ED’S LETTER
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Editorial Rezwana Manjur, Editor rezwanam@marketing-interactive.com Venus Hew, Senior Journalist venush@marketing-interactive.com Vivienne Tay, Journalist viviennet@marketing-interactive.com Editorial – International Inti Tam, Deputy Editor (Hong Kong) intit@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 Johnathan Tiang, Team Lead johnathant@marketing-interactive.com Ee Kai Li, Account Manager kailie@marketing-interactive.com Erica Loh, Account Manager erical@marketing-interactive.com Nadiah Jamaludin, Account Manager nadiahj@marketing-interactive.com Ong Yi Xuan, Trade Marketing Executive yixuano@marketing-interactive.com Advertising Sales - International Sara Wan, Senior Sales Manager (Hong Kong) saraw@marketing-interactive.com
This month, I had the pleasure of meeting John Jay, president of global creative of Fast Retailing. Jay is a legend in the ad world having worked with the likes of Nike, Bloomingdale’s and W+K. So you can imagine my excitement in having an opportunity to interview him (#fangirl moment). A maverick of sorts, Jay believes that in today’s world, a good creative needs to be a good strategist as well. The vice versa is also true, he says (read his full profile on page 18). So, while the struggle between the “mad man” and the “math man” continue, ultimately both are needed in equal doses to solve a business problem, he explains. Call me biased, but one medium that I think has utilised both “math” and “mad” is print. The medium has proven itself hardy with local publishers coming up with innovative ways to keep the content of their magazines fresh. They look to constantly give their magazines a new boost of life by marrying it to the world of digital (check out page 22 for the complete list of top magazines locally).
Despite all the talk of print publishing being a sunset industry, publishers have proven otherwise. Because of this special spark and fighting spirit, my love for the print medium burns bright. Speaking of spark, you might have noticed this month we have a very special double edition. In its third year, The Spark Awards blew us away with the amount of bold work presented from across the region (page 37). The clients, mediums and methods of execution might have been varied, but all our winners displayed tremendous creativity. They inspired us and this, we believe, warranted a special highlight and focus. After our hour-long chat, Jay left me with a simple saying that when your vocation meets vacation, hard work doesn’t seem that hard anymore. This rings true for us on the Marketing team. I hope you enjoy reading the edition as much as we enjoyed putting it together.
Event Production and Marketing Hairol Salim, Regional Lead - Events and Training hairol@marketing-interactive.com Andrew Davy, Regional Marketing Lead andrewd@marketing-interactive.com Event Services Yeo Wei Qi, Regional Head of Events Services weiqi@marketing-interactive.com Circulation Executive Deborah Quek, Circulations Executive deborahq@marketing-interactive.com Finance Evelyn Wong, Regional Finance Director evelynw@lighthousemedia.com.sg Management Søren Beaulieu, Publisher sorenb@marketing-interactive.com Justin Randles, Group Managing Director jr@marketing-interactive.com Tony Kelly, Managing Director tk@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. MCI (P) 122/01/2016. 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 publisher of Marketing magazine 2/F, Connaught Harbourfront House, 35-36 Connaught Road West, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong Tel: +852 2861 1882 Fax: +852 2861 1336 To subscribe to Marketing magazine, go to: www.marketing-interactive.com
Rezwana Manjur Deputy editor
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Photography: Stefanus Elliot Lee – www.elliotly.com; Makeup & Hair: Michmakeover using Make Up For Ever & hair using Sebastian Professional – www.michmakeover.com
THE CREATIVE SPARK WITHIN