid for anything". Pointing to Walt Disney, Madonna and Michael Jordan as brands which continually reinvent and promote themselves with very little reliance on traditional advertising, he said

by Suzanne Miao that unless the ad industry took action to re-configure itself, it would end up as "lunch/golf/karaoke companions to our clients - and there's not a lot of money to be made in that". Factors such as the economic recession, the growth of media specialists, fragmentation of media and the globalisation of ad campaigns were "huge, cataclysmic" events which "will change the course of our industry" . "We have to move away from a control culture to one which promotes freedom to create and take risks," Mr Jaques said.

"Traditionally, the focus has been on the need to control, to order, to predict - that's not how it's going to be in the 21st century. It's going to be full of surprises. "We have to move away from a concentration on process to ideas, from discipline to creativity."

Size will be more important than ever - but big is not necessarily better. "The only benefit of scale is in media negotiation, and that has been taken away from [traditional ad agencies]," Mr Jaques said.

must deconstruct to survive

2000

Dentsu wins Best of Show at Times Asia-Pacific Awards

By Iris Lai

Dentsu Inc has walked off with the top awards at the 1998 Times Asia-Pacific Advertising Awards, including Best of Show for both the print and TV categories. Japan Tobacco's TV campaigns, entitled "Bench" and "Soap Bubbles", snatched the Best of Show (TV) for Dentsu, which sent its creative team to Corsica and Johannesburg to produce the TVC. Japan Tobacco's TVC was selected for its aesthetics, cinematography, music and editing, clearly illustrating what the product advertised was without actually showing it. The commercial shows a man arriving at a train station, who is interrupted every time he tries to light a cigarette and take a puff.

At the end, two birds land on his hat and the slogan "Consideration given ¡ is pleasure gained" appears.

Judging the Best of Show for the print category proved problematic, with the judges taking more than a day arguing the relative merits of the four finalists: J. Walter Thompson Taiwan's "Ice Stick" for Nestle, Dentsu's "Function or Design" for Mercedes-Benz, FCB Hong Kong's "This is my first time" for Aids Concern and Dentsu's "We spend half of our lives in darkness" for Mitsui Mag-Lite. In the end, Dentsu's print campaign for Mitsui Mag-Lite prevailed in the final round of deliberation, in which judges narrowed the field to Dentsu's and JWT's campaigns.

The 1998 Times Asia-Pacific Advertising Awards gave out 20 gold, 35 silver and 49 bronze medals altogether. In total, 988 entries from 13 Asian countries were received. Hong Kong took 70 awards following by Japan with 23. In the wake of the currency and economic crisis, countries such as Malaysia and Thailand significantly reduced their number of entries, and no work was sent from Indonesia.

China offe..s ..ay of hope fo .. 1999

By Ken McKenzie

All eyes are on China as the Asian economic crisis continues, with both clients and agencies clinging to the hope that China will deliver profits to help make up for the devastation in the rest of the region. "Every agency in town is looking for a profit in China next year, not through design, but circumstance," said Zenith Asia-Pacific CEO Antony Young. "There'll be more pressure on their China operations to deliver profits."

However, Mr Young said clients and agencies were both stretched for talent. "Clients are relying more and more on their agencies, who are also under resourced," he said. "I doubt if there is barely a client in China who would say they are happy with their agency."

China is becoming a favoured market now, particularly for expatriates in media, who have found their options evaporating in the rest of Asia,especially as media mergers and rationalisation take place.

Mr Young said that the China market was simply too big for many operations, who simply did not have the manpower.

He gave the example of booking a national TV campaign for Procter & Gamble, which in Hong Kong would take one person making one telephone call, but in China took 46 people.

In fact, 70 per cent of Zenith's staff in China are involved in media

buying. Fortunately, the changing market circumstances in China mean that guanxi or relationships are no longer paramount in the booking of media. "Now you only need guanxi if the media is all booked up or there is heavy demand," said Mr Young. "All media is available and money is now doing the talking, rather than guanxi. Other than CCTV, where you still need relationships, everything is on commercial terms."

This is a fortunate change as far as agencies are concerned, as it means that manpower requirements are not as high and that the time-consuming dealing with middlemen has been reduced.

Another plus is the introduction of ratings three years ago, and the acceptance in the marketplace that ratings are more important than local guanxi. This means that operations such as Zenith can have three bases in China (Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou) and need not spread themselves in cities around the country to satisfy local booking situations. In fact, Mr Young said there are no plans for any further Zenith offices in China.

Mr Young said Shanghai is most likely to become the advertising capital of China and that Zenith was centralising its buying in Shanghai.

Annual subscription rates to Media are Hong Kong (HK$590), Asia (US$ 90), and outside Asia (US$11 0).

Contact Media & Marketing Ltd at 11 /F McDonald's Building, 48 Yee Wo Street, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong.

Tel: (825) 25772628; Fax: (852) 25769171; E-mail: media@intercon.net; Website: http://www,media.com.hk

Map ollndia Queen Elizabeth II graces beco•• her Synchrosonnd Studios pubic hair!

A recent press ad for Smirnoff, which showed a naked woman whose pubic hair is covered by the map of India, has caused a furore in the United Kingdom. The Indian community has reacted with considerable indignation to the ad.

Surprisingly, the Advertising Standards Authority has given a clean chit to the agency, Lowe Howard Spink, stating that the 'light hearted approach and tight targeting (of the ads) meant they were unlikely to cause widespread offence'. While the magazine in which the ad was published, FHM, does have some misgivings on the issue, the client remains unrepentant. Reportedly they believe that the ad is not offensive since the model used is a Caucasian. The client describes the 'visual pun' as 'discreet and tasteful'!

Source: The Brief

APL appoints Nick Kelvin Chief Media Officer, Asia.

In late October, Anunirati Purls Lintas (APL), appointed Nick Kelvin as chief media officer for Asia with focus on the ASEAN and Greater China regions. Kelvin has been providing consultancy services to APL in the region since September 1997, and is based in the Kuala Lumpur office. He joined his APL base in KL from a variety of media independents, creative hotshops, and multi-national agencies in the UK where he was formerly the planning director for CIA Medianetwork, BBJ Media Services and GGT Advertising. Kelvin also served as a director of Carat Research and managing director of WM Media. His extensive international experience will add a new dimension to APL's media offerings in Asia and in working closely with Initiative Media Worldwide.

The Queen being briefed by Synchrosound Studios CEO Mohd Ibrahim Masrukin.

Cutting away from the normally stiff state visits, Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II was tour of given a grand Synchrosound Studios to observe Malaysia's premier recording and post-production facility. During her

half-hour visit, she was shown the audio mixing of Malaysia's first animated movie, Silat Lagenda, in Studio 9 of Synchrosound Studios. The movie was mixed in digital surround-sound on AMS Neve's Logic 2. The movie utilises an extensive range of sound effects available at the studio to match its action-packed storyline. Her interest in production also stems from Prince Edwards' involvement in a production company in the United Kingdom.

To add even more glamour, the Queen met with top local artists which included Raihan, Ella, Amelina, Ziana Zain, Siti Nurhaliza, Amy Search and Sheila Majid.

NEW AD BOOKS DISTILLING

DESIRE br J O H N M ACHADO

DistiUing Desire by the late advertising legend

John MachadiJ

U·----------------------------1 VHQ makes its mark The 1998 London International Advertising Awards has just announced this year's Finalists. The annual event reputed to be one of the toughest as well as the most popular is now in its 13th year.

VHQ Kuala Lumpur's entry, Sony Discman Maximum Shock a 30 second television commercial was nominated as a finalist in this year's Cel Animation Category.

"This is indeed a major boost for us, SONY DISCMAN's Maximum Shock the London Awards is tough, there are no Golds, Silvers or Bronzes only one winner and then finalists. Therefore being nominated as a finalist itself is a rare honour" said Tan Kee Tat, VHQ's Head of Post Production.

Maximum

A Guide 1b Creating Great Ads by award-winni!lfl copywriter Luke SuUwan

Life ~;

advertising Ricky and Patrick, formerly of Grey Advertising have opened up the best Laksa shop to be seen in a long time. Give it a shot on the third floor of Ampang Plaza. The poor soul you won't see at The Tuck Shop is Ricky's wife, who insists on shopping and cooking the curry, etc., fresh daily. She starts at 3am.

And you thought life in advertising was tough!

Shock

created by ad agency Asatsu won Gold in the recent Malaysian Video Awards for Best Animation - 2D/cel (Asean category) and also at the local Kancil Awards in the Film Animation category. Maximum Shock was recently screened in 'Best of the World 2' of the 7th International Animation Festival in Hiroshima.

!

Ir

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MMT invests RM25 million in Malaysian outdoor industry

MMT Sdn Bhd, a part of US-based imaging company Metromedia Technologies Inc. recently opened its Above: Painting drums printing on brand new plant in Nilai, Negeri vinyl at MMT's Nilai Facility.

Sembilan. MMT is the largest diversified imaging company in the world and sets industry standards for largescale image quality, durability and reliability. The company's new RM25 million facility in Nilai is its sixth in the world, with three in the U.S., and one each in Australia and The Netherlands.

This facility marks a new milestone for Malaysia's outdoor advertising industry. "The Nilai facility is ready to earn up to RM30 million in revenue per year with the economic recovery in the region," said Simon Peeke, director of MMT Malaysia,"Our current production is equally distributed between local and export markets, but we are looking at increasing the export side to 80% in the near future." The Nilai plant generates state-of-the-art computerised painting systems of high-end definition and detail with 100% digital accuracy and computer precision.

"We are basically catering to top quality images for billboard and fleet advertising," continued Simon, "Today, billboard rotation allows advertisers to move away from the broad-reach concept of outdoor advertising and target specific audiences by selecting only relevant sites. Large Top: An MMT produced billboard computer painted images on display.

The new television commercials for the current LUX ad campaign reintroduce LUX, Malaysia's Number 1 soap, in a refreshing new way.

"While LUX is a global brand, each country is faced with the challenge of making LUX relevant to the needs of their respective consumers," explains Judy Lim, Managing Director of J. Walter Thompson Sdn Bhd (JWT), the agency behind the campaign.

"LUX has always been associated with stars. However, it is not just any star. Some of the most beautiful and glamorous women around the world have been LUX stars, namely Sophia Loren, Kim Basinger, Derni Moore and not forgetting our very own Malaysians, Sheila Majid and Erra Fazira" she continued.

According to Creative Group Head Leow Yuet Mee, "This process is anything but simple.

Months and month of research goes into selecting the star who projects an image most suited to LUX. In turn, LUX also enhances the person's star quality. Ultimately, it is a win-win-win situation for the star, the brand and also the consumer."

ADCJi

26

trucks are also a new medium Simon Peeke utilised

by Director of MMT advertisers with (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd fleet owners realising the marketing potential of such a medium. Fleet graphics reinforce product awareness and optimise presence."

MMT computer-painted images can also be used to decorate tall buildings, be wrapped around stadiums or to cover arenas. They are used for architectural design, building and scaffolding covers, construction barricades, environmental graphics, large-scale murals, museum reproductions, theatrical backdrops, trade shows exhibits, banners and wall coverings. "Theoretically, four billion colours are possible," quipped Simon, "We are planning to export Made-in-Malaysia advertising images for outdoor applications to countries like Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Nepal, India and Pakistan. Very soon, Malaysian will become a regional hub.

We chose Nilai because of its proximity to KLIA, access to the benefits of the Multimedia Super Corridor and its skilled manpower avaiable."

Jeffrey Gan, also a director of MMT Malaysia added, "It has been two long years of endless hours and hard work from the entire team."

Throughout the world, MMT has worked to promote clients like Coca-Cola, Marlboro, Toyota, Mercedes Benz, Ford, American Express, Visa, NEC, Samsung and more. "MMT products come with a five-year warranty against fading, cracking, chipping or peeling.

Specifically developed long-life acrylic paint applied to a white vinyl-coated fabric guarantees the finished product is tough and durable," concluded Simon.

Erra stars in Lux¡~.;new ad campaign

Above: J Walter Thompson's managing director Judy Lim (right) and creative group head Leow Yuet Mee with the ad materials for Lux. Right: Current LUX star; Erra Fazira, as seen in the new LUX TVC

"The advertising for the brand has evolved over the years according to the changing needs of its target customers. While it is important to be glamorous, it is just as important to be contemporary."

"Malaysian singer Fauziah Latiff's dancing disco looks may look outdated now, but that partie-

ular LUX commercial proved to be a big hit during the late eighties," she informed.

In the late nineties, many of the components in the commercials changed. As Judy puts it, "Malaysia's new LUX commercials for the new LUX variant are stylishly edited, comparable to the best Celine Dion

music videos, with a well-composed soundtrack and stylish wardrobe to match. These components showcase the product values of LUX with a never-seen-before youthful exuberance.

"Our approach in this new advertising campaign was to do something that appeals to the young Malaysian woman, without alienating her mother," said Judy.

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b

can bet people are more taken in by first-hand testimonials than slick advertising. But the bad ones, they spread like bush fire. And they are very hard to undo.

I for one participated in this act. I discovered that the price of a book I bought is about 44% higher than where it is sold elsewhere.

I related this to someone else and he said, "when you told me you went there, I thought, 'rich girl'. I never buy my books there!"

All the advertising in the world can never change the devil!

Good service translates to free advertising - the word of mouth - the most effective form of advertising.

How you perceive it depends on which end you are at.

Even with the best PR manager and advertising people working to turn around his image, the devil would never have a favourable reputation.

So, with my five minutes on the soapbox, I would like to talk about how some advertisers do a splendid job with their advertising but don't get. the most out of it because of lousy service, empty claims and contradicting lip service.

KNOW WHAT YOU ARE SELLING Good products and good image are often ruined by service screw-ups at point of sale. To illustrate this point of sale. To illustrate this point; my visit to an optical shop.

I wanted to buy a lens cleaner.

They had two kinds.

I asked, "Is there any difference between the two (besides the price)?" The guy behind the counter grinned and said, "One is imported, the other is local."

I muttered "I see. No thanks then," and made a beeline for the door. It is not a habit of mine to walk out on salespeople, but I was put off by his stupendous explanation. Here we see a major flaw. Lack of product knowledge.

Do educate the people who sell your products. Manufacturers should make an effort to train their dealers right down to the sales personnel at point of sale on product knowledge.

Today's consumers are not a branch of gullible buyers to be taken in with a vague sales-pitch like 'This one is better lah.'

We want to know specifically why. What goes into the product? ¡ Does it have any special features/properties? Yes, the turnover rate of sales personnel is very high, but try to look at staff training as a long term investment. Empower them with knowledge so that they can perform their jobs well and feel proud of it. Till this day I still feel a tinge of pride when I hear positive comments about.the service of the bank I used to work at. I would definitely recommend it to those who look for good service above all else.

DON'T TELL LIES Misinformation is worse than no information. A salesgirl told a

customer that blouse she bought could be washed in the machine, when in fact it was supposed to be dry-cleaned. What about returning it then? Well, have you seen that 'Goods sold are not returnable and exchangeable' clause in receipts?

A nice twist of the arm. What customer satisfaction are you talking about?

ANYONE IS A POTENTIAL CUSTOMER. Service at point of sale should also be genuine and not reserved for 'a certain segment of customers'.

Sadly, this is quite common in the service industry and high-end retail.

An experience was related to me of how a shabbily dressed girl (giving the impression of being not loaded) was ignored by a beauty consultant of one of those expensive cosmetic counters.

So, the girl went to the next counter where she was duly attended to.

She bought all the colours of a nail polish range. That other beauty consultant must have kicked herself sore over her loss of commission.

LET ME GO! Well, service is service, but don't make the mistake of forcing it down people's throats. Overbearing shampoo and undergarment promoters following closely with the ever-ready 'Sister, this one very good one' coming to mind.

WHISPER SWEET WOHDS The tricky part is to give just enough service, not too much, not too little. I once had a very pleasant experience at a Body Shop outlet.

Four out of five times I go to Body Shop for their nice pamphlets and brochures. I think the staff knew that, but he tactfully suggested some products without pressuring me to make a purchase. He knew the products well and was .receptive to my comments. I didn't buy anything (because I didn't need anything at that time) but that good impression was sold to me Good service translates to free advertising - the word of mouth the most effective form of advertising. How you perceive it depends on which end you are at.

The good ones might take a while longer to pass around, but you

TAKE COMPLAINTS CONSTRUCTIVELY Like the prodigal son, mistakes are often forgiven . When faced with a complaint, don't brush it aside or give that blank look.

Or 'We'lllook into it' and then let it gather cobwebs in the hope that the complainer forgets. He might forget, but he can recall.

Acknowledge complaints that come your way. At least that gives the impression that you are willing to listen. Then, act on it.

Investigate. Explain. Offer a sincere apology if needed (some people just want to make life miserable for others). Always do a follow-up and let the complainant know of the outcome.

I still remember an incident which happened a few years back.

I am going to relate this anyway despite coming across something that David Ogilvy wrote, who was giving a piece of advice I suspect especially targeted to copywriters like me who have nothing better to do with their free time - Never allow yourself the luxury of writing letters of complaint.

It cost him an account which he only got twenty years later.

I found a chunk of pages missing from a magazine I bought. I was even more annoyed because the article I wanted to read (the reason why I bought the magazine in the first place) was among those missing pages. So, I crafted a letter of complaint to the editor. I forgot all about it after that and was pleasantly surprised to receive a reply from the Managing Director herself.

There was an apology, a reason given, action taken, forwarding of the complaint to the printer and a few free magazines to boot. I sent her a thank you card.

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Joe

¡

advertisers advertise before they are ready. When I see an ad on a new product, I expect to see it on the shelves. KFC's Crispy Strips had yet to be introduced at the Tapah highway outlet when I was there three months ago. Anyway, I accepted another order without fuss because the cashier was enthusiastically nice (though mechanically polite). And I have hardly seen any Pringles junior cans on the supermarket shelves despite its heavy advertising in the print media and radio airwaves.

MEAN \VHAT YOU SAY Lastly, be careful of ambiguous information. From a hotel restaurant, I ordered two fresh eggs any style - with sausages, beef bacon or cured turkey, grilled tomato and hash brown potatoes. I was served with four eggs instead. When I was asked about the rest of my order, the waiter said it was a choice of eggs or the rest. Huh? As far as I know, with and or are worlds apart and even the parting of the Red Sea can't bring them together.

Anticipated images of tucking into nice warm grilled tomato and hash brown potatoes fizzled, burnt and up in smoke.

Copywriter Joe lynn Chin can be contacted at 04-398 8637

DON'T HATCH YOUH EGGS BEFORE THEY ARE WARM Then there are times when

27 ADCJ/

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ideas that found their way into the American lexicon. The school girl complexion for Palmolive soap . The film-removing capa-

bility of Pepsodent. And from Good Year, the all-weather tyre.

Hopkins and lasker shared many fundamental beliefs about how advertising works . With an ad that convinced America not to just eat oranges , but to drink them, they changed the breakfast habits of the nation fore ver. They It was an age of invention in America unparalleled in history. Electricity, the automobile, the telephone . They would shape the new century in ways never before imagined.

revolutionized the advertising industry. And articulated a

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customer focus at lord & Thomas that would be followed

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even after it became Foote, Cone & Belding.

And with them, came another American invention . One

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less tangible than the light bulb or the model 'T , but some

"Good advertising Is written always from one person to another. When It Is aimed

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would say just as revolutionary. Because it would influence

· at millions, It rarely moves anyone."

behaviour, reshape the social patterns of society and imbue

Fairfax Cone

scores of new products appearing almost daily with relevance , even greatness. It was called advertising.

In December 1942 , Albert lasker summoned his three top managers . Emerson Foote from New York, Fairfax Cone

But at the turn of the century, its immensepower had yet to be harnessed . In Chicago, Daniel lord and Ambrose Thomas were starting their fourth decade in business. Theirs was the first company ever to be called an advertising agency.

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from Chicago and Don Belding from California. When staffers came to work the next day, they found the same agency, but

PREVENT FOREST FIRES!

with a new name : Foote , Cone & Belding.

And would later be known as Foote, Cone & Belding.

Of the three new partners, it was Fairfax Cone who emerged as leader. He passed on the talents of the

Their goal was modest. To keep the client's

agency founders to a new generation through a series

name before the public . But the firm's young partner,

of memos written with directness and dry humour.

Albert lasker was searching for a more aggressive way

They were called 'Blue Streaks', a name represented

to market his clients' products. One that would set his

in the FCB logo today.

agency above all the rest.

On a summer afternoon inl904, while lasker

"Let us write as If we were writing to a sceptical aunt.

worked at his desk, a clerk handed him a card.

All the rest of the world can look over our aunt's shoulder." Fairfax Cone

"I'm in a saloon downstairs and I can tell you what

advertising is. I know that you don't know." - john E. Kennedy.

"It's rarely about selling a product to a consumer. It's a more direct conversation with a consumer about a

lasker grabbed his \=Oat and went down to the

product." Shirley Polykoff, 1971

saloon. There, he and John Kennedy talked about advertising for hours .

"Good advertising expresses the personality of the advertiser. For

"Well, I'd say advertising is news."

~

promise Is only as good as Its maker."

Fairfax Cone

"No Mr. Lasker, news is a technique of presentation.

"Loyalty then Is not what our customers owe our

Advertising is a very different thing. I can give it to you in

brands. But what our brands owe our customers."

three words."

Laurel Cutler, 1995

"Salesmanship in print."

"Make It clear. Make It complete. Make It Important. Make It personal. Make It demanding." Fairfax Cone

Lasker was inspired by the clarity of the idea .

He

hired Kennedy with the charge to build a copywriting staff

"Make It different. Make It beautiful." Mike Koelker, 1992

versed in the art of creating ads that actually proposed to sell. The

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day, advertising's first agency had the first

To this day, the goal of creating person-to-person

agency creative department.

advertising is what binds the people of FCB around the world . Cone defined the term 'person-to-person' in an essay

"When you prepare an advertise-

he called "The plain short story of advertising."

ment, be guided by what you would do If you met the buyer

"Advertising Is the business of telling someone something

face-to-face." Albert Lasker

that should be Important to him. It Is a substitute for talking

In a coupon programme for Ben Caps Canned Milk,

to someone. Desirable advertising will be reasonable but

nearly one and a half million coupons were Albert lasker came to be

never dull. It will be original, but never self-conscious.

redeemed in New York alone , in a single day.

called the father of modern

It will be Imaginative, but never misleading.

advertising. And few men have

"We cannot go after thousands of men

A property prepared advertisement will always be

done more to change American social patterns and buying

until we learn to win one." Claude c. Hopkins

convincing and make people act. This, Incidentally,

habits . In 1907 , he hired Claude C. Hopkins , later to be acknowledged as the greatest copywriter ever. Over the next 16 years, the two developed ideas about the craft of

Is all that I know about advertising." Fairfax Cone

Hopkins pioneered the pre-empToday, Foote , Cone & Belding celebrates 125

tive claim - the 'target audience'. David

advertising - and the foundation of the profession.

Ogilvy once said "Claude Hopkins perceived

Together they pioneered consumer research and test

the importance of brand images a genera tion

marketing, sampling and couponing .

before they ca me into use." He gave the world selling

years of person-to-person advertising with over 200 clients in 73 countries. Fairfax Cone probably knew a Claude C. Hopkins

bit more about advertising than he let on.

Rl;l Malaysia 0

Foote, Cone & Belding Sdn. Bhd. (8575U)

ZZnd Floor, Menara MPPJ , }alan Tengah , P.O. Box 102, 4671 0 Petaling Jaya, Se langor Darul Ehsan , Malaysia. Tel: 03 -757 36Z Z (main line) Fax: 03-757 4080 e-mail : fcb@fcbmal.com.my

How will Malaysia's advertising expenditure fare in 1998?

I feel the estimate by AC Nielsen is conservative. One only needs to look at the reduced number of spots on TV and the thinner newspapers to get the sense that the reduction is substantial.

The 4A's estimate was that billings would be down 19% for the year... even this is conservative.

Initially it was Malaysian companies cutting back, but now the multinational are trimming as their own sales flatten or decline.

1999 is going to be a very tough year!

TM. Freitag Group Managing Director Ogilvy & Mather Malaysia

Here are my comments on ACNielsen's projected Adex figure: If Malaysia's advertising expenditure for 1998 shows a fall of just 15% over 1997 I shall be mightily surprised.

Great swathes of agency client rosters are totally non-performing. Consequently, almost all agency and media management people I have talked to say their businesses are down about 40%.

But we look ahead with some confidence.

Cautiously improving conditions together with the general 'rationalising' undertaken by many should see a healthier industry in 1999. So let me wish our brethren one and all an early Happy New Year!

Bob Seymour CEO, BozeU Worldwide Sdn Bhd

The 15% may be related to their environment, ie. above-the-line monitored media, etc.

The reality we faced is a drop that is a lot more than 15% as it includes cutbacks in non-monitored media like outdoor, production work, income from fees for events and so on. Labtyd is fortunate to be able to equal last year's billings, but if we did not stumble (the nation, the region, now the world) then our biz in 1998 should have doubled 1997. In that sense we dropped 50%.

As I understand it, for those who are not so fortunate 1998 has been a real time 50% or more disaster. All in, I think the 15% thing is really narrow.

Henry Martinus, Managing Director, Labtyd Sdn Bhd

Read what industry leaders have to say! /11 11111·

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AC Nielsen's recent smvey revealed that the

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advertising expenditure in Malaysia in 1998 would contract but the contraction is estimated to be 15%. This discovery by ACNielsen contrasts greatly from the estimate issued by the 4As at the beginning of this year, which placed the shrinkage to be at least -35%. Year-to-date September 1998 ADEX tracking indicates that advertising expenditure is reduced by 19%. It is therefore, very likely that the reduction in expenditure would be between 18% to 20% by year-end.

Do all these sound right? Is ACNielsen inaccurate or have all the ad agencies panicked too early when they first saw signs of client spending cut backs, and quickly proceeded to cut staff headcount and salaries? Or perhaps, it was time to 'trim the fat' after nearly a decade of fatty diet, with the reality of a recession having set in and the acknowledgement that clients may not be able to afford similar spend as previously possible.

I think it is a combination of all these.

ACNielsen, as a third party media monitoring house, can only monitor and measure expenditure based on casual or rate card rates. It would be difficult for them to identify any special, discounted or preferred deals that are negotiated between media owners and agencies or advertisers. Any other third party media research house that is appointed to do the same job would face similar difficulties.

ACNielsen could perhaps have had a more accurate gauge if they spoke to the heads of agencies, but would any head of agency tell them how much money their clients are cutting?

There is definitely a dramatic drop in real spending but the use of airtime, while it has dropped is not as dramatic. As media

owners face the reality of reduced revenue, they are offering 'value added' packages to agencies and advertisers. They are not discounting their prices but they will shoot infomercials, provide breaker slides and do a host of quite surprisingly innovative things (which the industry is witnessing now) - FREE! Clients are happy, as they don't have to foot more bills but agencies see their media commissions substantially slashed and an end to production commissions.

So yes, ACNielsen's survey does not accurately measure or report on real ringgit reduction. Their survey indicates the volume of air space bought and therefore, the value that would have been spent on this.

Advertising expenditure cutbacks will vary by categories and will therefore, have different implications to different agencies.

Some agencies are badly affected with repercussions ranging from near closure to huge cuts in headcount and salaries. Some are either more fortunate or just simply stronger and better, therefore they still pick up some new wins while retaining their current client portfolio and clients' spend. It is comforting to know that there are still some wise clients who believe this is the ripe time to continue their investment and force out their rivals. It is also important that the advertising industry recognizes that 1999 will be tough but perpetual pessimism and self-defeatism will be the last traits to help us out of this .difficult business and financial climate. And certainly, the way out is not to go to each other's clients and offer lower deals!

Jennifer Chan Chief Executive Officer, BBDO Malaysia.

Suffice to say, that early this year I predicted

ACNielsen's prediction that Adex for 1998

0% growth (ADoi Feb/March issue), despite views to the contrary by some of my able competitors. I believe the article you ran told an eloquent story. 1999 will separate the men from the boys in our industry... we ain't seen nothing yet!

Rishya Joseph Senior Vice-President, Regional Director, Dentsu Young & Rubicam.

projected to drop 15% compared to last year is no surprise. In fact the drop in actual monetary terms is probably even greater since ACNielsen's measurement is based on rate card value - in other words, prior to negotiation and believe me, there are plenty of people negotiating off those rates. The ad industry in Malaysia has suffered badly but nowhere near the levels felt in markets like Indonesia and Thailand. The 20% growth days are probably over for ever but I would encourage clients to sustain their investment in advertising. We will turn the comer and when we do, it will be the strongest and most compelling brands that will pull ahead further.

Advertising is an important component (I might argue the most vital!) of brand building, so don't be a ninny; keep your spend up.

Perhaps it is only natural to assume that when everything else melted down since the 2nd quarter of 1997, the Adex was very much part of what would have been adjusted to the squeeze.

We should be thankful that the reduction is somehow at manageable levels. The accountants have done their jobs by improving companies' bottom lines as the first line of defence, but now the marketing directors should step in to monitor the barometer as the entire economy has basically touched the bottom and the only way to go next is upward.

I feel that with the savings in income tax for 1999, companies should plough that amount back into advertising and promotions to stimulate both the economy and their businesses at the same time.

Sabri Rahman Managing Director City Television Sdn Bhd (Metrovision)

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1111 'I/.<..; II 1 r 'I I 1111 'I I i !/

Simon Bolton Regional Director, S.E. Asia Foote, Cone & Belding

29

OPPORTUNITIES AND THREATS

b Martin SorreU Chie Executive WPP Grou .

The 21st century will see advertising continuing to grow faster outside the US, with central/eastern Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East becoming more important. It will also see marketing services growing faster than advertising throughout the world. So market research, public relations and specialist communications will show greater growth than media advertising. While overall, there will be significant and continued growth in communications, this means that the real opportunities for our clients will be in the worldwide context and beyond advertising. There are a number of opportunities as I see it, though these could turn into threats, for our industry.

NEW ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURES

The first issue is the need to develop new organisational structures and responses to the changes in the environment in which we operate.

These changes are well rehearsed growth of free trade, communications, technology, travel - and all have introduced greater competitive activity.

In response to the increased competitive climate, our clients major multinational and national companies - have developed structures and processes that involve significant organisational change.

There is a myth that people in advertising and communications are not conservative, that they are quick to change - not necessarily so. In fact our organisational structures are very similar today to 80 years ago - very functionally driven, silo-like structures that fail to communicate as effectively and efficiently as they should in this increasingly competitive world.

So our clients have gone through major structural change: it is not rare for those clients to have cut their headcounts - a very crude measurement of improvement in productivity - by 10 per cent, 15 per cent, 20 per cent or even 25 per cent. In our own industry, if minimal changes are made to structure, or indeed numbers of people, we squeal with displeasure.

It's interesting to observe that in the faster growing markets you see some of the most radical experiments by agencies changing their organisational structures to make them more client-driven, more

:\DCJi

30

horizontal, less vertical and more functionally-driven.

ISSUE OF SIZE

The second issue is size. Another myth held by some clients is that the bigger an agency or marketing services company is, the less creative and less responsive it becomes; in a sense that's linked to organisational structure. But the issue of size is one that will become increasingly difficult to manage.

Within our industry over the last five to 10 years we've seen polarisation between the very big and the very small: the big agencies growing greater, the smaller agencies continuing to develop, but the mid-ground being chewed up, though there will forever be that healthy Darwinian process of renewal where people break off from large agencies and start their own.

A good example of change taking place in our industry is CAA. Who would have believed five or 10 years ago than a small Hollywood based talent agency could have secured one of the largest accounts in the world, Coca Cola, from one of the most venerated large agencies in our industry!

new technologies. In my view there is really nothing new in the interactive area. Essentially, direct communication, of which interactive is a sub-set, has been developing significantly for the last 30 or 40 years.

If you look at the classic national daily newspaper, you could argue that something like 80 per cent of its advertising is interactive in the sense that it demands a response from the consumer through a box number, through a telephone number, or a coupon, or a classified advertisement. So in my view it's nothing new, but its power is. The new electronic means of communication has enable us to develop that power more radically than before.

To date most of the new media technological developments have been confined to the media departments of advertising agencies and the activity has been quite low in an absolute dollar sense. For that to change significantly creative departments of advertising agencies, in particular, have to embrace the new technologies. In our own way at WPP we have started to try and embrace that change by making significant investments in small new media companies such as HotWrred and BroadVision and technology funds like Media Technology Ventures. But the focus has to change from the media to the creative department.

PEOPLE DEVELOPMENT

MEDIA POWER

The third issue, and this is critical long term, is the development and attraction of what I call bright young people into our industry.

This is not a new thought - David Ogilvy noted this more than 40 years ago, when he observed the commitment of his friend and founder of McKinsey, Marvin Bower, to recruiting and attracting the brightest from the very best universities in the US and Europe particularly. It's interesting that companies like McKinsey, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Bain, The Monitor Group, Booz Allen are all committed to carefully co-ordinated and consistent campaigns to recruit people over long periods of time. That is something our industry does not do. We started the WPP Fellowship programme two years ago with the specific objective of attracting, recruiting and paying the very best first degree and second degree talent.

Interestingly, when we were recruiting at Harvard Business School this year for MBA talent, there was no other company from our industry recruiting there.

In the last three or four years we've seen the growth of major new media, they're often called conglomerates, but they are really focused media companies. I am thinking of the ubiquitous Mr Murdoch, or of Disney and ABC, or of Time Warner and Turner Broadcasting. Who would have forecast, for example, that NBC would team up with Microsoft, or GE with Netscape.

I believe there will be an increasing need for agencies such as our own and indeed through our strategic partnerships such as The Media Partnership with Omnicom in Europe, to develop greater media power and understanding of the importance of media buying.

NEW TECHNOLOGY

The fourth area is the sexy and vogue-ish area of interactivity and

STRATEGIC THINKING

The sixth area is the importance of strategic thinking. We, as an industry, do three things in my view: we work with clients to develop their strategic marketing thinking; we are, most importantly, involved in creative execution (including media); and thirdly, we co-ordinate that strategic thinking and that creative execution on a worldwide basis. Sadly the emphasis seems to be increasingly on the latter two things - that is, creative execution

and co-ordination. As a result, a significant part of our value-added is being stolen; our clothes are being stolen, particularly by the management consultancies, who have woken up to the fact that all business strategy is about marketing strategy - you start with the consumer and work backwards.

This is a significant threat to our business, and it's vital that we move up the value chain towards the strategic end of the process. That's linked to the recruitment of people: if you don't recruit good people you will become more executional.

Many of our biggest clients have gone through a major agency remuneration exercise over the past years. And interestingly all of them have stayed with the commission system, and have stayed with what many people would believe were higher levels of commission around the 13 per cent, 14 per cent, 15 per cent and in some cases 16 per cent and 17 per cent levels with bonuses for performance against target. The reasons for that are that there are only a relatively small number of agencies that can operate particularly with the major multinational companies. So I think what is happening is that there is starting to be a greater appreciation by clients of the value of agencies, the importance of brand differentiation in an increasingly competitive environment, and that to some extent is being slowly reflected in the approach to remuneration by our clients.

GLOBALISATION The final area of opportunity is the globalisation of our business.

Besides advertising, there are two other industries in my view that have become global very rapidly.

The first is market research. We as a group are the second largest market research company, in custom research, advertising tracking and copy testing. What is remarkable about that business is in the last two to three years, we've started to work with our major clients, on a coordinated and integrated basis in 30 or 40 countries throughout the world. Market research has simply become a global business overnight. Linked with that in a sense is the growth of the corporate identity business, also on a worldwide scale. We recently created the Enterprise Group linking five of our businesses in San Francisco, New York, London, Hong Kong and Taipei to try and deal with global identity issues.

This article is reprinted here with the kind permission of publishers Atalink Ltd UK, the In ternational Advertising Association an d the distinguished au thor 's good office.

.8EFOI\E THE DAYS OF FIX-IT -IN -POST Gillie Potter returned to KL recently to share with us his Malaysian film making experience at a special FINAS sponsored seminar. Potter gave a remarkable account of his pioneering forays into special effects photography.

According to Potters 1 account, Malaysia must be worthy of a footnote in history for the development of special effects photography.

Potter, a war photographer with the British Army was posted to Kuala Lumpur in 1945 to document the British Army's re-occupation following the Japanese surrender. Operating from attap-roofed buildings in Jalan Bangsar, Potter and his Malaysian team formed the first government film unit the forerunner of Filem Negara. Potter managed to acquire a Bell and Howell rostrum camera. With this camera he and his team improvised and experimented with multiple pass photography, optical printing, matte photography, glass matte painting and various other techniques, which were arguably years ahead of their time.

Potter 1s f1lm unit used these techniques prolifically to create graphics, animation and effects in numerous documentary fllms.

After serving for 13 years with the film unit, Potter returned to Britain to pursue his passion for special effects. To his surprise he found that many of the innovative techniques he had developed in Malaysia were unknown back home.

Potter, a war photographer with the British Anny was posted to Kuala Lumpur in 1945 to document the British Anny's re-occupation following the Japanese surrender.

He set up his own studio and with the benefit of his Malaysian experience embarked on a career spanning four decades. As well as TV commercials, too numerous to mention. Potter created special effects for several feature films including Superman 1 and 2!

Potter returned many times to Malaysia to direct TV commercials. The two most notable and I believe award winning commercials he returned to Malaysia to make were the Chartered Bank rolling coin spot, and an MAS commercial which showed an aircraft taking off from the Champs Ellyses in Paris.

Amazingly, the effects in these TV commercials were all achieved in camera. What came back from the lab was the finished product!

Incredibly, Potter is not only still alive but he is still working from his studio in England , proving wrong the adage, old f1lm directors don 1t die, they just fade to black.

r oiVe u.s RM&O ,

l and we will I give you. 1999!

I II Get a whole year subscription to ADoi magazine for 1999 for only RM60 (plus postage) . Overseas subscription price- US$50 per year.

Job Title:

I I I

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to 22B, Jalan Tun Mohd Fuad Satu, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, 60000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia .

Tel : (603) 716 2588 Fax : (603) 716 2598 e-mail : ham@ pop.jaring.my

1 I I I

1

I I I .J

When I was invited to write about Healthcare Advertising, one incident came to mind. A leading advertising agency's creative team was all worked up when their pharmaceutical client rejected their masterpiece on the grounds that it was not in line with healthcare advertising truisms. But then, what is healthcare advertising?

Indeed, in more ways than one, it is a subject of considerable public interest Some time ago, the subject was highlighted again in a daily paper when the Pharmaceutical Services Department Director reminded the print media to be vary of unapproved medical ads.

The following day, the ad industry was reported to have complained about grey areas and lack of guidelines. Encik Yusof Bador, Chairman of the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) Malaysia took lead of this situation by organising a seminar entitled Health Products - Advertising & Control This event was given extra importance when it was officiated by YB Dato Chua Jui Meng, our Minister of Health. Leading authorities in this field presented their views.

Mr Loo Chiang Jiu, who is the Deputy Director of Licensing and Enforcement in the Pharmaceutical Services Division, Ministry of Health presented a paper titled 1Controls on Medical Advertisements 1 â&#x20AC;˘ Encik Yusof explained the Malaysian Code of Advertising and stated, All ads must be legal, decent, honest and truthful. He highlighted some ads which made unsubstantiated claims, like Reduce 4" to 14" in one hour referring to one 1S girthline and bust-firming gel is quickly absorbed and produces immediate visible effects.

Advocate & Solicitor Mr Bhag Singh in his paper Defining Medical Advertisements 1 argued that an average Malaysian in the street who reads in a newspaper about a new facility or service that has become available would not view it as an advertisement. Yet, the law as it stands and the authorities who enforce it do not always see it that way. This is because the interpretation of the 1

1

â&#x20AC;˘

1

1

1

1

word 1advertisement 1 in the Medicines (Advertisement and Sale) Act 1956 is an extremely broad one as to cover almost everything. This confusion does not help the creative team when they are planning their creative strategy.

Today the fields of healthcare advertising and publishing are unique unto themselves. With few exceptions there is not another venue that places greater demand on product knowledge while at the same time places constrains ranging from federal regulations to corporate regulatory policies.

Healthcare advertising can be divided into two basic types.

The flrst been the Over The Counter (OTC) market. This section is defined as the self medication market. The consumers have the choice to purchase services or medication which will suit their needs without consulting a doctor.

The other form of healthcare advertising is directed to the medical profession. Drugs that are advertised and which cannot be purchased without a doctor 1s recommendation. The latter form of advertising is highly technical and regulated by the respective pharmaceutical regulatory bodies.

In my view the OTC market has been the main area of concern both from the advertising and the authorities I point of view. It cannot be denied that despite the existence of so many different regulatory bodies and laws on healthcare products, cosmetics products for example are being advertised and sold freely over the counter.

The time has come to educate the ad industry on the rules of the game in order for healthcare advertising to flourish. A case in point, plans are afoot to promote Telemedicine in a big way in the future. What are guidelines in this area? This and other issues on healthcare will be covered in future articles . Meantime remember, health is wealth - good times or bad!

Johnson Lopez is Managing Director of Jon Clare Advertising, a leading healthcare advertising specialist and can be reached . via e-mail at jclare@tm.net. my

31

Direct Marketing for a mate linspired by a true story) Are you tired to tears of being lonely?

Do you gaze at happy couples, walking hand-inhand with a sense of frustrated longing? Are the immortal words of The Spice Girls, you 'li~ forever, for the moment, for the ONE'? Do you have something to sell, but no one really special to sell it to?

in

Try Direct Marketing

Anyone who yearns for attention, and ultimately, someone to accept an offer and maintain a happily-ever-after relationship, could use a little help from Direct Marketing. Take your sorry, solitary self, for example.

What have you done so far? Roam the pubs trying to catch a desirable stranger's eye?

Mingle amongst the masses with every other lonely heart - hoping against all hope to stand out in the crowd?

Hey, it's an approach most make, with some degree of occasional success. It's called, 'getting lucky'. Getting lucky is OK. I'd venture to guess that most of you would rather get lucky with the right person. Or at least, get lucky more often.

So here's what you do. A step-by-step guide for applying the Principles of Direct Marketing to your quest for a perfect mate ...

Your Direct Marketing for a Mate User's Guide.

Step One: Cast a Net You can do this a number of ways. Get hold of a list of people who are most likely to be receptive to what you have to offer. You could try one of those 'Need a Friend?' services in the local classifieds.

Or if you're stranger-shy (or figure those services are littered with losers) try building your own prospect list. Every time you have an opportunity for contact, be sure to get at least a name, address and phone number. Business cards help. Little sheets of paper work fine too.

NOW IT'S

TAYLOR

NELSON

SOFRES

Market research expert SOFRES FSA Malaysia is now called Taylor Nelson SOFRES Malaysia and has a new logo too. With over 100 offices in 34 countries and more than 4000 fulltime professional staff they aim to become the name to be reckoned with, come the new millennium. This new identity comes as part of the merger between two market research giants, UK-based Taylor Nelson AGB and the SOFRES Group. The full implementation of this exercise

_-\DOi 32

But when you get the contact information, try also to jot down a few particulars.

Whatever particulars are important to you, the physical stuff like colour of eyes, height, vital stats, or 'inner soul' stuff like style, personality, hobbies, habits. If any of the above particulars annoys you (e.g., a habit of picking one's nose in public) feel free to crumple up the card or note and toss it in the nearest bin at your earliest convenience.

Step Two: Assign Values After you've cast your net and collected enough desirable prospects, lay out all the bits of information on your dining room table. Look through your names, one by one, and create a ranking system.

You can be as If you're really simple or as detailed as you cool, input all want at this point, this in a telekom with high-to-low value categories, or application in subcategories withyour computer, in categories.

For examso you can iust ple, a 5 could be auto-dial at the assigned to all 'Contact Them push of a button I NOW' prospects. A 1 to 'Contact them in a few months' hopefuls. A 5A to 'Perfect, Likes to Dance'. A 5D to 'Perfect, but Dances Like a Zombie. You get the idea, yes?

If you're really cool, input all this in a telekom application in your computer, so you can just auto-dial at the push of a button!

Step Three: Make Contact Try your high-value prospects first. But take note: Just because they're on your list, it doesn't mean they're pre-sold. You still have to package yourself. Do it honestly, though,

is to be completed by January 1, 1999. The Taylor Nelson SOFRES Group which is currently the world's third largest research organization is also listed on the London Stock Exchange and the Kuala Lumpur office will become its AsiaPacific headquarters. John Smurthwaite is now the Regional Vice President of Taylor Nelson SOFRES Asia-Pacific based in KL, and lain Bell is Managing Director of Taylor Nelson SOFRES Malaysia.

TAYLOR NELSON SOFRES

M A

because the good ones can smell a phony a mile away. It is important to look good, to sound right, to communicate with a pleasingly personable tone and manner. But what you have to say is much more important than how you say it.

And you can substantially increase your chances for success with an offer they can't refuse. A romantic dinner-for-two is a traditional favourite, but it really depends on who your talking to. One man's dinner-for-two is another man's little jogging-together-around-the-Lake Gardens. Just make sure your offer fits you, your target and your objectives.

Step Four: Never Say Goodbye OK, so they had other commitments on your first try. If they didn't say, 'Get Lost, Loser' try again in the near future. Just because they didn't jump at the first chance doesn't mean they're not dating. Keep at it, at least until you're darn sure they don't want you.

Step Five: Keep Mining Once you've gone through all the time and trouble of collecting contact information, keep your data fresh. People move. Change jobs.

Get married. You must keep active if only to keep your information up-to-date. Active 'mining' of your data is also important if you want a truly long-lasting relationship, because building a good relationship takes time.

Step Six: Track Results You can learn a lot from your successes and your failures. Keep doing what works for you, and avoid repeating the things you know you've done wrong.

Now... stop feeling sorry for yourself and go out and get your perfect mate. Just add a little Direct Marketing method to your madness, and everything will work out just fine.

REPEATING A CiOOD

IDEA

~

.-

··

.:..~.

~ ..· 1!

When Omar Osman (picture) decided to open his own little ad agency and was thinking about a suitable name for it, he reflected on the famous Saatchi & Saatchi, two similar names repeated to form one easy-to-remember name.

"And the only thing repetitive about my name were my initials 0." So that was it - 0 Square Advertising was born. Set up by three partners, Omar and two other seasoned ad guys Suhaimi Mustapha and Jamal Tumiran, they have 37 years of experience between them and have" been busy from day one. Hopefully, the only O's they'll get to see are the ones added to their profits. 0 Square Advertising can be reached by phone on 03-9200 2906.

Outspoken, Outdone, Outspent ...

it's Outdoor!

Such demands are not only nonsensical but give the impression that some people can act like cowboys and impose jungle law.

As a schoolboy in the Sixties, I was given a very short but interesting lecture on advertising by, of all persons, a humble civil servant. I had gone to the then Klang Town Council to get a permit to put up a banner for the school talentime which we had organised.

"You cannot have a banner anywhere near a roundabout or a road junction," he said.

I demanded to know the reasons for such a decision. "The banner will distract motorists and it will cause accidents. By the way, if the letters on the banner are less than 15 inches in height, your banner can't be read and it will a waste of time and effort," he said.

Looking at the same issue some thirtysomething years later , I can't help but come to the conclusion that things have changed. Or is it that the conditions have not changed but the civil servants who implement the policies have changed.

The permit for a billboard, unipole or even a small banner is not your right. You can't bang tables and say, "The law provides that you must issue the permit." Therefore, the supreme authority is the local authority or to be precise, the person who has been vested with the powers to issue permits.

The permit is subject to so many conditions, some of which may sound idiotic and incomprehensible by many. And most importantly, the arbitrary decision of one civil servant will decide if you should be given a permit. Each civil servant interprets the law as he seems fit.

And don't forget that each approving authority is a local authority (town council, municipal council, city council, district council, etc).

Therefore, with such diversity of laws and people who interpret them, one is likely to come up with several standards and rules. For example, one council may say it is okay for Salem High Country ads while another may see it as a cigarette ad.

However, while we can tolerate a bit of excesses by civil servants who by choice or their own doing, try to their best to get more revenue for their employers, and in some cases, for mutual benefit. Therefore, it is not unlikely that some outdoor ad companies make bold claims like: "That fellow in the council ah? That one can kau tim one".

Many of us have heard that phrase before, but the kau tim mentality has caused its fair share of problems. It is the kau tim element that has caused the ad industry lots of money, for example, having to bring down unipoles.

When one reads reports of local authorities ordering the dismantling of a unipole, only one question comes to mind: How come the unipole was erected before the permit was issued?

I have been told that in some cases, it is

the case of "let's put it up and face the consequences later." Perhaps, this is the reason why the kau tim mentality seems to thrive - in good times and bad.

I have also been told some outdoor companies even have the cheek to send cease and desist letters (like lawyers) to their competitors giving them 'seven days to take down their hoarding, failing which we will do it ourselves'.

Such demands are not only nonsensical but appear to give the impression that some people can act like cowboys and impose jungle law. Some letters, I am told, even demand to know the identity of the person from the local authority who approved the permit.

Coming back to the issue of licence and permits, from what I can infer, there must be scores of illegal billboards and unipoles in Petaling Jaya. I come to this conclusion based on logic. As much as I know the efficiency (more the lack of it) of the Petaling Jaya Municipal Council (MPPJ), it has made it a condition of the licence that the approval number must be stated at the bottom of the billboard or poster. If this is the case, I can safely conclude that those without such approval numbers are illegal. If they are illegal, aren't the advertisers who pay large sums of money, abetting such malpractices?

I believe that the fault blames squarely

on the ad agency. If ad agencies can take the trouble to get the necessary clearance from the relevant authorities like (K.K.L.I.U, J.K.I.R., etc), why aren't they exercising the same as far as outdoor advertising is concerned?

For example, shouldn't they be asking for copies of the agreement between the owner of the site or land, a copy of the permit by the local authorities etc., before committing their clients to a substantial sum of money?

Obviously, their views are clouded by terms like "heavy traffic"; "it stands out", "good location", etc. I do not want to sound like an old record, but the time has come for advertising practitioners to exercise that extra bit of professionalism when it comes to such matters.

When Datuk Adib Adam was the Information Minister in the early Eighties, he told a 4As seminar that the industry should regulate itself, failing which the Government will have to bring in legislation. None paid heed to what he said then, but you know the rules that have been implemented ever since Tok Mat took over. So, do we need Big Brother to tell the outdoor boys how to conduct themselves or are they going to draw up their own code of conduct? Let the people who know best make up their minds.

R Nadeswaran can be reached via e-mail at sumitra@tm. net. my.

FEW COPIES LEFTâ&#x20AC;˘â&#x20AC;˘â&#x20AC;˘

To get your copy in this mad rush for the remaining few, call 03-651 9399 or 017-888 8499 now and ask for Rani.

33

APL launches TV Advertising can1paign for ALPO

ADVERTI SI NG TRACKING SPECIALISTS Tel: 03-223 1668 Fax: 03-223 1633 e -ma il: med iaban @tm .net.my

NEW TVCs FOR OCTOBER 1998 Bonia Orient Watches

Golden Kancil Award winning agency, Anunirati Puris Lintas (APL) has created a launch television advertising campaign for Alpo , a well kn own dog food which recently made its app earance in Malaysia.

Alp o, by popular pet foods company Friskies, is already an establish ed bran d name in count ries such as the United States , Australia, Thailand and Singapore. With 'Real Meat In Every Bite ' as its claim to fame , Alpo is positioned a the diet for man 's best friend .

Explaining the rationale behind the campaign APL's business group head Cecelia Chan said, 11 0wners these days share more than just a utilitarian relationship with their pets. Unlike in our parents' days, now the dog is a companion or a friend, sharing a warm and loving relationship with the owner.11 "Our tagline, A great dog deserves Alpo , reinforces th e self pride an d gratification owners feel wh en they are able to provide a proper an d balan ced diet for their p ets", added Stan Miller, creative director for APL Malaysia.

Earn a degree by

watching TV!

Metrovision once again came up with something interesting for th e public , E arn a degree by w atching TV, available next year when they go nationwide. They are confident this distant learning concept will catch on . The programme will be aired 5 hours daily, from 12noon to 5 pm. Mode of learning will be through TV, self study using modules through the internet and atten ding t utorials via satellite cent res . To enable viewers to receive th e service by converting th eir TV into PCs, a set-box called Net Interactive Television Entertainment will have to b e installed in your TV set .

Sports & E-vents Network manages TV2 slots Sports & Events Network Sdn Bhd, or SEN, which specialises in developing TV sponsorships, media packaging and event production has been appointed to market TV2 airtime for slots from lOpm to 12 midnight, Mon days to Fridays effective since 1st October 1998.

Programmes supplied by SEN are FOC to RTM.

ADEX-GROWTH: Ytd Aug 1 97 vs Ytd 4ug 1 98 TV Press Magazine Radio Video Cinema P.O.S. Total Source: M edi a Update - a Carat M ediabase

ADr:Ji 34

-11 % -22% -12% -29% +2% +17% -4% -18% Circular

Suzuki Vitara Sports 4x4 Petronas

Apparel & Jewellery 1999 Collection-Song Apparel & Jewellery Automatic Collection-Enforce Orient Automotive Graphic Car Turn Into Vitara Automotive Automotive

Deepavali-Siva Receives Special Mango Plane & Formula 1 -Ferrari

Cereal (F&B) Cereal (F&B)

Family Watching Football Eating Apollo Boy Ask Question-Ans-K.B Means Good

Cereal (F&B) Cereal (F&B) Cereal (F&B)

Cereal (F&B)

Potato Flew Into Pack-New Crinke Cut Children Play With Toy Horse Racing Sweet Fly Into Girl & Boy's Mouth-Sing Rotiii .. ..

Kids Eat Fruities, Orange & Apples On Tree Become Giant Genius Kids Playing with Computers

Cereal (F&B) Cereal (F&B) Cereal (F&B)

Kids Eating PushPop-Said-Don't Push Me Animation Fruits Performing Concert Family Yawning - Colourful Candies Racing

Shell Unleaded Formula Apollo Cocoa Cake Kinder Bueno Chocolate Mister Potato Chips Tora Fisherman's Friend Fruities

Cereal (F&B)

Kent Partytime Bubble Gum Push Pop Candy Sugus YupiGummy Candies Parkson Tang Ling Adabi Ajinomoto-Seri Aji N Goreng Alagappa's Carotino Cooking Oil Nescafe Classic

Convenience (F&B) 11th Anniversary Sale Convenience(F&B) Shopping Carnival Sales (WOW) Convenience (F&B) Fried Rice- Chinese Rap Song Convenience (F&B) Man Sing To Angry Wife

Convenience (F&B) Deepavali Wishes- Products Cooking (F&B) Cooling Oil Pouring-Karl Fish Head Drinks & Soft Drinks Raining-Lady Wipe Dry Hair the relax with a cup of Nescafe ¡ Vico Drinks & Soft Drinks Cup of Vico-New Formula Better Taste Ribena Drinks & Soft Drinks Tag On-FOC Ribena Berry Penholder Pioneer Mini HiFi House Equipment Boy Press "Pause" - All Stop Dancing VCD Meat Stamped 'ALPO' Friskies Alpo House Supplies Dulux Pearl Glo Industrial Man Paints on glass and Splashes Yellow Paint Medical, Drugs Bonjela Baby Picture-Crying and Smiling Breacol Cough Medical, Drugs Cough Mixture On Spoon Turn To Pastilles Relieve Drops Cap Kaki Tiga Cap Kaki Tiga's Logo Rolling Medical, Drugs Medical, Drugs Moz-Bite Mosquito bite boy's nose Milk (F&B) Every Day FCM Children Debating In Courtroom-Save RM3.00 Anlay GUM Milk (F&B) Baby Playing Puzzles Daisy Hi-Lo Milk Milk (F&B) Ladies Doing Karate Breaking Board Services Citibank Home Sawing 2 Wood Pillar Into Hse Shape Credit Jabatan Telekom Services Equal Access - Telephone with 5 lines for M'sia Outstationllnt Call A&W Combo Meal Services Get Colour Pencil with Purchases McDonald's Services Baby Laughing When He Sees "M" Pizza Hut Services 1-Cubes Challenge Milan Grande Philips Genie Services 2 Men At Coffee House - "Voice Dial Call Amy Handphone Leisure Commerce Services Taxi Emergency Break Square The Summit Services People Sitting & relaxing By the Roadside TNT Services 3 11 Smiling 11 Clocks Turning Johnson & Johnson Toiletries Applying Baby Oil On Premature Baby Follow Me Lipstick Toiletrles Lady Applying Lipstick and smile Ladies Applying Lip ice, Strawberry On Lips Lip Ice Lipstick Toiletries Follow Me Deodorant Toiletries Girl Applying Power Oil Of Olay Toiletries Lady's Face-Moisturising Cream -Name Change Toiletries Kids Playing Football-David Berkham Brylcreem Follow Me Hair Toiletries Girl Combing Hair Feeling Greasy Cream Marie France Toiletries Shape Your Body-Measuring Waist Line Body Line and Weighing Lavenus Shampoo Toiletries Fruits-Teaser Ad Pantene Pro V Toiletries Man Proposes and Hair Styling For Wedding Photography Rejoice Rich Toiletries Interview Mr Kevin Foo Toiletries Interview Ms Loke Mee Leong Rejoice Rich Salon Pro Trim Toiletries Darlie Ready For Mountain Skiing 11

Undoubtedly, some colour separation jots we leave to motner nature.

if you are looking for some of tke kest colour separation under tke sun look no furtker. We don't promise you a pot of gold kut we could kelp you save a fortune.

Call Seng

Tee or Ckarles Ckew of Far East at 03-782 2133 now.

No matter what your advertising needs one tiling is for sure - we are all ears.

With five dedicated networks, eack catering to a distinct audience, we kelieve we are competitively poised and priced to tkrust your advertising messages effectively.

HITZ - kits 24 kours a day for tke younger psycke MIX - a ketter variety for tke discerning Ligkt & Easy - the perfect stress antidote ERA - upkeat interactive Bakasa Malaysia network witk tke latest music trends MY - Cantonese/Mand arin network for good music and great company Doesn't it all sound like music to your ears?

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