Marketing Magazine SG - Aug 2015

MARKETING MAGAZINE SINGAPORE EDITION

THE ART & SCIENCE OF CONNECTING WITH CONSUMERS

SINGAPORE

AUGUST 2015

marketing-interactive.com

AUGUST 2015

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SG50 SPECIAL: DO YOU REMEMBER THESE ICONIC ADS?

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ED’S LETTER ................................................................................................................................................................................................................

A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE Elizabeth Low, Deputy Editor elizabethl@marketing-interactive.com Rezwana Manjur, Senior Journalist rezwanam@marketing-interactive.com Noreen Ismail, Journalist noreeni@marketing-interactive.com Editorial – International Matt Eaton, Editor (Hong Kong) matte@marketing-interactive.com Production and Design Shahrom Kamarulzaman, Regional Art Director shahrom@lighthousemedia.com.sg Fauzie Rasid, Senior Designer fauzier@lighthousemedia.com.sg Advertising Sales – Singapore & Malaysia Johnathan Tiang, Senior Account Manager johnathant@marketing-interactive.com Ee Kai Li, Account Manager kailie@marketing-interactive.com Grace Goh, Account Manager graceg@marketing-interactive.com Jocelyn Ma, Account Manager jocelynm@marketing-interactive.com Ong Yi Xuan, Advertising Sales Coordinator yixuano@marketing-interactive.com Advertising Sales – International Josi Yan, Sales Director (Hong Kong) josiy@marketing-interactive.com Events Yeo Wei Qi, Regional Head of Events Services weiqi@marketing-interactive.com Circulation Executive Deborah Quek, Circulations Executive deborahq@marketing-interactive.com

2015 has been a landmark year for Singapore, for more reasons than one. The country saw the passing of its Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew at a time it was set to celebrate its 50th year of independence – both events that will equally define Singapore’s history in the future.

What the island-nation has achieved in the past 50 years is nothing short of remarkable, and, rightfully so, I found my Facebook feed full of praises for it, both from locals and expats alike thanking the country for what it has provided its citizens and residents with – mine being one of them too.

Singapore had all the reasons to celebrate this milestone in a way it wished too and it sure did. The enthusiasm around SG50 was palpable (while some may think it was overdone, that’s not a discussion for now). From local attractions to entertainment to travel to retail, SG50 was everywhere – offering the people of Singapore every possible way to enjoy it.

We at Marketing magazine celebrated SG50 in our own way as you will see in this edition. We sought to collect some of the most iconic campaigns Singaporeans have grown up with in the years leading up to its 50th birthday.

Both cinema and advertising, I believe, tell stories that mirror society at a given time. They are a reflection of a society’s culture, its people and their lives at that moment. Think of your favourite movies and many on the list would be because you related to the story and the characters at the stage of your life you watched the movie.

And, likewise, ads too. Those that bring out an instant smile, trigger a memory of childhood, make you laugh, make you nod in agreement or bring a tear are the ones you are more likely to remember.

That’s the reason we turned to iconic ads Singapore produced in the yesteryears in our SG50 special edition – to see the evolution of Singapore. Ads that Singaporeans remember to date and those which truly reflected the society and businesses back then. The selection criteria was simple – the team went about asking their friends and the industry at large, the ads they remembered from their childhood.

How interesting it was to see their faces light up when rediscovering an old ad online!

All those ads have been compiled this edition.

Hope you enjoy this walk down memory lane.

Photography: Stefanus Elliot Lee – www.elliotly.com; Makeup & Hair: Michmakeover using Make Up For Ever & hair using Sebastian Professional – www.michmakeover.com

Editorial Rayana Pandey, Editor rayanap@marketing-interactive.com

Finance Evelyn Wong, Regional Finance Director evelynw@lighthousemedia.com.sg Management Søren Beaulieu, Publisher sorenb@marketing-interactive.com Tony Kelly, Editorial Director tk@marketing-interactive.com Justin Randles, Group Managing Director jr@marketing-interactive.com

Marketing is published 12 times per year by Lighthouse Independent Media Pte Ltd. Printed in Singapore on CTP process by Sun Rise Printing & Supplies Pte Ltd, 10 Admiralty Street, #06-20 North Link Building, Singapore 757695. Tel: (65) 6383 5290.

MICA (P) 180/03/2009. For subscriptions, contact circulations at +65 6423 0329 or email subscriptions@marketing-interactive.com. COPYRIGHT & REPRINTS: All material printed in Marketing is protected under the copyright act. All rights reserved.

No material may be reproduced in part or in whole without the prior written consent of the publisher and copyright holder. Permission may be requested through the Singapore office. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in Marketing are not necessarily the views of the publisher. Singapore: Lighthouse Independent Media Pte Ltd 100C Pasir Panjang Road, #05-01 See Hoy Chan Hub, Singapore 118519 198755 Tel: +65 6423 0329 Fax: +65 6423 0117 Hong Kong: Lighthouse Independent Media Ltd Unit A, 7/F, Wah Kit Commercial Building 302 Des Voeux Road Central, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong Tel: +852 2861 1882 Fax: +852 2861 1336 To subscribe to Marketing magazine, go to: www.marketing-interactive.com

Rayana Pandey Editor

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CONTENTS ................................................................................................................................................................................................................

4 A MONTH IN NEWS 10 AD WATCH & WEB WATCH Thong Chew Fatt, creative director of Addiction Advertising, evaluates the Neighbours and MediShield campaigns, while Berty Chung, senior creative director of Wunderman, gives his take on the Apple and Indieshuffle websites.

18 NIELSEN TO MEASURE ADS DIGITALLY ACROSS ASIA The seven markets include Singapore, Japan and Indonesia, which are now commercially available, in addition to the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia and Mexico. Noreen Ismail reports.

22 IS MYANMAR A GOOD MATCH FOR SINGAPORE BRANDS? Industry players discuss with Noreen Ismail, Myanmar’s increasing appeal and how Singapore brands are strategically placed to succeed in ASEAN’s newest market.

24 SINGAPORE BRANDS ON LGBT ISSUES Marketing takes a walk down memory lane to celebrate SG50.

While globally brands are celebrating the US legalising same-sex marriages, here’s why Singapore brands have been quiet. Rezwana Manjur reports.

30 PROFILE Why are Singapore’s clubs falling behind in marketing? Sara Paz, Cé La Vi’s marketing director, tells Rezwana Manjur.

34 SG50 SPECIAL: ICONIC ADS FROM THE PAST 48 NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR A tally of the top newspapers in Singapore, according to marketers.

56 MASTER REPORT Data democracy – what does it mean for brands?

64 MARKETING INSIGHTS Evolving the right way in the world of e-commerce. Rezwana Manjur writes.

SCAN TO SUBSCRIBE!

24 KEY TAKEAWAYS:

22

>> Why a last-click attribution model is flawed. >> What you should know when moving from agency to in-house . >> The top newspapers in Singapore. >> Basics of e-commerce.

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NEWS

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WANT MORE BREAKING NEWS? SCAN THE CODE TO FIND OUT WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE INDUSTRY.

LEGO calls for pitch LEGO has launched a media pitch that will cover the Southeast Asia market of Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Earlier this year, LEGO also signed on Iris Worldwide Singapore on a project to help rejuvenate and garner brand awareness for the brand in Singapore. LEGO has been actively pushing its marketing agenda in Singapore to build brand awareness with the local public.

Alibaba partners SingPost Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba will invest a further SG$279.1 million into Singapore Post (SingPost) to launch three new initiatives for collaboration and growth. With the newly acquired capital, SingPost and Alibaba aim to increase e-commerce logistics collaboration and build a leading e-commerce logistics platform.

Alibaba will invest up to about SG$92 million in Quantium Solutions International and will purchase 107,553,907 new ordinary shares.

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Telling a good Story Far East Hospitality Management appointed SG Story to handle its social media activities for two of its Singapore-based brands: Village Hotels and Residences, and The Quincy Hotel. SG Story will also be managing Stay Far East, the company’s main Facebook page. Through this partnership, SG Story will build and execute campaigns to boost the brand’s local and global awareness.

Expanding its influence Singapore-based design consultancy firm Consulus extended its presence into the Bangkok market in partnership with Thai consulting firm Jarken.

The new entity, known as Consulus Jarken, will adopt the “Consulus method of business design” methodology and work in a model similar to the other Consulus offices in Brunei, Myanmar, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, India and Vietnam, Lawrence Chong, CEO of Consulus, told Marketing.

Muji opens café Japanese minimalist brand Muji will open its first Café & Meal outlet in Paragon on 5 September.

The 122 square metre outlet will be next to its Muji outlet in the shopping mall, and the latter will have a revamp along with the café’s opening, adding to what Muji has already rolled out with cafés in Japan, Hong Kong, Chengdu and Taiwan. The café will continue Muji’s minimalist approach to branding.

LVMH acquires Luxola French luxury brand LVMH acquired Singapore-based beauty products e-tailer Luxola through the former’s cosmetics subsidiary Sephora. Based in Singapore, Luxola was founded in 2011 by Alexis Horowitz-Burdick, CEO of Luxola. Luxola sells various beauty products and accessories on its e-commerce site. It carries more than 250 brands and has a presence in 11 markets, including Australia, India and the UAE. Kalbe reappoints Mindshare Marketing company Kalbe International reappointed Mindshare, the global media agency network part of GroupM and WPP, as its media agency following a pitch. The agency was contracted for one year with an option to extend for another.

The account is for the Singapore market and the agency will work on all media planning and buying duties for the company’s Woods’ cough medicine.

RadiumOne opens SG office Automated marketing company RadiumOne opened its first Southeast Asian office in Singapore. This came on the heels of a US$54 million capital to boost the firm’s APAC expansion plans announced recently. Kerry McCabe, managing director for APAC, said this injection of funds would further support the establishment of a strong presence across the SEA region through the second half of 2015.

SPS appoints UM The Singapore Prison Service appointed UM to handle its social media account following a pitch involving at least nine agencies.

The agency was contracted for three years. The team at UM has been working with Singapore Prison Service since 2013. The agency is tasked to handle its active Facebook page and corporate pages as well as to drive awareness of its Yellow Ribbon Project initiative.

Changing ship SPH Radio has hired MediaCorp radio veterans Glenn Ong and Mark Van Cuylenburg, better known as The Flying Dutchman.

The duo now helms One FM 91.3’s Breakfast Show on weekdays from six to 10am, along with Andre Hoeden. The station is “anticipating more advertiser interest” and engagement of the morning show, according to an SPH spokesperson.

SKM gets neighbourly The Singapore Kindness Movement (SKM) launched a short film entitled “Neighbours”, centring on the theme of friendship among neighbours.

Conceptualised by 3-Sixty Brand Communications, “Neighbours” builds on the success of SKM’s previous campaign Mud Doll, adopting a similar approach of an emotive short film. The 60-second spot premiered on FTA channels 5 and 8. The video spot also runs on SKM’s YouTube channel, KindnessSG.

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Media trip MediaCorp’s OOH Media hosted 100 marketing students from Temasek Polytechnic to help them better understand the different business units in MediaCorp. The first stop on the tour was OOH Media’s on-the-move billboard (OTMB) trucks. Staff from OOH Media showed the students the versatile OTMB trucks, whose appearance can be transformed according to a company’s branding. MediaCorp’s OOH Media team also highlighted the trucks’ special angled features.

Joining hands Dentsu Aegis Network has made an initial 20% investment into Singapore-based creative agency Mangham Gaxiola. The network said that Mangham Gaxiola would help expand the mcgarrybowen brand into Singapore. The agency is now known as manghamgaxiola mcgarrybowen – a Dentsu Aegis Network company. Following the formation of the new entity, Stephen Mangham and Robert Gaxiola will continue to lead the new agency as joint managing partners of manghamgaxiola mcgarrybowen.

McDonald’s new mascot McDonald’s Singapore launched a new campaign to spread awareness on its latest offering.

The chain now serves slices of apples and low calorie/high calcium milk as part of its Happy Meals options in the menu. Its new mascot for wholesome food and beverage choices for kids, “Happy”, was launched as a three-dimensional advertisement on four SBS Transit single-deck buses at Suntec City, West Coast, Kallang, Ang Mo Kio and Jurong East.

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Buying up Ronaldo Mint media owner Peter Lim acquired the image rights for soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo.

Mint Media will own and administer all of Ronaldo’s image rights except for those relating to Real Madrid football club. Ronaldo has an existing management contract which will be retained

by Mint Media. The agency’s acquisition of Ronaldo’s image rights was contracted for six years.

A new PR agency DiningCity appointed HEAT Branding for its 11th edition of Singapore Restaurant Week.

The biannual food-fest launches on 24 October and will feature a myriad cuisines available across the island until 1 November.

Themed SIN City, the 11th edition pays tribute to Singapore’s 50th birthday. The agency is tasked to oversee the marketing and PR efforts for the event.

Renewed appointment Singapore Science Centre’s KidsSTOP appointed WS Group as its social media agency for one year. The home-grown edutainment brand has just completed its first year of operations. The agency created a 360-degree digital marketing infrastructure required by the brand. WS Group was retained for the second year for the services provided to the edutainment brand. The agency was tasked to further promote the centre to its niche audience.

NTUC FairPrice splits duties NTUC FairPrice appointed ADK for its creative account and Havas Media as its media agency. NTUC FairPrice told Marketingin a statement: “Following a stringent evaluation process Asatsu-DK was selected as the creative agency while Havas Media was retained as the media buying agency. Asatsu-DK will officially assume its role in the fourth quarter of this year. All agencies that met the criteria of the exercise were eligible to pitch for the account.”

ST's major revamp Singapore daily The Straits Times (ST) revamped its pages on 1 July in celebration of the newspaper’s 170th anniversary this year. The newspaper’s SG$1.6 million revamp includes integrated designs, better apps and key content changes. ST’s team of editors and designers worked with designer Lucie Lacava to come up with a new design. All sections and covers have been reworked to be bolder and make more impact.

Grooming talent Microsoft partnered with IDA to launch a three-year nationwide initiative called “Code for Change”. This is to boost next-generation talent development to support Singapore’s Smart Nation vision. The pair will collectively put in place ways to groom the talent and ensure the nation’s long-term competitiveness in the 21st century. Supported by IDA, Microsoft will spearhead specific programmes under the “Code for Change” initiative to help youths nationwide develop computational thinking skills.

A continuing partnership StarHub and Discovery Networks Asia Pacific renewed their long-term partnership for the carriage of services and channels in Singapore. According to a statement, the move reaffirmed the two companies’ deep-rooted commitment to delivering content to the Singaporean public.

Beginning with StarHub TV’s launch of Discovery Channel two decades ago, Discovery Networks has developed a staunch partnership with the Singaporean communications giant. StarHub’s Discovery portfolio has expanded to a collection of 11 channels.

Striking the right balance New Balance unveiled a global brand platform – Always in Beta – highlighting its focus on inspiring sports fans and professional athletes. The cornerstone of the campaign is “The Storm”, a video featuring 17 of the brand’s sponsored global professional athletes across the sports of running, baseball, tennis, soccer and triathlons. The campaign was developed by Arnold Worldwide which was named New Balance’s global creative agency in June 2010.

Issues of the Colour Run The Singapore Police Force (SPF) and Singapore Civil Defence Force have voiced concerns over the upcoming Colour Run which attracted over 18,000 participants last year. This came following an explosion occurring in a similar “colour party” in Taipei where a Singaporean was said to have suffered severe burns from an incident. On the Colour Run Singapore’s Facebook page, many locals have expressed their concern over the event.

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26/8/2015 10:51:52 AM

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Special Moments Telecommunications company M1 launched a campaign built on its brand promise, “M1. For Every One”. The campaign, “Making Moments Special”, showcased the lives of individuals, while demonstrating the use of M1’s products and services in their lives. The campaign launched in June and consisted of press insertions in Singapore newspapers The Straits Times and the Chinese language daily Lianhe Zaobao.

Pazzion hires PR firm Singaporean shoe brand Pazzion appointed PR Communications to manage its PR outreach initiatives.

The PR agency was tasked with continuing the brand’s rapid growth through the co-ordination and execution of media relations programmes and special events.

Founded in Singapore in 2001, over the span of 14 years, Pazzion expanded from a single store in Wisma Atria Shopping Mall to a presence in more than 10 countries.

Sentosa looks for media agency Sentosa Development Corporation has launched a media pitch. According to GeBIZ, the contract is for two years with an option to extend for another year. The incumbent on the account is OMD which was appointed to handle the Sentosa business and deal with branding, strategic planning and creative planning.

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GroupM’s apprentice programme GroupM Singapore launched its first apprenticeship programme aimed at helping undergraduates understand the local and regional media landscape. GroupM Singapore’s talent acquisition team has worked closely with local tertiary institutions, including NUS, NTU and SMU, to match students with GroupM’s subsidiaries so they would have an immersive and educational stint. Out of a pool of 550 applications, 27 students were selected for tenure between one to six months.

Touring Thailand Tourism Thailand launched the campaign, “Discover Thainess 2015” aimed at promoting Thailand as a tourist destination.

As part of its marketing efforts for the campaign, Tourism Thailand used 3D effects in its advertising on SMRT Media’s City Hall platform. The immersive experience allowed commuters to picture themselves in Thailand floating down the Chao Phraya River or enjoying Thai cuisine at the platform of City Hall MRT Station.

The Real Love Never Stops AIA Singapore launched “The Real Love Never Stops” campaign to communicate AIA Singapore’s commitment as The Real Life Company that understands its customers across generations.

The campaign was an extension of the strategic group rebranding initiative – The Real Life Company – which was launched two years ago with an integrated campaign.

The video revealed how mothers juggle between family, children and work for the benefit of their loved ones.

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NEWS

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HOW MUCH DOES THAT COST?

Divesting beauty P&G sold 43 of its beauty brands for US$12.5 billion to fragrance and beauty company Coty Inc. According to a statement, the transaction will be conducted as a Reverse Morris Trust. This means that P&G is splitting the business to merge with a Coty subsidiary to create a new entity. Some of the brands included in the transaction were Wella Professionals, Hugo Boss, Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, Lacoste, Escada, Stella McCartney, Alexander McQueen and Covergirl.

Microsoft makes job cuts Microsoft will be cutting about 7,800 jobs worldwide, most of which are coming from its mobile and devices sector. The company will record an impairment charge of about US$7.6 billion related to assets associated with the acquisition of the Nokia Devices and Services business, in addition to a restructuring charge of about US$750 million to US$850 million.

The Nokia brand was acquired by Microsoft in April 2014 for US$7.2 billion.

TEA-MING UP FOR AN IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE

Beverage company F&N launched its Oishi Green Tea and ran a campaign that included a full buy-out at the SMRT Media City Hall platform. To encourage consumers to try its new drink brewed from 100% organic green tea leaves, F&N wrapped the entire platform with visuals of the product to create an immersive

Edible minions In its latest packaging stunt, Tic Tac got cute with its mini oblong candies by shaping them to resemble minion characters from the cartoon Despicable Me. Taking a cue from consumers’ observations of the similarities between the cartoon characters and the Tic Tac shape, the candy launched a campaign, “Making mountains out of minions”. The campaign will run in 21 markets worldwide.

Taking off with Starcom Etihad Airways has appointed Starcom Mediavest Group as its media agency. Etihad Airways Partner (EAP) airlines, Alitalia, Air Berlin and Jet Airways will also be working with Starcom going forward. The agency won the contract to become the airline group’s new global media agency following a joint tender sent to several agency networks.

Starcom was selected by EAP to deliver scaled benefits by aligning media spending power across key markets.

Anger over Rihanna Rihanna’s latest music video B***h Better Have My Money earned the ire of several companies who are pulling their ads from appearing before the music video. According to an article on Daily Mail UK, tourism company Kuoni and retail business group the Co-operative Group told video streaming site Vevo to put an end to their ads playing before the video.

AOL looks to buy According to reports on TechCrunch, AOL is making a move to buy mobile ad network Millennial Media. The article reported the acquisition price tag is set between US$300 million and US$350 million.

Most recently, AOL bought tech company Verizon for US$4.4 billion. Late last year, Millennial Media acquired mobile supplyside platform and programmatic platform Nexage.

Pernod talks the Talk Pernod Ricard Group’s retail subsidiary, known as Pernod Ricard Travel Retail, appointed global luxury and lifestyle agency Talk PR as its global travel retail communications agency for Europe, Asia, America and the Gulf. Pernod Ricard Travel Retail promotes and distributes Pernod Ricard’s brands to the duty free and travel retail channels throughout Europe, Asia Pacific, the Gulf and the Americas.

No labels Coca-Cola stripped its name off its Coke cans in the Middle East as part of a Ramadan-themed ad campaign. The soda maker has left only a white ribbon with the message: “Labels are for cans not for people.” Created by FP7/ DXB, an agency part of McCann Worldgroup, the campaign aimed to unify the 200-plus nationalities present in the Middle East.

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experience for consumers. The campaign also ran on other out-ofhome mediums such as six-sheet posters at bus shelters and bus wraps. The creative agency behind the campaign was JWT, while PHD handled the media buying. The concept station wrap cost about SG$45,000.

Hakuhodo acquires Sid Lee Hakuhodo’s strategic operating unit kyu has made a complete acquisition of creative agency Sid Lee, and a 49% stake in Sid Lee Architecture. Sid Lee has offices in six cities in Canada, the Netherlands, France and the US. The agency provides services such as advertising, architecture, digital marketing, social marketing, interior design and others.

Acquiring technology SSI has completed the acquisition of the assets of MyOpinions in Australia and SmileCity in New Zealand. The acquisition combined these large high quality panels with SSI’s existing online panel assets to create the largest online panel in each country. For market researchers, this means SSI now offers broader reach and better feasibility for conducting B2C and B2B research.

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Ubisoft picks Havas Media Ubisoft, a major entertainment developer and publisher, picked Havas Media as its media agency.

The partnership affects Ubisoft’s entire global operations, as the company’s offices in 17 countries in Europe and Australia will all be integrating Havas Media’s complete offering of media, digital and specialist services. The move was also aimed at strengthening the central co-ordination and management of Ubisoft’s central and local media activation.

Nat Geo takes off The National Geographic Channel launched a travel feature designed for Emirates as part of an integrated marketing campaign called “Be There”.

The travel feature is a series of vignettes about seven Emirates “Globalistas”. These are staff members of the airline who have been chosen to travel the world and present their discoveries about their diverse passions – from music, food, fashion to adventure – on a six-month journey around the world.

Sporty buyout Authentic Brands Group (ABG), owner and manager of a global portfolio of iconic fashion, sports, celebrity and media brands, acquired Tretorn, the Swedenbased, outdoor-lifestyle brand, from sports company PUMA. Tretorn is best known for its Nylite shoes. The Tretorn acquisition displayed the holding group’s keen expansion into sportswear, further branching out its range of brands. This latest acquisition marks the third one for ABG this year.

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H&M unveils new brand H&M is unveiling a new brand entirely different from anything it has produced before, according to Bloomberg. Few details have been shared on the mysterious new brand, but it is set to launch as early as 2017. The H&M group owns six brands, including Cheap Monday, Monki, and & Other Stories and COS, among others.

Karl-Johan Persson, CEO of H&M, said the new brand would also be nothing like the company’s sister brands.

WPP acquires SET Creative WPP acquired a majority stake in brand experience agency SET Management (SET Creative), growing its branding and identity offering. Based in Portland, Oregon with offices in New York and Los Angeles, SET’s suite of services include strategy, creative, digital and design. To strengthen its capability in live events and expand its offer into Europe, SET recently acquired Flourish, a live experience agency based in London.

Lenovo hires CMO Lenovo appointed Nick Reynolds as its chief marketing officer for the Asia Pacific region. As the CMO, he will oversee branding, demandgeneration, digital marketing, public relations and social media for Lenovo across Asia Pacific’s diverse markets. He is based in Sydney. Previously, he led marketing for Lenovo’s Asia Pacific Mature Markets group covering ANZ and Japan. He also served as the executive director for Lenovo’s worldwide product launch division.

A high Velocity launch GroupM’s media agency MEC launched MEC Velocity, a new predictive modelling technique that it claims was borrowed from epidemiology to create purchase journey simulations. MEC Velocity has the ability to predict consumer behaviour and interactions with brands. With MEC Velocity, the agency is able to build simulations that run into the future, predicting consumer behaviour and interactions with brands and services.

AUDIT WATCH

MANDARIN MAGAZINE LAUNCHED Kingsman Media launched a new lifestyle magazine. The media group offers Asian consumer lifestyle titles, contract publishing and digital publishing solutions, said founder Lawrence Leong.

Its fi rst publication 尚族Life (Shang Zhu Life) debuted its fi rst issue in July this year. It is targeted at local Chinese and Mandarinspeaking expatriates (from China, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Indonesia and Taiwan) residing in Singapore.

A bimonthly print, 尚族Life provides information on the latest seasonal product launches (fashion, beauty, gadgets, watches, jewellery, entertainment, etc) as well as celebrity interviews and product or trend reviews. There will also be a special 尚族China column.

The magazine looks to reach fashion, beauty, watch and gadget

advertisers and already counts Patek Philippe, Hublot, Girard Perregaux, Anteprima, Jacob & Co, Chopard, Marimekko, Christian Dior, Ulysse Nardin, Dita Eyewear, and more as its advertisers.

It has also appointed Lee Ann as its chief editor. Lee was previously with SPH Magazines for 10 years.

The magazine launched with a print run of 15,000, but targets to reach 7,000 sold copies in a year before being audited by the Audit Bureau of Circulations, Leong told Marketing. It is available in print and digital.

Starcom wins BIG Starcom MediaVest Group (SMG) won AirAsia’s BIG airline loyalty business in Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. The incumbent on the account was Carat Media Services and the account was handed to SMG without a pitch. The AirAsia BIG loyalty programme is operated

by Think Big Digital, a joint venture between AirAsia and Tune Money International. Under the programme, members earn BIG points from AirAsia, Tune Talk, Tune Hotels and many other partners.

On the track Tata Communications’ branded Heathrow Express trains have rolled into service. This is part of a campaign that sees the company wrap Heathrow Express’ entire fleet of trains.

The campaign creative was developed by McCann Enterprise.

Media was planned and booked with JCDecaux Airport UK by Initiative and OOH specialist Rapport. This was the first UK advertising sponsorship deal for Tata Communications, the flagship communications arm of the US$100 billion Tata group.

The Keys to success Levi’s launched its new women’s denim collection and Fall 2015 global brand campaign around the “Live In Levi’s” theme and features singer Alicia Keys. Keys lends her voice and style to the Levi’s brand for the debut of its new women’s denim collection. The campaign spans digital and social platforms with the hashtags #LiveInLevis and #LadiesInLevis, TV, cinema and print globally.

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OPINION: AD WATCH/WEB WATCH ................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Thong Chew Fatt Creative director Addiction Advertising

AD WATCH HOT: Neighbours

NOT: MediShield

A down to earth screenplay and cinematography are hard to come by when CGI promises everything under the sun and stars. So is the temptation to defy the conventional by crafting a superfluous by-product in the process.

This piece, however, weaved with a gripping score and well-paced edits put us through an emotional roller-coaster. In the midst of all the over-the-top scripts and special effects, this story stands out as it gracefully unfolds every scene in our minds. It feels almost like a shortfilm condensed into a mere 60-second trailer – conjuring the space for the audience to ponder and reflect on those familiar circumstances as the clip ends. This how a TVC should touch the hearts and reach the masses in my opinion. At least for a social movement as such.

Affable personality.

Check. Kill Bill clip references. Check.

Blessing from the seven stars. Check.

All is well, except the relevance of this plot to the intended audience. I am all for a quirky plot, lengthy story build-up and colloquial slang when it works in context and delivers the message that links back to the call-to-action. Still, it is commendable to adopt this tried and proven formula for the Ministry seeing so many predecessors in the archive; and almost certainly, guarantees a green light from the stakeholders.

Maybe it’s the bizarre plot, meaningless double or even the Kung Pow art direction that renders this piece contrived. Can’t put a finger to it.

But it just leaves that nagging thought in your consciousness. In his own words – confirm and double confirm – most of the audience will give this a miss.

Berty Chung Senior creative director Wunderman Singapore

WEB WATCH HOT: apple.com/sg/music/

NOT: indieshuffle.com/sg

The ubiquitous Apple does it again. The new Apple Music offers a sneak peak into the future of Apple Inc, and in stark contrast to its nearest competitors, demonstrates how the mighty juggernaut can efficiently execute outside of its core hardware business. Is Apple Auto next? Apple Music is an ambitious package with big potential and it does it all rather spectacularly. Its sleek design, on-demand streaming, relevant playlists, clever Beats 1 radio features and integration – which all the music users already have – bring all the elements together and is nicely executed. Apple Music features the acquired Beats, which was built in Los Angeles by people central to the music industry. It’s a beautiful collaboration of technology and the liberal arts. Apple Music is not perfect in every way, but streaming works best for those who want to discover new sounds and have the experience curated for them. There are still some bugs, but overall people are actually using (and loving) Apple Music.

These days there are more than a few ways to listen to your favourite music online. While Indieshuffle.com has been around in Singapore for a couple of years and contains quite a decent-sized library of songs with popular music of the moment, it fails to deliver visually and generally lacks the verve and finesse of some of its better known rivals. The user interface is puzzling and hard to navigate. It is not feature-rich and rollovers are aplenty. Possibly the most frustrating feature is the endless scrolling, which indicates a possibility of 1,666 pages and counting. Also, if you’re not that big on curation, you’ll need to search the massive selection rather than let the music discover you organically. If you are accustomed to using clean and simple interfaces, then you’re in for quite a surprise. Indieshuffle.com feels considerably different, with a cluttered interface. It has crammed a lot of information into tight spaces, and it feels a tad disorganised.

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ABERLOUR’S CHIC STATURE How Aberlour launched its full range of double cask matured whiskies in Singapore through design tasting experiences.

Staying on brand: Aberlour crafted a campaign keeping its brand essence intact at every step.

Whitewords was commissioned by Pernod Ricard Singapore to design a brand experience starting from collateral development to managing the art direction for a series of exquisite launch-tasting sessions of Aberlour’s full range of double cask matured whiskies – 12-year-old, 16-year-old, 18-year-old – and cask-strength A’bunadh which were conducted by its local brand ambassador, Kamil Foltan (head bartender, Tippling Club).

Through extensive in-depth research on Aberlour’s rich history, heritage and legend, Whitewords conceptualised a series of handcrafted collaterals and materials to highlight the scent and taste of Aberlour, bringing out the artisanal values of the whisky.

Drawing inspiration from the enigmatic and intriguing character of Aberlour, which in Gaelic means “mouth of the chattering burn” (stream), we wanted to bring across the brand’s honest and quiet confidence from the elements used to develop Aberlour, while paying homage to the true craftsmanship and prestige of this spirit.

The wooden invite block was the first collateral to reach guests – signifying the start of the Aberlour journey that was inspired by the beautiful Speyside of Scotland.

With a printed map of Aberdeen, the region where Aberlour originates, wrapped around the invite to somewhat symbolise a mystery map and tied with a red ribbon – a subtle brand accent of Aberlour.

Securely sealed together with a customised

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golden Aberlour wax seal showing the iconic Aberlour Oak Tree and Well, all these elements encompassed the beginning chapter of the enigmatic tale of Aberlour.

Colours in the Aberlour palette were used in all the collaterals, where they were inspired by the brand essence of “a fount of richness, generosity and honesty”. The warm earthy tones of brown and cream represented the generosity of nature and the richness of the whisky. Gold was used to give luxury cues, while red gave a contemporary luxury hint.

Considered typography for the invite and other accompanying tasting collaterals (specially made leather coasters gifted in their own special drawstring pouch, and tasting notebook with information) was another opportunity to create a standout and to visually reinforce the artisanal expertise at the heart of the brand.

Inspired by the original ledger books from 1890 (Aberlour was established in 1879), the intent was for the typography to clearly share facts and details of this carefully handcrafted luxury spirit and the alchemy of its creation.

As the story unfolded, we introduced the individually hand-cut Aberlour “secret” book, where within the book laid an Aberlour 12-yearold miniature sample. Just as the family motto of James Fleming, who built the Aberlour distillery in the 19th century, says, “Let the deed show” – this “secret” book invited readers to discover the story simply by savouring it.

Over five sessions of trade mentoring from bar professionals to wine shops, the media to high-net-worth individuals, Whitewords took charge of creating an experience taking the guest from the point of receiving the invite (handmade wooden block sealed with wax) to the tasting session where the tasting ingredients and Aberlour-inspired pieces were artfully directed.

THE MAIL Objective: Conceptualise a fresh set of collaterals as well as design tasting experiences to launch the Aberlour full range of double cask matured whiskies in Singapore.

Target audience: The guests invites included professionals such as bartenders and wine retailers, as well as local media from trade publications, lifestyle magazines to a daily newspaper.

Results: Ninety-five per cent of guests who received the invite attended the tasting sessions.

Jacke Tan creative director Whitewords

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EXPOSING BAD PITCH BEHAVIOUR Agencies pipe up on key things clients could do better in pitches. Noreen Ismail writes.

Time to put a stop: What are the signs of a badly managed pitch you should be watching out for?

The pitching process can be a gruelling task for agencies and clients alike. In making such a crucial decision on how to make your business and brand better, you would think that certain practices have been set in place to ease the entire process, but alas, the pitching process remains notoriously flawed.

Dragging timelines, unnecessary paperwork, mile-long and poorly written briefs, unresponsive clients – agencies have seen their bulk of pitch drama when it comes to bad pitch behaviour. So in the spirit of resolving the unspoken tension between rejected agencies and painful clients, agency veterans chime in on how to keep calm and pitch on.

Below are some recommendations and solutions from industry professionals to fix some of the more thematic traits that plague the pitch process.

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Be honest – is there really a fair pitch going on?

Companies have long been guilty of making the review process purely ceremonial for the purpose of “transparency”. In their quest to appear democratic and fair, a company may call for a pitch only to already have a favourite in their pocket.

Fiona Bartholomeusz, managing director of Formul8 Singapore, recalls one such incident.

“We had a large private organisation awarding the work to an ad agency that didn’t even pitch for the project. Of course, everyone knew that the CEO had shares in that ad agency – it’s the worst kept secret in the industry, but we expected some professional courtesy that the pitch would still be for legitimate reasons.”

Tyler Muñoz, client services director for SapientNitro Asia Pacific, echoes this

sentiment, taking a more sceptical stance on the issue.

“The RFP is not ‘real’ to begin with. There have been times when senior stakeholders are just ticking the boxes for their procurement team and have no intention of the work being awarded to someone other than the agency who has already been selected behind the scenes,” he explains.

“Similarly, some have used the RFP process to confirm another vendor’s proposed solution.

These are time wasters for both the clients and the agencies.”

To avoid these issues and detect suspicious RFPs, Craig Mapleston, managing director of iris Worldwide Singapore, recommends a few questions that any self-respecting agency needs to ask before getting involved.

“Agencies should ask, ‘Will the winning pitch response actually run?’ It’s important to know whether the pitch task is a test or a live brief. If it’s a test and will never run, you’re taking a big risk on ever getting any work produced if you win.”

Another key clarification pre-pitch should be: “Are the selection criteria clear and shared among all agencies?”

Mapleston says: “If this is a secret, or can’t be defined, then you’re back to pitch lucky draws, or pitches that have been decided before they begin. Insist on the selection criteria, and insist that all agencies are aware.”

Clients, please note, agencies are not your puppets. Adhering to a false sense of democracy in a guise of a pitch is an incredible inconvenience.

Changing minds – respect the agency’s time and talents Bureaucratic idiosyncrasies are best kept behind doors. When it comes to altering brief objectives, it’s best to do it in a timely manner, respecting the time and money agencies would have to spend in fulfilling those expectations for you.

Bartholomeusz had an experience of a client changing the pitch’s brief objectives and target audience during the agency’s presentation.

“The CEO didn’t agree with his marketing team and decided the work wasn’t what he

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wanted because he wanted a different target audience and direction. We just sat there and watched him argue with his team. Brilliant.”

A major faux pas according to Bartholomeusz is giving an agency insufficient time to produce the work: “We’ve had clients ask for five concepts to be presented in three days! And this was a huge listed MNC.” For this reason, Mapleston recommends dealing with decision-makers from the start.

“If the pitch has been ‘juniorised’ and the decision makers don’t appear till the last moment, then it’s probably not very important to the client’s business. Insist on knowing and dealing with the ultimate decision-makers from the beginning of the process.”

Transparency is needed Being accessible and transparent in the pitch process is much like a sneak peek for agencies on what it’s like to partner up with your company or brand.

Mapleston advises: “Asking the client about the set budget must be a mandatory to participation. We know how important budget management is to every client, once they become clients. So why wouldn’t that be a critical assessment criteria during the pitch?

You’ll also get another indication of importance and commitment to the job ever running.”

Likewise, clients need to be honest about their business goals and expectations by communicating with agencies openly about the eventual budget. Clients should be forthcoming about any issues that they foresee, and ask for the agencies’ help.

According to Bartholomeusz, clients should not be asking the agency to produce work across APAC only to reveal they do not have the budget for such a task.

She says: “Some clients have told us, ‘We don’t have a budget, it depends on the creative work’. Please note, we are ad agencies, not magicians.”

Transparency is key to opening up the communication lines on both sides.

“When an agency asks you, ‘who else is pitching’, please don’t decline divulging,” Bartholomeusz says, since the information may actually add to the quality of the pitching process.

“Knowing who is in the fray allows each agency to work out its pitch strategy better because we would know how we stack up against the competition. It’s a very small market, we would find out anyway, so what’s the big deal?

We’re not going to voodoo hex the competition.”

An open mindset is key to helping your business. For Muñoz, ad agencies exist for a

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“Knowing who is in the fray allows each agency to work out its pitch strategy better because we would know how we stack up against the competition. It’s a very small market, we would find out anyway, so what’s the big deal?

We’re not going to voodoo hex the competition.”

Fiona Bartholomeusz - managing director of Formul8 Singapore.

reason, that is to inspire you to open up your horizons.

“Many times you have an idea of what you want, but let the people behind the vision inspire you. Perhaps, the solution could be bigger than what you initially considered.”

The ‘fish market’ for agencies – do you really know what you want?

Having the ideal brief is more than just having the right team to prepare it. The brief should include a clear set of evaluation criteria that clients should ideally adhere to.

One of the things clients are guilty of is, “Making it a fish market and opening the pitch to 25 agencies,” Bartholomeusz says.

“You’re not going to get any serious contenders because the professional agencies will never pander to that kind of scenario. More isn’t merrier.”

To guarantee a more fruitful partnership, clients should do their homework and first assess if a particular agency is a good fit before inviting them to pitch. This saves time and energy for all parties. Perhaps schedule some face time with your potential business partner, after all, you need them to believe in your version of the greater good to take the business further in the most authentic and believable manner.

Bartholomeusz advises: “Be selective, do your homework and find out which three agencies really have the experience or knowledge and team to do the work for you, call those guys in. You will get better results from a more motivated bunch.”

Mapleston agrees with this view and recommends that agencies be aware of the reasons behind the client’s invitation to pitch.

He says: “It’s not just a good ice-breaker to understand how the client has come across you and what they believe makes your agency suitable. It’s also a fair assessment on whether the client has done their homework, whether you’ve got a real chance of winning, or whether you are just making up the numbers.”

Like Bartholomeusz, Mapleston believes in quality and not quantity. Agencies should be wary if there are more than four agencies pitching.

“The rule of four means that all four agencies

can present in one day, and the likelihood of information overload is reduced. Once you get beyond four agencies, presentations will be shared across a couple of days, some clients will be present at all, others will drop out.

“With four or less agencies, it also indicates that the client has a fair idea of the right type of agency for their needs. With more than four, you start to get into pitch lucky draw territory once again.”

Seek improvements To ensure the best pitch practice for both clients and agencies, the call for better regulations in the industry has been met with resounding enthusiasm. For example, clients should be timely with their notifications and notify all the agencies regardless of their appointment.

They should manage the announcement to ensure that all agencies receive detailed and constructive feedback.

Muñoz says: “The industry would be better served if there were better regulations around the conflict of interest for competing clients.”

Bartholomeusz cites the example of 4As Malaysia’s strict enforcement of pitch fees amounting to RM10,000 per pitch paid by the client to the agency.

“Clients don’t realise the amount of man hours and costs involved in a pitch. Not forgetting the opportunity cost of doing other paid work,” she added.

For instance, the body issued a stern letter to MAS to pay pitch fees to participating agencies.

4As Singapore can follow in Malaysia’s footsteps in helping agencies defray costs of pitching, says Bartholomeusz.

Since its mission – according to its site – is “to advocate the role of advertising by providing leadership and promoting knowledge, skills and professional enhancements to serve our members and the community”, the 4As can potentially do more to resolve the discrepancies between client perceptions and agency realities.

Will the 4As carry real influence to reform the pitching process and advocate the rights and sanity of agencies and clients alike? Only time will tell.

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26/8/2015 10:23:59 AM

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WHY A LAST-CLICK ATTRIBUTION MODEL IS FLAWED It’s time to take a more sophisticated view of attribution analysis, says Hari Shankar, head of paid media at PayPal in conversation with Ambrish Bandalkul.

Though marketers have recognised for years that they need to move beyond lastclick attribution, doing so poses a large set of challenges that marketing departments often just aren’t set up to contend with.

Marketing spoke to Hari Shankar, head of paid media for APAC at PayPal, to find out what can be done to improve attribution analysis, and why sophisticated attribution analysis models are so difficult to implement.

Marketing: Why is last-click attribution so popular?

Shankar: I’d qualify this by stating that the lastclick model usage depends on digital adoption and the maturity stage of the marketer in question. There are many brand marketers in APAC much ahead in the maturity curve who questioned this model a few years ago. They’re well on their way to implementing attribution techniques that truly reflect the effectiveness of various channels. The marketers who stick to it do so for a few reasons.

Firstly, it’s the easiest route into closing potentially difficult boardroom discussions on the value of digital marketing and media.

Secondly, digital is still largely uncharted in this part of the world, and there aren’t any ground rules or accredited bodies who would guide multi-channel attribution. Thirdly, those who aren’t progressive with their marketing often don’t even realise that last-click attribution is faulty. Click-based reports are the de facto option in most web analytics tools, which really doesn’t help.

Marketing: How complicated is it to implement a sophisticated attribution analysis?

Shankar: The web is complicated, and it’s almost impossible to get a full view of the customer journey. When a last-click attribution model is followed, there is a high probability that the wrong candidates will get rewarded for channel performance.

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companies makes collaboration across teams very tough.

And even if you do implement a sophisticated attribution model, there are a number of problems that aren’t solved. It’s still very hard to account for media fragmentation; tracking and attributing the value of social buzz is a huge problem; and offline/real-world media is still difficult to account for.

The solution to this seemingly insurmountable problem is to start with a base level attribution model that attempts to credit the right channel level (i.e. SEM, display, email, etc.) And this is where the importance of having a robust tracking, monitoring and measurement platform is important. On the traffic-drive side of things (i.e. management of display, search, social programmes), there should be strong and well-integrated tools that deliver the goods; on the traffic-reception side (i.e. your website), there should be a strong analytics platform that is integrated with the traffic-drive side.

Marketing: What are the biggest challenges with sophisticated attribution analysis?

How can they be solved?

Shankar: It all stems from your tracking system. Without this, sophisticated attribution analysis is impossible. Most of the brands I’ve worked with have been grappling with legacy systems introduced by different teams in different markets over a protracted timescale.

These systems often just don’t speak to each other, and the matrix structure of many large

Marketing: How will attribution analysis evolve in the coming years to become more sophisticated?

Shankar: I think the following will happen: 1. As more and more TV is brought online, the two-sided tracking systems which I mentioned earlier will be able to layer that data into the attribution model.

2. As offline sales and other relevant data get structured and shared into the web analytics platforms or attribution tools, that data stream will also be layered into the attribution model.

3. There will be a time when single tags will be shared across advertising platforms, enabling the attribution tool to de-duplicate audiences between multiple platforms, thus making attribution more accurate.

4. With emerging technologies that bring us closer to cross-device attribution measurement, data on device-hops will be layered into data on multi-site, multichannel and multi-platform hops – priceless information for the attribution modelling equation builder.

5. Links between social events or buzz and the rest of the journey will be established by advanced probabilistic methodologies, thus enabling a more complete attribution story.

6. Lastly, marketing organisations will become less political and more measurement-savvy, which will really help sophisticated attribution mechanisms to grow and flourish.

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IS MOVING FROM AN AGENCY TO IN-HOUSE PR ROLE ALWAYS THE BEST THING? What the considerations before making the move? Rezwana Manjur finds out.

Long hours, low pay and difficult pay – these are the commonly conceived notions of what PR agency life is like. So is it any surprise this industry is one that is packed with people moves?

A recent study called “The Pulse” by recruiter VMA Group said that of all the communications disciplines, those working in PR agencies are by far the least likely to feel that

they are being adequately paid. This group is also most likely to describe itself as underpaid.

The study noted that three in five (60%) PR consultants feel inadequately compensated.

This then leads them to want a career change and, most notably, they then choose to move in-house.

“This is recognised across the market,” said Lisa MacMillan, managing consultant for VMA.

“Hiring in the PR world today isn’t based on which company you were from previously, but rather what skill sets you possess. We are all looking for specialists.”

Tarun Deo - managing director of Singapore and Southeast Asia for Golin

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She explained that one reason why so many agency professionals chose to move inhouse was because of the idea that bonuses were better in-house.

“The working hours are more controlled, and you build up more sector-specific expertise.

For many, in-house work seems to be the Holy Grail,” she said.

But is this really the case?

Shane Chiang, head of communications, PR and social media at HTC, however, told Marketing that given the option to move back to an agency role, he wouldn’t necessarily say no. Chiang, who led his own PR stint called Next Generation Media, said that both

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sides had their own set of perks. “In-house roles definitely provide more stability in terms of lifestyle compared to an agency role.

However, in-house roles can also be somewhat mundane with administrative work,” he said.

In the agency world, however, opportunities are endless and it provides a great learning experience for new faces in the industry.

Meanwhile, Manali Pattnaik, assistant vice-president of the group marketing and communications function at CIMB Bank, seconded the view adding that PR industry experience is definitely vital for any person wanting to work in-house. She has over the years worked in PR roles for brands such as Lenovo, Yahoo and also on the agency side with FleishmanHillard.

“In a PR role you learn so much about different types of personalities, clients and industries. There is much more exposure. Only then can you figure out as an individual what makes you ‘tick’ and which industries you are interested in,” she said.

With regard to the perception that pay and a work-life balance is better on the client side, she explained that while these are true for some companies, what keeps her in the in-house role is the “sense of belonging” to the brand she is representing.

“In-house you are your own person and you have a sense of belonging. You know the brand inside out and you are talking to internal folks and stakeholders. You are living and breathing the brand you work for.”

The traffic goes both ways Tarun Deo, managing director of Singapore and Southeast Asia for Golin, said his career had always spanned across the agency world. What keeps him on the agency side is the fact that in PR agencies, communication is the central role in the company.

“Over on the client side, this might not always be the case and the role might just be seen as a support function,” he said.

He explained it is usually into the three to four-year mark on a managerial level that PR folks look to move in-house. However, since communication is not necessarily a strategic or central function in many companies, there is always the possibility of a career plateau.

This is when many people return to the agency world.

“Today we are seeing traffic going both ways. It is not just PR executives or managers going in-house, but rather, in-house communications leads are also moving back to the PR agency,” he said.

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Source: “The Pulse” by recruiter VMA Group

“Also, hiring in the PR world today isn’t based on which company you were from previously, but rather what skill sets you possess. We are all looking for specialists.”

The study also supported Deo’s views, adding that despite the common belief that client-side may have more stability, job security in agency work is far higher than for any inhouse functions.

“It’s all part of the economics of agencies,”

MacMillan said. “Consultants are not seen as ‘overheads’ in the same way as in-house practitioners. They’re paid on the basis of the hours they fulfil, and if the work’s coming in, it needs doing.

“For in-house staff, there is always the threat of a sudden crisis leading to cost-cutting redundancies across the company – and in such circumstances, unfortunately, comms people often feel the first swing of the axe.”

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NIELSEN TO MEASURE ADS DIGITALLY ACROSS ASIA The seven markets include Singapore, Japan and Indonesia, which are now commercially available, in addition to Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia and Mexico. Noreen Ismail writes.

Having received criticism of its inability to measure digital accurately, measurement company Nielsen will launch its flagship digital advertising measurement solution, Digital Ad Ratings, in seven markets across Asia and Latin America over the coming months.

Will this recent shift to digital help turn the tide against recent criticisms of Nielsen’s adEx measurements? Some agencies have said that Nielsen’s current measurements only reflect 10% of the total digital spend.

The seven markets include Singapore, Japan and Indonesia, which are now commercially available, in addition to the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, and Mexico, bringing the total to 16 markets globally.

Currently available in 12 markets, Digital Ad Ratings promises the media industry an accurate method of measuring online advertising audiences, delivering reach, frequency and gross rating point (GRP) metrics as well as demographics such as age and gender to determine the effectiveness of digital advertising campaigns.

Digital Ad Ratings has been established as the industry standard in digital advertising measurement.

Digital Ad Ratings aims to help publishers to more effectively convey their ability to deliver advertising messages to audiences, helping advertisers to ensure their brand messages reach the right people to maximise return on investment; and supports agencies in optimising campaigns in-flight to deliver optimal efficiency and effectiveness.

“Nielsen Digital Ad Ratings is a true industry game-changer,” said Megan Clarken, EVP of global watch product leadership at Nielsen.

“Digital is fuelling growth in brand advertising, and in markets where Digital Ad Ratings has already been rolled out, like the US and UK, it is transforming the advertising landscape by bringing standardisation and accountability, and helping advertisers and agencies gauge the return on their investment

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Source: Nielsen

for every dollar they spend online.”

Jennifer Gardner, North American media investments and partnerships director at Unilever, says: “We look for the best marketing ROI – and the best tools to gauge that. Nielsen Digital Ad Ratings is an exciting resource that brings a more rigorous standard to our online campaigns and consistency in measurement strategy across our portfolio of brands.”

Will it be a major game-changer in the market?

Media experts chimed in on what this launch meant for the industry and how it would impact their businesses.

Media professionals seem to be welcoming the Digital Ad Ratings with open arms. Most are optimistic about the enhancements the new ratings will entail for the media industry in terms of strategising and delivering its business goals.

Still, some are critical of its true capabilities and see the need for a quicker change in technology to meet with rapidly changing digital habits.

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Ivan Wong, managing partner for Mindshare Singapore, said the new measurement would help to ensure the efficacy of digital media investments.

“The new ratings would help in quantifying the delivery against the campaign’s target audience who are real people vis-à-vis Facebook users.”

“The inclusion of Facebook mobile activities will provide excellent cross-device measurement given how high the mobile traffic is on Facebook. When more mobile platforms are added in the coming year, it will offer a holistic cross-device measurement that should be very well received in the market.”

Meanwhile, Eileen Ooi, general manager of strategy and platforms for Maxus Malaysia, who had previously called for quicker change in research methodologies by Nielsen, highlighted the potential shortcomings of the DAR. “It’s a clever partnership that Nielsen has struck with Facebook, given their large presence in Malaysia, which should ideally give a good indication of a campaign’s performance.”

However, there remains further to go when it comes to digital measurement, Ooi explained, “The main issue of being able to do digital planning and post measurement on digital still remains unsolved.”

“Nielsen DAR will only provide postmeasurement, syncing the deliveries against a planned campaign would be the next push I think Nielsen should take”.

Desh Balakrishnan, managing director at Maxus Singapore, is positive about the launch given the Digital Ad Ratings’ presence in 16 markets globally and seven in Asia allows for a common measurement with other media channels in terms of reach and GRPs. Will agencies take to this?

Ooi said the measurement would help the industry only if this was adopted across businesses.

“Today most agencies have our own digital planning tools or post-measurement tools, though it’s not an entirely seamless process. If Nielsen is able to address the barrier, I would think the take up of this tool would be stronger.”

Balakrishnan said the measurement would help clients better understand the need for digital media. He added that before such tools, “it’s always been difficult to justify or substantiate the reach of digital in any market, to date”.

Wong agreed and said: “The similar use

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“When the full integration of desktop-mobile into DAR is complete, the challenges we are now facing on cross-device measurements can be better addressed to help justify and fuel the growth in desktop or mobile dollars, depending on which platform delivers a stronger ROI.” Ivan Wong - managing partner for Mindshare Singapore

of measurement language will help bridge the digital-analogue divide since most marketers are familiar with these terms.”

Seeing a great potential in the new tool, Wong explained: “The anonymised use of FB users in the DAR methodology is a gamechanger as it provides advertisers with the confidence the data they get is based on real people.”

He concluded that such improvements would encourage people-based marketing that would make digital advertising more attractive to brands.

What’s the big deal?

For media professionals, this measurement signals a new age for digital marketing.

Wong said: “Though the measurement is still in the nascent stage locally, DAR’s launch should complement very well the national media consumption system in providing marketers

an independent validation of the outcomes of their media investments.” On the other hand, Ooi asserted the key challenge still plaguing the industry is the lack of having a singular methodology, base and tool that can do both digital planning and post measurement.

She said: “Currently in the market, postmeasurement such as GRPs and reach on digital can be dealt with using various methods – agencies’ proprietary tools, random duplication calculations and so forth.”

As for Mindshare’s Wong, he clarified that Digital Ad Ratings was a first step to closing the gaps in the current measurement capabilities.

“When the full integration of desktop-mobile into DAR is complete, the challenges we are now facing on cross-device measurements can be better addressed to help justify and fuel the growth in desktop or mobile dollars, depending on which platform delivers a stronger ROI,” he said.

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NEWS ANALYSIS

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CAN ASIA BRIDGE THE SKILLS GAP FOR MARKETING ANALYTICS TALENT? Much has been said about the rise of data and analytics-trained talent, but it looks like companies themselves don’t know what to do with these. Elizabeth Low writes.

While companies are hurrying to pull analytics and digital transformation into their firms, many are struggling to manage it.

Agencies and consultancies are already vying for this space, but it appears that another big barrier sits between analytics truly taking off: talent.

According to a global Harvey Nash 2015 CIO survey, in association with KPMG, digital innovation is dominating the agenda of technology leaders, but many companies in the Asia Pacific region are struggling to manage it.

According to the survey, 71% of chief information officers in the region believe a skills shortage is preventing their organisation from keeping up with the pace of change, 12% higher than the global average.

On the government’s end, it is playing an active role in grooming talent for this space.

For example, the Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) has teamed up with Google and analytics consultancy Sparkline to equip fresh graduates with in-demand data analytics skills as part of its squared data and analytics programme.

The programme was launched in July last year, and has already placed 20 of its original participants in permanent positions, and 17 of those are in the industry, said a release.

The programme is part of IDA’s companyled training programme, an initiative which supports the industry in recruiting, mentoring and training entrant infocomm professionals in fast-growing technologies such as data and analytics, and mobile application development.

The next phase is in July 2015 to February 2016 and the squared data and analytics programme will provide 25 Singaporean graduates with intensive training in analytics, and give them the opportunity to work within Singapore’s media agencies, creative agencies and companies in the finance, travel and telco sectors to gain a hands-on experience.

They will also receive mentoring from top industry talent throughout the programme.

Earlier, the IDA also partnered Microsoft

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The big question: Is talent shortage for real?

to train up more talent for its Smart Nation initiative.

Chris Shearmon, associate director of Prime Insight, a recruitment firm that specialises in the recruitment of data and analytics talent, said that while there was much talent at this point being generated by such government initiatives, many companies did not know how to properly place such individuals.

“There is still a gap between what skills are needed right now to solve existing business problems,” he said.

“Companies are looking for experienced hires who have the ability and track record of solving problems using data and analytics.

“Graduates will naturally be able to step up after one to two years of work experience, but there is still a shortage of experienced hires, especially those with statistical modelling capabilities, and experience using open source

or newer big data technologies like Hadoop, Python, etc.

Currently there is a lot of talent that is going to waste, opportunities to increase revenues are missed by businesses, which makes markets open for new entrants.

Traditional marketing needs to continue to adapt, as consumers have never had it so good, so businesses must become truly customercentric rather than solely relying on slick brand campaigns.

“The marketing industry also needs to have fewer silos and rigid disciplines, like SEO, planning, social, ATL and CRM and stop viewing digital as a separate channel or department.

“The supporting technology must be aligned to the needs of the consumers, and allowed the freedom to open up new channels and opportunities to service customers better,” he said

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26/8/2015 10:30:47 AM

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MARKET SPOTLIGHT: MYANMAR

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MYANMAR A GOOD MATCH FOR SINGAPORE BRANDS? Industry players discuss with Noreen Ismail Myanmar’s increasing appeal and how Singapore brands are strategically placed to succeed in ASEAN’s newest market.

The land of opportunities: Myanmar presents huge untapped potential for brands but can all brands thrive in this new market?

Myanmar’s thriving economy has transformed it into a hot spot for Asian and international companies seeking to exploit the potential of the country.

FMCG companies are the most excited to tap into the country’s young population and rising disposable incomes. According to Nielsen, the FMCG sector has expanded 15% in the past four years and close to half of the typical Myanmar consumer’s monthly expenditure (47%) is

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spent on necessities such as food and groceries, household products and personal care products.

It comes as no surprise that brands are quickly stepping in to reach the Burmese consumer. Carlsberg recently expanded into the market in May, investing US$75 million into its newly opened brewery, while Heineken recently opened its US$60 million facility in Yangon on 12 July.

Singaporean brands and agencies are no different. Agencies and

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companies that have made the move to open in Myanmar say that Singapore enjoys a positive reputation in the country. With strong bilateral ties, the people of Myanmar broadly view Singapore brands as being trustworthy.

Such respectability may signal a tremendous advantage for Singapore brands as word-of-mouth reviews serve as one of the key drivers for purchasing decisions, according to a Nielsen report.

Singapore brands with a presence in Myanmar span from banks to telcos to retailers, and include names such as DBS Bank, OCBC Bank and UOB; telcos StarHub and Singtel; and retailers such as Charles & Keith, Iora and Heatwave, among many others.

Industry players who have set up shop in Yangon discuss Myanmar’s increasing appeal and how Singapore brands are strategically placed to succeed in ASEAN’s newest market.

A strategic move for Singaporean brands Donna Garcia, associate director and head of Rice Communications Myanmar, said that as a long-standing trade partner of Myanmar, Singapore rose to become the top investor in Myanmar last year, contributing more than half (US$4.3 billion) of the US$8.1 billion in foreign direct investment.

The boutique communications agency, headquartered in Singapore, launched operations in Myanmar in January this year.

With a team based in Yangon, Rice Communications Myanmar started its operations with clients such as Hughes and Bosch. It aims to deliver creative and communications support to multinational clients and local companies.

Actively building its presence and network in the market, Rice hosted two events in Yangon: a dialogue with bloggers and technology journalists on digital PR, and a training session for PR and marketing executives in the hospitality industry.

Garcia commented that Singapore brands have an advantage in terms of market access, knowledge, as well as connections, in view of the strong ties between the two countries. Singapore brands also enjoy a positive reputation in Myanmar and are perceived to be of high quality.

Another agency that recently expanded in Myanmar is creative agency Blak Labs. It is the local agency’s first office outside of Singapore as it experiments with building its business in a new market.

Charlie Blower, CEO of Blak Labs, also noted that “Singapore is held in high regard by the Myanmar people. Bilateral ties are strong and Singaporean companies are perceived to be trustworthy, transparent and reputable”.

Lawrence Chong, CEO of Consulus, a design consultancy with an outfit in Myanmar, agreed, saying it was important to make an early entry into the market to leverage that trust.

International brands raising Myanmar’s profile According to Garcia, Myanmar has also branded itself strategically to attract and pique the interest of international giants.

She explained: “If you look at this from a country branding perspective, Myanmar has done a stellar job raising its international profile by taking up leadership positions in the ASEAN, for example, and hosting some high-profile regional business and sporting events. The government’s economic reforms agenda and commitment to liberalise and engage with the global business community also play out well to Myanmar’s advantage.”

Brands also have a part to play in boosting the Myanmar brand.

Garcia added: “I believe brands, too, have contributed immensely in mobilising global awareness and interest for Myanmar.”

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“Economists predict that if Myanmar achieves 7% growth a year, it should become a middle-income nation and triple its per capita income by 2030. The country’s potential as a ‘future market’ for consumer goods is phenomenal. It’s little wonder the world’s top brands are jostling to gain a first-mover advantage.”

Charlie Blower – CEO of Blak Labs

Garcia cited the likes of Coca-Cola, BMW, Hilton, Unilever and Ooredoo, which have all helped shape a positive impression of the country and driven media coverage. These efforts have made information and insights on Myanmar more accessible and richer than ever before, thus boosting investors’ confidence and subsequent business expansion.

Continued growth Myanmar’s thirst for a spotlight on the international stage is backed by its booming economy, as the country continues to strive for growth.

Garcia said: “From a numbers perspective, foreign direct investments into Myanmar reached over US$8 billion and real annual GDP grew 7.8% last year.

“Myanmar aims to become a middle-income country by 2030, and with that comes opportunities from a booming consumer market and rapid urbanisation.

“Myanmar has always been on the radar of companies seeking growth in new frontiers, and these positive economic indicators reinforce the market’s potential and increase the attraction of Myanmar as an investment destination.”

As the nation continues to prosper, international brands are likely to continue flooding the market to meet the country’s growing demand for consumer goods.

Blower added: “Economists predict that if Myanmar achieves 7% growth a year, it should become a middle-income nation and triple its per capita income by 2030. The country’s potential as a ‘future market’ for consumer goods is phenomenal. It’s little wonder the world’s top brands are jostling to gain a first-mover advantage.”

Challenges Navigating the Myanmar market entails the need to understand not only its business climate, but also its political landscape.

Blower said that even though Singapore brands and businesses are already tapping into the opportunities there – transferring skills, knowledge and experience accumulated over the past 50 years – brands need to be flexible when it comes to expanding into the young republic.

“It can be challenging. In Myanmar, rules can be changed, even after a deal has been made.”

Chong explained that this year, the country’s election year, in particular, is a crucial one for Myanmar as some international investors are still watching to see how the Myanmar government continues on the path to reform.

He advised: “ While quite a few Singapore brands are rushing in, there are some who are taking a wait-and-see approach because like any other emerging markets, you can imagine the usual hiccups. So the opportunity is there, but proceed with caution.”

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MARKETING FEATURE: LGBT

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MARKETING FEATURE: LGBT

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SINGAPORE BRANDS KEEP MUM ON LGBT ISSUES WHILE GLOBALLY BRANDS ARE CELEBRATING USA LEGALISING SAME SEX MARRIAGES, HERE'S WHY SINGAPORE BRANDS HAVE BEEN QUIET. REZWANA MANJUR FINDS OUT.

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MARKETING FEATURE: LGBT

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Recently, Facebook profiles globally were taken over by a rainbow-coloured hue as the world joined the United States in its celebration of legalising same-sex marriages.

Social media giant Facebook released a new feature called, “Let’s Celebrate Pride”, that allowed users to put a rainbow filter over their profile pictures. According to statistics from Amobee, globally there have been 7.33 million Tweets around the hashtag #LoveWins, with Twitter sentiment 81% positive and only 6% negative since 26 June.

Consumers weren’t the only ones celebrating the momentous occasion.

Publishers such as Buzzfeed and The Huffington Post also joined in the fun, while brands ranging from airline to fast-food and beauty went all in with their support.

Meanwhile, several agencies changed their logo in support for the movement.

Happy Marketer

Mirum

JWT

In Singapore, several consumers took to social media to celebrate the movement.

According to data from Amobee, between 26-28 June there have been 247 tweets specifically mentioning both Singapore and gay marriage. Meanwhile, on 23-25 June there was only three tweets mentioning both gay marriage and Singapore specifically. The data also adds that since the Supreme Court ruling on gay marriage that from 26-28 June, there has been 3.8 times as much positive digital consumption around the US Supreme Court decision as negative consumption on content in Singapore.

There has also been 2.5 times more positive consumption than negative consumption around same-sex marriage in Singapore during the same time period on web, mobile and social media channels.

“While the Singapore government has stated Singapore is a very conservative country and the silent majority is not ready for same-sex marriage; the data suggests at least among the

English-speaking audience in Singapore that isn’t the case,” a spokesperson for the company said in a statement to Marketing.

Despite the positive support from locals, the brands were somewhat quiet.

In a conversation with Marketing, Pat Law, founder of GOODSTUPH, said that the ad community in Singapore had not done enough to monetise with regard to the gay community.

While clearly the support for the community has increased as seen by the recent Pink Dot event, Law explained that brands were reluctant to express their support mostly due to fear of alienation from consumers.

“The government has somewhat been relaxed with the advertising industry, but as a culture we are always waiting and watching for someone else to take the first move.”

Ng Khee Jin, founder of local ad agency Wild Advertising & Marketing, also added: “Local companies may not be seizing on this occasion to market to the gay community for either or

both of these reasons: They do not agree with the homosexual lifestyle and/or do not want to make known their stand one way or the other.”

Ng explained this wasn’t just a matter of jumping on the bandwagon of a topical issue, but rather it was about the fundamental values of customers and companies.

“I believe brands will or will not market to the gay community based primarily on what they believe, not just out of ‘fear’ of alienating customers,” he said.

When asked by Marketing on the current advertising rules on depicting homosexuality in ads in Singapore, Tan Sze Wee, chairman of ASAS, said advertisers were to adhere to the Singapore Code of Advertising Practice issued

by The Advertising Standards Authority of Singapore (ASAS).

“All advertisements should not contain anything that is offensive to those who are likely to be exposed to them. Advertisements should also not go against the shared values in Singapore’s

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MARKETING FEATURE: LGBT

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society and downplay the importance of the family as a unit and foundation of society,” read the statement given to Marketing by Tan. A check done by Marketing of the guidelines show that there was no specifications on LGBT

or homosexual issues when it came to ads.

However the guidelines clearly articulated that “advertisements should not promote a lifestyle that is promiscuous or that denigrates or is detrimental to family values”.

Meanwhile, just two years ago, the government body Reach Singapore released a study titled “Our Singapore Conversation”, which depicted Singaporean society not being accepting of homosexual choices and lifestyles, in general.

Views differed across age groups and education levels – with the younger and more educated segments of the population being relatively more accepting of gay lifestyles.The survey results added that in general, society was even less supportive of same-sex marriage.

The majority of respondents across almost all educational profiles rejected the notion of same-sex marriage.

However, since then, there has been a shift with locals showing enthusiasm for the annual Pink Dot movement year after year. The Pint Dot SG organisers also told Marketing that this year, the event saw its one of its largest-ever array of corporate sponsors.

Social media giant Twitter, local entertainment giant Cathay Organisation, as well as financial software, media company Bloomberg were joined by returning sponsors Google, Barclays, Goldman Sachs, BP, J.P. Morgan and The Gunnery.

This year alone, despite a last-minute ban made by MDA on an ad scheduled to launch a day before the event in Singapore, Pink Dot saw a record turnout of 28,000.

This was not the first instance of video content featuring homosexuality being banned by the MDA. In May this year, according to the The Straits Times, MDA also asked TV and radio stations in Singapore not to play a song

by Taiwanese artist Jolin Tsai called We’re All Different, Yet The Same because of an on airscreen kiss between two ladies.

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45 Ubi Road 1, #03-03A, Singapore 408696

MARKETING FEATURE: LGBT

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THE BRANDS MOST ASSOCIATED WITH LGBT RIGHTS These brands have been actively offering a voice on gay rights for years, with the result of their brand reputations also reflecting it. Rezwana Manjur writes.

The recent legalising of same-sex marriages in the US has been a hot trending topic all over the world.

Various well-known brands have actively showed their support on their Twitter feeds on the matter. While some have been newcomers, others have been showing their love for LGBT equal rights for years.

Digital and mobile marketing agency Amobee has come up with a list of brands, who over the past year, have been active in their LGBT views.

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•

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Apple According to data by Amobee shared with Marketing, Apple is the brand which has been most associated with gay rights from May 2014 to May 2015. The company’s CEO Tim Cook publicly came out in October 2014 and was one of the most vocal opponents of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act that passed in Indiana in March 2015. The law was actively criticised for being anti-gay by consumers and various brands at that point.

Starbucks Meanwhile, Starbucks had 28% as much gay rights association as Apple from May 2014 to May 2015 and has long been at the forefront of related activism. When an investor complained in 2013 that the company’s vocal support of gay marriage was hurting the company’s bottom line, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz told the investor they could sell off their stock and invest in a different company if it bothered them.

Walmart Walmart had 18% as much association to gay rights as Apple in the same time period.

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The Amobee data added that in some ways, the brand was perhaps best representative of the country’s evolving view on gay rights.

Walmart has generally been known to be a somewhat conservative brand.

For several decades, the company was seen as not friendly to the LGBT community.

For example in 2008, then CEO Mike Duke, donated US$75,000 to a group trying to push through an initiative that would ban gay adoption in Arkansas.

Yet, by August 2013, Walmart began offering healthcare benefits to the domestic partners of employees whether same sex or not. Finally in April 2015, current Walmart CEO Doug McMillon publicly lobbied the governor of the same state of Arkansas to veto a religious freedom bill that would adversely affect the gay community.

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Salesforce Salesforce has also emerged as one of the corporate thought leaders in the arena and was 11% as associated with gay rights as compared to Apple in the past year.

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff threatened and then followed through on cancelling company events in Indiana after it passed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Chick-fil-A Meanwhile, on the other end of the spectrum, American fast-food restaurant chain Chick-fil-A had 37% as much gay rights associated consumption as Apple in the past year.

In July 2012, Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy publicly declared his opposition to samesex marriage and since then the brand has become a symbol of corporate opposition to gay marriage – to people on both sides of the issue.

Of the 10 brands most associated with gay rights between May 2014 to May 2015, eight are unambiguously seen as being pro-gay rights; one (Chick-fil-A) has been vocal against gay marriage; and (Walmart) has been in the past viewed as anti-gay rights, but is now perceived as a very gay-friendly company.

Here’s the list of brand associations: Brand association to gay rights Brands were most associated to LGBT issues between May 2014 to May 2015.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Apple Chick-fil-A Starbucks Walmart Salesforce Coca-Cola Nike Gap Amazon McDonald’s

Brand association to gay marriage Brands had the most associated consumption to the subject on 26 June 2015: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Google YouTube Apple Uber Ben & Jerry’s American Airlines Goldman Sachs Orange is the New Black Empire AT&T

With a multitude of brands celebrating the Supreme Court legalising gay marriage on 26 June, Google had the most gay marriage-related consumption. If you googled “gay marriage” on the day, an image of rainbow-coloured couples holding hands appeared. YouTube had 95% as much gay marriage-related consumption as Google on June 26 around a montage video of people using the platform to come out, and in some cases, share their weddings.

With Apple’s Cook sharing a quote from Steve Jobs, Apple had 93% as much gay marriage-related consumption as Google on the day. Uber, who made the cars in its app rainbow coloured, had 38% as much gay marriage-related consumption. Meanwhile, Ben & Jerry’s, which announced it renamed its chocolate chip cookie dough flavour, “I dough, I dough” (it’s a pun), had 31% as much gay marriage-related consumption as Google on June 26.

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PROFILE

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WHY SINGAPORE’S CLUBS ARE FALLING BEHIND IN MARKETING Club businesses open and close all the time. Sara Paz, Ce La Vi's marketer tells Rezwana Manjur why it could be due to missed marketing opportunities.

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PROFILE

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Flashing lights, a thundering base line, and then bam! A bright white light that jolts you back to sanity as a way to politely usher you to the door of the club. It is 3:55 in the morning – time for you to get out. You face a slew of taxi cabs turning their lights from green to red and you rush to beat the lines as the clock slowly turns four.

You climb into the nearest cab, slump down on the seat and tell the friendly (or sometimes, not so friendly) taxi “uncles” where you wish to be.

Within an hour, you are back in the comfort of your own home. This is your typical nightlife scene in Singapore.

Next week? Rinse and repeat – all stays the same, except maybe the club you end up in.

Singapore’s nightlife scene has over the years risen to prominence.

The rise of well-known events and music festivals such as ZoukOut, along with Singapore’s reputation of having a strict and safe party environment, has led to the nation swiftly making a reputation for itself as a party hub.

Local tourism board STB promotes the nightlife scene in Singapore as having a “gamut” of offerings for everyone – “ranging from world-class brands” to “hidden gems of cocktail bars and live music pubs with local flavours”.

Singapore, it would seem, is heaven for the party animals out there.

But behind all the glitter and shine, competition is steep. Those living in Singapore have over the years seen the disappearance of many iconic nightlife names such as Zirca, Ministry of Sound, Avalon, Double O and others.

“I do not believe the nightlife scene in Singapore has become sophisticated enough to really be in the emerging area of marketing at all.”

Just earlier this year, lifestyle company LifeBrandz announced the closure of five of its outlets in Clarke Quay, the heart of Singapore’s party scene. A report in local newspaper The Straits Times, showed that LifeBrandz’s annual reports, analysed upon previous media reports and public records on the SGX, portrayed the company to be running on million-dollar losses annually since 2006. In the past nine years, only in 2010 and 2013 did the company post any profits. Meanwhile, for the fiscal year ending July 2014, it posted a SG$6.77 million loss.

Nonetheless, the attraction of being in this business is insatiable, and when successful, it is a lucrative one.

According to an industry report by IBIS World, the revenue of the bar, tavern and nightclub industry in the United States alone was forecast to exceed US$24 billion in 2015. While easy to get in the game, survival is not for the weak.

Sara Paz, global PR and marketing director of Cé La Vi, explains that from a purely marketing perspective, the nightlife business in Singapore has not yet reached maturity.

Confident, charming and enthusiastic, she embodies everything one would expect from an entertainer.

Paz, who was last senior marketing director (head of marketing) of HTC, says that in comparison to a technology market where there is much more refined ambush marketing, guerrilla marketing and digital marketing strategies, the nightlife marketing scene falls rather flat.

Paz, a tech marketer by training, has also over the years worked on numerous big brands such as Intel, Dell and Nokia. To her, while the marketing aspect of the Singapore nightlife scene brings abundant potential, there is still a fair amount of potential for growth.

“I do not believe the nightlife scene in Singapore has become

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sophisticated enough to really be in the emerging area of marketing at all,” she says.

Giving a simple example of capturing consumer data, which many industries have already made a move into and are trying to actively monetise from, she is quick to note that many nightclub owners today are still not capturing any customer information. This ultimately works to hamper the brand in the long term because of a lack of contact with the club goers and ultimately a loss of relationship.

In a time where personalisation is a must, this lack of direct communication with the club goer can impact any club’s overall business strategy, she adds.

So what makes Ku De Ta, now Cé La Vi, so special?

“In our case, the reason why we’ve had the longevity is because of the end-to-end experience,” she says.

She explains that customers and loyal members of the brand know that when they wish to have a night out at Cé La Vi, they will be treated to a complete experience from drinks at the Skybar to an amazing dining experience, and ultimately hitting the club where they will be treated at the VIP area and have tables with their names on it.

All this makes the customer feel special. For Cé La Vi, the proximity of having these different offerings close together also helps in a seamless transition of the experiences.

“Customers know that at every point in that experience through the night, the people attending to them are going to know who they are, what they like and things are consistently going to be served up to them at a level that hopefully will inspire, excite and surprise them,” she says.

She adds that while an end-to-end experience is necessary, there is a fair bit of trend spotting and planning that needs to be ensured for the survival of a nightclub. Many clubs, she explains, may be trendy for a short period of time, but do not have lasting power. This is because they do not have an entertainment programme to sustain the trendy image they have initially created.

A fair bit of creativity is also needed when it comes to stretching the marketing dollar. For example, to cut out the distance between regular clubbers and entertainers of the club, birthdays of the resident DJs are celebrated in house. This makes a perfect gateway to turn any other Friday or Saturday night into an exclusive event for the evening giving the illusion of added importance.

“Why many clubs haven’t had that staying power is because they haven’t had a strategy that promotes longevity,” she says.

Value your valuable customers “When I first started and I looked at our member list, I said, ‘What are we doing for our most valuable customers?’ ” she says.

She explains that from then on, Cé La Vi has made sure that whenever there’s a birthday coming up, the company will deliver a bottle of champagne and birthday wishes from every element of the company, and even offer a birthday dinner. This helps drive home the message the consumer is important and he or she will know the brand is thinking about them.

To Paz, the criticism that the consumer attention span is getting shorter, is not of primary importance. She is of the view that when a club or brand is able to gain an iconic stature, consumer attention span is not an issue.

Ultimately to stand out today and cut through the club clutter, a brand needs to create an ultimate experience. It needs to create an illusion of exclusivity.

“Specifically when I talk about our business, I think the elements of success are offering a total experience and making sure that you have the right group of people. It’s really the customer experience behind the brand and making sure that they’re also excited to see other like minded people there as well.”

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SG50 SPECIAL

ICONIC ADS FROM THE PAST REMEMBER THE WEEKENDS WATCHING GROWING UP AND EVENINGS SPENT ANSWERING ENTHRALLING QUESTIONS ON THE PYRAMID GAME? OR MAYBE YOU WERE MORE OF A TRIPLE NINE OR UNDER ONE ROOF FAN? WHATEVER YOUR CUP OF TEA WAS BACK THEN, IF YOU GREW UP IN SINGAPORE THESE MEMORABLE ADS WOULD DEFINITELY STRIKE A CHORD. AS WE CELEBRATE SG50, LET’S LOOK AT SOME OF THE ICONIC ADS OF SINGAPORE – MOST OF WHICH STILL LINGER IN OUR MEMORIES. THESE ARE INDEED A BLAST FROM THE PAST.

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SG50 SPECIAL A DAY IN SINGAPORE

GLASSES

Client: Story:

McDonald’s Singapore.

This was McDonald’s first local TV commercial in Singapore and it showcased its range of menu catering to the multi-racial local audiences and their daily needs.

Agency: Leo Burnett Singapore.

Year: 1991.

Singapore Traffic Police.

The commercial was based on the insight that most drinkers still feel that they are able to drive even after a few drinks. The idea was to demonstrate the state of the driver by showing his view of the road through a series of empty beer glasses placed on the dashboard of a car. A view that became increasingly blurred until the sound of a crash announces a collision followed by the words: “Each drink you have before driving impairs your judgment.”

Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi.

Year: 1993.

NAVY DUCK

GOD

Client: Story:

Client: Story:

The Republic of Singapore Navy.

The brief was to inspire young potential recruits to join the navy. The set was reminiscent of the Hunt for Red October in a tense naval duel between the sub and the enemy ship. The captain searches for the damaged ship through the periscope and sees a rubber duck instead. It’s a young man in a bathtub re-enacting his dream.

Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi.

Year: 1997.

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Client: Story:

Churches of the Love Singapore Movement.

The aim of the campaign was to put God in a contemporary, affable and witty light. The movement’s main objective was to correct the misconception of God from a disapproving schoolmaster to a figure that is witty, approachable, omnipresent and all-powerful.

Agency: Ogilvy & Mather Singapore.

Year: 2001.

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SG50 SPECIAL FILIAL PIETY: FATHER & SON

Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) and National Family Council.

Story: Singapore’s population was a rapidly ageing one and the traditional values of filial piety were being lost in an increasingly globalised society. The campaign aimed to heighten the awareness of Singaporeans on filial piety and that they had to lead by example if they wanted their own children to care for them when they themselves grew old. The campaign ran on TV, cinema, OOH and online.

Agency: Leo Burnett Singapore.

Year: 2001

SMILE FOR SINGAPORE.

Client:

A FORCE LIKE NOTHING ON EARTH

Client: Story:

Republic of Singapore Air Force.

The RSAF took to the sky with the campaign, “A Force Like Nothing On Earth”. That one line summed up high technology and top-class people. It lifted its brand aura with an impressive 87% awareness, and boosted its recruitment by 25%. It injected new life into the brand and, at the same time, raised the overall perception of RSAF careers in support of recruitment efforts.

Agency: DDB Group Singapore.

Year: 2007.

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Client: Story:

International Monetary Fund (IMF) Board of Directors’ Meeting.

The Singapore 2006 IMF Board of Directors’ Meeting welcomed over 400 finance ministers and central bank governors, and more than 20,000 participants from 184 countries. To drum up local support, government bodies, private sectors and the public were encouraged to submit photos of themselves. The mass participation was amplified through TVC, web, print, outdoor, etc, island-wide.

Agency: Publicis Singapore.

Year: 2006.

TEACHER

Client: Story:

Wildlife Reserves Singapore.

Education was one of the three strategic pillars of Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS), the other two pillars being recreation and conservation and research.

WRS felt the general public, especially parents, were either not aware of their educational programmes or did not adequately understand the educational role the organisation played. WRS needed to heighten awareness of its education programmes and the active role WRS played in educating children about wildlife.

Agency: Grey Group Singapore.

Year: 2010.

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SG50 SPECIAL JOY IS BMW

Client: Story:

BMW Singapore.

Conventional wisdom in Singapore had it that joy was the result of success. BMW’s 2010 “Joy is BMW” campaign, however, put a different twist to this idea: Joy, it said, was the input to success. To bring this to life, BMW used the office buildings of the Singapore CBD as its media, surprising office goers with messages of bringing joy to work, with Asia’s first 3D projection mapping with an interactive display.

Agency: Publicis Singapore.

Year: 2010.

ANTI-AH LONG CAMPAIGN

Client: Story:

National Crime Prevention Council.

The Anti-Unlicensed Money Lending campaign by the National Crime Prevention Council looked to convince current or potential borrowers and runners to stop being involved with loan sharks as they would ruin not only their lives, but the lives of their families. The creative approach was focused on how the consequences of borrowing from unlicensed moneylenders extended far beyond monetary repayments.

Agency: Wild Advertising & Marketing.

Year: 2012.

FOR OVERPROTECTIVE PARENTS. TOYOTA COROLLA

MENTOS NATIONAL NIGHT

Client: Story:

Client: Story:

Toyota.

The ad showcases how overprotective parents would benefit well from driving a Toyota Corolla – voted as the safest family car in the world in 1999.

Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi.

Year: 1999.

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Perfetti Van Melle.

In 2012, Mentos released an alternative National Day song to support the launch of a specially branded Mentos “I heart SG” pack.

Agency: BBH Asia Pacific.

Year: 2012.

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SG50 SPECIAL INDIAN CURRY HOUSE

IKEA BOOKBOOK

Client: Story: M1.

The campaign set out to promote M1’s new affordable/ free IDD service in a fun and engaging way that befits the brand’s ethos of “1 life, live it!”

Agency: TBWA Singapore.

Year: 2007.

IKANO Retail Asia.

The IKEA catalogue is a cornerstone of its business.

Millions of copies are distributed to homes annually, but fewer people remember receiving it. To rekindle a nostalgic love for the book, BBH Asia Pacific created a video that contrasted the catalogue against tech.

Agency: BBH Asia Pacific.

Year: 2014.

THE SAR-VIVOR RAP

DOG

Client: Story:

Client: Story:

MediaCorp Channel 5.

Channel 5 wanted to spread the word of how you could protect yourself against SARS. Local actor Gurmit Singh in his portrayal of Phua Chu Kang character was selected as being relatable to Singaporeans. It was done as a rap as the lyrics were catchy and the educational messages could be picked up easily.

Agency: MediaCorp in-house production.

Year: 2003.

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Client: Story:

IKEA. A dog runs through his dog flap into the house. He stops and looks around not recognising the room.

He goes outside again and checks he has the right house. His owners have obviously been to IKEA. Agency: Lowe Singapore.

Year: 2001.

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SG50 SPECIAL SIA SINGAPORE GIRL

Singapore Airlines.

The Singapore Girl has held a pivotal role in SIA’s marketing and advertising campaigns since Singapore Airlines was formed. She is perennial, appeals to both the young and old, and holds a strong emotional connection to our customers around the world. The objective of the campaign was to introduce and impress upon how she epitomises Singapore Airlines’ tradition of friendly service and warm Asian hospitality.

Agency: Batey (now acquired by Grey).

Year: Early 1970s.

VARIOUS CAMPAIGNS FOR SIA FROM 1980-1990

Client: Story:

LIFE STORY

OAC Insurance.

To brand OAC, Singapore’s oldest local insurance company, as the insurer that truly understands the needs of Singaporeans. This TVC won that year’s viewer’s choice for most popular TVC with over 450,000 votes from the public and started the nostalgia craze at least one to two years before the launch of TV series Growing Up and Jack Neo’s Home Run. Agency: Monsoon.

Year: 1994.

Client: Story:

Singapore Airlines.

Batey (now acquired by Grey) helped Singapore Airlines advertise its offerings featuring the iconic Singapore Girl(s).

Agency: Batey (now acquired by Grey).

Year: 1980-1990.

PIGGY BANK

Client: Story:

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Client: Story:

National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG).

This spot highlighted the ills of problem gambling and what it could do to your family and loved ones.

Agency: Y&R. Year: 2009.

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SG50 SPECIAL YOUR TIME HAS COME

KICK THE HABIT

Client: Story:

Client: Story:

Mercedes-Benz (Cycle & Carriage).

To brand Mercedes-Benz as the luxury car that best exemplifies the success of Singaporeans and their journey to attaining it.

Agency: Monsoon.

Year: 1995.

National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG).

When a problem gambler loses, he thinks that his next bet will be the lucky one and when he wins, he believes that he’s on a winning streak and shouldn’t stop. With this insight, this spot which ran during the World Cup finals highlights the pain and anguish their families have to endure because of their addiction in the hope that they will curb their activities.

Agency: Goodfellas.

Year: 2014.

OUR NATION, OUR SUCCESS

STCARS ANTI-DRINK DRIVE CAMPAIGN

Client: Story:

Prime Minister's Office.

Launched in time for National Day, it was a propaganda piece to help Singaporeans to identify with our journey and challenges to success. This was the first time that the clip of LKY explaining the Separation was ever used in a TVC. Permission was quite easily obtained as the approving client was DPM Lee Hsien Loong.

Agency: Monsoon.

Year: 1996.

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Client: Story:

STCars/Traffic Police.

This public service ad was chosen by the World Economic Forum as an example of “creative for good”.

Its purpose was to persuade motorists not to drive when they planned to drink, since they will tend to drive their cars home after drinking.

Agency: Goodfellas.

Year: 2013.

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SG50 SPECIAL DBS. LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL.

DBS Bank.

The campaign set out to re-establish DBS as the aspirational regional bank – capturing the post Millennium zeitgeist with a positive assertion that people in Asia can achieve anything because this was their time and, as such, with the right bank behind you, life should be beautiful.

Agency: TBWA Singapore.

Year: 2007.

A HAPPY JOURNEY STARTS LIKE THAT.

Client: Story:

Client: Story:

Land Transport Authority (LTA).

The video was conceptualised in a bid to promote gracious behaviour among commuters when travelling on public transport. The campaign was aimed at creating a more pleasant commuting experience for everyone.

Agency: MediaCorp in-house production/Peachblack TV. Year: 2009.

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SG50 SPECIAL

THE TOP 5 SG50 CAMPAIGNS

WHILE THERE WERE MANY SG50 CAMPAIGNS, THESE FIVE REALLY MADE A MARK ACCORDING TO MELTWATER. REZWANA MANJUR WRITES. Over the past few months leading up to the big 50th birthday bash, consumers in Singapore were flooded with ad campaigns celebrating the nation in all its glory. From giant OOH posters to tiny pinkie-sized circles, red dots flooded the nation in a bid to drum up anticipation for the biggest party of the year.

The National Day Parade also caught the attention of global news sites such as the BBC, which claimed the entire affair cost the nation nearly SG$20 million (£9.6m) this year.

According to statistics from Twitter, millions of Singaporeans joined together in the real world and on Twitter to celebrate their country’s

golden jubilee across the country, setting a Twitter record for a one-day event in Singapore. More than 230,000 tweets about #NDP2015 and all things related to the National Day Parade on 9 August 2015 were sent out.

Meanwhile, brands, both local and global, also played their part in the celebration. While there were many campaigns according to Meltwater, these five really made their mark. Meltwater has been monitoring the trending conversations on social media for a month and found out what the public have been buzzing about with SG50. Here are the campaigns that garnered the most mentions on social media.

1. LEGO LEGO Singapore decided that what the brand really wanted to highlight was the Singaporean “Kampung Spirit” – the spirit of mutual consideration engrained in Singapore. With the idea of mutual consideration for the environment and future generations in mind, LEGO Singapore launched a social experiment called “Rebuild”.

“Rebuild” started with LEGO enthusiasts in Singapore envisaging what the metropolis might look like in the next 50 years. Ideas ran from futuristic skyscrapers, dominating highways to towering offices. The brand then asked the builders of tomorrow, the children, to “rebuild” their ideal Singapore.

“We saw what progress looks like through the eyes of six-year-old kids, what their dream city would be. It was fascinating to see what their priorities were for Singapore. Sometimes we might lose what is most important in the pursuit of development – spending time with loved ones, and taking care of our communities. That is what togetherness is all about, and that is what celebrating SG50 is all about,” said Dan Luo, the country manager of Lego Singapore.

2. TIGER BEER Tiger Beer also lined up a slew of events and activities to commemorate the nation’s 50th birthday. Calling itself, “Singapore’s unofficial official favourite local beer” the brand decided to throw its own epic National Day party.

The brand decided to put the power in the hands of the people by getting Singaporeans to vote for what they wanted to see at their party. To round off the celebrations, Tiger Beer’s iconic blue and silver packaging also received a patriotic SG50 makeover, with the release of limitededition red and white livery on all its cans, pints and bottles.

“We’re extremely excited to reward our long-time fans by galvanising the nation to vote for their ideal party situation in the unofficial official party of SG50,” said Rene de Monchy, former head of marketing for Asia Pacific Breweries Singapore.

“Tiger Beer is very proud of its Singapore roots and there’s no better way to celebrate the nation’s 50th birthday than by giving back to everyone, creating a party by the people for the people – something that has never been done before.”

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SG50 SPECIAL

3. COKE

The world famous “Share a Coke” campaign also hit Singapore’s shores just as the nation was about to embark on its biggest celebrations. In celebration of Singapore’s 50th anniversary, Coke, Coke Zero and Coke Light cans and bottles featured commonly used Singaporean terms such as auntie, uncle, ah boy and chiongster. It also had favourite Singlish phrases such as Gam Siah, Relak Lah and Chiong Ah among other more commonly used colloquial terms.

Meanwhile, five collectible bottles featuring well-known places and icons that have connected Singapore over the past 50 years were also launched.

The first design commemorated the few bird singing corners left in Singapore, where the pioneer generations habitually gathered to listen to the sounds of their songbirds. The second design remembered the childhood game of five stones. The third design captured the place many of us call home – the HDB flats. The fourth design saluted the national service milestone and the final design depicted the extensive network of the MRT lines, connecting us to wherever we need to go.

“Fifty years is a coming of age and Singapore has developed into a nation with a strong culture, underpinned by shared traditions and experiences,” said Gill McLaren, general manager of Coca-Cola Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei.

“Coca-Cola has been bringing people together in Singapore for nearly 80 years, and we wanted to give people the opportunity to reminisce over a bottle of Coke about the places and icons that make Singapore unique.

We hope the bottles will evoke happy memories for people and create special shared moments between friends, family members, colleagues and even neighbours.”

4. GREAT EASTERN LOCAL BRANDS WERE BETTER AT TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE MARKETING OPPORTUNITY, ACCORDING TO AMOBEE.

As a home-grown brand and being one of the most established insurance companies in Singapore, Great Eastern has been making a difference to generations of Singaporeans. For SG50 it launched a campaign called “Making 50 wishes come true!” where it invited members of the public to pen down their wishes and aspirations. The company then promised to fulfil 50 of the most meaningful ones.

5. CHANGI AIRPORT

Singapore Airlines has beaten other brands when it comes to successfully marketing around the SG50 campaign.

Digital marketing technology company Amobee has monitored online consumption in the months leading up to SG50 to come up with a list of brand winners.

Based on the SG50 theme, the digital consumption – or how often a term or brand was actually “seen” online – was analysed to determine their success in marketing around the initiative.

Below is a list of how brands stacked up in terms of being most associated with SG50 during 1 January and 1 July.

1.

2.

3.

4.

Changi Airport also brought on its nationalistic spirit in full gusto with the “I’m Home” campaign. Changi Airport launched a song and film that celebrated its commitment to service and attention to detail that has defined the brand. The campaign was done in collaboration with Benjamin Kheng, co-founder of the popular Singaporean indie band, The Sam Willows, and directors Wee Li Lin and Charles Lim. The campaign was part of a series of special events by Changi for the nation’s 50th anniversary, including an online photo contest, “My Changi Story”. Singaporeans were invited to send in an old photo taken at Changi and to share a short anecdote of the significance of that photograph.

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5.

Topping the chart was Singapore Airlines with at least 2.4 times more SG50 associated consumption than any other brand. The national carrier offered special SG50-related rates and made the event a marketing centrepiece for its tourist outreach.

Google – it is running a contest to create the Google Doodle that will be featured on the Google home page on 9 August.

MediaCorp – it created a contest for producing an anthem for the anniversary celebration.

DBS Bank – it gave all its employees a SG$1,000 bonus for the event.

Lego – it created an SG50-themed commemorative Lego set for the celebrations.

According to Amobee’s data, local brands were better at taking advantage of the marketing opportunity.

In the top 10 were Singapore brands, Singapore Airlines, MediaCorp, DBS Bank, Great Eastern, Singtel, SingPost, OCBC Bank, and CapitaLand, while Google and Lego are the only two brands not based in Singapore.

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26/8/2015 10:34:19 AM

WHILE THIS YEAR HAS SEEN SINGAPORE HIT WITH TRAGEDIES SUCH AS THE MT. KINABALU DISASTER AND LKY'S DEATH, DID A STRONG SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY HELP POLITICAL LEADERS SOFTEN THE BLOW? ELIZABETH LOW WRITES.

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26/8/2015 10:34:48 AM

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26/8/2015 10:34:50 AM

SG50 SPECIAL

2015 has seen two major tragedies so far for Singapore.

First, the death of its founding father Lee Kuan Yew, which saw an outpouring of grief from the nation and beyond. Second, more recently was the Mount Kinabalu earthquake that struck on 5 June, drawing a death count of 19, including 10 Singaporeans – seven pupils and two teachers from Tanjong Katong Primary, and an adventure guide.

It was several years ago that saw local politicians, such as, notably, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong first taking to social mediums such as Facebook and Instagram. But now, a majority of Singapore’s ministers in the cabinet such as Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Chan Chun Sing and more, are active on social media.

It looks like this move may have provided a powerful means of crisis management and humane communication for these types of moments.

Crisis communications As the late Minister Mentor Yew approached his eventual passing, the internet went wild with false reports of his early death, creating mass confusion in the public sphere. This was only cleared up when an actual post from the prime minister’s Facebook page was put up and went viral, confirming the actual death.

As for the recent Mount Kinabalu earthquake disaster, crisis communications efforts fell largely upon the Ministry of Education, as it was discovered most of the Singaporeans involved were students and school teachers.

While parents of students involved waited anxiously for news, as well as the press, the

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education minister’s Facebook was regularly updated with posts on what he and the ministry were doing for rescue efforts, as well as constantly offering condolences.

Lim Le-Anne, executive director at Golin, said: “In crisis or disaster management this is probably one of the best ways to show authority figures taking a personal interest in the crisis and being fully invested in the final outcome.

“Social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, which are not reliant on any newsroom, offer 24/7 avenues for delivering upto-the-minute updates which can speak louder and more humanely than any standard issue media statement.”

Prantik Mazumdar, partner at Happy Marketer, said: “I think all of us were particularly moved by the manner in which PM Lee managed his social media communication during his father, MM Lee’s demise – it was handled with a lot of sensitivity and gravity. I don’t think many national leaders have been so open and engaging during such a trying period.”

Ryan Lim, co-founder of digital consultancy QED, said the scalability of ministers’ social media assets offered the different ministers and ministries a chance to react quickly as well as to amplify their grassroots work.

This was also taking the grassroots movement to a digital medium, where more young supporters tend to be, added Lim.

congratulating boxer Mohamed Hanurdeen on Facebook:

A human touch?

Meanwhile, in happier times, this pro-active social media strategy has offered leaders a voice in the midst of international and local events, as well as offering a more human touch.

For instance, during the recent SEA Games, politicians such as Teo Ser Luck and K. Shanmugam were seen supporting team Singapore. For example, this post by Teo

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SG50 SPECIAL

In one moment that might have impressed techies, PM Lee shared a piece of code that he wrote for a Sudoku puzzle during the Founder’s Forum: Mazumdar said: “As a technopreneur, I was uber impressed not only by his coding skills, but his openness to share his work to inspire a generation and send home a message that coding as a skill set is critical for Singapore to be a smart nation.”

more than 2,100 questions, according to The Straits Times.

“Several MPs have also conducted online town hall sessions with their constituents on Facebook. It shows that politicians recognise the importance of showing up in the online space and being present where the conversation is shaped,” Golin’s Lim said.

Drawbacks and slip ups However, such a strategy has not emerged without some misses as well.

While some of the more senior politicians may be supported by PR teams, others may not be, speculate some industry players.

“The decision to directly engage on social media is not one to be taken lightly,” Lim said.

“Once one has a presence, netizens expect ‘always-on’ engagement as well as some form of follow-up to their comments and feedback.

The ability to manage and meet public expectations of the feedback or response cycle is also an important part of the process.”

Other examples of commenting on current affairs: Sharing popular blogger Mr Brown’s post:

On cabinet changes: In other examples, PM Lee has also hosted live chats with netizens on Facebook, drawing

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Then there is always the danger of putting up a post that irks the public.

One example was Teo Ser Luck’s post after LKY’s death: This drew the ire of the public, who slammed Teo for an insensitive post. The post was later tweaked.

Another politician familiar to the social media space is Baey Yam Keng. While noted for being one of the more social-savvy ministers, Baey, also a former MD of network agency Hill+Knowlton, has seen his share of misses by the public for some of his posts, having to publicly apologise for some of them.

While he did not comment on questions from Marketing, Baey, in an earlier interview in 2013 said: “My own view is to ignore the trolls.

I have my own objectives. Through my social media efforts, I want people to know what I think, what I do. If you don’t buy it, that’s fine.

I believe most people are rational. I must have that confidence that people can discern, and

have their eyes and ears to see, to assess, to make their own judgment. That is what I believe in.”

He added that there was a need to “amplify the voice of the government in the internet space”.

“I personally find it very useful for me to connect to people, have some influence over what people know and think, and advocate for certain causes. The government can also do that, although of course, it’s on a much bigger scale,” he said.

Golin’s Lim said: “The bottom line is that there is no right or wrong answer on how to engage well and effectively on social media.

“It presents opportunities both ways. On a cautionary note, while the ability to engage citizens directly on social media may seem like a golden opportunity, a lack of social media chops or sensitivities may also cause long-term reputation damage and backlash.

“Long after a story has stopped making the headlines or dominating newsfeeds, its digital footprint still lingers online.”

Sophisticated on social media?

In general, both Lim and Mazumdar feel that there has been a significant evolution in the local politicians’ social media strategies since the last election, which was also considered a social media election.

“The last general election in 2011 was widely regarded as a ‘social media’ election as it was the first time in Singapore that political parties were allowed to use social media to reach out to voters. That set the tone for local political engagement going forward and we are seeing a more active use of social media for political ends,” Lim said.

Added Mazumdar: “I remember penning down a blog post in 2012 after the last general election in Singapore as to how PAP is losing touch with the heartlanders.

“I believe that in the last three-odd years, through active social media communication and engagement, the government and the ministers have won back some of that lost love.”

He opined that they use social media strategically to be transparent about sensitive issues and humanise the faces that run the nation. “I think this has been a huge win for the government and I hope they continue to focus on it. Four years ago social media was a tool used by the opposition to shake up and attack the incumbent government, but thanks to ministers embracing the new-age communication phenomenon, today it has become their strength and ally,” he said.

Marketing reached out to several ministers for comment, but some could not be reached or declined to comment.

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NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR ................................................................................................................................................................................................................

While online is the way to go, many readers and advertisers still appreciate the value of a good print read delivered to their doorsteps.

Print, therefore, has branched into events and digital platforms to reach readers and advertisers more effectively. This year’s Newspaper of the Year, as voted by marketers, finds out which titles are doing the best job in the market.

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26/8/2015 12:14:39 PM

NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR ................................................................................................................................................................................................................

METHODOLOGY HOW DID WE ACHIEVE THIS? The Newspaper of the Year rankings were derived from questions in Lighthouse Research’s annual Media Spend Benchmarking Survey. The research employed an online questionnaire and surveyed its database of client advertisers and marketing services agency professionals. All answers given by respondents were considered by Marketing when finalising the rankings.

QUALITY RECIPIENTS AND RESPONDENTS More than 750 respondents participated in the Media Spend Benchmarking Survey.

Genuine advertising decision-makers and influencers across key agency-using industries were well represented as were agency professionals from various marketing services. Nearly 96% of client advertiser-side respondents were managerlevel decision-makers and above with more than 14% from the most senior ranks of client advertisers and another 47% were VPs or director-level marketers.

Agency professionals across the marketing services spectrum were also well represented.

The majjority of the respondents from the ag gency side were CEO E s, MDs MD an a d GMs (4 %), (49 %) 40 40% % were wer ere marke rkk tin titing g personn ers rsonnel onn nne and 10% 0% % cr creat eative iive vve e an and medi med edi d a pers ersonn sonn on nnel. el el Adv dvert dvert rttise se sers ers rs fro fro om majo ajorr and d loc cal a intern int ernati ern rnat ationa on nal bank nks, s FMC FMCG MC CG comp comp om ani a es, proper pro perty per ttyy and an nd co const nss ruc nst nstruc uc u ctio on, n, IT IT an and n teleco te tel eco c mmu commu munic n a atiions nss fifirms rms ms, as well as a ttho ho ose e ffro r m trav ro trav a e av ell and n to touri ur sm co com o panies pa par p artic ttic cipa ip ipa pa p ated te te ed d in in th the ssurv the urrvvey ur urv urvey. ey. e yy.

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NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR ................................................................................................................................................................................................................

1 THE STRAITS TIMES Taking top spot this year is The Straits Times (ST).

This year is a special year for Singapore’s oldest newspaper as it marks its 170th anniversary.

To celebrate this milestone, ST revamped its product across print and digital platforms and has organised a series of special exhibitions, forums, event tie-ups and reader giveaways. It also launched an integrated branding campaign that emphasised the role of the paper throughout the history of Singapore.

ST underwent a major revamp from July 1, giving readers the quality content that has come to be associated with the brand.

The team came up with a new design that ensures a seamless experience whether the paper is being read on print, computers, tablets or mobile phones.

The old style paywall, which used to put much of ST’s content out of reach from non-subscribers, has also being changed.

ST has moved to what it claims is a metered paywall, which gives nonsubscribers a certain number of free articles a month to read in full and share with their friends and contacts

on social media. In addition, the newspaper has lined up special treats and experiences for its readers in this celebratory year.

The newspaper has worked with a whole slew of sponsors and partners to put together a year-long of specially curated treats for its readers called “The Longest Thank You”.

The grand prize is a new Land Rover Discovery Sport SUV 2015. Other giveaways include home makeovers, Ball watches and Mitsubishi appliances.

There are also overseas all-expenses paid trips among other goodies.

On 11 July, ST became the first organisation to hold an event at the Botanic Gardens after the venue was recognised as a Unesco World Heritage Site.

ST also partnered OCBC Bank for the inaugural OCBC Cycle 2015, Singapore’s only mass cycling event. This partnership saw the securing of special perks for ST readers.

In total, ST has secured more than SG$2.5 million in funding from various sponsors to make possible all these programmes to reward and thank readers, and to increase engagement with them.

This is a record for the paper and the number is still increasing.

The Business Times has taken second spot this year. The newspaper relaunched its print and digital editions on all platforms in October 2014.

The relaunch encompassed both design and content changes.

The Business Times, the financial daily of Singapore Press Holdings, launched a major refresh of its newspaper, website and mobile apps late last year.

The new Business Times was designed to provide readers with a better reading experience and a more enjoyable interaction with the paper.

Its new masthead reinforces the paper’s identity as a credible source of business news, insights and analysis. Wider columns and more

distinct fonts give the paper a crisp feel, and make for clearer reading. The new business sections include real estate, banking and finance, energy and commodities, technology, consumer, transport and life and culture.

The biggest change in the new Business Times, in print and online, is how the news is reported. With the revamp, the news will now be categorised by industry sectors – rather than geographical markets – underlining the paper’s sharpened focus on business.

The new emphasis was put on bold infographics to present and explain stories and issues to readers while interactive infographics were introduced online, and a new blog section was launched. There was also a revamped stocks section on the website.

The Business Times’ current advertisers include OCBC, UBS, Citi, Mercedes, BMW and Rolex, among others.

The paper prides itself on being the only dedicated business newspaper in Singapore, bringing a unique blend of both local and international business news to readers. Currently it targets what it calls “captains of industry”.

Other priority target groups for the newspaper include policy makers, serious investors, business owners, PMEBs and business students with an interest in industry and investing.

2 THE BUSINESS TIMES

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SPH trade ad- newspaper diet 210x280.ai

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EVERY PAGE OF THE NEWSPAPER IS A DELECTABLE READ. Here’s an appetising insight readers find advertisements just as palatable as the stories the newspaper carries. While news nourish their minds with the most quintessential of ingredients, advertisements spice up their overall appreciation of brands and trends!

So the next time you’re looking for the perfect media recipe, look no further than a newspaper – it’s tried, it’s tested, a truly delectable dish indeed!

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newspapers THE STRAITS TIMES • THE BUSINESS TIMES • THE NEW PAPER • MY PAPER • LIANHE ZAOBAO • LIANHE WANBAO • SHIN MIN DAILY NEWS • BERITA HARIAN • TAMIL MURASU • TABLA!

NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR ................................................................................................................................................................................................................

3 THE EDGE SINGAPORE

Taking third spot this year for Newspaper of the Year is The Edge Singapore which is part of The Edge Media Group. The paper continued on the journey to embrace digital as smartphones, tablets and desktops become increasingly the preferred platform for media consumption.

Subscribers of The Edge Singapore are either already or aspire to be business leaders and corporate captains. “The readers are also the news makers featured in The Edge. They play management roles and are key decision-makers.

They are investors and high-net-worth individuals.

They are affluent,” said Edward Stanislaus, managing director of The Edge Singapore.

Three major initiatives the paper ventured into was to launch two portals covering the capital and property markets TheEdgeMarkets. com and TheEdgeProperty.com; and a daily free digital newsletter Singapore Morning Brief.

The Edge Singapore also successfully launched a series of events under The Edge Events. The Edge Events is held exclusively for the paper’s subscribers and according to the company has become highly sought after and well attended.

Going forward, the team at The Edge Singapore intends to expand this to further cover leadership, entrepreneurship, lifestyle and other topics relevant and timely for subscribers’ interest.

Advertisers’ profile for the paper has not changed dramatically over the past 13 years. It’s always been the mid to high-end luxury category, be it automobiles to watches, airlines to private property, stock-brokers/trading platforms to private banks, executive learning institutions and B2B corporate advertisers. The paper prides itself on its regular sections ranging on a variety of issues such as corporate, personal wealth, enterprise and options and many others.

viewers in a conventional way, but to engage them in an interactive and media-specific, media-rich environment. TODAY plays host to a range of advertisers. These include brands such as McDonald’s, NTUC Unity, Gain City, NTUC FairPrice, Levi’s, Sunplay and many others.

This year, TODAY’s parent company MediaCorp announced a major reorganisation to its teams, moving away from traditional media lines towards a focus on specific consumer groups.

MediaCorp’s business portfolio, comprising

more than 50 products, will be managed by teams focused on the following consumer segments: family, news, youth, parents, women, men, Malay, Indian, foodies, learners, live entertainment and premieres. Meanwhile, late last year, it also appointed Sony executive Jack Lim to head its commercial offerings, reporting to CEO Shaun Seow. Seow said the company’s new direction would be more “customercentric”, and highly data-focused. He added the firm would become platform-agnostic, which was “drastically different from how any media company in the world currently operates”.

4 TODAY

Taking fourth position is MediaCorp’s TODAY. TODAY offers quality content in a convenient, compact format. The free newspaper offers readers an unrivalled package of the top local and international news reports, as well as insightful, thought-provoking commentary and analysis.

TODAY provides fast news updates via social media feeds, in-depth news analysis in print and digital media, as well as engaging commentary on all news topics relevant to Singaporeans. The robust ad delivery system was implemented to not only serve ads to

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NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR ................................................................................................................................................................................................................

5 THE NEW PAPER The New Paper retains its fifth spot this year.

The past year saw The New Paper launching several initiative to engage its readers. Some examples include The New Paper Big Walk, SPH Golf, Swing and The New Paper league club, among many others. It also secured a partnership with Sports Singapore to become the official paper of the SEA Games 2015 held in Singapore.

According to The New Paper, its focus for the past 12 months has been largely on the digital realm.

It launched M, The New Paper’s weekly Wednesday entertainment supplement, on 15 April. M stands for the three vital elements to enjoyment in Singapore, namely, movies, music and makan.

M is The New Paper’s online entertainment and lifestyle portal leveraging on the main site’s six million page views per month.

The site hosts original content along with the best of The New Paper’s columns – Weets Eats (food reviews), Biker Boy (motor lifestyle), Aspire/ Afford (shopping), Live Right (health) and Hed Chef (cooking).

UOB and Golden Village were the launch sponsors, while Warner Bros and FOX have since come on board to advertise on the site.

Meanwhile, The New Paper’s advertisers range from the government sector to the private education sector, to top companies in the FMCG and electronic sectors.

Courts has also recently been consistently advertising in The New Paper.

It continues to be the only newspaper with its own pub – The New Paper Sports Bar at Clarke Quay – for loyal readers to gather, enjoy

soccer screenings and special F&B deals.

In essence, The New Paper strives to show vividly, and tell compellingly. It prides itself on being hyper local, aiming to know Singapore for the sake of its readers. Its news philosophy is to be: “Local. Vocal. Social.”

According to The New Paper, it remains the newspaper with the youngest median readership – at 38 years.

Clinching sixth spot is My Paper.

The past 12 months saw My Paper launching a new version of its free mobile app for iOS and Android in February 2015. With the app, readers can browse an electronic recreation of the physical paper offline for about a week after the day’s edition has been downloaded. This allows the paper to reach readers who may have missed the print edition of My Paper and gives advertisers an additional platform.

Several promotional activities for the app have also been launched, such as gift redemptions and discounts if users flash the app on their mobile devices.

My Paper carries new content from SPH’s staple of magazines and news sites, such as HWM/HardwareZone.com.sg, Her

World and AsiaOne.com. This has allowed the paper to cover a broad range of lifestyle topics, from the latest gadgets to beauty and travel.

Besides continuing to translate and rewrite reports from local Chinese newspapers, My Paper now repackages news from foreign Chinese publications from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Malaysia. The articles range from domestic and societal issues to business and entertainment news.

New fortnightly opinion columns featuring Singapore writers have been introduced in My Paper as well: The Mummy Chronicles, which focuses on parenting matters; and Thirty Going On Auntie, which delves into the issues a Singapore “auntie” in her 30s faces.

My Paper’s major advertisers include CapitaMalls, Giant, Muji, McDonald’s, BreadTalk, SilkAir, Qatar Airways, Slim Fit, Kao Singapore and PSB Academy.

My Paper remains the only bilingual newspaper in Singapore and is the thirdhighest circulating newspaper here with a daily readership of 266,000.

It is targeted at upwardly mobile professionals, managers, executives and businessmen (PMEBs).

The publication aims to keep young, bilingual professionals up-to-date with what’s happening around them.

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NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR ................................................................................................................................................................................................................

7 LIANHE ZAOBAO

Retaining its seventh spot this year is Chinese language newspaper Lianhe Zaobao. With a readership of 760,000, it has established itself as an influential and authoritative newspaper that gives valuable insights into both local and foreign news.

The paper continues to deliver extensive local news coverage for its Chinese readers, setting itself apart from other Chinese publications which are more focused on East Asian news. This past year, Lianhe Zaobao launched a few initiatives in conjunction with its digital arm, Zaobao.com’s 20th anniversary celebrations.

It aims to provide more content via its digital platforms to engage readers. These include Z-Property, a new Chinese language property site which provides readers with up-to-date news, commentaries and feature stories on the private property market in Singapore and abroad. The content on Z-Property is produced by property reporters of Lianhe Zaobao.

Lianhe Zaobao also introduced Zaobao WeChat that features six informative WeChat channels. It was launched in February to

provide readers with breaking news and lifestyle information. Each of the six channels broadcast a message to readers every day, alerting them to access four to eight news articles with photos in each message.

In terms of new appointments, Catherine Goh Sin Hwee was promoted to associate editor of Lianhe Zaobao. She oversees the China, foreign, business and sports desks.

Lianhe Zaobao’s advertisers include brands from various sectors, including property, banking, retail, health and government bodies.

Besides the general Chinese community, its target readers include professionals, managers, executives and businessmen (PMEBs), SME bosses, highbrow readers, as well as the growing number of new immigrants from the Greater China Region.

Lianhe Wanbao ties with Berita Harian in eighth place in this year’s Newspaper of the Year rankings. According to Singapore Press Holdings, Lianhe Wanbao has 369,000 readers daily.

Last August, the newspaper had a revamp with a new masthead. It made a change in the layout of its pages to highlight the main story of each page and standardise the colour of the headlines. Both the volume of news and variety of types of stories increased.

The paper also has a biweekly in-depth report on both news and lifestyles topics, alternating with the editor’s interviews of people from different walks of life who have made significant contributions It now has a weekly column for SMEs and micro SMEs to create a platform for them to share their success stories. It also began organising talks for these groups to enrich their knowledge

in economic and business trends as well.

“More fundamentally, the paper embarked on a vision to emphasise that we care, connect and communicate with readers, through the treatment of news stories, and inject hope and positive attitudes towards life,” said an SPH spokesperson.

The newspaper claims a good reach with “heartlanders”. Sixty one per cent of its readers are household grocery buyers; 70% have a household income of less than SG$3,000; 36% are PMEBs and white-collar workers, while 31% are blue-collar workers.

Last year, the newspaper checked in at eighth position as well. In 2013, the newspaper embarked on a digital journey. In September, it launched three new platforms – online and on the iPad app and iPhone app. Lianhe Wanbao was established on 16 March 1983.

Malay community to voice its views on issues which concern it. It is a paper that speaks with authority and understands the needs of the Malay community, according to Berita Harian.

Its revamp conducted a year ago shifted the newspaper’s focus to streamlining its news content to be more relevant to the Malay community.

For example, Berita Harian aims to include more news packages that especially highlight and celebrate the triumphs and achievements of the Malay community.

In the past 12 months, it has done outreach efforts to its readers through several events such as health forums and the National Futsal Competition.

Its top five advertisers are representative of those fields – Courts and TT International Limited (household needs and furniture), Herbal Pharm (health and medicine), Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (religion) and Andalus Corporation (education). The three main sectors that advertise are the government sector, fastmoving consumer goods and education.

As the only Malay-language national newspaper, it boasts an extensive network of access to key Malay personalities and celebrities.

8 LIANHE WANBAO

8 BERITA HARIAN Berita Harian also takes eighth spot this year.

Established on 1 July 1957, it presents news and issues from home, the region and the world, featuring a wide spectrum of topics from sports to politics and religion. Other highlights include Malay culture and tradition, arts and heritage, family, hobbies and leisure.

Berita Harian also provides a platform for the

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9 BERITA MINGGU Berita Minggu, the Sunday edition of the Berita Harian, comes in ninth place for Newspaper of the Year. It was first published on 10 July, 1960 to focus on leisure and family oriented stories related to the Malay community.

The newspaper goes beyond foreign and local news coverage to present articles on cooking and literature as well as the latest in entertainment, sports and reviews of TV and radio programmes.

A year ago, the Berita Minggu also revamped itself, streamlining its news content to be more relevant to the Malay community, through news packages that celebrate their triumphs and achievements.

“In the past 12 months, we have done outreach efforts to our readers through several events, the two major ones being health forums

and the National Futsal Competition,” said a spokesperson. It shares advertisers with Berita Harian, which has advertisers such as Courts and TT International Limited (household needs and furniture), Herbal Pharm (health and medicine), Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (religion) and Andalus Corporation (education).

According to a spokesperson the three main sectors that advertise in the paper are the government sector, fast-moving consumer goods and education.

“We have an extensive network of access to key Malay personalities and celebrities. It is constantly in touch with the community’s needs and wants, and proves this in its coverage daily.

Over the past decades, Berita Harian has established itself as a brand name and household name,” said a spokesperson.

elements to make it a more refreshing read.

Stronger coverage and a more attractive layout were introduced in two of its popular sections, sports and entertainment, to attract more readers.

This year, Shin Min reached out to more readers via various community events. The Shin Min All Wheels Day was a new event organised in April this year.

The outdoor event at Punggol Waterway Park celebrated the spirit of healthy living and bonding with Shin Min readers and their families and friends.

The event also aimed to help raise public awareness about the conservation of nature.

The paper also organised other events with advertisers such as the Shin Min Heartland Talent Challenge （新明达人赛）and Shin Min Graceful Living （新明活跃乐龄、优雅生活).

Currently, the paper attracts a wide range of advertisers targeting heartlanders. This ranges from beauty, health, furnishing and fast-moving consumer products.

According to SPH, Shin Min positions itself as the “heartland” newspaper, serving up a daily dose of the latest news, entertainment, sports coverage and various features, including cooking recipes, horoscopes, health, a legal advice column and racing.

“With the slogan ‘Connecting with heartlanders like no other’, Shin Min continues to be a localised newspaper for the heartlanders,” said a spokesperson.

It has more than 52,000 followers on Facebook.

It claims a strong following among the heartlanders and Chinese middle-class, including PMEBs and SMEs.

and outside. It also looks at developments in the publishing field related to Indians. Tabla! has hired T. Shanmugharatnam as its marketing director to boost its marketing initiatives.

In the paper’s own words, it is the “heartbeat of the Indian community”.

“We report on issues and developments related to the Indian community in Singapore and things that interest them,” said a spokesperson.

“This includes developments in India.

We are different from the rest because we reach the homes of many Indians who are not subscribers of mainstream dailies and the news is mostly about them.” The target audience is the

Indian expat, new Indian citizens or permanent residents, local Indians and anyone interested in India.

Tabla! counts SilkAir, SIA, Changi Airports, AirAsia, Malindo Air, Air India, Courts, State Bank of India, India Tourism, MDIS, S P Jain, and Indian property developers among its advertisers.

10 SHIN MIN DAILY NEWS

Mandarin daily the Shin Min Daily News ties with Tabla! in 10th spot. Started on 18 March, 1967, the light-hearted evening newspaper provides the latest on a wide range of local and international topics. The newspaper was recently revamped with new content and design

10 TABLA! Tied for 10th place in this year’s rankings is Tabla! and Shin Min Daily News. In August 2014, Tabla! kicked off a series of tea sessions with various Indian community leaders called Tea With Tabla!

“The Indian community in Singapore is very diverse and our aim is to get to understand the needs and issues of each community. We have so far met up with the Sikhs, Bengalis, Malayalees, Gujaratis, Tamils, Sindhis and hopefully by end November will meet all the major Indian communities here,” said a spokesperson.

This exercise has helped the paper get closer to the community and also improve its coverage of community events.

The tea sessions are held at the Tandoor Restaurant at Holiday Inn. Editorially, it also started a new monthly book column called Tabla! Reads. This column reviews books written by Indians in Singapore

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DATA DEMOCRACY: WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR BRANDS? BROUGHT TO YOU BY:

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As much as its important for brands to become data-centric in their marketing, it is equally important to democratise data within the organisation, for businesses need to break down internal silos in order to truly become customer-oriented.

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EQUIPPING ORGANISATIONS FOR THE DIGITAL ERA While digital has disrupted many sectors, companies making it the centre of gravity and a core capability could create more shareholder value.

In a single lifetime, digital has changed the face of markets and economies.

From social media to big data, the digital revolution has had three overarching effects on businesses – so far.

First, it has created mega companies such as Baidu, Facebook, Google, and Tencent. The market value of the world’s largest 20 internet companies, most of which are no more than 15 years old, is already a quarter of the value of the world’s biggest 20 companies by revenue, some of which have been in business for a century or more.

Second, digital has disrupted many sectors, from music to automotive.

Finally, it has given consumers enormous power. In developed countries in Asia, for example, more than a third of financial services customers said online research had influenced their decisions across a range of banking products.

For all the change that’s already happened, the next wave of disruption is already bearing down. The use of big data has facilitated the refinement of machine-learning algorithms that help manage energy usage, make ever more relevant recommendations to consumers, and

Source: McKinsey

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for companies with top DQ scores is about three times that of companies with low DQ scores. Five-year average compounded annual growth rates for revenue are almost five times greater.

The best-performing companies often score high on all four aspects of DQ, even if they rarely excel at every DQ management practice.

Given this reality, we identified three archetypes among the top scorers: superstars, which did well across the board; digital souls, whose outstanding culture overcame weak capabilities; and digital hands, whose outstanding capabilities overcame cultural shortfalls, such as inadequate external orientation.

Among the crucial characteristics shared by the best companies is making digital integral to corporate strategy and having a culture that accepts and encourages risk taking. Many companies with high DQ scores, for example, express a high tolerance for bold initiatives. In addition, many of these companies actively use prototypes and limited releases to test ideas with real customers.

Other qualities associated with high-scoring companies are related to capabilities. Executives at these companies have the necessary resources and capabilities to produce, share and update digital content at scale.

Their companies are also effective at investing in digital infrastructure. In

"Among the crucial characteristics shared by the best companies is making digital integral to corporate strategy and having a culture that accepts and encourages risk taking. Many companies with high DQ scores, for example, express a high tolerance for bold initiatives." automate a massive array of processes. And the effects of the internet of things and digital artificial intelligence are just beginning.

Asia is at the forefront of many of these digital developments. Chinese businesses, Tencent and Baidu, for example, are among the world’s leading internet companies.

Among other innovators, GrabTaxi offers automated location-based smartphone bookings of taxis in Southeast Asia; Codapay is a digitalpayment service that can be used throughout Southeast Asia; and Samsung Smart Driving, from South Korea, provides a suite of automotive diagnostic and maintenance utilities.

Nevertheless, many companies in Asia and elsewhere are struggling to adapt to the changes. When companies invest in digital, they tend to treat it as a mere experiment or still a simple add-on to their traditional business models without addressing how digitisation is fundamentally changing their enterprises.

The time to experiment with digital or to consider it peripheral is ending; companies should take the big leap and make digital the core capability to create their shareholder value today and in the future.

To help companies understand how to make that change, McKinsey has developed digital quotient (DQ), a benchmarking capability that assesses an organisation’s digital strengths and weaknesses. Based on extensive research, DQ has identified the 18 management practices across four areas – culture, strategy, capabilities, and organisation – that have the greatest impact on the future financial performance of a company undergoing digital transformation.

According to an analysis of a large sample of publicly traded companies, the average three-year annual total return to shareholders

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addition, many of the top companies have clear metrics centred on digital performance and earmark funds to scale promising initiatives.

For all the positive attributes of digital leaders, there are some common challenges.

Many continue to struggle, for example, with connectivity in delivering a consistent, high-quality customer experience across channels.

Even at high-DQ organisations, finding digital talent outside the company is difficult, roles and responsibilities within the company are often unclear, and measuring return on digital investment is challenging.

Companies struggling to become digital winners may find the breadth of the challenge daunting.

But our analysis also identified three steps to build momentum and deliver early benefits: reach an internal consensus on the company’s digital status and objectives; identify a few initiatives with the greatest value potential; and focus on scaling the most promising initiatives quickly.

Without that kind of focus and commitment, we find that companies may be left with a series of pilot programmes that do not deliver the impact they should.

McKinsey research has shown distinctive characteristics across companies that are thriving in the new digital era. By building up their digital quotient, companies can begin to take advantage of digital’s growth potential.

Jacques Bughin is a director in McKinsey’s Brussels office, and Michael Gryseels is the leader of McKinsey’s telecom, media, and technology practice for Southeast Asia and a director in the Singapore office.

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DATA-DRIVEN MARKETING: HOW BRANDS CAN DEAL WITH CONSUMER DEMOCRACY AND DIGITAL DISRUPTION

Data overload: What can brands do to fully harness data to drive business results?

Since smart device usage became mainstream, industry wide change has been on the cards. Digital disruption is throwing the physical world of processes and goods into disorder. Audiences are now fragmented and elusive, yet more empowered and more demanding than ever before.

With this complexity being the biggest obstacle, marketers have been dealt a hard hand. Under pressure to create a competitive advantage, we ask ourselves a critical question: “What do we aspire to do tomorrow that we are unable to accomplish today?”

The answer, however, remains unchanged – better consumer engagement and increased sales. “[This industry] demands bold and persistent experimentation. It is common sense to take a [new] method and try it,” said Frank Underwood in the acclaimed political drama House of Cards, aired on Singtel TV earlier this year. If Underwood were a marketer, he would probably zero down on “data-driven marketing”, as this ace up your sleeve is the provider of insight-driven certainty (and sanity!).

House of Cards focuses on the story of congressman Underwood (Kevin Spacey), who, after being passed over for appointment as

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secretary of state, initiates an elaborate plan to elevate his position, based on a holistic understanding of his immediate surroundings and target audience behaviour. We can take a leaf out of his playbook to engage consumers more effectively and propel brand value.

In the age of consumer democracy, here are three Underwoodinspired things brands must take note of to regain control of today’s complex environment and master data-driven marketing.

THE CONSUMER ENGAGEMENT PROCESS: “YOU CAN’T TURN A ‘NO’ INTO A ‘YES’ WITHOUT A ‘MAYBE’ FIRST.” Before you campaign for a consumer’s vote of confidence, you must first seek out a comprehensive understanding of his or her purchasing journey – from first contact to purchase to post-purchase behaviour.

This understanding can come about through data analytics, which then sets us up well to embark on a series of relevant and meaningful engagement efforts, using integrated marketing applications.

Collecting and connecting as much as possible of an individual’s cross-channel data is the first step in acquiring a holistic view of the

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consumer’s interests and activities. A customer’s TV programme preferences may indicate he loves the Barclays Premier League and Wimbledon – football and tennis, but his social media handle or web browsing behaviour may also reveal his affinity for the latest tech gadgets or his desire to adopt a healthy lifestyle.

Therefore, if you represent a brand that sells smartphones, nutritional products or even financial products, missing out on any one of these details would mean a missed opportunity for strategic interactions that address the consumer’s unique interests. By adopting a customer-centric, multi-channel understanding, we can respond more appropriately to each consumer’s multi-faceted wants and needs, gradually winning them over.

With the help of big data analytics, we can even study past behaviours to predict the consumer’s possible next move. When done effectively, this feels like engineered serendipity – it leaves customers satisfied and more willing to be brand advocates.

THE NEW PARADIGM: “WE HAVE TO REVERSE OUR THINKING. WHEN THE WIND’S BLOWING AT GALE FORCE, THERE’S NO POINT IN SAILING AGAINST IT.” Brands that are leaders in data-driven, integrated marketing are three times more likely to successfully engage customers and almost three times more likely to have increased revenues[1].

Some marketers have already stepped up their data-driven marketing efforts. The bad news, however, is these efforts often exist in silos and are rendered ineffective as a result.

Brands are often found to be collecting large amounts of data from mobile or social channels, but ignoring other channels and overlooking data integration as a whole. We need to appreciate that data-driven marketing cannot happen in isolation or solely within one section of the marketing department.

For a brand to be considered a leader in modern marketing, it will need to successfully capture, integrate and analyse consumer data from diverse environments such as TV, out-of-home, social and mobile.

Unfortunately, globally, only 18% of marketers have such a holistic view of their consumers[2].

The full incorporation of data analytics is a marketing imperative.

Without this, brands will continue to be hard-pressed to keep customers interested and supportive. We need to stop resisting, and start rethinking and integrating.

THE NEW DESIGNATION: “IMAGINATION IS ITS OWN FORM OF COURAGE” Finally, the importance of having a multi-disciplinary team comprising data scientists and creative personnel will increase as their roles become increasingly intertwined. Enter the “data artist”, a new role that requires a blend of statistical know-how, ability to distil consumer trends, and novel problem-solving abilities.

Top quality analytics require creativity in interpreting, positioning and acting upon data. Statistical know-how must be augmented by a strategic sense – intuition, business acumen, excellent communication skills and, most importantly, the courage to try new approaches in search of game-changing insights that create value from data.

Despite increasing emphasis on data-driven marketing, many organisations do not offer training or education to develop employees into “data artists”. Brands need to start investing in this area, or at the very least, enlist a vendor that can provide this capability. As Underwood might assertively add: “I don’t want to assume, I want to know.”

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In need of rewiring: Brands need to unlearn a few things to become agile.

Back when brands concentrated on just a few channels, intuitionbased decisions drove most of a brand’s marketing strategies, but in the age of digital disruption and consumer democracy, both online and offline actions can now be measured and analysed.

To grab the right slice of an audience’s attention and avoid having your marketing strategy become a house of cards, it becomes increasingly critical to commit to an understanding of your consumers by incorporating the right metrics and analyses.

[1]

Forbes Insights. Data driven and digitally savvy: The rise of the new marketing organisation.

[2] Teradata. Data Driven Marketing Survey 2013.

Anurag Dahiya, Head of Content and Advertising Sales, Group Consumer, Singtel

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CASE STUDY

SINGTEL ADVERTISING ANNOUNCES PRESENTING BROADCAST SPONSOR OPPO, AND BROADCAST SPONSORS BRAND’S® AND NTUC INCOME FOR SINGTEL TV’S BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE SEASON 2015/16 On 15 July 2015, Singtel Advertising’s partners witnessed the signing of global technology brand OPPO, health supplements market leader in Asia, BRAND’S®, and insurance provider NTUC Income, as sponsors of Singtel TV’s Barclays Premier League season 2015/16 at the Barclays Asia Trophy 2015 game which pitted Everton against Stoke City, and Arsenal against a Singapore Select XI. Sean Deng, managing director of OPPO Singapore, said: “Precision and speed are the hallmarks of football and similarly, OPPO’s products embody the high level of performance that is associated with sports.

For example, our R7 launch on 17 July featured the latest ColorOS 2.1 and New Flash Shot that will truly up the ante on innovation.”

Added Isabella Tan, general manager of Singapore, Brunei and the Philippines for Cerebos Pacific Limited: “This is definitely a mustwatch football league for hardcore football fans in Singapore and the region.

“BRAND’S® is delighted to come on board as a broadcast sponsor. This sponsorship is a good opportunity for us to reach out to the massive fan base and support them when they need their daily boost of mental concentration and energy the most.”

Marcus Chew, senior vice-president of strategic marketing and communications at NTUC Income, said: “People in Singapore are

passionate about football, and the immense interest in the Barclays Premier League cuts across all segments of society. That is why we see Singtel TV’s live broadcast as the ideal platform to reach out to this large group of fans and to spread the message that insurance plays an important part in protection and financial planning.”

Goh Seow Eng, managing director, home, consumer Singapore at Singtel, summed it up: “As the official broadcaster of the BPL, we are pleased to continue bringing world-class sporting action to fans and delivering a differentiated football experience. Singapore’s mostwatched football league, BPL, is the perfect platform for these brands to put themselves in the spotlight, raise brand awareness and engage fans.”

ABOUT SINGTEL ADVERTISING Singtel Advertising, under Group Consumer, Singtel is a media platform that offers an array of integrated digital advertising solutions to marketers in Singapore and the Asia Pacific region.

Utilising innovative and data-driven marketing technology, Singtel Advertising’s differentiated solutions help businesses effectively engage their target audiences across four platforms – IPTV marketing, digital marketing, direct marketing and mobile marketing. Its extensive mobile app ecosystem also allows advertisers to deliver brand messages that can be personalised according to an individual’s data consumption and online browsing behaviour.

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FPFC_AD.pdf

1

22/7/15

1:10 pm

Home of the

World’s biggest sporting events Aired close to

40,000 hours

of BPL and other high profile, LIVE sports events in the past 12 months!

mio Stadium (BPL) is the No.1 channel on Singtel TV1

Each weekend LIVE match reaches cheering fans!3 1.5 x full capacity

That’s of the National Stadium in Singapore

83,000 1 2 3

Among BPL Subscribers; August 2014 – May 2015. Source: Singtel – Kantar RPD Service.

October 2014 – April 2015.

Household reach (minimum 1 minute) converted into individuals. Source: Singtel – Kantar RPD Service.

Get in touch with Singtel Advertisng today at adsales@singtel.com

EVENTS

EVOLVING THE RIGHT WAY IN THE WORLD OF E-COMMERCE Just a few years ago, one of the main points of discussion in the retail community was how to compete with online shopping. Brick and mortar store owners griped the rise of the online stores left their physical stores vacant and led to the phenomenon known as showrooming.

That conversation has long changed. Store owners are now fast embracing e-commerce.

Marketing recently organised a half-day seminar for marketers, sponsored by Emarsys, featuring thought leaders from TNS Shopper and Kantar Retail and Harvey Norman to share their views on how to get ahead of the e-commerce wave.

“Regardless of who you are or what you sell the question today is, ‘Are you omni?’ Because, make no mistake, your shoppers are,” said Simon Elsby, director of consulting for TNS Shopper and Kantar Retail.

It is no longer as simple for traditional retailers to just create an online presence to satisfy shoppers’ demands. Retailers today must create multiple touch-points – physical and virtual – that engage shoppers in more customised ways that are calibrated to meet an individual shopper’s needs.

The e-commerce fever has already taken 6 4 MARKETING A UG UST 2015

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Asia by storm and according to statistics shared by Kantar Retail Industry Analysis and Estimates, by 2017, Asia will surpass North America in online retail sales to hold the largest share at 31%. In North America the number is estimated to be 25%.

So how do retailers keep in front of this winning trend?

Getting started According to Elsby the first step is about fundamentally thinking about online as a channel that can drive incremental sales.

Typically though, e-commerce is seen as purely another channel that needs to be considered in channel planning and strategy development.

Retailers, however, need to truly integrate e-commerce as part of the entire marketing strategy and revenue process. Retailers also need to understand how the shopper connects across multiple channels, multiple touch-points and recognise that the modern day shopper is omni-channel.

“In other words, these folks are always connected, always present, and can be influenced across their entire digital and linear path to purchases,” Elsby said.

That is why before embarking on a retail journey, suppliers need to always figure out how to best collaborate with the right customer partners from pure-play online to traditional bricks and mortar. Only then can retailers jointly win across this shopper journey.

“Retailers also need to quickly figure out how, when and what topics they should engage around – from digital shopper marketing to traditional brand communication, portfolio management, channel and pay-forperformance investments,” Elsby said.

Lastly, retailers need to know what set of organisational capabilities, structure, design and resources are required at what stage of their e-commerce journey to drive the right investment decisions, brand and commercial planning.

DATE: 23 July 2015

VENUE: Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore

MADE POSSIBLE BY:

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EVENTS

Is it too late to enter the game now?

Deric Loh, head of e-commerce/online at Harvey Norman, was of the view it is never too late to enter the game. For retailers who haven’t yet made the move, Loh has three simple, but effective words of advice: Just do it.

“There will never be a perfect time or perfect process. We all have to dive right in and make sense of it along the way. Tweaks and adjustments will always be a part of the e-commerce strategy and development, but this shouldn’t hold us back,” Loh said.

Loh was quick to add the most important aspect of launching an e-commerce store was having the customer at the centre of all processes.

This means that not only do the physical stores and the online stores need to have a united front, but moreover the teams behind the scenes on the distribution and delivery, sales and marketing, customer service, mobile and home services, all need to know the customer’s purchase journey or any problems they might have encountered.

“Often the customer service teams are

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left handling angry customers and most of the time, they had nothing to do with the initial purchase and are left to put out the fires. This leads to the customer having to repeat his or her stories countless times which causes them to be jilted and taking to social media to vent their frustrations.”

While Harvey Norman’s 16 stores are now highly focused on providing a seamless crosschannel customer experience and getting rid of organisational silos, one of the hardest aspects of integrating e-commerce at the end of the day also comes down to agreeing on an attribution model.

Nonetheless, said Loh, legacy roles must change and organisations need to break down silos if they want to really implement an online e-commerce strategy into their marketing mix.

“Be it in stores’ sales assistants to the delivery team, customers need to be in the centre of the sales process. You’re either the kind of brand that cares about getting the experience with every single customer right or you don’t mind losing the customer,” he said.

Seconding his notion was Elsby who added

that because the traditional lines between ATL and BTL are more blurred now than ever before this was forcing the traditional roles of sales and marketing functions to evolve.

“Building brand equity has deeper commercial implications than ever before, and commercial decisions made with channels and customers must consider how my brand portfolio and my marketing communication will deliver both on traditional sales ROI measures such as value, margin expansion as well as driving value for our brands, with our shoppers,” Elsby said.

Pay to play From customised burgers to e-cards, personalisation is the key to any great marketing today. Your customer wants to feel special and connected to your brand. This is prevalent to the success of any brand online or offline.

“Be it online or offline, returning customers are the key to success for any business strategy,” said Tomás Puig, global CMO of Emarsys.

He added that while most e-commerce companies needed return customers for the survival of their business in a competitive online sphere, 80% of most companies’ marketing budgets are spent on getting first-time shoppers and, sadly enough, only 2% buy. Also, only 30% of these 2% shoppers will become repeat shoppers.

Simply putting out a Facebook promotion post or garnering “likes” is no longer enough for a brand online. Constant engagement and promotions are needed in the e-commerce world where site loyalty is scarce. Brands also need to make sure they have multiple channels to drive traffic to their site.

In Singapore, email, SMS’ and social media are still effective ways to draw in the customer.

This year, according to Puig, Singapore has one of the highest mobile penetration rates in the world at about 148.5%. Almost 66% of the local population uses social media. Nearly 70% use Facebook and 50% use YouTube.

Linkedin comes in at 26% followed by 25% for Instagram.

“With high open rates, mobile is still a very underused channel. Moreover, brand reach online still continues to plummet. To reach customers online, simply posting content and getting ‘likes’ is no longer enough. To reach the audiences that have even liked your page you need to pay. You must use paid digital to benefit your offline and online business,” he said.

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CAREERS

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CAREER PATH Anurag Dahiya, Head of content and advertising, group consumer Singtel

First job? Unilever. More specifically being a part of the Wall’s business in India as it was being set up.

First job in advertising/ marketing? My current job.

Best job? My current job.

The new technologies we have on board – location-based technology, mobile and TV analytics, virtual and augmented reality technology – have shown me what the world can be like.

The possibilities are endless.

Perks of your current job? I

get to watch all the TV I want and still get away with telling my wife that I’m working.

Worst job? It has to be during

that stint at Wall’s, when I was required to switch from traditional ice-cream push-carts to high-tech carts that provided electrical chilling overnight.

There were frequent power cuts, which meant that stocks would melt completely at some point, leaving a very angry, union cardholding vendor on the lookout for me!

Marketing professionals you admire? For me, the most

impactful team of marketing professionals is the one at World Wildlife Fund, which through some really thought-provoking campaigns, have succeeded in elevating the conservation agenda to the forefront.

Best career advice you’ve been given? “Never take career

advice seriously!”

If you weren’t in marketing, what would you be? Still

contending with demanding, unionised ice-cream vendors perhaps! Or spending more time on the broadcast side of the Singtel TV business.

How do you wind down? With

an old LP and some home-brewed beer.

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JOB SHUFFLE Helen Forsyth has left her role as area marketing director for GSK consumer healthcare, Asia.

Her last day was on 14 July. She will be returning to the UK after 16 years at GSK which included four years in Asia.

She told Marketing she would be pursuing other interests in a new geography. As area marketing director, she was based in Malaysia and was responsible for marketing GSK consumer healthcare brands across Asia.

She led the regional marketing team as well as in-country marketing teams.

StarHub moved chief marketing officer Jeannie Ong (pictured) to a newly created role of chief strategic partnership officer and appointed Lenovo stalwart Howie Lau as its new chief marketing officer.

Ong will lead StarHub’s efforts in establishing and maintaining strong strategic relationships with government agencies, content partners, key strategic partners and other complementary companies. Lau will chart StarHub’s brand and marketing strategies across all marketing functions.

Amy Dabbs joined MEC Singapore as its new head of digital, adding to a string of senior and specialist hires that started earlier this year. She will lead MEC’s delivery on its vision to drive transformational marketing solutions for its clients through the connection of technology, data, insight and content. Having recently relocated from the UK, she has spent the past 10 years building a career in digital.

Travel search website Wego appointed Rick Mulia as its new chief advertising and media officer.

He is tasked with leading the company’s advertising and media endeavours on a global scale, managing both direct and programmatic sales. His focus is to make Wego and its audience data a must-have purchase for travel advertisers investing in direct performance or programmatic ad buying.

TBWA Worldwide appointed creative director Chris Garbutt as its new global creative president. He joined TBWA from Ogilvy & Mather East in New York, where he served as chief creative officer. In his new role, he will oversee the creative direction for TBWA’s hallmark global clients, including Nissan, McDonald’s, adidas, Pernod Ricard, and more. He will also partner with newly appointed CEO Rob Schwartz to helm the network’s flagship New York office.

SapientNitro appointed Silva Robertson as its hiring lead for Asia Pacific. She reports directly to Kristina Shedd, SapientNitro’s global director of hiring.

Robertson will be a part of the agency’s upcoming initiatives of launching a fully fledged internship programme. Her role will see her assemble and maintain a valued hiring team to attract diverse talent across the agency’s regional offices in Australia, China, Hong Kong and Singapore.

OgilvyOne Singapore appointed Jason Hill as head of consulting and data analytics. Leading a team of specialists, Hill will focus on drawing together data insights

and their strategic application for clients such as Pond’s, IHG, Singtel and BMW. Locally, Hill reports to Chris Riley, COO of O&M Singapore, and regionally to Lucy McCabe, VP of consulting services, Asia Pacific.

Facebook added Sandeep Khanna, a senior marketer, to its regional learning and development (L&D) team for Asia Pacific.

Facebook confirmed the move to Marketing. Khanna reports to Nitin More, head of learning and development in APAC, and will work closely with him on rolling out L&D programmes across the region – which comprises countries from ANZ to India and Japan, among others.

CNBC appointed Max Raven as senior vicepresident of international ad sales. He will take responsibility for CNBC International’s sales strategy and operations across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific and Latin America. In APAC, he will work closely with CNBC’s VP of sales, Kerry Tarrant, who will report to him. Raven has joined as the network expands its multiplatform commercial offering.

WFA appointed Jamshed Wadia, head of digital for the Asia Pacific region at Intel, as the first APAC chair of its digital forum. He has more than 18 years of experience in marketing and sales with a focus on digital marketing, social media and e-commerce. He is currently the head of digital marketing and media at Intel Asia Pacific and Japan.

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LAST WORD ................................................................................................................................................................................................................

THE WORST THING YOU COULD SAY TO YOUR COLLEAGUES IN PR Can you “PR” this? One senior PR professional goes on a rant.

“Can we PR this?”

Now, how many times would a PR person have received such a request? I never fail to cringe whenever I hear this.

What does it mean really when someone asks you to “PR” something?

Does it mean to publicise it, write a press release about it or just have your work seen by the world? When people don’t know just what to get out of a piece of information, “PR-ing” it, seems to be the best ROI. You can show it to your boss, or your client, or your internal teams and they will all be happy their work was featured somewhere.

To all PR folks, PR-ing something is a cringe-worthy word and, even more, a dreaded task. If something is worthy of being out there, it gets out there regardless of being “PR-ed”.

Now there are some things that need a strategy, a plan, a team telling the same story – the product team, the marketing team, the sales team, the advertising team, even the CEO. I am not talking about such big launches. These are often global or regional in nature.

But small, intangible efforts that don’t add up to the bigger picture, that don’t show a corporate as a differentiator from its competitors, that don’t tell a good story, often come to a communications lead’s desk to be “PR-ed”.

And the comms lead takes one for the team, writes a press release to ensure their team feels good about their work and “PRs” it.

6 8 MARKETING A UG UST 2015

“To all PR folks, PR-ing something is a cringe-worthy word and, even more, a dreaded task. If something is worthy of being out there, it gets out there regardless of being ‘PR-ed’.”

From university open days to intern grad days; from climbing Kota Kinabalu to running a marathon for fun; from birthday celebrations to employee or client outings; website or app updates; trade-fair participation; wearing pink or green or white or whatever the colour day; selfie or wefie competitions – the examples are aplenty.

Such “PR-ed” activities unfortunately diminish the value of communications to a company, to its peers and the industry at large.

Communicating at the right time, in the right way, to the right audience is a combination of art and science.

It takes years of practice and experience. It takes a thorough understanding of the market, its competitors or the target audiences and the mode to reach these audiences via the various forms of media. Most importantly, it is aimed at building a good story about a company.

So, if there is no story or a strategy, don’t PR it. Just please don’t.

The writer is a senior PR professional who is working at a major MNC.

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