Malaysia 2001 December Issue

MALAYSIA #1 ADVERTISING AND MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS MAGAZINE

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Notes from the editor aDOl IT Newsprint is making the news for all the wrong reasons. PYChin reports in The Sun that newspaper publishers have been hit by a 'Perfect Storm' - falling ad revenue, sliding circulation and rising newsprint costs. Across the board, some of the main newspapers have already been hit, while others await their turn. Adex in the NST was sliced by 15.3% for the year ended August 31st. NSTs circulation which used to stand at 180,000, now meanders around 150,000. At the same time, newsprint costs rose by 21%.

Lest it is easily assumed that the newspaper's woes are tied to the NSTP group's troubles, a glance at Nanyang Press Holdings shows that they are also in the red.

Nanyang Press, which publishes Nanyang Siang Pau and China Press, chalked up a loss of RM2.33 million for the year ended June 30th as compared to a net profit of RM21.75 million last year. Nanyang, although it enjoys about 45% of the Chinese adex market, cited the same three reasons for their poor performance. Utusan Melayu, the stable of Utusan Malaysia and Utusan Melayu, posted a dismal net loss of RM24.2 million for nine months ended September 30th for similar reasons. Over at Star Publications, The Star which has always proved to be (pardon the pun) a star performer amongst newspapers, pre-tax profits dived by 25% to RM 65.2 million.

The newspapers seems to be facing their day of reckoning. This downturn, ad revenue is plunging as clients find alternative (and cheaper) ways of advertising.

Radio, as reported by AC Nielsen, is enjoying a 22% growth rate (although total advertising grew only by 5%) and radio now commands a 3.7% share of the adex pie as compared to 3.5% last year. Other media owners are becoming increasingly competitive and stepping up the heat in these days of falling ad revenue. How will newspapers fight the trend of clients looking for the specific target markets that format radio offers? Or the media owners who interestingly package space in more than one media for clients? Or the stunning advertising spectacles that ambient media offers? The medium has to revamp itself to survive.

Presently, the industry also sees another media player making its entrance to the market. Asiaspace Dotcom Sdn Bhd will be launching the first digital audio broadcast in the local market soon. Asiaspace's digital broadcast allows listener's to tune into 24 worldwide news channels such as BBC, Bloomberg and cable News Network. Asiaspace will also broadcast other Asian audio programmes. As transmission is via satellite, Asiaspace will also be able to facilitate wireless delivery for multimedia content providers to consumer laptops.

Next year's media scene is bound to be hot - as AC Nielsen projects this year's adex growth to a mere 2.3% (a rapid deceleration from last year's 24.4%) - and the industry will see the media owners scrambling for a slice of a smaller pie. Whether next year the adex will shrink, remains to be seen, and the newspapers may well have to find strategies to combat this shrink as well as the intense competition.

Respectfully,

HIGHLIGHTS

HL

MerryChristmads Great Knockers - A Peek Down the Blouse of the World's Advertising Press

pg 13

What's the Lowe Down On Lowe Lintas?

pg 36

Marketing Brands In Recession

INTERACTIVE A Gall to Action

pg 13

DIRECT MARKETING D.M. The Beautiful Realising the Possibilities In America

pg 14

AWARD WINNING ADS Kancil Night 2001

pg 15 - 26

ADS GALORE Celcom Celebrates the Festival of Lights

pg 35

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS Tony Savarimuthu gives the client's point of view

...pg 4

Ian Batey gets definitive about Asian branding

pg 10

Master Lam on Chinese calligraphy

pg 12

Fresh New Face for Reader's Digest

pg 30

Coke Captures the everyday trials and triumph of youth

pg 32 - 33

TNB Fires Up With Leo Burnett

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aDOl 3

ONE WOULD HOPE THAT AN AGENCY IS PASSIONATE ABOUT WHAT THEY DO. THEIR IDEAS, THEIR PEOPLE, THEIR FIERCE DEDICATION TO BUILDING THEIR CLIENT'S BRANDS... THEIR ABILITY TO BE SENSITIVE AND INSIGHTFUL ABOUT HUMAN NATURE. THESE ARE THE FUNDAMENTALS OF THE BUSINESS -IF THEY DON'T HAVE IT-THEY SHOULD GET THE HECK OUT.

When Tony Savarimuthu announced to the industry that he was quitting Leo Burnett's after n long years, the industry was abuzz with rumours.

Regarded as one of the agency's stalwarts, Tony started off as an AE and worked his way up to the post of GM. Most expected him to helm the agency in a few years, when he quit.

Tony has decided to abandon the GM's chair for a view from the client's side. ADOl meets up with this savvy ad professional about his new brief - this time round it's a client brief. As Executive Vice President of MBF Cards, Tony's new job focusses on branding MBF Card's new line of Visa cards - an expansion which involves increasing MBF Cards' AÂŁrP budget substantially to RM 23 million. ADOl also enquires about what this client is looking for in an agency...

4 aooi

How did you stumble into the world of advertising?

I think every human being is exposed to various forms of advertising from a very young age. So it stumbles on you and then completely pervades your life, and not the other way round. Even a toddler can recognize McDonald's golden arches.

When you come out into the real world after university - you have some options. You can choose to do something interesting or something awfully boring.

Some people think about how rich they are going to get, and how quickly. A few think about the social order of things, and if they can make a difference in the lives of others.

I didn't want to get a job in consulting or be a beancounter. Besides I spent almost all of the '80s in the UK where Saatchi and Saatchi was a very powerful brand name. I thought that advertising was going to be great business to be in (quite naively). One of the chaps I shared a house with had previously worked at Lintas and 0ÂŁrM. He told me how much money he made and again quite naively I believed him!

Seriously, I was quite fascinated at how the Saatchis had refashioned a dowdygrocer's daughter into a capitalist icon and symbol of power. I believed that advertising had the power to turn perception into reality. I still believe that advertising created Mrs. Thatcher!

From an economic point of view, good advertising acts as an engine for growth. To do that you should be prepared to take calculated risks. You need to ensure that the creative work and the ideas that are produced and implemented can build an emotional franchise for your brand among the right target audience. In time this will contribute to profitability, increased market share and ultimately value for your shareholders.

This is the general order of things in the business.

As lateral as it in terms of creativity - is it moves in a linear manner. It was a business that fascinated me and that's why I got into it.

After all these years at the most creative agency in the country, why work for a client organisation? Why now?

Burnett's was a great creative environment. As an employer they were second to none and I would have been hard-pressed to say that I was leaving for greener pastures. But I believed that it was time to stand up and be counted and decided to take the leap. To paraphrase the great Irish writer Brendan Behan, consultants and advertising folk are somewhat like critics....like eunuchs in a harem; they're there every night, they see it every night, they say how it should be done every night but they are unable to do it themselves. Behan was a leftie and an alcoholic but what he said kind of made me think - am I or for that matter any advertising person akin to those critics that Behan spoke of. I decided then it was time to make that leap.

I was getting too comfortable and when that happens it is a damned dangerous thing. Besides risk is the mother of progress. People asked me why I had left Burnett's when they believed that I would head the organization one day. When you believe that kind of talk about yourself then you don't deserve to be CEO. Life is about risks. Nothing is certain. I was also asked by a rival MD if I was deserting a sinking ship. I didn't know where this guy got the idea from.

Burnett's had just won the Malaysia Airlines business in an intensely fought battle and his agency didn't even make the cut.

Why MBF Cards?

After a discovery phase, I decided that MBF Cards was the right organization to join. This was a company that had a remarkable history but was seeking to reinvent itself. I was seeking to reinvent myself, so when our paths crossed I felt that it was the right opportunity to take. Donald Lee, the president of the company was very forthright and open with what he wanted me to do at MBF Cards - be creative and chart the strategic course of

the MBF Cards brand. His brief to me was not only to improve the quantity of cards we have in circulation but to raise the quality of our card-membership and the programmes we take to them.

When I walked into the MBF Cards Customer Service centres -I felt that the experience I had exceeded the treatment one is likely to get at the many banking halls that cater for priority customers. This surprised me and made me think that these guys were serious ! I met what one could call hardworking, "salt of the earth" professionals with a deep sense of integrity. Both our ideals were similar - at MBF Cards the core values included being Human Resource driven. The company has an annual internal climate survey and took seriously any employee feedback to make improvements.

The company also had a record for innovation and first to market products - i.e. the E-power and Lady card as well as the most comprehensive bill payment services for utilities and even local council assessment. There were some important things happening in the organisation, MBf Cards had asked Landor to revamp their corporate identity and were embarking on a well thought out plan to be the most innovative card services provider. More importantly there was a perception-reality gap to bridge. I couldn't have asked for a better brief.

What is your afirp projection like ? Are you reducing it, keeping it or increasing it in view of the image revamp as well as the economic slowdown?

We are planning to spend in the region of RM 23 million on advertising and promotions activities in 2002. This is a significant increase over the current year. There is solid research to indicate that brands that continue to communicate with their customers and prospects during an economic downturn will experience significant upward movement in terms of market share when the economic situation improves.

There is never a better time to build and market your brand then now because customers would tend to support the brands that are established, familiar and have a record of offering superior benefits.

MBF Cards is reinventing itself - what are the major issues that this image revamp would involve ?

Competition in the credit cards industry is very intense. If you are just a plastic card that is used as a cash alternative - chances are that you will either get eaten by the competition or your consumers will reject you.

The new MBF Cards brand stands for practical innovation. We need to innovate with purpose - both the E-Power card and the Ladycard are a step in the right direction. We have co-branded with partners so that both groups i.e. our partners' customers as well as our customers can derive superior benefits from the association.

We were seen by some quarters as a poor man's credit card or an upscale money-lender. Some of the einitiatives that we have introduced - firmly take us out of this category. We are a brand that promises more value for new as well as current credit card holders We would be segmenting our Cardmembers more accurately so that their individual requirements, associations and user habits are recognised. We can't play the promotions game forever as it diminishes the value attached to our brand. On the long run it only encourages attrition or decreased usage as people obtain and use the card to redeem gifts and enter a contest and then go back to using the card that offers more benefits.

We need to attract the right sort of card member from the start and keep our current and loyal users.

This is our challenge. We need to have the right image dimensions and develop practical and innovative solutions for our cardmembers. Our first-to-market products have gives us a younger and more dynamic

persona. All these provide a solid platform for us to move on to the next phase of our development which is to take to market innovative card-based solutions that people feel they can't do without because it makes their lives that much more simpler.

The new marketing strategy is completely different isn't it? What is the new direction for MBF Cards?

The brand we are dealing with is MBF Cards. Under this umbrella we have a portfolio of brands to manage.

We now have Visa to add to our MasterCard brand. The MBF MasterCard brand additionally has various subbrands i.e. Ladycard, E-Power and our co-branded cards.

Then we have the various service brands - Click' N Pay, Click' N Apply,Wap' N Pay and Call' N Pay. We will organise our brand portfolio and create a cohesive brand architecture that both supports and draws strength from the mother brand. But first we need to define what the MBF Cards brands stand for clearly to our stakeholders. At MBF Cards our promise is to improve and simplify our customers' life.

We achieve this objective by continuously developing dynamic new products and services that are created on the basis of individual flexibility, for everyone's needs are different. At MBF Cards, we believe that innovation is good but practical innovation is better. This is borne out by the products and services we have introduced into the market.

MBF Cards has also gone quite intensively into e-products. Will this trend be continued?

Introducing products and services in the e-space will form a core part of our future strategy. MBf Cards is the leader in this area and we hope to maintain our edge. We need to stay at the forefront of this as it is a vital entry point to getting new card users. There will be a significant increase in web-based communication from our end as this will allow us to communicate faster and more efficiently with our Cardmember base.

People are increasingly using digital products and services to facilitate their daily lives and to survive you need to be in the thick of this revolution.

You're putting Visa on the card - how is this going to take the MBF Cards places ?

We have had a long and fruitful partnership with MasterCard. The MBF name and MasterCard are synonymous. The Visa brand is however a significant addition to the MBF Cards family of brands. Visa allows us to expand our brand franchise to a whole new group of people both in terms of lifestyle and usage.

Additionally our MasterCard members may choose to carry both brands and this will be an added convenience to them.

What is significant however is that the introduction of Visa is an important step for us to become a dynamic and fully integrated card services player. We have to keep slightly ahead of our consumers continually adapting to their aspirations. The Visa brand will help us do this by adding a different lustre to our brand. As was noted recently by 'The Asian Banker's Journal' in an interview with Donald - MBF Cards is coming out of the shadows. We have some exciting things in store when we launch Visa.

Our long-term dedication to our business partners, customers, employees, shareholders and community however will never be sacrificed for short term business gains. Everything we do - either with Visa or our other partners will be for the long haul.

Seriously - one would hope that an agency is passionate about what they do. Their ideas, their people, their fierce dedication to building their client's brands. Their willingness to dig and reach deeper into their abilities and provide that little bit of lustre to your brand that can make all the difference. Their ability to be sensitive and insightful about human nature. These are the fundamentals of the business - if they don't have it - they should get the heck out.

The rest of the hard strategic stuff will follow naturally but you need to have passion. You need to have passion. That's what this game is about.

Communication can be a sharp scalpel or a blunted axe - dependingon who is wielding it - what would you look for in an agency ?

Is this a trick question? Hairy ideas that scare the living daylights out of me or keep me awake at night!

aooi 5

"Here's my card" - Tony with Donald Lee.

ADOl also did some time with the man who has been spending the past 4 years rebranding MBF Cards Donald Lee, President of the MBF Cards, who provides the overall strategic direction and manages the division's market development. Donald has had a successful 31 years running international businesses with leading US and overseas consumer product companies especially in the Asia Pacific region.

Donald, when you pick a reputed advertising man to a position of power in your organisation, you are obviously makinga statement about the direction of the company is taking.

That's an excellent question. However, for me to answer that question properly, I have to first tell you where MBF Cards was four years ago, where we are today, before I discuss the future direction of MBF Cards.

Four years when I joined MBF Cards the needs of the Company were different than now. When I first started, MBF Cards was already a market leader in Malaysia's credit card industry. Years earlier, as the MasterCard pioneer in Malaysia, MBF Cards flooded the market with credit cards to minimum wage earners.

Clearly, MBF Cards was strictly sales driven.

Our current marketing strategy is now more focussed on building brand equity, emphasising MBF Cards' core USP's - payment convenience and our rewards programs.

In order to market ourselves successfully as offering payment convenience and the best rewards program, MBF Cards had to be able to deliver. Importantly, we paid a lot of attention to improving our level of Customer Service Excellence through extensive training efforts.

We also realized that MBF Cards' brand image was a bit dated and also suffered a negative halo effect from MBf Finance's financial problems. Hence, the urgent need to revitalize and rejuvenate the existing brand about a year ago. To take our repositioning efforts one step further we saw the huge opportunity that e-business offers for financial services companies such as ourselves.

Our efforts have even attracted World Class Companies (Advent International, GE Equity and Arab Malaysian Corp) to invest in MBF Cards. The results of our repositioning efforts have been most reassuring.

Now, to finally answer your question. Before July 2001, MBF Cards was a single brand issuer and acquirer, MasterCard International. With Visa International granting us a Visa issuing and acquiring license, there's an urgent need to conceptualize and develop a brand strategy to successfully launch Visa branded products.

Our efforts for the past four years focussed on improving and tweaking the communication of all of our marketing messages. We already had something to work with and improve. With Visa, it's a clean sheet of paper. To enable our Visa branded products to be as

6 aooi

successful as our MasterCard products will require a specialised skill set that MBF cards didn't have - an accomplished creative and strategic marketer who together with the existing management team will build a strong Visa franchise.

What is your market share? What are your projections by end of 2002?

MBF Cards' market share is currently about 16% of Malaysia's MasterCard cards in circulation and about 10% of Malaysia's total credit cards in circulation (which includes Visa, Amex and Diners). By end of 2002, we anticipate increasing our MasterCard market share to about 18%, and total credit card market share to about 13%.

Our current marketing strategy is now more focussed on building brand equity...

What is your mind share? What are your projections by end of 2002?

For mind share, we don't really have an accurate statistic. However, when the Malaysian public thinks MasterCard, MBF Cards' awareness is quite high. This is primarily because MBF Cards was the pioneer in issuing MasterCards starting in 1987, aggressively building the brand such that MasterCard currently holds a larger market share than Visa. This is a rare exception in Asia Pacific. MBF Cards' mind share continues to improve due to our aggressive marketing of MBF Cards products and services, the successful rebranding exercise, and the active public relations activities undertaken.

Perceptions rule the world - what are the perceptions that MBf Cards is going to fix in the next 2 years?

MBF Cards has an extremely strong franchise and a

loyal CardMember base as evidenced by our low voluntary attrition rate. We also measure and track Customer Service Excellence and brand image quarterly by random sampling of 3,000 CardMembers. The results are tabulated and analysed by Taylor Nelson. MBF Cards is consistently rated second in Customer Service Excellence, just below Citibank Regarding brand image, our CardMember ranks us third with an average score of 4.0 (signifying a prestigious brand), below only Amex and Citibank.

Of course our customer service and brand image ranking would not be as favorable with non-MBF CardMembers due to the negative halo effect that I mentioned earlier. We have commissioned Acorn to conduct a quantitative survey of MBF and non-MBF Card Members to gauge the results. Top line results will be available by end of November.

The primary perception that we have to fix is to close the gap between the public's perception of MBF Cards and the reality. We will accomplish this by continuing to do what we have been doing successfully with a particular emphasis on a more intensive and active public relations effort. To this end, we have just appointed Edelman to help develop and implement our PR strategy.

Can the poor cousin of cards become the prince?

Perhaps MBF Cards was a poor cousin a few years back, but we don't believe that's the case today. In fact, MBF Cards already thinks it's already the prince and now we are shooting for a higher designation! Realistically, there's remains a lot of work to be done before we attain our Vision of becoming a World Class Company. Building an equally strong franchise for our Visa products, becoming a successful fully integrated credit card company (extending credit directly to CardMembers) and eliminating the perception / reality gap with nonmembers are the key goals MBF Cards will need to achieve in the mid - term.

What do you look for in an ad agency?

We view our advertising agency as an extension of MBF Cards. The advertising agency must share the same Vision as we do, otherwise accomplishing our objectives would be impossible. To be successful, we need to be partners working towards common goals. As such, we need to forge a close working relationship and here, personality chemistry is important. The advertising agency needs to be proactive and not reactive, and be creative and strategic in their marketing approach.

Hey, this sounds like Tony !

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MERRY GHRISTMADS Every year without fail, some sincere and well-meaning christian clerics decry what they see as the profane commer­ cialisation of Christmas. Understandably enough, they're saddened by witnessing spirituality succumb to a scramble for cash and trash. There was a time when I shared their concern, but not any longer. "Peace on earth and goodwill to all men" are fine and noble aims, but from what I see all around the world, religion of any kind or creed seems a most inefficient way of achieving them.

To be sure all faiths talk a great game, peacewise. But when it comes to the crunch, as currently in the "war on terror" and as seemingly always in the very home of Christmas, the so-called "Holy Land", it seems heavenly ideals have a way of succumbing to hypocrisy, holier-than-thou hubris and murderous sectarian hatred.

So maybe it's time to stop getting cross about the transformation of Christmas

into Crassmas and start celebrating the process. At least while people are making gift lists, shopping for presents, decking their halls with tinsel, plastic holly and pressure-pak snow, stringing-up coloured lights, sending each other cheery cards, stocking-up with food and drink for the holidays and working overtime to pay for it all, they're too busy to be preying on eachother for praying todifferent gods.

Commerce may not be everything in life, but at least it gets results and minds its own business. Honest industry keeps us off the streets, provides us with a living in every imaginable sphere of activity from agriculture to advertising, and funds the services -water, sewerage, power, roads, public safety and whatever - that we both depend on so heavily and take so lightly for granted. Certainly commerce or capitalism also has its deficiencies, not to say outright evils. But control and correction of everything from criminal greed to grinding poverty are matters

for legislation and law-enforcement agencies on the one hand, and education, aid and humanitarian organisations on the other. And where does the money come from to fund all this largesse? From taxes on profits and earnings. Good old commerce again.

So for my money, the commer­ cialisation of Christmas, far from being a regrettable, retrograde trend, could be a step in the right direction. In fact those three guys who reputedly brought the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the stable in Bethlehem way back on the first Christmas Day may have been "wise men" in more ways than one. And we wiseguys and girls in advertising could do worse than take a leaf out of their book. Here's hoping we've really delivered the goods this yuletide season truly gifted campaigns that have coaxed the consumers into a festive mood, jingled the bells on the cash registers and sent our clients ho, ho, ho-ing all

the way to the bank. If so we've done all we can to earn ourselves, our families and fellow citizens a very happy Christmas indeed. And who knows, maybe even a holy one into the bargain.

Dean Johns is a partner in the regional creative hotshop CreAsia and strategic consultancyStrADegy.

Email stradegy@optushome.com.au

THE PROBLEM OF CREDIBILITY IN ADVERTISING

by Kapil Sethi, Director of Strategic Planning, Bates M'sia.

Agency margins are under constantly increasing pressure Employee churn in advertising is one of the highest of any industry Agency clients increasingly perceive advertising people as mere suppliers, changing them almost at will Client imposed deadlines and expectations are increasingly unrealistic Any or all of the above seem familiar? If so, you belong to an increasingly worried set of advertising professionals who are finding their options in dealing with this growing crisis of confidence increasingly difficult to manage. This article attempts to initiate a debate in order to sort out the underlying issues and possible solutions to this critical situation.

Concurrent with the ever-increasing stress on brand building over product selling across the world of marketing has been the almost complete loss of advertising brands.

The glory days of the Saatchi brothers and power lunches, ridiculously paid suits driving phallic automobiles,

and creative pashas with their own fiefdoms are long gone. Clearly, the honeymoon between marketing and advertising is over, and we seem to head ever closer to the end result of a marriage between unequals- divorce, looming large.

As the credibility of advertising agencies to provide authentic brand building solutions declines, it is accompanied by the rise of marketing consultancies, which promise to replace the vacuum with unbiased, rigorous and optimal answers, leaving agencies with the lowly task of mere execution. What has happened?

In the search for answers, some introspection has become vital. Have advertising agencies applied the principles of brand management they so hoarsely proclaim to their own business? How many distinct agency brands are there in the world? What do they stand for? On what basis do they command their consumer's loyalty? How do they command a price premium over one another in a cluttered marketplace?

Sadly the answer to these questions point to the almost complete commodification of the advertising business. Clients are no longer willing to pay extra money, treat agencies with respect, or allow any kind of licence when they are paying for commodities, not brands.

What are the brand values that different agencies project and espouse to create relevant differentiation?

Clients are no longer clear about what they are getting in exchange for what specific advertising agencies supply. In the absence of any such brand attributes, agency pricing and turnarounds become surrogates for the decision making process. The key criteria for deciding on agency hiring seem to be in the area of who is the cheapest, who can provide the most resources, who takes the least time to deliver the product and

who remembers the daughter's birthday, not necessarily in that order. Content and attitude have been replaced by process and cost.

Advertising professionals have begun to feel the same way. When they join agencies, in the absence of brands the decision is made based on money offered, people they know, or their perception of the agency's client brands. If the agency has Nike or Coke on its roster, they hope they can get to interact with the attitude those brands represent, and squeeze the maximum money they can in the bargain. How often have we heard people say they work on Carlsberg or Nokia, rather than with xyz agency?

What can advertising do to repair the loss before it is too late? In a phrase, practice what they preach, or in a more famous quote, "Physician, heal thyself" If agencies are to arrive at a more equal position of partnership with marketers, they have to build advertising brands. In any product parity situation, differentiation is found in the brand attitude. The need is to begin to look at agencies as products in need of branding. The need is to consciously try and evolve a consistent look and feel for the brand in line with the product offering, provide a brand experience in line with the prospect's mindset, arid project a differentiated, relevant and clear brand position to the target audience-primary and secondary.

Like any other service industry, the process includes the complete reorganization of the corporation around the brand, including human resources and the product offering-both tangible and intangible.

The process is difficult, but if we believe in the power of brands, there is no other way, and the rewards should be great-the latest renaissance of a once great and noble profession.

visit adoi-1.lyGosasia.com/microsite2 8 aooi

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We (in the advertising industry) are such fragile ego-maniacs that we live or die by the adrenaline of success, and we're deeply depressed by failure and contemplate suicide quite frequently. So we have an elevated life - we're swinging between up and down all the time.

10 aDOl

The legend of Asian advertising - Ian Batey was recently in town to talk about the great passion of his life - branding Asian companies. Born in Britain, bred in Australia, Ian arrived on the Singapore shores when advertising was in its fledgling years. His first client was Singapore Airlines in 1972, others followed - United Overseas Bank, Singapore Tourism Board and Tiger Beer - which went on to become brands in their own right.

The creator of the Singapore Girl was bestowed with the first Lifetime Achievement Award of the Institute of Advertising Singapore in 1999. ADOl talked to the man himself...

You were responsible for creating a great independent agency in Asia -this is no mean feat. What were some of the most exciting moments of doing that?

I suppose getting recognition is very exciting - we were very fortunate that we had a great brand to begin with which was Singapore Airlines and we did some work which got some recognition, regionally and internationally. And that gave us confidence to apply the thinking to other brands as they came in such as the Tourism Board. Later on we got involved in Tiger Beer and I found that very exciting because we took Tiger Beer when it was relaunched as a brand - they were thinking of dumping it as a brand and someone said 'Let's relaunch it.' And they relaunched it with a gold top on it and repackaged it and put a premium price on it and made it for a niche market. We got it shortly after the relaunch and at the start it was having a 15% or 20% market share and after us, they had 55% of the Singapore market.

But the marketing people were very good - they had everything right except they were going for the wrong target market.

I think the exciting thing is when you do something that people really like. Because very often you do something that you really like and no one else likes, so the excitement is when you like it and everyone else likes it. I think that's the kick that the people in advertising get - we're such fragile ego-maniacs that we live or die by the adrenaline of success, and we're deeply depressed by failure and contemplate suicide quite frequently.

So we have an elevated life - we're swinging between up and down all the time.

We will target to be No 1or No 2 or No 3." Then how will you do it? Then you start building the road to that particular achievement. Becoming a global brand can come in many different textures - in the service industry, footwear, ladies' undergarments, food, motorcars, traditional Chinese medicine, IT. You don't have to do it but the downside about that is with globalisation, you'll find many more of the Western guys and the Japanese guys in through the door and they're very experienced operators. And you have less and less opportunity to transform and become brand owners - because the brand owner is the king they call the shots. I mean if my name was Bill Clinton you'd treat me with more respect than if I was Ian Batey - but it's just a name, it's only another person, but he has a lot more clout than I -1 don't know why though.

But branding is very important for growth, for prosperity and opportunities and if you

to give the brand owner good meaty stuff on why he has to be more brand-centric. How this will help him sell what your factory makes is a product, what you take to the market is a brand. That's the big switch to make.

What do you have to say to a client who despite the present gloomy outlook - wants to build a brand?

Do It. Do it clearly, and as intelligently and as best as you can. I keep repeating to myself and the people around me that what we're going through now is shortterm, and short-term in the lifespan of a brand can be anywhere between 3 months to 3 years, so you should still be planning to take your brand global and keep driving it - with investment at the right time. We don't put up a 'Closed' sign because we not doing well, we have to keep thinking ahead and planning. We'll get out of this and when we are getting out of it - you'll be better positioned to take advantage of the opportunities.

You've done a lot of campaigns, tell us a few of your favourites?

One of my favourites is Raffles Hotel and these were tiny little ads and we used to place them in tiny little spots - like in the New Yorker and we used to do them for years and years. More recently, I like the Swatch Skin campaign, where we developed the name and the trademark of the fingerprint.

I really love a campaign we did for the Tourist Board somewhere in the late seventies, which had the tagline 'The Most Surprising Tropical Island on Earth'.

We just had this one beautiful picture-ads with very little body copy - about 60-70 words. I think that was one of our great efforts.

WE DON'T PUT UP A 'CLOSED' SIGN BECAUSE WE'RE NUT DUING WELL, WE HAVE 10 KEEP THINKING AHEAD AND PUNNING. WE'LL GET OUT OF THIS AHD WHEN WE ARE GETTING OUT OF IT - YOU'LL BE BETTER POSITIONED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE OPPORTUNITIES.

Are Asian brands capable of becoming global brands?

After all you made the SIA brand...

I think that's a good example because it demonstrates an Asian company with the resolve and the focus and the vision and what it can achieve on a very competitive global stage. And I think that the time has come for other Asian companies to take up the crusade by looking ahead. At the moment there are very few non-Japan Asian brands (Australia included) - in the top 50 brands there's only one power brand - and that is Samsung which sits at number 42. But I say that by the year 2020, my target is that we should have 20 of those 50 top brands coming from non-Japan Asia. Now that's real tough work to be done over the next 20 years and the view is how do we go about doing this? And I say, "First of all we have to say say let's do it!" It's about the mindset isn't it - first you have to say "We will do this.

don't do it, you will always be in the swamp area of the marketing programme.

Many say that Asian clients are more sales-focussed than brand-focussed, what's your advice to agency people out there to convert such clients?

Well if you've got to work on them - and if you're from one of the big multinational agencies, they've got textbooks and cds and whatever coming out of their ears on why and how you should be building a brand - so they've got to work on educating the client and keep on working on it and working on it. Secondly, it should be a desired essential almost an imperative that all the 4AS around the region treat that as an assignment (rather than an industry job) to develop forums, tapes and lecture tours and books on the importance of brandbuilding. So they do an education job themselves.

But don't give the client a lot of garbage - you've got

What's the best part about being in advertising?

Waking up every morning and knowing that you're in for another big surprise everyday is a different surprise most people wake up, get on a bus, go to work and come home. You wake up and you don't know what's going to happen. And I echo and endorse 100% the words of a lovely old advertising guru called Peter Clemenger who said 'We're so lucky to be in advertising' because we're on the cutting edge of all things new and advertising all the time. There's always excitement - how many other industries are doing that?

What's the worst part of being in advertising?

The clients not paying the bills on time - they have a habit of dragging the payments out.

It's not good because we're on a shoe­ string cash flow but we fight for it and we get some of it.

aooi 11

TOUCH OF HE MASTER'S Endearingly called Master Lum, he is one of the rare calligraphy artists in Malaysia who fluidly crosses boundaries of style with ease. In this town, he is renowned for his calligraphy work, which exude strength and energy, a result of his deep passion for life and art. Master Lum is also well-known for a Winston commercial several years ago which incorporated scenes from Chinese painting. Through exposure to great philosophers, ancient classics and revered masters, Master Lum's deep understanding has led him to experiment with different techniques which has placed him at the forefront of the Malaysian Chinese art scene. His work has won him many awards and he has even placed as a finalist for both calligraphy and ink painting at the World Chinese Calligraphy and Painting Exhibition in China.

What makes Chinese calligraphy unique?

For Chinese people it is an art-form. In other civilisations, music and dance are main art-forms, but Chinese have an additional art form - i.e. calligraphy.

It's very precious to us and we consider it the core of Chinese art. It is the basis for all Chinese art be it ink painting or brush painting, and is related to all of Chinese art and is emblematic of Chinese aesthetics in a very condensed form. Chinese calligraphy started in the form of pictures and then it was transformed that it only extracted the essence of the pictures. But if you look deep within, you can find the pictures once again.

For me, as an artist, I love all sorts of painting - watercolours, oils - but I find that again and again I keep coming back to Chinese calligraphy and ink painting.

It's very profound and I find deep satisfaction and an inner peace in doing it.

Some people who are more used to modern art may look at Chinese painting and find it a little dull... They

12 aooi

may be partly right because most of the Chinese paintings that you see are very traditional - everybody is painting the same thing and same subjects for hundreds of years. Eventually, the work that is produced is very superficial and lacks depth and weight. In fact you can see them selling Chinese paintings in Central Market and pasar malams. In a way, this is Chinese painting but it's more commercialised and it's not art. That's why in my work I try to inject new elements - this maybe in the colours that I use or the subjects that I depict or even in

from the heart.

Your work looks, to me, like a bridge between the past and the present then...

Yes, I am very much aware of my roots and the tradition of Chinese painting - the paper, the strokes, the brushes - is still predominant in my work but we have to break away and learn from the others. Frank Klein, Van Gogh, Matisse and many Western masters learned from Chinese and Japanese art and infused their work with beautiful elements of Eastern art. We too have to see what we can learn from them and take our art to different heights. In that way, art is actually a dialogue between East and West, between the past and the present.

What do you think intertwines the Chinese soul so intimately with calligraphy?

Westerners, you will see, are drawn to music but for the Chinese, it's always calligraphy - it's actually about communication but it takes communication a step further. You have to see deeper into it, and see an art form. Where time is concerned, calligraphy becomes a timeless art. The Chinese philosophy is also embodied in calligraphy - the strokes should look old, natural (with imperfections and all) and maybe even a bit ugly. This should be an 'old hand at writing' - and when one is old, one is a bit slow to react, we can't write in a straight line and things like that. But there is great value in writing that is like that and is very much in line with the adage 'Do the thing slowly and steadily - not in haste'.

the paper, but I think that art is something evolves with time. Many people can reproduce the technique very well, but art is much much more than that. It must come

(Master Lum will be holding an exhibition of his paintings to welcome the year of the Horse in January.

Contact Nerve Centre : 03- 78737118 for further details.)

GREAT KNOCKERS A PEEK DOWN THE BLOUSE OF THE WORLD'S ADVERTISING PRESS.

Perhaps it's me but why is the ad world suddenly so fixated on bosoms?

BtrT Australia reports that lingerie and swimwear company MJM International is launching the liquid silicone filled Ultimo bra in Australia. Touted as offering "maximum cleavage enhancement without sacrificing comfort". Kayser is also cashing in on the cleavage enhancing hype, with its new Pump bra, which features two air sacs and can be inflated and deflated according to personal preference. Now I like a nice boob as much as the next man but there's a problem here. It all defies physical contact; it's all a bloody trick.

The boob isn't bigger or firmer or more succulent, it just looks that way. When the bra vanishes so does the bosom.

Virtual tits.

More evidence. The French, who should be used to such stuff, are reported

in AdAge to be launching the Wonderbra Variable Cleavage bra across Europe with a series of sexy ads by Euro RSCG, Paris.

Ads feature the black, faux-leather "Shame on You" bra under the suggestive tagline "Together at Last." Variable cleavage must be French for sucker, real sucker, total and complete sucker.

Campaign reports that a pair of Gossard bra posters by AMV-BBDO, featuring the quaint headlines, "Bring him to his knees' and 'If he's late start without him", have been forced off of billboards by the Advertising Standards Authority. Even the morally decadent UK felt that was a little close to the bone. This current spat of naughty but nice jug ads started with TBWA's famous 'Hello Boys' poster for Wonderbra (a line nicked incidentally from Mel Brook's cult movie 'Blazing Saddles'.)

Now having reached a peak with Gossard's stuff, many ad types wonder what's next?

Either more titillating 'fancy a shag?' stuff or a more subtle total cover up approach.

Personally I think ads should come out and

A CALL TO ACTION

say what they really mean, 'take a good look cos' you'll never get near a pair as good looking as this, you loser'.

Star bosoms of course represent the height of forbidden fruit. Campaign again reports Elle MacPherson's 'Intimates' and Kylie Minogue's 'Love Kylie' underwear lines are about to be launched. (What is it with Australians and chests?) And according to AdAge, Hollywood star Bridget Fonda will shortly grace billboards across Europe to promote the Swedish company H&M's latest line of underwear. So now, not only are the hooters themselves totally out of reach, so is the person who owns them.

These days women don't burn their bras to make a stand. Theybuy Wonderbras to empower themselves. They know men are so superficial they spend their lives viewing the world through their fly buttons. It's a bit sad that men are so easily manipulated. Good lord, we're so far gone men even write the ads.

PS Ladies, if you've got it use it.

over there? There's a lot to do in life as it is, you know!

A typical mid-size company spends, on average, hundreds of thousands on a robust consumer site and clearly has quite high hopes for its impact on the bottom line. Why not do everything in one's power to ensure its success? The reason I hear most often is that the Creative Director of the ad agency thought it jeopardised the 'integrity' of the design.

It clutters things up. We need to keep the layout and message 'simple.' I'll tell you what you need, Mr./Ms. CD, you need to focus on the objectives of your piece of art and involve something so basic as moving the prospective client along the loop your client is trying to close a sale on. Think about it at the beginning - not the end! Not as a roll-of-the-eyes when the client brings it up.

It's so easy, in general, to lose sight of the ROI of advertising. Once you get caught up in the creative challenges and the usual inflexibility of rigorous metho­ dology, things can drop out in exchange for cleverness. That's why it's so important to bounce each creative asset off of a clear set of objectives. That way if complete definition of the USP of a product, service or brand message is not likelyin a magazine ad or 30-second spot, it will be clear that there are other courses necessary and helpful - such as the Web site - to realize opportunities.

Hopefully this attention to goals will

Branding in Asia

j Paul Temporal BRANDING

An authoritative guide to corporate brand building in the Asian markets.

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In their efforts to remain competitive in an increasingly fragmented global marketplace, Asian ; companies, more than those jn many other parts of the world, must contend with accelerating, turbulent and fundamental change. Some of the key questions they are now asking themselves include: How can we gain global recognition?

How can we penetrate new markets? How can we reduce cost and increase value?

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,

P. TIT J 1,1,/, t rbw»

In Branding in Asia, Dr. Temporal explores the unique challenges to brand building for Asian markets and offers a wealth of commonsense advice on how to do it.

ISBN 0471479101 RM79.8

by Josh Sklar, global Chief Creative Officer CCG.XM -jsklar@ccgxm.com

One of the simplest elements one can add to a bit of advertising is a call-toaction line. It's, as we all know, the answer to "I've been amused/ intrigued/ piqued by your compelling words and pictures - now what do I do?" A great number of people in advertising will wipe their unsullied hands together and declare, "Brand is now top-of-mind. Mission Accomplished!" But why? Why not direct this prospect somewhere else for more verbose info? Sure, sometimes there's a phone number or the name of a shop listed and every now and again, well quite frequently these past few years, there's the address of a Web site.

The Web site. A place of mystery and a thousand possibilities if you're the person caught staring at the online address that has no context. This happens frequently because the all important next step tends to be slapped on as either a mandated item or an afterthought rather than being an integral tool to be incorporated into the overall messaging. More often than not, there's just the URL itself pasted on as an element of consistency within the brand platform. Sometimes, sometimes mind you, it might be possible to spy a "Visit us at..." or a "Click here!" (yes, even on print ads). You might as well ask someone to memorise a postal code after watching a commercial - just in case that particular person had that particular need.

Otherwise what's the benefit for heading

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Romancing the Customer Paul Temporal, Martin Trott

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Provide a fresh, international perspective on building customer relationships and building brand equity.

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ISBN 0471846155 RM119.80

result in inspiration being driven throughout the cycle in an integrated fashion. After the inspirational montage of humans aspiring to improve themselves through use of a product appears on television, the voice/over can say something like, "To experience xyz for yourself, head over to www.xyz.com." or "Win this amazing widget at www.widgetsrus.com!"

Or hey, maybe something not only specific, but memorable and equally as compelling as the rest of the words on the page. It took around five years for most companies and agencies to begin to recognise that the Web site itself should take on some attributes of the brand and not languish in the halls of the IT department to fates I am hesitant to describe here. Let's take a look at the call-to-action now too, huh?

And maybe a little bigger than 6 point, if you please.

Differentiate or Die

j Jack Trout DIFFERENTIATE „„

OR DIE

,

Why do some companies succeed at differentiating i their products or services from the herd while others struggle and fail?

In this groundbreaking book, positioning guru, Jack Trout provides difinitive answers to that question. He uses case studies from giants such as Dell, Southwest Airlines and Wal-Mart, as well as local successes such as Streit's Matzos and Trinity College, to show that the most successful differentiation initiatives are based on identifying and marketing a product's uniquely valuable qualities.

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Name ___ Address

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(www.mpti.com.my)

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D.M. THE BEAUTIFUL

REALISING THE POSSIBILITIES IN AMERICA Kurt Crocker, Creative Director Drayton Bird, Crocker & Mano Sdn Bhd

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Marketing Unwrapped Ray Perry

From the former marketing director of Mattel comes a book that describes how much marketing has evolved from a high-spending, unaccountable business to a hard-nosed, measurable science-requiring new, specific skills and knowledge. Marketing Unwrapped is the new rulebook to the new world of information age marketing. Using extensive case studies along with the author's practical advice, it details what marketing managers must know-including specific skills in IT, numeracy, and statistical analysis. It also details the many roles played by today's marketer, including data marketer, supply chain marketer, media marketer and partnership marketer.

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Marketing Asian Places Philip Kotler, Donald H.Haider, Irving Rein, Michael Hamlin

ASIAN

In this adaptation of the town HIS hwiartii succesful US title (which has 'tl'wiZ" run to six editions), the ^ authors show how places in Asia can become attractive "products" by effectively communicating their special qualities and attracting investment. Citing examples from throughout the region, the authors offer an analysis of why places fall on hard times and make recommendations on how they can compete aggressively for "place buyers" such as tourist and industrialists.

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Big Brand Big Trouble Jack Trout

j It wasn't long ago that Levi| Strauss, Xerox, Crest AT & T, Firestone and Digital Equipment dominated their respective markets. What happened to undermine their standings . .. ^ and of those of other superbrands? Are their declines simply the inevitable consequence of change and the birth of new competition? Jack Trout one of most respected marketing guru that question with a resounding "No!". Writing in his signature, straight-from-the-hip style he reveals the disastrous marketing and strategy blunders that led to the dissolution of the most recognized superbrands. He clearly show s how those mistakes could have been avoided.

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• Offer not valid with any other store promotions • Validfor one month only • 15'untill 15*Jan 2002

Love her or hate her, there are many things America does right. Direct Marketing is one of them. Here in Malaysia, we continue to merely dabble in D.M. That was painfully evident back in October with the dismal number of big winners at the annual Direct Marketing Association of Malaysia Awards. The body of work judged was (again) largely devoid of strategic spark, marketing ingenuity or even creative flair. This has been the sad state-of-affairs for quite a few years. Why? There are still very few dedicated Direct Marketing advocates in agencies or in the companies who work with agencies. The many possibilities offered through D.M. remain unidentified and unexplored. Most creative teams assigned to do Direct Marketing work consider their tasks a bothersome burden. Few are permanently assigned to specialized D.M. divisions, and the ones who are remain under-qualified to do the work.

Many of you have heard me whine about this before. So what to do? The economic advantages of targeted communications have been pitched for yonks, with moderate success. Marketers are, however, finally starting to catch on to the benefits of nurturing relationships with their customers. But most are doing it poorly or without a comprehensive, long-term plan. Some agencies have invested in D.M. training for their client service and creative staff. The problem with training is that you can teach the basics. You can define the discipline, offer a structure for a Direct Marketing brief, suggest a handy template for writing a letter. But you cannot teach a person to be passionate.

And passion is absolutely mandatory before anyone can even approach excellence. Quite a few of the "brand" advertisers possess passion. Few in Direct Marketing here do. And by passion I mean the unbridled joy that comes from analysing immediate results - good or bad... the adrenaline-packed experience of devising a particularly clever targeted strategic approach... heck, the unstoppable smile you get after writing a letter that positively soars with sell. No, you cannot teach passion. But perhaps you can inspire it.

Which is why I began this article as a tribute to Direct Marketers in America. They are doing some interesting work there, and maybe, by example, they may offer some source of inspiration to us here. So here are a few recent case histories, as reported by DM News: Burger Loyalty - Ah, those fast-food burger eaters are famously fickle. And promotion-sensitive. So how about a plan to keep them buying your brand long-term? Or at least beyond the usual short-term promotion period?

Burger King and eBay have teamed up with a big idea, reportedly the first web-based loyalty programme in the fastfood business.

A co-branded website will go live by the beginning of next year. Buying certain food or drink items at Burger King restaurants around the U.S. will earn points. These points can be deposited and tracked on the Burger King/eBay website.

Participants can then use their points to bid on posted rewards.

Burger King will offer i million rewards throughout 2002.

(Hey, Burger King: How about extending the programme to Malaysia?)

Dynamic DRTV in 30 Seconds - Are we ready or not? DRTV can be much more than a distribution channel for selling non­ stick frying pans and non-slip mats for your car's dash.

America's National Football League (NFL) has come up with another big idea that is bound to score.

The NFL Shop is the National Football League's direct marketing arm. They sell professional football merchandise like team-branded caps and tee-shirts. The NFL Shop got together with Reebok, who designed a special apparel line called NFL Gridiron Classics.

Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. is much more than stuffed turkey with all the trimmings. It is a very big day for American football. This article was written a few days before The Day, but

here is what the NFL planned: During the game between the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers, the coaches on both teams were to wear NFL Gridiron Classic apparel. In the first half, NFL Films would shoot footage of Lion's head coach Marty Mornhinweg in action as he goes about his business in a Gridiron Classics fleece. They would then package the footage into a 30second DRTV spot to be shown in the second half. The spot would offer a toll-free number and its URL as an opportunity for consumers to request a catalog.

About 20 million Americans were expected to be watching the game. And while 30-second spots aren't usually effective for DRTV, NFL Shop's senior director of database marketing believed the event tie-in would make the spot perform. I predict he was right.

Righting a "Wrong" - Got a cause you really believe in? Why not make it the real thing, with a little help from direct electronic marketing? That's what the folks at The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) did when Coca-Cola announced a marketing affiliation with the film Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. They felt that Coke was not healthy for children, and that the Harry Potter link-up would influence an unhealthy brand-choice.

So as Coca-Cola launched LiveTheMagic.com, a readingpromotion website the book's author J.K. Rowling made a pre­ requisite if there was to be a product/film association, CSPI launched SaveHarry.com. While LiveTheMagic.com allows visitors to enter the "Search for the Sorcerer's Stone" Coca-Cola promotion, develop a list of books to fit their interest and create their own "storybook adventure", SaveHarry.com is a platform for protest.

The SaveHarry site includes education about health issues associated with soft drinks, as well as a form letter e-mail that refers to Coke as "liquid candy". More than 700,000 people visited the site by mid-November, a number bolstered by PR appearances by a CSPI spokesperson on national television. In that same timeframe, 10,000 site visitors filled out and zapped the e-mail form, which was automatically copied to CEOs of Warner Brothers, Scholastic, the U.S. publisher of Harry Potter books; and Bloomsbury Publishing Place, the U.K. publisher.

Several like-minded sites offered links to SaveHarry, and CSPI is using all the e-mails to build a database for future causes.

Only in America? When you think about these and other innovative uses of Direct Marketing, think instead, "Why not Malaysia?"

The night most awaited in the industry is the Kancil Awards Night. Despite the sudden economic slowdown, the Grand Ballroom at the Shangri-La was packed to the brim with trendy men and slinky sirens on October 26th. Over 200 awards were given out mostly Merit awards and Bronzes. Standards were set high and only two golds were awarded (beside the Golden Kancil) -one to Leo Burnett for the Kinokuniya campaign and the other to DY£rR for the Citibank campaign. LB also distinguished itself as the agency with the most number of awards 1 gold, 4 silvers, 18 bronzes and 27 merits. Arachnid swept every award in the interactive section, and Bozell made the biggest leap from 13th place to 5th. AMP Radio surprised everyone (including themselves) by ranking 7th (after Bates and before 0£rM) with their wins in radio. Two awards for Young Creatives were also handed out to the very promising Walter Teoh of LB and the equally dynamic Tang Wai Hoong of Arachnid. To encourage young talent, a great number of student awards were also handed out to 28 students. But the night belonged to DY£rR who after the longest wait won the Golden Kancil... ADOI leaves you with the happy winners!

The drinks are on DY£rR tonight!

Hwa of BBDO is eager to shake Jeff's hand.

Lisa Ng and Edwin Leong of Grey take the opportunity to get to know Jeff Orr (also from Grey).

DY&R gets the first gold of the night!

Gavin Simpson & Paul Lim of O&M looking tired from running upstage all the time! '/ • .- -

LB looking happy, stunned and surprisef in turn.

Tang Wai Hoong of Arachnid gets the 'Young Creative' award.

Walter Teoh of LB is also voted as Young and Creative!

AGENCY

GOLD

SILVER

BRONZE

MERIT

TOTAL

DY&R BBDO Arachnid Bozell AMP Radio (L-R): Bob Seymour, CEO of Bozell Worldwide, Christopher Tan, Financial Director of Bozell Worlwide and Anthony Yeap, Head of Airtime & Programme Sales of Astro.

Publicis McCann Saatchis Friends il Omar Shaari of Spider D'arcy eagerly listening to John Burbidge.

OgilvyOne EuroRSCG TOTAL

IRRONZI

Smiling students hoping that their certs will make them recession-proof.

Faiz Izhak, General Manager of NST Press (left) £r Abdul Rashid Jamil, Utusan Media

Linda Ngiamis the rose amongst the thorns.

Szu and his boys looking happy and trendy.

Khoo Boo Boon giving a pointer to Rodney Vincent (Institute Sledgehammer).

(L-R): Mr. £r Mrs. Lee Kok Leong, Principal oflACT and Roslima Johari, Chairman of MNPA.

DYErR won the glorious Golden Kancil award this year for the very first time since the Kancils were introduced. ADOI meets up with Rishya Joseph, Senior VP and Regional Director of DY&R, and Cary Rueda, Creative Director to talk about why this success is made sweeter in so many ways ...

It's been a long while- how does it feel?

CR: This is the first time we're winning the Golden Kancil, since it started in 1992, but we've been quite consistent podium people. Two years ago we wofi the most golds - we won 4golds. But you win some, you lose some. It's great that this work is not for a small client but for a key client - a global client of YR and what makes it more fulfilling is that financial institutions are one of the toughest always - it's always a very difficult category to break into and we did it in the guerrilla advertising way - a non-traditional way - and the client loved the idea. Banking is always the toughest category to crack.

CR: When we came up with the idea, we didn't think 'This will win an award' - the idea was created and designed because it was meant to work basically because of that and the product proposition was very unique and very strong - a one hour card replacement programme, from there the idea and the execution were seamless, the medium became the message and it was spot-on.

But what was also effective was the fact that these were scattered in the shopping malls where people are using the cards quite a bit...

CR: Yes, exactly and if you were shopping and you saw it, you will definitely pick it up. In fact someone joked that we should have used gold cards, but we wanted to show that even with the silver cards, people will pick it RJ: The gem of the idea came from Cary but credit should also go to the two young people Alvin and Joanna who finally executed and finished the idea.

CR: It started off as a very casual suggestion -1 just said

All smiles on Kancil night.

The DYR team share the glory with their client.

RJ: It's easy to do work that is pro-bono - private causes and a lot of the work you see here is focussed on private causes and little boutiques, it's easy because you create your own work. But here you work under guidelines and international benchmarks. The rules of the game are tough and one of the important things is that the strategy should fit, it's a very tight fit of strategy and execution. It's hard because it's not carte-blanche, your creative can do what you like. The rules for the engagement were fixed - the blue card was created for a particular audience. The idea that these people came up with were spot-on. More importantly this was for a key client and that means you re monitored throughout the region.

CR: That made the triumph sweeter - banking is not an easy category.

BJ: But in the past year, we've won about 17international awards and we have a record that is unbeaten by any other agency in town in the past five years. But probably we don't merchandise this as well as the others. * f

'Let's throw some cards around'. I didn't even think it would win anything, d m RJ: I think great advertising always comes with great clients -1 think it wouldn't be fair if I didn't say that because Moey Tan has a creative eye and she has an uncanny eye to recognise creative work.

CR: In fact there was no hesitation on the part of the client - she and her team recognised it very, very quickly.

But this may be also due to the fact that you have a very good relationship with the client...

CR: Citibank is a tough client. But they are pretty exciting in terms of marketing and product cutthroughs - if not for the strong sell - this wouldn't have emerged.

RJ: I think that it's important to lay the ground because once you have that, the creative people can start doing some intrusive work. Because you have a relationship, you have access to each other's minds and you have trust that what you're doing is going to work for the /brand. If the relationship is not there and you have disparate levels of communication - it just doesn't work.

We have a tremendous relationship with this client Cary spars with Moey every time. The true credit goes to him on this. And this is fruitful.

So you just sat there and the idea came up?

CR: We had finished with the print ads and the tvc and we were thinking what more can we do and I said why don't we print, fake cards and put them in shopping malls with the line 'he's already shopping with his replacement card*? What was really surprisingiwas that we didn't expect it to win the big one for us. Which is a lesson in itself - that when it's so effortless, so natural the work really comes through. We also have a very young creative department - and I often tell them "Don't go around with a long face, you have a nice job to provoke responses and feelings in people so have fun because good work comes from having fun." When pushing the creatives I always tell them - if you think of something always finish it because Inspiration is a jealous lover it demands immediate attention - do it quickly before you lose it.

You downed the Goliath of creativity - do you like playing David?

CR: We downed them in a sense, that at the end it was face-to-face, one-on-one but we will face the fact that to me, they are the most prolific creative agency with accounts across the board. But it was exciting for us to win this year, because it was not in the mainstream media, it was tactical, guerrilla advertising.

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RJ: It's great they are awarding ambient media opportunities...

CR: That made it more fulfilling because it was an outof-the-box idea RJ:What I wanted to say was that two years ago LB had 3 golds and we matched them - that was the year the Panadol ad won. Last year, we lost out to them (though internationally we beat them). This year we beat them but the fact is, being the realist that I am, LB is a model that everyone aspires to. They are a standard of their i own - let's admit that. To me, every creative person in town aspires to do what they do. Other agencies in town are becoming habitual - we're more occasional then others but LB has a consistency that beats every other agency (in terms of batting average). And I think that judges are tired of habitual ideas and are looking for breakthrough ideas. Last year ambient media also won.

I think that the judging this year was ruthless - to award 2 golds in 156 categories. But what it does do is that it sets standards.

And while talking about creative standards -

this year. It's down a notch. It just shows that the ideation rate is not there. People are awarding executions but not what I call the ideation rate. This may be because the agencies may not be training or the clients are buying executions, not strong, sustaining ideas. Or the environment is not allowing us to create it - it's a very recessive environment. Clients are asking agencies to do reactive work as opposed to insightful work or relevant work.

CR: On the other hand, as Rish was saying there is a plethora of ads which are all purely executional, there are some gems of ideas but when it comes to the execution part we fail. Especially when it comes to tv the gems are not cut well enough.

RJ: I think that brand-building is being sacrificed for immediacy. When you do that, it is reflected in the advertising.

Is that caused by the agency or the client?

RJ: I think it's very environment-driven. Sometimes it's the clients.

â&#x20AC;˘*-Âť" -

"Let's throw some cards around and see what happens..."

though LB is still top but the gap is narrowing. The other little agencies are beginning to feel that they can match them and the field is becoming more level. One notable thing is that out of nowhere Bozell emerges and even AMP (even though they are in our stable) they have submitted on their own and are ranked above some of the stalwarts.

One of the things that we're facing in this industry and it's a minor aberration - it is this ugly thing called scam ads. As an industry we must address it. It's afflicted Hong Kong, it was the subject of much discontent in Singapore, but I must tell you that we're not far behind that lot - it is creeping and the 4AS has to do something about it - to create the legitimacy because if you don't you'll have lots of awards going to dubious entries and this doesn't bode well for the industry. It's a minor aberration but it's like cancer if you don't stop it, it will spread - if you don't eliminate it in its infancy.

Across the board - do you feel that industry standards have dropped in the past year?

RJ: I think that standards have dropped very dramatically

jjilillliililillli Do you think that ambient media has been awarded of late because of the non-traditional media - for example there's just too many ads in the newspapers that you're quite dead to it...

CR: It really arrests you when you're in the environment.

RJ: Clients are being challenged to look at new briefs and agencies are looking at new creative briefs and some will experiment and try something else. I'm not saying that traditional media is wrong - it's just that it may not get you the intrusion.

The general consensus is that there are two types of work - work that wins awards and work that works.

What's your take on this?

RJ: I'd like to quote Benton ÂŁr Bowles who said that "If it doesn't sell, it ain't creative." Moey Tan, our client at Citibank, whatever we do - herfirst benchmark is will it sell. She will not buy art for art's sake. For Citibank, if it didn't do the marketing job, they will never buy it. And by the way, the Blue Car won the Asia Pacific Marketing Award and it won before this.

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Kill*IPIIPB dflTfnl Isn't it now that the clients should be focussing on good work?

CR: Ideally yes, because now is when the work should be intrusive because times will get tougher.

RJ: Ideally that's what should happen but traditionally many of the clients go to a safe territory because often when you do 'sweaty palm' advertising most marketing people are left out in the cold. When you're making decisions that are not based on tried and tested methods, deciding on something extremely creative may not be a risk that they may be willing to take at that point. But it may be the risky work that really makes the difference!cuts through and sells. Cary used the word intrusion, and intrusion is important or the work will just get lost in the clutter.

CR: First the work should stop you, then it should pull in the viewer and continue with the message. But any good piece of communication should have some irreverence in it. It should put a smile on your face or butterflies in your stomach.

CR: Basically the work that wins awards and the work that works - this proves it because a creative ad should stop you in your tracks - that's the first thing it should do.

RJ: In fact, in Hong Kong they are doing marketing effectiveness awards - they're advertising awards but the benchmark that it uses is whether it created a market for your product or whether it created awareness. So two dimensions, but on both fronts the take is on creative work that sells not creative work that wins awards.

CR: There have been studies which indicate that creative work is work that sells and builds brands. The Gunn Report demonstrates this. But I think it essentially boils down to one - work that wins awards and work that works-it should be one.f Even in the " judging rounds, it should have the element of intrusion that makes it stand out just like in the real world. They don't have to be mutually exclusive.

I;,

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think beyond

Over the past fewyears one home-grown agency has emerged as an interactive powerhouse - Arachnid Sdn. Bhd. This interactive agency has been able to sweep almost ail the awards in their territory at the local awards shows. This year, Arachnid managed to squeeze itself into the top 4 creative agencies in town by virtue of the number of awards won at the recent Kancils.

ADOI talks to Chin Weng Keong, founder and MD of Arachnid, who somehow manages to juggle creative, technical, strategic and management roles to bring Arachnid to the forefront. Weng Keong started Arachnid in 1995/6 as an independent interactive agency with only one person - himself. Arachnid now has a staff strength of 30. Arachnid focusses on Digital Brand Building on the web which encompasses strategy, ideation, development and maintenance. The company has a strong background in advertising and communications and has successfully collaborated with marcomm professionals in the evolution of brands online. The company was awarded MSC status in 2001.

What are the sites that won and why do you think they were so good?

Mycoke.com.my won a silver because it was not an ordinary site. This site uses the web in an innovative way to provide a rewards and loyalty programme. The site creates an all-year-round way tobe rewarded for the Coke you drink. We also won a bronze for the Ford Escape site but it revolved around a different concept from Coke. And the third award - also a bronze went to the Ford Interactive Desktop Branding. There's a concept called stickiness in interactive communications - how sticky the site is lies in its ability to keep the users coming back to the site. The interactive wallpapers from the site enable the brand to keep in touch with the user even after they have left the site. One of the achievements that we're very proud of was that our team member Tang Wai Hoong - also won the Young Creative award.

You were already the most awarded interactive agency in Malaysia before these Kancils. How do these 5awards add to that?

It has been a great year for us and our people absolutely deserve it. In the Kancils alone, in the last few years we've had 13 submissions and out of that we've had 12 wins. That's a very good hit rate. We win the top award in the category and we win the most

number of awards every year. Only 3 other agencies have ever won in the past few years - and they were all Merits.

You're now N0.4 (after the Kancils), ahead of so many of the big boys - how do you feel?

We're incredibly honored but we do feel a little awkward. Before I say anything on that, I heard that there were rumblings in the industry about this teeny little web shop encroaching upon their territory.

Although we've been known to do good work, people often looked at us as a little web-shop and when we were ranked this year and quite highly, the rumbling started.

We don't actually want to be seen as the 3rd best ad agency (simply because we're not an ad agency, but we're recognised because we're part of the industry).

Hopefully this puts us as the best in our field. Aside from that, I must say that we're quite proud - it's good when you get recognised by an international panel of professionals for what you do. We're not going to rest on our laurels and will continue to step up the effort.

What's your philosophy at work?

Our values are rather old-fashioned: Inventiveness, quality, integrity. Inventiveness is key to our business.

We don't believe that you have to chase the cutting-edge of technology all the time although many will tell you that it's imperative to do so. But what we're really interested in is to be inventive with the technology and use the technology in an innovative way to build brands. Another is quality - we don't compromise on quality, ever. The third is integrity - we don't lie to the client and we don't hesitate to give up potential business if we feel the client doesn't benefit.

The work culture here is also different in the sense that it is apolitical. This is probably because personally I can't abide brown-nosing and so it's not done with me nor with the other middle managers. We're friends first and we do many activities to build that feeling like paintball, going on trips, playing pool and having treasure hunts.

So what makes you different from your competitors?

We're not followers. We intentionally eschew the so-called "leading edge" of technology preferring instead to innovate in the way mature technologies can be applied. Generally speaking, we've seen much reactionary

activity in areas like e-commerce/e-tailing, dotcoms, WAP, portals, etc - and there are people still rushing into it - but for the most part we still fail to see the value in some of those areas. What's interesting is the fact that some continue to tout it. We're all supposed to be in this industry because we "saw the light" and were willing to change. But we also have to be willing to re-change. Not that we think all of those areas don't work completely, just doesn't warrant the lemmings effect. The popular press hasn't helped, and a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.

We never touted those areas in the first place and I guess that's where we're fundamentally different.

We've really in the last half decade, carved our own path, resisted strains of "theseguys are crazy not to jump on this bandwagon", and evolved a mature strategy and methodology towards what we do.

At the end of a pitch for instance, our clients tell us that we're worlds apart from the other proposals they received, that we seem to have our own way of doing things, and that way makes so much sense to them.

Why did you start out on your own and what were you trying to accomplish?

Before I started Arachnid, I always faced situations where the clients would come to us with their problems and we would have to come up with solutions. But not all problems are marketing related. We'd look at the client and say - this is a problem with your distributors, or this is an internal communications problem - but the client would say do something and we would. So I wanted to step out of that and offer a service which would allow me to look at the bigger picture and offer more services to the client.

And of course with the internet and interactive part you are able to do that...

It's still very much marcomm-based. But it's done in a way that reflects how brands, economies and consumers are changing. We don't view interactive advertising as a replacement of traditional advertising but as an extension of it. We still tell clients for instance that for common brand awareness and emotive change of perception, above-the-line is the best. New prospects that tell us they don't need advertising - we don't work with them.

The Ford Lynx interactive desktop

Netscape: MyCoke

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Despite all the blues about the internet, why do you think itwill only thrive?

When we look at the numbers, it took radio almost 40 years to have 50 million users, it took TV about 15 but for the Internet, it took only 4 years. Therefore it's not surprising that because the industry grew so fast and everyone could have their own businesses instantly, it was inevitable that the drop would take place. But there is a clear division between what we do and the dotcom world with its buzzwords such as e-commerce, e-tailing, WAP, banner advertising. What we do is to build brands online and when you look at that - the core fundamentals are very strong - it's just how you choose to apply the technology and its strengths.

Who are the clients who should be taking the web more seriously? What would make the web work for them?

Actually, there are very few brands not taking the web seriously. When westarted out, we had to do a lot of client education out there. That job is not done, but it's no longer a question of should we do it, but HOW we should be doing it. The web enables and enriches the brand experience. For example, even if the product experience may be bad, it is possible that if the brand

experience in other areas is good, then people would leave having interacted with the brand in a positive way. That's why all clients should be looking more seriously at the web - but this is not for those who just simply want to have a website up and leave it at that.

The web can be harnessed to create and nurture relationships with the consumers and should be first and foremost used for brand evolution. Not necessarily for sales and not necessarily for advertising.

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Where would you like to take Arachnid in the next five Your New Fords years?

Colour: Canary Yellow Five years is a ijjry long time in our industry and (Non-Metallic) our own evolution path is going to in part be dictated by the evolution of the medium. But at the end of the day Wilayah Pcrsekutuan it will be about interpretation. We have some fai1sighted beliefs in what will be the next few evolutionarysteps of the Internet, and we are gearing up for those VIN Number I SiAftfCOOSlO CTha number abov* Is the unique Identlfierfor your vehicle,) changes, but at the end of the day, the focus will remain the same. Just more specialisation, wider scope of sdnBhd(,lnIpoh) services, geographical footprint. In terms of hoiJi exactly we will continue to build brands as the medium r ,rt"in"n evolves, well, you'll have to give us a brief that — 7—1 encompasses the next 5years, to see wherewe're headed. The Ford website shows you that you can't really escape it!

Sai Meng: I liked the pressure, tlie fear of failing, the challenge and the moments when the ideas kept rushing in like waves. What I hated was that just when I thought I came up with a brilliant idea, Rodney kept shooting it down!

Did you feel that other people also contributed to your success?

Rodney: Acknowledgements. Well, w$U...I've always wanted to do this like the Grammys, so here goes. To Martin Luther King, George Bernard Shaw, Carl Breshaw and IndraSinha - 'Kau Ilhamku', To Ham-who has been a principal, friend and a brother. To Janet Lee - who was an inspiration and at times a pain; to Mr. Bong-the wise clown; to Tony Savarimuthu - for just believing in us, to Harold Monfils- my 'brotherman' "Muchos Gracias", and to the Sledgehammer studentsyou'll always be my teachers. A special thanks to Mr.Neurotic, Makcik Elliot, the Inhouse politician, Ms 'G' and her bro 6 Pac. Other lecturers-for their invaluable knowledge, Jessica, Seelan, Ganesh, Thanendran-what would I do without you, LP47-Salutel, Mum, Dad, Granny and Racheal-you're at the pedestal of my life and God-

working experience complete.

Sai Meng: My goal was to win one of the Student Kancil Awards.

I knew this would be my last chance as graduation was just around the corner, f was very passionate since the start of the project, and was extremelytfl focused and I knew I would do i whatever it took to succeed.

the birth of ÂŁ shooting Sai gettingbrainc "You sure or n

down. What 11 ig a voice in my h I do advertising?'

Sai Meng: Special acknowledgements to Janet Lee ÂŁr Tony Savarimuthu for their invaluable guidance. Bill Backer-I've learnt so much from your books, the 'guru'John Hegarty, and of course, my mentor-Mr.Harmandar Singh. Special thanks to all the people in Sledgehammer,

Why did you decide to do it as a team instead of individually?

Rodney: Firstly, I'm copy based and Sai Meng is art based. Yippee! This meant working 'agency style'. The other factor that made me decide on working with Meng, was that both of us share the same idea of what hard work and urgency was.

To me that meant being more j productive and effective.

Meng is also the few I know who is dead straight and: will rip my ideas apart if he feels it's crap. This bold characteristic was the BIGGY in choosing to work with him.

Sai Meng: Rodney and I planned to work on the Kancils long before the brief was out. Both of us knew this wasn't a 'one man show'. Its

For years advertising has been the favourite choice of multi-nationals Ten thousand ringgit a year will feed, medicate, and educate them.

The Gunn Report states that only about 44 percent of advertising in the world actually generates incremental

Ifs inexpensive publicity. Ifs worth the investment disabled children from APD,

Today, by being a responsible corporate citizen you get to

Most of them suffer from Polio.

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Chari when it comi your compar Everybody li goodwill. Wi

all my classmates, especially Kelvin {for lending his digital camera and helping with the final artwork), Esrni (for being a good listener when I'm having arguments with Rodney), Michelle (for giving us moral support), Siva (for a cheque worth UMiok), Moon - you're my light and not to forget my pillar of support, mum ÂŁr dad.

Are you all geared up for a career in advertising now?

Rodney: It is often said 'Advertising builds relationships with people". I'd look at it from a different perspective which is 'People building relationships with people'.

When there is real ownership of the work being done, when there is truth, then I feel can change the face of creativity in the world.

that does riot require any art direction.

How did you feel when you heard that you had won?

Rodney: Carl Sandburg once said "Nothing happens unless it is first a dream". When I walked on stage I thought about all the hard work put in - it surely paid off! I knew then, it was the beginning of me living my dreamg.

What is the work you'd like to do in your career?

Sai Meng: The enemy of great is good. Coming out with great ideas, continuously challenging my self , the norms and rules of advertising and of course the limits of creativity.

Sai Meng: On your mark...get set...FLY!!!

What kind of difference do you hope to bring to the industry?

Rodney: lb write copy touch a few lives, walk up a few stages just to add some more color in the wallpaper, and one day lead a team of aspiring creatives with the humble words Creative Director on my name card.

Sai Meng: John Hegarty once said "It is ideas that change the world-not the spacing in your headline".

For me, art direction is not just about putting beautiful pictures in your ads or choosing the best fonts. It is about communicating to the consumer and at times

USE A PEN Malaysia. All they need isTen Thousand Ringgit a year that would feed, educate and buythem a few wheelchairs. not start with APD, lildren. Most of them

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Foryeais advertising hasbeen the favourite choice of malti-natioaals in building their braods.

Advertising works. Funnily The Gusn report stated that only 44% of it increase sales,makes you wonders which other mediums play a role for thesuccessful mult nationals.

Charity is a greatsuprt medium when it comes to brandbuilding. A press release and press conference can take your companies publicity ratings higher.

Everybody ioves a company who has goodwill. Why not start withAPD, Banglore? ffljoy

Their school supports a 150 poor and disabled children. Most of them suffer from poho, adisease how non-existeat in Malaysia.All feey need isTen Thousand Ringgit a year that would feed., educateand buy them a few wheelchairs.

Unlike Malaysia where charityorganisation 60% subsidy from the government The India government only offer 20%.

Are you ready toinvest?

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BOZELL Dharma Somasundram, Creative Director

Hkl i Sheila Luis, General Manager

Bozell looks like it is doing a Colgate ad!

Kancil Night proved to be a night of surprises. One of the biggest came from Bozell. Previously a low-key agency, it seems that Bozell has been very quietly gathering steam and on Kancil Night showed thatwhen it came to competition, they could speed right ahead.

Out of nowhere, they ranked 13th last year, and this year the agency shot to fifth place. Obviously Bozell is doing something very right and AD01 decided to talk to them about it. We met up with Sheila Luis, General Manager of Bozell and Dharma Somasundram, Creative Director at Bozell...

You've made a huge leap, from 13th place last year to fifth this year. How does it feel?

Sheila: We're very proud but I think we must alwaysj remember that we've always been known for our sound strategy, but in the past two years with Dharma on board and the new creative team we've made some great breakthroughs, creatively.

Dharma: I think it's very good when you get recognised for the work that you do but we'renot going to be sitting on our laurels and we'll continue to step up our efforts.

But some times, personally, I feel that it's about luck as well. Sometimes you get it and sometimes you just don't.

Sheila: One of the things that we really stress on here is our process and we're one of the agencies that prides itself on following the processes step-by-step. And this is a difference that people who join us from the different agencies note.

You've actually developed a strength in radio and you

seem to be doing quite a bit of that...

Dharma: I actually am quite intimidated by radio - it's the hardest medium to write for because you don't have the visual effect to fall back on. I lean more to print and tv. It's actually our writers who decided they wanted to do radio and they've been doing some really good stuff with it. This augurs well - because if they can write for radio successfully, they can write in any medium successfully Sheila: It's very good because as they say 'Radio is the theatre of the mind' and of they can evoke that response - it demonstrates the creative abilities of the agency.

Dharma: I think it would be really good if we can win international awards for radio. Malaysian advertising has proven itself in print and tv - it would be reallygood to do it for radio as well.

What do you think makes radio a particularly effective medium? Did you have trouble convincing clients to do radio?

Dharma: Our clients understand that radio gives you really good value for money. So it's not a difficult job in anyway to convince them. In this market, radio is a medium that is under-utilised. And it can really make aici impact. Especially with the introduction of format radio from AMP, it is easier to zone in your particular target market.

Sheila: Radio has proven very effective for our clients because it is cost-effective and format radio helps a great deal. But radio is also a medium - where you can change the advertising message at short notice as well

compared to newspapers and tv stations who have long booking deadlines. So you can have teaser campaigns, followed by the actual campaign, as well as follow-up promos - and everything can be done quite quickly.

Dharma;;More and more of our clients are realising that the thrust of the campaign can be done in radio itself.

Fof example AMP provides the vehicles and some of our clients want to be part of something like that as well. I think radio is really going to take off.

One of the things that people notice about Bozell, is that there are so many women here. Do you think that contributes significantly to Bozell's charging ahead? Or is it true that too many women kind of spoil the broth?

Sheila: I think that yes, it is true that we have many women here. There's me, there's Dharma, our media planner, our strategic planner; our traffic head are all women. Sometimes when we go to pitch - for example, during the Carlsberg pitch - it comes out that there are a lot of women present* And the client notices that. But when we present, it really comes through that we're professionals first and foremost.

Dharma: And we all get along very well too...

Sheila: That'is also important because the client can notice and pick up on these undercurrents between people in the agency - whether they're getting along or not and whether the energy is right. And the fact that we get along really well, helps. I thin|j|ue credit should go to Bob Seymour, our CEO as well because he doesn't seem to mind the fact that he's surrounded by women and he trusts you and backs you up when you need it.

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ACNIELSEN K.N. Tang, chairman of ACNielsen Asia Pacific, has decided to retire from the company at the end of 2001, after 33 years of service.

Commenting on KN's decision, Michael P. Connors, Vice Chairman of ACNielsen Corporation said, "KN will leave a legacy that will long outlast his 33 years in the industry. In honour of this, we have asked KN to become Chairman Emeritus of ACNielsen Asia Pacific in 2002. KN will be long remembered by an organisation that will forever carry his imprint".

Succeeding KN at the company's Board is Frank Martell, president of ACNielsen Asia Pacific. The 8person ACNielsen Board is the executive team governing the policy, direction and overall operations of ACNielsen worldwide. Frank joined ACNielsen in 1995 as Vice President and Global Treasurer before moving to the Asia Pacific region where he has held a variety of executive positions.

Gerald Hobbs, Chairman of ACNielsen welcomed

Frank as "a talented executive with broad experience and skills that willgreatly benefit the Board," and added that he is looking "to his insights and contributions at the Board table."

Around the same time, Lennart Bengtsson was appointed to the position of managing director, ACNielsen Japan, as David McCallum, current managing director for Japan, moves into a dedicated role leading the company's Customised Research Division.

"Lennart has been a valued member of ACNielsen for 16years. Over the past three years, he has successfully managed and grown our businesses in Singapore and Malaysia while substantially improving product quality and service levels", said Frank Martell.

Until a successor for Bengtsson in Singapore and Malaysia has been named, Bienvenido C. Niles, managing director, ACNielsen South East Asia will act as managing director - Singapore/Malaysia.

NBA Entertainment and Getty Images, Inc. recently announced that they have signed a multi-year agreement whereby Getty Images will act as the Official Photo Source of the NBA, WNBA and the NBDL. Beginning with the 2001/2 NBA season, the agreement calls for Getty Images to provide photography services including the licensing and digital distribution of NBA, WNBA and NBDL photography for editorial purposes and commercial use by the leagues' business partners. Getty Images will provide this service through its Allsport brand, one of the world's premier sports photographic resources.

This new agreement will enable Getty Images to provide the most exciting pictures in basketball for their clients and partners.

NBAE and Getty Images will also produce an NBAE Photos service to deliver real-time coverage of NBA games for the NBA.com network of sites, and for media around the world.

NBA, WNBA and NBDL images will be licensed directly from the NBAE Photos Forum where users can select from a vast collection of digital images of the world's preeminent basketball players and events.

Beginning in 2002, fans visiting NBA.com will be able to browse and purchase online exciting game action and feature photographs of their favorite NBA, WNBA and NBDL teams and players.

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GUNNED AS WORLD'S TOP AGENCY NETWORK Donald Gunn recently placed Leo Burnett Worldwide tops in the latest ranking of the 18 creative networks globally in the third Gunn Report. He commented that "(Leo Burnett's) growth chart is to die for - 59 points and 6th place in 1999; 84.5 points and 4th in 2000 and 130 points and 1st in 2001. Leo Burnett London blazed the trail, kicking in 31 points on their own as the second most awarded individual Agency in the world in 2001."

Burnett bested last year's winner, BBDO by four points, pushing them in to second place in 2001. Other agencies making the grade in the top section of the table included DDB in 3rd place with 118 points; Saatchi £r Saatchi in 4th place with 96 points; TBWA in 5th place with 94 points and Ogilvy £r Mather in 6th

place, with 88 points.

Leo Burnett Kuala Lumpur was ranked one of the 23 Burnett agencies that contributed significantly to the network's success. Said Charles Cadell, Managing Director, Leo Burnett Kuala Lumpur, "This year has been a remarkable year in terms of awards and recognition with us sweeping 51 awards at the recent Malaysian Advertising Awards 2001, 15 awards at the Malaysian Video Awards 2001 and being voted the most impressive agency in Malaysia based on creativity, service, and expertise, in the first independent regional survey conducted among major advertisers in Malaysia."

Out of the 23 Burnett agencies overall that contributed to the network showing, six placed among the 50 most awarded agencies in the world. They were LB/

London in second place, Vitruvio Leo Burnett Madrid (27th), LB/Sydney (36th), LB/Oslo (40th), LB/Warsaw (42nd), and LB/Mexico City (47th).

Besides Kuala Lumpur, the other 22 award-winning offices include: LB/ Bangkok, Bogota, Bratislava, Caracas, Chicago/USA, Hong Kong, Lisbon, London, Madrid, Mexico City, Milan, Oslo, Paris, Prague, Sao Paulo, Singapore, Sydney, Taipei, Tel Aviv, Toronto, Tokyo and Warsaw.

Richard Pinder, Leo Burnett's Regional Managing Director for Asia Pacific said "Leapfrogging all of Omnicom to take first place is wonderful, but for Asia Pacific to be a key contributor to Burnett Worldwide's ranking is even better."

Charles Cadell

Richard Pinder

• CALLIGRAPHY & CHINESE PAINTING •

IN THE R6\LM OFTH6 HGXVGNLy HOKJG

Master Lum presents a new series of masterpieces based on the theme 'In The Realm Of The Heavenly Horses' to commemorate The Year Of The Golden Horse. In addition to his fine art paintings, Master Lum has been commissioned to work on some memorable Chinese New Year advertising campaigns. To view this new collection or other pieces in Master Lum's portfolio, please call the Master himself at 012-608 3552 or 03-7873 7118.

Dunhill Lion Dance billboard (2000)

Fresh New Face for Reader's Digest Bad Back? Here's Good News

.Digest Which Vitamins Do You Really Need?™

Jackie

A surprising portrait from the people who knew her best

Heroes of Sc ler

Unforgettable stories of courage and compassion

December 2001 RM 15 ISSN 0034-0383

PAGE 100

IJ IfH China's FreedomFactories• Lost at Sea MeetThe/tea/Amy1Tan.•World's'Wildest Ride?

ED Living: Ideas,Tips and Advice About Life

Why the new look?

PD: All magazines, indeed all great brands, go through a process of renewal from time to time. We have introduced these changes to make Reader's Digest even more lively, interesting and relevant to all our readers the ones who have read the magazine for decades and the ones who have picked us up at the newsstand for the first time.

Is the new look only about the magazine cover, or is there more going on under the covers?

PD: The changes are being introduced to the magazine "from the outside in." We launched the new-look cover with the September issue, and over the following few months we are introducing new features inside the magazine. Later on, I will discuss these details.

The question that most people are faced with when changing the look and feel of something as familiar as Reader's Digest is 'will we alienate existing readers'.

How do you look at this concern?

PD: This was our biggest concern when we started

Reader's Digest December cover

Latest Findings

New Ways to Fight Off a Cold

Paul McCartney

PAGE 48

PAGE 70

Meet the Simpsons Bug-eyed, three-fingered

November 2001

and famous PAGE 90

Reader's Digest November issue

Reader's Digest recently decided to sport a new look. The new covers that grace both the front and the back of the magazines are being adapted globally, in 48 editions and 19 languages. ADOI talks to Peter Dockrill, Editor-in-Chief, of the Reader's Digest Asian edition and Peter Jeffery, Associate Publisher about how they are making "a great magazine even better!"

Peter, tell us a little about yourself...

PD: After graduating from university, I worked for a number of newspapers and magazines, both in Canada and in Australia. I joined the Reader's Digest in October 1996 as an Associate Editor and was appointed Editor of the Asian Edition in March 1999.1 can confidently state that it has been the best job I've ever had.

3oaooi

subscribers at home and casual shoppers at the newsstand will take one look at the cover and think this is a magazine that they have to read. As well, the photo in the top right-hand corner of the cover will feature a celebrity who is being profiled in that issue. In September, it was Tom Hanks, followed by Lee Kuan Yew (October) and Paul McCartney (November). As you can see, we are featuring celebrities from a variety of fields (not just Hollywood movies!) and from both Asia and the West. We will be careful to maintain this variety in the months and years to come. Finally, the "Plus" section at the bottom of the front cover will let us highlight the amazing variety of articles we run in the magazine each month. As well, the back cover will have an ongoing photo essay called Asia's Next Generation.

Each month we will feature photographs of children from all corners of the region. In November, a letters page, called You Said It, was launched this month. The Asian English-language edition already receives about 10,000 letters a year (mostly reader contributions to our humour departments), and this new feature will give all these people a voice in the magazine. In December, a new self-help section, RD Living, will be introduced. It will feature a number of shorter articles offering quick snippets of information and advice about living a better life. Topics to be covered will include Health, Relationships, Travel, Technology and Family.

It will be placed at the back of the magazine, after the Book Section. Also, the very back page will now feature the RD Challenge, a new puzzle each month to close the magazine with a bit of fun and excitement. We already know that the Word Power feature (a monthly vocabulary quiz) is very popular with readers, so we are confident they will enjoy RD Challenge as well.

Peter Dockrill, Editor-in-Chief

discussing the changes to the magazine. Reader's Digest is, after all, the most successful and widely read magazine in the world, and the last thing we want to do is alienate our existing readership. Although we are introducing a new cover and some new features, we have been careful to maintain the essence of the Reader's Digest. It will continue to provide information that will help readers improve their own lives, to celebrate ordinaryindividuals who achieve extraordinary things, and to provide a much-needed dose of humour.

Your market in Asia is growing - what is the present share you command and how do you expect it to grow?

PD: I think the other Peter best answer this.

PJ: Reader's Digest is Asia's best selling and most widely read publication. We have about 20% of the market and our circulation stands at 746,270.

What makes you think that the new look will click with the readers?

PD: We have conducted extensive research, both in the United States and in Asia, to gauge people's reactions to the changes to the magazine. We were careful to include both existing readers and people who haven't read the magazine, so we feel confident the new-look Digest will appeal to both groups.

What are the features associated with the new look?

PD: . I'll go over the changes that are being introduced month-by-month. In September, the new-look front cover highlights articles that we feel will have instant appeal to readers. In other words, we are hoping that

Peter Jeffery, Associate Publisher

Is there a different tone to magazine now? Is there (possibly) a different message as well?

PD: We have been very careful to maintain the basic values of the Reader's Digest. We've added some new features, but the foundations of the magazine are unchanged.

Do you intend to make Reader's Digest a household name in Asia?

PD: I think I've got to pass that one to Peter...

PJ: We have been in Asia for almost 40 years now and aready have become a very strong brand in many Asian markets (our key markets are Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand). But we are looking to grow even mnore and our circulation particularly in Singapore and Malaysia continues to grow. As we achieve this we will strengthen our brand among households even more.

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ADOI/MEDIABANC New TVC Debut - Oct/Nov 2001 Brand: Cadbury Title: Deepavali-Choose Happiness Duration : 40 seconds Client: CadburyConfectionary Production House: Axis Films Producer : Shawn Nunis Director: Anthony Wong Language: English Summary: Whatever you choose to be, always choose light over darkness, choose good over evil. And most of all, choose a Happy Deepavali with Cadbury.

Coke captun trials and tr

Brand: Did Title: Thoughts Duration: 60 seconds Client: Did Telecommunications Agency: Naga DDB Creative Director: Ted Lim Art Director: Richard Koh Copywriter: Jam Language : English / BM / Mandarin Summary: Men are from Mars. Women are from Venus.

But no matters how different they are, DiGi is there to keep them connected.

Brand: KFC Waikiki Burger Title: Walks of Life Duration: 30 seconds Client: KFC Holdings Bhd Agency: BBDO Creative Director: Huang Ean Hwa Art Director: K.C. Chung Copywriter: Charmaine Language: English/BM/Mandarin Summary: Whoever you may be, you will definitely shake your bon-bon with KFC's Waikiki Burger.

Brand: Nescafe Title: Bruce Lee Duration : 10 seconds Client: Nescafe Agency: McCann-Erickson Creative Director: Beresford Mitchell Art Director: Justin Shim Copywriter: Roni Johann Language: English Summary: It's not quite Bruce Lee, but this Nescafe Cool Can is most definitelyon the way of being cool.

Brand: Nokia 8310 Title: Old Hand Phones Duration : 30 seconds Client: Nokia Agency: Bates Regional Creative Director : Aris Theophilakis Art Director: Steinar Borge Copywriter: Peter Angel Brecht Language: English Summary: Introducing the new Nokia 8310. Once you have it, everywhere you go, people will notice and feel ashamed of their out-of-style hand phones.

Brand: Tenaga Nasional Title : Electric Light Orchestra Duration: 60 seconds Client: Tenaga Nasional Berhad

Making a commercial can be extremely exciting (and strenuous) as there are so many factors to be considered. Recently, Coke shot a tvc, with Barney Chua of Carrot Films, in a real-life concert. The commercial is proving to be extremely popular. ADOI sat down with Shakir Moin, Marketing Director of Coca-Cola and Barney Chua of Carrot Films - to find out more about the commercial and a little about their long, working history...

Agency: Leo Burnett Advertising Creative Director: Yasmin Ahmad Art Directors : Iska Hashim Copywriter: Zaidi Awang Language: English Summary: Another Happy Deepavali TVC featured a TNB technician dancing on the street and doinghis magical trick with the lights. No singing in the rain though.

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32 aDOl

What did you want the commercial to essentially capture?

The commercial was intended to capture the true "Malaysian" passion for music. It captured the Malaysian consumers' never quenching thirst for great music which was reflected in the form of a Malaysian boy who waited five years for his favorite band to come to

town and then endeavored to go to the concert with his friends. He drove hundreds of miles to get to the concert stadium, made his way through the crowd, only to savour the "moment". As he waits for the concert to begin, he refreshes himself with an ice cold Coke.

He summarizes his enduring experience with a simple statement, "Man, It was totally worth It". Net, the spot captures the fact that it's not about the glamour of celebrities nor the glitz of fanfare but only great music. Coca-Cola understands its consumers and their passions and is always there to enhance their moments of passion everyday!

Are you happy with the work?

We are extremely happy with the commercial. In fact, our internal advertising testing recorded the highest ever score for this spot.

What doyou think makes the commercial work for the brand?

Coca-Cola is a brand for everyday moments and it always stands to make these everyday life moments more special. Coca-Cola also understands its consumers - their dreams, passions, aspirations, moments of joy as well as their everyday trials and tribulations.

The commercial captures just that. It captures their passion for music in an everyday situation, catching not only the passion (or the supreme moment of satisfaction) but also the everyday trials which Malaysian youth face to make their dreams come true.

the everyday lumpbs of youth In summary, what works for brand Coca-Cola is the very real and local connection which the commercial makes with the Malaysian youth.

Was it fun to work with Barney Chua and Carrot Films?

I have worked with Barney Chua for now over two years. It's great working with him because he always brings a fresh wave of energy into the board which makes a great storyboard even better. Barney also has great understanding of the Malaysian youth and has great passion for Coca-Cola, making the output truly magical.

Barney seems to be a favourite with you, what does he do right?

Barney always adds so much more in terms of his own insights that the final product is richer in content, texture and connection with the youth. He is also intensely passionate about Coca-Cola and ends up enriching the spot with fine touches which realistically entrenches and enhances the role of the brand in thestory.

When's the next commercial coming?

Very soon....we intend to continue to refresh the Malaysian youth everyday with not only our refreshing products but also equally refreshing messages.

ADOI then passed the mike to Barney Chua to find out what's it like to make commercials for the world's most famous brand...

What's the feeling when you do a Coke commercial?

Relief. I don't have to open up my fridge after a long, hard day to find there's nothing to drink because after a Coke commercial, I end up with crates of the stuff.

How do you handle the pressure?

Well, it is my job to make sure everyone, and not just advertising people, looks at what I've done.

And I've done a lot, not just Coke commercials. So, if no one were to look at anything I've done, then I would have failed my job. And I don't do TV commercials mainly for ad people. So my answer is : Pressure comes with the territory, so you deal with it.

Was it difficult to work with a live audience in a live concert ?

Not really. I just have to make sure I have plenty of cameras to cover every possible angle. Oh, and to remember to wear protective clothing 'cos the crowd will start to throw mineral water bottles at you. Those bloody things hurt.

Teamwork is essential in such a scenario - how do you create a good team?

I don't create teams. I am just damn lucky that everyone who works with me on shoots cares enough about the job. And when people care, they make sure everything goes right. So those people I'd worked with cared about the Coke shoot, and everything went right.

How do you make sure everything falls into place instead of falling apart ?

First, you start to think that everything can fall apart. Then you do your homework.

You do quite a few Coke commercial - why do you like working with them?

Yes, I've done a few Coke commercials. Why do I like working with them? The advertising agency?

Because they are very nice people (there's a gun held to my head, here). The Coca-cola client? Because they trust me, I hope

Client: KFC Holdings (M) Bhd Agency: BBDO Malaysia Executive Creative Director: Hwang Ean Hwa Art Director: Angie Sim Copywriter: Mike Chin Tl A OOTMXT 1 il u U I INI P I CTU R ES

Agency Producer: Joanne Lai Cinematographer: Teoh Gay Hian Film Director: Teck Tan Producer/f AD: Brian Francis

It's a big job- one that everyone in advertising looks at.

DIRECTOR REPRESENTATION and PRODUCTION SUPPORT N0.210, Jalan Ampang, 50450 Kuala Lumpur Tel: 60 3 2166 6448 Fax: 60 3 2166 6468 www.passionpictures.com.my

TNB Fires Up with Leo Burnett Recently, Leo Burnett got its hands on a piece of electric action to produce TNB's corporate tv commercial.

ADOI talks to Wong Shiang Yee, Brand Director at LB to find out more about this work ...

You're doing some work for TNB. How did you guys get this piece of work?

Working with TNB is not altogether a new relationship for Leo Burnett. We had earlier produced TNB's 'Ulu Tembeling' TVC to usher in the new millennium, which was very well received by the public.

For this new TVC, TNB was keen to look for an agency partner to help them with their corporate brand building efforts. After the initial agency brief, 7 agencies were short-listed from which Leo Burnett was given the honour to produce their corporate TV commercial.

What are you aiming to do for TNB with this work?

What direction is the work going in?

We hope people would come away with at least a smile on their face and a warm glow in their hearts.

Are you aiming to be doing some of the brilliant brand building work you have done with Petronas?

TNB has played a crucial role in our country's progress, from powering manufacturing plants, to doing simple things like bringing light and electricity into our home. If our work makes people feel positively about TNB and what it means to their lives, we'll be happy.

LB is famous for doing corporate work - is this one of the reasons that you were chosen to do TNB? We'd like to think that Leo Burnett is known for doing memorable, enjoyable advertising that makes a difference for all our clients. While our past experience on building corporate brands have served us well, we are looking forward to making TNB just as famous!

How has it been to work on the TNB account? Is it exciting and fun?

Yes - it has been really great working with the TNB clients. They arevery supportive and open to suggestions, and we have established a good working relationship from which we hope to be able to contribute even more to their corporate brand building efforts.

What media is the campaign breaking in?

TVC, print ads and posters.

Are there any indications that this might turn out to be a long-term relationship?

Yes.

Wong Shiang Yee, Brand Director; Leo Burnett

34 mi

The new tvc for Tenaga

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Celcom's very modern and urban take on Deepavali caught the attention of many.

CELCOM CELEBRATES

11IE FESTIVAL OF UNITS In the true spirit of celebrating the festival of lights, which symbolises the victory of good over evil, Leo Burnett Kuala Lumpur adopted a different tone and manner when it launched telecommunications giant Celcom's Deepavali campaign last month. The campaign, consisting of 3 print advertisements, ran from November 12-14, 2001and was a modern insight to an ageold festival that has been part of our country's heritage for generations.

The campaign supported Celcom's efforts of placing importance on the different aspects that matter in celebrating Deepavali, to various people. Whether it was a couple waiting to enjoy the festivities with their son or a beautiful woman nursing a heartbreak, it portrayed the significance of celebrating Deepavali. The campaign demonstrated that no matter what the circumstances, Deepavali is a time of reflection, gatherings and more importantly, keeping in touch with those that are truly important.

Client: Golden Arches Restaurants Sdn Bhd Agency: Leo Burnett, KL Executive Creative Director: Yasmin Ahmad Art Director: Choo Seong Copywriter: Paul Prabhakar Agency Producer: Shirren Lim JL ii Jul INI Cinematographer: Cheong Yuk Hoy I3 I C T T_J R E S Film Director: Steven Ang Producer/f AD: Brian Francis

DIRECTOR REPRESENTATION and PRODUCTION SUPPORT No.210, Jalan Ampang, 50450 Kuala Lumpur Tel: 60 3 2166 6448 Fax: 60 3 2166 6468 www.passionpictures.com.my

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Can Lowe Lintas shake off it's lackluster past and become a serious Creative contender worthy of the, much speculated, Lowe name change? New moves with the Lowe Lintas network - both here in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Bangkok, suggest that the gloves are off and the agency is getting very serious about raising its creative standards.

In recent months, Singapore has added Jason Schragger and Andrew Reznik as Creative Directors. In Bangkok a new Creative Director Jeff Curtis, from Lowe Lintas UK will be taking over the reins. Whilst here in Kuala Lumpur, David Sin, a highly recognised Creative from O&M, KL joins Creative Director Chris Howden as Deputy CD. AD01 caught up with Chris Howden £r David Sin of the KL office So what's behind these moves?

Chris: Lowe Lintas in most parts of the world is a Division One agency - but that, sadly, hasn't been the case for most of Asia. So the Group is simply putting the right people in place to make it happen. That, of course, isn't as easy as it may sound. It requires new blood and also a new mix of business plus a fundamental shift in attitude from a client led agency to a creative led agency.

36 aooi

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Some of the work I've been seeing suggests it's happening already.

David: Yes, we can see and feel the change already - not just here, but also in Singapore. They've started pretty much with a clean sheet and there is some great, worldclass work - particularly for Mighty Dog and Ikea. In KL, the process is tougher, because it's a bigger ship to turn around. But there are some very encouraging signs. Print work is getting cleaner with simple, clear ideas and it's not just from one team but every team in the agency.

So Chris, what impact has David Sin had?

Chris: Immense. David's given everyone a good kick in the pants - including me. It's hard to turn a big ship around on your own, but when there's someone else at the wheel with you, it's a lot easier and more enjoyable.

David has also done it before at 0£rM and so he knows what it takes.

You didn't enter anything in the Kancil Awards this year why?

Chris: Frankly, I didn't think we had anything to enter.

I don't believe in entering hundreds of ads on the offchance one might slip through. Nor will we be entering

scams. Of course, it's disappointing for all of us that the work isn't up there yet and we may be being a little too hard on ourselves, but I don't think so.

David: Our focus is on next year and we hope to have some real work, for real clients to enter. We also need to get into the habit of making opportunities for ourselves and our clients. Sometimes you have to put your money where your mouth is.

Where do you see Lowe Lintas next year?

Chris: Hopefully in new offices! The agency has been here for 25 years and it shows. We were planning to be out by the end of the year but the events of September nth in NYC have really put an end to that or at least for another year. It's vital we move. It's part of the re-inventing of Lowe Lintas in KL. David: Yes in a year's time I think the agency will be a very different shop, already there's a tighter more cohesive team and next year the work will be doing all the talking for us.

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MARKETING BRANDS IN RECESSION

INSIDE TRACK: STRATEGIES FOR RECESSION Kiineed to know more than ever^^J how consumers are redefining^^H value and responding to the recession.!

Price elasticity curves are changing. B Consumers take more time searching j for durable goods and negotiate^^H harder at the point ofsale^^^^H The signs of a severe downturn are all around us.

As weakened consumer confidence takes a hit, so will the consumer spending that has been buoying the US economy. Add to that the shock to people's sense of security delivered on September n and the possibility of a protracted war against an ill-defined enemy.

Stock markets fear uncertainty because consumers fear uncertainty. In Japan, interest rates close to zero and politicians'calls for consumers to show their patriotism by spending more cannot offset the damage to consumer confidence inflicted by events like the Kobe earthquake and Tokyo subway gas attacks. The US is not Japan - but difficult times lie ahead, probably for longer than the Gulf war era of the early 1990s. How can we navigate the unclear road ahead?

Understand the customer You need to know more than ever how consumers are redefining value and responding to the recession.

Price elasticity curves are changing. Consumers take more time searching for durable goods and negotiate harder at the point of sale. They are more willing to postpone purchases, trade down, or buy less. Must-have features of yesterday are today's can -live-withouts.

Trusted brands however are especially valued.

Maintain marketing spending This is not the time to cut communication budgets.

It is well documented that brands that increase advertising during a recession, when competitors are cutting back, can improve market share and return on investment at lower cost than during good economic times. Uncertain consumers need the reassurance of known brands - and more consumers at home watching television can deliver higher than expected audience at lower cost -per thousand impressions. Brands with deep pockets may be able to negotiate favourable advertising rates and lock them in for several years. Witness P&G's announcement of maintaining spend despite other cut backs. Coke has increased spending by US$350 million this year.

The analysts may have complained but share is up 4% and income up 22%. IBM has increased spend 17% this year. None of these companies are fools.

Adjust pricing tactics Consumers will be shopping around for the best deals. You do not necessarily have to cut list prices but you may need to offer more temporary price promotions, reduce thresholds for quantity discounts, extend

38 aooi

I

credit to long-standing customers and price smaller pack sizes more aggressively.

Stress market share In all but a few categories where growth prospects are strong - such as security services and video conferencing - companies are in a battle for market share and. Some cases, survival. Knowing your cost structure can ensure that any cuts or consolidation initiatives will save the most money with minimum customer impact. Companies such as WalMart and Southwest Airlines, with strong positions and the most productive cost structures in their industries, can expect to gain market share.

times before, maintaining quality rather than cutting corners and servicing existing customers rather than trying to be all things to all people. Strong leadership is essential; CEOs must spend more time with customers and employees.

Economic recession can elevate the importance of the finance director's balance sheet over the marketing manager's income statement. CEOs must counter this.

Successful companies do not abandon their marketing strategies in a recession; they adapt them.

Emphasise core values Although many companies are making employees redundant, cementing the loyalty of those who remain by stressing the company's core values, assuring employees that the company has survived difficult

Look to the future Lower demand for expensive cars or expensive vacations can create pent-up demand that marketers must be ready to tap when consumers' confidence picks up. But do not jump at the first positive indicator.

Consumer confidence rose for two consecutive months after the end of the Gulf war but then receded. The economic recession that followed lasted the customary full year.

Newly retired head of creative for TBWA-ISC Jullie Lingan performed at her annual 'Unfinished

Concerto-Unpublished Poetry' event at the Artists' Space in Concorde Shah Alam recently.

Poetry readers included TBWA-ISC's copywriter Lisan, TBWA-ISC's Creative Director Paul John Lingan and former McCann's creative head Ben Tan.Jullie, best known as a closet pianist and poet is a confirmed frustrated concert pianist - her most exciting performance was a Chopin concert in Saigon organised by the Philippine Embassy towards the end of the Vietnam war.

ENCORE! ____

Julie with her soaring piano accompanies readers, from left-John, Ben and Lisan.

POWER UP YOUR ADVERTISING

With a choice of 22 channels to place your ads in, we make it easy for you to pinpoint your audience. The ASTRO viewers are highly charged with buying power as they come from the most affluent homes in Malaysia. Talk to the right audience and see how well your ads work for you.

Power up your ads. Call Advertising Sales at 603-95436688 ext 8602 The future is Direct-to-U http: //www.astro.com.my

As global marketers and communications specialists take advantage of the changing media landscape, ACNielsen helps them monitor, analyse and furnish up-to-date insights into changing consumer behaviours.

Having crossed the threshold into the 21st century, the immediate future focuses on the upswing of economic growth. ACNielsen is right there to help you bridge the divide of constant change, empowering you to make the paradigm shift and excel with the new media matrix.

See you at http://www.acnielsen.com/my

Media International ACNielsen (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. (10909-v) 19th Floor, Menara MPPJ, Jalan Tengah, 46200 Petaling Jaya, Selangor DE, Malaysia, http://www.acnielsen.com/my Tel: 603-7626 3878 / 7626 3874 or fax: 603-7958 6578 Email : acnmsia@acnielsen.com.my