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Notes from the editor dDOl What's new in this issue September was a rough month signalling even rougher months ahead. Planes crashed, towers crumbled and people everywhere were seized with panic and uncertainty. The world it seemed was divided again - and uncannily enough, just as during the Cold War, nations were called upon to take sides, pledge loyalties and form alliances. In the wake of such massive destruction (with more to follow) it seems trivial to ask rice bowl questions such as "Can I see my business through?" Nevertheless, these questions dominate our thoughts. We had barely scraped through the past months and it would be highly questionable if we could do it again, without casualties. We will be hearing a fair bit of bad news but we will have to carry on with the business of survival and help who we can, when we can. Whether we come through these times or not, depends entirely on us.
September was also the month that witnessed the passing of a distinguished gentleman of the ad industry - Dato' Dr Jaffar Ali. A well-respected man, Dato' Jaffar was the ex-president of the 2As and was responsible for raising advertising standards. He was awarded the Max Lewis Award and Media magazine's 'Advertising Man of the Year' during these years in recognition of his efforts. He also played a key role in founding the IACT to create young advertising professionals of the future. SPLee, Executive Creative Director of FCB told ADOI, "Dato' Jaffar never made you feel like he was the Chairman. He made you feel like a friend. He made people feel good. He was quick to smile, and would come in to help anytime. I think his humility was his strength." Geraldine Beh, MD of FCB added "Dato' was an incredible person, both professionally & personally. He was always very interested in the business, and was always there if I needed any advice. Advertising was a big part of his life and he thrived on it. He knew everyone at FCB by name and always had time for any of the staff." His is a demise that will be deeply felt in all circles in the industry. Dato' Jeff - you will be missed. Respectfully,
PS On an optimistic note - Leo Burnett has won the MAS global communications account. In the
HIGHLIGHTS
Ragnaroc And Roll
pg 8
Hit-and-Myth Marketing
pg 8
Corporate Branding and the CEO
pg 10
September Mourn
pg 14
The Good & Evil of Technology
pg 39
Ogilvy Goes Interactive All Across Asia
pg36
CRM... The New Magic Letters
pg 21
Events
pg 18,40,42
The Future of Advertising
pg 4
Richard Pinder makes the Great Leap
pg 12
Iska Hashim on writing
pg 16
Lawrence Chan introduces Novacomm Integrated
pg 22
Moon moves on
pg 24
Milo takes over Bukit Jalil
pg 26
Chris Von Selle: new biz-whiz in town?
pg 30
Steve Forbes talks dollars and sense
p 34
final round, Leo Burnett and Starcom pitched against Astana-Bates Malaysia, and ISCB-TBWft. The 3-year appointment is for an undisclosed budget.
wemDer or
&
MANAGING EDITOR: Harmandar Singh aka Ham PRINTER: Far East Digital Prints OFFICIAL PHOTOGRAPHER: Jen Siow EDITOR: T.Sivananthi DESIGNER: T.M. Ali COLOUR SEPARATOR: Far East Offset & Engraving ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES (Fauzia): Sledgehammer Communications (M) Sdn Bhd 22B, Jalan Tun Mohd Fuad Satu, Taman Tun Dr. Ismail, 60000, Kuala Lumpur Tel: 03-7726 2588 Fax: 03-7726 2598 E-mail: fauzia_bh@asiaone.com Mobile: 016-337 5155 DISTRIBUTION: Efficient Lettershop, Mag Media Distributors HOUSE FONTS - FF EUREKA & BUREAU GROTESQUE: alt.TYPE. 32 Pekin Street, #03-01 Far East Square, Singapore 048762 Tel: 236 2988.
ADOI magazine is published every month by Sledgehammer Communications (M) Sdn Bhd (Company No: 289967-W) 22B Jalan Tun Mohd Fuad Satu, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, 60000 Kuala Lumpur. Tel: 603-7726 2588. Fax: 603-7726 2508. Š All rights reserved by Sledgehammer Communications (M) Sdn Bhd. No part of this magazine may be reproduced in any form without prior permission in writing from the publisher. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information in this publication, the publisher and the editor assume no responsibility for errors or omissions or for any consequences of reliance of information in this publication. The opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent the views of the publisher or editor. Advertisements are the sole responsibility of the advertisers.
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"IT'S AN ADRENALINE-PUMPING, GUT-SWE WRENCHING EFFORT THAT IS ONE HELLUVA Kll Youth is a time of dreams and hopes - the period of life when anything is possible. The phase when we think ourselves invincible - and that we can change the world, overnight. The age when doing something completely selfless - like packingone's bags and working with refugees - is not only noble but also feasible. It is the action-packed, fast-paced season between the routine of school and the monotony of work. But it is the crucial time where the attitudes and habits which are carried on for a lifetime, are formed and crystallised. This month ADOI showcases the graduating class of Institut Sledgehammer School of Communications and talks to some very bright, enterprising and ambitious young adults. Discover what the future holds for advertising and perhaps, in one of these young people you may discover your own youth once more.
L-R: Michelle, Esmi & Kelvin
Kelvin and Michelle are youthful and energetic. Kelvin, after high school, packed up and went to America to pursue a career in skateboarding, under the guise of furthering his education. He spent four years, switched majors from Film Making, Photography, Graphic design (took 2 advertising classes) to finally Industrial design. Just before graduating, he decided that he wasn't going to spend his life in front of a computer monitor designing products. He came back, rather depressed and looked for his core interests and discovered advertising. Michelle, who is 20, enjoys the good things in life - she loves animals, she loves the outdoors and can be often found there doing sports. Esmi is fun-loving and has always been keen on psychology and human behaviour. What did you think advertising was about? Kelvin: I initially knew there were two sides to advertising, servicing and creative. I was more intrigued by the latter. When I saw, heard or read ads that I liked, I'd say something like "whoa this is cool". I didn't know the mechanics of an advertisement or what the message was behind it. I just thought it looked cool because of the design aspect of the ad or the use of humor. Michelle: Advertising was something I knew nothing about.lt was truly greek to me! Now having experienced both the classroom and agency
4 aDOi L
life, what do you think advertising is about? Kelvin: The lines are much clearer now that I understand how the agency is run and what each department does. I definitely now know which department of an advertising agency I would want to be in. Advertising to me means coming up with a creative solution for a brief and expressing your message with the correct medium. Michelle: Now after experiencing both the classroom and agency life, advertising is a serious business and not to forget fun.I know it comes with a lot of hard work and dedication not forgetting the heartache,but that is what makes it all so challenging and exciting. Esmi: There are so many technicalities involved in making an ad campaign work. All the fame, money and glamour come only after tons of hard work, determination, sleepless nights and most importantly the PASSION!
Kelvin: To continue to raise the level of creative work out there and maybe even break some moulds. Michelle: I want to make people realize that there is so much to do in this world,don't go around wasting it.You only live once and I think people should learn to take risks in life.lt might not always work out but at least you have done it and you have been there.If you have the will to do so it will work for you to your advantage. Stop being so ignorant and start making things work the way you want them to.
How was the experience of learning about advertising? What was fun and exciting? Kelvin: It had its ups and downs. There were classes like Research and Public Relations that can get a little dry, but on the flip side, brainstorming for ideas was always a blast. Giving presentations can be nervewrecking though. Michelle: The whole journey was an exciting one not just about advertising but learning about life itself - more importantly learning about myself.I never knew I could do so many wonderful things before, I now look at things from different angles, see things differently and experience more deeply than I used to. I can say that I was quite a shallow thinker before I came here... What was your most memorable experience? Kelvin: Early in our course we were assigned to do an individual campaign for Mr. Ham's class (which was not completely supervised by him, because he wanted us to learn from this experience) and he told us that it would be critiqued by some of the top creative directors in Malaysia. After working on it for about a week I thought I had done some work that was pretty interesting and original. Unfortunately, after the firing squad had spent their ammunition, I was quick, very quick actually, to learn that ads were so much more than an arresting visual and some smart copy. A very humbling experience to say the least. Michelle: My most memorable experience in class was my Creative class. Honestly, that's where I have actually discovered who I am (not that I didn't know before)but on a much deeper level. It was Janet Lee's class and it was really fun because you could never predict what you were going to learn that day.Every lesson was an experince to remember. It was the energy and understanding she radiated - it was a friendship. What do you want to contribute to the industry? Both as a professional and as a person...
.
LUNG, HEART-STOPPING, NONSTOP MINDID OF AN EXPERIENCE! AND YES, I LOVED IT!" Christina: My first impression of advertising was that, advertising is one form of letting the public know about what a company has to sell.
L-R:Charlene, Geraldine ÂŁ> Christina
Geraldine Phillips' favourite homework was always English composition where she discovered that she liked homework. She was lucky enough to undergo industry training in the first year and was a Star Brats writer. Charlene Maria stumbled into advertising without any expectations but has not regretted it while Christina Lee is a Libran who loves watersports. The three of them share their ideas about advertising... What did you think advertising was about? Geraldine: I actually did a two week stint at a local advertising agency at 16. My dad's friend who manages the agency invited me over to see how things run in an agency upon learning that I was going to pursue Mass Communications in college. Over there, I learned a lot of basic things about advertising. I also witnessed first hand how demanding the job was. People did not even have time to eat lunch when a deadline is drawing near.
Now having experienced both the classroom and agency life, what do you think advertising is about? Geraldine: Marketing. Whether it is in the creative, account or media department, this whole business is to make clients' businesses grow. That is marketing. Charlene: Well I'm aware now that there is a lot more to advertising than just making commercials. There are a lot of other aspects that come to into play, such as media,research,creative thinking, production and post- production,brand building etc. Christina: Now, I have learnt that advertising serves far more than that. Advertising is the vehicle which a brand/service uses to establish its personality in the minds of its target audience, so that it can emotionally connect/relate itself to the consumer. What was your most memorable experience? Name the teacher and the lesson and why it completely blew you off? Geraldine: This has got to be the time when Mr. Tony Savarimuthu planned a really exciting assignment for us. The assignment was to go on a treasure hunt in KLCC. The clues were all related to Sales Promotion gimmicks displayed on storefronts or inside the shops itself. We were to identify the products and state what the promotion was all about. It was definitely one assignment, I truly enjoyed. It wasn't your ordinary classroom assignment, and it made the lesson so real, going out there and finding out what competitors were doing with their products. Charlene: In my opinion it would have to be the time when we were working on an assignment for Stephen Bong. For the first time we had to work in separate teams trying to pitch for an account. It got quite competitive as every one was working round the clock, literally. It gave me an adrenaline rush. Christina: One particular day, we had a guest lecturer, Mr. Mohammed Farooq for our business communication studies. Mr. Farooq's topic for the day was, "How to create a winning presentation". After his lesson, I paid more attention to my presentations because it made me realize how a good presentation can determine the end result. Before this, I had always took for granted that good creative work speaks for itself no matter how it was presented. What do you want contribute to the industry? Both as a professional and a person... Geraldine: Completing this course, we are equipped with knowledge to tackle the advertising world. Fresh blood like us are full of ideas with no bounds. Personally, I'm allergic to boring. There are so many ways to do something, why stick to just one method, one idea? The way I see it, an ad is to entertain, as well as deliver a message. Entertain the consumer with new ideas and executions. Charlene: Iwant to make sure advertising stays alive. That every ad that comes out isn't the same. Advertising should stay fresh and engaging. A person
should be able to look at an ad and say 'WOW!' .That's what I want to contribute to the industry. Christina: I would like to accelerate the growth of the current Malaysian advertising industry to become one of the most recognised for its creativity in the Asian region. How would you make a difference in the world? Geraldine: I've learnt 'Do not underestimate the power of one.' I may be one out of six billion but whatever little I can do or influence to benefit the environment I will certainly do so. Charlene: Well I'd start by giving back everthing that I take from this world ,by standing up for what I believe in and by fighting for people who can't do it for themselves.I guess that's all a person can do, try to do the best they can. Christina: I believe it starts with me. With today's technology, I feel that people have grown apart. I would campaign for a day called 'Cherish your loved
Kiran & Nicholas
Nicholas Ong used to regard advertising as an annoying interruption but has now fallen headlong into it. Kiranjit Kaur is faster than a speeding bullet and is determined to do her level best in whatever she chooses. We ask these two firm and fast friends on how they viewed advertising previously and what they think of it now... How was the experience of learning about advertising? What was fun and exciting? Nicholas: The experience was 'work SMART! and play HARD!' Digging for creative ideas, convincing lecturers, arguing with classmate was fun and exciting. BUT, working until late nights was not really fun and exciting... Kiran: Yes, the ongoing learning experience is definitely fun and exciting. In the ad world, I am not only taught to think from one angle. I am taught to think from the consumers' point of view and the advertisers' point of view. I've realized that advertising cannot stand on its own. It needs other aspects like promotion and marketing, to name a few. I've also discovered many hidden traits and potential in myself. What was your most memorable experience? Name the teacher and the lesson and why it completely blew you off? Nicholas: My most memorable experience was doing
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"Hie dscwery of advertising, has been the discovery of my He..." a donation campaign for Mercy Welfare. The lesson led me to explore myself with under-privileged children. My lecturer - Janet Lee urged me to do something that I really wanted to do which I would never initiate in the first place. Well, from the lesson, I learned that there are a lot of unfortunate children who need our kindness and I am really encouraged to lend a hand to these people. Kiran: Miss Janet gave us an assignment where
140km an hour in my green Kancil. I had two weeks, I had two choices. To either continue studying mass communications or explore a world of glamour, parties, fortune. In one word - Advertising. Though I had a strong grip on the wheel, I couldn't say the same about what I knew of advertising. I passed a billboard and thought advertising was just too simple. Anybody could write "Gaya, Mutu dan Keunggulan".
we had to give a presentation on a topic or a cause that we really feel passionate about. I chose a shelter
Sai Meng: I thought advertising was about art and design...
home, and thanks to Miss Janet, I understood that advertising is not only meant to sell products. You can move people to make changes in other peoples' life through successful advertising.
Mujahid: Before joining the college, I thought that advertising was about glamourising brands and products with breathtaking visuals, promotional stunts and gorgeous models(sigh).
How was the experience of learning about advertising? What was fun and exciting? Rodney: It's been a fulfilling journey. Especially the way this school has designed its academic system, I've had breakthroughs in lateral thinking, my confidence and my outlook of life has simply broadened. To me the discovery of advertising, has been the discovery of my life. Finally, I know where my passion lies. Sai Meng: The joy of generating ideas, the intense pressure of doing presentations, sleepless nights, outrageous classes that defy the norms of teaching. Mujahid: Fun and exciting would be an understatement! The truth is, it's a real eyeopener for all of us as we are coached to express ourselves aloud, publicly. We are taught to think laterally and to come up with many possibilities, helping us to think "out of the box". For me it's an adrenaline-pumping, gut-swelling, heart-stopping, nonstop mind-wrenching effort that is one helluva kind of an experience!". And yes, I loved it!
L-R: Rodney, Sai Meng & Mujahid
What do you want to contribute to the industry? Both as a professional and a person... Nicholas: I want to contribute my inspirations, my thoughts, my passion, my knowledge that I learned at Institut Sledgehammer and my hard work to the industry. Kiran: I don't feel the need to make a difference. For I see every person, including myself, as a unique individual, with different talents and ideas. That itself is already a difference. So I'll just be myself. Rodney Vincent is a 23-year old who is extremely attractive to mosquitoes. Among his remarkable achievements are losing 2 kilos in 30 minutes and winning a bronze medal in a running event. Wong Sai Meng plays the guitar, loves photography and is fluent in Mandarin. Mujahid is the oldest in the class, and has had vast experience as a Mat Lepak in shopping complexes. Life has made him an ardent researcher of 'Human Traits and Quirks'.
What did you think advertising was about? Rodney: I remember driving on the highway at
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What do you want contribute to the industry? Both as a professional and a person... Rodney: I want to create a whole new standard of creativity in advertising. In my experience there's so many distinctions/labels that have been placed on each, the media, account and creative people. This may be fair and true but I feel the real issue here is the lack of versatility within an individual. Imagine one person who has truly understood each field and is able to unify all to reach maximum effectiveness. Sai Meng: I want contribute to the industryby raising the standard of creativity not just in Malaysia but internationally. Mujahid: I want to see more radical changes in our approach to our local advertising. We have the advantage of our own unique, multiculturalism that is embedded in our society. I wanted to show the world the true essence of our nation, Malaysia and things that are distinctively ours. I would also wanted to adopt a more professional attitude towards getting things done effectively. No more 'tidak apa'thyover anything anymore. Angeline Rose knew for sure that advertising was not as numb as accounting and found herself at the Institute and she's looking forward to glamorous awards nights already. While Nicole loves to travel and
Angeline Er Nicole
is looking forward to being a boss by the age of 28...
How was the experience of learning about advertising? What was fun and exciting? Angeline: What really overwhelmed me was the whole scenario of shooting a commercial. It's just like making a Hollywood movie... it's intoxicating! Nicole: The experience was really fun and exciting. The great thing about it was that, we were taught by people of different backgrounds and personalities who are or were in the advertising field. They have made me a more rounded person, who not only thinks at advertising point of view, but also the marketing and consumers' point of view.
What was your most memorable experience? Name the teacher and the lesson and why it completely blew you off? Angeline: That would be in Semester One of my First Year. We had an amazing lecturer. Mr. Krishnamoorthy. I fancied his lively interactive Public Relation & Media Studies, as much as his yawns (because every time he yawned, there would be a 15 min break!) Nicole: The most memorable experience would be the time I worked on a real life project that I am passionate about for Ms. Janet Lee. It was memorable because the period of doing this project really made me realise what I am all about and what I really want in life.
What do you want to contribute to the industry? Both as a professional and a person... Angeline: As a professional, I wish to offer my distinctive talent and commitment. As a person, I wish to contribute the message of my passion. Nicole: Both as a professional and a person, I wish to contribute myself as a trustworthy person; a faithful partner and friend who my clients and friends can rely on.
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RAGNAROC AND ROLL Portents of doom found amongst the ruines of the world's advertising press.
I reckon ad biz Ragnaroc is coming.
back and not be so bold. Good strategy
(You know, the Viking version of the end
but uncomfortable with the execution No
of the world, Wodin, Thor, Loki, that lot,
revolution, no wackiness just good solid
fighting with giants, fireballs flying and
strategic success. Isn't this all clients want
general mayhem all round.) The signs
and need to sustain good spirits and well-
are all there. Clients loudly demanding
covered
wilder creative, American creativity
advertisers have for all this time been
hitting new lows, and TVC production
getting a bum rap (Crap pun. Ed) and
rules being all bent out of shape. The first rumblings can be heard in
posteriors?
Maybe
the
are not the ones who are the most conservative?
an AdWeek article about the new Coke
More evidence of chaos in AdAge.
campaign. They were saying that there
One item spent many column inches
had been some quantitative testing on
laying into a new KFC spot running in
the "Life tastes good" commercials that
the USA. The spot features actor Jason
broke globally in April. "Strategically,
Alexander playing George, the part he
they're on the right path," one source
plays in Seinfeld. Ad Age say the spot is,
said of the test results. "But executionally,
"not any kind of funny." I don't usually
they were weak. They're not bold enough
quote a whole spot but they did. So hark
yet." Now isn't this usually the other way
at this. Alexander: "I am on a mission from
round? Clients usually ask agencies to pull
the Colonel. Friends, put down your burgers. They are a formed and processed slap in your face, a gray and tasteless travesty. They're beneath you. This is the recipe that will save America! KFC Original Recipe chicken." Voice-over: "Hand-prepared with those 11 secret herbs and spices, slow-cooked to lock in all that juicy flavor." Alexander (grandiloquent): "Share the bounty of my bucket!" Voice-over: "Rediscover KFC Original Recipe chicken. Get two pieces, two sides and a biscuit for only $2.99." Alexander: "Grab a drumstick! We can change the world!" 'Share the bounty of my bucket' Oh really! Once when I complained to the people at Shots Magazine about the shabby treatment of Malaysia in one of their tapes, they told me that the work they featured had to impress creative directors in New York and London. Well this spot was written in New York, so they better try harder impressing us perhaps. Of course TVC production is pivotal in this end of days scenario. In Malaysia there's a wildly prevalent point of view that rules regarding TV production are bad for business. Best exemplified by the Malaysian Advertising Agency Association (the 4A'S) rejection of the kind of TVC production contract used in the UK and USA, saying that this kind of paperwork
is not needed because a handshake is just fine (when a TVC could cost RM5<x>,ooo and to buy a RM4000, 150CC motorbike on credit would require enough paperwork to choke a cow). But Australia seems to be the Schwarzenegger in this particular area. B&T magazine reports that the Australian Association of National Advertisers, and Melbourne's P3TV, has launched a common TVC production estimate form to tackle confusion over production house quotes. The move comes just months after the AANA raised a stir with suggestions that some agencies were engaging in "dubious business practices". At the time an AANA spokesperson said, "Our focus is not on the detail, in terms of naming names, but on the processes in place to ensure this doesn't happen." Best of luck boys. Add to this lot the increasing scam entry, award scandals, the ever-mounting vicious stuff about advertising perpetrated by cowardly oiks hiding behind anonymous e-mail names and the growing confusion about TVC broadcasting rules and one could be forgiven for assuming the end is nigh. But, and here's the good bit, the fulfillment of the Ragnaroc prophecy says that after the universe is destroyed
more appropriately, since relationship marketing is hyped as one of the wonders of the digital e-conomy, a mere pixel in the big picture. By way of illustration, let me relate my up-close-and-personal experience with some financial marketers. The very people best-equipped to cuddle so close to their customers as to risk giving them the creeps, you'd imagine, considering the amount of information they require before they'll give a prospect so much as the time of day. But not so, apparently. A finance company whose loan I've been paying off on time every month for the past three years recently mailed me to
amount and at a 7% lower interest rate from a bank of which I'm not a customer, and doesn't know me from Adam. Any more than my own bank does, come to think of it. Despite being the custodian of my two accounts, on one of which it regularly bounces cheques despite my having ample funds in the other, it hasn't the faintest idea who I am, what I do for a living, how much money I do/don't have in other banks or anything else on which to base the merest nodding acquaintance, let alone a relationship. Marketers in other categories in which I'm either a customer worth keeping or a prospect worth wooing also seem as chilly and distant as ever.
by fire, a new golden age will appear. Well I don't know about you, but my money's on the fireballs. PS: "Out of chaos comes order". Frederick Nietzsche said that. What a tit!
HIT-AND-MYTH MARKETING Santa Claus, for instance, comes through for me every Christmas even though I stopped believing in him sometime last century. The Tooth Fairy always coughed-up cash for the dental discards I left under my pillow when I was a kid. And even Lady Luck has smiled on me a time or two. But as far as I can discern, the much-vaunted phenomenon known as "Relationship Marketing" is one fairy-tale fantasy that has never shown any sign whatever of paying off for anyone, anywhere, ever. Except of course for those of us who've managed to sell the concept to clients. From my research, at least, conducted on my customary focus group of three - me, myself and I "Relationship Marketing" and its mantra "Close to the Customer" are nothing but pious promises; promises
Nothing against myths in general.
as empty as the heads of the people who parrot them. Far from having any marketers communicate with me relevantly as an individual, I find
announce that as a valued customer I had an additional cash loan preapproved and awaiting my acceptance. I phoned the to take them up on the offer, and two days later they called back rejecting my "application". Rest assured this come-hither/get lost routine did little to endear me to
Many of them, however far-fetched or fantastic, at least deliver the goods.
myself quite as much as ever a faceless member of the mass multitude. Or
FAI Finance. Especially since in the interim I'd secured a loan for the same
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So I'm not even close to buying the myth of relationship marketing. It's just good old direct-response advertising with a fancy new alias. And except in the hands of a consummate professional, as hit-and-miss as ever. Dean Johns is a partner in the regional creative hotshop CreAsia and strategic consultancy StrADegy. Email stradegy@optushome.com.au
ADOIMedia Workshop
Dates 23rd & 24th November 2001 Contact Ruby @ 7726 2588 or fax to 7722 5712
Corporate Branding and the CEO â&#x201E;˘
Except for a chapter in James Gregory's "Leveraging the Corporate Brand", I've found very little work on the CEO's role in Corporate Branding. Gregory stresses the importance of Corporate Branding and issues three key mandates for the Chief Executive: i) The CEO must set the vision for the company 2) He must manage the business and finally, 3) He is the company's principal communicator. Whilst I appreciate the CEO's awesome tasks in managing the business, I believe the key words are VISION, CREATIVITY and COMMUNICATION. These three factors differentiate a leader from a doer. Example, Communicating a strong vision is the CEO's job no. 1 The vision
by Lara Hussein, Managing Director of Brand Energy
should be idea-centric, inspiring and differentiated. According to Jack Welch, top gun of General Electric, "Anybody who gets this job must have a vision for the company and be capable of rallying people behind it." The second aspect is communicating. "The CEO must know how to communicate. Given his position and power, a CEO cannot function in a vacuum. He must know how to communicate experience and knowledge, feelings and vision ... He must have the genuine visceral support of the company's top executives." James Gregory Without good communication skills, vision becomes meaningless. Without a clear-cut vision, Corporate Branding is deprioritized. Without Corporate Branding ... well, what else is left? Corporate Branding and Corporate Image Building stems from the CEO's vision. He is responsible for building the company's image and allowing his executives to follow through. No Corporate Branding exercise can succeed without the CEO's intervention and support. Yes, there are many companies with robust profits but without any real clear image. One could very well assume its growth is heavily reliant on the unpredictable nature of the market and consumer. Without a strong CEO, whose vision is the epicenter of the organization,
growth would not be sustainable in the long-term. Successful US companies are always led by CEOs with a clear vision of where they want to go and what they want to be. Steve Jobs renewed the vision for APPLE, at a time when it was losing clout in the market place. His total hands-on commitment to the vision, philosophy and marketing strategies connected APPLE with its users in a different and relevant way. Microsoft is another example of a 'new' brand. While it lacked consistency in emotional values, the strength of the brand has been more than compensated by Gates' clear vision. Think Howard Schultz of StarBucks, Richard Branson of Virgin, and Phil Knight of NIKE. History is filled with testimonies of the CEO's role in Corporate Branding. The finest CEOs are the thinkers, the idea-people, the ones who dare to be creative. We know that the future is not about manufacturing efficiencies and distribution. Companies that are purposely creative and idea-centred will form the corporate landscape of the 21st century. The dinosaurs will be the bureaucracies. Lee Clow of TBWA / Chiat Day, "It used to be 'Let me have factories all over the planet with thousands of employees and I can rule the world'. Now it's 'Give me the 10 most brilliant
people in my industry and I can rule the world'. Deepak Chopra, Chairman of the 'Centre for Well Being' in California, calls CEOs the ultimately brand-leaders. According to him, LEADERS who will take brands into the 21st Century and beyond possess the following qualities: L "Looking into the future, having a vision and communicating it to the world." E "Empowerment. Having a powerful brand and empowering it in the market." A "Awareness. Asking, "Who am I? Who are we?" D "Doing. Being action-oriented. Taking risks through your actions. " E "Entering into a world of creativity." R "Responsibility. Always telling the truth." S "Synchrodestiny. There's an understanding that magic is in the air. Leaders must cater for the magical, the miraculous." I stress again. CEO's are the BRANDLEADERS. They must set the company's vision and communicate it to the world with passion and trustworthiness. A powerful vision guarantees a great company and a strong brand. Not only that, it makes investing in a demanding new world all the more worthwhile. The writer can be reached at lara@brand.com.my
OUTSIDE THE BOX ONCE MORE Does Advertising Have A Conscience? This is the subject for OUTSIDEtheBOX 2001, an annual creative conference organised by the 4AS of Malaysia. ADOI decided to question, Jeff Orr, Chairman of the Creative, on why everyone should attend... What can we expect from OUTSIDE the BOX this year? Fireworks. The subject "Does advertising have a conscience?" offers all kinds of scope for discussion on what we do and the way we do it. There will be plenty to learn as each of our speakers are leaders in their fields but each speaker will Having worked in different parts of the world/region, how 'out of the box' do Malaysians need to get? How out of the
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box do they need to get? We know in the communications business that it is out-of-the-box thinking that separates brands, gets brands noticed, gives fresh solutions to old issues. The problem we all have in breaking out of the box is that the boxes are imposed by unseen forces, and they are very real. Every marketer and communicator I have ever met has asked to be taken beyond the normal limits, to find fresh ideas, new approaches, but in the end how many fresh ideas do you see? Somewhere along the line the invisible forces curb either the desire or the ability to break out of the box.
There are people in packaged goods companies in every market in the world who see great thinking and say "why didn't (or can't) we do that?" It's not just a Malaysian problem. What do you think are the problems that hinder us as being as creative as our Thai or Singaporean neighbours? This not a new question. Heard any
Thais raving about the state of Thai advertising recently? They'll tell you it's stuck in a rut. Even a Thai editor told me recently that he's bored with cutting the same camp characters and flawed storylines. Watched TV in Singapore lately, or read the other Straits Times? They may be a little slicker to look at than us but the pages the screens are, by and large, equally empty of ideas. What are the fundamental principles that anyone who works in the ad industry has to hold on to? Honesty. It governs everybody whether they work in HR, Finance or Creative. What are some of the remarkable examples of 'outside the box' thinking that you have seen in advertising? It's that dramatic leap of logic from mundane facts into entirely fresh territory that takes you outside of the metaphorical box. There are so many memorable campaigns that a mention of
a few would be an injustice to the rest. So let me mention just a few from one brilliant individual: Avis is only number two ... Lemon. Uni, Roy and Al, Houses of Parliament, Life without Chivas, Dear clumsy bellboys ... How does the snowplow driver .. etc, etc, etc (... and no, it wasn't Bernbach.)
What would you like to see from the new generation in the industry? Ideas. And after that some more ideas. I want to stand in awe and say "how do they keep doing that!" OUTSIDEtheBOX will be held on 23 and 24 October at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Kuala Lumpur. Registration fees are at RM500 per person for members of the 4AS Malaysia and RM800 for nonmembers. Passes to the different sessions are transferable, which means attendance can be tailored to suit different needs. The event is limited to just 500, so those interested are urged to register early. Registration can be confirmed by calling the 4AS Secretariat at 603-7660 8535.
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In more ways than one, Leo Burnett is moving towards greater pastures. And the man heavily involved in that move is Richard Pinder. A self-confessed Asiaphile, Richard has big plans to grow Leo Burnett. Coming from London, Richard has worked at agencies like Gray and Ogilvy, and now he takes on the job of Managing Director of Asia Pacific at Leo Burnett. This man intends to make LB shake up the region's advertising scene...
How did you make the switch from helicopter sales to advertising? At university, I started writing and photographing for car magazines. I got into editing for the university newspaper, and then I became business manager for the university newspaper. That's how I got in touch with ad agencies, through writing an article
for so many years, what are your current impressions of advertising?
difference is going to be Korea, China and Japan.
I still adore it; I'm as passionate now as I was then. I can't think of anything else I would do that gives me the ability to play a reasonably important role in so many different categories, markets and countries at the stage of life I'm at. We've got 25 offices across the region, with a whole host of different clients, all in different categories. My impression of the industry is the same. I do think that there is an issue the industry has now that it didn't have so overtly 15 years ago, which is the whole business of client belief. Clients do not believe as passionately in their ad agency being able to walk on water and do the most amazing things. We as an industry have to work very hard at getting that belief back.
You've recently been promoted. So with your new role in the company, what are your plans?
Why do you think this belief was lost in the first place?
I was fortunate enough to have a rolling start because my predecessor Steve Gatfield is now Chief Operations Officer of Leo Burnett Worldwide. He brought me in with a view of him going over to Chicago. So I had a head start of six or seven months where I didn't feel the pressure. So actually, I'm about 15 months into this job rather than a mere seven months into it. And it's given me an opportunity to build a strategy that's in three pieces. One is to drive the creative standard. Second thing is diversification; to aim to do more than just advertising. Leo Burnett is a damn good advertising agency, but it's been less developed in the other disciplines. I've come from Gray and Ogilvy where we
Asia has to become more self - generating! about car advertising. So I started to know a lot about advertising after I'd been at university for about a year. And by the time I came out, I was gonna do it. So it was a fairly easy decision.
So what were your very first impressions of the ad industry as you saw it then? I thought it was a fabulous industry and I was warned off it by most of the people I knew, which I thought was always a good sign. 'Cos if you're warned off something then there's obviously something interesting and provocative about it. And I thought it was wonderful because it's the only thing I could possibly do that married the two things I do well. One of which was Marketing, Economics and Selling, all that stuff. And the other, was my love for writing, photography, the whole creative process. I love being around people who are creative and interesting. And there really isn't much else that does both of those to the degree that advertising does. So it was an obvious hit and to be honest, I don't have the faintest idea what I would do if I wasn't in advertising. I'd probably be a photographer, but not a very good one.
Now that you've been involved in advertising yourself
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Obviously the world moves on and you can't just sit there feeling sorry about what happened, but as an industry, we made a very big strategic move in the '70s which was a mistake. And it was all about specialisation. We said as an industry, by and large (not so much in Asia), that we were only interested in doing the creative ads. We weren't interested in media; that was always the last thing in the presentation. It's a cliche, but it was true. We weren't that interested in direct marketing. That was what the industry decided, and the industry was wrong. And I was lucky enough to have worked with people who knew that wasn't right.
What do you think of the various Asian markets? Knowing Europe very well, the variety in Asia makes the variety in Europe look positively unidimensional. I'm fascinated by the Asian markets, I think it's very difficult to categorise them. I think North Asia is where ourselves and the industry are focusing more and more of our time, because North Asia is the economic future. For Leo Burnett, South East Asia is immensely strong. So I don't need to come down here and add much because the guys here are doing a great job and making huge progress. So really, the focus on dynamic
had a much broader offering. My job is to broaden that offering, so we're doing a number of things in that dimension. The final bit has to be growth. We have to keep growing our business.
How do you think the recession will affect Asia? Everything I read suggests Asia's going to have to (and they've already started) become more self generating. Clearly Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan have started to do this, but they're all slow-growth markets now because they're the ones first in the recession. China has significant growth, but a lot is because the government effectively decides the growth rate and spends the money. But if you look at China, the numbers of consumer spending are actually falling at the moment. So we need a consumerled recovery. Consumers clearly have more money than they've ever had in Asia. It's not an unreasonable quest to say that we have to see more consumer spending. And that's the shape that Asia has to be in three or four years time. Or we're always going to be suffering against a new US President and his or her actions. And I think that's not a great place for 50% of the world's population to be.
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There will have to be a new addition to the dictionary or thesaurus soon, as the word to describe the World Trade Center drama still has to be invented. Barbaric is too tame. Brutal is too kind. The September n horror movie with well orchestrated screening times at different venues, put our hearts on fire and gave our souls incurable first degree burns, psychological scars for which there is no balm. When the first plane struck the North Tower of the WTC, we felt devastated as we wondered how such an accident could happen. When
the second plane was aiming bullseye for the other Tower, we felt nauseated as our faith in the goodness of the human race crumbled with the South Tower. In my entire lifetime, I have seen the whole world weep 3 times - JFK's assassination, Princess Di's accident, and the demise of what was once a fixture in our beloved Manhattan skyline. Tragedies somehow have a way of bringing back one's faith in the goodness of the human race. So what was gone in a split second came back just as fast. Suddenly, the world was overflowing with brotherly love and kindness, hands reaching out across oceans and continents. Suddenly, we ran and looked for refuge and sanity in places of worship, reaffirming faith in a God sometimes half-forgotten in the luxury of comfortable, hedonistic lives. Suddenly, we found ourselves giving and receiving
tighter hugs, and routine embraces of the past have become longer and more meaningful. Suddenly, life took on a totally new perspective as we realized that with humanity comes vulnerability, and that things we previously considered Very Important seemed petty because life is, after all, too short. This dawned on us the morning after the nightmare on CNN. We were out on a shoot and we were as usual debating on details advertising people and production houses normally go through before the camera rolls. But life did not go on as usual. Passion for the job was replaced by massive doses of lethargy and apathy. A dear part of the New York skyline is gone, thousands of victims cannot even cry out for help, and here we are arguing whether the model should put her hair up or down. And does it really matter whether the logo at the end
MEMO TO
: ALL
ADVERTISERS AND MARKETERS
FR : red 104.9 ^fOUTH S U B : T A L K I N G T O T O D A Y ' S OCCXOXH
:
A QUICK
INTRODUCTION
How many o f us really understand what aged 17 t o 24 i s s a y i n g t h e s e days?
anyone
r e d ID A â&#x20AC;˘ B
frame be slightly bigger or that the supers be bold instead of simply reverse white with drop shadows? Does it truly matter if we agree that the white space in the ad be filled with more copy or pictures because it's supposedly a waste of money not to maximize all the space that is being paid for? Does it really make a world of difference if we were to change one frame to a similar footage that's just slightly less, well, nice? Meanwhile, havoc reigns as pictures of missing loved ones are pasted on crumbling walls. Nearby, the smoke gets into people's eyes. And as dusk falls, thousands of candles flicker and dim like hope, in loving memory for thousands of lost lives and remembrances of togetherness before that one early mourning in September, when autumn came ten days earlier not in the form of gold rustling on the ground but blazing in the sky...
r e d ID A â&#x20AC;¢ 3
WRITING TO THE TOP Leo Burnett had a stellar performance at the recent MVAs and one of their best - Iska Hashim (left) won the Best Script award. ADOi decided to shoot a few short and sweet questions to him ...
You recently won the Best Scriptwriting Award at the MVAs for the Straits Times ad Odd Match. Tell us a little about how it was to work on this. Working on the NST commercials, of which "Odd Match" is the first in a series, was immense fun. Rather than hype up a new newspaper format or differentiate its editorial stance from other papers, the NST campaign celebrated one simple human truth â&#x20AC;&#x201D; that no matter what the situation, people always go back to the things they are
most familiar with. For example, no amount of comforting will stop a baby from crying until he gets his old, smelly bantal busuk. People just like the things they're more familiar with, there's no explaining it, and they shouldn't be ashamed of this. We were extremely blessed to have a client who believed in us and allowed us to tell funny, interesting stories that had nothing to do with their paper. And we were equally blessed to work with some of the best directors to make those stories as entertaining and memorable as they turned out to be. Where do you find the inspiration to write? Me and my partner, Zaidi Awang,
have no method to our madness. Often we just look around us, share experiences, stare at each other for days. Most times we just stumble onto something. But more often than not, it's an ever approaching deadline that has us grasping at straws. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. What's the best part of your job? I've always wanted to make movies. Now I get to, only they're 30seconds long.
What's the worst part of your job? I've always wanted to make movies. Now I get to, only they're 30 seconds long. (Actually, I have broken the one minute barrier. Rejoice!)
JOE GHAZZAL SHOWS THE WORLD 'MALAYSIA BOLEH' Universal Magic Sdn Bhd, the subsidiary of the Global group of companies received a world acclaimed international award, "the ISES Esprit award ", for the Most Creative Proposal in Indiana, USA recently. Mr Joe Ghazzal, the Managing Director of Universal Magic and the Global Group of companies, was at this prestigious event to receive the award. "We are so very proud to have put Malaysia in the international spotlight. The recognition through this award has shown the capability of our Malaysian potentials in creating World Class Events", quoted Mr Ghazzal. "Our organization will continue to make headwaves in the events industry, through our research ÂŁr development in creative & explosive ideas". The company was also nominated for the "Most Creative Solution". The idea that won Universal Magic the 'Most Creative Proposal' was the ZERO millennium event and
stage show executed at the brink of a new millennium on 1st January 2000. This mix of festivities kicked off the New Year with a global line-up of musicians, DJ's and performers from around the world. Essentially, the concept for ZERO worked around the fact that all sorts of people differ in the form of interest and preference. Therefore, the main purpose of this event had been to produce different zones of entertainment catering for the variety. Side-pockets of sponsors with international and local variety of food, drinks, merchandise and a host of paraphernalia filled all other available space. The final countdown drew all of the 60,000 strong crowd together to view the spectacular welcoming of the new millennium under the thunderous display of fireworks. As it was one of the worlds' prominent millennium parties, ZERO was Net Cast worldwide by Rave World in Los Angeles to the whole world's millennium watchers.
CARLSBERG BRANDS GO LOWE
brands in the Carlsberg Brewery portfolio - Carlsberg Special Brew and Danish Royal Stout. The Special Brew is the market leader in the strong beer segment while the Royal Stout has 15% of the stout market.
Lowe Lintas and Partners recently secured the advertising and communications accounts for two
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Lowe's assignment is to continue to strengthen the brand equities and drinker loyalty for both brands with above-the-line and non-traditional communications solutions in the very competitive beer market.
AdASIA
2001 TAIPEI AdASIA 2001 TAIPEI EXHIBITION
Nov.!8 (Sun) â&#x20AC;&#x201D; 21 {Wed)
is the theme of AdASIA 2001 TAIPEI, the first major conference on advertising in the Asia-Pacific region in the 21stcentury. Join us for insights into what's coming in new advertising, new media, new creativity and new communications throughout the region and around the world.
See our website at www. AdASIA2001. org, tw Or contact us at: Tel: 886-2-87882613 Fax : 886-2-87882614 e-mail: info@AdASIA2001. org. tw
MVA 2M1: A Night of Glory
Geoff Millichamp grooves with the crowd!
Paul Loosely is overwhelmed by admirers!
Camellia was simply ravishing that night!
It was a night to remember. The 6th Malaysian Video Awards
Paula Malai Ali speaks her mind!
Check out the crowd!
response to all the events. The speakers
in the seminar
'Perodua Corporate Chinese New Year -
the Experimental Categories and FINAS
Family Ties', written by Jeo Hasham.
awarded a grant of worth RM 30,000 to the winner of 'Best Short Action
Festival successfully culminated on 7th
sessions are well-known in the field:
In the Experimental Category, three
September 2001 at the newly renovated
Anwardi Jamil, Steve Bristow, Syed
previous winners of MVA were awarded
(Open) (more thanio min)'. The other
Emporium, Jin P Ramlee with a glorious
Hassan, Jerry Verschoor, Peter Coleman,
again. They are K. Shanmugam for 'Me,
sponsors for the festival were Regatta
and magnificent gala. The technology
Hassan Muthalib, Brad Hogarth,
My Mother and Mosquito' in the Best
Dot Blonde, POSTAM, Asia Pacific
support by Apple Computer and the
Al Mittlestead and Stan Lee. Nick
Experimental (Professional), Arivind
Videolab (APV), Dentsu Young &
cyber emcee for the night was an
Decompo a multi-talented prize-winning
Abraham for 'Requiem In The Spotlight'
Rebicam (DYR), Cintel International
unforgettable experience. Camelia, the
director, author, scholar, presented two
in Best Experimental Under 18 and
Ltd., Mirage Post, Axis Films, Axis Bazaar, Matahari Animation &
beautiful singer and up-and-coming
informative and motivating seminars,
Bernard Chauly for "Adam & Eve' in
violist, Joanne Yeoh entertained the
'Experimental Film' and 'Independent
Best Short Film-Live Action (Open).
crowd of the Awards Night who went
Cinema' on the fourth day of the
wild with enthusiasm. YB Datuk Amar Leo Moggie launched the 6th MVA on 3rd September kicking
The total prizes for the Experimental
Production, Jadason Technology, Addaudio Post, Joe Hasham & Associates,
festival. The closing seminar for the
Category this year amounted to RM 115,123
Imaginex, Gaya Color Laboratory,
festival was 'Survival Kit for Young
of which Animo, an animation software,
Mega Crystal Supplies, Sledgehammer
Graduates'.
worth RM 62,123
Communication, Apple Computer and
off a week-long affair of forums,
67 judges had carefully scrutinised
seminars and screenings which were
was
sponsored by
Cavemen IT Services. The software was
Utusan Melayu (Malaysia). The venue
the 500 entries; participants has been
the prize
for the 6th MVA Awards Night 2001 was
held at various locations including the
waiting for the three weeks to know
Amateur' Award.
Artscafe and the National Art Gallery.
the fruit of their efforts. The Best MVA
The National Arts Gallery Kuala
The festival had an overwhelming
2001 was awarded to Regional Film for
Lumpur sponsored all six awards under
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for the 'Best Animation -
fully sponsored by Emporium.
Product: New Straits Times Production House: Passion Pictures
6* MALAYSIAN VIDEO AWARDS 2001
Joe Hasham accepting on behalf of Billy Lee & Li .Choo
Best cinematography winners Eric Yeong & Ricky Foo thank everyone they know!
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Best Editing Award goes to Terence Manuel
Bernice Chauly accepting a huge check on behalf of Bernard Chauly
MALAYSIAN VIDEO AWARDS (MVA) 2001 LIST OF WINNERS BEST OF MVA 2001
GOLD - Title : Perodua Corporate Chinese New Year "Family Ties" Advertising Agency : Grey Worldwide Sdn Bhd Production House : Regional Films (M) Sdn Bhd Winner : Joe Hasham BEST TV/CINEMA COMMERCIAL
BRONZE - Title : Caltex Revtex "Born To Ride" Advertising Agency : McCann-Erickson (M) Sdn Bhd Production House : Pegasus Film Sdn Bhd Winner : Rajay R.Singh SILVER - Title : Petronas Corporate "Magic Bottle" Advertising Agency : Leo Burnett Advertising Sdn Bhd Production House : Axis Films Sdn Bhd Winner : S.S.Sheen JOINT GOLD - Title : Perodua Corporate Chinese New Year "Family Ties" Advertising Agency : Grey Worldwide Sdn Bhd Production House : Regional Films (M) Sdn Bhd Winner : Billy Lee £r Li Choo GOLD - Title : Petronas Corporate "Joke" Advertising Agency : Leo Burnett Advertising Sdn Bhd Production House : Axis Films Sdn Bhd Winner : S.S.Sheen BEST DIRECTOR
BRONZE - Title Advertising Agency Production House Winner
: MAS "Little Fans" : Leo Burnett Advertising Sdn Bhd : Planet Films Sdn Bhd : Jamie Quah
SILVER - Title : Celcom "Man In Black" Advertising Agency : Leo Burnett Advertising Sdn Bhd Production House : Axis Films Sdn Bhd Winner : Steven Ang GOLD - Title : MRCB KL Sentral "Paging For" Advertising Agency : Leo Burnett Advertising Sdn Bhd Production House : Axis Films Sdn Bhd Winner : Micheal A.Warr BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
BRONZE - Title : McDonalds "Affirmation" Advertising Agency : Leo Burnett Advertising Production House : Applebox Asia Sdn Bhd Winner : Ho Nan Hung SILVER - Title : OCBC Bank "Elsen" Advertising Agency : Batey Ads Production House : Axis Films Sdn Bhd Winner : Danny Ruhlman GOLD -Title : Sony Wega "Shaman" Advertising Agency : Dentsu,Young &• Rubicam Sdn Bhd Production House : Carrot Films Sdn Bhd Winner : Eric Yeong &• Ricky Foo
GOLD - Title : Kent "light" Advertising Agency : Grey Advertising Production House : Planet Films Sdn Bhd Winner : Terence Manuel BEST SPECIAL EFFECTS
BRONZE - Title : Stein Lager "Liquid Style" Advertising Agency : Saatchi & Saatchi Production House : Planet Films Sdn Bhd Winner : David Kenyon SILVER - Title : Carls Reserve Beer "Perfectly Chilled" Advertising Agency : Leo Burnett Advertising Sdn Bhd Production House : Planet Films Sdn Bhd Winner : Farouk Aljoffery GOLD - Title
: Harley Davidson Motor Clothes Apparal & Accessories "Harley Davidson" Advertising Agency : McCann-Erickson (M) Sdn Bhd Production House : Frames Production Sdn Bhd Winner : Pierre Nayagam BEST ANIMATION (2D CEL/STOP FRAME)
BRONZE - Title : TM Net "Cool Dude" Advertising Agency : Foote.Cone £r Belding Sdn Bhd Production House : Carrot Films Sdn Bhd Winner : Chan Moon Chong SILVER - Title : TM Net Ally McBeal "Ape" Advertising Agency : Foote,Cone & Belding Sdn Bhd Production House : Boo Films Sdn Bhd Winner : Lau Kim San GOLD - Title : TM Net "Super Speedo" Advertising Agency : Foote,Cone & Belding Sdn Bhd Production House : Carrot Films Sdn Bhd Winner : Chan Moon Chong BEST ANIMATION (CGI)
BRONZE - Title Advertising Agency Production House Winner
www.bluehyppo.com "Tree" Foote.Cone £r Belding Sdn Bhd Boo Films Sdn Bhd Peter Coleman
SILVER - Title : www.bluehyppo.com "Lamp Post" Advertising Agency : Foote,Cone & Belding Sdn Bhd Production House : Boo Films Sdn Bhd Winner : Peter Coleman GOLD - Title : Storm Rider "Storm Rider" Advertising Agency : Web Work Interactive Production House : VHQ Post (M) Sdn Bhd Winner : Peter Coleman
Client: New Straits Times Agency: Leo Burnett,KL Executive Creative Director: Yasmin Ahmad & Ali Mohammed
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
BEST EDITING
BRONZE - Title : OCBC Bank "Mustaq" Advertising Agency : Batey Ads Production House : Axis Films Sdn Bhd Winner : Tom Nursey
BRONZE - Title : Celcom Festive Greeting "Man In Black" Advertising Agency : Leo Burnett Advertising Sdn Bhd Production House : Axis Films Sdn Bhd Winner : Affandi Jamaludin
SILVER - Title : OCBC Bank "Elsen " Advertising Agency : Batey Ads Production House : Axis Films Sdn Bhd Winner : Tom Nursey
SILVER - Title : Robitussin Cough Drops "Jungle" Advertising Agency : Saatchi £r Saatchi Production House : Planet Films Sdn Bhd Winner : Terence Manuel
GOLD - Title : Time Dot Com "Loop" Advertising Agency : Grey Advertising Production House : Planet Films Sdn Bhd Winner : Lim Heng Soon
Art Director: Zaidi Awang Copywriter: Iska Hashim
PASSIVN 3P J G T U R E S
Agency Producer: Karen de Silva Film Director: Khun Owen Cinematographer: Low Soon Keong Producer/ First AD: Sheen S. Singh
DIRECTOR REPRESENTATION and PRODUCTION SUPPORT
No.210, Jalan Ampang, 50450 Kuala Lumpur Tel: 60 3 2166 6448 Fax: 60 3 2166 6468 www.passionpictures.com.my
i
MALAYSIAN VIDEO AWARDS (MVA) 2001 LIST OF WINNERS BEST PERFORMANCE
Winner
BRONZE - Title : MRCB KL Sentral "Paging For" Advertising Agency : Leo Burnett Advertising Sdn Bhd Production House : Axis Films Sdn Bhd Winner : Joechim Regavan
GOLD - Title : Poetic Ammo "Somebody's Watching Me" Advertising Agency : Positive Tone Production House : Planet Films Sdn Bhd Winner : Al Issac
SILVER - Title : Voltas Airconditioner "Monkey Business" Advertising Agency : Ogilvy & Mather Production House : Planet Films Sdn Bhd Winner : Mardiya
BEST DIRECTOR (ASEAN)
GOLD - Title : MAS "Little Fans" Advertising Agency : Leo Burnett Advertising Sdn Bhd Production House : Planet Films Sdn Bhd Winner : Syujauddin bin Ismail & Imam Zulhakim bin Rodzie BEST COSTUME DESIGN
BRONZE - Title : Time Dot Com "Loop" Advertising Agency : Grey Worldwide Advertising Production House : Planet Films Sdn Bhd Winner : David Chang SILVER - Title : Sony Wega "Shaman" Advertising Agency : Dentsu,Young & Rubicam Sdn Bhd Production House : Carrot Films Sdn Bhd Winner : Henry Ooi & Dora Ong GOLD - Title : WWF "The Water Song" Advertising Agency : Ogilvy &• Mather Production House : Pegasus Film Sdn Bhd Winner : Loh Yow Fei BEST MUSIC
BRONZE - Title : Carls Reserve Beer "Perfectly Chilled" Advertising Agency : Leo Burnett Advertising Sdn Bhd Production House : Planet Films Sdn Bhd Winner : Anton Morgan SILVER - Title : Toyota Camry "Imagination Psychic" Advertising Agency : Saatchi & Saatchi Production House : Planet Films Sdn Bhd Winner : Anton Morgan GOLD - Title : Time Dot Com ""Loop" Advertising Agency : Grey Worldwide Advertising Production House : Planet Films Sdn Bhd Winner : Anton Morgan BEST SCRIPTWRITING
BRONZE - Title : Celcom "Man In Black" Advertising Agency : Leo Burnett Advertising Sdn Bhd Production House : Axis Films Sdn Bhd Winner : Simon Beaumont SILVER - Title : MRCB KL Sentral "Paging For" Advertising Agency : Leo Burnett Advertising Sdn Bhd Production House : Axis Films Sdn Bhd Winner : Iska Hashim GOLD - Title : New Straits Times "Odd Match" Advertising Agency : Leo Burnett Advertising Sdn Bhd Production House : Axis Films Sdn Bhd Winner : Iska Hashim BEST SCREEN DESIGN (GRAPHICS)
BRONZE - Title : Carls Reserve Beer "Perfectly Chilled" Advertising Agency : Leo Burnett Advertising Sdn Bhd Production House : Planet Films Sdn Bhd Winner : Niklas Hoh SILVER - Title : MTV "Pulse" Advertising Agency : MTV Production House : Boo Films Sdn Bhd Winner : Alec Loh GOLD - Title : Goodyear Tyre "Wet & Dry" Advertising Agency : McCann-Erickson (M) Sdn Bhd Production House : Axis Films Sdn Bhd Winner : Ivan Hoe BEST SOUND DESIGN
BRONZE - Title : Carlsberg Beer "Teasers Post" Advertising Agency : Bozell Worldwide Sdn Bhd Production House : Regional Film Sdn Bhd Winner : Jefferi bin Omar Jayaseelan SILVER - Title : Sepang Fi "Fever i" Advertising Agency : TBWA ISC Production House : Chilli Pepper Films Sdn Bhd Winner : Sean Frederick Gregory GOLD - Title : Victorinox "Swiss Army Knives" Advertising Agency : Ogilvy £r Mather Production House : Planet Films Sdn Bhd Winner : Jefferi bin Omar Jayaseelan BEST MUSIC VIDEO
BRONZE - Title : Ferhad "Higher Deeper" Advertising Agency : Positive Tone Production House : Planet Films Sdn Bhd Winner : Farouk Aljoffrey SILVER - Title : WWF "The Water Song" Advertising Agency : Ogilvy & Mather Production House : Pegasus Film Sdn Bhd
20 aDOi
: Virginia Kennedy
BRONZE - Title : Mini Babybel Rouge "L'Imprimerie" Advertising Agency : Saatchi & Saatchi Production House : Patizan Midi Minuit Winner : Doug Nichol SILVER - Title : "Sons" Advertising Agency : Production House : Infinate Frameworks Winner : Royston Tan No GOLD winner BEST EDITING (ASEAN)
BRONZE - Title : Caltex "Soccer" Advertising Agency : McCann-Erickson Apac Production House : Pegasus Films Sdn Bhd Winner : Mohd.Zaki Marican No SILVER £r GOLD winners BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY (ASEAN)
Certificate of Merit - Title : Mini Babybel Rouge "L'Imprimerie" Advertising Agency : Saatchi & Saatchi Production House : Patizan Midi Minuit Winner : Joe Zizzo
Joe triumphant with 'Best of the Best'.'
BEST ANIMATION (ASEAN)
No winners BEST EXPERIMENTAL VIDEO (PROFESSIONAL)
JOINT BRONZE - Title Production House Winner
: "Ordinary Hero" : Klangon Pictures : Yee Hwa
BRONZE - Title : "Umao Umao" Advertising Agency : McCann-Erickson (M) Sdn Bhd Production House : Frames Production Sdn Bhd Winner : Pierre Nayagam SILVER - Title Winner
: "My Father & His Celluliod" : Daven s/o Raghavan
GOLD - Title Production House Winner
: "Me,My Mother and Mosquito" : F.E.G. (M) Sdn Bhd : K.Shanmugam
The crowd listens attentively to the results-
BEST EXPERIMENTAL VIDEO (AMATEUR) - ANIMATION
BRONZE - Title Winner
: "Legend of Naga" : Loh Wong Loon
SILVER - Title Winner
: "Gazat" : Yap Voon Choon
GOLD - Title Winner
: "Malaysian Friday" : Tan Jin Ho
BEST EXPERIMENTAL VIDEO (AMATEUR) -18 & BELOW
BRONZE - Title Winner
: "Grandad" : Alex Loosley
SILVER - Title Winner
: "Bad Blood" : Aaron Chung
GOLD - Title Winner
: "Requiem In The Spotlight" : Arivind Abraham
BEST EXPERIMENTAL VIDEO (AMATEUR) -19 & ABOVE
BRONZE - Title Winner
: "Rainbows" : Keeta Brennan
JOINT SILVER - Title Winner
: "Erratum" : Edvard Loh
SILVER - Title Winner
: "The Lost Soul" : Yeong Li Wai
GOLD - Title Winner
: "Wannabe" : Debbie Liew Pooi Kuan
BEST SHORT FILM-LIVE ACTION (OPEN) 10 MINUTES & ABOVE
BRONZE - Title Winner
: "Sengkek" : Daven s/o Raghavan
SILVER - Title Winner
: "Sudden Revolt" : Desmond Hew
GOLD - Title Winner
: "Adam & Steve" : Bernard Chauly
BEST SHORT FILM-ANIMATION (OPEN) 10 MINUTES 6r ABOVE
Certificate of Merit - Title Winner
: "Demolition Frog" : Linus Chung Yao Fui
Above and below: The boys rock and rap the crowd!
CRM... The New Magic Letters? By Kurt Crocker, Creative Director, Drayton Bird, Crocker and Mano.
broad it lit up the plane's entire cattle-section. The attendant even offered a couple of serving options: "In the jar, or would you like it in a little bowl?" So far, so good. But the journey from Japan to Detroit was another matter altogether. A fresh crew was brought it for this leg, and each and every one of them was the body and personality type we frequent Northwest fliers have come to know so well. Former high-security prison guards who have quelled one-too-many escape attempts. Big breasted and matronly. And the women were, too. Again, when the baby's first meal arrived, it was served cold. Chilled liver and onions anyone? No thank W
/il.'IM'O
you. Again, the request to heat the thing up. Her reply was
"In-the-know" marketers here and around the world
equal to the temperature of the baby jar in discussion. No
are frequently uttering a sequence of three consonents:
way. You take it like you get it. Apparently, what's possible
C-R-M. In that order.
in one Boeing is not possible in another.
These letters, when spoken before current or would-
More incidents followed. Time for the adults' meal.
be clients, are meant to mesmerize. They are intended to
Mom, with baby in arms. Father asking: "Could you save
elevate the listener to a nirvana of marketing investment
one tray? That way, I can eat first, then hold the baby later
returns that were simply unimaginable ... until now.
while mom eats." In a tone that would make Hitler proud,
Repeat after me... C-R-M. They are almost always spoken
the attendant replied: "No. You take your trays now. I can't
as if "C-R-M" is a mantra that has suddenly appeared before
guarantee you'll have a tray later." She then sandwiched
us like a celestial beacon. A shiny, new epiphany brought
both trays and plopped them on his armchair table. She
to you by the Gods of Sales and Profits.
neglected to ask, "Chicken or Beef?"
Guess what. CRM is nothing new. CRM ain't worth
Sometime later, somewhere over the Pacific, the baby
a sen if you're a dabbler. And it never works for the vast
was resting comfortably at mom and dad's feet. Now, this
majority of superficial believers whose primary career
is not allowed, and both mom and dad knew it. Just a little
directive is to maintain an impressive job title and monthly
illicit break from hours of arm-cradling.
income. You know, the ones who might utter C-R-M as a
An attendant here-to-fore unseen (where do they all
means of paying for their Clark Hatch membership and
hide?) barreled up the aisle and spotted the indiscretion.
that new-series BMW they've had their eyes on.
She said, "You can't..." then stopped in mid-sentence. Dad
CRM is short for Customer Relationship Management. CRM has always been a tool of the Direct Marketing trade.
was about to apologize when she stormed off to fetch the Japanese interpreter.
Direct Marketing helps you find customers. Then it helps
This big, African-American Northwest flight attendant
you keep them and make them more valuable toyou. That's
instantly assumed that because my friend was "Oriental"
CRM. Plain and simple.
he 1) was Japanese and 2) couldn't speak English. What, she
And now the tech-wizards and jargon groupies have
couldn't just talk to him herself, first? As a Black American,
latched on to these three little letters like a flea to my
isn't she at least a tiny bit familiar with racial prejudice?
neurotic dog Lori. They suck the lifeblood out of the true
He happens to be one of the most English-articulate people
purpose and meaning of CRM by reverently introducing
I know. And Chinese, thank you very much. He was
this long-term strategy as the latest miracle cure for any
not amused.
number of marketing ills.
After our arrival in the U.S., and following a few
Well, it is and it isn't. You can and should employ a
nasty days of jet-lag recovery, my friend decided to
CRM strategy, because when you do (and do it right), you
e-mail the Chief Executive Officer of Northwest Airlines
will significantly increase your profitability. But success
via on-line customer service at their website. An automated
requires an unwavering commitment. Now and forever.
reply came back stating that while personal replies
And you must instill a customer-oriented mindset that is
normally take 3-4 days, please expect a reply within 7-10
consistently apparent through all organizational levels
while the system is being upgraded. 7-10 days later, no
of your company - from CEO to front-liners to delivery
reply. 3 weeks. No reply. No reply at all to date.
personnel.
Hullo? Northwest? Anybody home? 10 strikes and
Not easy, but not impossible. No company does it
you're out. My friend, and his wife, and, I presume, the
perfectly. A few get it right more often that not. And
baby as well, have vowed never to fly the unfriendly
most, well, they don't have a clue.
Northwest Orient skies again. Trust me. They won't.
Take Northwest Airlines, for example. A true story.
Are Northwest flight attendants part of a CRM
Recently, I flew back to the U.S. on holiday with two friends
programme? Yes. An integral part. The customer service
and their13-month old baby. On Northwest. Now, it's never
facility at Northwest's website? Of course. The person who
easy travelling for 22 hours in a steel pod, and even more
is supposed to provide a personal e-mail reply? Absolutely.
difficult with an infant who is experiencing her very first
The CEO? Yes again, assuming they have one. There's been
transoceanic flight. Northwest didn't make it any easier.
no proof of his or her existence thus far.
Actually, the journey began well. From KL to Japan,
How about systems and software? If you have that in
the Northwest crew delivered the baby's meal in a plastic
place, as Northwest certainly does, do you have a CRM
Ziploc bag. An assortment of three little jars, one of which
programme? Obviously not, citing Northwest as a prime
was a reddish-brown mash labeled "Lasagna with Meat
example. Technology is a data management and delivery
Sauce". Something only a baby could love. But not if it's
device and nothing more.
served freezer-cold. And it was.
Client: New Straits Times Agency: Leo Burnett,KL Executive Creative Director: Yasmin Ahmad b Ali Mohammed Art Director: Zaidi Awang Copywriter: Iska Hashim
PASSIVN I C 'V U R H s
Agency Producer: Karen de Silva Film Director: Khun Owen Cinematographer: Low Soon Keong Producer/ First AD: Sheen 5. Singh
The only "magic" words that will make your CRM
So my friend asked a flight attendant if she would
programme work are these: Sincere Human Care. But like
warm the thing up. She said, "Sure!" with a smile so
anything magical, you must truly believe to make it real. DIRECTOR REPRESENTATION and PRODUCTION SUPPORT No.210, Jalan Ampang, 50450 Kuala Lumpur Tel: 60 3 2166 6448 Fax: 60 3 2166 6468 www.passionpictures.com.my
NOHKOOMM MIEGRHH)-A MEM "Advertising suits my temperament -1 like new things, using new technology, meeting new people, figuring out new ways of doing things - it keeps me on my toes" explains Lawrence Chan, CEO of Novacomm Integrated which was formerly known as Inter-Pacific Communications. This amazingly youthful man just simply loves people and this is apparent from the way he interacts with everyone - in a warm-hearted, effusive manner. It is quite impossible not to like him. Perhaps this is one of the key qualities that has taken Lawrence to the top - afterall in an agency, one has to
MOW
OErM copywriting aptitude test and that my typewriter was waiting for me in the creative department! The third was being asked to run Novacomm Integrated(then Inter-Pac Communications) as its GM when I was its creative director. That was frightening. But my boss had faith in me and it really meant a lot that people running conglomerates believed I could do the job! I have no regrets taking on the job. Looking back, it's a progression of one's career path. That's all. The business and the industry as we know it has
The Management team (left- right): Raja Zulkarnain Shah (Media Director), Anne Lian (Creative Head), Valerie Yeo (Snr. Account Director), Joshua Wee (Finance Admin Manager) ÂŁr Lawrence Chan (CEO)
be a people person and if you're not - you cannot get anything done. Lawrence has been in the business for 20 years now and ADOI thought that it was fine time to catch up with him and have him share some of that history as well as talk about why he changed the name of his company... Lawrence, you have been in this business for a long time. How did you start out? I started as an account executive with Ogilvy & Mather in 1982. Joined them as a young graduate trainee and after 3 months I hated it!! I always had a flair for writing. Managing garrulous clients and crotchety art directors and copywriters wasn't my cup of tea! But my enlightened directors (those entrusted with my professional training and growth) at OtrM saw this coming. So they extended my 6 month probation and moved me to the creative department as a trainee copywriter. That was in August 1982. And haven't looked back since. I'm sure you must have had many significant moments, share with us some of them... One of the more significant moments in my life was winning the Grand Prix for the Best Print Campaign for Caterpillar Tractors in the 1984 4A's Annual Awards(which is equivalent to today's Kancil Awards). This is one of the many I had won but that was the most satisfying. I remember writing the ads under very, very tight deadlines) on Sundays and late at night when the phones stopped ringing and the traffic controller who ran my life was safely at home! Another such moment was being told by Victor Ng, the then CD at O&M, that I had made the grade in the
22 aDOl
Another significant change that is taking place is the way agencies are getting paid. Agencies are now looking at alternative means of remuneration. Instead of the standard media commission, which is the simplest and often the best for many types of clients, we are all moving towards a fee structure. I believe a fee structure will largely remove the problems we have with cut media commissions and rebates. It will ensure our covering costs while guaranteeing a pre-determined level of profit for every client.
changed tremendously. Don't you agree? What are some of the key changes? Yes, the advertising business has changed tremendously in the 19 years I have been in the business. Some of the key changes is our dependence (or overdependence) on computers. Every person in an ad. agency has his/her own computer. Technology has overtaken us. The colour separator for example no longer needs a finished artwork, transparencies and overlays on the artwork. All he now needs is a diskette. If we are on-line with him all the better, we just send him the file! But I often tell our young creative talent that a strong original idea comes first and comes from his mind. The idea is then crafted with the technology we have. But first we have to have an idea that comes from pure talent, skill and craftsmanship. Another significant change is the "unbundling" of agency services. It used to be one point of contact for above the line advertising, PR, DM, events and media services. Now our clients have the choice of buying media from agency A and DM from agency B and advertising from agency C. To an extent it is good. It keeps us competitive and ensures we all deliver quality and value. But when one agency unbundles and offers clients all communication disciplines from different companies all under its common umbrella, but these are different profit centres, operating under one address, then the trouble starts. DM, PR and above the line advertising may never be able to agree on budget allocations. In-fighting could start and the client instead of having ONE POINT OF CONTACT will have an unwieldly number of contacts from different agencies for his communication needs.
Even your business has changed it's name and is now known as Novacomm - why did you do this and how did this change take place? In a discussion with the owners' representative, I had mooted the idea that we change our name in order to develop a brand for ourselves. Being owned by one of Malaysia's largest conglomerates had its hazards. At the point of our start up some 10 years ago, the name Inter-Pacific was the name of the holding company. And all subsidiaries whether travel, trading or even in securities trading had the prefix "Inter-Pacific" attached for convenience. So the owners and I felt that the time was right to evolve the brand of our agency with a new name, i.e.Novacomm Integrated. "Nova" is the name given to the very bright stars that shine in our night sky, while "Comm" is the abbreviation of communication. Integrated represents the whole range of through the line services we offer. What are the services that Novacomm offers? Novacomm is a medium sized agency that offers integrated communications. There are specialists within the agency that offer our clients exceedingly refreshing advertising, direct marketing, public relations and even event management, media planning, research and buying all with ONE POINT of contact. Not five! What does Novacomm hope to bring to the industry? We'll leave the multinationals to slug it out for internationally aligned pieces of businesses, which they often don't have to work for. (Re-alignments in New York or Dusseldorf or London will cause that chain reaction worldwide and the local offices of multinational chains will reap golden windfalls.) What we hope to bring to the industry would be to show the market that imported is not always better! Local boys, local agencies handling large and small pieces of local brands and businesses will and can deliver solutions as bold if not more memorable than the imported boys. And to do that, an integrated agency with the right skills and talent offering clients ONE POINT of contact and not five, is the way to go. Is the facelift of your business limited to just a name change or are there other aspects which you are [â&#x20AC;˘banging?
Nope. The facelift is NOT limited to just the name change.
H-SIZH) SIMt THAT SHMES VBtY D COMMUNICATION SERVICES! This re-branding exercise is part of the on-going process of re-inventing ourselves in all the disciplines we offer, brand advertising, DM, PR, event management and promotions. But most of all it is significant that this re-invention process means evolving, developing and investing in new talents, skills and hardware not just to remain competitive, but to become a foremost local integrated communications agency. There has been a significant change in our creative and creative product. Our creatives are young, hungry and talented. All this talent and energy when channelled correctly has yielded astounding results for our clients. The account team too has seen a complete evolution since I took over the running of the agency. We've picked the cream of the crop from young graduates and put them to work under two extremely capable and dedicated account directors.
How do you hope to serve your clients better with this new way of doing business? With the size that we are, at a billings of about RM19 million, all our clients have direct access to their account teams, their creative and design teams, media teams as well as me the CEO. Advertising is a people business. If we do not have the right people with the right skills, talent and temperament available for our clients, then we might as well not be in the business at all. In a nutshell, our edge would be give all our clients access to the best talent we have and involving ourselves in their business at a level most other larger agencies would deem to be unprofitable
What do you expect from Novacomm in the next two years? In the next two years, you will see a tremendous change in our creative product, while we move towards a fee based remuneration with more of our clients and of course the coming-of-age of many of our talents in creative, account management and media. And the ultimate beneficiaries of this would be our clients.
What is your long-term vision for the company? In big picture terms, the vision would be to grow big. But how big is the question. Size isn't everything. Size doesn't always mean profitability. A RM40 million agency could be far more profitable than its RM100 million competitor. So in our long term growth plans, I will be cognizant of the fact that we must not grow to a size that our clients will no longer have access to their creative and media teams. Personally, I would still want to know every client by name and be able to work on his business at a moment's notice. In the long term we see ourselves tying up with a regional or multinational group, without losing the management control and unique culture we have built up over the years. When we reach a certain size we become attractive to networks and a merger would give us an international base overnight while retaining our local strength and identity.
industry in general?
I have certain immutable beliefs and long held views that will never change no matter how our industry evolves. Chief among this is that the very survival and growth of the Malaysian advertising industry is dependent on the strength of our original thinking and the quality of our crafts i.e. art direction, copywriting, film and radio production photography etc. Although there is a great deal of excellence in the technical crafts like photography, film, radio etc, there is an alarming deficiency in the development of copy skills and to a lesser extent art direction skills. Are creative directors just not training young talents? Is there enough young talent? Are we attracting bright young talent? We could ask a thousand questions. But the fact remains that young copywriters need far more attention and guidance in developing their craft than they aregetting now. How many young copywriter (and sometimes even seasoned ones) can write a 300 word long copy ad and have the majority of his target audience actually stop to read it? How many know how to? Secondly, we are in the business to make money, (a fair and reasonable return to our shareholders), develop talent and most of all be responsible custodians of the communication for the brands entrusted to us. So we are charged with the responsibility of developing cut through, break away and outstanding creative work, from an equally refreshing strategy. In short do bloody great work for the brand that is capable of catapulting the brand to the top in terms of awareness, memorability and sales. And if the work wins awards, well done! But sadly I know of some very talented people in this industry who approach the equation the other way around. They set about doing work to win awards first. They believe that if the work is so good, everything else will follow. The result? They end up with ads that are so clever that only their peers in the industry understand them and award them. Effectiveness? The consumer's understanding? Aw screw it! The ads. won awards didn't they?? If I had such people in Novacomm I'd be the first to show them the door!
I am told that you actively participate in many ways ... Well I teach at the IACT because I think that I've benefitted a great deal from the industry and it's time to give back. It's quite amusing because I came from a family of teachers - both my parents were teachers and although they never stopped me from having a career in advertising - they are happy to see that I have chosen to give back through teaching. I also serve on the 4AS council and I find that to be very satisfying. I believe this is another opportunity for me to give back and by serving the 4AS - it's like putting your hand up and being counted.
How can we make the industry better? If everyone with experience, shared their skills and craft with our young talent, the ad industry would be a "school" where Malaysian Ad Greats can be groomed!
What is your philosophy about the business and the
aDOl 23
The Next Phase of Moon designers/operators who in the past
the set-up. I have always believed in
have moved to production at
the
designing an outfit with a strong culture,
system will share a common high-speed
heights of their career, then we have got
as an outfit with no culture has no soul.
networked database which eliminates
to ask ourselves this simple question...
Hence the emergence of " mfx " a design,
the need to transfer video until the job
What is their impetus for doing so?
animation and special effects shop. We
is finally mastered.
It is one of the toughest jobs in the
camera input from our studio, all
are up and running and the timing is
entire production process. The fact that
fantastic. With the availability of new
we are at the last stage of this process,
technology in the industry, it has
That I have to be on my toes
we tend to end up with everyone's
allowed "mfx" to lead the industry and
constantly. It is an industry that has
problems, more than their success. In
together with the experienced and
continued to evolve with rapid changes
post-production, we inherit everyone's
award winning team, "mfx" will be a
and you can't sitback or you will be left
problems from budget overrunning,
powerhouse in the region.It is a dream,
behind.
What do you like about the industry?
technical mistakes, politics etc. After
to be able to set up a shop with the latest
some time, you tend to succumb to the
technology and leading professionals in
the key figures in the field of
temptation of solving their problems.
Kuala Lumpur, "mfx" is not just another
The fakes, the opportunists with no
advertising, filmmaking, animation
Why open or work in a post house when
post house, it is a creative design,
knowledge nor experience, thinking
and special effects. With 19 years of
there is less pressure on the production
animation and special effects studio.
experience behind him - he has worked
side? There is no heavy investment,
Moon K. Chan is recognizably one of
What don't youlike about it?
that they can walk in and make a killing, they are in for the money, To
all around the globe and has won
there are no highly paid professionals
What services does the new company
them, there is no industry... it's just
innumerable awards.
sitting in the office and you can use
offer? What will it contribute to the
them and money...
post-production money to execute the
industry and how will it make a
post houses in KL and has recently
production. There is no glamour or
difference?
moved on to start Moon fx. ADOI talks
beautiful models, you are left with the
Mfx willbe the first fully resolution
to the man himself ...
machines and it is 4am in the morning
independent integrated facility in Asia.
and you have to complete the job by a
Input can be data, film or digital video,
Start learning NOW, not just about
stipulated deadline.
with all production stages remaining
technology but everything about the
fully digital until output to either
film and communications industry,
needs to survive in the competitive
You're opening a new company aren't
multi-standard digital video, film
once you are in the industry, your
post-production world?
you? Tell us about that.
or print.
intake of knowledge is narrowed down
Moon founded one of the bigger
You've been around for a long time what are the qualities that a person
What advice would you give to the younger generation who want to make a post-house their home?
Passion and commitment.If you
The last ten years were good, we
From editing to effects compositing,
look at the number of producers and
made some money for the company and
design and pre-visualization, 3d
general
I had the chance to experiment with
integration, 2d overlays or digital
personality.
to the tech and creative side. It is the knowledge
that
makes
a
New look for Reader's Digest The September 2001 issue of Reader's Digest
see the private side of these icons, their perspective
photographic gallery celebrating the region's
sported a fresh new face. The new Covers that grace
on life and how they made a difference. However the
children entitled 'Asia's Next Generation'. Besides
both front and back of the magazines are being
essential DNA of the magazine remains unchanged -
the new look on the cover, there are also editorial
adopted globally, in 48 editions and 19 languages. One
the usefulnes, trustworthiness, optimism and a
changes as some lively new sections will be unveiled
of the key changes is that Asia's English, Chinese and
celebration of the power of individuals. The Asian
in the coming months.
Thai editions offer content and a look that is more
editions will also feature articles that close to the
Peter Dockrill, editor of Reader's Digest English
relevant to the 4.7 million readers across the region.
Asian heart and have an impact on the region - like
Asian edition comments: "We want the readers to
From this debut issue - every month the front cover will feature a celebrity and the editors hope that through in-depth interviews, readers will get to
Peter Dockril ir his new look
24 aDOl
'Asia's New Drug Menace' that was presented in the
feel, as soon as they look at the cover, that this is a
September issue.
magazine that they have to pick up and read. In
The back cover of the magazine will feature a
short, we are making a great magazine even better."
Peter Jeffries &friend
SNIPPETS MSG AXES ENTERTAINMENT VILLAGE
The Multimedia Development Corp has replaced an ambitious Entertainment Village concept with what it calls an "eco-media city". The Entertainment Village, which was supposed to be a Hollywood-style production facility, had defaulted on a US$14 million loan repayment. Reports indicate that the concept village failed to attract filmmakers - local or international.
HAVAS DROPS TEMPUS Havas Advertising has not extended the period for acceptance of its offer for Tempus Group after the 24th September. Havas said in a statement that when the offer was launched July 19 it was then considered by the Group to be a full and fair offer. "Market conditions have clearly deteriorated significantly since that time, as evidenced by the postponement of a number of advertising and media campaigns." However it appears WPP is intent on buying the holding company for media buying and planning specialist CIA.
24/7 MEDIA EUROPE CLOSES SHOP 24/7 Media Europe, one of the region's pioneering online ad sales rep houses, was forced out of business due to withdrawal of funding from potential investors and its parent company. The company's business is based on creating a network of Web sites and selling the aggregated space to advertisers. However, the group fell victim to the massive decline in online ad spend following the dot-com slump during the last year.
Excellent command of the English Language Experience in the advertising environment is compulsory
Business N\ana9er
CANNES LIONS TO BECOME VENETIAN? If Cannes does not sort out a host of technical glitches and legal disputes relating to its contract - The International Advertising Festival may be handing out its famed lions in another city in 2002. The IAF signed a five-year contract last year with the city. Late last August, the French daily newspaper, Le Figaro, reported the ongoing dispute between both parties. Ad Age Global reports that festival organisers are reportedly negotiating with city officials in Barcelona, Spain and Venice, Italy over the possibility of moving the award show and ad industry pow-wow if talks break down with officials in Cannes.
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aooi 25
.
The recently held Sea Games was celebrated with
shore in Malaysia, both traditional and non traditional
great fanafre by MILO in an incredibly new way. For
media were used. MILO "Ole Ole Malaysia Boleh"
create a giant Malaysia Boleh fiesta.
the event, MILO took up the whole of the Bukit Jalil
campaign was on TV, Newspapers, Billboards, Overhead
What were your initial aims with the work?
LRT station and 'painted' it green - with the sporting
bridges & LRT. Posters, flaglines and buntings were
images of MILO. ADOI decided to talk to Michiel
also displayed at supermarkets, sundry shops, mamak
Kernkamp, Regional marketing Manager of Nestle to
stalls and coffee shops throughout Malaysia.
The MILO "Ole Ole Malaysia Boleh" campaign was created to energize the Malaysia Boleh spirit and to cheer the Malaysian contingent on to victory as well as to inspire Malaysians to rally behind the national team. Another commitment from MILO to promote sports excellence in Malaysia and also to promote the XXI SEA Games.
find out more about the campaign ...
Why the LRT station? Why did you decide to use ambient media? MILO has always played a lead role in promoting sports in Malaysia- working with the government to promote excellence in sports.and supported the government's effort to nurture and develop future world champions. As the Official Fortified Food Drink of the XXI SEA Games, MILO organised a series of activities to promote the Games. To stir up patriotism and fire up the Malaysia Boleh spirit, Nestle launched the " Ole Ole Malaysia Boleh " campaign in April 2001. "Ole Ole Malaysia Boleh" was created to cheer the Malaysian contingent on to victory as well as to inspire Malaysians to rally behind the national team. In order to reach all walks of life from shore to
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Bukit Jalil LRT station is the door step to the National Sports Complex. In the 1998 KL Commonwealth Games, thousands of Malaysians and tourists used the LRT and the same was expected for XXI SEA Games. The Bukit Jalil LRT station was decorated and transformed into a carnival of colours and graphics depicting the magic of the SEA Games. The MILO decorations created an air of celebration around the Games, as well as conveyed the message of sporting excellence and friendship. A wonderful welcome for the sports fans.
How did the people respond to such a campaign? Wow! People who traveled to Bukit Jalil go there for one reason, to watch the SEA Games and to support Malaysia. They came armed with the Jalur Gemilang of all sizes, and along with MILO decorations, helped
Did the client like it? Was the client apprehensive about using a non traditional medium? MILO is present in nearly every Malaysian home and MILO SEA Games campaign was created to reach every Malaysian to rally behind the home contingent. Hence, we will have to use some non traditional media like the LRT sponsorship and display at mamak stalls. The Bukit Jalil LRT sponsorship was part of the MILO "Ole Ole Malaysia Boleh" campaign and the MILO decorations were designed to welcome the sports fans to the SEA Games via LRT and to add an air of festivity and excitement around the games.
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You push Sea Games the button, we do the rest
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are you up to it? come up (arlsber'q
are you up to it? come up
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Posters put up during the launch on 21 August 2001
Buntings hung in cinemas during the launch on 21 August 2001
Leaflet distributed during the ambient media
The ambient media approach used as part of the pre-Iaunch teaser campaign to tease and intrigue the public
roadshow
Over the past month, the Malaysianpublic has been urged to 'Wake Up, Speak Up and Fire Up'. The new commercials are part of Carlsberg's global strategy to reenergise and contemporise the Carlsberg brand to continue making it relevant for existing aswell as potential customers. "Our commitment to deliver world-class quality beer has been a major factor in making Carlsberg a key player in
28 aDOl
Hundreds of lucky viewers queuieng to take their seats before the start of the preview
the localbeer business. To a large extent, all our commercials have embodied and communicated this promise to our consumers," said Chia Boon Lim, the marketing manager for Carlsberg Marketing Sdn Bhd. As part of the campaign, the client embarked on a refreshing trailer campaign which promoted the commercial in the same vein as an upcoming movie. Without exposing
the Carlsberg brand, teaser advertisements in the cinema sections of the newspapers, on the Internet and an ambient approach in which a team of talents took to the streets and reenacted selected scenes from the commercial. The campaign also had more than 3000 people previewing the new commercial and the complimentary movie simultaneously in cinemas nationwide.
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Gold for CCG.XM The Singapore office of e-business solutions consultancy CCG.XM scored a Gold WorldMedal in the recently concluded 2001 New York Festival for its own corporate site, The XM Portfolio (www.xmshowcase.com). Over the past year, CCG.XM—also known as "XM"— has won numerous accolades from different award shows, including the more recent Best Internet Advertising and Marketing for its hugely successful Compaq Armada 100S campaign, this time at Internet World. From its Singapore Regional hub office, XM has over the years consistently delivered results-driven, award-winning creative and strategic work for multinational corporations such as CocaCola, Compaq, Nokia, Singapore Airlines and Visa, many of which are featured on the gold-winning site.
"For us, the important thing is that this award tells us we're on the right track, and we aim to stay that way in serving our customers with award-worthy productions," explains John Lambie, Creative Director. Ken Mandel, Managing Director, added that the award "also showcases the faith our clients have in the creative use of the Internet as a business and communication tool—without which we wouldn't even be able to compete for such awards."
visit adoi-1.lyGOsasia.com/niiGrosite2 aDOl 29
"Our work needs to compete on ADOI/MEDIABANC a global level, because we believe that the best ideas will travel." Brand: Dumex
Title: Precision Nutrition
the opportunity to set new local benchmarks for creativity.
Duration: 15 Seconds Client: Dumex Agency: Lowe Lintas £r Partners Creative Director: Chris Howden Art Director: Kevin Sim
I believe that Standard Chartered has come to you through global realignment.
Copywriter: Baldish Kaur Language: English
We can't comment on that at this point of time. But you could always ask the client.
Summary : Dumex Precision Nutrition provides the right amount of nutrient for every stage of growth. Brand: Perodua Kenari Title: Daytona Duration: 30 seconds Client: Perodua Agency: Naga DDB
It would seem that JWT is quite a happening place to be with all this new biz. What is the kind of work you would like to do and show the rest of the industry in the next couple of years?
Creative Director: Ted Lim Art Director: Alvin Teoh Copywriter: Christine Herman Language: English Summary: Try the new and exciting Perodua Kenari, engineered for fun!
Brand: Mc Donalds Title: Chicken Celebration Duration: 30 Seconds Client: Mc Donalds Agency: Leo Burnett Executive Creative Director: Ali Mohd. Art Director: Mohd. Shafiee Copywriter: Izwar Zakri Language: English Summary: A young customer of Mc Donalds was enticed by the mouth-watering explanation on the latest Mc Donalds ChickenChicken Celebration.
You're new in town... how has it been thus far? New. Exciting. Different. Challenging. Rewarding. Stressful. Surprising. In short: I feel that I live with all my senses, 24hours a day. And to me this is what life is all about.
Do you like KL?
Brand: Nescafe Title: Nescafe Bollywood Duration: 10 Seconds Client: Nescafe Agency: McCann Erikson Creative Director: Berre Mitchell Art Director: Craig Wakelin Copywriter: Jasmine Ishaque Language: English Summary: Two cool cans of Nescafe dancing to the Bollywood tune of Cool Cool Hota Hei!
It's a great place to live and to work. Just spend a couple of hours with friends in one of the numerous restaurants or bars, late in the evening. And watch the young crowds around you. You really feel the energy and the positive spirit of this city. To me, KL is one of the happening places in Asia.
Title: Revitalizing Moisture (Night)
Tell us a little about your past 6 years with JWT.
Duration: 30 seconds Client: Proctor £r Gamble
Ok, let's keep it short. I was never bored.
Brand: Oil of Olay
Agency: Saatchi £r Saatchi Creative Director: Khun Achara Duang-ngern Art Director: Khun Sunanta Techavanvekin Copywriter: Khun Sirirut Angkasupornkul Language: English Summary: Introducing the new moisturizer from Oil of Olay that nourishes and whitens at night, for perfect fairness.
Brand: TM Touch Title: Malaysian Touch Sea Games Duration: 30 Seconds Client: TM Touch Agency: Interface Advertising Creative Director: Lakshmi Mohan Art Director: Chun Wan Copywriter: Tung Yu Peng Language: English
You've won quite a bit of new business of late in this short span of time. Is this an exciting time for the company? New Business is like jumping out of a plane with a parachute. It takes some confidence to jump out. Your adrenaline level goes through the roof. You try everything to manage your parachute, to pull the right strings and to land in the right place. After you've landed, you immediately want to do it again. Can you imagine the spirit in the agency now?
Talk to us a little about the DiGi win.
Summary: Featuring an athlete aspired to achieve success all for the glory of Malaysia, anything's possible with the right support!
fflediaBanc For more information please call Miss Nadjmin of MediaBanc at 03-79836668
30 aDOl
Chris Von Selle is the new MD of J W Thompson and has been enjoying a successful streak with all the new business that he has been winning. ADOI caught up with him recently ...
A great win for the agency. Not just because DiGi really believes in powerful branding and superior communication but also because its building the right balance between local and multina tional business. DiGi provides us with
Our work needs to compete on a global level, because we believe that the best ideas will travel. Lots of people within the advertising industry are concerned that Malaysia may become an adaptation market. My comment on that: "It's up to us". Just have a look at Europe. Although the business centers are in London, Paris, Frankfurt, the most creative advertising comes out of the Scandinavian countries or out of Portugal and Holland. The simple reason: Quality.
Are you going to change the staid face of JWT? Yes and No. J. Walter Thompson is a strong brand around the world. To further build this brand we need build on our strength. Today we are seen as the "Thinking Agency" in Malaysia. And that's great because it's rare. It's based on our strong reputation in all areas of strategic planning which has not just a long history in this company but which is an integral part of the company's culture. Now we need to add some more sparkle to that. We've recently decided to modify the structure of the agency. And to invest more into new creative talents. This program is up and running.
We also hear that JWT Singapore sometimes pitches in to help you guys how does it feel to have that kind of support? You're right and it's fantastic. It simply shows that we believe in networking as a culture, not just as a system. The Singapore team has lots of talent and we work with them wherever we can.
What about all the juicy gossip surfacing about JWT? I would love to drive this gossip further (because it would keep the hidden community of advertising alive and busy). But I guess I need to tell you now: It's all bullshit. Sorry.
PHOTO COURTESY : LORI
DOES A COMMERCIAL HAVE TO BE EXPENSIVE TO LOOK BIG?
"Sometimes," replies Shawn "Puffy" Nunis, producer of Axis Films.
Having just completed a RMi million (budget not inclusive of post) Peugeot 206 commercial for young hotshot French director, Bruno Avellion, here in Kuala Lumpur, Sean was immediately handed the task of working with another young hotshot director, Anthony Wong, on a Tenaga Nasional-ntV7 Merdeka Day commercial. This time at a relatively more modest budget. Depicting a man running with the Malaysian flag across the width and breadth of the country and aptly titled Jiwa Bangsa, the 6o-second spot posed a very huge challenge, even for a producer as seasoned as Shawn. The script required a multitude of Malaysian scenes, each representing a different facet of life, a different landscape. As if that wasn't hard enough, the director up the ante at the worst of times. After the budget was moderated and approved by the clients. "It was hard enough that there were seven major locations to be dealt with and that in each location we had to use different actors. This includes characters of different lifestyles and vocations reacting to the running man, this includes extras as well as heavy duty equipment," explains Shawn. "But somewhere in between the pre-pros and the initial recces, Anthony then made up his mind that all the scenes had to look like they were paying homage to David Lean or Bernardo Bertolucci. "He was very specific and detailed about everything, especially during the location scouting. A 30 foot-crane here, 60 feet of tracks there, 8mm lens here, 195:1 aspect
32 aDOl ,
ratio everywhere, a water buffalo that must behave on cue with the sun right behind over there at 3 pm sharp, a helicopter that must give us a view of both sides of a 50-acre wide dam, cascading water on one side, calm water on the other... and on top of that, we must have
our Running Man hitting the spot at the precise time that the helicopter was hitting its spot! "There were times when we thought he was joking, putting us on. But then you take one look at the guy, and you know he's gripped by the potential for great breathtaking cinematography and you can see this guy's already madly in love with the landscape... and in moments like this, our incredulity kind of just turns into 'oh well, what the hell'..." Line Producer Gregory Lau agrees that it is possible to create epic looking commercials without a proportionately epic budget. "I think there are 2 very important elements in making a big commercial that doesn't really cost as much as it looks," he explains. "First, clients and agencies must pick the right
director who has an eye for the big feel. Then, there's got to be a superb producer who can put all the logistics together and orchestrate monumental things like that without sinking the production house into financial trouble!" Gregory adds with a laugh.
The publishers of ADOI would like to observe a page of silence on the passing of our dear departed friend Dato Jaffar Ali
Straight talk from Steve Forbes you of money. It's like being offered gasoline for 25 cents but they don't offer you any gas. They are now supplying liquidity into the economy and if the US would do a tax cut, the first one was a very weak one, it was tea posing as whisky and it didn't do very much. Another area where there is much to do is the IMF which is the most destructive agency in the world. How so? Because they go into countries and tell them to devalue their currencies and raise taxes which is the worst thing you do. When you devalue a currency what do you get? You get inflation, you get higher cost of capital, you destroy savings, destroy wages and this has political repercussions as the Turks are discovering. It's the dumbest thing you do and yet, everywhere they go, they push (for example in Thailand) to devalue the bhat. They destroyed Indonesia and they tell countries to raise taxes - it's like to tell someone who has pneumonia to go into an ice-box. It's very destructive. Argentina is now writhing, Brazil is in trouble, Russia has already suffered severe damage, this region hasn't recovered from what happened in 1997. The IMF has to be reformed because if the doctor kills his patients, his license should be revoked. Talking about the doctor, I have read your strong opinions in the past about the IMF, in Malaysia what they have done is to peg the currency to the US dollar, how does that fit into the scheme of things? It's alright to peg the currency if the currency is being managed properly. But if you peg your currency and you have to make sure you monitor the monetary policy based on that and not just use your reserves to make mistakes which is what some countries did. They had a lot of reserves and they didn't ensure that their monetary policies kept that peg. But trying to keep a peg is much better, than having a free fall like Thailand, Indonesia, South Korea.
Forbes is famous all over the world and recently, Steve Forbes was in town for the Forbes Global CEO conference. Steve is President and Chief Executive Officer of Forbes and Editor-in-Chief of Forbes magazine. He assumed this capacity in 1990 and since that time, Forbes has expanded, launching a variety of new publications and businesses. These include: Forbes FYI, the irreverent lifestyle supplement; Forbes ASAP, the technology supplement for management decision makers; Forbes Global, the magazine's international publication, introduced in 1998; a Japanese-language edition of Forbes; and the Gilder Technology Report. Forbes and Forbes Global together reach a worldwide audience of nearly 5 million readers. Shaping the views and opinions of such a vast number of people makes Steve one very powerful man. Steve's editorial 'Fact and Comment' is eagerly read as he is known for his outspoken views as much as his devastatingly accurate economic forecasts. AD01 talks to this widely respected publisher ... What is life like in publishing? Life in publishing, as you yourself may know, is rather rough right now because one of the things that gets hit in a downturn is advertising. Our circulation is
34 aDOl
doing well but advertising is down. We're not as badly hurt as our competitors as our market share is going up, but it's a very tough environment and I think it's going remain that way for the next 3 or 4 months. What is a typical day? Fortunately in my business, there is no typical day. I travel a lot and there are always deadlines - when to get the copy in and the ads in. So there is no rut. What do you think will be the outcome of the painful, recent happenings that have taken place? Well obviously, with the tragedy that has taken place, the United States will wage a very serious effort against global terrorism, they will enlist allies and we are seeing that happen already. With a reluctant Pakistan. And in terms of the economy it is hurt shortterm in areas such as airlines and banking. The US is in a recession and there are few exceptions in a recession. The seeds of recovery are planted if the Federal Reserve continues to pour liquidity into the US and global econom. The Fed has been too tight in the past - even though they have lowered interest rates. They have been doing what the banks in Japan have been doing, lowering interest rates but still starving
Your last book was 'The New Birth of Freedom", on hindsight did you expect the new millennium to start off on such a sad note? No, I think no one foresaw the extent of the terror but I think, in fact, what happened signalled the death warrant for international terrorism. I think there will be much greater effort now, sustained effort to reduce the terrorist violence, to get to their sources of money, to not give them safe sanctuaries in various states around the world. I expect in the next few years there will be a few terrorist acts, but it will be of a more defensive nature. But the initiative will pass onto the civilised nations rather than the terrorist groups.
How do you handle powerful people who call you and say that what you wrote was not nice...
Am Bonds Safe In A Down Stock Market?
I try to be very nice and let them vent and let them get their criticisms out and hope you can develop a new relationship. But the readers who read you do so because you call the shots...
There is a certain belief that media is a tool to propagate the American way of thinking or the American agenda - what do you think? That would be news to the Bush administration which feels that the press is very critical of it.
Today's reader has an information overload - do you think the way to go with the reader would be 'less is more'? I think that the reader would be turning to magazines like Forbes so that they can make sense of the information that is out there. This is a good market for us because it is creating new readers and new issues.
Are readers interested in the global happenings or are they more interested in what relates specifically to them? Most readers are interested in what impacts them immediately but what happens overseas can also affect you - for example if you're in Singapore, what's happening in the US can affect your business and if you're in the US you want to know what's happening with your suppliers.
Can you share with us some of the ideas in this book? I think if we do things right and make the world safe again, and ensure people's sense of safety, we will have a fabulous year in front of us. Some reforms have to be made - like the International Monetary Fund like I explained. There are 5 basic principles of progress. One is the rule of law - the right to take individual equality and property rights before the law. The second one is sound money - so that politicians can't ruin what you've built. A third one is low taxes (which Hong Kong 40 years ago knew) which make it easy for people to set up a business. In many countries it is difficult to set up a business if you're not politically connected or not willing to pay off all the bureaucracies and agencies. And finally, reducing trade barriers - I'm all for it -1 think we need to push international trade more and more.
PLUS: > Cheap Asian stocks *• Brazil brews a winner *• Swedish telco poised to pounce jgB
What makes Forbes different?
Can knowing too much be bad?
I think Forbes gives the readers an analysis they find no where else. We assume our readers have knowledge about the daily news - so we don't want to write about the news. We want to give you a perspective, we want to give you information to make sense of the news for running your own business or conducting your own investments. In that sense, we come to conclusions in our articles - our articles are like morality tales where we want you to learn a lesson about what you're reading about another business person. We tell you who's doing well and why and who's doing poorly and why. So we give you something beyond the headline and the news.
Knowing the bad things can be bad as the IMF has demonstrated. So you have to know the right things.
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What typifies the Forbes reader? The Forbes reader is somebody who wants to get ahead. He either has a business or wants to own a business, has a real turn of mind, they don't want to go where everyone else wants to go, they want to go ahead of the pack. And that's why I think Forbes Global has done well because there is a set of people in this world who have this mindset of wanting to do things differently - of going into new markets.
That may make you not so popular at times...
Forbes Asia has had a very good run - what do you think you've done right?
Sometimes it makes you very unpopular. There's always politics and having been on the receiving end of criticism, when someone calls me and says "That
Besides having very good people to run it, I think that it demonstrates the move ahead spirit of the people in the region. Although the region has had very
was a very hard piece you did on me", I can honestly say "I share your pain" because I've been on the receiving end.
difficult times, it is a temporary situation not a permanent one, and once the US economy recovers this region will do very well again.
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ECONOMIST VIDEO EMAIL This email carried a video clip from the Jay Leno show. The sketch features Leno covering up a stack of porno mags with an Economist to hide them from an elderly fan who corners him in a bookstore. This groundbreaking concept also delivered plenty of new subscriptions. (Ogilvy Interactive Hong Kong)
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also delivered plenty of new subscriptions. (Ogilvy Interactive Hong Kong)
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Most men would gladly open an email entitled " Pam - after her implants". A fact used to good effect in this email marketing campaign. The attachment graphically demonstrates why you need an email account that offers more free space. (Ogilvy Interactive Mumbai) • j
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OGILVY GOES INTERAG People talk of "internet years" to represent the fast-moving world of the
online industry. It's an apt way to describe what's been happening at Ogilvy Interactive, as their creative product seems to have improved rapidly in a short space of time In one year they've released two CD-ROM's of their best work from around the region (Ogilvy Interactive Asia. Version i.i.and 1.2). Regional Creative Director, Graham Kelly, gave us some background details during our recent interview. "Version 1.1 had an interesting range of interactive work: not just web sites, but viral marketing campaigns, banners, "pop-ups" and games, and Version 1.2 is breaking new ground."
36 aDOl
At the time of going to press, the Version 1.2 CD-ROM had just being put released. One interesting feature is a section on wireless work. For most agencies this is still unchartered territory, but Ogilvy Interactive already have a presence here. Kelly notes "the hot topic in Japan is i-mode (their wireless internet service) while for the rest of Asia it's SMS. We're doing both, For example an i-Mode campaign we did for Northwest Airlines got over 6 million hits - and there's a nice simple idea behind it. While in Singapore, our SMS work for the God campaign shows that the mobile phone represents a new window of creative opportunity. The work for the Economist also breaks new ground. A viral campaign using footage from a Jay Leno comedy sketch is both funny and effective, as is a Jay Leno
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BRAND'S ERROR PAGE Part of a campaign that "hijacked' real Internet error messages. Depending on the problem encountered, consumers would receive a relevant error message, but one tweaked to deliver an advertising message (and a link to the client's website). (Ogilvy Interactive Singapore)
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and scissors. And by sending the game to friends, the message
Bullets
Click here or press spocebor to relood
spread virally (Ogilvy Interactive
and takes a leak on your desktop for good measure. (Ogilvy Interactive Hong Kong)
Indonesia)
DVE ALL ACROSS ASIA comedy sketch is both funny and effective, as is a witty campaign using new banner formats (see below). Taken together, Kelly feels Version i.i and 1.2 indicate the progress made around the region: "Take our offices in Singapore and Hong Kong. A year ago their creative work was mediocre at best, but due to strong contributions from their local CDs - Shane Weaver in Singapore and Gary Chan in Hong Kong - supported by a new batch of hungry young creatives, the work has improved tremendously. STARTING TO MAKE PRESENCE FELT AT THE AWARD SHOWS.
At the recent One Show Interactive awards, the Bangkok and Mumbai offices both
received finalists. This was followed by two Clios finalists for Ogilvy Interactive Indonesia. While at Cannes, both the Singapore and Indonesia offices were finalists. The Singapore office will also be in the next Communication Arts
annual, with two entries It's been particularly encouraging for the Thai and Indonesian offices, as gaining recognition at a major international show represent a "first" for the interactive industries in both countries. Kelly feels there's more to come: "It's encouraging that offices all around the region are starting to do strong work, but if we can keep it up we've a long way to go, but I think it shows we're making progress".
aDOi 37
Adex maintains positive growth in 2001 continued to pull in the advertising dollars. The gentleman noted positively that "Although the world economy is showing signs of a slowdown, Malaysia with its GDP at the higher end of Asian countries will weather it out and we expect to see overall positive, albeit slower, growth in advertising this year." Total adex reached RM1.47 billion in the first 6 months of 2001, representing an 8% growth over the previous year, compared to 29% the year before. Newspapers remained the dominant advertising medium followed by television. Magazine advertising increased by 52% and radio advertising grew by 32%. Telecommunications remained the top category that spent most in advertising with Telekom, Digi and Maxis accounting for RM56.9 million. Telekom maintained its strong lead
It's all about hits .** An epidemic of cataclysmic proportions has engulfed the ad world. Unleashing miscreants perpetrating major misdemeanors, committing miscarriages of advertising justice and miscellany. Cretins misdiagnosing and clients' briefs, hence boldly
interpreting
conceiving missions launching supÂ
posedly strategic missiles yet scoring miscalculated, misjudged mishits and generally missing the target ... and the whole point. ACNielsen Media International
Today, we commiserate with this misanthropic dirge lamenting the demise of
sanity, sanctity and brilliance in the ad world.
Decrying these misbehaving, misinformed and misbegotten misfits on misadventures masquerading as brand-building
records that the adex registered an 8% growth with real estate, banks and credit cards and telecommunications showing continued growth. Lennart Bengtsson, (above) managing director of ACNielsen Malaysia and Singapore said that while activities in new media like VCD/DVD and Pay-TV rose to new levels, traditional media like TV and newspapers held the ground and
investing RM23 million followed by Digi which spent RM20.1 million. The biggest growth came from the real estate sector which gained an additional RM15 million and was responsible for 15% of the overall advertising growth during the first 6 months. ACNielsen also recorded that population trends indicated that the working population had declined and the non-working had increased. Admittedly the advertising expenditure is expected to shift into low gear.
missions, yet managing only to brand themselves as totally begotten ecological mishaps of questionable simian extraction.
However, the adage runs true that with every dark cloud there is a silver lining. So, here we are, the new
Danyal Abd. Malik with Lennart
missionaries of advertising perspicacity ...
ADVERTISING EXPENDITURES (JAN-JUNE 2001)
Medium
Jan-Jun 2001
Share
RM million
... and the missing link,
earthwind&flre advertising 6A Jalan 8/1,46050 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia. Tel: 603-7958 6810 Fax: 603-7958 5781 Email: nantha@ewfads.com
38 aDOl
YOY Change
TV
383.9
27%
+2%
Newspaper
916.1
63%
+7%
Magazine
82.8
6%
+52%
Radio
54-3
4%
+32%
Point-of-sale
12.1
1%
+10%
Cinema
5-7
<1%
+25%
Video
0.4
<1%
-89%
Total
1465.3
100%
+8%
DRAFTWORLDWIDE WINS REGIONAL WORK FOR MTV ASIA DraftWorldwide Singapore has launched a new regional campaign targeted at increasing MTV Asia's share of the hotly contested media revenue pie. The campaign has appeared in regional titles including Time, Asiaweek, Fortune and trade publications, and uses provocative phrases such as 'Smoking Grass', "G-String' and others to illustrate the importance of speaking the right language. "The creative platform is about understanding your target audience - how many people know the difference between technotrance and ethnotrance? How about ambient and illbient? Asia's 15-34 year-olds do, and so does MTV," said Graham Fordyce, Regional Creative Director of DraftWorldwide.
"The campaign's objective is to reinforce MTV's position as the voice of Asia's youth culture, the network that's plugged-in to this group. Rather than simply deliver the message, We took an amusing approach to demonstrate it." By mixing images not relevant to MTV viewers with language that is relevant to MTV viewers - a nerdy looking guy defining "G-string", for example - the campaign actually illustrates the different language of Asia's 15-34 year-olds. The copy draws the reader in to the inside language of youth culture, while the bold and contemporary creative counterbalances the serious topic and emphasises MTV's position at the cutting edge of youth culture.
MyKad gets off with a Blast! The honourable Deputy Prime Minister recently launched the Government Multipurpose Card (GPMC). The highlight of the evening was an AV show consisting of 18 slide projectors synchronised to music and VO while a back projection show was presented on
3 split screens. Bates/141 Malaysia was behind the spectacle while Harold Nettleton produced it. The production house for the event was Zen Pictures. The Time : 2 weeks of production inclusive precise slide alignment and programming.
The Good & Evil of Technology by Josh Sklar, global Chief Creative Officer CCG.XM - jsklar@ccgxm.com
Usually when someone invokes the phrase "Good & Evil" to describe something, they are doing so in the abstract - merely to represent the extreme ends of a spectrum. This is especially true when discussing technology. The "Good" might be the evolution in easeof-use and efficiencies of space and power whereas the "Evil" could encompass the negative affects on social interaction and the alienation of those who can't afford to get online. With the terrorist attacks of September nth, 2001, that's all changed. Four days later I can state that the "Good" can refer to the miracle of being able to
disseminate so much information so quickly around the globe to not only keep worldwide audiences informed minute-by-minute, but to aid in the rapid investigation of the acts, the collection of immediate aid and developing a list of the missing. But the "Evil"... that might now mean the ability of terrorists to pull off their insane acts of violence. Many groups scoffed at the US government's initial prohibition on exportation of Philip Zimmerman's encryption software PGP (Pretty Good Protection). The CIA, National Security Agency and other authorities were afraid it would enable criminals (drug rings and terrorist cells specifically) to communicate with practically no chance of their missives being decrypted and read. It still is illegal to export it to many countries, but it's freely available on popular sites such as C|NET's download.com (http://www.download. com).These lock-outs only represent a legal status like the no-fly-zone over the Pentagon, not physical preventions. The other tool, besides the availability of a no-cost, real-time communication network that can be encrypted, was mostly likely Hotmail, Yahoo! or any of the other dozens of free, anonymous email systems that are out there. If a message can't be intercepted, it doesn't even matter if it can be decrypted or not. The cells were able to be coordinated, most likely, through services as common and widespread as those. Had the Internet not evolved as much as it has in the past decade and dot-com's been so desperate, perhaps the precision timing of this near-flawless attack would not have been possible. Maybe there's a reason we have not
seen anything even close to this scale in the past. So here we are, with a double-edged sword like none in history. Pandora's box has been opened not just on the nuclear age, but on the globalization of information. My wife, baby son and I live two kilometers (1.3 miles) from 'Ground Zero' - the site of the World Trade Center here in Manhattan. This has affected me personally on many fronts: a violation of my very neighborhood, an attack on my country and way of life, I have clients in the Pentagon and everyone in NYC knows at least someone who worked in the Twin Towers, my psyche has been damaged by seeing the attack with my own eyes from up close, my health jeopardized by the deadly toxins in the air and now the technology I love so much is probably complicit in the horror. However, we shouldn't see things in ranges as extreme as "Good & Evil". Just as the vast majority of the followers of Islam are as horrified as the rest of us by these tragic events (and this is a Jew talking), so too is technology blameless. Rather than allowing the Luddites to rise up again to destroy everything we've striven for, we simply need to be aware of what the threats might be. We need safeguards in place and we can't continue to be apathetic or complacent after a period of initial caution. We'll need to exchange perceived threats to our civil liberties for safety. The old rules can't apply because our enemies, the enemies to the concept of "freedom" (think about it for a second) don't play by any rules we're familiar with. Welcome to the 21st century.
ami 39
The recent Malaysian Advertisers Association (MAA) annual ball aptly themed Bollywood was a night of glitter and glamour as all donned their best to the swings of Bollywood. The evening began with a
40 aDOl
befitting moment of appreciation to our dearly departed Dato Jaffar Ali who served as MAA President for 18 years and passed away recently in Chicago. Dato Jaffar was awarded the Advertising Personality of the
Year award post-humously. ADOI now presents a visual spread f the evening (minus the captions, for fear of defamation suits).
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ADOI's '60 Ideas' Workshop
ADOI recently held a two-day Creative Workshop on the 21st and 22nd of September. The workshop was designed to get the creative juices flowing again. This time round two of Asia's finest creative directors Edmund Choe of Saatchi & Saatchi Malaysia and Jagdish Ramakrishnan of Saatchi & Saatchi Singapore. 44 participants from various agencies benefited from their expertise. The workshop was
aptly named - '60 Ideas'. Edmund (who is art-based) was formerly from Saatchi & Saatchi Singapore where he and his partner Jagdish Ramakrishnan (who is copy-based)) produced some of the most awarded creative work in Asia for clients like Procter & Gamble, Visa, Sony, Hewlett Packard and the Singapore Navy. They have won international and regional awards including 5
Mst oi Cannes lions, 4 Clio statues and 35 Spikes for Best of Show at the 1999 Asia Media Marketing Awards in Hong Kong for a Procter & Gamble TV spot. This programme explored creativity beyond the traditional advertising mindset and was designed in an interactive style, roll-up-your-sleeves, hands on format.
The workshop was all work'.
Edmund playing 'Cikgu'.
The winning 'Pineapple Team" with Juggi and Edmond.
A sample of daily inspirations?
Deeply discussing 60-odd ideas.
Workshop participants pose after the two-day sessions.
Juggie gets comfortable in the Lotus pose.
42 aDOl
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