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REGIONAL CEO Harmandar Singh aka Ham ham@pop.jaring.my
REGIONAL EDITOR Dean Johns dean@ham.com.my
EDITOR Monica Wong monica@ham.com.my
CONTRIBUTORS Kurt Crocker NickWreden Josh Sklar
ART DIREcnON/ DESIGN TMAii Basir ali@ham.com.my Amirul Hafiz @Faisal amirul@ham.com.my
ADVERTlSING EXECU11VE Rameshvinder Singh ramesh@ham.com.my
OFROAL PHOTOGRAPHER Jen Siovv/Jen Studio
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DISTRIBUTION Five E-Comm Sdn Bhd ADOI magazine is published every month by Sledgehammer Communications (M) Sdn Bhd 22B, Jalan Tun Mohd. Fuad Satu, Taman Tun Dr. Ismail, 60000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Tel: 603-7726 2588 Fax: 603-7722 5712
LET'S talk about ADOI and adver- . -..................................................................-....-.................., exotic vacations, high-end IT hardware and software, cutting-edge entertainment systems, premium beverages, desirable real-estate and specialist financial services, to list just a few of the most obvious. And at our colour-page rates you can reach this affluent, ad-fluent audience for just a handful of Malaysian sen or a few hundred rupiah per head. In short, ADOI delivers you more prosperous prospects with four years in Indonesia. But we need many, many more less wastage than just about any other medium you can paid advertising pages, both to fund increases in the size think of. So if you're a client with products and services and improvements in the quality of the magazine, and to in any of the categories ADOI is a natural for, maybe you achieve a worthwhile bottom-line in the process. should ask your agency to consider putting us on your In some ways, we have to admit, we've been our own schedule. And if you're with an advertising or media worst enemies in this regard. We haven't marketed ouragency, maybe you should think about taking the initiative selves to potential advertisers as professionally or consis- ¡ to recommend us. In any case, we'll be calling on you in tently as we might have. We've sometimes sold space at person very shortly to twist your arm til you cry "adoi!'' to disastrously low discounts. And we've even resorted at get you to book more ads in ADOI. times, out of desperation, certainly, rather than greed, to selling advertorials and failing to identify them as such. Such practices as this have to cease. And the only way we can achieve this end is to properly market ourselves like every honest-to-goodness advertising medium does: by persistently pushing our value to advertisers and their agencies. It shouldn't be too difficult. As our loyal existing Dean Johns, Regional Editor advertisers well know, we deliver an audited circulation of STOP PRESS: Just as this edition was going to print, and therefore 6,000 in Malaysia and 8,000 in Indonesia, so that with our too late to give such good news its due space and prominence, Monpass-on readership of around 5 we reach some 70,000 ica Wong was promoted to the post of Editor of ADOI Malaysia. I'm marketing and advertising professionals. sure the many friends she's made in our industry in the six months she's been with us as a writer will join all of us at Sledgehammer ComThese 70,000 sophisticated, street-smart, big-spendmunications in congratulating her on this richly-deserved recognition ing prospects represent a golden opportunity for marof her talents, and wishing her well in her new role. Right on, Mon! keters, not just of industry-related services, but upscale offerings in a host of other categories. Luxury vehicles, tising. No, not about awards, for a change, or account wins and losses, industry personalities, or any of the other issues that customarily occupy our editorial pages. Let's talk for once about ADOI, not as a marketing and advertising magazine, but as an advertising medium. We're most grateful for the support we've been receiving from our advertisers for the nine years of ADOI's existence in Malaysia and .....,.,_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _..J
WHAT'S H
IN THIS ISSUE
T
HIGHLIGHTS 08 10
Nick Wreden : Agency - Hire Kurt Crocker : How To Avoid The Seven Deadly Sins
EXCLUSNEINTERWEW 04 Member of
INTERACTNE 18
Audit Bureau of Circulations
Š All rights reserved by Sledgehammer Communications (M) Sdn. Bhd. No part of this magazine may be reproduced in any fonn without prior pennission in writing from the publisher. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information in this publication, the publisher and the editor assume no responsibility for errors or omissions or for any consequences of reliance of infonnation in this publication. The opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent t he views of the publisher or editor. Advertisements are the sole responsibility of the advertisers.
Tengku Mahaleel : Moulding Metal And Minds
Josh Sklar: Another Brand Bites the Dust
SPECIALS 10 13 16 21 22 24 29 34 37 42
IAA: Dynamic Council Michael Maedel: Why Fix A Good Thing? AdShowcase: "Worms" Ted Lim: Malaysia Boleh! At AdFest Datuk Vincent Lee: Integrate Or Disintegrate Malaysia's Creative Ascent Air Asia: The Sky's No Limit Reader's Digest: Brands Consumers Choose How To Write Right Creative Licence Award
a001 MARKETINGCOMMUNICATIONS ill
_CoverS tory
•av DEAN JOHNS
WHEN he was a very young man, Tengku Tan Sri (Dr.) Mahaleel bin Tengku Ariff had two alternative life's ambitions: to be either a diplomat or a fighter pilot. To reveal the reason for his electing not to attempt the first of these options would be, in a word, undiplomatic. But it's ironic that the same high-powered combination of good looks, high intelligence, self-deprecating sense of humour and unassuming manner that might have made him a successful envoy for his country in High Commissions and Embassies around the world, or even perhaps at the UN , have led him to become a prominent and influential ambassador for Malaysia as the CEO of one of the nation's most prominent multinationals. As to his fighter-pilot aspiration, Mahaleel's father; the late Tengku Ariff, put paid to that by asking his son to attend the University of Malaya instead. This he dutifully did, but studied the humanities there rather than engineering, which his father would have preferred, and graduated in 1970 with a Bachelor of Arts (Hons). Most parents love to think they know what's best for their children, and certainly Tengku Ariff was eventually proven extremely perceptive in this regard, as Mahaleel was awarded an honorary Doctorate in Automotive Engineering in 2001 by Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, and also serves as Chairman of the Board of the University College of Engineering & Technology Malaysia. Other positions in which he serves besides that of PROTON Group CEO include membership of the National Science Council, the National Economic Action Committee on Globalization,
II a001 MARKETINGCOMMUNICATIONS
the National Competitiveness Council , Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology (MIGHT), and as an adjunct Professor with Universiti Utara Malaysia's Faculty of Business Management. He also sits on the Global Advisory Board of the London Business School. Small wonder then, that when ADOI asked him one of those standard-issue interview questions, what's the greatest challenge you face in your business life?, he simply and smilingly replied "staying awake." We automatically took his meaning to be that, just like us, he finds endless meetings somewhat soporific. But quite the opposite. What he actually meant was that he's so rewed-up by his involvement in business and public service across half the world's time zones that he allows himself an average night's sleep of only two to four hours. And what are the driving forces that, having already helped propel him to the top, still inspire him to enjoy working so hard now he's up there? The four motivators he mentioned, some of them several times during the course of a long conversation, were (1) A love of speed, (2) a "relentless need" to be at the edge of things and to test limits, (3) a burning belief in commitment - a quality that's "much deeper than a promise," and (4) a passion for strategy. Speed actually plays two roles in Mahaleel's remarkable life. The first and most obvious, given his early career option of fighter pilot, is the exhilaration of acceleration, the visceral rush of sheer velocity. He recalls that he was Rally Champion of Malaysia in (he thinks) 1998, at the wheel of a Mitsubishi VR4. He owns a stable of motorcycles including a Ducati 916SP, an MV Augusta 1000 and an MV Augusta Brutale on which he likes to take long and, one suspects, very fast rides. And though his car collection includes a 1988 Porsche 911 and a Nissan GTR that he bought in 1992, he says he also loves driving both the
PROTON Gen 2 and the new Perdana. But his appreciation of speed isn't restricted to the pedal-the-metal, wringthe-throat-of-the-throttle variety. Nor should anyone be deluded into imagining that the PROTON Group's ownership of MV Augusta in Italy or Lotus Cars in the UK is for any reason resembling fun or frivolity. Acquisition of these highly-regarded, high-performance, high-tech companies is all about the other breed of speed that Mahaleel lives for: the race to make and keep PROTON and Malaysia competitive in an ever-faster-changing world. This is the point, I'm tempted to propose, at which Mahaleel the speedster meets Mahaleel the strategist. Or where, as he so eloquently expressed it in a speech to the Malaysian Media Congress in March this year, his vision for PROTON extends from the "moulding of metal" to the "moulding of minds. " Where cutting-edge global technology meets home-grown Malaysian energy and enterprise, and helps put not just the Nation's manufacturing, but also its mentality and morale, on a firmer, faster track to the future. He's often said that his first and still unfulfilled challenge in the domestic market is to tum the perception of PROTON in the public mind from "pampered son of Malaysia" to "respected son of Malaysia." To support his contention that PROTON has more than earned this perceptual shift, he quotes surprisingly impressive figures on everything from the dramatic reduction in faults per manufactured car over recent years and growth of jobs to over 9,000 in Malaysia alone, to the Group's profitability and consequent ability to fund billion-dollar acquisitions from its cash reserves. He also reports with considerable satisfaction that among auto marketers in the UK, PROTON rates second only to Lexus in customer service satisfaction. Asked how he plans to communicate all this eye-opening good news about PROTON to the Malaysian public, he's slightly vague and even evasive for the first and only time in our interview, saying that it's not really the task of the ad agency which he thinks is doing a great job for the PROTON product, the Tony Savarimuthu-led McCann-Erickson Malaysia, or even for the PROTON Group PR department, but may require a separate exercise altogether. On the annotated hard copy he gave us of a list of some of the interview questions we emailed him in advance, he's written "You? Visits/exhibitions." But as much as
we'd love ADOI to attract a big or broad enough readership to be a factor in shaping public opinion, we can 't see it happening anytime soon. And while visits and exhibitions may have a cumulative impact in the very long run, we're inclined to feel that some kind of concerted media campaign would be much quicker and even possibly more cost-effective. As enthusiastic and even obsessive as he is about strategy, and as successfully as he practices it on the PROTON Group's behalf, Tengku Tan Sri Mahaleel's own career seems to owe less to strategic planning than luck. Or, to use his word for how he came to work for PROTON, "chance." Though his first job after graduating from university, three years in marketing with Nestle Malaysia, may well have awakened a latent talent or taste for strategy. And his abilities in this area and others must have been honed much further during his following seven years with Shell Malaysia, where he rose to the post of marketing director. His next move gave him his first exposure to international business. As group managing director of New Toyo, he oversaw expansion of the Group's operations to Vietnam, China and Australia, and also assisted the Mofaz Group and helped found Air Asia and Kuala Lumpur Airport Services. But nothing had prepared him, he says, for the phone call he received out of t he blue one d ay f rom th e then Prime Minister of Malaysia's chief private secretary, Tan Sri Aziz Ismail, asking him if he would consider becoming the new MD under the then owner and chairman of PROTON, the late Tan Sri Yahya. In fact, when he did finally leave Toyo after being assured by his colleagues there and satisfying him-
a001 MARKETINGCOMMUNICATIONS Iii
__ CoverStory
self that he wouldn't be dishonouring his commitment to them, he agreed to sign-on with PROTON not as MD right away, or CEO as he is today, but as director of strategic planning. Asked to describe his management style, he replies that he sees it as "both left and right": a blend of left-brained "extreme taskmaster'' and right-brained "empathy and caring." Is he consciously training or developing a protege who might possibly someday succeed him? "Not really." And what about longrange plans for his personal future? He has "no burning ambition," he says, besides a wish to pass-on what he's learned in his life, about not only "management skills and styles" but also other issues that especially interest him, like ''fairness and unfairness, and conflicts of religions and cultures." On the subject of ambition per se, he observes that "it's good to have ambition, but not overbearing ambition. And that he believes it should be pursued, "not through ego or greed", but by the making of "principled decisions based on values."
[iJ a001 MARKETINGCOMMUNICATIONS
Religious values? Personal values? Family values? Mahaleel had already given us far more of his time than we'd imagined he'd be able to spare us, so we had mercy on him at that point and took our leave. But not before he'd gone to fetch two pictures of his family from his office and brought them back to show us. One a framed collage showing his grandparents and parents; the other a group shot of his wife, a doctor now retired from medical practice ("She's so bright she got A in about seven subjects at university, while I managed A in only about two''), and his two sons, one an engineer and the other studying business in Australia. Business. Engineering. Caring. This seemed to us a pretty fair summation of the whole conversation. And so did our departure. Off we drove in a well-wom Wira cab patriotically painted all over like a mobile Malaysian flag, finally leaving Tengku Tan Sri (Dr.) Mahaleel bin Tengku Ariff in peace to get back to driving the PROTON Group.
c. t ··•ave of death stf&~nounced. 1be nrs ...
When th
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washed
_Columnist
Agency- hire MAY2005 26lh
Interactive ~ng
29lh
S1rategiC Brand Planning
•av NICK WREDEN nick@fusionbrand.com
JUNE2005 14th
Copywriting
23rd
S1rategiC Media Thinking
JULY2005 fllh 27lh
Mobile ~ng Presentation Skills
AUGUST2005 22nd
24th
Direct Marketing Art Direction
SEPTEMBER 2005 8th
S1rategiC Media Thinking
22nd
Interactive Marketing
OCTOBER2005 6lh 27lh
Ideas & TVC S1rategiC Brand Planning
NOVEMBER 2005 101h
Copywriting
DECEMBER 2005 8th 15111
Presentation Skills
Art Direction 'Mori<shops
EVENTS MAY 121" 2005 ADOI AdFest Screening @ Bojangle's MAY 3()TH 2005
1M Gunn Report Screening JU.Y 141M 2005 Power Suits Awards JU.Y 27TH 2005 ADOI Marl<:eting To VVomen JU.Y 3()TH 2005 ADOI Adrenaline Student Creative Awards AUG 121" 2005 Adball, Shangrila Hotel, Kuala Lumpur AUG 25TH 2005 MC2 Recharge Seminar SEPT 3()TH 2005 Malaysian Creative Circle (MC2) Awards Night NOV 15-17'11 2005 AD : Tech Shanghai, Shanghai International Convertion Centre, Rep. China Log on http://www.ad-techshanghai.com/
Simon is on holiday and did not make it in time to ease your sorrows. But do not despair, he will be back in the June issue.
Iii aDOI MARKETINGCOMMUNICATIONS
FEW tasks are harder- or more important than making a good hire. A good hire can take your agency to the next level. A bad one can wreck it. Most hires are made amid crisis. There's a new client, and an immediate need to meet new demands. Or a key person has deserted ship, and new blood is needed to fill the hole. But while filling a slot because "anybody is better than nobody" may solve a temporary crisis, it can create larger problems down the road - and may even lead to the loss of a client. So here are a few hardwon tips to making the best possible hire: Put the portfolio in context Everyone loves to showand look at- portfolios. But there are inevitably a lot of fingers in every creative and strategic pie, and rarely does a finished product reflect a single person's work. Additionally, portfolios can only show you what a person has done for someone else. It is much more important to know what they can do for you. A better test is to show them work in progress and ask them to critique it. Do they start by asking smart questions, li ke what is the strategy, who is the target market, and what results is the client trying to achieve? Usten carefully to their analysis. Do they focus on the copy, design or the strategy? That will tell you a lot about how they will approach Mure problems. Look beyond "impact:" The hiring process, like many other activities in agencies, is infected with buzzwords "passion," "impact," "driven," etc. Unfortunately, these attributes c a n a lso be the force behind a boss from hell or a disruptive co-worker. Instead, look for three skills that will increase the productivity of your office and make clients happier. These skills are diplomacy, or the ability to manage relationships between teams or individuals; responsibility m anagement, or the ability to ensure that problems are not passed to someone else; and idea triage - knowing when to say "yes" to ideas and, more importantly, when to let ideas die. Provoke a reaction: The agency business is
like rugby, a full-contact sport. You don't want someone who can't dodge or bounce back after a hit. During the initial interview, find a mistake in the resume, criticize an offering in the portfolio, pick apart their skills. See how they respond. Do they get defensive or even angry? Or do they take it as an opportunity for improvement? Focus on the hire, not the fire: Most interviews are focused on finding reasons not to hire someone. Instead, look for reasons to hire som~ne. What are the unique skills or experiences that you can leverage to go after new c lients? How well do they complement an agency strength? If you only come out of an interview finding faults with the prospect, you are not thinking about how to grow your organization. Shut up: Executives will spend the bulk of interview time talking about their agency, clients, campaigns, blah, blah, blah. A good candidate will know much of that already. The candidate should do 80% of the talking. Just ask smart questions- and listen hard. A good candidate will also ask you smart questions. Be suspic ious of anyone who just wants to know about vacations and benefits. Don't let managers hire direct reports: If the goal is to upgrade organizational skills, don't let managers hire those that they will be directly supervising. There is a natural human t endency not to hire anyone who might represent a future threat. Instead, let the manager's manager make the final decision. "How to make a great hire" is one of the s kills t hat t hey don't teach in schools, unfortunately. While a bad campaign will quickly disappear beneath the waves, a bad hire will sabotage an agency for months or even years. So take your time and do it right. Hire in haste, repent in leisure.
... "How to make a great hire" is one of the skills that they don't teach in schools, unfortunately. While a bad campaign will quickly disappear beneath the waves, a bad hire will sabotage an agency for months or even years. So take your time and do it right. Hire in haste, repent in leisure.
SONY
Sony High Definition Qual ity
Direct
How to Avoid the Seven Deadly Sins â&#x20AC;˘av KURT CROCKER, CREATIVE DIRECTOR DRAYTON BIRD, CROCKER & MANO (DBC&M)
WHO amongst us is without sin? Considering I'm posing that question to a bunch of advertising and marketing types, I imagine your collective response is an enthusiastic guffaw. But seriously, folks. Our sinful ways really get in the way of doing the right thing. Repeated sins "result in the perverse inclinations which cloud conscience and corrupt the concrete judgment of good and evil. " Come on now, think. Have you ever recommended an advertising plan to a client when you know Direct Marketing is the real, cost-efficient solution? You are a sinner. Have you ever approved a creative approach that smells luxuriously like an award-winner, but stinks in its potential ability to sell? (But it's so clever!) Have you ever denigrated a competitive agency to a prospective client, even though you knew the denigration was a lie? Evil lurks in those whispered falsehoods. While visiting my dear sister in the U.S. recently, our conversation drifted to the subject of marketing, and my impending deadline for this column. Somehow, though I suppose not surprisingly, that led to the age-old , scholarly
compendium of "Seven Deadly Sins". What follows is that list of sins. You can apply a number of examples of each sin, and in an attempt at constructivism, their virtuous counterparts. For our purposes, I chose marketing examples, in particular, those relating to Direct Marketing. Ignore the path of virtue if you will, but remember, you reap what you sow!
... Lead by seeing yourself as you are ...
The Sin The Marketing Scenario The Virtuous Alternative
Greed You are an agency that offers both advertising and true Direct Marketing expertise, but advertising always takes the lead. Generosity (and plain common sense). Enlist your DM'ers, up-front, to identify long-term opportunities for your clients. Including responsive advertising. Sloth You offer second-rate creative solutions to your clients , because , dammit, those art directors and copywriters just whine and whine. Zeal. Creative folks: Never argue that your idea is right because is "kewl" ; rationalize why is " sells" . AE 's: Be sure it " sells", but don 't be afraid because it's also "kewl" . Anger You manage your agency - or your brand - by the realities of "numbers". You have projections to meet, or there will be hell to pay. Kindness. Self-inspect your own faults first, and examine what you can do to ensure results. Better briefs? More involvement from your relationship experts? Improved integrated solutions?
Lust You desperately yearn to offer Direct Marketing expertise, but you haven't a clue. So you lie. Self control. Be happy with who and what you are, or invest in specialists who have what you don't.
Envy You yearn for a top position in your company and you will stomp on and climb over anyone who gets in your way. Love. Learn to believe, because it's true, that if you love what you do, you will do it well , and if you do it well, you will succeed.
GluttonyYou have invited 30 agencies to pitch your business, and ask for 5 distinct strategic and creative approaches from each. Faith and Temperance. And do some work. Research your agency alternatives to reach a top five, and trust them to offer reasonable choices. If
Pride You KNOW you have been , are and will always be better than the rest ... and take every opportunity to shout about it. Humility. Chronicle your strengths and let them be known, with out comparison . Lead by seeing yourself as you are.
Dynamic Council
The IAA ExCo that cuts across all sectors are :(left to right) Zainuddin M. Noh, T. Renganathan, Jennifer Chan, Ho Kay Tat, Mohd Hassan Abu and Harmandar Singh
ml a001 MARKETINGCOMMUNICATIONS
you insist otherwise, pay them for their efforts.
THE newly elected IAA council comprises of leaders from all sectors of the industry. Leading the team as president is Ho Kay Tat, Group Managing Director of Nexnews publications The Sun and The Edge. When asked about his task he said, ''the new exco intends to build on the foundation laid by the previous exco to raise the profile of the IAA in Malaysia so that we can contribute more to the development of the media and marketing industry in Malaysia. Towards this end, it is our aim to collaborate with all other industry organisations as we believe more can be achieved that way." The President is backed by a capable Vice President in Harmandar Singh, Regional CEO of Adoi Magazine. The exacting job of Secretary is in the capable hands of meticulous T Renganathan, MD of Interface Advertising. And who better to take up the role of Treasurer than Zainuddin M. Noh, GM, Group Corporate Affairs of Fraser & Neave. Committee members include Jennifer Chan , CEO, BBDO who has been given the task of Professional Development and Education, Mohd Hassan Abu, Executive Chairman, 59 Corporation will head the Membership and Activity division, and Christie Leo, Managing Director, Waves PR and Waves Direct Marketing is to manage Media and Public Relations. First item on the agenda: the IAA Gunn Report screening on 30 May at KLGCC.
_Personality Profile
If all Austrians were strategists like Michael, they would be the most powerful nation in the world. Equipped with a degree in Economics and business from Vienna, Michael was clear that he wanted to be in advertising. He started his career in advertising at a young age of 22 and says he has never regretted it ever since. After some time at Young & Rubicam, he went on to join JWT Germany, which was in a precarious position. Despite the difficulties they were going through at that time, at the core of it all, Michael only saw the treasured, valuable brand that it was. He said "What I always look for, is a challenge. To take up something that is running well, is easy. But to brace oneself for a difficulty and turn it around successfully, you then leave a little fingerprint in the history of advertising. When you look back at your professional trail in life, you want to see what you have left behind, what you are associated with and what you have achieved." Sound advice from a great man, as he has not only turned it around, but also managed to keep it at the forefront for many years now. Michael humbly attributes his success to the people. "A network is a lot like a human body, each part is reliant on each other, no part can operate completely on its own, and like a human body it needs a combination of sense to really work together and be healthy. To be strong, in one area is not enough. It is all of it together that creates a balance". After many years, he is still fascinated with the diverse people that he meets. "It is their unpredictability that always makes it so refreshing. This is a fun business." he elaborates. Michael believes that you have to be passionate about the business, enjoy what you are doing, and lucky. I feel it must have taken more than luck to have risen to where he is, doing what he is doing. And it must have taken sheer courage to change a brand
Ill aDOI MARKETINGCOMMUNICATIONS
moves us to be forefront change. it upon to be ,.,~~adlers of ustry" President, Worldwide
already popular and rich with a culture and heritage of over a century, risking criticism for fixing something that isn't broken. Michael however, believes that it would be too late if you wait for something to be in jeopardy before embracing change. He believes that organisations have to keep moving forward, as the moment they stand still, they will go backward. The slope to decline is continuous, which explains the graveyard of brands in which some of the greatest brands in the world are buried. JWT is a company which moves with the desire to mould a client's business . Michael believes that its reason for being, is to work with clients and make them more successful. By say-
ing that, he explains that a high level of professional curiosity is encouraged and nurtured so JWT is sensitive to the ever-changing needs of consumers. The truth of this\ is borne oLJ1 by the agency's track record. JWT created the first radio commercial, the first tv commercial, started the trend of celebrities as brand ambassadors and many other trends which lasted till today. "You cannot achieve all these when you are complacent ," says Michael. JWT's current belief that "time is the new currency" aims to ensure that sufficient time and consideration is spent on clients' brands. JWT believes that the better the idea, the more time a client will want to spend on it. As Michael aptly said, "The best form of advertising is to find the right form of idea, then execute it in the most meaningful and relevant way in each of the markets in which we operate. We need to stop interrupting what people are interested in and be what people are interested in." The ultimate goal, as Michael words it, is to "encompass creativity and combine it with strong commercial ability to shape a product with the aim and sole purpose to assist clients in creating maximum impact, in line with their business strategies." To ensure that their vision is realised, "Health Check", a new evaluation tool has been set in place to track progress. Not only will they be able to know the "what" of the progress (or digress), as insufficiently covered by most evaluation tools, but also the "why". JWT is here to make a statement and be what people are interested in. Everyone from every discipline has committed to this vision by signing a "Creative Partnership Contract", which strongly reiterates this point. I realised finally that JWT is not "fixing" anything, but simply, as its 140-year culture decrees, leading as leaders do.
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OGAWA HOTLINE : 1800-88-4688 - WEBSITE : www.ogawa .com.my
_AdShowcase
Brew ed onl y from the best. A hilarious tvc entitled "Wonns" by 8800 Bangkok for Unif Green Tea. This has tickled judges to award it with <a Silver at both AdFest and D & AD.
1m aDOI MARKETINGCOMMUNICATIONS
A SLl CE OF COLOUR. COOL AND CRI SP. AN OU N CE OF SUNRI SE A SPOONFUL OF SPR I NG A TRI CKL E OF SP I CE ADD A PI NCH OF MAGIC. DARK AND THICK. SEASON WITH SECRETS ALLOW TO MINGLE AND MIX SERVE WARM , WITH A H IN T 0 F SMILE ON THE SIDE .
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#i-maliiiJ.5.ii! Going beyond expectations
InterActive
PEOPLE said I took it personally when HewlettPackard swallowed Compaq, because I had done so many years of work on the account that the merger swept away in a day, never to be seen again. But that wasn't it. I had also worked on DEC. It was Compaq that had eaten DEC a few years prior, and I bore them no malice. When WPP digested Bates Advertising, my alma mater, last year, I accepted that it was an inevitability. No, I cared that Compaq had "crossed over" because as a computer geek, I had an affinity for the old girl- and the same went for Digital. It's like watching your childhood neighborhood get tom down so a shopping mall can go up. It hurts to grow up. But now, now they've gone too furl Adobe is paying top dollar to meld itself with Macromedia all in an effort to correct its own flawed business strategy. For the past decade, Adobe has paid scant attention to the Web and put full power to print ~llustrator, PhotoShop, PageMaker, FrarneMaker, Streamline, lnDesign, PostScript, font collections, etc.) and the.elimination of print (PDF products). After that, their focus was squarely on video with Premiere and After Effects for editing and Encore for DVD authoring. Then there was this litHe product called PageMill that was supposed to be the best wysiwyg HTML authoring tool ever (back in 1995), which completely flopped. Four years later, they supplanted it with a great package called CyberStudio they bought from a small company called GoUve, subsequently renaming it Golive CyberStudio and, of late, Golive CS2. (Sort of like wearing the skin of your victim, eh? Yeah, gives me the creeps too.) They turned a decent product into something that competes for last place with Microsoft's Front Page editing software. You know Agency: Naga DDB Client : Energizer ECD:TedUm Art Director: Chow Kok Keong Copywriter: Jam Photographer: Mak (Untold Images)
mJ a001 MARKETINGCOMMUNICATIONS
Another Brand Bites the Dust â&#x20AC;˘av JOSH SKLAR, FOUNDER LOGICWORKS JOSH@LOGICWORKS.US
... Why should the winners learn from the losers? ...
Microsoft- the same one who will embed the kitchen sink in the HTML if you try to convert a Word document using their built-in ... technique and have the most widely used Web browser by far that is also by far the one that conforms least with standards and is most out-of-date. So, as my rant goes, just because Adobe thought the Internet was a passing craze that happened to be simpatico with Acrobat PDFs... just because it took them six or seven years to include a Web-friendly palette or the ability to make transparent GIF images native to PhotoShop ... that doesn't give them a free pass to obliterate one of the most innovative brands on the face of the blinkin' planet! Macromedia is going to be snuffed out and made to fit the rnoreand-more-Borg-''yes-we-will-assimilate-you-intoour-collective-without-so-much-as-a-by-yourleave" -like behemoth that is Adobe? No!! If you think that the creative, developer-focused spirit that is currently Macromedia will spread gently throughout Adobe's hallways, like white blood cells floating protectively in your own arteries, then the
cynic that is I will try to slap you back to your senses. The cultures are different enough to create immense frustrations and Adobe will definitely be in for a challenge to convince its people to learn from the new guys. Why should the winners learn from the losers? They've been going head-to-head against each other with products since the 80s. Adobe Illustrator '88 vs. FreeHand v.1.0, anyone? There is going to be some definite schadenfreude going on there and it ain't going to be pretty or helpful. Adobe will undoubtedly begin integrating everything, especially Acrobat, with capabilities that take advantage of the Macromedia flagship product, Rash (which, it should come as no surprise, Macromedia bought from a company called FutureSplash several years ago). They may keep DreamWeaver and do away with GoUve (and then proceed to ruin DreamWeaver). But FreeHand is going to go away, Rreworks - so long, ColdFusion buh-bye, Director? All of the developer-oriented products? We can only hope the new overlords are merciful. Long live Macromedia.
am w staitn:
Pc:rtras:
bp
#fma/ag2iJI
•
TOSHIBA CR:::::ATiv:::::·
Going beyond expectations
•
BERJAYA TIMES SQUARE
1V ED~~~~~~N .... .....
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UNiT
SONY~ BJ\11G MU ~lt
I. N II l 1A I NM I I'ol1
East Meets West When it comes to creative solutions, we offer the best of both worlds, combining international expertise with local know-how.
It's no wonder we're right smack in Bangsar, where East meets West in a delightful coupling of coffee and creativity. We're constantly inspired to brew up innovative solutions to meet our clients' needs, so do drop by for a cuppa on us anytime.
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_Ad Fest
,.
â&#x20AC;˘av TED LIM, EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR, NAGA DDB
"Judging was tough but fair, and though the hilarious Thai work dominated this category, the Best of Show for TV went to Dentsu Tokyo for Ajinomoto Stadium "Husky Girls" IVE never been to AdFest. Never been to Pattaya as a matter of fact. Not sure why, considering how preoccupied creative people are with awards and how near Pattaya is compared to Cannes. I guess attending advertising festivals has never been on my list of things to do before I meet God. So when Jimmy Lam invited me to judge this year, I asked myself if I wanted to take 3 days off to look at stuff I look at every day. I reckon the urge to find out what the rest of the region has been up to and the opportunity to learn something from Suthisak helped me decide. I only realised what I had gotten myself into on the night of my arrival at the Royal Cliff Beach Resort. Everyone was happily tucking into the reception dinner when Suthisak casually mentioned that the TV jury had more than a thousand entries to look at. Over 8 hours of viewing in Round 1 alone. We clocked in at 9 a.m. sharp the next moming and dutifully sat through commercial after commercial after commercial. In, out. In, out. By 6 p.m., we realised there was no way we could finish Round 1 in time to join the Print and Outdoor juries for dinner at some exotic Thai restaurant. So we had TV dinner - ate in and watched more commercials. By 10 p.m., our eyes were seeing things we weren't supposed to, so we called it a night. We finally managed to wrap up Round 1 at lunchtime the next day. Only the top 12% of the work entered made the shortlist. A second viewing whittled the list down to 102 entries before we voted for Gold, Silver and Bronze. Judging was tough but fair, and though the hilarious Thai work dominated this category, the Best of
Ted Um with Thirasak of Creative Juice/G1, the most awarded agency at AdFest.Thirasak will be judging at this year's MC2 Awards
Show for TV went to Dentsu Tokyo for Ajinomoto Stadium "Husky Girls". No less deserving were the Yellow Pages spots by Creative Juice/G1 and the most bizarre "Incredible Match" spot for Unit Green Tea with Milk by BBOO Bangkok. The only Malaysian TV commercial that won was Kapal Api "The Fight", which picked up a Bronze award. KapaJ Api was also Best TVC at last year's MC2 Awards. Fact is, the Thai and Japanese TV work was so good, it didn't take long for anyone to realise that Malaysian TV wasn't going to get anywhere at AdFest. Not with the thousand-and-one things we can't show or say or even make fun of. But what Malaysia failed to achieve in the TV category, we made up for in Press, Outdoor, Direct Mail and Interactive. In what is possibly our best performance at AdFest to date, Malaysia won a Gold, 11 Silver and 12 Bronze awards. We are the third most awarded country at the 8th Asia Pacific Advertising Festival, after Singapore and Thailand. With over 4,000 entries this year, AdFest has become Asia's biggest award show, eclipsing the longer established Media Advertising Awards. It is like Cannes in every way, only nearer and much, much cheaper for us in Asia.
ASIA PACIFIC ADVERTISING FESTIVAL (ADFEST) 2005
MALAYSIAN WINNERS¡ Rank
Agency
Points*
Saatchi & Saatchi
60
Nagallllll
45
Ogilvy One
Gold Silver Bronze Rnalist
4
3
3
2
35
2
9
35
2
40
6-7
JNT
25
6-7
f'lc
25
8
llllll~
15
9-11
BBOO
10
9-11
O&M
10
9-11
McCann
10
12
Leo IUnalt
13-15
Y&R
13-15
SIAd
13-15
FCB
2
2
7
*Based on Campaign BriefMia's creative ranking point system AdFest Gold Awanf (25 poirrls} AdFest Silver Awanf (15 poirrls} AdFest Bronze Awant (1 0 poirrts) No poirrts for AdFest Rna/isis
a001 MARKETINGCOMMUNICATIONS II
HERE is a man whose sterling reputation remains undaunted by provocation. It is rumoured by some in the ad industry that Datuk Vincent Lee is a tough businessman, who got "lucky'', an unapproachable "chinaman", a selfish, arrogant man who seeks only to profit. But time and again Datuk Vincent has
proven to be a mentor, a leader, a man who is generous to the point of being philanthropic. His big heart has earned him a great deal of respect and gratitude throughout the industry. However, being a blunt Chinese man who combines the best of the east and west, he holds true to the values of honour, respect, love and integrity, which are commonly lost in the rat race. He is often misunderstood or maliciously misquoted. There are many people in the industry who are grateful to him, and just as many scornful. This however never ruffled him as he strongly believes that rumourmongers get nowhere. Who is this man proclaimed as a trailblazer of our time? Curiosity compelled me to find out.
In 1he ear1y days It took me by surprise when Datuk Vincent said, "I am really a creative person." It would seem he is purely a businessman. That is another rumour down the drain. He developed a love for the creation of art at a very young age, and would have chosen to be an artist had fate not decreed otherwise . With no creative post
or disintegrate. available when he started in advertising, he settled for a job as a trainee account executive. Filled with determination to go further, he took on the challenge of a correspondence marketing course. I cannot imagine the difficulty of doing a correspondence course before email existed, but this didn't diminish his determination, but instead pushed him forward. Being the visionary that he is, his ideas needed totally free reign to take flight. The fact that he would eventually start his own agency was inevitable. Mortgaged to the hilt, he took the leap and simply ploughed on. Armed with only sheer guts and the advice of a wise Japanese man, the late Hayashi, "To succeed, you must have passion; have only money in mind and you will fail". His passion is totally infectious, as he puts it, "If it was merely for the money, I would have gone into other more lucrative businesses". Today, Naga DDB is the biggest and the most integrated agency in Malaysia. With his enterprises prospering and in the hands of able subordinate leaders, Datuk Vincent feels that it is time to focus his energy on his first and greatest love, the Malaysian Advertising Industry at large.
The President His passion for the industry moved him to run for the presidency of 4As. In that position, he felt he could play a role in lifting the Malaysian Ad Industry to a more competitive level. It was frustrating that, despite Thailand having emerged as an advertising force long after Malaysia, it had not only caught up, but was beating us on the creative front by leaps and bounds. With nothing to prove or to gain for himself, Datuk Vincent has now surged on to be elected as the President of the Accredited Advertising Agency Association of Malaysia (4As). He is determined to make advertising an increasingly honourable and respected industry. He wants it to be ''the career which people desire". He wants students to beam with pride when they say, "I want to be like Yasmin Ahmad or Ted Um or Edmund Choe". He wants the industry to be taken more seriously. It has not gone unnoticed that one of Datuk Vincent's very first acts as the president of 4As has been to show unmitigated support for one of Malaysia's ad greats. At a time when mixed sentiments were aroused by the "controversial" LRT television commercial by Yasmin Ahmad, he took a stand by publicly declaring that it was nothing short of brilliant. The ad has done what ads should do, conveyed a message with impact and empathy.
Now he is embarking on a series of tasks that he has mapped out as particular challenges. He wants, for example, to create opportunities in the form of scholarships for students who otherwise couldn't afford to develop their talents. He feels that the industry lacks talents and the will to groom great talents. More opportunities need to be created. He also has plans to help smaller agencies to be competitive and achieve ample opportunity for growth. When asked why would he want to nurture more Naga-sized agencies, Datuk Vincent simply said, "As a whole, everybody needs to prosper and the industry will prosper. After all, bear in mind that this is not a zerosum game. Everybody wins, nobody loses, and we will have fun doing it". Datuk Vincent also mentioned that every agency, despite its size, will be given equal opportunities to create great work and, that we should compete against the world as one. That way forces will be combined to bring glory not for ourselves, but for Malaysia. "The new council wants to take it in their own stride to bring
the Malaysian advertising industry, to a higher level. Despite all the hard work and sacrifices that are expected, time will favour our success as long as we can all put aside our egos and selfishness," he added further. His support does not stop at advertising, but extends to concern for the growth and survival of all media. Datuk Vincent feels that, "All media have to grow, ailing media need to garner all the support that they can. Without media, there is no advertising". With heartfelt ambitions like these for his presidency of the 4As, our industry can do nothing but become more unified. As Datuk Vincent says, "Integrate or Disintegrate". With unity comes strength. It takes vision, action and courage to pull this through. And he quotes the great Bill Bernbach, "The leaders of tomorrow are men who understand that the future, as always, belongs to the brave". With such an adman at the helm of the 4As, our industry can hardly help but rise to a greater level.
... forces will be combined toJ bring glory not for ourselves, 1 but for Malaysia...
a001 MARKETINGCOMMUNICATIONS gJ
_Creative Standing
The widest lens in its class. "School Photo" created by Naga DDB for Nikon has won a Bronze at Ad Fest. nominated Silver in D & AD, Bronze in Clio, as well as a nomination for One Show.
Malaysia's creative ascent â&#x20AC;˘av MONICA WONG
THE race for Asian creative recognition has begun with Ad Fest in March. As we already know, Malaysia came third after Thailand and Singapore. Just to recapture a few agencies' glory, JWT won the only Gold, Passion Pictures awarded the Best of the Best, Saatchi & Saatchi four Silver, Naga one Silver, two Bronze, Ogillvy One, two Silver, one Bronze, Publicis one Silver, two Bonze and Lowe one Silver, two Bronze (not one Bronze as tabled in the Malaysian wins chart ,last issue in the article entitled "Gold is not cheap') Chalking up a total of one Gold, 11 Silver, 12 Bronze and one Best of the Best. It was indeed an ecstatic time for Malaysians in Pattaya. Grilling up the creative hotplate, Campaign Brief Asia and Media Awards ranked Malaysia as the fourth most creative country in Asia.
On an international scale, out of 14,000 entries worldwide, "Missing Compact Disc" for Radiology Malaysia by Publicis (Malaysia) was selected for the D&AD Book and Naga DDB was nominated the only silver D&AD for Malaysia with their work "School Photo" for Nikon. They now stand alongside, Thailand's hottest star at AdFest, Creative Juice\G1 with "Police" tvc for Yellow Pages, BBDO Bangkok with "Worms" tvc for Unit Green Tea and BBDO Singapore with "Head Sanger, Tattoo Artist, Indian Dancer" campaign. Malaysia's first ever D & AD Yellow Pencil? Let's all keep our fingers crossed with Naga for Malaysia on 25th May2005. But AdFest success is not all, Malaysia had also garnered 25 nominations in this years One Show I One Show Design Awards. Leading with
five nominations is Leo Burnett, followed closely by Publicis with four nominations and tied at three nominations each are FCB, McCann, Naga DDB and Y & R. (see table on page 26) Will any of these nominations win a Gold pencil this year? Find out in our next issue. Malaysian creative has had many close calls before, but the gap is obviously shrinking. We are making an indelible mark worldwide in advertising creativity. We are seeing more bold and original work created around us. I am proud to declare that Malaysian stars are indeed rising and ADOI would be honoured to showcase more great works as the agencies produce them. Syabas! On top of featuring great works, the team at ADOI will be working on project Creative Countdown to keep track of Malaysia as an emerging creative powerhouse. Coming up soon in ADOI June Issue.
D & AD Awards I Non-English Language Posters Consumer Posters I Individual Pavement (Sidewalk)/Adshel
School Photo
Naga DDB Malaysia
Nikon Sdn Bhd
Consumer Posters I Campaigns
Head Banger I Tattoo Artist I Indian Dancer
BBDO Singapore pte Ltd
Pepsi-Cola International Asia Pacific
Malaysia
Singapore
D & AD Awards I Television & Cinema Advertising Non-English Language Television Commercials I Individual up to and including 30 seconds
Police
Creative Juice \ G1
Thailand Yellow Pages
Thailand
Television Commercials I Individual up to
Worms
BBDO Bangkok
Uni President(Thailand)
Thailand
Ill a001 MARKETINGCOMMUNICATIONS
_Creative Standing
I
I
I
I
MALAYSIAN NOMINATIONS Agency
Awards Title
ARC Worldwide
Foote Cone and Belding
Leo Burnett
3
5
Lowe
McCann Erickson
Naga DDB
3
3
Ogilvy & Mather
Publicis
4
Saatchi & Saatchi
Y&R
3
category
"SCARS" Women's Aid Organisation
Design/Poster
"Stamps" RayTan Florist
Poster/Campaign
"Necklace" Alinna
Design/Single
"Siamps" RayTan Florist
Design Poster Campaign
"Tommy" Pets Unite
Over 600 lines - Single
"Black Jack", "Tommy", "Sugar" Pets Unite
Over 600 lines - Campaign
"Tommy" Pets Unite
Posters - Single
"Sugar" Pets Unite
Posters - Single
"Garden Flowers/ Garden Palms/Garden" Kinokuniya
Design Posters - Campaign
"Blue Eyes/Gar Wash/ Hitch Hiker" LandRover Owners Club
Campaign
"Bubbles" Sony
Single
"Bubbles" Sony
Single
"Staff Handbook" McCann Erickson
Booklet I Brochure
"White Board" EUT Fashion
Colour Full Page/ Spread - Single
"School Photo"Nikon
Posters-Single
"White Board" EUT Fashion
Posters - Single
"Table Cloth" Pizza Hut restaurants
Posters - Single
"Shaver" GP Battery Marketing
Full Page or Spread - Single
"Portable cd player I Shaver/remote control car" GP Battery Marketing
Posters - Campaign
"Missing Compant Disc" Radiology Malaysia
Collateral (brochures/direct mail)- Single
"Portable cd player I Shaver/remote control car" GP Battery Marketing
Design/Posters - Campaign
"Mirror (Computer),mirror (pedicure),mirror" EUT Marketing
Posters - Campaign
"Same Old Label" Campbell Soup
Pop and In-Store - Single
"Left Behind" Cerebos
Pop and In-Store - Single
"Left Behind" Cerebos
Over 600 lines - Single Creative Juice\G 1 with "Policeâ&#x20AC;˘ tvc for Yellow Pages, Gold Winner at Ad Fest and nomination for SilverD&AD.
1iJ a001 MARKETINGCOMMUNICATIONS
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_I ntituteSiedgehammer
A different kind of Graduation GRADUATING for the first time is often like the first kiss, it's unforgettable. The celebration, a special occasion for the student and proud moment for the parents, often marks the transition of teenager to adult. In our conservative society, it is considered the first step of a successful journey; the next being a job, a marriage, having babies and retiring in a little island that's yet to be discovered. On the 19th of January 2002, 13 students of Institute Sledgehammer {School of Advertising) walked up the graduation stage. With their heads held high, Angeline Rose, Wong Sai Meng, Charlene Shak-
Mr. Harmandar was proud of his 'offspring'. He then introduced the fulltime lecturers (most whom are industry professionals) and thanked them, each for their passion and commitment. The students were then individually acknowledged for having completed their journey. It was an emotional moment for some, as tears were shed. The event continued with speeches from two lecturers. Mr. Stephen Bong, an ex-chairman of the Association of Accredited Advertising Agents (4A's), who lectures the students in marketing strategies, account management and campaign planning. And Ms. Janet Lee an award winning Creative Director who now runs her own training school. Ms. Lee's .speech was soulful, the minute she spoke the entire room fell silent. The beautiful speech, touched on the Institute's vision, the students achievements and ended with her life motto - "If you have gone so far that you can only manage one more step, then u have gone just HALF the distance you are capable of'. Ms. Lee is the creative backbone of the school, teaching subjects like creative strategy, copywriting and execution and crafting. The highlight of the day was the students receiving their Diploma's in Advertising. For 2 years these students underwent intense hands-on-training,
... Unlike the usual graduation speeches that aim to be grand and perfect, his had a lot of warmth and heart to it. It was obvious that Mr. Harmandar wasproud, of his 'offspring' ...
tilingam, Christina Lee, Nur Esmi Zaharah Yusof, Kelvin Long, Nicholas Ong, Geraldine Philips, Kiranjit Kaur, Michelle Bridget Fernandez, Wong Ai Wen, Noor Mujahid bin Dato' Jamian and Rodney Louis Vincent became the first batch of full-time students to graduate from the institute. Held at the Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club (KLGCC), this auspicious event was attended by nearty 200 people. Which included guests from the advertising industry, parents, relatives and friends of the graduates. The day begun with Mr. Harmandar Singh, principal of the institute giving an opening address. Unlike the usual graduation speeches that aim to be grand and perfect, his had a lot of warmth and heart to it. It was obvious that
a001 MARKETINGCOMMUNICATIONS !il
_lntituteSiedgehammer
worked on real life assignments, had many sleepless nights and loads of fun. The lecturer's, and a special guest, Chairman of the Malaysian Advertisers Association (MM), En. Zainuddin Noh were invited on stage to salute the students before Mr. Harmandar gave away their scrolls. Mr. Harmandar Singh, who is also a Sunday columnist for a local daily and an ex-Creative Director with McCann Erickson, said "The only constant we maintain in this school is change; while our textbooks are current, our syllabus ignores all that is obsolete in the real world. We promote broad thinking not myopic vision. We focus on specialising in what we do. We are not a technical training centre; we are a business school. We build idea generators not conformists, leaders not followers, thinkers not technicians and creators not executors. We believe our graduates should be able to compete anywhere in the world from New York to Sydney, from Singapore to Tokyo. We want them to think global in this increasingly borderless world we live in." After receiving their scrolls, two students, Michele Bridget Fernandez and Kelvin Long shared their learnings and experience of the institute. Appearing confident and calm, Kelvin said he had finally found his passion. Having spent 5 years studying graphics in America, he had always wandered, how great advertisements were produced. Sledgehammer taught him to be a seed planter (creator of an idea) instead of a gardener (the doer). Michele who has studied mass communications previously, felt the teaching methods of the school were outside-the-box, from dancing sessions in the morning to treasure hunts in KLCC, the school provides an interesting way of educating the students. The students then presented a gift to their beloved principal in recognition and appreciation of his vision and endless dedication. Institute Sledgehammer which is located in a shop lot at Taman Tun Dr. Ismail, has classrooms setup like an advertising agency. Though small their focus is on the quality that each student receives. The college aims to create fiery creative thinkers that understand human values and the importance of responsibility. Mr. Harmandar added that 'freshies' expect the industry to welcome them with open arms once they graduate. Many of them are over optimistic and this blinds them from the challenge ahead and the great demands
expected from them. They need to take a realistic perspective of the world and have good interpersonal skills. After all, they are in the business of people and having people believe in them and their messages. The first rule of advertising is to successfully advertise oneself. This is the key before one can attempt to do the same for a product, service or client." In 2001 two students from Institute Sledgehammer won a silver and two bronze medals at the prestigious Kancil Awards (the Malaysian Advertising Awards). One of the Kancil winners, Wong Sai Meng, said that he never knew there was such a job of creating ideas. One thing he's learnt is that great advertisements are not about pretty pictures or beautiful words. It derives from a strong, relevant, creative idea. Charlene Shaktilingam and Christina Lee who aspire to be Account Directors 5 years from now, felt that Advertising had the power to reach many people, and that should never be abused. They added that this industry was a tool for them to make a difference to the world. The graduation ended with a light buffet, lots of photo taking and mingling. The next intake for Sledgehammer was scheduled for the 12th of March 2002. Because of the lack of response it is not to be. Goodbye Sledgehammer, you and the stars that should have been, will be sadly missed.
... After all, they are in the business of people and having people believe in them and their messages. The first rule of advertising is to successfully advertise oneself. This is the key before one can attempt to do the same for a product, service or client. ..
* This letter by Rodney to ADOI was never published and ADOI felt now is the right time to do so. Especially by reflecting upon what has happened to the graduating batch of 2002. Rodney went to on to head ADOI in Indonesia and tum the brand into a market leader in 2 years, setting the business on a positive footing in the world's fourth largest consumer market. Many others like Kelvin went on to form his own agency called Lucideas which won the Young Guns awards at MC2 last year beating 14 other worldclass agencies. We know of many success stories but there's just not enough space for all of them. But if you meet a Sledgehammer graduate, you'll find a story that will inspire you.
Focus interTUptus â&#x20AC;˘av DEAN JOHNS
A study by the London Institute of Psychiatry has revealed that constant distraction by email text messages and phone calls reduces a person's IQ by 10 points, twice as many as smoking cannabis does. However the effect is only temporary, apparently, unlike that of alcohol, which as everybody knows actually kills brain cells, thus rendering us more dopey not only progressively, but permanently to boot. But fortunately I never did acquire the cannabis habit, and can no longer stomach alcohol. I have no idea how many IQ points I have left, but I seem to need every single one of them just to get me through the...excuse me, I'd better take this call.. Sorry. As I was about to tell you before we were so rudely interrupted, the London study also revealed what many of us have suspected - that constant distraction not only makes us dumber, but that
SD a001 MARKETINGCOMMUNICATIONS
Rodney Louis Vincent lnstitut Sledgehammer student
some people become addicted to it. So much so that in some IT circles BlackBerries are known as "CrackBerries." Uke cannabis and alcohol, this is no problem for me personally, because I don't own anything named after fruit except my Apple iBook, and the only other device I have is a rather primitive, almost function-free mobile phone that...l wonder..would you mind? Having already worked on this piece for a few minutes now I wonder if any new emails have come in. Think I might just take a quick look...OK? Oops! Silly me!! This hotel I'm staying in doesn't have broadband. How could I have forgotten, after wasting half Sunday afternoon scouring the city in a fruitless quest for a quick WiFi fix? Never mind. Now, where were we? Ah yes, Sunday.. hotei..London Institute of Psychiatry study. Another finding besides the IQ-depleting effects of inter-
ruptive communication and the addictive nature of both the practice and some of the devices involved was that 20% of respondents admitted to breaking-off meals or social engagements to deal with emails or SMS messages. Which reminds of another study, a survey by BBDO, I think it was, revealing..Give me just a sec, will you, to check in my in-box. Ha, ha, yes I recall I'm not online. But I do keep a stash of recent emails offline in case of emergencies. . Ah yes, here it is. The survey was by BBDO alright, and its crucial revelation was that 14% of people owned-up t o interrupting sex acts to respond t o SMS messages. Imagine! 1.. excuse me, but is that your phone ringing? Would you like me to pause so you can take the call? No, no problem. In fact it'll give me time to reply to this SMS I see I just received. In any case, despite all the distractions, I've got this piece just about written, and you're about finished reading it. So, while interruptions might sap some peoples' intelligence so much more than smoking grass does that they make a hash of whatever they're doing or their performance goes to pot, you and I, thank goodness, seem to be able to keep our wits about us no matter what.
The QWERTY keyboard looked exactly like this to us after we spent ages trying to write some copy to grab your attention. We couldn't come up with anything really fancy because print advertising is not what we do. We're in the business of online branding. We suggest you check us out on the web - our forte - to see what some of our clients have to say about us. Then, if you think we can help you build your brand online, give Jordan a call at+ 603 7722 3869 or email us at interactive@netinfinium.com.
www.neti nfi n ium.com
engaging people online
I Netlnfiriium INTERACTIVE
_Super Awards
Silver Gold
CONSUMERS can be fickle and unpredictable. With numerous brands to choose from, preferences vary overtime and brand-switching is common. Reader's Digest, in an attempt to voice Asian consumers' consumption preferences, has been conducting surveys for seven years now (last two years with Nielsen Media Research} identifying the ultimate SuperBrand. How is this done? Taking a sample size of 6,000 (1 ,000 in each market), Reader's Digest and Nielsen Media Research asked consumers in Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and the Philippines to name their single preferred brand
II aDOI MARKETINGCOMMUNICATIONS
in 42 categories of products and services, ranging from luxury goods to everyday necessities. The brands were ranked based on quality, value, trustworthiness, strong image and understanding of customer needs. "One of the things readers around the world associated with Reader's Digest is trusted information. This is an important element and also one of the benchmarks we set when we conduct the annual Reader's Digest SuperBrands survey," says Simon Cholmeley, Regional Advertising Director of Reader's Digest Asia. "We are committed to providing survey results that are useful to both consumers and mar-
keters, and are proud of the quality and transparency of both our results and methodology. Brands are able to track their progress to see if they are gaining or losing share of consumer trust, they can also measure and compare consumer perception of different brand values." Gold SuperBrand status was awarded to brands with ratings significantly above others in the ir category. The Creme de Ia Creme of brands with ratings of at least double their nearest competitors are awarded the Platinum SuperBrand status. This recognition depicts brand dominance, with no other competitor running alongside! This year, Malaysians have
sumers
hoose
Silver Gold
voted 21 Platinums and 70 Golds, out of which, five Platinums and 16 Golds are home grown brands! The undisputed winner to garner Platinum in all six markets is Nokia, Asian's favourite mobile phone. Overall, results show that Malaysians are loyal to great brands. Honda, Toyota, Shangri-La Hotel, Malaysia Airlines, Acer, Canon, Sony, Nokia, Rolex, Parker, Carlsberg, Nestle and Spritzer have retained their SuperBrands status since 1999. Brands voted for the very first time are F&N (Milk), Samsung (LCD I Plasma TV), Seri Murni
(Cooking Oil) and Taj Mahal (Rice). Some brands emerged as a result of new categories added to the survey, including Sony and Panasonic for Home Theater Projector, Habib Jewels and Poh Kong for Jewelry Shop, Maxis, Celcom and Digi for the Mobile Service Provider and ~Oreal and Wella for Hair Dye. Making an indelible mark across Asia are brands like Shell (Gas Station), AlA (Insurance), DHL (Airfreight/Courier service), Canon (Office Equipment) , Nokia (Mobile/Cellular Phone), Sony (LCD/Piasma TV, CD/MD/DVD Player, Home Theater Projector and Video Camera), Panasonic (Washing Machine and Refrigera-
tor), Coca-Cola (Soft Drink) and Dettol (Household Hygiene/ Anti-Bacteria Product). All of them achieved SuperBrands status across the six markets surveyed, making them the Asian favourites in their respective categories. For past year results, go to www.superbrandsasia.com . What would you and your clients say? Despite extensive measures taken to ensure accuracy, is a sample of 1,000 in a country of millions sufficient? Do the winners represent your perceptions and preferences? Your opinions as ADOI readers matter. Write to monica@ham.com.my Confidentiality assured.
a001 MARKETINGCOMMUNICATIONS ill
_Training
How to write right •av DEAN JOHNS
Shahnaz bin Shaikh Abdul Karim, whose long experience has included a stint during National Service 2004 as head of quality control in the University of Malaysia, where he supervised over 100 trainers and 5,000 trainees; executive's trainer Not Shuhana Kamaruddin, who has an impressive corporate and training track record in London and KL; and highly talented and experienced training consultant Zain Amri Ayeob. Another interesting and attractive aspect of The Writers Academy is that, as Janet Lee explains, its aims are practical rather than theoretical, much like those of the now-discontinued Sledgehammer Advertising College at which she reminded me that she was an instructor from 2000 to 2003: to help its students "grow up, become responsible and come out as genuine, job-ready professionals." To these ends, the courses at the Academy are designed to not just instruct, but to develop the students as people by exposing them to periods of industry experience and community con-· nection, then requiring them to present their final course work to panels of industry professionals before graduation. To see the results of this highly ambitious exercise for myself, I accepted the Academy's invitaFrom L to R: Training Executive Eva Fan; Director & Copywriter's Trainer Janet Lee; Programme Director & Personal Growth Trainer tion to the graduation ceremony of students from Shanaz; Story Wriiter's Trainer Razlina Ramli its first two-month evening training semester on ROBERT BENCH LEY, a legendary humour writer for the New Yorker MagaSaturday 9 April. Much of the advertising work displayed on the walls, I thought, like most work I've seen by budding copyzine, once remarked that "it took me fifteen years to discover that I had no writers working without benefit of art direction, wasn't especially impressive. talent for writing, but by that time I was too famous to give it up." I can relate to that, though unlike Benchley my reasons for not giving-up writing are tun · And I gathered from Janet that JWT ECD.and deputy chairman Ed Leong and and financial necessity rather than fame. But, talent or no talent, if I his team, who had run the ads had my time over again I'd probably take the trouble to learn how to through their evaluation system, write better. And a recently-established institution in KL, 95% The were more enthusiastic about some Writers Academy, seems to provide precisely the kind of early than about others. But I was very instruction I could have done with. impressed indeed with the spirit with Not that I'm much of a believer in courses claiming to transform which the copywriting graduates would-be writers into the genuine article, even though I've taught so had bounced back from this realitymany of them myself. But The Writers Academy has several things check, and the style and confidence going for it that strike me as impressively different from most schools their Story in Progress colleagues of its kind. The first is the quality of its teaching staff, or, as they preshowed in acting-out their scripts fer to be termed, trainers. Academy co-founder and director Janet for the audience of their families and Lee, one of Malaysia's most respected advertising talents and winfriends. ner of over 80 local, regional and international advertising awards at Also most impressive was ad agencies including Spider and Gan For Hire, runs the Copywritthe very evident warmth and "famiers in Progress classes. And Razlina Ramli, who has written over 100 ly" feeling between the students and produced television episodes and served as commissioning editor staff. So that, even if The Writers and scriptwriter on programs including ldaman, Hugo, Disney Buzz, Academy can't yet claim to get its Family Ceria and Embassy Door, heads Story Writers in Progress. students within anything remotely Then there's the emphasis the Academy puts on ''training" as like 95% of their first Cannes Gold distinct from ''teaching" or "lecturing", the "95%" component of its Lions or Oscars for Best Original name referring to the often-quoted proposition that even the most Screenplay, it seemed to me to have brilliant of human beings use only 5% of their mental powers. The Writers achieved way, way more than the Academy is certainly well-equipped to help its students tap some of the average 5% . And I'd advise any aspiring copywriter, screenwriter or writer of more effective business communications to check-out The Writer's Academy unused 95% of their potential. Janet is a certified trainer for the characterbuilding module of Program Latihan Khidmat Negara and also a trainer of for him- or herself before signing-up with any alternative school. In fact, if I trainers. And she and Raz are supported by a team of highly experienced hadn't been writing for a living so long that it's far too late now to start learning how to do it right, I'd be tempted to enroll there myself. specialist trainers: The Writers Academy programme director Shaikh Abdul
... the "95%" component of its name referring to the often-quoted proposition that even the most brilliant of human beings use only 5% of their mental powers. The Writers Academy is certainly well-equipped to help its students tap some of the unused 95% of their potential ...
aDOI MARKETINGCOMMUNICATIONS II
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BUSINESS
WINS
FOR
2004
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GOOGLE BOGGLES THE MARKET. Google has stunned analysts and shareholders by announcing revenue of $1 .265 billion for the first quarter of 2005- 22% up on the fourth quarter of 2004, and 93% higher than the first quarter of 2004. According to Neilsen/Netratings, Google is used for 47% of net searches compared with nearest competitors Yahoo! at 21% and MSN at 14%. PHOTOUBRARY UFTS ITS IMAGE. Long a significant presence in the stock-image business, with offices in seven countries and agents in 30 others and a library of over 800,000 pictures, Photolibrary has unveiled a new corporate identity and enhanced online search and access systems. SINGAPORE AND DISCOVERY GET REAL The Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA) and Discovery Networks Asia have announced that they will jointly invest US$3.2 million in funding the development of Asian-based programming on both factual and lifestyle topics. Foreign companies will be eligible to participate, but only in conjunction with Singaporean production companies. NYF AWARD ALTERNATIVE MEDIA. New York Festivals has announced its award competition for advertising in interactive and alternative media including blogs, SMS, viral advertising, advergames and event marketing. Final deadline for entries in the 2005 competition is June 10, and a "world-class" panel of judges will be headed by Graham Kelly, ECD of Saatchi & Saatchi Singapore. BOUTIQUES TAKE ON THE BIG BOYS. Megaclients including Mars, Coca-Cola, Unilever and Motorola are increasingly awarding creative assignments to small, nimble hot-shops with names, some known, some not, like Nitro, 180, Bartle Bogie Hegarty, Strawberry Frog and Taxi. Chris Clarke, who founded Nitro two years ago in China before expanding to Europe and the U.S., told Ad Age that his agency doesn't have "middle layers of account managers who seem to slow things up." Nitro has worked on assignments for brands including Dove, M&M's, Snickers and Twix. HIGHS AND LOWS AT LOWE. In an attempt to stem his WPP-owned network's ongoing woes, the global CEO of Lowe Worldwide, Tony Wright, has ousted his chairman and chief creative officer in New York, Gary Goldsmith, replacing him with Mark Wnek, formerly of Euro RSCG Wneck Gasper Partners. Lowe Worldwide's recent ups and downs have included helping lnterpublic land the Nokia account, losing HSBC and Braun and having its Unilever detergent business placed under review.
ilD a001 MARKETINGCOMMUNICATIONS
CREATIVE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. Agency
Month
Client
Country
Y&R
Mar
Singapore Tourism
Global
EuroRSCG
Mar
Jaguar
Global
McCann
Mar
Intel
Dentsu
Mar
Olympus
Asia
JWT
Mar
Guinness
Malaysia
NagaDDB
Jan
Carlsberg
Malaysia
TBWA
Mar
Suzuki Cars
Malaysia
TBWA
Mar
Scholl Footcare & Woodward's Gripe Water
Malaysia
Leo Burnett
Mar
Commerce Asset
Malaysia
Publicis
Feb
VeGood Juice Drinks
Malaysia
Publicis
Feb
Ayam Canned Foods
Malaysia
EuroRSCG
Mar
Samsung project
Malaysia
Grey Global Group
Mar
California Fitness
Malaysia
Grey Global Group
Jan
Tiger Beer BTL
Malaysia
Grey Global Group
Feb
Wrigley's Malaysia project
Malaysia
Grey Global Group
April
Yahoo
Malaysia
Dentsu
Jan
MNI
Malaysia
Asia pacific
MEDIA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . Country
Agency
Month
Client
Starcom
Mar
Singapore Tourist Board
Universal
Apr
Intel
MindShare
Mar
Samsung D500
MindShare
Apr
GSK
OMD
Feb
HPL Marketing - Haagan Daz
Malaysia
OMD
Feb
Marie France
Malaysia
OMD
Feb
True Yoga
Malaysia
MediaCom
Jan
Advance Medical Optics
Malaysia
Starcom
Jan
Genting Resorts World Berhad
Malaysia
Carat
Mar
Mamee
Malaysia
Carat
Feb
Malaysia Insurance
Malaysia
Carat
Mar
SCADrypers
Malaysia
Carat
Mar
Credit Guarantee Corporation
Malaysia
Carat
Mar
Petronas Philharmonic Orchestra
Malaysia
Carat
Mar
A&W (fast food)
Malaysia
Carat
Mar
Ayamas (part of YUM)
Malaysia
~ ASIA
Global Asia Pacific SEAsia Asia
PACIFIC
The Scoreboard for Creative and Media wins 2004 is compiled for ADOI Magazine by R3, the the Asian arm of a global consulting group focused on agency relationship and performance. For more information go to www.rthree.com or email greg@rthree.com
_TVCShowcase
Executive Creative Directors : Lee Szu-Hung & Huang Ean Hwa Copywriter: Gavin Hoh Art Director: Ooi Chok Van Brand Team : Dinesh Sandhu & Chan Ming Yen
"Godzilla" {featured above) is one of the two promotional 20 seconds spots created by McCann in what it calls a "media environment buy" with lV3 for Cadbury Adams' Halls sweets.
_AnicommAward
Creative Licence award
Client - Munchy Food Industries Sdn Bhd Director - CK Tan Ma rketing Director - DennyTeh
C REATIVE Ucence has won a third place in the U.S. Anicomm Awards for a commercial it produced and directed for Munchy's Mini Tiger Bar. "It was a blast to win at the Anicomms. I still gotta pinch myself to believe that this little 20 second spot found its way into 3rd place amongst the world 's best animated commercials of 2004," says Steve Bristow, M anaging Director of C reative Ucence Sdn Bhd. It is indeed grand to see low-profile Creative Ucence shining brightly as a star.
Agency - direct Production House Creative Ucence Sdn Bhd Director - Steve Bristow Producer - Jessica Ong Animation S.t udio - Fly Studio Animators Wong Cheng Fei, Ken Foong. Elvis Chew a nd Mel Law. Audio House - Incognito Audio Producer - Pauline Bok Audio Engineer- Kanesh Raja
Post Production House - Screenpost Compositor - Madeline Kuan
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