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MAY 2000
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Managing Director SE Asia um Media Direction (OMD)
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Notes from the editor The saga on production contracts in Malaysia continues. First the Advertising Music Producers Guild (AMPG) presented a proposal for standardising business practices to the Association of Accredited Advertising Agents (4As) and got 'the door slammed in their face'. Next the Malaysian Association of Advertising Film Makers (PPFIM) tabled their proposal covering about the same stuff to the 4As, and everything seemed to be going quite nicely until the deputy director general of FINAS, the official body issuing Made-in-Malaysia (MIM) certs for tv commercials, suddenly announced that ad agencies need not be bound by a PPFIM production contract to obtained MIM. This put PPFIM's standing in a dilemma of sorts, since they are always consulted on issuance of MIM certs. Now PPFIM President Gopala Krishnan says, a coming meeting with the Ministry of Information will clarify this matter once and for all. While all this is going on, the Association of Post Production and Animation Companies Malaysia (POSTAM) announced their terms of business which mirror the PPFIM's set of guidelines. It's anybody's guess where this concern to implement international business practices in areas like payments terms, copyright and royalty issues is going to end up. Perhaps, Chan Moon Kien President of POSTAM summed it best when he revealed, "About 15 to 20 million ringgit worth of payments are still owed to our members. And they end up swallowing the debts." Shocking! ADOI believes the production people want MIM to stay until Malaysian players can compete with the outside world. The agency boys want an unhindered choice when dealing with production suppliers. And the clients want the best for less. But I'm sure everyone agrees the issue of payment terms must be fair and reasonable to all parties. So first, let's put our money where our mouth is; then talk till the cows come home. In this month's ADOI we bring the issue of media specialisation to the fore. Our articles kick off with the ever bubbly but solid-as-a-rock Kate Stephenson the Regional MD of OMD, followed by the charming but insightful perspectives of Mark Austin the Regional MD for CIA Medianetwork, then some concise and penetrating points by Tim Pinnegar the Regional Director of Starcom and finally a fast-track countdown on the media evolution in Singapore from Manpreet Singh of Mindshare. I would like to thank our media personalities for generously gracing the covers of this first-ever edition on media specialisation. They have bravely chosen to further the discussion and debate in this fast-growing field. ADOI will turn three years old very soon and for those who do not know how this magazine has survived this long, let me just assure you that it has not been easy. While good wishes and back-slapping are a plenty, the truth is a magazine does not live on goodwill. It needs money. So may I urge all you readers who have tasted what we can offer to kindly subscribe to ADOI (your subscription coupon is waiting for you on page 31). And some good news for advertisers in this magazine. ADOI has just upped its print run to 7,000 copies a month which means you can reach out and touch over 14,000 readers from the advertising and marketing communications industry in Malaysia and Singapore every month. So if you have something to sell or tell, call us on 03-7726 2588 (Malaysia) or 297 2393 (Singapore).
Mark Austin challenges convention...pg 6 Deans Johns on Generation Ex...pg 12 Shut Up About Advertising...pg 28 Malaysia Boleh in market research...pg 31 New Amex Gold campaign...pg 37
Kate speaks her mind about media specialisation Saatchi kicks butt at Asian awards
BBDO China stirs up a storm
Online talent website bares all in KL.
Respectfully, O&M rocks India at Bombay awards show
MANAGING EDITOR Harmandar Singh aka Ham PRINTER Cetakrapi Sdn Bhd OFFICIAL PHOTOGRAPHER Jen Siow DESIGNER So Tiong Cheng COLOUR SEPARATOR Screen Gallery Sdn Bhd ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES ADLANTIS Communications Sdn Bhd No. 44C, Jalan 19/3, 46300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor. Tel: 603-754 7271 Fax: 603-757 3343 E-mail: adlantis@hotmail.com DISTRIBUTION Efficient Lettershop, Mag Media Distributors (M'sia) and MarketAsia (S'pore). ADOI magazine is published every month by Sledgehammer Communications 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 2598. ŠAll rights reserved by Sledgehammer Communications 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.
Media needs great creati needs great media soluti We are seeing the pendulum swinging all the way
Kate Stephenson is the South East Asia Managing Director of Optimum Media Direction, better known as OMD. She started her career as a media independent and after three years was thrown into 'hard core' media by working for Young & Rubicam London. But it was Asia where she found her element. Kate ran Cathay Pacific's media in 25 countries and became Regional Media Director for Leo Burnett Greater China. She then cofounded Carat Asia-Pacific in 1996. And in just two and a half years, helped establish eight Carat offices across the region winning clients like VW, Disney, Alfred Dunhill and Mandarin Oriental Hotels. In 1998 she joined OMD and opened offices in Singapore, KL and Bangkok. Based in Singapore, Kate Stephenson is a lady who knows her media inside out. For the sake of our readers can we briefly revisit the definition and the coming of media specialists? Media specialists are advertising agencies that specialize in media only. By media I mean the strategy, planning and buying of media airtime and space. Around 85% of clients' advertising dollars are spent in the media area and therefore it is critical that those dollars are well spent against the right target and in the most effective way. Media specialisation was a dirty word among ad agencies for a while, but now media specialists are well-respected among the advertising fraternity and have obviously found their place in the sun. What's your take on this evolution? Change is always controversial. Media specialisation has its advocates, but there are also those who want to see it fail! I think at the beginning some ad agency people felt uncomfortable with the loss of control and physical separation. However, specialisation was essentially client driven. More and more clients were asking questions about media, recognizing its impact on their bottom line and the scope for improvement. Once people saw a difference then it became the accepted or dare I say expected norm. What 'real difference' are media specialists bringing to the client's communications agenda? And I'm talking about more than just number crunching; whilst I can appreciate the costefficiencies to advertisers in block media brokering. But really, what's your USP? Till now I would honestly say that media
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specialists have not been very differentiated. Simply separating an operation is not enough. Media was an area that has traditionally been under-invested and unless that lack of investment is corrected you can't really expect to be different. Many media operations are still fixated on cost per thousand and discounts. Whilst this is a price of entry, it is not a sustainable point of difference and it does not add sufficient value. Omnicom has deliberately invested in OMD. Our product is predicated on strategic thinking, understanding the marketing problems and relating our solutions to those problems. We have invested in proprietary research and tools, but also in people in every market to ensure everyone understands and uses the information and resources. Unless this is true we can't expect to make a difference. We have also invested in setting up an internet unit, which focuses on understanding and harnessing new media and provides the tools for our planners to incorporate the internet as another medium in their plans. To suggest there's a dearth of good media talent and minds in the region is an understatement. How have you been coping? You're right. Qualified staff are the key to meeting the new demands of media specialisation. We're addressing it in a number of ways. Firstly through training - we've flown in ^ ^ strategic planners from Europe and the US to run strategy courses in Asia, we've carried out skills audits in KL, Bangkok and Singapore and set up training to address the gaps, we are hiring graduates and putting them through an intensive training program and so on. We have also brought in new talent from other markets on secondment or full time to build the knowledge base and transfer learning. And finally we are looking outside the normal parameters for our talent. Jim Goh, our new Managing Director in KL, is an excellent example of this. He was previously Marketing Director of Richemonde so he brings a strategic and marketing driven, and more importantly, a client focussed perspective to our business. He epitomizes our approach to media specialisation! For ages, the creative idea ruled supreme in advertising land.
e to be effective, creative ns to maximise its impact.
i media because it has been in the dark for so long! Now some media pundits claim that media has overtaken creative as the number one product that clients look for. I find this staggering. Over to you.... There's no question in my mind on this - the two are symbiotic. Media needs great creative to be effective, creative needs great media solutions to maximise its impact. I think we are just seeing the pendulum swinging all the way to media because it has been in the dark for so long! And then we will see a new equilibrium. The best solutions always come when creative and media talk to each other and work together as a team. Where do you see niche media like street furniture, ambient media, fitting in with the overall marketing and advertising plan? You know what I mean, stuff like postcard advertising, washroom media and so on. I am told their rate cards are conveniendy stowed away in some bottom drawer of media planners who moan that it's difficult enough getting clients to buy main media, let alone niche media. You must be talking about old school media departments, certainly not ours! I see niche media as the icing on the cake, the way to increase impact and help a brand permeate the layers of consciousness of the target audience. It's also the fun stuff. On all major campaigns we hold internal brainstormings where we bring together people who don't work on the business and throw out new and wacky ways of reaching the target. No idea is too crazy at this stage. For example, as we speak we have a washroom media campaign running in Singapore. Usually the incremental cost of ambient media is relatively low but the incremental impact is high! And up until recently internet and cable would probably have been described as niche media. Do media specialists charge a pitching fee when courting new advertisers? Is there talk about this? Is there a media club where you guys meet and interact on industry issues? We'd love to charge a pitching fee but sadly it's not yet normal practice! I think it would demonstrate that clients are serious, not just putting their toe in the water to collect a few good ideas. Industry talk tends to focus more on the need to move away from commissions to fees. I wholeheartedly support that move. Good agencies and media specialists are far more than agents. They are marketing consultants and partners and should be remunerated in the same way as lawyers, accountants and management consultants. There's no media club as such - perhaps there should be - but we know each other and talk whenever a big issue comes up. I'm not sure how much "committees" achieve. On the other hand, we do get involved in industry groups eg. I'm part of a CASBAA group right now that is working on improving understanding of cable and satellite TV. Where does a media specialist go to, to seek inspiration? What skillsets do you require to be media savvy? The beach, a bar, a walk in the park, talking to consumers, the bath pretty much the same as anyone else! But also it's about understanding the brand issues, working with the account/creative team and brainstorming. There's really no formula for a savvy media planner - an inquiring mind, understanding the product and being prepared to think outside the box
would be my priorities. As a reporter, I have heard quite a few media people bad mouthing each other at the slightest prodding. Is there not enough cake for all to eat and savour together? We are in the communications industry so I suppose we all tend to voice our opinions - both good and bad! I have a lot of respect for my peers at other specialists. But what I don't respect is people who cheapen and undervalue the media product by offering ridiculously low rates or an unprofessional
I know you are very passionate about research and what it can do... We look at research from a different angle. It is not about number crunching or facts. It is about adding value and answering client questions. It is about understanding consumers better, providing added insights and filling the information gaps. Research is critical. In fact, to us research is the equivalent of our creative product - it drives insights, strategies and ideas. So far we have launched a number of pieces of proprietary research which have been very well received. Optimum Impression is a study to provide a better understanding of how print media works. We can tell the high and low points of the titles we survey, and the real impact of factors like position, colour and size. These are concrete benefits to our clients, helping them to spend their money in the most effective manner. Which is pretty important given print's share of the advertising pie. Optimum Impression has been carried out in Hong Kong, China and Singapore so far, and we have just completed the fieldwork in Malaysia and Thailand. Web Direction is a study into internet behaviour. Internet is a key new medium and we need to understand it better. Our aim is not to duplicate what is already available in the industry (we buy that too) but to add to it. Whilst the ACNielsen's data tells us the penetration, the who's and what's, we also need to find out which sites are people visiting, whether they click on ads or buy online, etc., and this is the role of Web Direction. We have now evolved it into an online survey so that we can track behaviour on an ongoing basis. And we just launched New GenerAsians in presentations in Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. OMD is the sole agency sponsor of this study, which is commissioned by Cartoon Network. We continue to support this study because we believe that to target the kids market effectively, we need to know what makes them tick, their likes and dislikes, their associations with brands and their role models. Any other issues you'd like to add or elaborate on? Never lose sight of the fact that we are all in the marketing game first and then whatever our specialisation, is second - ie. we need to see the big picture and understand that we are trying to help our clients sell product. Clients don't really care about reach and frequency or even price - the key is relevance, standout and sales.
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Media moves into the strategic spotlight By Mark Austin, Regional Managing Director -CIA Medianetwork The debate continues on whether the development of media specialists is a good or bad thing. You won't be surprised that at CIA we see it as a positive development. If you are one of those people who dislikes the arrival of media specialists in Asia, then sorry to say that CIA are largely to blame. Because it was CIA that opened both the first and second media independents in Asia with CIA Pacific in Hong Kong back in 1993 and then, at the beginning of 1996, with CIA Medianetwork Singapore. It was our first to market status that opened the floodgates to our competition. During our time in Asia, CIA has worked hard to develop a reputation for strategic thinking, creativity of media execution and of building strong and mutually constructive partnerships with media owners. CIA is the only media specialist operating across the Asia Pacific markets which has remained totally true to the concept of "independence". That's to say
independence from ownership of any advertising agency. This "independence" is of fundamental importance to our clients for two main reasons. Firstly, it means that our service is dedicated to providing the best possible advice in our clients interest - not for a parent ad agency that may own us. We are not interested in selling our clients standard 30-second TV commercial solutions but rather a strategically created communications plan that is
not just servants of the creative process but rather work directly for clients to ensure that through media they make a real, measurable difference to their business. These days, there are some that would say what matters is size, resources and clout. While these may be important to a degree, real success will come through leadership and being truly smart, challenging convention and through real objectivity. But there is one much more important point.
To challenge convention and to create a new model for the future, one has to be responsible for one's own destiny. designed to make the most of the ever increasing media channel options that are developing on a daily basis. The second reason that our independence is important is linked to the first. We see that "media" in the broadest sense (meaning any channel of communication) is having an ever-increasing impact on consumer behaviour. As such, the best people to advise clients on their total above the line communications strategy has to certainly be an independent media communications specialist with no axe to grind - one that is constantly in touch with the complex relationships between the consumer, the media and the brand. People often ask how to define the key difference between the media department of an advertising agency or indeed an ad agency owned media specialist and a true media independent such as CIA. The most important difference is that true media independents are
When one analyses the massive developments amongst media with new technologies and their convergence, the fragmentation of traditional mass media, e-commerce and so on, we can then see that increasingly, media is becoming the leading strategic issue rather than creative. There is an exciting opportunity to take advantage of the fact that both traditional advertising agencies and now their media specialists or media dependents as they are known in Europe, are based on 30-year-old business models. 30-year-old business models designed for doing business in the USA and Europe and imposed on the markets of Asia Pacific. CIA aims to continue to build a new business model one that has the clients' best interests at heart, that is designed for businesses operating in Asia whether local, regional or international.
The opportunity is to demonstrate that in Asia, it is possible to identify and develop a new, relevant and different business model especially at this time of unprecedented change. CIA is a media agency that more than any other, has relentlessly driven the media function higher up the agenda with clients, agencies and crucially our partners at media owners. However, to be able to bring about the change, to challenge convention and to create a new model for the future, one has to be responsible for one's own destiny. We continue to strive to shift the old perception of the media function as being one that's a servant to the advertising process to one that firmly positions media as a subset of marketing and business and the lead function in a clients' communications planning. It is worth pointing out that every single dollar of CIA's existing turnover which is in excess of US$350 million across Asia Pacific is as a result of a conscious decision of their clients to appoint CIA directly for their media skills rather than to accept the media resource of their appointed ad agency. These clients had the vision to break the conventional ad agency model having seen the benefits CIA deliver through a client facing dedicated and independent media resource. CIA, have led the media function, kicking and screaming, from being the back-room, adminled, internal service function of yesterday, to the innovative, skilled and accountable communications planning leaders of the future.
CIA Medianetwork Singapore wins Evian account CIA Medianetwork Singapore has just been appointed the Evian business, part of Danone Inter national. CIA will be developing integrated media communications strategy and implementations for the client. Evian, natural spring water which begins as rain and snow falling on the pristine peaks of the
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French Aps, has been enjoying tremendous business growth in Singapore over the last few years. Evian is currently the market leader in the mineral water category. Guirec Danno, Area Manager Singapore said of the appointment 'CIA has demonstrated their understanding on our business and
needs, exercised strategic thinking to our brief and most importantly, providing integrated media communications solutions and innovative use of media to help to achieve our marketing objectives. We look forward to a close working partnership.' Bertilla Teo, General Manager of CIA Medianetwork Singapore
adds, 'We are very pleased with this win as it shows that there are advertisers out there who share the same belief that 'media is fast becoming the strategic issue' and the solutions provided by traditional media departments/ dependents are not fulfilling their needs fully.'
The Year Ahead 9 Tim Pinnegar, Regional Director, Starcom
Being firmly from the school of thought that there is far more value in providing insights on the future than retelling the past, I dusted off the crystal ball to present Starcom's six predictions for the coming year of media specialisation in Malaysia. 1. More media specialists. The two or three multi national agencies who have yet to launch their media specialist divisions will do so. Their internal level of autonomy and degree of media only business will be the test as to whether this move is more than a name change and a belated catch up exercise. 2. Local agencies divest themselves of the media function. The cost and competitiveness of their current media offerings will
make a number of local agencies evaluate the benefit of keeping an inhouse media team versus appointing a media specialist to take it on. 3. Global mergers manifest locally. Be prepared for more mergers of media departments to form one new company, along the lines of Mindshare and OMD. Whilst driven in the west the lower degree of people politics, (ego's) and the need for economies will make markets in Asia a quick fix. 4. Move to fee compensation. Separate terms of business even for media specialists with agency links will grow. Within this, remuneration based on fees rather than a % commission is the target. Expect
part of that remuneration to be performance based as well and not solely on the cost of people hours. Only then can specialists get clients to value their service, increase their own accountability and dare I say it, get properly remunerated.
Starcom Asia-Pacific has recorded new business wins of over US$70 million in the first quarter of 2000, picking up clients such as P&G, Kellogg's, Long Term Credit Bank of Japan and Singapore Telecoms and a host of .com clients across the region. Starcom is the
independent media division of the B COM3 holding company that resulted from the January 31 merger of The Leo Group and The MacManus Group. This impressive start to the 2000 comes on the heels of a stellar year for Starcom's Asia Pacific operation
in 1999, when it recorded wins totalling over US$ 400 million with clients such as Heinz, Motorola, Sony and Diageo. Last year also marked major Starcom wins on P&G AOR assignments across the region including Sri Lanka, India, and Korea (with a three way venture
5. Revised payment procedures for media owner invoices. The move to fee based remuneration will mean media specialists are less reliant on the commission from media invoices to pay their own bills. Media specialists will question why they carry the full liability and cost for late or non-payment of media owner invoices by clients. Media owners, you know who the poor paying clients are, don't expect the media specialists to be your
debt collectors. Consider if the incentives you offer for early or prompt payment are really incen tives? Clients pay ing media owners direct is already a reality in parts of the world. 6. Starcom wins three major media accounts! An investment in people, research and systems, coupled with a mindset to innovate will be the foundation for this success. Of all the predictions this was the one that shone through the clearest in the crystal ball. Whether, all or just some of the above come true, one thing is for sure: the year ahead will present great opportunities for media specialists in Malaysia. More than at any time before, those who bring fresh ideas and the passion to see them through, will emerge from the competitive pack.
Starcom new biz
between Starcom, Dentsu and local agency Phoenix). The year ended with the P&G China AOR win when Starcom, in partnership with MediaVest, beat off incumbent Zenith, OMD and Mediacom to win what was described as the largest ever media pitch in Asia.
Value of Media Specialists vary by country Members of the International Communications Agency Network (ICOM) network of independent marketing communications agencies discussed the value of using media specialists at the ICOM 2000 World Management Conference in Hong Kong April 912. Leading the discussion were panelists Ian Craighead, chief executive, Select Team (Malaysia); Delia S. Saguil, VP, Adformatix (Philippines); Derek Ralston, managing director, Mountainview
(U.K.); Peter Krivkovich, corporate CEO, Cramer-Krasselt Co. (U.S.); Robert Goosens, founder and managing director, FAST (Belgium). Mr. Craighead said his Kuala Lumpur agency's five-year rela tionship with the biggest local media specialist, which now is owned by Carat, has enabled better service to clients. In contrast in the Philippines, the move towards media independents has just started. At the same time, there
have also been mergers of media departments of the bigger agencies for more clout, but the full commission system remains strong as it does in Malaysia, Ms. Saguil added. Mr. Krivkovich, whose agency based in Chicago is the world's oldest independent ad agency, said the U.S. remains extremely competitive since multi-national agencies consolidated their media businesses almost a decade ago. "We had to decide what to do when our
colleagues were getting out of the media side of the business. We went the other way and strengthened our media business. The big issue for us is control." In both the U.K. and Belgium, media specialists are firmly entrenched. "There is such a high concentration of media bought through specialists that there is "no way" for us to compete, said Mr. Ralston. In Belgium, for example, 65% of the media is bought by only nine companies, Mr. Goosens said.
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Singapore Media Specialists Conception to reality in 24 months by Manpreet Singh, General Manager, Mindshare Singapore. Late 1997 and early 1998 wit nessed who's who of media specia lists making their mark in the in telligent island of Singapore. In a short period of two years advertisers accepted them as their integral partners in communi cation programmes. This is also borne out of the fact that media specialists quickly proved that they are bringing media back to business with value added services and accountable media products. Mindshare, Zenith, OMD, CIA's and other specialist's entry couldn't have been at a better time with economic downturn making clients think twice before investing their media dollars. Clients started asking for more in-depth insights, value propositions to get more for their decreasing media investment. Media specialists answered with more proprietary research, new softwares, and specialised services in one year than combined in the last several years. Media specialists were serious to prove the accountability for every penny of advertiser's money. The market responded with a positive note, advertiser wanted to hear more on efficiencies and new thinking. A quarter of the market unbundled their media. The annual advertising ex penditure rose by only 3% in 1999 after a drop of 12% in 1998. Media specialists placed over 40% of the budgets last year, this year's exit share is estimated to be 50%. This is reckoning with the fact, that the market sentiment improved in the last quarter of 1999. Overall spends in the retail, media, fast food and computer categories increased in 1999. Overall spends in the last quarter saw an unprecedented 48% increase compared to the first quarter of 1999. So buoyant was the last quarter of 1999 that the telecom and computer category media spends increased by almost 65% compared to first quarter of 1999. Year 2000 started with a high
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Singapore ranks amongst the highest Internet and PC penetration markets in Asia sentiment with the new millennium bringing much hope and the Year of Dragon much prosperity. 2000 spends are projected to increase by 8%. This will primarily be fuelled by the telco wars with the launch StarHub. The market will witness one of the most contested catego ries in years; no doubt it will be the largest category for some time in Singapore. Something of the same phenomenon that was tracked some years ago in Hong Kong when the monopoly of Hong Kong Telecom market was opened to competition.
Dot.com companies are now launching by the dozens, over 20 new dotcom's made their way into media in the last three months injecting further spends. Free internet access and high PC penetration swelled Singapore into a "high awareness & high adoption" market. Singapore ranks amongst the highest internet and PC penetration markets in Asia. Compared with Japan's 40% and Hong Kong's 32%, Singapore has over 44% net users. Internet advertising expenditure is expected to cross over $15 million this year from a mere $6 million in 1999. 2001 estimated spends will hover in the range of $30 million. Not to forget, with dot.coms injecting further growth in this new media. Dot.com companies are now launching by the dozens, over 20 new dot.coms made their way into the media in the last three months injecting further spends. The es timated spends of dot.coms will be somewhere between S$40-60 million with many more trying their luck in the near future. Media specialists were the first to respond with internet media specialists as part of the overall media product. So lucrative is this
market segment, that over 8 key media vendors (global and local) have set-up shop in Singapore to encash this lucrative market. ACNielsen announced the launch of e-ratings in early 2000 making Singapore its launching pad for South East Asia. Thus, establishing the seriousness of the net as a viable and effective media vehicle along with numerous tracking measure ment softwares available with media specialists. More sophisticated technolo gies/software will soon surface again with digital, web and cable TV like ly to make their way into the new audience measurement data early next year. Press, with the largest share of advertising expenditure may not see new players at the local level in the near future. On a positive note, the local press will very soon see more media choices with the launch of the two new newspapers by Singapore Press Holdings. Eyeball - will be the first of its kind integrated online and offline newspaper to cater to the net savvy audience and a targetted vehicle for advertisers. The paper is expected to grow in tandem with the fast increasing prevalence of internet in Singapore. And Streats a free commuter paper in the SPH stable. With increased choices, the availability of new research, new customized advertising rates of newspapers, entry of the internet media, media specialists will be further challenged to prove their worth as strategic partners with high calibre media products and effective media investment strategies. In fact, benchmarking and accountability of media investment is now a standard offered by most specialists. Media specialists are ready to put their necks out to prove efficiency and efficacy of
every $ spent for their clients. Most media specialists have increased budgets to build new media softwares, insights with proprietary research and sales response modeling techniques than ever before. Advance Technique Group (ATG), Mindshare's specia lised unit is one such example which works on ROI media models.
Benchmarking & Accountability the buzz words... Planning methods will change its course from cost per exposure to cost per response. Permission marketing will tie-in more closely with media investment. New tracking and measurement techniques are soon to follow in Singapore. And surely, reliance on the net by most specialists will be part of instant response measurement methods. Most agencies will either invest to establish their media specialist units or tie-in one or the other way with other media partners to deliver a competitive media product to their clients. The media landscape has changed dramatically in a very short span. Advertisers demanding professionalism and accountability to their investment without doubt acknowledged the role of media specialists in Singapore as their integral partners. John S. Coulson said a quarter century ago," We measure the sales effectiveness of ads or commercials on their ability to attract attention and communicate, on their ability to affect attitude, and on some combinations of these and we hope and have some evidence to indicate, that we are really measuring the sales effects of the advertising". The media specialists have today converted hope to reality.
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Direct Ideas about the Fourth Estate by Kurt Crocker - Creative Director at Drayton Bird, Crocker & Mano
What does a Direct Marketing guy like me do on a lazy Sunday morning? Why, muse over lost opportunities, of course. Armed with a caffeine-laden cup of java, this is the usual routine: page through the people's paper for local, regional and world news (Free Elian!), check in on the web slinger and that pizza loving cat, offer my verdict on the murdering matron, and peruse the press ads. But it's the press ads that really get me going. That fact is, unless you're marketing a genuinely massconsumed product, press advertising is very wasteful. You can figure safely that around 80% of the people who read newspapers don't give a hoot about what you're selling. And too many marketers never take the initiative to actually meet the few who are real prospects, or even marginally interested consumers. Lost opportunities. Unless Direct Marketing saves the day! Take Barley Leaf Extract, for
example. Or any of the other nutritional supplements, organic or not. Now how many of you out there keep a good supply of these products at-the-ready? Not many, I venture. But a few do, and do so religiously. What a sheer waste to simply advertise, when you could be asking these healthminded people to raise their hands and tell you who they are. Nutrition is an on going concern for the few who care, and companies like Proviton or Thomson or even 21st Century should be regularly communicating with them. Oppor tunity found: Lead generation press advertising and on-going direct mail to identified prospects. How about adult diapers? Talk about a product that simply screams the desire for discretion. And I'm not at all denigrating the product's benefit. Adult incontinence is a serious problem that deserves a serious solution. But press adverti
r
sing alone, without the possibility of future, discreet communications is a shame. Why not offer a free booklet in the ad, say, "Living with Incon tinence", and ask people to send for it via a coupon. Then plan to market to these people monthly, offering either direct-sale or perhaps home delivery by neighbouring retailers. What a convenience! What a relief! You'd be a hero and have a dedicated and thankful customer for life. Or European travellers? I run around with people many would assume are jet setters. But not one in my gang regularly travels to Europe. We all know these frequent travellers are out there somewhere, and yes, they do probably read the Sunday paper. So if a travel agency is intent on advertising,, advertise to get names, for crying out loud. If you owned a travel agency, imagine what you could do with a good traveller database - your own proprietary list of prospects generat ed from press advertising. You could ask these people where they've travelled and when, and if they'd
like to go there again. You could ask where they haven't gone and where they'd like to travel in future. You could ask them when they usually take a holiday, and when they start thinking about a destination. With this information, you could communicate the right messages at the right times, by grouped individuals. You could even personalise offers. Send a mailing in May, a travel planning kit, to people who say they start thinking about their travel destinations in June. Add a room upgrade offer to people who have told you that good hotel accommodation is a high priority when travelling. Or mail a promo tional pack that visualises the sensual sights of Florence to everyone who's never been to Italy, or who has, and would like to go back. These are but a few examples. Opportunities abound in practically every business category. Unfortu nately, many of these opportunities are lost. Ah well. I need another cup of coffee.
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Generation ex A by Dean Johns
Having started in this business back in the 1960s, when the cult of youth was in full flower, I find it very difficult indeed to get it into my head that I'm not getting any younger. And that, along with euphemisms like "mature" and "middle-aged", is one of the kinder ways of putting it. The plain fact of the matter being that even to my immediate juniors, the baby-boomers, I'm somewhat over the hill, and to generations X and Y positively paleontological. In other words, old. This growing realisation is far from recent. It first hit me years ago, in 1985 to be precise, when I spent a few months in an agency in KL. My colleagues there, a bunch of creative cut-ups including Harmandar Singh, Spencer Wing and Veno Chornalingam, took to referring to me as "rock star". I was somewhat chuffed at this, innocently if rashly accepting it as a compliment on my dashing if dated '60s image. Unfortunately, however, the version of my nickname that I'd been hearing had been the shorthand one. It wasn't until the day I was leaving that I was presented with a T-shirt whose custom-printed message revealed the full thing: Faded Rock Star. The advance of years came home to me again with quite a jolt when I arrived back in Australia a couple of years ago after seven years in Hong Kong, India and Malaysia. Resolved to put agencies, particularly large mediocre multinational ones, behind me for once and for all, I nevertheless spoke to several headhunters about job prospects here. "Forget it", they all said, "nobody's hiring creative people over 35." "Over 35 what?", I couldn't help asking, having seen how abysmal much of the advertising in Australian was, "years or IQ points"? Both, I suspect. But whatever, since then I've been living down here in Sydney entirely on my wits. An existence that, as anyone with half a brain could have foretold, has been tenuous in the extreme. Or at least it was in the beginning. But then I got a start writing TV commercials freelance for an agency handling Australia's biggest vacuum-cleaner retailers. Delightful clients, as it turns out, even though for some reason they still won't buy the great new slogan I've been urging on them, "More suck for your buck". My next stroke of luck was getting a gig through an agency on one of those accounts we all dream about, Fiji Tourism. Great product, nice people
••k
to deal with. Then my own consultancy landed its first client, Central Australia Tourism, after a multinational agency screwed it up. That was followed by another, Darwin and Top End Tourism, from a different multinational. And most recently we picked-up our first global business, an e-commerce outfit operating out of London and Bermuda. All of which goes to show, as if it needed demonstrating in every generation, that age is no barrier to being born again. Besides advertising, another field of rebirth that my ex-rated colleagues and I have embarked on is teaching creativity. To anyone who's interested enough to pay for it, from housewives with time on their hands to agencies and corporations that don't want their people going brain-dead from boredom. A touch of maturity doesn't seem much of a liability in this field. More of an asset, in fact, given that age confers at least the illusion of wisdom. Or, as R J. O'Rourke put it in the title of a recent book "Age and Guile Beat Youth, Innocence and a Bad Haircut." I happen to have retained my poorly-trimmed tresses, at it happens, but let's pretend that's beside the point. One fresh start does have me tearing my hair out, however, and that's the one in which I'm totally wet behind the ears. Journalism. In which, as in any other business, success or even survival is as much a matter of who you know as what. And of course, having never actually worked for the media, I know very little either way. But it's lots of frustrating fun trying. And whatever age we happen to be, there's nothing like starting again at the beginning, running new risks and meeting unfamiliar challenges to keep us young. At heart if not in appearance. Of soul if not of sex appeal. In mind if not in muscle tone. Some people claim there's a lot to be said for the idea of growing old gracefully. But the notion of drifting into one's "golden years" as a "senior citizen" doesn't appeal to me at all. Quite the contrary. In fact I'm more with Hollywood hellraiser and wit Talulah Bankhead, I think it was, who famously declared that the only way she was prepared to grow old was the way she'd always lived. Disgracefully.
Besides advertising, another field of rebirth that my ex-rated colleagues and I have embarked on is teaching creativity!
Dean Johns is a partner in Sydney-based regional creativelmotivational consultancy CreAsia and strategic!creative hotshop StrADegy. www.stradegy.com.au
TBWAS'pore takes to the skiesagain! New CD for Chuo Senko S'pore
TBWA Singapore today announces the arrival of yet another major new business win. Award winning air line, Emirates, joins the award winning agency and its growing community of international and local clients. This significant win provides yet further evidence of the cos mopolitan agency's increasingly international credentials. Strengths further underlined, when coupled to its recent new business successes on DBS Bank's regional corporate communication, AXN, Serial Sys tem, consolidation of the Samsonite regional account and its current
ADOIANYTHINGADVERTISING 12
work for Caltex' new brand of Vortex petrol (featured in last issue of ADOI), currently breaking across the Asia Pacific region.
Says agency CEO Johan Fourie "We saw the agency really start to take off last year, and now with Emirates on board, we are really flying! Emirates is a class act, and we are proud to be associated with this terrific brand." And while the agency's new business record is highly remarkable, there is still more news just around the corner. Watch this space!
This Tokyo-based international agency completes its mandate for change with the hiring of Yang as its new CD. The former Creative Group Head at Leo Burnett had his baptism as a copywriter with J. Walter Thompson before moving on to Backer Spielvogel Bates, Ketchum and Batey Ads. A staunch believer of brand building, Yang has worked with many key clients that include McDonald's, the Yellow Pages, United Overseas Bank, Singapore Press holdings, the Air Force and the Army. "It's the next natural phase of my career, and I can't think of a more exciting agency to cut my teeth with this new level of responsibility." said Yang. "Everybody in Chuo Senko has only one thing in mind - change. To borrow a line from a well-known ad, we're beginning to 'think different'. And that's my brief. To make a difference to a new Chuo Senko." Don Pang, the agency's managing director said, "Ten years ago, Chuo Senko was virtually unknown. With Yang coming on board to lead a group of young and talented creative people, we are aiming to bring Chuo Senko to a new level of awareness and creative excellence."
LIMKOKWING STUDENTS WIN MUBIN SHEPPARD AWARD
Participating for the first time in one of the country's most prestigious architectural competitions - the Mubin Sheppard Memorial Award students of Limkokwing Institute of Creative Technology won first prize in the Case Study category.
earlier drawings are believed to have been lost over such a long span of time. "The fact that the drawings were done using the computer reflects on the changing times and I must say that the results look really good," she said.
Institute President Tan Sri Dato' Dr Lim Kok Wing said the win would be an important encouragement for the students who had worked hard on their submission.
She added that the usual response would be to manually draw up the building blueprints. But the computer was used to speed up the process and the other factor was because the submission was a study of the cultural aspect rather than an architectural study of the building.
"I have studied their submission and am impressed with the work they have produced. The dedication, their observations and their analysis are excellent. They have done very well and I am personally very proud of their achievement," he said.
The Mubin Sheppard Memorial Prize was set up by the Badan The Award presentation by Badan Warisan. In the foreground(seated) Tan Sri Dato' Dr. Lim Kok Wing, Tan Sri AhmadSarji Warisan Malaysia to honour the Abdul Hamid(Badan Warisan) and DrAsiah Abdul Rahim (IIU) memory of the late Tan Sri Dato' Their research, a painstaking study surrounding the Haji Mubin Sheppard, founder of the organisation. cultural aspects of the Presbyterian movement dating The award is to encourage and stimulate students' DEDICATED TO back to the 1880s, began as part of their coursework. awareness and study of the heritage of Malaysian CONSERVATION OF Firuz H. Hussin from the Faculty of the Limkokwing architecture and the built environment. Badan HERITAGE BUILDINGS Institute's School of Architecture and the Built Warisan, through this award also encourages He added that the Limkokwing Environment explained that the win was a surprise research and writing on specific aspects of Group as a whole had always been and a most welcome encouragement. "The Institute is conservation and the a keen supporter of conservation. dedicated to conservation and has made the study an preservation of Malaysian "The Loke Mansion, is a case in important part of the syllabus. A part of the syllabus architecture. The award was point. We have helped to preserve for the Bachelor of Applied Science (Architecture) is launched on 8 February 1996. this historical building as well as devoted to the study of conservation of Malaysian Since then Badan Warisan conducted a number of events that architectural heritage," she said. Malaysia has been able, often draw the public to the place. Unique feature through the submissions of The winning research revealed architectural features The idea is to help people access students in universities, to that were unique to this particular church that were such buildings in order to appreciate the unique add to their collection of unlike church architecture prevalent at that time. architectural features." documented histories of TECHNOLOGY INPUT IN ARCHITECTURAL The Limkokwing Institute's seven-member team St. Andrew's Church Malaysian heritage buildings. SUBMISSION comprising Henry Sundram Murty, Chow Ivy, Wong TRAILBLAZING CULTURE OF LIMKOKWING The study by the Limkokwing students were Hook Sam, Leong Kien Yuen, Gordon Chong Yen The latest win by the architectural students adds to a presented with architectural drawings created by using Hung, Jo Chew Kokweio and Maloti Ray took seven collection of achievements by the Limkokwing the computer. Firuz pointed out that these are months to conduct a detailed study of the St. Institute. Students are encouraged to participate in perhaps, the only such drawings of the church as Andrew's Presbyterian Church. national and international competitions to test the standard of their knowledge and skills. Besides the school of Architecture and the Built Environment, the School of Design, Animation and Multimedia and the School of Communication, Multimedia 111 111 111 IIS 111 and Broadcasting have participated in a number of competitions surprising the industry with their excellent grasp of the technology and the high level of creativity. Students have been consistent winners so much so that winning has become a part of ComputerLimkokwing culture.
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Why Hitler would never have made it as a CD by Jullie P. Lingan
The moment I saw Jit Murad enter the restaurant, minutes after Ham reminded me of my ADOI deadline, I knew the inspiration had hit me. So while Jit was inching his way through tables till he was near enough to blow the perfunctory kiss and I-love-you, I already had flashback images of the time I hired him as a Copywriter. Instantly, I had full colour images of him in the strictest of armies, as he openly defied the supreme god everyone feared and bowed to. He with the sweeping strand of straight hair on one side of his forehead, a moustache that looked like a pasted black caterpillar in a school play and an arm that straightened at an angle of salute (if it was from him, or subservience, if directed at him). By the time our drinks came, I was smiling at the realization that no matter how brilliant Jit and the likes
of him may be, they would never ever bloom if they had the likes of Adolf Hitler for a Creative Director. Jit was on his second day in the office when the powers that be expressed open contempt on his manner of dressing. He was then fresh from college in London and getting back into the local mould of daily realities must have been a bane to his Bohemian lifestyle. As early as then, his penchant for theatre was like a dormant volcano, activated whenever the air was highly flammable and toxic. "Had I known there was a dress code," he hissed, projecting his voice to all corners of the office, "I would have joined the army!" He said it in a manner only he can get away with. Heavy with disdain but with a hint of amusement and even condescension. Of course, the gods were appalled, and in an industry
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where perception is reality, undercurrents about my "permissi veness and indulgent approach to managing the creative division" flowed like lava, creeping under my door. Now, if there is one movie rerun CDs go through every now and then, this is it. Same plot: creatives should never have that special treatment, they must toe the line like everybody else, even if it means being subjected to the bundy clock. Same protagonists: copywriters, art directors, produ cers, graphic designers, visualizers, dtp artists. Same antagonists: as we creatives are wont to say - "all those who do not understand creative". How many times do we hear the same concept with different executions, all highlighting the creative difference, when they should rightfully be members of an army where the mundane is seen on the same plane as the sublime act of creation. "Why can't creative do the campaign in two days? Briefs and media are done in the same time frame." Or what about this - "Why are they strange, moody and sensitive? They're in Creative, that's why!" Jit, for one, loves to talk about the time he was freelancing in one of the more high profile multinational agencies in town and he and the CDs were lying on the couch, laughing as they brainstormed, only to be looked at with disgust by passersby within the agency. Petty? Yeah, irritatingly so, particularly to sensitive souls who try to avoid negative vibrations as much as possible, as they inhibit creativity. There are incredibly many more variations of the same theme but this one takes the cake. It's a classic comment I think, from an ex-government-employeeturned-god who should never have joined advertising in the first place. "Each time I pass the creative division, he's not doing anything, just staring at the wall!" (You'll be amused to know that this last statement was directed at a
perennial award winner.) Since similar comments have been lamented by my fellow CDs over bottles of red wine on Friday afternoons, it sometimes makes us wonder what ever happen ed to the legendary good old days when the creative team lorded it over any self-respecting agency, often times hiding and lounging around in some 5-star beach resort "for inspiration and strict confidentiality" while they brainstormed on a new busi ness pitch? What ever happened to the legacy of our mentors, ever so indulgent so as to send us to the movies when we were restless at 3 in the afternoon, confident that we would come back with a vengeance and a barrage of big ideas that same evening? What ever happened to the creative open bars where drinks flowed like water and equally indulgent clients came to meetings armed with either a bottle of Black, Jack, Chivas, merlot or chardonnay "to keep the creative juices flow ing?" What ever happened to agency godfathers who smiled on realities like creative temperament and eccentricities; and who were forever receptive to innovative creative perks bordering on deca dence? In retrospect, is it because life in the good old days was characterized by excesses or were we the pampered favourites of the gods, simply because perhaps we all just took it for granted that the agency end product is, was, and will always be, creative? In such an ambience, the likes of Jit would bloom, as surely as day follows night. But if they had a CD with even the faintest resemblance to Hitler, I, like most CDs I know, cannot even begin to imagine them kowtowing to any form of dicta torship which simply does not go down well with artists, anywhere in the world. This would just damage their wings and they'd fall on hard ground, where they'll join other ordinary mortals in their daily quest for the average and the norm. You're right, Jit. Creativity is not about prison bars, wardens and striped clothes. It's about the euphoria of freedom and taking risks, of coming to the edge and flying high beyond the limits of one's imagination...
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TVCs that make me want to hurl
by Josh Sklar
Man oh man. Even though I'm waist-deep in the new media industry, I had to let out a big "Whew!" when the NASDAQ tanked and the new economy bubble fizzled. I'm sure it's gone up and down up and down since I've written this but the dream of massively huge gains is definitely gone for the rest of our collective lifetimes. Besides shaking out the ridiculous start-ups that have been making empty promises to new staff (and, as I've reported, pulling them out of all of our agencies to go rainbow chasing) and investors, I'm hopeful that ad agencies will stop producing the dot.com TVCs that have been so infuriating. OK. I realize that traditional agencies might not understand the principles of these companies (no wonder, most of them don't themselves given that they have no real revenue model) since they're based on brand new technology. But there is absolutely no excuse for the empty messages that have been inundating our airwaves all around the world. From the absolute shock value of hurling hamsters at a wall or watching wolves chase marching bands to the abstract, supposedly cutesy claymations - the USPs of these Web sites are completely lost on the internet-jaded audience. In fact, it's more likely that the viewer won't even know what the site has to offer, period, not just what is it that sets
it apart. It's bad enough that traditional companies don't have a call-to-action line any more enticing than "Visit us online!" but to not even have a clue as to what the company does?? And yet that's what mainstay agencies are doing. I won't name names. There's no point. Everyone is doing it. It's a sad testament to greed, ignorance and absolute laziness. According to Active Research in the US, even frequent online shoppers had a hard time remembering any dot.com TV ad because they all blend together in a series of empty messages. 25% of those surveyed couldn't name a single brand that ran a commercial. Yahoo!, one of the best known Internet brands in the world (whose shareprice remained largely unaffected by the big stock bust), had less than a 3% recall rate! Is this a case of take the money and run? Let's not take the time to do research, focus groups, the most basic kind of consideration? Are the eager, novice venture capitalists running the show and making demands that agencies are afraid to point out will not serve them or their audiences? Unbelievable. How many will proudly put these masterpieces of vapour on their reels? So, as a viewer and an associate of the advertising industry, I sit here with high expectations that the portals, vortals, ASPs, etc., etc. will be more judicious with how they spend their money and what they spend it on. It's sadly apparent that the ad industry itself can't be expected to take on the responsibility to do their jobs professionally. I think they ended up hurling their reputations at that wall along with the poor hamsters.
Traditional agencies might not understand the principles of these companies since they're based on brand new technology
Dotcoms Cash Crunch Fizzlef sizzle and flash in dotcom land is dashing out the door. They say content is king. So is cash. The latest dotcoms to be hit by the cash crash are two popular New York-based sites - a grocery site and a web healthcare site. Even CDNow Inc has announced it does not have enough cash to keep it going this year. Nevertheless, there is still abundant capital going around for struggling firms. Retailers with a diverse selection of merchandise are predicted to survive. According to a survey
conducted by a weekly New York publication, about 51 of the 207 companies analyzed would have to close up within a year. In fact, 3 of the top 50 listed companies have confirmed they have serious doubts of holding on much longer. Some analysts say some dotcom sectors that will be badly hit are books, music, flowers, beauty and pet care products, because it is difficult to distinguish the brand identity for these products. Got cash to spare?
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A coffee ad that left its mark.
Good looking dude returns home late
We worked damn hard to build the
Heavens to Betsy, we're even the first
at night after doing what good looking
brand. Breathing life, then fire into it.
advertising agency to have a female
dudes do. So too does the trishaw cabbie.
And we are damn proud of it.
Creative Director.
They get together for a jam session. Some serious male bonding is had, over a cup of coffee. So begins a story. The rather successful story of J Walter Thompson turning
Due to circumstances beyond our
Could it be because of our tricks of the
control, Nescafe is now being looked
trade? Thompson Total Branding looks at
after by our friends down Changkat Raja
how to look at what we are selling and
Chulan way. As they say in the classics,
how we are selling it. Who would buy it
sh*t happens.
and why in the world would they want
Nescafe into the coffee Malaysians reach
That's not to say that every brand we
for, first thing in the morning and last
help grow leaves once it's too big. On
thing at night.
the contrary, JWT has a long history of
Now if you think we're purposely
long partnerships.
to buy it - for the first time, the second time, the tenth time. An utterly marvelous marketing tool even if it is the trumpet blower in us that
using this as reason to blow our own
Kraft has been with us for over 70 years.
trumpet, you're right. We are purposely
Kellogg's, over 60. Ford, over 50. And the
Could it be because of our tremendous
using this as reason to blow our own
granddaddy of them all - Unilever. We
will? A will that was sorely tested a mere
trumpet. With good reason too.
have been at their building site for ninety
iz months ago when death came knocking.
eight years.
Quite loudly and rather clearly.
says so.
Could it be because of the trails we
If not for the dedication, determination
blaze? J Walter Thompson is
and good old fashioned guts of those here
credited with a number of
then, the rest of us here now would not
world firsts. The first agency to write copy
We certainly would not be celebrating
for the client. The
our 25th anniversary. We certainly would
first agency to do
not be doing it in our new home at the
magazine ads. The first agency to produce television commercials, in black and white and in colour.
be here now.
Menara Milenium. This writer would most definitely not be here, telling you all about it. As we settle into the new century in our new office, rest assured we will continue doing what we do. Building the success story in brands. Armed with copious amounts of coffee, -^urS0#
'
Malaysia
Lessons from Media Guru Virgil Scudder When it comes to mastering the art of media relations, there's probably no better person than the US doyen of media trainers Virgil Scudder. Having a portfolio of Fortune 500 clients, Virgil Scudder Associates New York is a leading international training consultancy that boasts of the finest media trainers in the business. And Virgil is the man in the centre of it all, for over 20 years in the US and abroad. He formed Virgil Scudder Associates in 1990 after 13 years of developing and directing media training units for two of the world's largest public relations firms. He currently counsels CEOs of many major international corporations on an ongoing basis on a wide variety of issues affecting the public's perception of them and their companies. Frequently called upon to train executives for appearances on such programs as 60 minutes and for testimony before legislative and regulatory bodies, he has also trained government officials in the US and abroad. Once upon a time, Virgil served as a producer, editor and on-air talent at NBC News, ABC Radio and Westinghouse Broadcasting, winning a number of journalism awards and covering events ranging from summit conferences to oil spills. He knows what journalists want: 'If you can't give a journalist what he wants, at least give him something he can use. For example, say, "Sorry, I can't give you those figures, but I can tell you that we're up about 20% on last year. Keep in mind that journalists need facts to print.' When ADOI met up with him on his recent business trip to KL, it was a case of interviewing the guru who trains some of the world's best interviewers. Needless to say, he spoke so fluidly every word was fit for print. Here are the excerpts: Virgil recalls a 6 am telephone call from someone in Houston asking him to catch the 8am flight and train former Eastern Airlines president Frank Lorenzo when a crisis struck. In some companies the public relations process is taken seriously only when there is a problem, when someone performs badly or when a negative story
ABOIANYTHINGADVERTISING 18
breaks. That's unfortunate, because there is so much we can do ahead of a crisis to make sure the negative story does not appear, and in some cases to identify potential crisis and prevent them from happening all together. Companies can be taught how to behave and communicate during a crisis. You can also give them some idea of the speed at which they will be expected to respond. We are living in a communications world in which news on one side of the planet reaches the other side almost immediately. And you can help them understand the intensity of the scrutiny they will be under. Most times, this means facing up to an unexpected line of questioning. That's why Virgil practices a
serve you better; one that everyone understands. Winston Churchill was a master at this. He didn't say, "we are amassing a huge army of fifteen divisions for the attack", instead he chose, "we'll fight them on the beaches!" Anyone can understand that! So how we communicate is as important as what we communicate. Make a statement, don't just answer questions. A good interview is a dialogue not a series of yes or no answers. Be concise, say your points in a catchy way, stress key points, even "flag" them, for example, "I think the key issue here is..." Prepare your points and serve them effectively. Just like having a meal: don't overeat at the beginning, pace yourself so that you end up with a satisfying meal. Do not assume a
Prepare your points and serve them effectively. Like having a meal: don't overeat at the beginning, pace yourself so that you end up with a satisfyingmeal. brutally honest approach to preparing executives for media interviews. According to Westpac manager's magazine, Virgil in a training session for their senior executives confronted them with an alarming response, 'What do you mean you can't divulge the answer? Surely, as a senior executive at Westpac, you can answer your critics. What kind of a response is this for your staff and shareholders? Do you think they are going to buy this?' His interviewee sat stone-walled, facing the camera. Small beads of perspiration appeared. The face was stoic. The response was less than calm, but reasoned. 'Good!' exclaimed Virgil as the video camera stopped rolling. 'You'll like that. It was a good response.' He continues, 'You can get mad with the interviewer, but will it win you the audience? You need to keep your audience in focus. If it makes you feel better, treat some reporters as misguided children, be patronising to a degree, but don't lose your temper because you will lose your audience. Prepare well, don't assume that you'll be effective by "winging" your answers.' Another point Virgil shares is not to be wordy. Because key points may be lost in the deluge of verbiage. For every big word you love, there's a small word that will
reporter has knowledge and perspective. He may know the facts but he may not appreciate their context or depth. So it is your job to explain the facts clearly. On television, it is important to get your point in at the beginning and you have an 80% chance of having it screened. If you waffle and make your point at the end you have only a 10% chance. Use strong steering phrases such as 'the real issue here is..' And always arm yourself with examples. The audience will remember stuff better when they have a point of reference. Also don't look into the camera; maintain eye contact with the interviewer. Focus on his chin or forehead if you must break eye contact. Don't appear wooden. Be animated and try to give the appearance that you're enjoying yourself.
you don't have an answer, say 'I don't know but I'll get the information for you.' It's best not to alter the truth or blow smoke, but to put a realistic face on things. Although distortions are an absolute no, I wouldn't go out of my way to tell how bad a problem is. Prevention is better than cure but if there's a crisis, don't hide, go brag! Look to get coverage on it by telling what responsible measures are being taken to minimise or salvage the problem, to protect consumers and the environment, and what procedures are being put in place so that it's unlikely to occur again. That's responsible corporate citizenship. If you react honestly, after the crisis, people will believe you. If you deny there's a problem, or mislead, people are not going to trust you anymore. Do not tell more than you know, do not guess or speculate. Here's Virgil's quick guide to preparing for an urgent 5-minute media interview: Don't shoot for the sky - be realistic on what you can achieve, work quickly, not hastily. Determine your objective - single out your main motive and treat the interview as an opportunity, not as a chore. Ask yourself questions think about what listeners want to know and work along those lines. Establish 3 key points - make these the backbone of your talk. Get backup info - reporters love
On honesty: People in Virgil Scudder (center) and son Ken (right) instruct client on the US and public interviewing techniques. relations are defining what 'spin' is. statistics. Prepare an outline Is it telling your story from your arrange your three key points in point of view or is it distorting the order and add your backup info in story? Frankly, I do not like the between. Find enhancements term because to me it implies a charts, graphs, stories, examples. Go Clintonesque deception: 'I did not get 'em - rehearse your key points have sex with that woman', well just before you are scheduled to gc that's subject to definition isn't it? on and strut your stuff. We never teach our clients to lie. Virgil Scudder can be reached ai We tell them never to lie as it will mail@vs-a.com. His website is www.vsinvariably catch up with them. If a.com
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Saatchi Singapore wins Best of the Best at 1999 MEDIA'S Asian Ad Awards Axis Films KL powers through Bruce Lee tvc Saatchi Singapore's winning tvc for client Procter & Gamble clinched Best of the Best and also won for Film Direction and Art Direction. Saatchi's Singapore creative director Jagdish Ramakrishnan had this to say about the spot, "Head & Shoulders is an anti-dandruff shampoo which also has conditioners that leave you with great looking hair. This was a tactical campaign so we had the licence to take a refreshing new approach to shampoo advertising, which hinges on the vanity factor - the 'Damn, I look good' benefit of a good anti-dandruff shampoo. The Bruce Lee spot features a Bruce Lee look-alike, in a re-creation of the famous mirror scene from the movie Enter The Dragon. We see Bruce Lee, intent on finding his arch enemy in the room full of mirrors, pausing to admire himself in one of the mirrors. Then he suddenly turns around and continues his search. We've all caught people admiring themselves in mirrors, shop windows, lifts and other reflective surfaces everyday. I guess the fun is in seeing somebody who gets distracted from a very serious task by his own reflection. The Bruce Lee spot comes alive because it is such a familiar scene to everybody in this whole region. Sheen from AXIS Films KL who was surprised to learn of the victory continues, "We worked from a brilliant script from Saatchi's. When we proposed Michael Warr as the Film Director for the spot, they bought it instantly. Michael also loved the script the moment he saw it. We studied the "mirror" scene from Enter The Dragon over and over again. As the set was mirrored walls, we first constructed a scaled model to work out how to light it and position the camera. This was most difficult because we kept seeing either the
ADOIANYTHINGADVERTISING 22
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reflected but finally cracked it. Had nightmares looking for a 'Bruce Lee' look-alike. After months of casting in Malaysia we gave up. Ran ads in local newspapers and got very healthy responses, but they looked nothing like him. Started looking around the world and finally found someone in Taiwan. The bloke looked like Bruce Lee close enough, but his hair was nothing like Bruce Lee's. We ordered special wigs from Hong Kong to overcome the hair problem. As Michael Warr wanted an identical reproduction of the scene from Enter The Dragon, we built the set a couple of days before the shoot so the actor could copy Bruce Lee's movements exactly. Got a Malaysian kung fu expert to coach our talent the right steps. Michael also wanted that old 70s lighting look so the DOP had to light the set as awful as he could, giving it that flat look. Finally on the day of shoot, we painted the famous three bloody scratch marks on our "Bruce Lee" and when we saw the playback of the first rehearsal on the monitor, we couldn't believe how close it resembled the scene from Enter The Dragon. The agency was fantastic in not rushing us to shoot the spot so we took our time in perfecting everything. On the day of shoot we wrapped the job in 3 hours as everything was in place perfectly."
Title: Bruce Lee Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi, Singapore Client: Procter & Gamble Creative Director: Craig Davis Writer: Jagdish Ramakrishnan Art Directors: Edmund Choe, Addy Khaotong Agency Producers: Shareen Thumboo, Clodagh Li, Michelle Tan Production House: Axis Films, KL Film Director: Michael Warr Cameraman: Chin Cheng Fong, Editor: Paul Markridis, Finito Bangkok Music: Yellow Box Studios Account Service: Arlene Ang & Team.
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malaysiancreative@beijing.cn Late 1999 saw the mushrooming of the 'dot.com' companies in China. That's when BBDO Beijing got the challenge to devise how sina.com.cn could stand out among the crowd, amidst stiff competition and global players in the internet service provider sector? With just 3 days notice, they developed a launch campaign and finally won the pitch against four other agencies. Within the same 24 hour, the 'green light' was given to immediately launch the campaign in 15 days time! The campaign kicked off with outdoor billboards and subway posters; followed later by a campaign of 7 print ads and 4 TVCs. One of the TVC was entitled "Puppy" and showed a rather obese woman frantically putting up posters all around the town in search for her canine. The view finally reveals the poor puppy was actually hidden and stuck behind the lady all along! TVC ended wi th a voice-over "For a faster way to search for what you're looking for, use Sina Search Engine". All the spots were using a humorous approach with the message szna.com.cn provides better solutions in daily online experiences. In just two months, sina.com.cn emerged as the talk of the town and is currently China's most popular web portal. BBDO's team included creative directors Kevin Lee and Yew Fei, senior art director Michael Wong and art directors Sabrina Xu, copywriters Kaiyu Shen and Sisia Shi and account servicing team Maria Yao and Joyce Liu. Most of the expatriate staff Malaysian are includes which managing director Kenny Ho, creative
ADOIANYTHINGADVERTISING 24
director Kevin Lee, associate creative director Yew Fei and semor art director Michael Wong. Very recently, the agency won two Certificates of Excellence at the 1999 Asian Advertising Awards in the TV category for 'Puppy' and the other for a direct mailer for Fed Ex. A case of Malaysia Boleh ?
Creative Director: Kevin Lee Copywriter: Kaiyu Shen Art Directors: Kevin Lee, Michael Wong, Sabrina Xu Account Service: Janey Loh Film Director: Yeung Ka Woon Production House: Silihouette
Client: Beijing Panrico Title: Space Creative Director: Kevin Lee Copywriter: Kaiyu Shen Art Directors: Michael Wong, Sabrina Xu, Mike Tay Account Service: Maria Yao Film Director: Steven Ang Production House: Axis Films, KL.
Title: Puppy Creative Directors: Kevin Lee, Yew Fei Copywriters: Kaiyu Shen, Sisia Shi Art Directors: Michael Wong, Sabrina Xu Producer: Irena Harney, Account Service: Maria Yao, Joyce Liu Film Director: Danny Lee Production House: Film Here, HK
Client: Vorwerk Title: Tornado Creative Directors: Kevin Lee, Yew F ei Copywriters: Kaiyu Shen, Sisia Shi Art Directors: Michael Wong, Sabrina Xu, Mike Tay Photograher: Stewart Gilliana Print Production: Jian Cao Account Service: Joyce Liu
JEN STUDIO TEL: 03-77286227 FAX: 03-77277005 EMAIL: jenslow@pc.jarlng.my WEB PAGE http://www.mol.com.my/jenslow
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Additional services from ACNielsen this year ACNielsen Malaysia announced that they will be providing additional services which will be available to the Malaysian ad industry this year. It will resume measuring outdoor advertising expenditure. The last outdoor advertising expenditure recorded was in 1995. They will also track Adex on Pay TV. ACNielsen ^Ratings.com, an audience measurement service which collects data from a number of panelists as they surf the internet at home, will also take root. It is capable of measuring both internet use and advertising to provide the most timely, accurate and comprehensive internet usage data and advertising information in the industry. While Panorama allows advertisers to gauge the net coverage or reach and frequency of a particular media mix.
ACNielsen Malaysia awarded 1AM Corporate Partnership Award ACNielen Malaysia has been awarded the prestigious Institute of Administrative Management (IAM) Corporate Partnership Award in recognition of its commitment to best practice in management, through investments in staff development. IAM is the leading international professional Institute specialising in administrative management. IAM chief executive officer Professor Graham Robinson said, "As a pro fessor in marketing I hold high
esteem of ACNielsen's credentials and professionalism. The invest ments by ACNielsen Malsysia in the systematic training of their managers and senior executives is evidence that ACNielsen embraces a total commitment in adding value throughout the service delivery chain. The company does so by developing the right people to deliver the best service at the optimum capacity of its operating systems."
Grey Establishes Grey Global Group Driven by the rapid growth and broad range of its global diversified marketing companies, Grey Advertising Inc. today announced it would establish a holding company to serve as the parent company of all Grey's communications properties. To accomplish this, subject to stockholder approval, Grey Advertising Inc. will change its name to Grey Global Group Inc. and the core advertising agency will become Grey Worldwide. As part of the change, new management has been promoted to run Grey Worldwide. The announcements were made by Edward H. Meyer, Chairman, President and CEO of Grey Global Group. The new structure and management promotions recognize the company's shift in focus over the last decade from an advertising agencydominated company to a full communications company with a global advertising agency and large-scale, rapidly growing global companies specializing in public relations/public affairs, direct marketing, Internet communications, healthcare marketing, and on-line and off-line media services. Over the past ten years these communications services, all preeminent in their respective markets, have grown from representing 5% of revenues to where they now represent over 40% of the Company's worldwide revenues. Grey Global Group's non-advertising partner companies include global firms such Grey Direct, GCI/APCO (public relations/public affairs), Grey Interactive (Internet communications), G2 (integrated marketing, corporate identity and promotion), Grey Healthcare, and MediaCom, as well as U.S. firms, J. Brown/LMC (co-marketing through retail partnerships), Visual Communications (multimedia communications) G WHiZ! Entertainment (youth and entertainment marketing), Grey Alliance (Entertainment Partnerships) and Beyond Interactive (Internet media buying and advertising), among others. Newsflash: Jonathan E. Fox, who's Executive Vice President)Regional Director of Grey Asia-Pacific is slated to become Executive Vice President/Executive Managing Director on Mars. He will be based in New York.
Malaysia's latest viewing sensation UPD, a leading player in outdoor advertising in Malaysia has recently unveiled its latest media product - a state-of-the-art LED screen, measuring 8.76m (width) x 5.76m (height), trailer-mounted with its own on-board power generator. Codenamed UPDV-1, this completely mobile and independent, the screen unfolds on-site to a maximum height of 8.25m from ground level, and can swivel a full 360° for best viewing advanta ge in tight spots. The screen deli vers 16.7 million colours, for true vibrant image renderings.
ADOIANYTHINGADVERTISING 26
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John s MiStrfiSS Juliet The Omnge Chflrlofte s Oieorm Somoiokcnd AmiGone 28 Doys Ovef dn"°
SPRITZEE
We are looking for the right person to fill in our spaces.
Clues 1. Responsible for coming up with creative and innovative design concepts and strategy. Must be proficient in computer graphics. Possess great typography & layout ability. Should have a minimum of 5 years work experience. The ability to work independently is crucial. 2. Very good at producing compelling copy for PR, corporate, academic and administrative material. Should have editing experience. Enjoy occasional involvement in advertising & editorial articles. Love writing. 3. Must be proficient in computer graphics. Possess great typography & layout ability. Should have at least a minimum of 3 years work experience. The ability to work independently is a major plus point.
We are one of the leading lights in the Asia Pacific creative industry. The flagship of our company is a new media art & design academy. We are also involved in advertising, design, publishing and training. We invite team-spirited, highlymotivated and result-oriented individuals to join our fast-paced and challenging business.
ALUMNI
EMPLOYERS
JOB HUNTERS
of The One Academy, we'd like to hear from you to update our database. That way we can make you aware of our research facilities, discounts on our upcoming professional enhancement course and our job placement service. You will also receive a free copy of our newsletter, One on One. If any of your ex-classmates haven't heard of our services we'd be glad to hear from them too. We want to get and stay in touch with the One Family.
will gain from hiring the careerready graduates of The One Academy. Every 4 months a fresh batch goes out to serve the design, advertising, multimedia and animation communities. Every one is trained to the highest technical standards, every one is eager and willing to work hard for their career and for your business. Make sureyou pick the cream of the crop by staying in touch with our Student Service Officer. The number is below, the service is free.
who are graduates of The One Academy should also contact us find out which job vacancy is suitable for them from amongst the large number sent to us every day by prospective employers in Malaysia and throughout the region. Many of the best opportunities are right here, ready for you to get in touch with us. So come by and talk to our Student Service Officer, look through the listings yourself. And perhaps say "Hi" to some old friends.
Graduates of The One Academy, it's time to get-in-touch and fill-up your details and send them through fax or mail to the Student Service Department. Name:
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yS
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Forbes builds Asian team Forbes magazine recently expand ed its team in Asia with four new high profile Forbes appointments. Philip Cho, Jane Flowers, Chris Niblock and Prashun Dutt will strengthen the Forbes and Forbes Global presence in Asia, and com plement an already strong Tokyo team, led by ten year veteran Hiro Nakagawa (Advertising Director) and Toshiaki Iizuka (Advertising Manager). Philip Cho has been named Regional Advertising Director for Forbes. Based in Singapore, Philip will be responsible for advertising sales for Forbes and Forbes Global in Southeast Asia and South Asia. He joins after ten years at Time Inc, the last three of which he was Time's Singapore based Regional Advertising Director. After a four year absence Jane Flowers has rejoined Forbes as Advertising Sales Director in its Hong Kong office, where she will be responsible for advertising sales for Forbes and Forbes Global. After opening Forbes' Hong Kong office in 1990, Ms. Flowers managed Forbes magazine's
regional advertising sales for six years before leaving to pursue other interests. Chris Niblock joins Forbes as Circulation Director, Asia for Forbes Global and as Advertising Director in Korea, where he will be responsible for advertising revenue for Forbes and Forbes Global. Chris joins from the Asian Wall Street Journal, where he was Regional Circulation Manager. Prashun Dutt has been named Director of Marketing and Research at Forbes Global. He was a Media Director for 13 years at agencies such as JWT, McCann-Erickson, Ogilvy & Mather and Bozell before he entered the publishing industry in 1994. Recognised in the international arena for his media research, media planning and marketing knowledge, Mr Dutt is actively involved in several professional forums, including the Publishers Society of Asia. He also regularly contributes papers and articles at industry seminars and to the trade press. Mr Dutt will work from company offices in London and Hong Kong region."
Model.com takes off!
Malaysia's first online modelling and talent agency was launched
recently at The Emporium Grand Cafe in Kuala Lumpur. The night also witnessed the introduction of the Miss Malaysia/ World official website. Sean Sim, Joint-CEO of Guava Interactive who run Model.com says, "Now clients can search for models on line without the hassle of leafing through tons of folders. Our growing database has it all. Aspiring models can register easily online and there's also a contest thrown in for anyone who wants to become a talent scout.
model i com '
Shut up about advertising! •
By Paul Loosley, Film director, ex-creative director andfull-time awkward bugger
Paul Loosley again studies recent writings about adverti sing and puts his foot in it. In The Star yet more articles on the TVC production con tract. FINAS doesn't care. The agencies want a free-for-all. The advertisers seem strangely si lent. And production companies think standard business terms are essential for transactions worth possibly hundreds of thousands, if not millions of ringgit. I read something the other day in a speech by David Ogilvy just before he shuffled off, where he said, in a life dedicated to and reveling in this business, one of his biggest regrets was that advertising had not become a profession to be regarded in the same way as the legal or banking professions. Now I wonder why? In the same vein, Media magazine splashed with Hong Kong agencies trying again to get pitch payments. This is a good attempt to send messages of professionalism. But the 80's never went away, they just relocated. It may even happen and payments will be made, but only until the business being pitched is so tasty or so big someone will break ranks, waive the fee and the dominos will tumble, just like every time before. (That's right, it has happened before, in Hong Kong and elsewhere. Sorry David.) Media also continues to berate young creative people, this time for not
ADOIANYTHINGADVERTISING 28
coming to their creative workshop. Again you got it wrong folks. Youth is not a loose cannon it is a finely targeted missile. Their bosses invariably send young creatives along to such events. In my experience they don't just wander off. Direct your bile at their superiors for not insisting they go. If it was such a worthwhile event why didn't the CDs and managers herd them off at gunpoint? Or perhaps Media didn't publicice the thing properly. Could be. John Hegarty in his article in ADOI (which was quite nice except for the Hammy photo) inferred standards of creativity in this part of the world were not as high because "there aren't many leading edge companies here who will give you permission to do cutting edge creative". Strange how the advertisers (I assume he means the clients) attract the blame. Advertisers are not meant to know what cutting edge is or even means. Clients are supposed to be conservative, reactionary and hard nosed. They are bred for it. Trained and selected for the part. Risk taking, envelope pushing and torpedo damning is surgically removed. Good stuff needs to be sold hard especially to the leading edge companies. That's why it's easy to do nice ads for small shops or corner companies; they're an easy sell. Creating excellence isn't half as difficult as flogging it. It's tough and requires courage and the desire to take all the responsibility and all the knocks. No John, responsibility lies always with the creators, here or there or anywhere. If anyone saw the AlkaSeltzer 'Two men in a Lifeboat' spot, I believe it never ran. A great piece of creative rejected by a client in the UK or America, I'm not sure which. And the agency couldn't sell it. But at least they made it. I wonder who paid for it? And was there a contract? PS. Neil, I've just finished a book...but then Vm a slow reader too.
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Client: Singapore Telecom Agency: BBH Asia Pacific Creative Director: Steve Elrick Title: 'Need To Communicate' Writer: Steve Elrick Art Director: Tony Williams
ADOIANYTHINGADVERTISING 30
Malaysia Boleh! |JF
By Srijib Maitra, Regional Research Director, MBL-NFO.
The Marketing Research (MR) fraternity in Malaysia does not seem to be a collective entity. Malaysia Boleh! There is some thing emotive, inspiring and for ward looking about this slogan. And to me, above everything else, it captures the collective spirit of the nation, simply and effectively. But there is something amiss. The Marketing Research (MR) fraternity in Malaysia does not seem to be a collective entity. Yes, there are large international agencies with im pressive clientele. But these are individual pursuits. Where is the MR industry with responsibilities larger than the pursuits of indi vidual firms? Sadly enough, it does not exist. Maybe we are content with the way things are, possibly even smug - the attitude being, "why fix it when it ain't broken?". On the other hand, there are those, like me, who feel, and have experienced the power of the "gestalt" and see benefits outweighing the status quo. I believe the formation of a Marketing Research Society of Malaysia (MRSM) is absolutely essential. For two broad reasons: a means to establish the industry and provide the recognition and credibility that MR deserves, and to be able to share larger respon sibilities which are not possible by individual firms. As I state this, I can almost hear the prophets of doom mutter their disapproval. This disapproval is almost on a continuum - from total indifference at one end ("we are here for a couple of years, who cares?") to utter pessimism at the other, (" it won't work, lah, agencies will end up fighting each other" or "such a society was there some years ago, it did not work.") As an individual, I find it difficult to confront these disapprovals. All I can do is to share a success story in which I had been involved. And no,
it was not in the West, but in Asia. I had been involved with the Market Research Society of India (MRSI). And some of the learnings, I am sure could be of interest to readers. The society is not for the research agencies alone. It is for the whole marketing fraternity. Ad agencies, media and marketing organizations are involved and committed to the movement right from its inception (this usually eases possible tensions between MR firms, apart from other benefits). International bodies like the ESOMAR or the MRS of UK provide invaluable assistance and guidance especially at the formative stages. Some societies have been inspired by the MRS of UK as a model. However, they have suitably and effectively modified the objectives/charters to meet local requirements. While this may vary with countries, in MRSI there are three classes of memberships: organi zational; individual and students. A very interesting feature is the inclusion of students who provide a resource pool for the future of the industry. So, what are the benefits of having a Marketing Research Society of Malaysia? Here are some... • Create common industry practices. For example, evolving social class definition; developing certain standardized demographic classification; calculating the "inflation rate" for the MR industry to be used as a common background for deciding cost increases to client. • Codes of Ethics: developing one, ensuring that it is implement ed, acting against its infringement. There are codes laid down by the ESOMAR but the society could develop more relevant ones for the
local market. For example: the issue of home-to-home sampling or direct selling masquerading as MR is a serious problem for the credibility of the industry. • Training and Education. Could be quite like the Market Research Society Certificate Course of MR in the UK. In addition, short duration courses for research, field Management or analysis, eg. statistical techniques. • Seminars and conferences to spread the gospel of MR and raise standards and encourage innova tion. MRSI has an annual seminar where papers are read, researchers and clients are exposed to the work done by other agencies, best papers are awarded. • Professional publications like those published by the ESOMAR or MRS of UK. This has not been
done in India but MRSI is working on it. • Representation of the indus try to the government and other bodies: For example, representation to the government for including some data from the Census, representation to make some data public; representation regarding taxes; improving the image of the industry among students and potential employees. Maybe the Indian experience is not the ideal one. I am sure more benefits can accrue in Malaysia. Nevertheless, this is an Asian experience and a success story. Rather than reinvent the wheel, we could use this as a springboard. How far we leap will depend on our professional will, our collective spirit and our commitment to Malaysia Boleh! Srijib now resides in Kuala Lumpur. He has been the Regional Research Co-ordinator for British American Tobacco, covering the Indian subContinent, Middle East, Central Asia, North Africa and Levant. (Editor's Note: Word has it that a Market Research Society is being set up in Singapore hut we have yet to receive official word on this. Jocelyn, maybe you can chip in here.)
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ADOIANYTHINGADVERTISING 31
ESPN STAR Sports new faces "4 O's strategy" - combining on-air, on-ground, on-line and off-air components in comprehensive brand positioning programmes offered to clients
ESPN STAR Sports has announced the appointment of its newly-created Integrated Adverting Sales Team. Vice-President, Tim Holland, will oversee and develop value-driven programmes for clients that integrate event sponsorship opportunities, on-ground promotional programmes and Internet branding with traditional exposure offered through advertising sales. Manager, Justin Sampson, will assist Holland in the creation of customised programmes designed to meet the specific marketing needs of clients. ESPN STAR Sports also announced the promotion of Richard Young to Vice President - Event Management Group. The Event Management Group specialises in creating, managing, promoting, consulting, producing and syndicating world class sporting events throughout Asia.
Justin Sampson, Manager, Integrated Sales ESPN STAR Sports
Hitler selling cream cakes? When an ad by a South Korean bakery, featuring a model imitating Adolf Hitler to promote cream cakes hit the screens, Jewish communities in Korea and the world over hit the roof. The offending television commercial uses a local comedian dressed up as Hitler, holding a box of cakes as if he is saying 'Heil Hitler'. The bakery says the ad is not meant to praise or glorify Hitler.
Tim Holland, Vice President, Integrated Sales ESPN STAR Sports
Richard Young, Vice President, Event Management Group ESPN STAR Sports
Compaq shortlists four agencies for global account Word has it that FCB Worldwide, Grey, DDB Worldwide and one other agency have been shortlisted by Compaq Computer for its estimated US$300 million worldwide advertising business.
Certificate in Copywriting and Account Management? Institut Sledgehammer is commencing its ever-popular Certificate in Copywriting and Certificate in Account Management six-month programmes come July. Classes are limited to 12 students per programme, so register early by calling Joyce on 03-7726 2588. Both courses have Approved
Training Programme (ATP) status with the Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF), allowing contibuting employers to claim quick refunds on course fees. Former graduates of Institut Sledgehammer's courses have won 'Young Creative of the Year' at the local Kancil Awards for two years running.
MasterCard Priceless Campaign MasterCard International has brought its globally successful 'Priceless' campaign to Singapore and the region. Launched in the US three years ago, the campaign has made significant impact in growing MasterCard's personality and market share. Millward Brown International, a research firm in Naperville US, found that six months after the initial launch,
ADOIANYTHINGADVERTISING 32
MasterCard registered a significant improvement in brand positioning. Trumpeting the message, 'There are things money can't buy. For everything else there's MasterCard', it emphasises that money cannot buy the precious gift of happiness, nor can it create a sense of satisfaction or inspire personal achievement, but it can be widely used to facilitate priceless moments
in life. Created by McCannErickson, the campaign integrates print, radio, television, outdoor, cinema and the internet media. More that 70 television commercial segments in 22 languages have been developed for use in 47 countries worldwide. The campaign was rated 'Best Advertising Campaign of 1997' by Frohlinger's Marketing Report and won the New York-based Cresta
International Advertising Award for best television and print campaign worldwide in 1998. MasterCard is also integrating promotional and marketing initiatives using the Priceless theme. In Singapore, cardholders stand a chance to win trips plus cash to Euro 2000. MasterCard is a major sponsor of Euro 2000 and the World Cup.
Why sky?
Why not? Most advertisers use the clutter of conventional media as their marketing machinery. But when you use the sky to support what's happening on the ground, you will be the only one who stands out in the crowd. So call AeroHawk Air-Ads on 03-7551284 today and buy sky.
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O&M India wins Agency of the Year at Bombay Ad Club Awards! Ogilvy & Mather India has topped the league at the Ad Club Bombay Awards and was named Agency of the Year (for the third time in the past four years). It won 14 Golds, 12 Silvers, one Special Gold and two Special Silvers. In addition, all five finalists for the Crea tive Advertiser of the Year Award were Ogilvy clients. Kelvinator won the Gold award while Hide and Seek took the Silver. The Ad Club Bombay awards are the biggest in India. There were over 4,000 entries to this year's awards, rated by 57 different
judges. Here are some samples of the winning pieces.
Leo Burnett KL stars
At the 3rd Annual Asia Pacific Advertising Festival (AdFest 2000), held in Pattaya, Leo Burnett KL, took home a Gold and Silver award for Wyeth Nutritionals - well known for brands like S26, Progress, Promil and Promise.
The award-winning brand team standing, from left: Brand Manager: ConnieJoseph, Group Brand Director: David Mitchell, Chairman and Executive Creative Director: Ali Mohamed and Strategist: S. Karthik. Sitting, from left: Copywriters: Jovian Lee and Bhavani Rajaratnam and Art Director: Henry Yap.
ADOIANYTHINGADVERTISING 34
Zygote wins two Zygote Communications Sdn Bhd has acquired the advertising business for Gestetner, the established name for advanced office automation products under Ricoh Malaysia, as well as CyberTouch, Asia's largest e-consulting firm for e-commerce in Malaysia,
Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong. Joanna Low, MD of Zygote Communications says, "I want to commend the team - Creative Directors Andy See Tho and Esther Lee, Client Services Director Sam Tan and Art Director Tai Chin Wee."
Where's Fromowitz?
Award-winning TBWA regional creative director Mike Fromowitz has left TBWA for BBDO New York for a bite of the big apple. Way to go Mike!
Poster Publicity looks out in The Philippines Out Of Home (OOH) media is in vogue. More and more advertisers are turning to outdoor as the remaining mass reach, big impact media choice. In Manila, Universal McCann (UM) is actively tapping into OOH media and confirmed its efficiency when it conducted its own research in 1999. As part of the number one ad agency in the Philippines, it was convinced about the potential value of outdoor but they had valid concerns about the suppliers in the Philippines and meeting client requirements and expectations, such as: • quality of construction • quality of display material production • meeting campaign deadlines • maintenance of displays/lighting • after sales service • useful information about the installation and status of displays • flexible booking periods • audience measurement and other research
Recently, UM partnered with international outdoor media specialist, Poster Publicity (PP), to determine the way outdoor media in the Philippines is planned, bought, sold, managed and measured. Poster Publicity conducted audits of outdoor sites booked by UM clients, with evaluation of site quality and audience delivery. With this evaluation tool, future commitments to existing sites or new sites could be measured to ensure appropriate value. Poster Publicity provides traffic volume mapping plus geographic and demographic distribution data. Clients then apply strategic campaign planning to outdoor media programs. Tactical campaigns of different weight, distribution and timing can be used to deliver specific communication to precise audiences. New investment can be focused on gaps in the coverage and directed at
Letter to Editor Moanalisa Ng DoOrDie Communications, S1A-2, Cheras Flats, Taman Cheras, 56100 KL 15 April, 2000 Dear Advertising Greats of the 4A's Council, RE: What's wrong with doing ads for "insignificant" clients? I was at the Kancil Awards 1998/99. We didn't have a table. But my CD and I managed to find a spot here and there. You know, the seats vacated by winners who were, at different moments, occupied on stage. Anyway, I'm very disappointed my entry didn't pick up anything. The ad was for a Bak Kut Teh shop. One of our better clients (we have 5). It was a very clean ad. Lots of white space. With a visual pun right smack in the middle. Which, by the way, was a picture of a khinzir photo-shopped a bright red. The copy read: Terror-Menerra's Tom Yam Bak Kut Teh. Now served. Please tell me why the ad wasn't even flashed. Even my CD, who normally doesn't have much to say, had given it a "Hmmm." Did I fudge up the entry details? Was the typeface too big? Perhaps, you have something against the main talent in the ad. I worked really hard on this ad. Even shot the khinzir myself. The candid, raw look is in, isn't it? Look at "Wedding" by VW. Plus, my CD-cum-Business Development Manager took a week to get
reaching new markets. UM and Poster Publicity jointly presented these services to clients who are major users of outdoor media. To date, UM and PP have been awarded AOR (Agency of Record) assignments for outdoor for Nestle Philippines, Globe Telecom, (the Philippines' leading mobile communications company) and The Coca-Cola Export Corporation. In propelling the interest in OOH media, Outdoor Advertising Association of the Philippines (OAAP) President, Carlo Llave recently pledged that association members will have to reinforce
quality service and best practices as for in the agreed terms of trading. Ron Graham, Asia Pacific regional director of Poster Publicity says, "Outdoor media must improve in measurement and delivery in order to compete with other main media for increased share of advertising budgets. The aim is not to make life difficult but to help outdoor suppliers so that the medium is used well and promotes itself better. Sometimes there needs to be a cop on the beat in order to remind us to do the right thing".
the ad sold. Including the two days he took off to recuperate from the strategic planning. You must understand that selling to clients can be painful; the occasional Tattoo shop included. Imagine my delight when Boss returned from the client with the potbelly -1 mean - good news. And my distress at the Awards. You see, losing hurts when you lose as often as I do. I lose when my ideas get rejected 12 times a day (for the same job). I lose when they get rejected by the CD. At least, I think that's what the hand-under-chin plus blank stare mean. In fact, I even lose when the client runs the ad. (Posters can be expensive, you know.) It hurts especially since I'm doing ads for real clients. Hey, I can't help it if their billings can't feed a family of pet iguanas. In fact, the smaller the client, the more reason we have to advertise. Competition, remember? Okay, I'm not too sure about shoe shops. But then, that's not my area of expertise so it'd be unfair to comment. Also, small fish like us want awards, too. If having small clients automatically render all our work dodgy, does it mean we shouldn't bother with submissions? Wait, did you strike out my ad because it smelt scammy? I'd appreciate it if you could clarify! I'm trying really hard, you know. I aim to be a Senior Copywriter in a bigger agency, soon. After all, I'm already 42. Yours faithfully, Moanalisa Note: This article disguises itself as a letterto bemoan the plight of small agencies with a huge appetite for awards and a puny budget at the same time.
ADOIANYTHINGADVERTISING 35
Grey Shines Grey Creative: Standing [l-r]: Sharon Chow (Production Manager), Andrew Fong (AD), Jeff Orr (ECD), Andy Soong (Sr. AD), Koh KS (Designer). Seated [l-r]: Phelo Francis (Creative Co-ordinator), Raymond Ng (CW), Clare Lim (AD), Hasnah Samidin (CW). Floor [l-r]: Edwin Leong (CD), Richard Chin (Designer).
From a little over a dozen submissions, Grey Malaysia did well at three of the most prestigious international and regional award shows lately. The agency won a Gold, a Silver and two Bronzes at the recent Asia-Pacific AdFest. Then at Media's Asian Advertising Awards, they picked up a Spike, two Certificates of Excellence and four Finalists awards. And finally at the British Design & Art Direction [D&AD] 2000, they clinched a Silver nomination and an Aceptance. The winning work was created for 3M, BSN Commercial Bank, PanGlobal Insurance, CDA Malaysia and Grey Healthcare.
Asian Advertising Awards: Gerificate of Excellence Tide: 'Queue' BSN Internet Banking - Launch POS Creative Team: Edwin Leong (Writer/Creative Director), Raymond Ng (Writer), Clare Lim (Art Director)
D&AD: Finalist Iitle:'E-Mair PanGlobal Insurance Corporate Greetings Creative Team: Edwin Leong (Writer/Creative Director) Raymond Ng (Writer) Clare Lim (Art Director) Tan Joh Kee (Visualiser-Interactive) Asian Advertising Awards: Spike Tide: 'Mao1 3M Millenium Print Campaign Creative Team: Edwin Leong (Writer/Creative Director) Andy Soong (Sr. Art Director) Shalini Gonzaga (Writer)
ADOIANYTHINGADVEOTISING 36
Adfest: Silver Tide: 'Steps' 3M Millenium Campaign Creative Team: Edwin Leong (Writer/Creative Director) Andy Soong (Sr. Art Director) Shalini Gonzaga (Writer)
New Gold Credit card Campaign for AMEX by Ogilvy & Mather Ogilvy & Mather launched a new campaign for the American Express Gold Credit card in Hong Kong. The campaign aims to reinforce the positioning of the American Express Gold Credit Card as the best cashback card on the market. This is the second yer of the campaign for the American Express Gold Credit card, and the new campaign retains the overall "gold objects" look to visually dramatise the look even further, Australian photogrpher Eryk Fitkau developed two prints for each image - one black-and-white and one colour. He then used a "light-painting" technique to re-shoot each print to achieve the ideal mood and tone. The team behind the work is: Neil Ducray, Priscilla Lee, Catherine Wong, Flavia Lieu and Priscilla Chan
HAVE YO
HUGGED TODAY
(account service), Raymond Chau (ECD), Eugene Tsoh (Senior Art Director) and Janice Tsang (Senior Writer).
POS Ads hits home with Focus on the Family Posters Point-Of-Sale (POS) Advertising who specialises in in-store media regularly runs a poster campaign that espouses the value of a closeknit family. This piece ran recently
titled " Have you hugged your child today?" POS Ads will run more posters on the same theme every month.
ADOIANYTHINGADVERTISING 37
Nikon and Hachette Move into Global Partnership Hachette Filipaeehi Media (HFM), publisher of ELLE magazine has recently finalised details of a global promotion programme with Nikon Corporation in 21 editions of the world's biggest selling upscale women's magazine. The latest development is a natural progression of a partnership which started back in 1998 when Nikon made its first-ever global buy into 6 European and US editions of ELLE. In 1999, the global partnership resulted in Nikon's investment involving 12 editions of ELLE spanning across Europe, USA and Asia. Hachette and Nikon are again joining forces on one of the world's most prestigious photography competition - the Nikon Photo Contest International (NCPI), which is scheduled for launch in May this year.
elements of women and seduction through creative photography." Alain Deroche, Deputy Director of HFM International Editions in charge of ELLE adds, "We are thrilled to be in collaboration with Nikon for the third year running. ELLE, being the world's biggest upscale women's magazine is continually working towards adding value to our corporate clients' operation in different ways. The NPCI, with its long history and quality of entrants, is indeed an international photography competition of prestige. " Melvyn Goh, Managing Director, Asia of Hachette Filipaeehi Global Advertising (HFGA) the international sales arm of HFM continues, "The dynamics of the relationship have moved into another phase: it is more than just a buyer-seller relationship. What is most gratifying however is the fact that we are able to build value and bring together a range of services for a non mainstream client like Nikon. The "Seduction" theme contest is the perfect match for ELLE, reflecting ELLE women 2000's attitude, perso nality and femininity."
Hiroshi Yasue, Deputy Manager (Communications and Marketing), of Nikon Corporation says, " Nikon Corporation and ELLE created the theme "Seduction" for the photo contest and it is hoped the initiative would bring
Nikon merges two distinct hut complementary aspects to offer you a camera unlike any other. The Nuvis S. •Closed, it'sthe ultimate fashion accessory—stylishenough for theopera, socompact you'll want totake it everywhere you go. Slide open the stainless steel shell and you reveal a sophisticated triple-zoom masterpiece of Nikon technology — versatile flash, smart autofocus, Advanced Photo System convenience and more. mm The perfect combination of form and function. O The NuvisS. For every mood and moment, IwfJTOfl
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