Adoi Malaysia 2005 September Issue by Sledgehammer Communications (M) Sdn Bhd

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REGIONAL CEO Harmandar Singh aka Ham ham@pop.jaring.my REGIONAL EDITOR Dean Johns dean@ham.com.nriy EDITOR Monica Wong monica@ham.com.my CONTRIBUTORS Nick Wreden ART DIRECTION/ DESIGN TM Ali Basir ali@ham.com.my Amirul Hafiz @Faisal amirul@ham.com.my PHOTOGRAPHER Jen Siow PRINTER Infocus Printing Sdn Bhd Tel: 03-8945 4966 Fax: 03-8943 9158 DISTRIBUTION Five E-Comm Sdn Bhd Platinum Publishers 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

In my line of work, OVER the centuries I have come to people have fought appreciate the struggle hard and made many that many are in. sacrifices to achieve I try to grasp and freedom of speech. sympathise with their These people of faith frustrations and and integrity believed desperation. We have that we have the ability published a few articles and therefore should in the recent months be allowed to state the that had incited much truth, in both the response equally of spoken and written anger and gratitude. word. When that I have been thrown in newfound freedom the way of conflict and was finally obtained it misunderstanding, of became the sacred words that are twisted code of honour that Monica flusteredin the presence of fabulous Nickki(Mrs. Mark Waites) and mangled as seen was guarded jealously. fit. I expect and face It became a guideline criticism, sometimes for integrity of the bravely and other times press. That was when not. But there are also the pen is truly mightier a handful of readers than the sword. out there whose I would like to support and believe that the truth is encouragement I have come to rely on. People who always reported, not suppressed, distorted or otherwise believe in the truth, be it for or against their benefit. manipulated. We owe our public that at least. To hold true I take this opportunity to thank these readers for making to the truth, the press should always stand on neutral the ADOI team's long hours bearable, and our efforts ground to provide facts and not fabricated information. meaningful. My sincere thanks to you, and I hope that we But somehow, even the press is at times mistaken or show our gratitude to you by providing articles that you cynical, as we are as human as everyone else. I believe in find both worthwhile and enjoyable to read. standing on neutral ground, but I also have to admit that I am biased. I lean towards people who are struggling hard to make it big. Toward winners who have fought hard to be where they are and deserve to savour their moments of glory. And especially toward people who actually have a story to tell that no one is listening to. If you happen to fall in any of these categories, please do drop me a line.

WHAT'S H

IN THIS ISSUE

HIGHLIGHTS 12

Nick Wreden: Women And Branding: Time For Some Changes

EXCLUSIVE STORY 04

MC2 Awards: Gold From MC2 2005 Can Win Globally, Say Judges

Member of

Audit Bureau of Circulations

© All rights reserved by Sledgeham mer Communications (M) Sdn. Bhd. No part of this magazine may be reproduced in any form without prior permission in writing from the pub lisher. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information in this publication, the publisher and the editor assume no responsibility for errors or omissions or for any consequences of reliance of information in this publication. The opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent the views of the publisher or editor. Advertisements are the sole responsi bility of the advertisers.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW 20

Hamish Banks : The Burnett Dilemma

SPECIALS 10

"Every PM Leads Under Different Circumstances"

Voicing Out: Whose Line Is It Anyway?

Salary Monitor: Hiring Frenzy Driving Salaries Up

Mobile Workstation Go Mainstream For DCC

28 32

The Proxy For The Future Tribute To Ad Woman: Multi-Tasker Extraordinaire

Agency Feature: Being Relevent In The 21st Century

Reactive Interactive: Creatif Interactivity

Meet The Success Prince!

A Scrumptious Trip To Salivate Over!

Campaign Showcase: "Lilly"

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•BY DEAN JOHNS

"The jury was very good, and there was a lot of constructive discussion. As jury president I asked everyone to judge the work as they would their own. And in the end it comes down to the fact that ' a good idea is a good idea is a good idea...

THE judges for this year's MC2 Awards were arguably the most awesome and highly-awarded array of creative advertising talent ever assembled in Malaysia. Not that you'd have known it from meeting them. The entire panel of judges - interna tional, regional and local - proved as amiable and unassuming a group of people as you could possi bly wish to work with. And they worked very hard indeed to deliver what they were here for: impartial evaluation of the work against the most rigorous international standards. They certainly had their work cut-out for them. Over 1200 entries to examine and evaluate in just two days. And as if that wasn't enough to exhaust them, we asked those of them who were still in town for the farewell party to take time out from the festivities to give us their impressions of MC2 2005. Here, slightly edited for space and continuity, is what they had to say:

I thought a few pieces of work really rose to the top as being fresh and surprising. But you could tell that people were pushing the envelope and trying hard to do good work. I hope the Golds we chose are a message to the Malaysian advertising community about the direction it should be headed.

Bob Scarpelli, Jury President MC2 2005 Chairman, DDB Chicago Chief Creative Officer, DDB WorldWide

Under Bob's leadership, DDB Chicago has won countless awards including the CLIOs, One Show, ANDYs, Chicago International Film Festi val, Communication Arts, International Advertis ing Festival of New York, The International Advertising Festival at Cannes, London Interna tional Advertising Awards, EFFIEs, ADDYs, and the Radio Mercury Awards, among others. Bob has also judged many award shows, including the London International Advertising Awards, the Belding Awards, the EFFIEs and the International ANDY Awards. He served as Chair man of the2000 International ANDY Awards, the 2001 Radio Mercury Awards, the 2001 Irish Inter national Advertising Festival at Kinsale andof the 2003 Clio Festival.

The Malaysian TV commercials were a bit weak - not as good as the regional work submitted for the MC2 / Campaign Brief Asia TV Award. And the radio was very weak as it is almost everywhere in the world. Which is a pity, because it's the ultimate writer's medium." His impressions on his first visit to Asia: "I love the wannth of the people in Malaysia, and though I didnt know what to expect ofKL I find it a vibrant and bustling city with a great mix of cultures. But I have to admit I dont like durian." 1.Harmandar Singh 2.Thirasak Tanapatanakul 3.EdwinLeong

Mark Waites Joint Creative Director, Mother London

"After one of my first experiences as a judge years ago I never want to judge anywhere where the work is bad, and so I was very pleased to find good work in Malaysia. Of course it's 99% shit here and 1% good or great like it is anywhere else in the world. But I'd be happy to have Mother's name on any of the work that ended-up on the Gold table.

4. Prasoon Joshi 5. Mark Waites 6. Jimmy Lam 7. Francis Wee 8. Daniel Comar 9.JeffOrr 10.Adrian Miller 11.Kurt Crocker 12. Rob Sherlock

Mark started his stellar career in London where he worked for several agencies including BMP, Leagas Delaney and O&M. After several years in New York he co-founded Mother with three col leagues seven years ago. For the past 2 years Mother has been voted 'Agency of the Year' and Mark and his creative partner Robert Saville voted 'Creative Directors of the Year' by Cam paign magazine. Recently Mother opened an office in New York. When he's not writing ads Mark is the undisputed king of the unfinished screenplay having failed to finish hundreds. A short film he wrote and directed was accepted into over 20 film festivals around the World in 2003 and picked up 'Best Short' in five of them.

What made things just a little boring at times was that there were clearly a lot of creatives consciously trying to win awards by targeting, as PJ O'Rourke said (of former U.S. Vice President) Dan Quayle, 'large, slow-moving targets.' You dont win any points for picking easy targets like breast-firming cream and anti-wrinkle cream; pick tougher targets. It would have been nice to see more ads for staples like rice or beer or whatever that require some strategy. It's time to do great ads for bog-standard products. As for Malaysia, I love it, and I'm going to have to leave before Ham's and (Datuk) Vincent's hospitality kills me."

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13. Bob Scarpelli

LY, SAY JUDGES "It was an amazingly agreeable judging forum, very ably led by Bob and with great input from Mark, and it was good to get their U.S., European and global perspectives. Everybody on the jury had the same agenda: may the best work win. The print work was better than the electronic stuff. TV was weaker than last year, and radio was the weakest link in a very I creative show.

"We awarded less medals this year than last, when I also judged at MC2, but I wouldn't say the standard of work has deteriorated. There were more agencies humming this year, more winning awards than the usual top two or three, which suggests to me that the general standard of the Malaysian industry is rising. Jimmy Lam Regional Creative Advisor, Dentsu Asia Creative Director, Clipper Asia In the course of his 29-year career with multina tional agencies, Jimmy has become one of Hong Kong's most awarded creative people and has been a frequent judge at local and international creative awards. He was invited to become the first Hong Kong creative to sit on the judging panel of theCannes Festival in 1994 after he won a Cannes Lion the year before. Jimmy has writ ten threeChinese-language books,Catch Phras es in Advertising, No Truth in Advertising and Dream Talk of an Advertising Maniac, Jimmy's dedication to promoting Chinese language advertising led to his creation of Longyin Review, a magazine that showcases outstanding Chi nese language advertising. He has been a cur riculum advisor to the Hong Kong Baptist Uni versity since 1999 and a visiting professor of the Shanghai Tong Ji University since 2001 and guest lecturer of Shanghai Fudan University.

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Of course Malaysia has been doing well recently in regional and international awards, and I think it has now risen into the circle of top countries in Asia, up there with Singapore, Thailand and Japan. Hong Kong used to be up there too, but it fell down for the same reasons that the Taiwan ad industry hasn't made it to the top level: the ads there are too local-centric, relying too much on strictly local idiom, and the clients have all gone retail."

Rob Sherlock Regional Creative Director, Foote Cone & Belding Asia Pacific Rob started in advertising with FCB South Africa as a trainee copywriter, and later worked at agencies including Lintas, O&M and McCannErickson. He eventually returned to his native U.K. to join JWT London, from where he was promoted to Creative Director of the JWT New Zealand office. He then rejoined FCB as New Zealand Creative Director. In 2001 the agency won numerous local and international awards and was named Ad Age Global Agency of the Year for AsiaPacific. In 2002 Robtook up the role of Regional CreativeDirector, Asia-Pacific, based first in Singapore and later Hong Kong. He is a member of the Board of FCB Worldwide, Chair man of the Hong Kong 4As Creative Committee, and has judged on many award show panels.

There were some brilliant ideas in print for (names of clients we shouldn't mention lest we spoil the surprise on Awards night) and so on, though there was too much work for florists and so on.

There seems to me to be an entrepreneurial enthusiasm among creatives in Malaysia, just like in Singapore. The whole feeling around here is 'we want to do great work.' I think Malaysia is emulating Singapore and may even someday overtake it. Visual ideas were predominant in this year's show, and it is getting harder and harder to break through verbally."

"It was a wonderful jury - very open and receptive and ready to discuss things and be flexible in understanding the culture of the country. Since a few years ago when I first judged at MC2 it has become much more professionally run, and now compares well with any award including the One Show and Cannes (which I judged this year). The staff are really on the ball. There was an amazing standard of work in print, and most people entered work judiciously, not anything and everything. Having said that though, there was a little too much work for florists and bookshops and such, and not much great work on bigger clients. There was also too much 'second-guessing' of the jury. The purpose of awards is to find freshness and originality, and consciously trying to creat 'award-winning' work defeats this. In print I was less impressed by the standard of copy than the art, and the TV wasnt as good as print in either ideas or execution, and again there was a lack of good work for big clients. Also there should be more culturally relevant work pushed to a world standard. New, more attuned ways of looking at things."

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"I always enjoy watching foreign judges discover the depth of quality in our print work. I'm never sure exactly what their expectations are before they arrive but finding some gold is not a problem once they've seen the work.

"The judging panel was great. Bob is a very nice guy and he made everything very smooth. Everyone spoke from the heart. The organization of the judging was also very good. Sledgehammer should be very proud of its performance. [ As far as the work is concerned there was very good stuff in print and Thirasak Tanapatanakul Executive Creative Director, outdoor, but the standard of TV Creative Juice\G1, Bangkok dropped this year. It's hard to compare the TV work in Malaysia Thirasak has won innumerable awards both in Thailand and internationally, including 2 Gold with Thailand, where we make a Lions at Cannes, 2 Gold Clios, Silver D&AD, Sil lot more commercials - about 300 ver The OneShow, Andy Award of Excellence, 2 a year. It seems to be more Best of Shows Asia Pacific Ad Fest, Media Asian Advertising Awards, Bangkok Art Director and difficult to do great TV in Malaysia, Thailand Advertising Awards. His FedEx Box ad partly due to its cultural diversity was named the second most-awarded print ad in the world in 2002 by the Gunn Report; his but even more so because of its Bridgestone Dog voted one of the top three strict censorship. favourite TV commercialsin the world in 2003 by the Ad Forum. In his 16-year career he has worked in various multinational agencies in Bangkok and gained overseas experience with Young & Rubicam San Francisco. He has repre sented Thailand as a jury member in numerous international award shows.

Also the clients in Thailand are very enthusiastic about creative work on their accounts and proud of awards that they win."

Jeff Orr Regional Creative Director, Grey Global Group Asia Pacific In hisdistinguished career Jeff has been Creative Director of Doyle Dane Bernbach, and subse quently DDB Needham, in Melbourne, Hong Kong and Singapore, and of BBDO in Hong Kong and Malaysia. In I996, he joined Grey Worldwide:Malaysia asExecutive CreativeDirec tor. In 2000 he was promoted to Regional Cre ative Director and named a member of the com pany's Global Creative Council. In his regional role, he is responsible for Grey's creativeproduct on global brands for Asia-Pacific as well as train ing for creative, strategic planning, and account management. In 1991, Jeff was a founder of Malaysia's Creative Council which gave the country its first recognized advertising awards system, The Kancil Awards. For seven years, he served as Council Chairman, Chairman of Judges for the Kancils, and as Council Member of the 4As.

So, as usual, this year's MC2 gave our international guests a good impression on the first day. Then on the second day ...oh dear. Such a lot of the TV work seemed to be a fine idea in search of a proposition, or a rich execution absent of any idea. As for the radio... thankfully the reel was short"

"I love the warmth of the people in Malaysia, and a vibrant and bustling city with a great mix of cult

"It (the judging) was fast and fair. Poster was a deja vu of press, with some notable exceptions. It's nice to see a shift away from traditional media - but we may have gone too far. I'm all for the great outdoors, but we need some serious housekeeping - especially TV + Radio."

Edwin Leong Deputy Chairman/Executive Creative Director J. Walter Thompson, Malaysia

Edwin started in advertising with Bates Malaysia in tbe early '90s. He moved to Grey as Associate Creative Director in I996, and in the following year the agency rose ten places to Top 5 in the local creative awards show. In Oct 1999 he took over the creative helm of Grey as one of the youngest-ever heads of a global agency network in Malaysia. Under his stewardship, Grey Malaysia became the Top 20 most awarded agencies in Asia and No 1 in Malaysia after receiving 16 international and regional awards from D&AD, Cannes, OneShow, Clios, AdFest Asia, Media Asian Advertising Awards and AWARD Australia. Edwin joined JWT Malaysia as Group ECD in 2002. Within the year, JWT picked up 28 awards at the Kancils 2003, Malaysia's only Gold Spike and a Silver at the Media Asian Advertising Awards, Silvers from One Show and Clio2004 andtwo entries into the prestigious D+AD Annual 2004. In 2005 JWT Kuala Lumpur won Malaysia's only Film shortlist at Cannes and thecountry's first ever Grand Prix!

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"It was a really good group of judges, and there was a lot of open-minded discussion with nobody taking sides. We selected work that was good enough to win in any country in the world. The print work was really up there, though » I think we're still a step below Singapore in production values, but we're not up there in TV and especially radio, which were worse than last year. Daniel Comar I believe there's a lot of work and Executive Creative Director, training to be done in radio and Ogilvy & Mather Malaysia TV, and that as an industry we Born in Buenos Aires, Daniel joined Ogilvy & need to make a commitment to it. Mather Argentina in 1994 as copywriter and six years later was leading the creative department as well as task-forces for O&M offices in Miami, Colombia, Uruguay, Chile and Brazil. In 2001 he joined Ogilvy & Mather Vietnam as Executive Creative Director and played a primary role in elevating theoffice and the industry performance to international standards: by 2003 Specialized Media recognized O&M Vietnam as Agency of the Year and in 2004 the office received its first Bronze ever at the AdFest.Daniel became Exec utive Creative Director of Ogilvy & Mather Malaysia. His work has received numerous local as well as international awards, includinga Silver Pencil in the 2000 One Show Festival.

Asked why the disparity in quality between work in print and broadcast, he said "I think because clients who do one TV commercial a year want to cram everything into it and also want to play safe. If you do a TV commercial a month you can afford the occasional screw-up and learning experience, but if you only make one commercial a year you tend to take less risks."

"/ thought the judging was good and very fair, with no silly arguments. We got through a lot of work very quickly, and I think the best work got through. The work that won Gold truly deserved it, and the decisions about it were unanimous. It was great watching how people like Mark Waites look at ads. He's a very interesting guy. Adrian Miller Executive Creative Director, Lowe & Partners Malaysia In 1996, Adrian started his career as a junior copywriter at Leo Burnett Kuala Lumpur and then spent some time with Asatsu Malaysia. Since then, he has won numerous advertising awards both local and international. These include awards at Cannes, One Show, London International, Adfest and Clio. He recently returned to Malaysia after spending three years in South Africa, one of those years as a Creative Director at O&M and two as Executive Creative Director of Leo Burnett SouthAfrica. Currently he is the Executive Creative Director of Lowe and Partners Malaysia, and also serves on the Lowe worldwide creative council.

The print and outdoor were of a very high standard and could win anywhere in the world, but the radio was dire, and the TV was surprisingly weak compared with last year." Many scam ads in there this year? "Not really, but there were a couple of spots for suspiciously small clients. But juries can always pick scams and they dont get through anyway."

"Some of the direct marketing work showed more sophistication than in previous years. The overall quality of entries was higher than last year, and there were a couple of very pleasant surprises.

Kurt Crocker, Partner, Drayton Bird, Crocker & Mano (DBC&M) Kurt is DBC&M's Creative Director and has been living and workingin Malaysia since1989. Prior to forming DBC&M, he was Executive Director and Executive Creative Director of Ogilvy & Mather Direct, Kuala Lumpur (now Ogilvy One). During his 5-year tenure there, Kurt became one of the most internationally award ed direct marketing professionals in Asia. His 32 years' U.S. and Asia experience includes both advertising and direct marketing solutions for such clients as Cerebos, RHB Bank and Islamic Bank, HSBC, Esso Malaysia (Xchange Card), Telekom Malaysia, Tourism Malaysia, Shangri-La Hotels, Sime-AXA Assurance, Guin ness-Anchor, Chivas Regal, Credit Corporation Malaysia and American Express. He has been a frequent columnist for theStar and Sun news papers and for ADOI magazine.

I think agencies are starting to get it! Having said that, I thought too many of the entries were | self-promotional and not really selling or marketing anything. Also it was a bit disappointing not to see any loyalty programs, and it may be worth considering a separate category for them next time." A general observation: 'the younger group of direct marketers think they know more than they do, but are finally starting to realize the value of viral campaigns and TV."

hough I didn't know what to expect of KLI find it ires. But \ have to admit I don't like durian" -Bob

"ADOI should push the fact that this is the only regional award show that is judged by a truly independent panel. And unlike some local awards, stuff that wins a Gold here can win in any international competition. I was very impressed with the standard of entries for the MC2/Campaign Brief Asia Television Award, and by the impartiality of the judging, in which of course neither Ham nor I participated beyond being on hand to answer questions from the judges if necessary." Kim Shaw. Group Publisher, Campaign Brief Asia.

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THE illustrious international talents on the MC2 Awards panel came to Malaysia not just to judge others' work, but also to put themselves on the line in a special REcharge Seminar staged at Le Meridien Hotel Kuala Lumpur by Sledgehammer Com munications for the entertainment and edification of the local industry. Here is a summary of each of the six outstanding presentations enjoyed by the large and enthusiastic audience: Jimmy Lam: Proclaiming himself to be a "cynical old fart after 29 years in the business," Jimmy delivered a presentation entitled Because Men Don't Listen and Women Can't Read Road Maps partly based on a book of the same name. He first made the points that men are born to be hunters and women to take care of the cave. Men, he said, are always looking for something more attractive in the dis tance and can only focus on one thing at a time. He then went on to trace the trajectory of a typical male-female relationship from sweet beginnings through temptation, intolerance, over-sensitivity, unfaithfulness, exposure, revenge, the cold war and the casualties of war to final departure and defeat, all illustrated with carefully-selected TV commercials. The vital point that he was making for young creative people, he said in summary, was that "you can't run out of ideas if you look at human relationships - inspiration, material and stories are everywhere." Rob Sherlock: Commencing with the confession that he's a "self-help slut," and a fan of even the likes of Antho ny Robbins and Dale Carnegie, Rob then quoted psychologist Viktor Frankl as saying that "every thing can be taken from a man but the last of human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way." We all have the choice to recharge ourselves every day, he said, the two barriers to self renewal being (1) experience (which predisposes us to "innovation constipation"), and (2) our unchanging environment - same office, same house, same car,

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same colleagues and so on, every day. He then ran through a list of ways to overcome these obstacles to creativity: force ourselves to different things and go different places including getting out of the office; find new stuff to fill our brains with; be open to accidents or failure (as scientists at 3M were to a non-stick glue they discovered, which led to PostIt Notes); know your job is on the line ("the young guns are coming"); listen to Darryl (Parsons) and live every day as a "rebel with a cause." Prasoon Joshi: "Looking at the kind of advertising we're doing in this part of the world," he began, "we can do much more," making the point that our work is still following the Western model, and played some commercials in illustration of this. He decried the fact that "we have not felt confident enough to share the local insights of our cultures, to do truly Asian work." Using Indian culture as his model, Prasoon said that "Asian culture isn't about mini malism, it's about chaos." Western music is linear in structure, Indian music is circular. Bollywood films all have much the same plot because they're not about what, they're about how. Advocating that creative people in Asia embrace the "art of chaos," he then played some examples of "non-lin ear" advertising including some of the award-winning Coke commercials on which he and his teams have worked, and whose campaign lines have become part of the Indian vernacular. He also high lighted the oral tradition of India. "People love to lis ten," he said, giving the example of ten people sit ting around listening to one man read-out the newspaper to them, and concluded his presenta tion with commercials that in his opinion "strike a balance between delivering a message and remaining culturally relevant." Thirasak Tanapatanakul: Appearing in person on stage just to briefly introduce his presentation, Thirasak characterized Thailand as "the land of slapstick." He then retired behind the scenes and let a compilation of his work do the talking for him, playing a series of famously

funny (and seriously award-winning) TV commer cials for clients including Yellow pages, Bangkok Insurance, Gas-X, Sylvania, Green T, Soken DVD, Giffarine EQ10, Black Cat Whiskey, Save Energy and the Thai Health Promotion Foundation ("Think before you drink"). Though I couldn't see the previ ous speakers as they watched Thirasak's work, I felt sure that Jimmy Lam, Rob Sherlock and Pra soon Joshi would have been laughing at and applauding this great reel along with the rest of the audience, as it was full of what they'd been advo cating: insight into human (and in one case fatherand-son caterpillar) relationships, freshness and self-renewal, and a powerful cultural resonance. Mark Waites: Arriving at the rostrum wearing a backpack out of which he took a timer that he then set to ensure he got through his 45-minute presentation in the allotted half hour, this creative icon said that what inspired him were great ideas, and went on to list and show a great many of them. He said that besides books and reels of award-winning work he's also excited by weird and way-out stuff like Dean & Nigel's The Blenders; graffiti that appears in the neighbourhood of his office in Shoreditch; the Little Britain satirical series; the work of Diane Weiss (pills claiming to produce an instant German accent; "Are You Gay?" diagnostic test strips and so on); a line of two-brand sneakers on sale in Lon don; T-shirts bearing the (almost) names of celebri ties, like Ron Jovi, Pete Loaf, Ted Leppard and oth ers; a book called Official Portraits; the remix of a series of commercials for Esure Insurance that are much loved in the U.K. because they're so bad; Nice Magazine, which is actually just a publicationsized block of wood that is issued every month; The Book of Death (200 pages of nothing but "tick" and "tock" printed on them;) Modern Toss Maga zine, a series of cartoons; The Superbowl is Gay guy, a fat teenager who sings badly to his own ukelele accompaniment: and from Japan, an instructional film on how to fold a T-shirt. After giv ing a live demonstration of folding a Malaysian foot ball jersey, Mark concluded by quoting one of his

favourite pieces of graffiti - "Advertising shits in your head" - and exhorting creative people to "get out more and see more great ideas." Bob Scarpelli: How do you follow an act like Mark Waites? I've no idea, but Bob managed to do it, and to do it in style. He'd learned a lot, he said, from some of the previous presenters: that there's only one plot in all Bollywood movies, and that guys in Thailand really are sick. Then he proceeded to expound and elaborate on the "REcharge" theme and illustrate his remarks with commercials and other examples. "REmember we're in the business ; to build clients' brands," he said, adding that it's exciting how many ways there are to do it today. "Adver足 tising is anything," he added, instancing a DDB agency in South America that printed a client's messages on money.

"REfocus on the fact that it's not just what you say that stirs people, it's also the way you say it and even where you say it," he said, listing ele足 ments of the Bud Light Institute campaign Men helping men help men including greeting cards and an Ulterior Emotions CD that went to No. 14 on the Canadian music charts. We have to REinvent ourselves and our industry constantly, he continued ("and Mark Waites is leading the way in this"), to REestablish our value to clients. We also have to REspect our clients, he said, telling the story of the "Maybe he's right" card Bill Bernbach reputedly carried with him to read when he got frustrated with an argumentative client. We also have to REthink things, especially media, like the Real Jeans brand that started its own radio station in South America, and NZ Girl Magazine that used airplane banners to support its Worst Boyfriend in NZ Contest.

He made the point that the creative process is a RElay race, in which ideas should be improved on every step of the way, and presented the example of the development of Budweiser's Real American Heroes campaign into Real Men of Genius. And we should REalise that we can connect with con足 sumers with simplicity, surprise and a smile. In summary, he urged, it's time for a REvolution, REinforcing his message by playing the famous Apple commercial Here's to the Crazy Ones, and con足 cluding with a favourite quote from Bill Bernbach: "The future belongs to the brave."

TO BOOK TICKETS FOR AWARDS NIGHT ON SEPTEMBER 30, CONTACT ANGIE AT 03-77262588 OR EMAIL ANGIE@HAM.COM.MY

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UPCOMING EVENTS

For details email: jmt@ham.com.my

SEPT 30™2005 Malaysian Creative Circle (MC2) Awards Night OCT 15™ MVA - Last Call For Entry NOV 15-17™ 2005 AD: Tech Shanghai, Shanghai International Convection Centre, Rep. China Log on http://www.ad-techshanghai.com/

"Every PM leads under different circumstances,"

NOV 15 - 16™ 2005, SINGAPORE BEYOND 2005 The Global Summit for Creative Industries. For details email Angie@ham.com.my NOV 18™ 2005 Kancil Awards NOV 20™-24™ 2005 AdAsia, Singapore NOV 25™ - DEC 3RD 2005 Malaysian Video Awards Festivals 3RD 2005

DEC Malaysian Video Awards Night

SORRY! Regarding the article on the Power Suit Award in the Aug issue of ADOI, there were errors in the award titles. Caroline Bal, Senior Account Manager from Y&R Kuala Lumpur was receiv ing an award for the Account Manager Of The Year and not listed as Young Suit Of The Year.

Now the Malaysian Advertising Directory will be gathered online. If you're keen to be included, email your company details to amirul@ham.com.my and for ad booking email to angie@ham.com. my Closing date : September 22^

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Pak Lah says in interview with OFF THE EDGE magazine EVERY Prime Minister has to make decisions suitable for the circumstances of the time and should be judged accordingly, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said in a magazine interview. "It is not fair to keep comparing what is hap pening with before. Take it as what is happen ing now - is it right or wrong?" Abdullah told Off The Edge, a new monthly magazine launched by The Edge Commu nications Sdn Bhd. He said therefore, there was no point for people to compare what he does with what Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad would do. This was because they are both differ ent people leading - Pak the country at a dif ferent time under a different situation. "It's the same when Tun Razak took over from Tunku Abdul Rahman; he assessed the situation and had to introduce certain policies to suit the cir cumstances of the time, relying on his own judgment," Abdullah said. The wide ranging interview also focused on the importance of inculcating the right values and culture that will ensure Malaysia continues to succeed as a nation. Abdullah spoke of the need in a multi-racial society for the government to make major deci sions affecting the future of the country on the basis of consensus, and that younger genera tion of Malaysians must be reminded of this. "They also have to recognise the value of con sultation, discussion, the value of deciding on the basis of all agreeing," he said. On Islam Hadhari, Abdullah said it was not a

new denomination of Islam nor was it a new school of thought. "Islam Hadhari is like a formula. It's a guide for understanding the teachings of Islam," the Prime Minister and UMNO president said. All Muslims need to do is abide by the 10 princi ples and there was no need for the government to build any edifice to promote Islam Hadhari. "It's like the Rukunegara," he said. "There is no such thing as a Rukunegara building, no such thing as a Rukunegara planta tion. It is already a way of being." He said that the 10 principles enunciated in Islam Hadhari like 19 being faithful to God, be trustworthy and Lah dependable, pursuit of knowledge and protecting the envi ronment were princi ples that are also accepted by people of other religions. Abdullah also spoke about the fight against corruption and said that there were a few UMNO Supreme Council members who were investigated for money politics but that enough evidence was found only in the case of vice-president Tan Sri Isa Abdul Samad. Off The Edgeis a monthly magazine about people, issues and values that push our social and cultural boundaries. It retails at RM6 a copy and is available at major bookstores and news stands from Satur day. Subscribers enjoy a 25 percent discount. The Edge Communications is part of Nexnews Bhd, which also publishes The Edgebusiness & investment weekly; theSunnewspaper, PersonalMoney and havenmagazines.

"It's the same when Tun Razak took over from Tunku Abdul Rahman

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WOMEN AND BRANDING:

they are not the issues here. It is a question of branding and business effectiveness. Researchers have known for decades that mixed groups are more creative and better at solving problems. Catalyst, a US organization that stud ies the role of women in business, found a strong correlation between strong financial performance and the number of women in top positions IBY NICK WREDEN among Fortune 500 companies between 1996 nick@fusionbrand.com and 2000. And men can't really justify their con tinued dominance of the branding profession, since it is estimated that up to 90% of all prod This glass ceiling has unfortunate reper WOMEN make 70% of all consumer purchases. ucts fail to become brands. cussions. A study by the University of Bath of Look inside any purchasing department, and you'll So it is time to start handing the branding female workers between 1992 and 2003 showed see they are responsible for a substantial amount reins over to more women, especially since the 6% decline in job satisfaction among female a of corporate purchases as well. Look at the top 10 bulk of purchasing power is in the hands of workers between 1992 and 2003, while men's job TV programs, and in almost all cases the majority women. Women are better at collaboration and satisfaction increased during the same period. of viewers are women. team-building, a skills that are perfectly suited One out of every three women with an MBA in the Yet go to many advertising or related events in for the requirements of the US, a remarkable loss of poten Malaysia today, and inevitably, you will see the customer economy, when ... women tial talent Among men, the figure stage dominated by men, even if the audience brands get their power from have more than 45% is one in 20. may be predominantly women. Peer into the of all jobs and account customers. Let women devel Specific examples are power suites of larger agencies, and you'll see for more than half of master's op and tell your brand story. painful. Procter & Gamble, the more ties than skirts. Talk to women inside mar degrees being awarded. Women excel at telling stories manufacturer of Pampers napketing departments about their corporate Max Factor make-up and Yet 95% of senior managers were about relationships, which, pies, brands, and they'll tell you that the decision will men, and female ultimately, is what branding is Tampax, only has two women on have to be made by a male superior. Such dis managers earn, on average, all about. its 16-person board. Only three parity extends to paychecks as well. about 72% of what their Start by beginning a mentor of its top 45 corporate officers The situation is not unique to the branding male counterparts take ing program at your agency that are women. Out of the world's industry. In the US, for example, women have home... focuses on showing younger major agencies, only Ogilvy & more than 45% of all jobs and account for more women the ropes. Give greater responsibilities to Mather is headed by a woman, the very savvy than half of master's degrees being awarded. Yet the women in your organization. The industry as a Shelly Lazarus. 95% of senior managers were men, and female whole needs to promote successful female execu The usual suspects emerge as reasons. managers earn, on average, about 72% of what tives as role models. Finally companies must imple Unforgiving workloads and hours. Career their male counterparts take home. Fewer than ment female-friendly work and personnel policies interruptions for children. Travel demands 1% of the top CEOs are women, and more than that take into account how many women do the that complicate family-work balance. Exclusion 90 companies of the Fortune 500 don't have any heavy lifting when it comes to taking care of families from old-boy networks. But as the accounting, female corporate officers. and homes. legal and consulting professions have shown, It's the same sad story in Europe. In France, those issues can be dealt with. Recognizing the fewer than 5% of top executives are women. Nick Wreden, MA, MS is CEO of FusionBrand, a leading Asian brand impact on businesses and even profitability, There are only 17 female executive directors of the consultancy. His latest book on branding, ProfitBrand: How to Increase the Profitability, Accountability and Sustainability of Brands, these profession have taken substantial steps to FTSE100, compared to about 400 men. Out of all has just been published. Contact: nick@fusionbrand.com advance the career track of women include jobpublicly listed companies, 65% have no women sharing, relaxed "up-or-out" standards, flextime on the board at all. No woman has yet headed a For those who missed out the event Marketing To Women Sem and other policies. big British company, although 44% of the UK inar, Do look out for it early 2006 Fairness or even diversity are important. But workforce is female.

TIME FOR SOME

CHANGES

LETTER

T O

D I T O R

TV in Malaysia under threat! Dear Editor, Two months ago, NTV7 announced that they were inviting Prima Media, the holding company of TV3 and 8TV, to look into their financial status. This is an obvious sign that the owners of NTV7 are thinking of selling-out to Prima Media. Are we as citizens of this country and as pro fessionals in communication and marketing pre

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pared to stand by and allow our electronic media to be dominated by a single company that is driven only by profit and has no feelings for either freedom of expression or quality entertainment? While entertainment from the West continues to invade our shores and our screens, the last thing we need is local monopolization of what little is indigenous to our television industry. It's fine, I suppose, if our TV finally gets so bad that nobody watches it any more. But it's not so fine that there will no longer be opportunities for young Malaysians to create independent content.

We have all perceived what appears to be Prima Media's objective: to cover or corner all seg ments of the broadcast and entertainment industry - production, distribution, events, media and TV advertising. The feature film industry is also under threat as Grand Brillance can use its group of com panies to promote its films and gain an advantage over the rest. It is unthinkable what Prima Media can do if it gains ownership of the entire free-to-air television industry in Malaysia - raise advertising rates, con trol scheduling for its own benefit and convenience, and air poor-quality programming to save money and maximize profits. Please, for the sake of our future, let us not stand silently by watching this happen and see all our years of progress lost. Yours, Concerned Reader Via Email

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VoicingOut

Malaysia: Truly Asia

WHOSE LINE IS IT

Malaysia Truly Asia - Launch Creatives from year 1999-2003

THE article entitled Selected Agencies : Truly Amazing in the July issue of ADOI about Tourism Malaysia's selection of agencies following a com petitive pitch for its account has raised quite a few raised eyebrows, not to mention voices. Some have criticised the facts and figures and even questioned its motives. Others have compliment ed on the article's honesty and fairness. Given such a diversity of responses, we felt we should look again at how diligently the story was researched, and talk at length with the most vocal of critics to give them the opportunity to comment on and if necessary correct some aspects which they considered inaccurate. First the question of research, which some have suggested may have been less than exhaus tive. Whatever the truth of that allegation, the process certainly was exhausting. All avenues imaginable were pursued to obtain information and comment, first setting-out to ascertain the details of all 11 selected agencies as soon as their names were made public. For this search, a multi plicity of sources was employed including the Tourism Board, the internet, Malaysian Advertising Directory (MAD), Yellow Pages, some agen cies with wide network and even the Telekom directory. All 11 agencies were then called up to check the accuracy of the information on them and their Tourism Malaysia assignments and billings, and each was sent a list of questions based on the requirements for participation in the Malaysia Tourism pitch. Some called back to con firm receipt of the questions but were later unreachable. Others answered some or all of the

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questions. Non-respondents were then called up and given the opportunity to confirm or deny the information that was obtained. In short, after many, many calls and not a few silences or refusals to talk, the article was finally reported based on the best information available following considerable investment of time and effort.

...TBWA had been given insufficient credit for having created the thematic tagline Malaysia: Truly Asia, and for the music and the selection of the singer, Jacqueline Victor, who eventually made it as the first Malaysian Idol. One of the more vocal readers of the article was Austen Zecha, President/CEO of TBWA-ISCX Malaysia. He took issue with a sentence that was written in the very first paragraph of the story, "Pre viously the Malaysia: Truly Asia theme carried through by Naga DDB heading the Asian market, TBWA coordinating along the same tagline for

European markets and Spencer Azizul - Domes tic, was a success." Far from handling just the Europe market, Austen said, TBWA had responsi bilities as far-ranging as Europe, North America, Japan, Korea, Oceania and MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions). But more importantly, he said, TBWA had been given insufficient credit for having created the thematic tagline Malaysia: Truly Asia, and for the music and the selection of the singer, Jacqueline Victor, who eventually made it as the first Malaysian Idol. "Nobody else could think up a tagline when they had all the chances in the world," he said, adding that TBWA had had the thankless task of "getting all the others to adapt to the thematic tagline. Now everyone wants to claim the credit," he said, "suc cess has many fathers, failure has none." This seemed to me a most important issue, as the Malaysia: Truly Asia theme has undoubtedly proven highly successful, and credit for its origina tion should go where it's due. So ADOI had a long face-to-face conversation with Austen to give him every opportunity to say his piece on the subject and set the record straight. The team behind the theme. The truth of the matter, Austen said, is that TBWA-ISC\Malaysia first captured the essence of the tagline Malaysia: Truly Asia when they pub lished the book Malaysia: Heart of Southeast Asia in 1990. "Marina Mahathir was the Project Director for that book," he said. "We realised that no other Asian country can claim as great a number or to be as demographically balanced as Malaysia, with as

Media Partner:

STR ITSTIMES

ACCREDITED NTS MALAYSIA

series

ARE BRANDS THE POLITICAL SYMBOLS OF THE FUTURE ? : CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY AND THE OPPORTUNITY OF SUSTAIN ABILITY FOR CORPORATE BRANDS.

There is a new paradigm governing expectations of brands and advertising . What does social responsibility have to do with shareholder value ? What are the social and legislative challenges facing brand communicators today ? What are the current consumer attitudes to sustainability and sustainable consumption 1 We have seen a groundswell of anti-capitalism. Have brands and corporations become lightning rods in this battle ? By Invitation. Limited seats are also available at RM80. To book please contact the 4As Secretariat Tel: 03 7660 8535 Fax : 03 7660 8532 (Nor Azila or J. Matthew s) MIKE LONGHURST Executive Board Member, European Association of Communication Agencies United Nations Environment Programme Advertising Committee Advisor Senior Vice President McCann Erickson Europe, Middle East, Africa

Registration : 4.30pm Presentation/Q&A : 5.00pm Refreshments : 6,30pm

• Friday 23 September 2005 • •Venue: The New Straits Times (M) Sdn Bhd • Theatrette, 5th Floor, Old Wing, Balai Berita,* • 31 jalan Riong 59100, Kuala Lumpur •

Supported by:

VoicingOut

... Since when did it become the sole birth right and prerogative of any agency to claim an immortal custodianship over a client? Is it not possible for some local, unknown or even low-profile agencies to be capable of winning new business pitches?... - Fairplay

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many Malays, Chinese, Indians and other ethnic groups all living in harmony. We are most proud of the fact that when we took over the account in 1999, there were only 6.6 million visitors, which increased to more than 15 million last year." Here, in Austen's own words, is the story of events surrounding the subsequent selection of his agency for the Tourism Malaysia account: "In 1999, the then Tourism Minister had called up Datuk Muhkriz Mahathir saying that he had seen all the work and presentations of other agencies to Tourism Malaysia, and did not like any. He wanted to distinguish Malaysia from other Southeast Asian destinations. ISCB Worldwide Partners (now TBWA-ISC\Malaysia) was then recommended to him and the agency undertook a pitch without a brief. The agency's subsequent pitch took place three weeks later. A committee had been immedi ately formed at ISCB Worldwide Partners. The team included Austen Zecha, President/CEO; Paul Lingan, Associate CD; Ng Chiew Ping, COO; Julie Lingan, ECD and Alwin Zecha, international destination marketing consultant and twice chair man of ICCA (International Conventions and Con gresses Association) and RATA (Pacific Asia Trav el Association), as well as CEO of the Pacific Leisure Group. The group agreed that Malaysia, demographically, has the greatest number of Malays, Chinese and Indians. Malaysia, in fact, truly represents "all the colours of Asia", is indeed the "rainbow of Asia" in their ways, their culture, food, lifestyle; definitely the "essence" and the "very soul of Asia". Brain storming into the late hours over pizza, we were still searching for a tagline that we all liked. We couldn't use Malaysia: the Heart of Asia again, as it would be too close to the title of our book and, besides, Cathay Pacific had used that tagline! But we had agreed that the essence of the theme should exude that Malaysia is simply Asia, with the three major cultures that influence its food, customs and lifestyle. Finally, we decided the theme should state exactly what we mean, hence Malaysia: Truly Asia resulted or came about quite logically. When we presented that to the Minister, he said that he need look no further. We got the account immediately,

actually right on-the-spot after the pitch! PATA officers headquartered in Bangkok have pointed out that four neighbouring com petitors have changed their thematic taglines once or twice over the past six years. To us, this proves that ours is biting and that our com petitors are still groping for one that can work for them. The popularity and recognition created by the effectiveness of our tourism strategy has resulted in TBWA being invited by the World Tourism Organisation to present the Malaysia: Truly Asia case study at the WTO Seminar in Bali. The same case study was also presented at a PATA chapter meeting in India and after that Jor dan. This clearly shows that its effectiveness is seen and recognised worldwide. Other than this, we are also proud of the fact that the Malaysia: Truly Asia campaign has won numerous awards, including four Golds and one Silver in the Hospi tality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) Adrian Awards 2004 Competition in New York, this year." I thank Austen for the energy he has devoted to ensuring that his story is told as accurately as possible. And I thank all our other readers who have favoured us with their comments. Here are just a few whose authors have agreed that we share them with you: Dear Editor,; I read with an equal dose of amazement and amusement an article in the July edition of ADOI headlined, "Tourism Malaysia - Selected Agen cies Truly Amazing!" Whilst I respect and recognise the need for balanced and truthful reporting, I sense a delib erate and orchestrated skew taken by ADOI which compels my better judgement to see it as an amazing example of non-objective, lop-sided and in all probability, a misled journalistic piece oozing perhaps, a hidden agenda! Since when did it become the sole birth right and prerogative of any agency to claim an immortal custodianship over a client? Is it not possible for some local, unknown or even lowprofile agencies to be capable of winning new

_VoicingOut

business pitches? It is akin to decreeing that stu dents from unknown rural schools are incapable of scoring 17 As in public examinations. I believe your writer failed to gather as much information as possible. Instead, she chose some non-conventional options which included talking to agencies that did not win the business. If one were to write a fair, and balanced article on the said subject, it is only logical to talk to the agencies that won the Tourism Malaysia business. After all, the story was about those who won instead of those who did not win every thing! If I were to quote ADOI verbatim, "I'm sur prised and somewhat ashamed to have to admit that, despite the fact that my job is writing about the advertising industry, I (and at least two dozen others I have asked) neither know nor have ever heard of some of these agencies." If that is the case, the least ADOI could have done is to talk to the so-called "really low profile and least obtrusive agencies". After all, it is only fair that readers of distinguished publications like ADOI should get to know more about these unheard agencies. And there is nothing wrong nor offensive about this. What I am astounded about is the wisdom of asking other high-profile agencies about these low-profile agencies. If the agencies are low-pro file, how on earth does the writer expect others to know? For one, I myself have not heard of some of them. Nor has Hammer! The point I am driving at, and God forbid, in the interest of fair reporting, I pray a respectable pub lication like ADOI does not inadvertently err its course to become a mouthpiece with vested inter ests. Let us look forward to more balanced and objective stories in the coming editions of ADOI. I remain, Your obedient reader, Fairplay Dear Fairplay, Thank you for your frank opinion. I am pleased however that the publication of the arti cle Tourism Malaysia - Selected Agencies Truly Amazing! has encouraged responses. This is especially satisfactory in this case as some of the agencies the agencies that were approached had sure chosen to take the fifth amendment (though not applicable in Malaysia) and were so tight-lipped that some had even barred all possibilities of any phone calls getting through to the people in charge. That task is of course made easier with tough secretaries. Others were kind enough to simply feign ignorance. I do agree with you on the need for balance and truth. I do not believe in subjugating one's nature in merely to sustain the approval of the world. Especially when its come to reporting, as that would literally be impugning the moral foun dations of journalism, (read editor's note) I beg to differ but our articles are definitely not

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orchestrated nor skewed, and as much as I would like to claim the capability of "misleading with agenda" we are merely writers and have no inkling of diplomatic manoeuvres. About the methods of research, I have writ ten out the exact steps that were taken. Some

... I beg to differ but our articles are definitely not orchestrated nor skewed, and as much as I would like to claim the capability of "misleading with agenda" we are merely writers and have no inkling of diplomatic manoeuvres...

floating around among what is supposedly a broth erhood or at least community of like-minded peo ple, and supposedly sharing the same objectives. Truly how is any agency expected to grow, if not by pitching, and as a consequence of which denying some other agency of the contract. I find it particularly strange that no one ques tions the well over a billion ringgit that previous agencies have billed over the past decade or so despite some markets receiving less attention than deserved. If only we could all do so well for so long. And if only the community were more magnani mous and capable of providing support to all of its members regardless of size. In any case thank you for your thoughtful piece. I cannot say the same for the insert though, because the last time I checked, none of the four mentioned agencies had ever done any work for the 20 top agencies anyway so to expect them to have heard of us 'quieter ones' might be stretch ing it. The fact that most of us have survived the better part of a decade and provide gainful employment for dozens of people seems to have no meaning. At least our clients don't feel that same way and i guess that's what counts at the end. In any case a different bunch of colour sepa rators, printers, suppliers of various kinds, design ers, media specialists, clerks, cleaning ladies and more are truly elated at our success, however fleeting it might come to be! But you should know that ALL of us, without exception, are working our butts off for the client. Whether we actually end up doing better than the 'big' guys remains to be seen. I guess all of us, including Tourism Malaysia and especially us unknowns are deeply concerned about this. None of us, to the best of my knowedge, see this account as a free ride as focus on and feedback from the individual zones will be quite precise. There'll likely be no ignored markets here. Also maybe its time for the 5A's to start up, you know, Association of Anonymous Accredited Advertising Agencies of Malaysia! Take care and good luck with your next article. 5A's Agency

who have eschewed us were neither obscure nor low profile. The low profile agencies however were the ones who were totally honest and receptive, providing all the facts and information.

Dear 5A's Agency, Thank you for your honest viewpoint. I also take this opportunity to thank Kushairi Abang, Mediaxis; Haris Ngu, Penumbra; Datin Fareedah Pam, Smascom & Design and David Oh, WellAd for your honesty. And despite how some skewed minds may twist the facts of the article to fit their preference I have absolutely no doubt that you possess vast experience in relation to tourism.

Truly Monica Wong

- Monica

Dear Monica, If I might be permitted to vent slightly. I find it peculiar the degree of 'dengki' that appears to be

Any feedback. Have your say drop me a mail at monica@ham.com.my

Monday 9.30pm beginning 3rd October 2005

www.8tv.com.my

LBRevealed

â&#x20AC;˘BY MONICA WONG

Hamish Banks,MD of LB/Arc Worldwide Malaysia

LEO BURNETT'S words have inspired many in the Burnett family to reject compromise and reach for the stars. Over the years many have taken his advice for creativity literally and conquered all awards, all over the world. This has worked tremendously well as immediate recognition was given and these refreshing ideas and approaches had attracted clients and businesses. Of course, there are many theories and case studies that show better creativity equals more clients, but cases that concretely link creativity with actual dollar sense are uncommon. Leo Burnett understood this and has a sound piece of advice that goes, "The competent creative man does not approach his job solely in terms of making an advertisement, or a series of advertisements. He must approach it with clear understanding of what other factors are involved in the sale of the product." The ad people in KL have been buzzing about the backbone of LB, Malaysia leaving and it falling apart and many other half truths which definitely need clarification. I would firstly like to clear a few rumours, there are peopie who are leaving. Alex Lim, Creative Director, Chan Lee

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Shon, Executive Creative Director, Sue D Cruz, General Manager of Arc and David Mitchell, Director of Brand Management. This piece of news definitely shocked the industry as these are people whom many respect as gurus in their own expertise and seen practically as fixtures at the LB office. Alex, Lee Shon and Sue however, are not severing their involvement entirely as they will be remaining as freelance consultants with LB. For over 15 years, LB Malaysia has been talking about integration of advertising services. The five key disciplines that are placed within Arc Worldwide includes CRM / database, interactive, promotion, shopper marketing and public relations (South East Asia only). The task of integrating Leo Burnett, Arc and Starcom was an insurmountable task that requires the employment of ESP. The Effective Solutions Planning (ESP) model was developed to ensure that that all three entities delivered on the integrated promise to clients. It pulls together all the necessary/ representatives from each unit to work. This way of unification will eradicate duplication and increase coordination synchronisation of their work.

Clients are changing and LB has to change to remain relevant. Redefining LB values, its strengths need to be as relevant as clients' business needs. Indeed many changes are discovered in a recent interview with Hamish Banks, Managing Director of Leo Burnett I Arc Worldwide, Malaysia . Hamish is confident that the changes will move LB to higher level to remain competitive, and not to its detriment as some had made it out to be.

Would LB be playing a smaller role now that it's integrated with ARC? How integrated is it .going to be, as in going for pitches as one entity? Or separate pitches but pooling in resources in handling client's brands? By partnering Arc with Leo Burnett, we are able to deliver integrated marketing solutions that combine rich consumer insights, deep brand experience and extensive channel expertise, to drive clients' businesses. To give you an example of the relationship that Leo Burnett has with Arc it's like two sides of a coin where on one side we have Leo Burnett and the other Arc. The two are complementary and indivisible, and through the combination we can both develope and deliver holistic marketing solutions to clients. To ensure our "connections" are strong and that we are fostering collaboration on every level, we have, as mentioned, developed and implemented a new work mode called 'Effective Solutions Planning' (ESP) which is designed with two results in mind: first, that Leo Burnett, Arc and Starcom are all active contributors and equal participants in the development of a core idea against a commonly agreed strategy right from the beginning. Secondly, the model forces us into a business-driven assessment of where to focus the communications strategy for maximum return.

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How is LB (not inclusive of ARC) surviving with only three accounts? McDonald's, Petronas and MAS? Especially with McDonald's move to centralise regional advertising works in Singapore and Petronas being a seasonal client?

ing the creation of the first-in-Formula 1 truck called the Petronas Tech Tour truck, which brings the F1 experience to Malaysians throughout the entire country, across every month of the year.

As mentioned above in my answers to Question 1, LB and Arc are not one without the other. As MD of Leo Burnett, I oversee both LB and Arc operations and report both revenues as one to Publicis Groupe. In this case, it doesn't matter if more revenue comes from interactive or public relations or from ATL advertising, because at the end it goes back to one company revenue. In this way, we reserve the client's interests first- no one division is battling against each other for a higher share of the client's budget or looking out for their own interest. In addition, since the ESP model mandates how we work together from the beginning to develope a common core idea that is realised through the various functional disciplines of LB and Arc, almost every one of our clients is "shared" - in addition to that three you have already mentioned, we can add Dutch Lady, Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad, MASkargo and YTL, as well as three new clients. On a separate note, McDonald's has indeed created a significant central component for its marketing across the Southeast Asian region, but

How is LB creative team going to operate at their best without a full time ECD as Chan Lee Shon and Alex will not be replaced, and Yasmin coming in on advisory levels? Would their creative work be affected? Superior creativity is and will always be our No.

the need for locally originated work is still high and through the months, Leo Burnett and Arc have been actively meeting this need. In terms of Petronas, I would like to clarify that it is not a seasonal client. Beyond the festive ads that we develope for them, we are deeply involved in the Formula 1 programme, which is active all year round. Our Events and Promotions Department (within Arc) has been developing on-ground activities for Petronas for the past 10 years, includ-

1 priority, and we have an extraordinary array of senior creative talents with CO-level skills and experience. And in terms of Yasmin's role; she will be very involved in the work and doing what she does best - nurturing talents, challenging and inspiring us all. Regarding replacements, we are always looking out for the best talent, but I won't be able to comment on speculation about high-level hires just yet. Finally to clarify the role of the advisory board; Ali, Yasmin and Charles will act as advisors to the management team where requested and will be consulted on major strategic issues. This advisory responsibility is secondary to their functional roles - Ali in Business Development and creative support, Yasmin in creative leadership and Charles in his regional Arc position.

What is LB's motivation now? I would have to quote Leo Burnett himself on this, "Our real purpose in life is that of improving the sales effectiveness and reputation of reputation of our c lients through ideas." This has been and always will be our guiding principle and, of course, we are always looking for ways to make it relevant to changing clients needs and current business conditions.

_Salary Monitor

Hiring frenzy driving salaries up: Aquent GREG SAVAGE, Aquent CEO, Asia Pacific, says that what could only be described as a "hiring frenzy", especially in Shanghai, but even in some sectors in Singapore, is helping fuel rises in salaries and freelance fees around Asia. Growth in China is fuelling huge demands for Chinese-speaking talent around the region, he said, especially for PR people with experience in the finance and IT sectors. He added that there was a strong intention to hire among employers of marketing, communications and advertising people as a result of buoyant economic conditions and following "a degree of over-pruning" during the recession sparked by SARS. "Many organizations that have had to contend with a lean workforce in the last two years are beginning to take a more pro-active hiring stance to remain competitive," he said. Speaking to ADOI before opening Aquent's new office in Kuala Lumpur, its 14th in Asia, Greg

said that Aquent is a global organisation with over 70 offices in 14 countries specialising in "total staffing solutions" for the marketing, communications and creative industries. Stressing the tightlyfocused nature of Aquent's business, he said the company is "a mile deep and an inch wide" in its sphere of expertise. And it appears to have the figures to prove it. The 2005/6 Aquent Asia Pacific Salary Monitor is a 160-page summary of salary packages, incentives, staff mobility and other hiring-related information gathered from a survey of 1294 organisations in Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea and Singapore. Available as a service to clients and prospective clients, the Salary Monitor provides concise job descriptions, salary ranges and a wealth of other information on dozens of positions at all levels in advertising, media, PR and marketing. Greg Savage made the point that many adver-

tising agencies are experiencing intense pressure on their margins with the current growth in salary levels. He added that many employers were striving to counteract staff turnover by offering not just more money but also increasingly inventive incentives. As for staff, he said that their main concerns besides remuneration were quality of clients or work, followed by lifestyles.

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...Mobility is the current buzz in all areas of computing today; from the latest cellphone-PDA combination devices to wide area Wi-Fi networks... IT used to be that the graphics and processing power needed to create high-end graphics existed only in extremely large workstations. As processor speed increased, these much heralded traits shifted to the desktop. Now, a new crop of mobile workstations is giving desktop models a run for their money. PCI Express-based graphics and fast processor speeds, along with good ergonomics and large LCD displays, make these mobile powerhouses excellent platforms for virtually any type of graphics work. A mobile workstation is abundant technology packed into a very small space, and this compact technology comes at a premium. A notebook will always cost more than a similarly equipped desktop unit. People who need notebook systems, such as on-set effects artists and technical directors, however, are willing to pay extra for mobility. The convenience of tossing your work into a bag at the end of the day and taking it k .. wherever

necessary can be invaluable. And many of these new systems are fast enough to replace a desktop workstation completely, eliminating the need for two machines. When it comes to mobile workstations, graphics is the name of the game. The one component that really sets a mobile workstation apart from an ordinary notebook is the graphics chip. Mobile workstations sport portable versions of the high-end graphics chips employed in professional workstations. These workstation-class graphics chips differ from their business and gaming counterparts in that they provide true OpenGL support and are fully verified as compatible with a wide range of graphics applications. Simply put, these boards are guaranteed to work powerfully and flawlessly with the most intense graphics applications. Mobility is the current buzz in all areas of computing today; from the latest cellphone-PDA combination devices to wide area Wi-Fi networks. For content creators, this trend can be seen in high-performance notebook computers with fast processors, large and colorful flat-screen displays and high-capacity storage.

Power arid Portability Currently, there are two main providers of workstation-class graphics chips for the mobile workstation market: ATI, with mobile versions of its FireGL chips, and Nvidia, with its Quadro FX Go chips. Both of these vendors recently introduced PCI Express-based solutions that offer performance on par with their desktop workstation graphics boards. ATI has been particularly aggressive in the mobile market, and its FireGL cards have been used in a number of mobile w orkstations from renowned vendors such as HP. ATI's newest Mobility FireGL card is identical to its FireGL V5000 PCI Express-based desktop workstation card. Because it's also used in desktop workstations, the chipset offers excellent mid-range performance, and it also consumes very little power to extend battery life. The V5000 uses 128mb of fast GDDR3 memory, as well as six geometry engines and eight parallel rendering pipelines, to deliver ultra-fast processing of complex data sets, real-time cinematic-quality rendering, and multiple-display output. The FireGL 5000 card is a good choice for graphics; it's certified for use with virtually every high-end graphics program, ensuring consistent performance with demanding applications. The HP Compaq nw8240 Mobile Workstation, the first machine to be powered by mm this chip, offers lots of power in an B exceptionally thin and ergonomic m package.

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IBY VIDHYA NAIR

Select an Action:

Fetch Newspaper Transform into Chihuahua Online Rich Media Banners are interactive, intriguing, informative, you can stream your TV commercials based

A natural-born networker, Joanne Chen, Manager of mOne Malaysia (Mindshare's digital media offer ing), has been connecting people and ideas in so many original and unique ways that would not be too much to say that she is watched and emulated as a model for women in interactive media. Here is a discussion we had with her recently about inter active in general and the present and future direc tion of mOne Malaysia:

on user's connection speed or have your mini chat room, and much more. Ultimately, it helps increase campaign results and brand awareness through the power of integrated and seamless communications. M4 can help facilitate your online campaign and make it a success while

Can you tell us a little about your background before joining mOne? I studied accountancy in university so naturally my first job was with a tax consulting firm, KPMG. After one year of filing corporate taxes and dealing with IRB officers, I ventured into the exciting world of advertising where I did account servicing for about a year before realizing that media was my true calling. My media journey began in Ogilvy & Mather where i spent more than 3 years learning the ropes of traditional media planning on accounts including Nestle, Kodak and Buena Vista Films. Having a keen interest in new media, I moved on to launch and establish MindShare's digital media offering (under m digital which was re-branded to mOne) in 2000. It has been 5 exciting years - we have grown by leaps and bounds in terms of our digital capabil ities and best practices, and I believe we are cur rently the largest buyer of web space in Malaysia.

you concentrate on what you do best running the campaign, coming up with brilliant ideas, and most importantly, keeping your clients happy.

M4. Your Complete Online Marketing Tool for Advertising & Media Agencies. To bring your cool ad campaign online call, Fabian Looa Tel. 7880 5611 fabian@innity.com Log onto www.m4.com.my/subscribe to subscribe toour monthly e-newsletter for FREE.

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What does mOne believe in? What is its vision? How do you perceive the culture here? mOne is a global digital media company, pow ered by intelligence and creativity. We believe any one-to-one effort must be strategically integrated

with all elements of the marketing campaign be it websites, digital creative or traditional channels. We exist to integrate these elements in order to best meet our clients' spectrum of objectives, from brand building and lead generation to transaction. Integration is the foundation of our vision. We have a single vision of the media investment plan which stems from our holding company philoso phy - one vision, one plan, one media portfolio many media. Our culture is reflected in our vision, our indus try and business strategy. We are integrated, flexi ble, honourable in the market while representing our clients business as though it were our own. We are pro-active, receptive to change and environment. Our biggest value proposition is our people, so we ensure we create a nurturing environment and cul tivate the right culture to help keep our team intact. What is interactive all about? What does it entail? It's about a brand being able to interact with consumers and vice versa, the consumers interact ing with the brand via digital means like the web, mobile, iTV. With digital platforms such as the web and mobile, marketers are able to interact, engage, receive instant feedback and build relationships with their target audiences. Likewise, consumers can do the same. This is unique to the web and mobile medium, and complements as well as adds value to an advertiser's overall media mix. What obstacles do you face in selling clients on interactive media? Most of our clients are positive and open to interactive media. Of course, clients have various

JnterActive

... The lack of third-party research ana audience measurement tools are sometimes a hurdle to clients who rely heavily on quantitative KPIs.

Short Takes GUNN REPORT ON THE BEAM. Donald Gunn and BEAM.TV have joined forces to produce what the partners call "the most creative search tool ever offered on the Internet." The Gunn Library @ BEAM.TV gives an instant access to the world's "smallest but most comprehensive advertising library." It hosts every seminal com mercial dating from 1962 and offers intelligent search filters to refine research by immediately pinpointing relevant commercials. ZENITH FORMS PACT WITH TALENT AGENCY ZenithOptimedia and Beverly Hills have announced a new partnership to pursue branded entertainment opportunities across all media plat forms for Zenith's roster of clients including Gen eral Mills, Hewlett-Packard, JP Morgan Chase, Lexus, L'Oreal and Nestle. GREY CONFIRMS HEEKIN AS GLOBAL CEO. Former Euro RSCG chief executive Jim Heekin has finalized a deal to join WPP Group's Grey as worldwide CEO, succeeding Ed Meyer who con tinues as CEO of Grey Global Group. MALAYSIA'S TV3 EYES INDONESIA'S LATIVI. Malaysia's TV3 is exploring the possibility of investing in three-year-old Indonesian free-TV sta tion, Lativi. Lativi's viewership share is 9.7% and its debt currently exceeds US$33 million. NEW BROOD OF CREATIVE BLOOD TBWAMSC has named Bastiaan E. Moreu to suc ceed Chris Howden, who will be moving to TBWA, Dubai in October, as ECD of TBWAISCWIalaysia. Prior to this, Bastiaan ran his own outfit called Tabasco Communicatie. Moving up the ladder in the same agency are Paul Lingan and Ong Shi Ping, both as Deputy ECD. DAVID DROGATO LEAVE PUBLICIS. Publicis Worldwide creative chief David Droga is preparing to leave the agency network to start a non-advertising joint venture with his current employer. "It's not an advertising venture," said Mr. Droga, who for years has been one of the industry's most-watched talents. "It's a hybrid of a lot of things." He added, "I have a belief in this new model," he said. "I'm having a great career, but I've spent it working under other people's models. I think I'd really like to lay down a blue print of my own. I'd like to have some ownership of it, so there's more at stake for myself and live or die by my own vision."

1000 apologies Chris Cheong will be working on a contract basis at M&C Saatchi, and not permanently appointed as Client Service Director, as announced in the last issue of ADOI.

M 3DOIMARKETINGCOMMUNICATIONS

levels of understanding and familiarity, different marketing objectives and ever-changing market ing strategies. So client education, defining the role of the interactive media, how it can be inte grated into their marketing communication plan are some of our on-going challenges. The lack of third-party research and audience measurement tools are sometimes a hurdle to clients who rely heavily on quantitative KPIs. Having said that, we have a healthy portfolio of clients who are strong advocates and firm believers of the interactive media. These are clients who have experienced the direct benefit of the web and recognize the web as an effective personalized and interactive medium to reach the young and affluent consumers. What does the future hold for interactive in terms of strategy and technology trends? At mOne, we believe that using technology for what it's good for moves you out of the realm of yesterday's advertising. Technology for tracking online effectiveness, for tracking behaviour (through the line), for tracking trends and customer needs is critical to our digital future. We have been at the cutting edge of digital technology (stemming mainly from our US and UK operations) in the area of behavioral targeting, cross media optimization and its impact on a brand. We think the future in Asia will consist of more robust technological solutions for effective marketing (such as advanced ad serving, behav ioral targeting and multi level ROI evaluation). Volvo is one of our successful case studies where where we implemented Double Click's DART technology to provide accountability of an online buy's effectiveness. DART showed that our online ads registered a CTR of 13x more than the industry average and was the main driver of total site traffic. The site unique visitors increased 10fold and registered 3x more test drive bookings. This campaign also won us the Gold award for the Best Use of the Internet at the recent inaugural Malaysian Media Awards. How do you communicate with potential clients? We believe very seriously in practicing what we preach. Communication and education through relevant, effective information dissemi

nation is critical. We publish case studies for our clients and prospects regularly, we chair digital evangelist groups globally, we conducted the first search seminar (with Yahoo/Overture as the partner) in HK last quarter. We partnered with OgilvyOne on VERGE - a 7 country Digital semi nar for clients of WPP (and prospects) to evan gelize the change in the digital marketplace. What is your opinion on co-operation between competitors in the industry? Co-operation with a view to growth (of the industry) is very important to us. We participate in numerous committees and boards around the world, mOne are founding members of the IAB in the US and Europe/UK. In Malaysia, we sit on the ABC Interaktif committee which aims to pro vide advertisers with an independent and fair indication of a web site's past performance. We look forward to bringing together leaders in this market to build best practices, engagement policies and ensure technology parity between agency and publishers. What will mOne be up to over the next year? Next year will be an exciting year for us! We will be expanding our organization through part nerships, diversifying our tool set and evangeliz ing the medium through PR and events. We will take advantage of our global scale to bring more opportunities to our global and local portfolio of clients within Group M and WPP. Is there anything about the industry you would like to add? As the internet matures and users continue to flock online and spend a tremendous amount of time online, it is inevitable that advertisers must start looking at mixing online into their overall media mix inline with how consumers spend their media time. The internet is constantly changing and is a medium that allows advertis ers to test, launch, re-test, re-launch on the fly and I urge advertisers who have not started, to seriously look into using online advertising to reach an ever fragmented audience base with increasing media choices. Take the bold step for ward beyond traditional media and recognize that online advertising combined with offline efforts works!

Neil French Worldwide Creative Director of WPP

Michael Lee Chairman and World President of the International Advertising Association

Hermawan Kartajaya President of World Marketing Association

Three radically different individuals. Yet all three of them have one thing in common: They have successfully established themselves in Asia and around the world. As guest speakers of ADASIA 2005, they will be sharing their wealth of knowledge of the Asian marketplace, as well as provide you with new ideas and strategies to win in Asia. So don't miss this opportunity to join these 3 individuals and the other distinguished speakers at ADASIA 2005. After all, can you afford to miss what they have to say? To register, visit www.adasia2005.org.sg, call (65) 6296 5510, fax (65) 6296 5570 or email: adasia@tegworld.com

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MULTI-TASKER EXTRAORDINAIRE IN mid-2000 Shery Lim joined Naga DDB as Head of Brand Planning and Training Leader of DDB Univer sity, the wall-less training centre for DDB staff wordwide. Two years later, when Group Executive Chair man Datuk Vincent Lee offered her the additional roles of Business Development Director and Corpo rate Director she accepted them without reservation. "I'll always remember what he said to me: "The key to success is not only smartness, it's Passion, Per sistence, Perfection and Pace, and in you I've dis covered them all." She needs to wear three hats in her role as a Business Development & Corporate Director. The first is looking after some of the existing clients. The major part of her role is chasing for new business. "The final part of my role is Training Director, or DDBU leader. I have to design training programmes, run the programmes and lecture some of the pro grammes myself. It is incentive training. We run the programmes on Saturdays for 5 months." Shery herself lectures at half of the sessions, and assigns the other half to other senior professionals within the agency. As a Head of Brand Planning, she was at first an entirely one-woman show. "I was the only one, but I wasn't lonely, as I have a handful to do. In brand planning you have to do brand analysis and find out key consumer insights through focus group research. For the focus groups at first I had to call my friends around town and ask them to come. I gave them 'ang pau'!" But there are only so many friends one can call on so Shery started to use recruitment agencies to find respondents. But she continued to run the groups herself and do the analysis of results. "I was very busy, working late every night", she says, but adds that management soon saw a need to support her with staff, and there are now five people in the Brand Planning Department.

Tribute To AdWomen

In her new-business role Shery says It is necessary to have a very thick skin in order to do cold calls. "In cold-calling, rejection takes place all the time. Your mind-set must be very strong and steady and you have to expect such things to happen. To me, I accept it and put it in the K.I.V [Keep In View] list. This is what I meant by persistence. You keep going on, and when the person gets irritated they give in." With her Corporate Director hat on, Shery says that "One must have passion to keep up with the training programmes. I feel that I can be an inspiration to young people, The AE's and AM's. Everyone has different personalities, different points of view. For me I believe in respecting people's views rather than discour aging them or being arrogant. It's ok to be smart but not to the point of being arrogant." Shery's own personal antidote to arro gance is the fact that she came from very humble beginnings in a poor family. Her drive to be a leader, to push hard, to keep going on, be persistent and embrace a never-say-die attitude, all relate to her childhood. "I well remember certain key incidences from my childhood where my father couldn't even pay for the electricity bill of only RM4. He had to borrow from friends and relatives. When I saw this kind of hardship, it drove me to say, when I grow up, I don't want to be in the position where I need to beg people to pay bills. I want to be self sufficient". She started in the business at a very junior level and worked her way up. "I came up through the rank and file. I went to London to study marketing and advertising. When I came back I joined O & M as an AE and rose in account management to the title of Client Ser vice Director on a combination of local and worldwide brands including American Express, Ponds, Lipton, Dunlop Tyres and Nippon Paint. In 1997, I moved from Client Service Director to Human Resource Director of the Ogilvy group", she said. With over 12 years in training with well established firms like Naga DDB, Ogilvy & Mather (for 8 years), Euro RSCG, Batey Ads, Lowe & Partners (then Ammirati Puris Lintas), Foote Cone & Belding and Leo Burnett, Shery has indeed established herself among the industry as an expert in her field. Her philoso phy towards her current role? "To aim my goals towards delivering DDB's brand promise of Better Ideas, Better Results. This gives me the drive to upkeep the high standards we promise our clients," she says with passion. On personal note, however, Shery says she wouldn't choose advertising if she had a chance to do it all over again, but would go into something that would satisfy her soul. "To me being a psychologist would be nice. I'd like to be a psychologist, because psychology is basically understanding people. In life if you can understand people well, its means you can manage people well. If you can manage people well, people will feel happy, when people feel

E3 0DOIMARKETINGCOMMUNICATIONS

happy in turn you will be happy too," she says. "I have not achieved a lot in my life yet. To me achievement is not about position, it is not about money, it's not about how many proper ties you have. Achievement to me is dealing with the soft side of things in life." This feeling no doubt stems at least partly from a life-crisis Shery experienced 11 years ago when was diagnosed with such advanced breast cancer that she almost died. "At that stage, there was no turning back. I'm glad that this happened to me. In hindsight, I thank God that I had cancer because through this sickness I found Jesus. I managed to live for 11 years and I'm now can cer free. I know that Jesus has healed me. It's a miracle. I attribute all this to God." Another major inspiration to Shery is her family. "I'm very proud of my son because I like his character. He is very caring and charming. I'm very happy to have him as my son." Shery talks proudly of her husband and believes that he is the best and most wonderful person to share her life with. "This kind of love is very hard to find. Like the saying goes, behind every man there is a woman, for me I would say it's my husband and my son. My son though he is very young, he also gives me lots of advice," she smiles. To relax from the pressure of her numerous duties and responsibilities, Shery says she likes to watch the Desperate Housewives series on TV. She also says she learns a lot from the show. "I learn about people manage ment, I learn about good and bad people, I learn how to handle bad people and how to reward good people," she explains. Other relaxations include playing badminton, a sport in which she represented her school in Batu Pahat, Johor; to sing karaoke with her hus band; and to get away for lazy times at her fruit farm and country house. And as far as I'm con cerned, a woman who makes as many-faceted a contribution to our industry deserves as much rest and respite from it all as she can get!

"I'd like to be a psychologist, because psychology is basically understanding people. In life if you can understand people well, its means you can manage people well. If you can manage people well, people will feel happy, when people feel happy in turn you will be happy too"

Mendahului dengan isu-isu semasa Ahead with the issues

ingguan WWM A L A Y S I A

Utusan

Agency Feature

Being Relevant in the 21st Century IBY VIDHYA NAIR

Omar Shaari,Managing Director of Dentsu Utama

DENTSU MALAYSIA hasembarked on an aggres sive expansion plan with the formation of sub sidiary Dentsu Utama that it hopes will position it to grab larger national accounts. To show how serious they are, Hisham Sahudin has moved from Dentsu to Dentsu Utama as the Creative Director. Following the new company formation, ADOI caught up with Managing Director of Dentsu Utama, Omar Shaari, for a chat about his agency. What was the reason for setting-up Dentsu Utama? Since Dentsu Malaysia was established in 1994, the advertising landscape here has changed dramatically. Due to this development, Dentsu Inc. believes that having just one Japanese advertising agency alone is not sufficient to cope with the var ious needs and demands in the Malaysian market. By having two different agencies we would enhance our capability as a group and expand our range of services to our clients. With this new development we would also be able to better man age the sensitivity of conflicting accounts. The new company commenced business in

m aDOIMARKETINGCOMMUNICATIONS

business strategy is to serve regionally-aligned businesses (mostly Japanese entities) and also to focus on local businesses which include government and government-linked companies (GLCs)...

March, 2005. How is it going so far? It is still early days for us. Nevertheless busi ness has so far been encouraging. We have two key areas to focus on, existing business and new business. On the existing business, it is important we nurture the relationship and be fully involved in the clients' business objectives, aspirations and strategies. There is no substitute for word-ofmonth advertising (no puns intended). On the new business front, we will continue to focus on some key prospects that are in synergy with our business strategy. Are you only targeting Japanese clients or will you pursue local and multinational firms? Dentsu Utama's business strategy is to serve regionally-aligned businesses (mostly Japanese entities) and also to focus on local businesses which include government and government-linked companies (GLCs). How different is Dentsu Utama from Dentsu? How different are you from other advertising agencies? Dentsu Utama is being positioned as an

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agency that truly understands the Malaysian psy che, especially the Malay market segment. Work ing towards that end, we will be applying some of the research methodologies and tools that are pro prietary and unique to the Dentsu Network. We also have a strong and experienced team to help us achieve our ambitions. According to Advertising Age, Dentsu has been the number one agency brand in the world for the last 20 consecutive years. In Malaysia, however, Dentsu has been very much a challenger brand. That is not necessarily a bad thing but it means we have a lot of work to do over a short time span. Is there anything about the advertising industry you would like to talk about? The advertising industry's landscape has seen several major changes over the years. On the one hand we are shouting "specialization". As a result, today we have creative agencies, media special ists, CRM companies, web designers and many more. On the other hand, we are saying "integra tion" to the extent of supplying all these services under one roof! Today, for example, we have media specialists doing creative work and PR agencies doing advertising. It seems that our industry has gone one full circle though we did not quite arrive where we started. Nevertheless, these developments need not necessarily be bad. It is up to the individual players how they want to play this game. I believe we are still in a transition stage and our industry is still clouded by haze. At some point the dust will settle and only then we will know who are here to stay and what kind of business model will survive. Anything about the advertising industry that ticks you off? Due to the way our industry has changed into,

® 0DOIMARKETINGCOMMUNICATIONS

we now have competitions that never existed before. Combine that with what was already existing, it is the perfect recipe for price under cutting. On the surface this may seem bad for our industry but good for our clients. In reality, it is bad for both parties. The reason is simple: "you get what you pay for, and you pay for what you get." When the level playing field is reduced to one common denominator called price, quality will eventually suffer. While the margins in our industry have certain ly declined, the cost of doing business has defied the law of gravity. So we're hit at two levels. Is this going to change? Unlikely. What will change though is the way we do business. For example, more and more agencies and clients are moving to fees. Unfortunately many advertisers are still reluc tant to pay for what they used to get for free (or so they perceive). What is your opinion on the idea of co-operation between rivals? How do you look at com petitors? Due to the scramble towards "specialization" within our industry, the fine lines between competi tors have become somewhat blurred. For example, many agencies have been left with little choice but to collaborate with media specialists that are aligned to competitive agencies. This is a tide you cannot fight and I believe there is more to come. I think the time has come for us to look at com petition from a different perspective, both at agency and client level. What is most important is that clients' confidentiality and interests should never be compromised. So long as this is strictly adhered to, personally I have no objection to this kind of cooperation. As to how I look at competitors, it is my con viction that competition is always healthy. It helps

...Due to the scramble towards "specialization" within our industry, the fine lines between competitors have become somewhat blurred. For example, many agencies have been left with little choice but to collaborate with media specialists that are aligned to competitive agencies. This is a tide you cannot fight and I believe there is more to come... put us on our toes and pushes us to constantly reinvent ourselves. It acts as a reminder that suc cess is only temporary and failure is never perma nent. The only constant is change. What is your vision for Dentsu Utama? My vision is to grow Dentsu Utama into a medi um-sized agency that is in tune with current changes and developments in the market place. We want to embrace rather than resist new tech nologies that are relevant and will influence con sumer's lifestyles, especially the younger genera tion. We want to be the agency that is relevant in the 21st century! What will Dentsu be up to over the next year? We will be investing quite heavily in human cap ital and building our resource tools that are unique to Dentsu to serve our current and potential clients better. Ultimately we are still in the business of ideas. That is the one thing that will not change.

Do local girls prefer

flat whites to long blacks? From Finnegan's to Ronnie Q's, Social to TSB, you can spot the Bangsar Babe, with her long hair carefully rebonded and streaked strand by strand. Affecting an artless look that took hours to achieve, she is the local Paris with the latest LV over her shoulder and Blackberry in her hand. All genuine - she'd never be caught dead with any of that fake stuff. At her approach, the hackles on aunty types generally rise, because they believe she's up to no good, trawling for men that could include their own husbands. She, of course, is eye candy for all the guys, from local construction workers that probably wouldn't make it onto any pinup calendar to Harley renegades way past their prime. Draped on the arm of an aging Mat Salleh or increasingly, a titled local bigwig, the Bangsar Babe provides the most fodder for catty retorts and wolf kissy noises which pass for whistles in this part of the world. Hang out long enough in Bangsar like us, and you'll have lots of inspiration to come up with terrific creatives. Being right in the capital of coffee, we're on a constant buzz, ready to whip up hot, exciting work. So come by for a cuppa on us, any time. Oh, so what do local girls prefer? (Were we were talking about something else?) Probably an espresso, or if that has too many calories, a Pellegrino. No air suam for this Bangsar Babe.

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Reactivelnteractive

|REATif INTERACTIVITY IBY MONICA WONG

I find movies like Minority Report portraying futuristic possibilities fascinat ing. I don't mean the part about the crime-predicting psychics or the eerie freeze imprisonment, which could be stretching it a little thin. The scenes that most stir my imagination are those in which Tom Cruise interacts with floating three-dimensional screens, commanding them with fancy hand signs, solving crimes and eventually seeing himself as a killer there. As fan ciful as all this seems, the reality of is not that far away, as a recent visit to If Interactive has revealed. Zoya lleana, Executive Director; Liew San Yen, Design Director and Chris Koh are the main partners and founders of If Interactive, a design house that has set out with steely determination to set itself apart with stun ningly inventive work. They certainly have their work cut out for them. Their field is becoming ever more fiercely competitive as agencies and clients seek ever fresher, newer ideas with lower costs.

The Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre is equipped with data network systems, wireless LAN, broadband, 3G telecommunications, electronic voting systems, data projection, AV production and editing facilities.

(We've got big, fat markers and layout pads too.)

The gigantic Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre opens its doors to the world. Easily accessible in the KLCC precinct, one of the world's most advanced, purpose-built meeting and exhibition centre promises to be the perfect venue for any event, big or small. Even if you aren't tech-savvy. To know all about it, visit www.klccconventioncentre.com or call (603) 2333 2888.

KUALA LUMPUR CONVENTION CENTRE COMMERCE • CULTURE * COLOUR

Two Auditoria seating 3,000 and 500 • 9,710 sq.m. of street level, column-free Exhibition space • 2,000-seat Grand Ballroom • ,.800-seat Conference Hall • 740-seat Banquet Hall. 20 I^Hng Rooms. catering • 3G telecommunications • Multimedia facilities • High ceilings, freight lifts and wide entrances for delivery truck access • 10,000 hotel rooms wrthin walking distance • Aquaria Efficient pub

•1 Reactivelnteractive

V\fe are Media architects®

Experimental interactivity where music grooves to dance moves!

When asked about staying competitive, Zoya said, "we are definitely differ ent. We are production people who understand branding. Plus our pricing is quite reasonable too." They do indeed seem to be different. For example, an event that they created for some clients had fishes swimming towards mugs that were placed on the tables, rain bouncing off people's shadows and even music created by dancers' footsteps. But there were still some doubts buzzing in my head, so I asked a few searching questions: Some may feel that the cool interactive stuff that you do is a passing trend. What is your take on that? We need trends to transcend to the next level. There would be no pop cul ture if there was no Andy Warhol; games in Playstation would not exist if there had been no Atari. Interactivity has been surrounding us since technology was born. How it shows itself depends on the current trend. So new media interactivity creators like us strive to capture and live on trends. Advertising is all about trends. Can anyone say that advertising shall not evolve, but stay the same in its method ology for the next hundred years? We don't think so. We plan to take advan tage of the "passing trend" to evolve to the next trend. We at If Interactive see ourselves as trendsetters, whether the trend is passing or not. The interactivity that we use offers services and provides solu tions to a very wide spectrum of people, but at the end of the day, it is about advertising the brand. The only difference is the media platforms that we use. Not all ways of advertising are confined to print, TV or radio. Various people eager to reach their consumers on a different level have used this platform. Thus their consumers are able to feel and interact with their products in a nonmonologue way. Is Malaysia ready for this? At If Interactive we tell ourselves Malaysia is never ready for anything. We are 20 years behind in everything. We get invited to design conferences in another part of the world and there is where we set our benchmark. It is up to people like us to constantly push, promote and believe in these non-conven tional concepts. If we were too concerned about the readiness of the market, Malaysia would constantly need to import technology from the advanced

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Some ofthe works from IF Interactive

world. Some Malaysians think that the local market does not produce these technologies, but the fact is that we do. In places like Japan, Europe and the U.S. these digital installations are used in shops and elsewhere as another form of media selling. Here are a few examples from around the world: 1.Prada Epicenter store in New York City. The clear glass dressing-room doors turn to frosted texture as soon as someone enters. A screen then displays the image of the shopper wearing the apparel, as well as information on the gar ments, which can then be bought by swiping the tag. 2. Bloomberg ICE Japan. The whole lobby wall is an installation. Guests can navigate or play with the content using their hands. 3. Minority Report. The thesis was written by MIT students on this particular kind of screen years before the movie was shot. We too were inspired and cre ated our own "Minority Report Screen", the "Interfacing Gesture." 4. Shopping malls in Japan and US now are projecting brand images onto peo ple's hands as they walk in to the mall. The list goes on and on. How affordable or exorbitant is "non-monologue interactivity"? So far we have managed to suit our clients' budgets and yet maintain the quality of the interactivity. Talk to them and check for yourself! How can this medium complement conventional advertising? It is just another platform for advertisers to show or educate the public about their brands. It is such a flexible platform that it can complement other media by bringing the TVC or website to the users' fingertips. Or even tak ing the process one step ahead by having the consumers actually under standing and personalizing the product by bringing the products to normal everyday environments like shopping malls, stores and office lobbies to inter act with them. And of course it brings a whole new breath of fresh air to events and launches. So there you have it. According to the people at If Interactive, they've moved the possibilities of enchanting and enrapturing your audience from the realm of fantasy to reality; from "if only" to factual expression. So if you're in the market for a brilliant new medium, have fun exploring with them!

Get inside the minds of 10 of the world's most influential creative thinkers,

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Bob Isherwood Global Creative Director, Saatchi & Saatchi Worldwide // Jeremy Langmead Editor-in-Chief, Wallpaper*// John Howkins Author, The Creative Economy // Malcolm McLaren Founder, The Sex Pistols // Martine Sitbon Haute Couture Designer // Rem Koolhaas Awardwinning Architect // // Shekhar Kapur Award-winning Director // Tham Khal Meng Co-chairman, Ogilvy & Mather Asia-Pacific // Wykidd Song Director, Song+Kelly21 // Yasmin Ahmad Film Director, Malaysia //

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