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SEPTEMBER2002 REGIONAL PUBLISHER

Harmandar Singh aka Ham EDITOR

Nathan Conrad

DESIGNER

Eric Chun

CONTRIBUTORS

Lance Dewey Alice Freeman Morris Dickers Leonard Tse

OFFICIAL PHOTOGRAPHER

Jen Siow/ Jen Studio PRINTER

Far East Digital Prints

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3D0I magazine is published every month by Sledgehammer Communications (M) Sdn Bhd 22B, Jalan Tun Mohd. Fuad Satu, Taman Tun Dr. Ismail, 60000, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Tel: 603-7726 2588 Fax: 603-7726 2598 E-mail: ham@pop.jaring.my

Notes From The Editor A COUPLE of weeks ago I attended Adball 2002, which was themed 'Shanghai Beach'. For those of you who may not have known who I was, let me give you a clue: I wasn't in costume. In fact, I think I was one of only six people in that entire ballroom that didn't bother to dress for the occa­ sion. So I offer this condolence to the MAA orga­ nizers... invite me back next year and I promise I'll get a costume. It's the least that I can do. For those who couldn't make it, be sure to check out our pictorial spread on page 22.

The Samsung Asian Games campaign featured on page 20 should be breaking just about the time you read this. Done by FCB in Singapore, the Kore­ an clients were so pleased with the result, they reportedly intend to run the campaign in 'Corea' during the Games.

Far away on the other side of the globe in New York City, Wunderman's global helmsman Daniel Morel took a few minutes to chat with us about the current state of the direct marketing industry, as well as the vitality of his own company - one of the true DM pioneers.

Our cover story this month is the dynamic Chris Leong, who's returned to Malaysia after 12 years abroad to take up the regional reigns at Grey. She brings with her an incredible wealth of experience,

and of course, a certain zest that could only have been learned in Hong Kong.

Another exciting event I had the opportunity to attend was the 4A's Concentration Camp on Fraser's Hill (page 16). It's always a nice feeling to go "back to school," and as I'm sure many of the participants will attest to, the event was well worth the rather slow drive up the hill. Rumour has it, that this is the first in a series of training events the 4AS has planned for the industry.

One last note: Adrenaline, Malaysia's first ded­ icated advertising students award show, will be held at securities commission in Bulcit Kiara on 20 September. There were hundreds of good entries, but only a few will be chosen as winners.

Please come to support the upstarts. Who knows, perhaps you can even do a bit of headhunting...

See you there,

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Highlights

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© All rights reserved by Sledgehammer Communications (M) Sdn. Bhd. No part of this magazine may be reproduced in any form with­ out prior permission in writing from the publisher. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information in this publication, the publisher and the editor assume no responsibility for errors or omissions or for any consequences of reliance of information in this publication. The opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent the views of the publisher or editor. Advertisements are the sole responsibility of the advertisers.

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Chris Howden: Whispers with Sheep Paul Loosely: Original Sins Dean Johns: Plucky OrYucky?

Julie Lingan: Postscript From September Mourn

12 21 26

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Interactive Josh Sklar: Critics Raise The Roof

15

Direct Marketing Wunderman's Daniel Morel Kurt Crocker: Bad Results From Good Work...What To Do?

18

MVs Concentration Camp Campaign Showcase: FCB Takes Samsung To The Asian Games 'Shanghai Beach' - Fun, Fun, Fun at Adball 2002

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A Features/Reviews

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Exclusive Interviews Cover Story: Chris Leong The Power of Product Placement with Ten On Ten Pictures Emas CEO Carol Yong The New Buzz on AXN: MD Todd Miller Explains

08 27 28 30

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Don't steal music.*Microsoft Office v.X (English version). M1he majority ofcommonly used Windows files mil automatically open on your Mac. For those that don% easily installed software emulation programmes are available. Š2002 Apple Computer Inc. All rights Microsoft Office is sold separately. Product specifications are subject to change without notice.

mm New Business ScoreBoard

THIS is the first of a regular ScoreBoard to track the new business performance of Malaysia agen­ cies. Thanks to all the agencies on their feedback - of course, there will always be conjecture on the size and scope of any new business win, but we believe this ScoreBoard will have an impor­ tant role to play in the local scene.

This month saw JWT lead the way with the

pre-paid part of Celcom, which we estimate at RiVLpn billings. Closely behind was Bates, who earlier in the month won the Parkson busi­ ness. Interpublic's FCB was next with the main win being Porosus.

Greg Paull Principal, Rj Asia Pacific

Rainbow Connection Sdn Bhd's Advertsising, Marketing Consultant Nicholas Voon's handphone is 6012 210 1266. Creative Consultant Chan Swee Lian's handphone is 6012 210 0863.

Pg 102:

Public Relations company Rii Burson-Marsteller (M) Sdn Bhd is misidentified. Aditonally, Manging Director Karen Hoh's email address is karen_hoh@my.bm.com, and the company website is: http\\www.bm.com.

Pg 324:

Pg 367: Chambers Communication Sdn Bhd's new business address is 27/4, Subang Business Centre, Jalan USJ 9/SQ, 47620 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

Malaysia August 2002 AGENY

MAJOR WINS ESTIMATED BILLINGS (RM'OOO)

OVERALL

1

JWT

Celcom Prepaid

^,000

^,000

2

Bates

Parkson

3,000

3,000

3

FCB

Porosus (M'sia)

2,000

2,000

k

BBDO

Guthrie

2,000

2,000

5

Leo Burnett

Bernas Rice, Sony Cybershot

1,300

1,300

6

D'Arcy

Tetrapak

1,000

1,000

RANK

Please take note of these corrections for the 2002 edition of the Malaysian Advertis­ ing Directory:

The New Business ScoreBoard is compiled monthly on behalf of ADOI magazine by R3, a consul­ tancy specializing in agency relationships, remuneration and reviews. All billings figures are annualised and are calculated based on R.3's estimates, adjusted from AC Nielsen ADEX figures or derived from agencies directly. Agency losses as well as wins are recorded, if not shown. We attempt to accurately capture all new business activity in Malaysia - please email greg@rhtree.com if you believe we have missed or incorrectly recorded any information.

Pg 380: Female voice-over talent Deanna Yusoff s office number is 603 7493 7090.

Pg 387: Writer Cheah Swee Lian's hand­ phone number is 6012 210 0863

We are a Regional Trade Publishing Company with operations in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. Our office in Malaysia is inviting energetic and goal-oriented personnel for the position of:

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CoverStory

Prez Wears Grey What are your short-term and long-term plans for Grey in SE Asia?

WHEN she first ventured abroad 12 years ago, newly installed Grey SEA president Chris Leong probably never imagined she'd make her return to Malaysian soil in quite the manner she did. A go-getter by nature, she's made a name for herself in both Europe and Asia - she was once even voted Asian Suit of the Year by Media. Her last posting was as managing director of Bates in Hong Kong. But now, she's taken the next step to the regional leadership level with Grey. So what's next? The global stage?

ADOI couldn't wait to find out. We recently caught up with the busy adwoman to find out all about her new position...

The shortest plan is to meet my own peo­ ple and clients properly and start to under­ stand their business challenges. We have a broad enough capability with Advertising, Direct, Interactive, Promotions, PR and Media (and even Healthcare specialists), but not every client needs all elements all the time - I want to learn what the short term needs are. In the long term, I really want Grey in this part of the world to be seen the same as it is in the US, where it's the number one agency, as an innovator and market leader with top creative flair. As an agency, we believe that a great creative product will drive results on the consumer's mind, heart and ultimately purchase. I can tell already we have the right people - the next step is driving to a common destination.

Previously, you've had experience with terri­ tory leadership. This is your first opportuni­ ty for regional leadership. What career choic­ es have been most instrumental in leading you to this point?

I was fortunate with my previous expe­ rience on the Nokia business for the Asia Pacific region. So finding the right con­ sumer triggers in Australia versus a China and then getting all of this into communi­ cation, not to even mention a MIM produc­ tion, has really helped me understand the nature of regional business.

Our approach to regional business is simple - we focus on having the best local insights first and then support that with regional creative, strategy or whatever the need is. P&G, a recent winner of the Asian Ad Effectiveness Awards, is a great example of that.

How are you going to balance your regional role with your local (Malaysian) role?

I'm a Malaysian, so I guess my heart is

3D0I MARKETINGCOMMUNICATIONS 9

CoverStory always going to be in the right place. I think with over 200 people in KL, we have the oppor­ tunity to be not just a great local but a regional force, as proven in our regional management and creative efforts across nine markets on Pantene, the number one shampoo brand in the world! The talent is certainly there. At the same time, while we've come a million miles in Singapore with its APAC regional roles on Oracle, P&G Fine Fragrances, BAT DutyFree and local support for GSK in the last two years, we need to keep this momentum going.

Are you looking at cost cutting as a major objective for the first year?

The 'Old Lady' TVC for Perodua during Chinese New Year - Cannes Finalist, Kancil Bronze. Best TVC Malaysian Video Awards

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Pantene TVC- Asian Advertising Effectiveness Award - Silver in two categories: Best Intergrated Campaign and Best in Change Strategy

I don't think any agency at the moment can justify unnecessary expense, certainly until the advertising industry globally, region­ ally and locally shows some signs of return­ ing. Having said that, my key goals will not be cost cutting but to attract more local and regional clients and raise the creative profile.

Nobody really wants to make, approve or pay for average communication products that do not deliver business results.

Our corporate/festive work on Perodua has generated tremendous public response and debate over our social values and responsibili­ ties. And talking about delivering results, we know that the "old lady" from the Perodua Chinese New Year spot was taken home by her son after the spot was featured!

How do you think Grey has been faring in the past few years? The Agency seems to have had its fair share of ups and downs. What have you been sent to fix or clean up, if anything?

The agency has certainly changed a lot since I left ten years ago - we were just 50 peo­ ple then, and the diversified services of Below the Line and PR were in their infancy. With the realignment of BAT and Rothman's brands a few years ago, we were certainly given a tremendous boost with Dunhill to build our capabilities. As I mentioned, one of my mis­ sions will be building the creative work to greater heights. I am a true believer that great creative product and delivering business results are not two mutually exclusive objec­ tives - and they never should be if we are here to make a tangible difference to brand prefer­ ence and market share. This understanding is fundamental to us as an agency, as well as client and prospect perception, and the effort will soon start showing profitable returns.

Have you found the new CD who's going to propel the agency's creative work?

Print ad for Nike - One Show Finalist, Kancil Bronze

10 aDOl

MARKETINGCOMMUNICATIONS

It's certainly my first major task, and we've met a number of candidates already.

Perhaps this is the opportunity to lure Ham [ADOI publisher Harmandar Singh] back to the agency scene...

Cover impressions' come in areas well beyond tra­ ditional advertising. Naturally, we believe this is better handled by one team, rather than two or three in a 'best of breed' approach.

But more importantly, Grey has a single P£rL for all the diversified offerings in Malaysia and Singapore. That's one of the main reasons I joined, as other agencies just don't deliver on this. I think this makes us a little unique for these six or seven busi­ ness units. It means that each of the disci­ pline teams - be it Direct, PR, Media, Advertising, Healthcare or Promotions, takes a 'bigger view' of the client issues.

Jeff Orr, Regional Executive Creative Director

So far, I've been fortunate to have worked closely with Jeff Orr, our Asia Pacific Regional Executive Creative Director, who is based in Malaysia. Between us, we share a strong sense of how important this role is, and we both agree on what we're looking for.

Whilst there is no dispute over our ex-CD's contribution to the agency, we should not for­ get the strong and talented team that are still with us in Grey.

Are Grey's billings going to be greatly affected

by Dunhill's departure (next year), since there will no longer be tobacco advertising?

It's a challenge to the industry as a whole, and of course self-regulation is a global trend that will continue. We just have to prepare ourselves for the best and the worst of it.

The brand has made such a positive differ­ ence to this market over the years - Premier League football, as an example, is something they've helped give all Malaysians access to.

I'm sure they will continue to make worth­ while contributions.

Grey positions itself as a totally integrated marketing communications shop. How has that worked out for the agency? Is that what clients are looking for today? Or are clients looking for different specialists in different fields and wanting an agency to focus solely on creative work?

Grey's approach is what we call 'synchro­ nised marketing' - the parts of the whole link together to deliver a far superior over­ all benefit. You just have to look at brands such as Nokia (our largest European client) and Dunhill - so much of their 'brand

You've been with Grey Malaysia before. How does it feel returning to the fold?

It's just great to come home after ten years the market has matured so much in that time.

There are still a few familiar faces in the office, but I'm going to have to start reading ADO I reli­ giously and start listening more to pick up the overall sense of the market again.

One visible difference is the investment and emphasis that Grey today place on people development. We have a fulltime team that manages this, led by one of our best industry veterans, Alicia Tang. With her experience, she can bring about tangible differences.

You're one of the rare women at the top of your game in what, as a regional director, is generally a big boys club.

What does it take to get there? What does it take to stay there?

Hey - a good woman has many advantages over a good man!

Truthfully, clients I've worked with don't care - they only care that you can deliver for them. The key thing is being tough and resilient - and to have a passion for the business. If you explain to an outsider the long days, the frustrations, the craziness of it all in this industry, they'd think you were mad, but I just keep going because I love it. I also advise the impor­ tance of balance. No matter how many mad working Satur­ days I've had, I always keep a two-hour window open for a decent massage!

Is this the pinnacle for you, or do you intend to look forward towards global leadership?

You make me sound like Doctor Evil! At my old agency, when Mahathir resigned last month, they wrote to me and said "NOW we know what job you're going to do when you go back!" I spent a couple of years in

Europe and I've been involved in my fair share of global pitches, but I'd rather just take every year as it comes and get Grey SEA humming.

How do you think the Malaysian ad scene has evolved since the time you first left the coun­ try 10 years ago?

I really think the aspects of integrated marketing have come such a long way. In the old days, you'd buy RTM for a major launch and sit back. Today - well, look at Dunhill and the World Cup. They took over Bukit Bintang, built in other promotions and events and really extended the brand umbrel­ la. So the bar has definitely been raised for all agencies. We must jump even higher.

Having spent a few years away, I really hope the local industry can strive to claim a space on the world stage. Too often, we lose out to markets such as Singapore, Thailand, and now even India on perceptions of cre­ ative profile and quality. The people that work here have much more potential than the world thinks. We need to show them that we are here!

... Two male streakers, sponsored by Vodaphone Australia, ran onto the pitch at the Sydney Telstra Stadium just as the All Blacks kicker, Andrew Mehrtens, was about to slot the ball through the posts....

AFTER 2 years in KL I returned home to my adopted pastures in New Zealand to discover a great furore in the sports and advertising world.

The crime, this time?

Two male streakers, sponsored by Vodaphone Australia, ran onto the pitch at the Sydney Telstra Stadium just as the All Blacks kicker, Andrew Mehrtens, was about to slot the ball through the posts. Of course, he missed and New Zealand lost the game by the points he might just have scored.

Was he put off by the sight of these Vodaphone sponsored buttocks and tackle? Who knows, but the fans were quick to point the finger of blame.

The resulting outrage both in New Zealand and Australia has cost Vodaphone dearly. Not only are they subject to legal proceedings in Australia for inciting a criminal offence, but Vodaphone New Zealand have been forced to run full page ads in

the major dailies apologising for the stunt performed by its Australian counterpart.

Whilst many folk just had a little chuckle, it does make you wonder just where the corporate boys will stop when it comes to getting their mes足 sage across. If the human body is fair game for logos, what about the 45 million sheep? Imagine their fleeces stenciled with the latest slogans and logos. It could be a media buyer's dream - I can see them counting sheep already and the creative guys would have a field day (literally) concocting the funniest and most apt messages.

Durex, of course, springs immediately to mind, though I doubt the Kiwis would be that amused. But movies like Silence of the Lambs, 'New Zealand Wool' or a brand of mint sauce, are dead sitters for the space on a sheep's back. Yep, it's all fair game from now on. No sheep is safe.

But then, hasn't that always been the case?

Axis Films Shows Coke Is The Real Thing BRAD HOGARTH'S first spot with Axis Films for Coca-Cola through McCanns is, like all good sto足 ries, quite simple. Two boys enjoying their CocaCola outside of a shophouse somewhere deep in Petaling Street begin playing one-on-one basket足 ball with an old cane veggie basket stuck to the wall as a make-shift hoop. They're performance is so good that a few passers-by stop to watch.

The guys get very cocky but are grounded when a couple of demure looking girls grab the ball, challenge the boys and beat them.

Brad and his team have brought a gritty realism to the spot that makes it genuinely believable and much easier to relate to. Setting the spot in the less than pristine side of town and using quite ordinary people tends to give the film the character so many youth-oriented strive to attain. The places and the faces are charming, funny and fallible. And putting one of the girls in a Baju Kurong was inspired, in the very least.

"It was important to me," says Hogarth, "to break away from the look perpetrated by most American TV and cinema, where kids all live in nice suburban homes and are spot-free and glowing. I wanted this to have a more docu足 mentary feel - earthy, real, credible and Malaysian." The film uses all the techniques associated with guerilla filming: a hand-held

12 aDQI

MARKETINGCOMMUNICATIONS

camera, deliberately unglossy photography and of huge importance - great kids.

Louise Kwan, the producer at Axis says, "The casting process itself was longer and more detailed than usual; it took several weeks of intensive searching to find those kids who would exude the right character values." But how the MJ leaps and jumps were achieved, no one is saying. Tricks of the trade it appears.

"These kids were great to work with and actually everyone had a lot of fun doing the spot," says Hogarth. "I reckon that shows on the film."

Film Director DOP Producer Art Director Post Production Audio

Brad Hogarth Alvin Lee Louise Kwan Jimmy Bong MFX Anton of 2AM

Creative Dir. Associate CD Art Director Copywriter AV Producer

Beresford Mitchell Darry Tan Marcus Lim Gavin Hoh MK Meng

With vital and accurate insights into audience behaviour dynamics, Nielsen Media Research offers cutting-edge solutions to connect you with the right audience at the right places and at the right time.

Partner with Nielsen Media Research to stay ahead in the evolving and challenging media landscape.

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

Nielsen Media Research (Formerly known as ACNielsen Media International)

ACNielsen (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. (10909-v) 19/F, Menara MPPJ, Jalan Tengah, 46200 Petaling Jaya, Selangor DE, Malaysia.

Tel: (603)- 7626 3874 / 7626 3883 or fax: (603)-7958 6578 Email: acnmsia@acnielsen.com.my

TechTrend

Adobe

releases version

2.0 InDesign

By Leonard Tse

TWO decades ago, Adobe' WISWIG design programmes revolutionised the print and publishing industries. Gone are the days of encoding typesetters, manual overlays and waxing machines. Today, all it takes is a click of the mouse to create the magic that designers of the yester-year only dared to dream about.

With programmes like Illustrator, Pagemaker and Photoshop, Adobe software is

Gone are the days of encoding typesetters, manual overlays and waxing machines! used in just about every creative depart­ ment in the advertising and marketing industry. Adobe's recent release of version 2.0 of InDesign is actively promoted as a tool that takes designers to the next level.

Adobe InDesign Evangelist Tim Cole was in Singapore recently and spoke about how the programme has taken the industry by storm.

But first, what's with the biblical job title?

"Within Adobe, its essentially a product specialist that is tasked with speaking to outside groups and bringing feedback to the inside," Tim explained. "Basically, we [the Evangelists] have the luxury of focusing on a handful of products."

While Tim spends most of his time on InDesign, he also covers InCopy and GoLive when needed. Tim is especially excited when he speaks about InDesign because he feels it is a programme that finally allows people to not just think outside of the box, but design that way as well.

"The reason why Adobe built the product essentially is we believe we can build a bet­ ter mouse trap," he said. "Verson 2.0 was based on features that were prioritised by the customer base."

So what does InDesign really do? In a nutshell, it is an integrated design tool that allows designers to incorporate their native Photoshop, Illustrator and Acrobat files into their InDesign layouts. The programme also allows designers to directly export to Adobe

UtcDOi MARKETINGCOMMUNICATIONS

PDF files.

In slightly technical terms, a designer can create an image in Photoshop or Illustrator and import it into InDesign without losing any of the effects or flatten­ ing the layers. InDesign allows designers to turn tab-delimited text into tables or just import MicroSoft Word or Excel tables.

Moreover, InDesign 2.0 offers designers the long awaited ability to import transpar­ ent objects without losing the transparency effect, a first of its kind for any page layout program. It also delivers much more power­ ful long document support to customers in the publishing industry, making generation of tables of contents and indexes a breeze.

"Essentially, it's a bunch of Adobe core technologies packed into a page layout pack­ age, which enables you to be really creative in your layout," he said. "It allows for more experimentation, gives creative freedom and the typography is far superior."

Tim said the changes in Version 2.0 are easy to get used to. He also explained that the flexi­ bility and efficiency afforded by InDesign has convinced Australian publisher ACP to recent­ ly switch over to using the package.

Tim also said that Adobe invites designers to visit the web site and download a trial copy of the programme. Tim is convinced that that designers who take the time to try InDesign will eventually be sold on the package.

"It's always nice to have a choice," Tim said. "And I truly believe we're giving them a good choice with InDesign."

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Critics Raise the Roof (Well... the bar at least...)

By Josh Sklar, Founder LogicWorks - josh@logicworks.us

I WATCHED an amusing exchange in the Singapore edition of this magazine the last few months between someone who works in my old agency in Singapore and someone asked by ADOI to do a job - a role that is not-so-amazingly often misunderstood. Many people feel that critics are untalented failures that can't 'do', so they bark at others who make the attempt instead. In other words, cowards. Of course, in this specific instance the person doing the cri­ tiquing is a working professional, but the bag­ gage carried by the institution of giving a cru­ elly subjective opinion to something another had complete faith in is sometimes too much to bear, regardless of the credentials.

The Truth with a capital'T' though, is that critics, as a rule not a certainty mind you, have only one intent: to spur participants on to big­ ger and greater things in a field the critic has

immense passion for and consequently deep knowledge of. Being afraid of criticism, even when it's clearly constructive, is an amazingly shallow thing to be, especially in this business.

Maybe the Account Supervisors might remem­ ber to empathise a little bit with the Creatives as they callously and unconstructively tear those poor misfits' life's blood up with biting barbs, sarcasm and their own fear. Let's hear it for thick skin: Yay! In the US right now, the most popular sum­ mer media phenomenon is a television show on Rupert Murdock's FoxTV called American Idol. Much like the yawner that was Pop Stars but actually interesting, it's yet another reali­ ty show. Its plot is to let the American public uncover and vote for the next native singing sensation. But first the contestants must endure three judges. Judges are generally peo­ ple who fulfill my definition of a 'critic' but only one of these is worthy of that title, and it ain't Paula Abdul. He is an Englishman called Simon Cowell and he has gained the ire but grudging respect of the 10+ million audience voters by being simply and brilliantly truthful.

He tells the hopefuls exactly what his years of experience have taught him about analysing popular talent. Most of them fall apart. The audience usually boos and jeers. But Simon's always right. Simon just has no tact, but that tends to happen when you don't care what other people think of you, when your only con­ cern is producing the absolutely best product you can. Not unlike... why, just about anyone who is helping to craft an ad, design, concept, strategy, etc.

Okay, this topic isn't strictly "interactive" fodder, but that category of advertising and marketing is certainly and specifically included in the point, along with the rest. And here is the point: We should all be striving to raise the bar on what we output without fear of having our heads lobbed off if we stick our necks out our­ selves, and we need to try to listen to the mes­ sage of others, especially buyers, without taking everything as a personal attack. Remember, you're never the audience no matter how much you try to rationalise yourself to be. Let the crit­ ic have the last word - but then take over and rise to the challenge. Reach that bar.

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Industry fining

'Odd Hours Up, Even Hours Down'

By Nathan Conrad

FAR from the maddening haze that had descended upon Kuala Lumpur, a gaggle of young advertising professionals and a slate of veteran 'tutors' gathered at Fraser's Pine Resort from 16 to 18 August for the VVs Concentration Camp' a three day industry training programme designed especially for those agencies which lack comprehensive in-house programmes of their own.

The 25 participants came from different departments within the agency structure - creative, media and account servicing.

There was even an IT specialist present. The weekend was distinctly youthful, with most participants claiming between two and five years of agency experience.

Brrr... it's bloody cold up here at Fraser's...

Only one of this trio wanted to be photographed...

David Ho and Dharama Somasundram

Khairudin Rahim and Kunal Parikh

Friday The participants arrived bright and early after negotiating the picturesque and narrow'gap' the road separating the mountain kampung of Fraser's Hill from the rest of civilisation.

As an ice-breaker of sorts, Organiser Lawrence Chan, CEO of Novacomm Integrated, asked each participant to come prepared with a three-minute presentation. There were no restrictions placed on subject matter and the resulting micro-speeches were as varied as the

16

aDOI MARKETINGCOMMUNICATIONS

participants themselves. One spoke of eggs, another of child sex abuse. Still another gave a snappy and humrous account of a mathe­ matical equation questioning the merit of anyone who claims to regularly give more than 100% effort.

After lunch, Lawerence took the floor and gave a flamboyant talk on presentation skills, interspaced with a general critique of the morning's presentations. The participants seemed to respond well to his pointers, and as

would be evidenced later in the weekend, seemed to learn quite a bit.

Next up was Matthew Gorrick, managing director of McCann Erickson Malaysia. His talk, entitled 'How To Obtain a Good Brief, was a veteran's view of a life spent as an account man. His precise presentation style and obvi­ ous passion 'suited' the audience well.

At dinner, Tony Savarimuthu, vice presi­ dent of MBf Cards, turned the tables by giving a short, if slightly restrained speech on 'What

Industry A Client Wants From The Agency'. His com­ ments mixed well with the buffet-table cui­ sine, although his classic 'genie-in-a-bottle' joke may have served to overshadow the rela­ tive seriousness of the topic at hand.

That evening, while the tutors retired to a mountain-hugging apartment to sip cognac and 'talk shop,' the participants got together to begin the workshop portion of the weekend Project Enterprise. Each of the five teams was given the same brief: a fictionalised situation in which the London Rubber Company wishes to re-establish its Durex range of condoms as the absolute leader in the Asia-Pacific market.

Teams were tasked with identifying the target consumer, creating a strategy including an essential message and critical consumer insight, outlining a media strategy and coming up with a creative execution - all for presenta­ tion on Sunday morning.

Saturday Morning came early, especially for those teams that had stayed up much of the night planning their Durex campaign. The first tutor of the day, regional account director Kunal Parikh from Lowe got the ball rolling with his insight­ ful talk on 'The Strategic Planning Process'.

The focal point of his lengthy presentation

was the value of the critical consumer insight. For those workshop groups that struggled with this very point the night before, Kunal's talk succinctly drove the point home.

David Ho, account director from Carat Media, next presented a talk entitled 'Media The Planning Process'. He covered a number of somewhat technical points during his presen­ tation, but still managed to cut through the number-shrouded haze of media buying to give some real-life insight and practical examples of how and where innovative media and media presentation techniques can make a dif­ ference for a client.

After lunch, Dharama Somasundram, cre­ ative director of Bozell, took to the stage to talk about the 'Big Idea'. Dharama's a natural pro at what she does, and this was clearly evident as she took the participants through a number of 'hands-on' exercises.

The last official tutor for the weekend was Sonal Dabral, who arrived just minutes before he was set to take the stage. He claimed he had trouble with timing at the bottom of the 'gap', but this 'excuse' was in fact, a surprising basis for his presentation, 'How To Sell Creative Work - TV/Print/Radio'. Besides taking the participants through a number of sample ads,

raining

Sonal used clips from his favourite movies to demonstrate the power of carefully crafted stage presence - the same skills, according to Sonal, that are perfect for presenting and sell­ ing creative ideas.

After dinner, the teams got together to finalise their Project Enterprise presentations.

No doubt inspired by Sonal's cinematic gems, a few were even seen imitating Robert DeNiro's 'Al Capone at the roundtable' speech from The Untouchables - minus the free-flowing base­ ball bat of course.

Sunday Facing a morning following even less sleep than Friday night, the teams were nonetheless rearing and ready to go at the appointed hour.

One by one, the five groups took to the stage to present their campaign to the panel of London Rubber Company executives (the tutors).

And while only one team would eventually emerge the winner (it was based on the simplic­ ity and strength of their core idea, according to one of the judges), all were congratulated and received certificates from 4AS representative Khairudin Rahim, managing director of Lowe.

And thanks to Sonal, there was absolutely no confusion as to when the 'gap' was open for down-flowing traffic.

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Date: October 23, 2002 Time: 7pm to whenever Venue: Matrix, Petaling Jaya To take part,send an e-mail with the following details to foosball@espnstar.com before October 15, 2002.

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DirectMarketing

Working Wunders What factor or factors has made the biggest impact on Wunderman, and indeed the business of direct marketing over the last 30 to 40 years?

Data has been the driving force for Wunderman and for the industry as a whole.

When data-driven insights shape communica­ tions on the front-end, they pay off in real busi­ ness dividends. That's the difference between our brand of targeted advertising and advertis­ ing for the masses. We figure out what is rele­ vant for the customer through sophisticated data analyses that examine actual customer behaviour. What's absolutely critical today - in every market around the world - is to use the knowledge and insights we gain from data not only to shape the message but to drive the cre­ ative. Our continued success will be successful­ ly marrying the two.

Have the principles of direct marketing become more finite over the years?

AS Chairman and CEO of Wunderman, one of the largest, most experienced customer focused marketing services companies in the world, Daniel Morel is responsible for driving the US$380 million targeted com­ munications powerhouse. During his more than two decades in advertising and direct marketing, Morel has built global businesses - as the CEO of The Sales Machine, part of Euro RSCG, and as a senior vice president and worldwide director for Blau Marketing Technologies.

He began his career with Ogilvy & Mather, working on such brands as Maxwell House, and later he worked for Saatchi & Saatchi as Europe/Middle East and Africa Director on P&G and IBM in Paris, France.

Morel lives in New York, and was gracious enough to take time out of his busy schedule to speak with ADO! about the challenges facing both Wunderman and the direct marketing industry as a whole.

18 aDO! MARKETINGCOMMUNICATIONS

The principles of Direct are stronger than ever. They have to be because we're accountable to our clients with clearly measured results.

With that said, the most exciting part of our business today is that these principles are being applied more broadly than ever - espe­ cially as the trend toward targeted communi­ cations escalates in every part of the world.

Our colleagues from general advertising are also beginning to use some of these pioneering principles!

For example, in an era of fragmentation and spiralling costs of connecting with cus­ tomers and prospects, insight into customer data can identify the most valuable consumer segments and the media channels that reach them with most efficiency. Addressable media - the ability to transmit and receive person­ alised messages over interactive media chan­ nels - is here. The next frontier is to apply data-driven insights into customer behaviour to the media aspect of the business.

Is data Wunderman's own "key selling fea­ ture"? In what ways is Wunderman keeping ahead of the curve - or perhaps more bla­ tantly - ahead of the competition, with regards to data?

Yes, a significant part of Wunderman's strategy is what I call "data-powered market­ ing." It has been and will remain a central part of what we do. And, as technology for data cap­ ture and analysis becomes more sophisticated, it is data-powered marketing (a.k.a. Direct)

By Alice Freeman

that will be the engine that drives the market­ ing machine forward.

In fact, in recognition of that, we named Clive Maclean EVP, Database Marketing Solutions for Wunderman worldwide. His role is absolutely critical to keep data - database services and data analytics - front and center in everything we do. The most important thing to remember, however, is that data analysis shouldn't be confined to the "data people." The true marketing power of data is unleashed when you let the creatives look at it! That's what we're doing now - ensuring that we blend data with the creative. And it works!

Evidenced by our recent Grand Prix Award at the Cannes Lions Direct Festival.

How has the affiliation with Young & Rubicam affected Wunderman business efforts?

It's been a positive experience all around.

We have been affiliated with Y&R since 1976 and it has brought us tremendous opportuni­ ties to build business and strengthen client relationships and vice versa. The Ford business is the obvious example, with a majority of the Ford business throughout the Y&R Group of companies Direct related.

Another good example of its positive effects is our recently reorganised Asia-Pacific region under the DY&R/Wunderman Alliance, which more closely aligns the resources of Wunderman and DY&R Advertising. We're more efficient on the back end. More importantly, on the front end, where one person often controls client budgets for Direct, Media, Promotions, Web, Advertising and PR, clients want a service model that can address multiple communica­ tions needs more efficiently.

Can you offer anoutlook on the future of direct marketing in Southeast?

Without question the biggest challenge fac­ ing Direct Marketing in ASEAN is the availabil­ ity of quality data (either from clients or list brokers). Similarly, the depth of information is not there and so truly targeted marketing is very difficult, though there are signs that mar­ keters are slowly beginning to invest in tech­ nology. The good news is that consumers are not yet jaded against traditional direct mail and actually look forward to receiving mail, so extraordinary results can be achieved.

B2B companies right now are its biggest users. However, there's a growing need among marketers for accountability on communica­ tion dollars spent, hence, there is a greater

Di rect Ma rketing focus on tracking ROI. So clients are looking at cultures and borders.

Lester Wunderman is 82 years young! He is targeted communications that drive consumer Chairman Emeritus of the company and his behavior. They are also looking at Direct as Early in your career, you worked on FMCG contributions to building the spirit of the part of a cross-disciplinary mix rather than a accounts (i.e. Maxwell house). Do you find Wunderman team worldwide and toward solo solution. that you are able to apply some of the same spreading the gospel of "Direct" around the Both marketers and agencies often misun­ basic principles of marketing communica­ world is more important than ever. This year derstand CRM in ASEAN. But, clients willing tions to campaigns and scenarios today, alone, he has addressed the industry in to take "baby steps" - focusing on end bene­ despite the obvious changes in popular and Poland, Germany, the UK, and France. fits, rather than processes and proposing consumer culture?

When I came on board as Chairman and immediate dramatic changes in the way com­ This is an interesting question. Although CEO in January 2001, we had gone astray from panies go about their business - will have the I am less involved today in the development the deep roots that Lester created and the greatest success. of campaigns - we have first decision I made as CEO was to get back to Mobile phones present a very talented people in our those roots and fast! At that time, Lester was­ huge opportunity in less groups who are doing just n't affiliated with our business. Now, we are developed ASEAN markets. In that - I would offer you the dedicated more than ever to the sound, fun­ Thailand, for example, pene­ following perspective: I was damental marketing principles and a spirit of What's absolutely critical tration doubled in the last trained at a time when the innovation that Lester continues to champi­ today - in every market year. This could prove to be a BRAND and the USP were on. And, Lester serves as a counsellor and critical one-to-one medium, around the world - is to use the two most important mentor to our staff. especially when GPRS becomes In June, Lester addressed a group of 40 the knowledge and insights things in advertising - you widespread. Reaching con­ lived and failed by them. Wunderman Creative Directors from around sumers via SMS also has great we gain from data not only to They are still important the world on the subject of "Accountable shape the message but to today, but what I learned is Creativity." His remarks continue to inspire potential, as SMS becomes a common and acceptable means that the consumer is at the and motivate. And in his honor, we have just drive the creative of communication. A recent core of all communication. launched the Lester Wunderman Award for Cambridge University Business It is the consumer that Marketing Innovation, which met with School survey showed that 52% shapes the BRAND - not the resounding support. of mobile phone users in manufacturer from atop. So Singapore use SMS more than once a day. This we must remain constantly flexible and You've been in this position as Chairman and is compared with a global average of 23%. attuned of his/her need and through a con­ CEO for about a year and a half. How much Although PC ownership is under 10% for stant two-way dialogue. have you accomplished and how much is left to most ASEAN countries, the Internet presents be done? an enormous opportunity to reach urban con­ What are some of the other memorable cam­ One of my most significant accomplish­ sumers. The reason is simple: many urban con­ paigns or accounts you've been involved with? ments to date is reclaiming our heritage and sumers have Internet access at work or In the late 1970s to early 1980s, I would say setting the company back on track with a through Internet cafes and have an email IBM. It was an interesting time because few strong identity all over the world. Another address. With the Internet we can build pro­ people knew how to present critical accomplishment is file information to better target consumers and sell technology to a large running a stable, profitable and provide an efficient way to reach them. public. The Charlie Chaplin business in what has to be It's a real opportunity to leapfrog traditional campaign was certainly one of one of the most difficult eco­ Direct marketing approaches. nomic times in our industry. the most memorable in those A recent Cambridge early days. We were always try­ As the tide of the University Business School advertising business turns How is Wunderman gearing itself to compete ing to find ways to communi­ within the diverse cultures of varying terri­ cate beyond what was called survey showed that 52% of toward targeted communi­ tories around the globe? "borrowed interest." In many cations, Wunderman is well mobile phone users in Wunderman is one of the largest, most ways early computer advertis­ Singapore use SMS more poised to take on the tough­ experienced customer-focused marketing ing resembled early automo­ est challenges. There is a lot than once a day communications companies in the world. bile advertising. In the 1940s to do on the media front We employ 3,400 people in more than 75 and 1950s, automobile advertis­ that leverages the princi­ offices in over 37 countries. We do every­ ing often included a glamorous ples of Direct. There is even thing possible to ensure that our individual woman posing in front of the more to do on the digital offices take into account the local culture car to communicate status. front to leverage the Web as and customs of doing business in their indi­ Early computer advertising did the same one of the most effective tools our business. vidual markets. thing. We've certainly come a long way since Perhaps what's most exciting - and moti­ That said, there are two key principles we then. Today, the Direct Marketing campaigns vating to me - is what we can do for our never lose site of: 1) While cultures and mar­ we create for IBM all over the world are clients globally. No matter where I visit kets may be different, Wunderman builds extremely sophisticated.

Singapore, Mumbai, or Kuala Lumpur - our brands the same way around the world: by clients are looking for synergies and effi­ creating tangible, imaginative relevant cus­ It has been reported in the media that the ciencies from our business. The global agen­ tomer experiences that drive sales and help company founder Lester Wunderman was cies that can figure out how to service these clients keep their customers for life. 2) Our "demoted." How do you respond to that, and clients in the way they want to be serviced client base is becoming increasingly global how will this organisational change affect the will be the winners. Wunderman is well on its and this is driving us to work across many company? way of doing just that.

aDoi MARKETINGC0MMUNICAT10NS19

CampaignShovucase

FCB Unveils New Creatives for Samsung Asian Games

by Morris Dickers

Print ads

FOOTE, CONE & BELDING Singapore has recently unveiled a new poster, print and TVC campaign for Samsung, the official sponsor of the 2002 Busan Asian Games scheduled to be held in Korea for two weeks beginning 29 September 2002.

"FCB Singapore was briefed to develop a pan-regional Asia Pacific campaign which maximises Samsung's product sponsorship while combining the Asian Games ideals of harmony, friendship, and competitive spir­ it," said Richard Nunn, Regional Client Services Director for SE Asia. "The one thing we want­ ed people to take away from this campaign was

20aDO! MARKETINGCOMMUNICATIONS

that 'Samsung brings people & technology clos­ er together.' This fits with the overall global campaign idea of a 'DigitAll Experience' about converging technology, and The Asian Games, which is all about bringing people together from 43 nations in the spirit of friendship.

This fits perfectly with the end line as well of 'Everyone's Invited'." Nunn went on to say that the creative challenge was in the delivery of converging sport and the product under one idea, which "we achieved with great impact."

The campaign will break in early September in major Asian countries like Greater China, India, Indonesia, Philippines,

Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan and Vietnam. And according to FCB, the campaign was so well received by the Chairman of Samsung, that it will also air in Korea.

For the campaign, FCB Singapore deve­ loped a series of six print executions. The 30second TVC focuses on a variety of sports and the unique selling point of one their new Samsung colour mobile phones - the Tioo. The common creative idea tying the different cre­ ative elements together is the colour swirl, which magically highlights the product bene­ fit of the new Samsung Tioo color mobile phone, and the Flat and Projection TVs. A total

Original Sins Singularly unique silliness from among the pages of the world's ad press IN this biz there appears to be a fine line betweenhaving a totally original idea and committing a quite original act of lunacy. For example, Adweek reports that US agency Byrnes & Merz Advertizing[sic], has announced that it will soonprovide pet insurance for its employees, as many of the current staff possess valuable and pampered doggies. So it looks like enticing prospective employees with money, cars, trips, money, holidays and money isn't working. This makes your Pomeranian or Shitzu, or possibly even your Siberian Filigree Hamster, a hefty bargaining chip. When news of this spreads, there's sure to be ariot in the pet shops of the adcapitals. And after every ad exec has got apet halibut or apet rhino, what then? Freebooze and all the women or men your tongue can cope with? Gosh Ihope so.

The propagation of a genuinely original cock-up is taking place as I write. In Ad Age they report that in Brazil advertisers like Nestle and Unilever will be following the UK and US in negotiating directly withpro­ duction houses. Why are they doing this? Well, according to Orlando Lopes, Unilever Brazil's Director of Communication Channels (what?), it appears to be motivated by great kindness and consideration. He's quoted as saying, "Agencies are notlosingpower. They shouldconcentrate in services that add value, like a good creative product andproducing resources to stimulate our sales. Leave the bureaucracy to us." How nice to relieve the agencies of such a burden. Senor Lopes also said, "Saving any money from commissions is a far less important issue." Oh sure! But what Orlando conveniently didn't mention was who wouldbe taking actual responsibility for the quality of the final film. The idea that theprocess is everything and that theresult is inci­ dental must stem from a prevalent and very convenient belief that script, content, quality and cost are not interdependent. But lemme tell ya folks,it has been triedbefore andit has gonepear shaped nearly every time.You see, what happens is the advertiser says, for reasons like those statedby Orlando the Channeler, 'We willchoose the production company, we willapprove the director, we will negotiate the price for the script.' This they pretend to do in consultation withall parties. But what they don't say is, 'Ifit turns out to be crap because all or some of these choices were wrong, or if not enough was spent to make the spot properly, then that's not our problem.' In cir­ cumstances where the brownhits the blades, they fall back on the old fail­ safe, "That's a creative matter.' Then they head for the hills. Also, if thepro­ duction company is not paid according to their normalbusiness terms, that too is not the advertiser's problem. And then themonkeys start flying thick­ er and faster than over the Land of Oz. Meanwhile, while Orlando is trying to remove his cabe^a from his of six versions of the TVC were developed, with bespoke versions for each country highlighting their strongest sports. China and Vietnam with table tennis; the Philippines with basketball; India with hockey; and Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia with boxing.

FCB Worldwide in New York won the global Samsung brand AOR in January 2001, covering 55 countries. FCB created the first ever glob­ al campaign for Samsung, 'The Amazing World of Samsung and every­ one's invited' in 2001. This has now evolved into the new 'DigitAll Experience' global brand campaign currently on air. The recent Interbrand/ Business Week study (5 August 2002), showed that Samsung in 2001 was the fastest-growing brand globally in dollar value terms, its value rising an estimated 30% to US$8.3 billion. It also is now the third largest provider of mobile phones, up from seventh position in 2000.

bunda, BtrT reports that Australian fast food chicken outlet Nando's is launching a radio campaign featuringthe narration, "Asylum seekers have decided to un-sew their lips after hearing the news that withevery Nando's 1/4 chicken combo, Nando's is giving away an extra 1/4 chicken free."

If you have seen the pictures of the hunger-striking refugee women in Australian detentioncamps who have sewnup their ownlips, in what must have been a hugely painful and self-willed act, this is neither a funny nor clever advert, and will hopefully do irreparable damage to the agency and the advertiser. But why stop there? Suicide bombers and WTC victims would surely provide some snappy lines. Just what were they thinking?

So naivete or stupidite, advertising has never been an exact science.

Although, as far as Byrnes & Merz Advertizing is concerned, it's apparently gone to the dogs.

Paul Loosley doesn't own any canines.

aDOl MARKETINGCOMMUNICATIONS 21

Adball2002

Shanghai Beach Ad b FOR one night only, the Malaysian advertising fraternity was part of the exciting and adventurous world of old-day Shanghai, "The Queen of the Orient." The city of quick riches, once a wateringhole of tycoons, gangsters and lords of gamblers alike was recreat­ ed by the Malaysian Advertisers Association in conjunction with its annual 'Adball'.

The event, themed 'Shanghai Beach,' was held on Friday, 23 August 2002, in the Grand Ballroom at Shangri-la Hotel, Kuala Lumpur.

Organising chairman for the event was Bharat Avalani of Unilever (M) Holdings Sdn Bhd. Advisor to the organising com­ mittee was Zainuddin M Noh or F&N Holdings Bhd. The remaining committee members consisted of Kala V Devan, Khoo Kar Khoon, Mahani Rahman, Jeremy Goh, Melvin lam, Tay Ai Leen, William Tye, Hamidah Yusoff and Karen Lee. The highlight of the evening (Was it the best dressed table award taken home by the team from TV3?) was the presentation of the Advertising Personality of the Year Award 2002. This year, the award was shared posthumously by a pair of outstand­ ing advertising personalities, the late Tan Sri Dato' James Peter Chin, and the late Peter Beaumont, AMN. Dato' Chin's award was received by his wife, and Peter Beaumont's award was received by his son, Simon Beaumont.

22 aDOl

MARKETINGCOMMUNICATIONS

Ad ba112002

II 2002

LongXi Awards Goes Outdoor THE world's bestknown global Chinese

7[//££Reaching Clubbers THE Malaysia edition of JUICE has made a significant impact

Jimmy Lam, Tomaz Mok, Peter Soh and David Sun. It is the first indepen­

on local magazine advertising since it's June 2002 launch

has recentlly announced its first spin­

dent creative award created specifical­

issue. Owned by Catcha.com. Sdn Bhd, the monthly magazine

off: 00H LongXi 2002, an advertising

ly for Chinese language advertising

represents an inaugural foray into print publishing for the

award specifically dedicated to outdoor

around the world. It is also the first

well-established internet company.

creative excellence.

and only Chinese language advertising

Primarily targeted at Klang Valley clubbers, Catcha.com

award whose result is tallied in the Gunn Report - the prestigious global

has positioned the magazine as a "unique two-way communi­

number of outdoor ads. But our regu­ lar habits make us immune to the mes­

awards tabulation. Over 50 Chinese cre­

"JUICE is not trying to be a total entertainment magazine,"

sages," said Connie Chua, Organising

ative directors from around the world

says Catcha.com Sdn Bhd Managing Director Nic Lim. "Rather

Manager of LongXi. "Good out-of-home

sit on the LongXi board of advisors.

we're positioning JUICE as the authority on clubbing, enter­

language advertising awards, LongXi,

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cation channel between the industry and readers."

tainment and people in the Klang Valley."

advertising allows direct interface between the man and the ad, enabling

JUICE is distributed for free at more than 200 F&B and

deeper emotional involvement. The

entertainment outlets throughout the Klang Valley, and

Chinese language's succinct quality

according to Lim, the magazine's circulation count of 30,000

and ability to condense are great assets

underscores the merits of free distribution. "The free circula­

to apply in outdoor communications."

tion is about is strengthening the reach and enhancing adver­ tiser results. 30,000 is a realistic size for us when trying tobal­

LongXi sent out its call for entries in mid August. The entry kit featured a

ance between optimum pick-up with as little as little wastage

strawman who uses all his might to

possible," Lim says. "We're trying to insure efficiency. We don't

move the sparrows. The entry kit has

take any returns of the magazine, so we want to insure that

been sent to allmajor advertising agen­ cies and outdoor media organizations

whatever is distributed is pickled up. This equates to what we

in Chinese language markets around the world. Additionally, kits can be

advertiser support."

According to Catcha.com, JUICE is targeted at 18 to 35-year-

obtained throughkxngxi@netvigator.com

olds, who are well informed, well read, enjoy going out and

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or fax at 86 21 6240 6633. Deadline for

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entry is 21 September 2002. Judging

Monthly readership is estimated at 105,000. A separate edi­

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tion of JUICE, also owned by Catcha.com, is published month­ ly in Singapore.

LongXi was founded in 1998 by

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aDOI/MediaBanc New TVC Debut - Aug/Sept 2002 Brand: DiGi Prepaid Plus Title: Launch Duration: 60 sees Client: DiGi Telecommunication Sdn Bhd Agency: Naga DDB Sdn Bhd Creative Director: Ted Lim Art Director: Mun Tuck Wai Copywriter: Tan Hui Choon Language: English/BM/Mandarin Summary: In this wonderfully-animated TVC, you will see how DiGi puts you in the center and connecting you wher­ ever you are, with various products cater to your needs.

Brand: Sarsi Title: Parking Duration: 30 sees Client: F&N Coca-Cola (M) Sdn Bhd Agency: McCann-Erickson (M) Sdn Bhd Creative Director: Beresford Mitchell Art Director: Marvin Chan Copywriter: Roni Johann Language: N/A Summary: Your brand newVW Beetle got hit from behind, door slammed away bya lorry, elephant stomped on the bonnet. But it's okay, because you got a Sarsi in hand.

Brand: Samsung Mobile Phones Title: Hands-Free Noodles Duration: 15sees Client: First Mobile Group Agency: Foote, Cone & Belding Sdn Bhd Creative Director: PH Yap Art Director: Chen Wei Choon Copywriter: Woei Hern Language: English Summary: Beware of what you wish to get for free, and enjoy the peace of mind, plus discounts, with Samsung FMG Privilege Card.

Brand: Milo Title: Titans Duration: 40 sees Client: Nestle Products Sdn Bhd Agency: Ogilvy & Mather Malaysia Creative Director: Sonal Dabral, Brenda Boler Art Director: Lydia Lim Copywriter: Eddie Azadi Language: English/BM/Mandarin Summary: Another inspiring thematic TVC from Milo, with the tagline "We are not children. We are champions".

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26 aDOl MARKETINGCOMMUNICATIONS

WHILE most advertisers will go to almost any lengths to avoid ruffling consumers' feathers, there's always a fearless few that set out to cause a flap. They employee fox-in-the-hen-house tactics to stir-up notice or notoriety in line with the old "no such thing as bad publicity" adage, while flying in the face of the proverbial wisdom that warns, "Rooster one day, feather duster the next."

The latest outfit in Australia to have a flutter with fate in this way is Nando's, a fast-food chain specialising in Portuguese-style flame grilled chicken. Nando's, who also has outlets in Malaysia, has evoked squawks of outrage with a radio campaign that, at least to some peoples' ears, ridicules suspected illegal immigrants who protested their incar­ ceration by staging a hunger strike and sewing-up their own and their children's mouths. "We now cross live to the Woomera Detention Centre," crows one 15-second spot. "It seems here that the asylum seekers have decided to un-sew their lips after hearing the news that with every Nando's quarter-chicken combo, Nando's is giving away an extra quar­ ter chicken free."

Just how tasteless is this? According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the Chairman of the Advertising Federation of Australia called the com­ mercial "Appalling and nothing more than a cheap shot." On the other hand, the Nando's national marketing manager was quoted as saying, "We do not wish to offend anyone, and least of all the detainees. But we challenge the public to debate the issue."

As foul and downright offal as some consider it, or fair comment as the client maintains, the Nando's spot is certainly provoking debate.

Not so much of Australia's mistreatment of suspected illegal immi­ grants, an issue hotly contended in the media long before Nando's stuck its beak in, but of advertising etiquette, ethics and effectiveness. Nor is such controversy anything new. After all, Benetton built its global awareness largely through the shock images of Oliviero Toscani, who in a recent TV documentary stated that his aim had been "to enhance the Benetton brand by encouraging vigorous debate."

For 18 years, the debate worked hugely in Benetton's favour. Featur­ ing everything from copulating horses to penises, condoms, HIV-posi­ tive models and the bloodstained, bullet-holed clothing of a dead Croat­ ian soldier, Toscani's campaigns helped drive the brand to astonishing worldwide success. But in 1999 the picture turned ugly. To support its expansion into the Sears chain, a deal worth an estimated US$100 mil­ lion, Benetton ran a series of Toscani pictures of US death-row inmates.

Donata and Emery Nelson of Louisville, Kentucky, outraged to see that one of the featured criminals was the man convicted of murdering their son, organised a protest that led to Sears' removal of Benetton mer­ chandise from every one of its 2000 stores.

There's no sign yet that Nando's in-your-face efforts will provoke such a massive and costly backlash. But the Benetton example should at least serve as a caution not to push one's luck. It's great to have adver­ tising with pluck, but if enough consumers say "Yuk," you can wind-up looking like a cluck.

Dean Johns is a partner in the regional creative hotshop CreAsia and strategic consultancy StrADegy. Email stradegy@optushome.com.au

MarketingMatters

Product Placement: The Power of Subtlety

By Lance Dewey

THE business of placing branded products and logos in IV and cinema features has long been practiced in countries such as the United States, and it's emergence in this country has been marked by a careful client education process, orches­ trated by both production companies and broadcasters. ADO! recently sat down to discuss the ins and outs of the prac­ tice with CEO Adi F Djajamihardja and Zakaria Razalli, both from Ten On Ten Pictures (M) Sdn Bhd, the local production company responsible for such programmes as SpanarJaya, Best of Malaysia, and the upcoming Odisi. product placement?

Tell us what 10 on 10 is doing with product

have to be synergised. For example, we can't do

placement...

a deal with a petrol company, when a competitor

Zak: It's extremely cost-effective when com­

Adi:Iwouldlike to modernise, particularlyin

is buying into the programme as a conventional

pared to the purchase of normal airtime - up to

the Malaysian context, the power of product

TVC ad-vertiser. The conflict is too obvious. This

75% cheaper actually. It's also an indirect celebri­

placement. Television is the most powerful medi­

is the where the industry needs maturing. The

ty endorsement at a fraction of the cost of a

umin the history of mankindto date. Youcan say that the medium pays it way in terms of influ­

market needs tobe educatedin terms of how and

direct endorsement. It's less interruptive than

what can be achieved with effective product

commercial breaks, and there's no remote con­

encing our modern community, but its funda­

placement. That's why good business relation­

trol zapping issues as with commercial breaks because the audience is generally captive.

mental principalis advertising. What we are try­

ships are important. There's no point in com­

ing to do is to expedite the process and maximise

pletely disagreeingwith the TV stations to which

the value for those who choose commercial televi­

we sell programmes.

Can you categorise the differentlevels of product placement?

sion advertising. There is considerable merit in the traditional 30-second TVC, but it's proven on

Product placement in the West is a somewhat

Zak: Passive product placement where your

many levels to be successful when advertising is

sneaky business. There are certainly cases where

done withcontent creators. We are looking at gen­

average viewers don't even realise that it's hap­

product is simply part of the props. Brief endor­ sement is when a product is mentioned within

eral brandingin terms of incorporating products

the programme. Plot integration uses existing

within programmes, whether it be actors making

pening. Is that the same case here?

Adi: I don't think you have to be that indus­

reference to abrand or actually handlingit in crit­

try savvy now to know which deals have been

the story line. Tailor-made programming is

ical part of the actual story We can even make it

cut. Which is fine at this point because lines

when we create a programme - a game show,

a more holistic branding process, for instance to

have be written, sets have to be built, and props

talk show, cooking show, magazine, or even a

place a storyin a particularbank. Thehardpart is

have to be used. Why not make it more effective

soap - that is essentially an extended commer­

to synergise it a way that it is stimulating andnot

for everyone involved?

cial to reinforce a brand image.

With product placement, is the client dynamic

In the US, many production houses are using

different than withconventional advertising?

the post productionprocess to digitally remove

programmes with the product as a main part of

a turn-off; nothingis worse than a gross over-thetop product placement.

What if you can't get someone to sponsor, say

Adi: It's still about the relationship, which is

a car. Doesn't the advertiser know you're going

based on expectations. If you have a clear and

to use its car anyway? Why do a product place­

honest relationship, one that allows you to talk

and place branding within a programme. Is that going to happen here as well?

Adi: Sporting events are one place where

to your clients and share ideas, then they willbe

that technique has been used quite successful­

Zak: In a way, the market has been spoilt by

excited about the creative narrative pro-cess of

ly - virtual billboards for instance. Iwould say

this exact scenario, or production houses that

product placement. It also allows them to be

the bigger revolution here in Malaysia is the

ment deal?

proud of the production, which is great. We

culture. Maybe we'll reach the latter stage but

ment. By changing the mindset, we are in fact,

want to help to stimulate an education process

not so soon. It's a crawl-before -you-walk

creating a new business model for this market.

where possible. Most agencies understand the

thing. I'moptimistic that people are beginning

concept of product placement, but they need to

to recognise opportunities. Many know now

Would you go out of your way togive "free plugs"

under-stand how well it can be done in a

just how far you can go with this. There can be

for products where no contract exists?

Malaysian context That's where we want to help.

an instant association between a brand and

We want to work to evolve this medium.

content. As I mentioned earlier, the key here

did not understand the process of product place­

Adi: We would. It's not something we would

lies in your relationship with the distributor

decide on the set, though. When we are selling content to a TV station, the deals that we cut

Zakaria Razalli

What are some of the specific advantages of

or broadcaster.

Adi F Djajamihardja

aDOl MARKETINGCOMMUNICATIONS 27

MediaOwner

Can RTM Go The Distance?

By Lance Dewey

Carol Yong is the 37-year-old CEO of EMAS (Electronic Media Airtime Services). In the past she's worked as a research manager and programme manager with G-Team, and as an operations manager, director of marketing and vice president with Juita Viden Group. Carol took a few minutes and sat down with ADOI and discuss the state of airtime marketing and sales, and her plans for EMAS in the years to come. accepted English and even Chinese TVCs because it was an international event. The rea­ son behind the "misrepresentation of policy" is just that TVi has most of its shows in Malay and it doesn't make sense to air Chinese or Tamil TVCs, right?

What is the key challenge or challenges facing EMAS in the months and years ahead?

Changing mindsets among advertiser espe­ cially. Advertisers and agencies want to see results immediately and moving a 56-year-old organisation and changing their mindset can't be done overnight. It took G-Team three years to really put RTM into its golden years and that was when the competition was only TV3.

In terms of marketing RTM stations, how do you overcome the "red tape," especially in the face of ever increasing competition from pri­ vate TV stations?

I guess it's all very relative. Compared to the other TV stations, yes there's is a lot of red tape.

However, if you compare it to a couple of years ago, there has been progress. The good thing is the station is ever willing to listen and they will try to accommodate wherever they can. Howev­ er, it would be easier if we understand the issues behind every policy set etc. If we do, it's always easier. For example, the station banned all slim­ ming product advertising this year and we had to turn away business that (when we did the market sizing) was easily RM5-7 million. I'm glad the station did so because just a few months later the slimming pill incident exploded in Sin­ gapore. Can you imagine the repercussion had this product gone on air here? As a government station (in fact all stations should too), we have to be socially responsible and the viewers will appreciate that fact. You know, the same money is coming back but in other products. It's how you put things back into perspective.

Another was the fact that TVi only airs TVCs in Malay. Now, TVCs in other languages are accepted too if the programme language is not in Malay. For example, for the Thomas Cup, we

28aDOl MARKETINGCOMMUNICATIONS

Is it easier to market the locally produced shows that already have viewers and ratings than those shows that are "fresh" or new?

Oh, yes. Ratings are still the main currency in advertising whatever some people may say.

Qualitative buys, image etc are supplementary to a campaign. Our local shows like Gerak Khas, Telebriti and Hiburan Minggu Ini rate very well and are often a sell out situation.

What are the dynamics of convincing a sponsor to support something nobody's seen yet?

A whole lot of sweat and hard work! Serious­ ly, in this situation, it's very much a partnership situation where I need to get the client's invest­ ment to work. If not, I'm not seeing the client again. However, sponsorships are no longer big investments like in the past and we are very much more flexible in terms of breaking the investment and stretching the Ringgit, and in supporting in other media, for example, radio.

The World Cup was obviously a great success for all of the stations in Malaysia that aired match­ es. Is thereanything else on the horizon for RTM that can be considered as big?

Certainly - the Olympics 2004 in Athens.

How will the upcoming ban on tobacco advertis­ ing effect overall EMAS marketing efforts?

The good news is that I believe we've felt the worst of it last year when MTC and CID merged and budgets were halved. So, this year, we've been working very hard in increasing the spend­ ing from the other category and as long as RTM delivers the ratings we should be fine.

Do you see this ban as a long-term proposition, or do you believe the tobacco companies will still find a way to advertise?

You have to remember that this is actually a move by the tobacco companies themselves not

to advertise. I believe someone will break this self-imposed ban and the market will be open again, or so I hope.

What is the future for EMAS? I'll be more than happy to answer that ques­ tion in 2005...

Is airtime marketing the same as it was a decade ago, or is it a business that is evolving and changing?

It is a much more competitive market now. It is still the most powerful advertising medium, yet our share of the ADEX is far second to print.

The world of ratings and the different type of analysis that comes from AC Nielsen make the justification process of buying into TV such a complicated process, that sometime it's just easi­ er to buy print. However, really, it is the world of electronic media and if TV ADEX keeps shrink­ ing, somethingis just not right. Our airtime sales team is now challenged to understand client's marketing direction and to deliver the client's desired results. That is why, I'm emphasising a lot on training for the team. It was so much eas­ ier ten years ago - build the product, get the rat­ ings and the sales just roll in. Now, so many aspects are to be considered and weighed.

On a personal note, you've spent a dynamic career working in television and airtime market­ ing. What's next for you in terms of your career?

Gosh, I haven't really thought about it. I've always been in television, from marketing and programming to programme distribution. I took a break two years ago and did a lot with the internet and IT companies, because I believe a convergence is inevitable. I would love to see the power of the internet being used in marketing the different media. It's been a dream of mine for any agency or advertiser to just log on to the net and be able to access all the information on TV, radio etc and even plan and submit their bookings via the net. The banks are beginning to embrace IT into their work system and look at how banking has leaped in terms of service to the public and corporate sec­ tor. It would be a shame if television is unable to do so.

Media vner

XN BRNGS NOKIA

The Amazing Race

NOK\&

1 |T?RRN| Crime Scene Investigation (CSI)

Fear Factor

Nokia Urban Challenge

Eco Challenge

... AXN viewers tend to be "attitudinally 20something" - the young and young-at-heart looking for some excitement, or a 'buzz'...

IN just five short years, AXN has soared upwards to claim one of the top spots among television networks throughout Asia. Hailed as the fastest growing network in Asia by Nielsen Media Research, AXN now reaches over 70 million households in 18 Asian nations. Managing Director Todd Miller took a few minutes to discuss the exact nature of this exciting "buzz" on TV...

Todd Miller, Managing Director

What was it like five years ago launching a cable channel from scratch in an entirely new market?

Launching any pay-TV service is never an easy task. But launching the service was an especially action-packed - pardon the pun experience for the AXN team for a number of factors. The debut of AXN Asia marked the first time a channel focused exclusively on action/adventure entertainment had been created. On September 21, 1997, Sony Pictures created from scratch a new channel concept and a new brand - a brand with global legs.

When you first launched the channel, was it difficult to get advertisers to come on board and recognise AXN as a viable media source?

Yes. But the situation today is far different from those early days. Today, we're

3oaDOI MARKETINGCOMMUNICATIONS

a destination channel and the AXN brand enjoys wide reach to 70 million homes across Asia, including China, which makes us one of the widest-distributed channels in Asia. In just five years we have gone from o to 70 million viewers. More importantly, every month, AXN attracts a viewership surpassing 20 million attitudinally 20-something Asian consumers. In all the measured multi­ channel markets of Asia, AXN has emerged in just half a decade as one of the region's toptier international channels based on ratings.

The size and quality of the AXN audience, coupled with strong branding and an exceptional ability to provide advertisers with an integrated communications message, now create a much different scenario for our ad sales efforts.

AXN has positioned itself as a family entertainment network but many still think that 'AXN' stands for 'Action'. Is this a stumbling block for the channel?

A X N is single-mindedly focused on action / adventure entertainment. This positioning sets us apart from every other international broadcaster in Asia. Action, it has been found, is the most popular genre in Asia, so our programming specialisation

-

icOwner

by Leonard Tse

naturally attracts a large and broad-based audience. In demographic terms, the majority of our viewers are adults 15 to 44years-old, and about 55% male. But we define our audience in psychographic terms: AXN viewers tend to be "attitudinally 20something" - the young and young-at-heart looking for some excitement, or a 'buzz'.

Based on AXN's undeniable momentum, the channel's positioning as been working well.

What are the more popular shows on AXN? Among scripted series, CSI continues as a signature AXN show, and this spring's premiere of The Agency and Andromeda were also well received. Among our reality offerings, The Amazing Race and Fear Factor are big favourites among our viewers, especially in Malaysia and Singapore. Eco Challenge is the number one lifestyle sport show. In animation. Slam Dunk and Sakura Wars have enduring popularity. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - which we premiered ahead of all other TV media - has been a blockbuster movie for us this year.

AXN is highly visible in the community. Tell us more about some of the events you've been involved in.

Now that we've successfully established the brand and channel performance, we are working hard to take the channel to the next level by furthering an AXN community and a lifestyle. Let me highlight both. Our phenomenal website, http://www.axnasia.com, provides many community features for our passionate and involved viewership.

The operative word here is passionate, and a classic example of this passion is the over i.7million votes that were recorded in the anime-on-demand poll this August. The viewers had no prize incentives, but were dri­ ven by the sheer motivation of being able to watch their favourite anime on AXN. This response must surely be a record amongst international cable television channels in Asia. Many of our viewers have a strong loy­ alty to the channel and our shows, and also enjoy expressing themselves to other likeminded viewers on the website through the bustling forum pages, which sometimes sees up to 100 postings in a day.

We like to say AXN is not just TV - it's a

lifestyle. What we aim to offer our viewers is the "buzz" - excitement, escape and thrills.

Viewers get the buzz by watching our adrenaline programming. They can also get the buzz viscerally, by participating in our lifestyle on-the-ground events. There are three on-the-ground franchises which we rotate across Asia: the AXN Challenge, a one day multi-disciplinary race modelled after and in the spirit of Eco-Challenge, the world's toughest adventure race; the Action Movie Festival; and the annual Anime Festival.

Through these events, we give our viewers a real buzz on the ground by bringing them closer to the action-adventure lifestyle.

What are some of the AXN advertising campaigns you've been involved with and what media source or sources do you think have been most effective for AXN? We believe in advertising, and actively maintain AXN's visibility in a number of regional and local consumer and trade magazines. At the consumer level we do brand advertising ("Need that Buzz?), and tune-in specific advertising.

How have advertisers responded to AXN in recent years with your new visibility and ris­ ing viewership?

By leaps and bounds. Advertisers love AXN's unique mix of programming and quality, and its popularity to its passionate audience. We also have been proactive in many integrated marketing campaigns.

Recent examples include regional campaigns with Sony Wega and the Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board.

How do you plan to attract new advertisers and then retain their business?

Recent examples are our partnerships with Nokia and the Hong Kong Tourism Board. There's a strong match between our "Need That Buzz?" tagline, our attitudinally 20-something audience, and Nokia's "Live It, Be It" promotional campaign. In partnership with Nokia, we created a customised on-theground event called the Nokia Urban Challenge, which was held in Singapore in late April. This event combined rep­ resentative teams from eight countries.

From the footage that was captured, we

created Nokia vignettes and a half-hour pro­ gram for Nokia. In addition to this on-air exposure, Nokia also received significant online exposure and consumer publicity of the Singapore ground event.

The Hong Kong AXN Challenge, a one-day multidisciplinary adventure race, featured competitors from six countries. The goal of Hong Kong Tourism Board was to promote the green side of Hong Kong, so we designed a challenging course showcasing the southern side of Hong Kong island. We created qualifying tournaments in Philippines, Thailand and India, and partnered with existing events in Malaysia and Singapore, bringing pre-publicity to the event and to Hong Kong. We invited journalists from key markets around the region to cover the event, which resulted in massive local media exposure for Hong Kong. We also created a half-hour programme on this adventure race, which reinforced Hong Kong's green side and was broadcast to AXN's 20+ million viewers.

Both the Nokia Urban Challenge and the Hong Kong AXN Challenge were great successes and are models of the scope of integrated communications that advertisers enjoy with AXN. We've done innovative projects for other marketers, ranging from mobile phones to automobiles to apparel to FMCGs, which provide depth and vitality to their communications programme.

What's next for AXN? Stay tuned - there's a lot more buzz coming in the months ahead for both viewers and advertisers. We're just getting revved up.

aDOl MARKETINGCOMMUNICATIONS 31

\

if

/

WHO WILL ./ R WIN THE TRIP TO THE 'CANNES OF ASIA'?

•/

r \\

/

On 20 September 2002, history will be made as the first ever Adrenaline awards are given to deserving advertising and communication students from around Malaysia. Join us at the securities commission in Bukit Kiara, KL as we pay tribute to the best of the future of Malaysian advertising.

Contact Ragoo at 6016 383 0681 for ticket information.

Open to all advertising, marketing communications, graphic and design students throughout Malaysia. The ADOI Adrenaline Student Creative Awards 2002 is a non profit project by ADOI Malaysia's No 1 Advertising and Marketing Communications magazine. ADOI is also the offcial representative of the New York Festivals, the Cresta Awards, New York and is the official Malaysian magazine for AdFest 2003. All proceeds will be given to the 'Independent Living and Training Centre', a registered social welfare organisation which is a self help group for people with disabilities and their families. All entries will be judged by a panel of top international award-winning creative directors headed by best-selling author and world-famous Creative Director Jim Aitchison,Log on to www.adoimagazine.com. or contact Ragoo at 03-7726 2588 or ragoosledge@yahoo.com.

dDOl Organised by:

aDOi

aDrena S T U D E N T

C R E A T I V

A R D S

2002

Sponsors:

uPiJ

Off Himawari

PASSION

Dentsu Young & Rubicam brand communications

CRUSH

ADVERTISING & MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS MAGAZINE

ADVERTISING SCHOOLS IN MALAYSIA: Adcom Academy • Akademi Filem Malaysia • Akademi Saito (M) Sdn Bhd • Akademi Seni Kebangsaan • Akademi TV3 •

Art Direction Design School • Asia Pacific Institute Of Information Technology (APIIT) • Baruvi Academy Of Communications Arts • Central Academy Of Art • Center For Advanced Design • Dasein Academy of Art • Institut Sledgehammer • Institute Advertising Communication Training • HELP College • Kolej Antrabangsa MSC • Kolej Bandar Utama School Of Art & Design • Malaysian Institute Of Art • PJ College Of Art & Design • Limkokwing Institute Of Creativity Technology (LICT) • The One Academy Of Communication Design • Olympia College • Stamford College • Universiti Sains Malaysia • Wellinkton Academy Sdn Bhd, and more...

18 June 2002

150,000 copies"

Si*#*

8 April 2002

120,000 copies

25,000 copies in Penang.

from nature

The first read of

the day for

150,000 urban Malaysians

|p^?j3WWf _

No more cigarette ads

DirectMarketing

Bad Results from Good Work... What to Do?

By Kurt Crocker, Creative Director Drayton Bird, Crocker & Afano Sdn Bhd (DBC&M)

that we're talking about direct sales here,

question, "What's in it for me?" Is the offer

not a mailing designed to generate leads for

prominent and clear? Does the mailing rally

a sales follow-up. Mailings that ask someone

around a "big idea"?

to buy something now - without the benefit

Interest: Is the product and what it does

of a human, one-on-one give-and-take -

presented clearly? Are features and benefits

require a uniquely strong combination of technique and logic.

revealed in the most logical and compelling

YOU are a marketing manager who just spent RMso.ooo on a direct mailing created

When you micro-view, you must first

Do headlines and graphics support each

by your DM-specialist agency. You mailed

have a very clear picture of your prospect in

other? Is "you or your" mentioned at least

the package to 20,000 people and 0.75%

mind. You must imagine your prospect in

twice as often as "I or we"? Are the graphics

responded. Only 150 folks bought your prod­

real form, in the context of his or her sur-

way possible? Is the typeface easy to read?

and message presented in a way that makes

uct through your mailing. Your boss has

your company "likeable"? Have you max­

summoned you to her office for what you

imised the use of "involvement techniques"

assume will be a royal butt-kicking.

What do you do to save your rear ... and

(e.g., personalisation, quizzes, tokens, lists)?

Desire: Is every conceivable question or

your job? Before you do anything at all, do

possible resistance answered or argued? Are

some more math. If your product costs

the arguments convincing? Are the argu­

RM350, then 150 orders by mail would gen­

ments presented in proper order? Is the

erate RM52,500 in sales. That's not a great result by any measure, but if you have a hearty profit margin, it's not a total disas­ ter either.

On the other hand, if your product costs RM200, you're not even close to covering your promotion costs. Direct Marketing spe­ cialists have a technical phrase for this situ­ ation: "Deep Do-Do." But seriously. Suppose you are confident that you've covered the basics for this mail­ ing. Number One: Your list is a good one.

Mailings that ask someone to buy something now without the benefit of a human, one-on-one giveand-take - require a uniquely strong combination of technique and logic.

That is very often not the case here, espe­

product shown in use, or demonstrated in words? Is the product presented and proven as unique? Have you appealed to emotions, as well as logic?

Conviction: Have you proven your trust­ worthiness through information about your company, testimonials, case histories or other

techniques?

Have

you

clearly

explained what will happen when the prospect responds... and the consequences of not responding? Has the fear of risk been completely overcome (guarantees, moneyback trials)?

cially if you are relying totally on rented

Action: Have you included enough response

names. But in this case, let's say your list of

and payment options (coupon, toll-free

20,000 prospects should all be interested in

number, fax, e-mail, website... credit card,

your product, and can afford it.

cheque/money order)? Is the call-to-action

Let's also assume your product is good,

clear and easily noticed? Have you included

you've included a strong offer, and the pack­

roundings at the time the mailing is

step-by-step order instructions? Have you

age was beautifully written and designed.

received and opened. Then take a look at

The fact is, if all these factors are truly

your mailing, element by element, as if the

convincingly explained the need for urgency (offer deadline, limited stocks)? Have you

taken care of, your chances of good results

mailing were also in human form, i.e., your

emphasized the benefit of responding now?

are very strong. Research has proven that

sales person.

Is it as easy as possible to order? Is the order

list and offer, in that order, are the two

To make this process a bit simpler, here's

form well organised and easy to complete by

most important reasons why mailings suc­ ceed or fail.

a Mailing Micro-View Checklist of questions

hand? Have you repeated a key benefit for

to ask yourself as you micro-view your mail­

responding in the order form? Have you

So if your list, offer and creative are good -

ing. Not all questions apply to all elements,

included a means by which questions may be

and you're not just kidding yourself about that - and results are still not up to your or

but certainly most are relevant to the letter and brochure, and to the mailing as a whole.

answered by a real person (a customer ser­ vice number)?

your boss's reasonable expectations, then you and your DM agency need to "micro-view."

Attention: Is this something that would

There may be more questions to ask your­

appeal to my prospect? Does it match or com­

self, depending on the nature of your product

Micro-viewing a less-than-successful mail­

plement his/her personality, life or work-

or service. And here's an obvious tip: Go

ing is based on the simple fact that your mail­

style? Does it get to the point quickly and

through this list before you mail. It could save

ing is in lieu of a sales person. Keep in mind

not "dawdle"? Does it quickly answer the

you a trip to your butt-kiclcing boss's office.

3^aDOI MARKETINGCOMMUNICATIONS

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NEWS BRIEFS: WORLD • Leo Burnett Unveils New Corporate Identity Leo Burnett unveiled a new global corporate identi­ ty on August 5, 2002, the 67th anniversary of Leo Burnett's founding. Central to the new identity is a pen and ink drawing of a person reaching towards three stars.

Euro's X-

FOR past year, Euro-RSCG's Chief Strategy Officer Marian Salzman has been working with a loose network of 500 youths she's dubbed the X-Plorer Panel. Member of the panel were regularly called on to participate in • Unilever Withdraws Controversial Ads In SA A flood of complaints and negative publicity has surveys and other research projects, the goal persuaded Unilever South Africa to withdraw its being to garner insights into how these cultur­ "Seven Deadly Sins" campaign theme for a new ally representative youths responded to range of Magnum ice cream products. The Advertising abstract and brand-specific concepts.

Standards Authority (ASA) reportedly received This summer, the panel was whittled down more than 140 complaints even before the campaign to a select group of 20 young men and women was launched. ranging from 18 to 28 years old representing • CNN Launches Sports Segment on News Biz Today France, Germany, the Netherlands, Russia, CNN International launched a new sports segment Sweden, the United Kingdom, Argentina, during the network's Asian breakfast show News Biz Canada, the United States and China. They Today on 2 September. Sponsored by Volvo as part of were invited to spend six days in Amsterdam its campaign to celebrate its 75th anniversary, the where their minds were picked. Collectively, sports segment will air three times during CNN's they were known as X-Plorer 2002. three-and-a-half hour morning program. The seg­ Marian's research found that marketers ment will be hosted by CNN International's sports anchor, Candy Reid and will be broadcast live from targeting the youth market have been focusing on the wrong group by focusing their efforts CNN's headquarters in Atlanta. on the trendsetters (alca Alphas). While Alphas • New Global Branding Campaign For Carlsberg are an important way to reach the youth, she In a bid to boost its share of the profitable premium said the "buzzers" or Bees are the ones who beer segment worldwide, Danish brewing giant Carlsberg is planning a major re-branding effort worldwide entitled "Drinks With A World Of Friends."

• Yahoo! Launches Software Solution Yahoo! Inc. recently announced the launch of My Yahoo! Enterprise Edition 5.0, which includes en­ hanced features to provide greater access to business critical information and the opportunity for cus­ tomers to purchase new premium industry-focused content packages. The software is already supported by leading portal software vendors including BEA Systems, SAP AG, Sun Microsystems and TIBCO Software.

Carlsberg recently launched Chang Beer another locally brewed product at it's Carlsberg Lounge in Shah Alam, Selangor.

Chang beer, which was originally brewed and marketed from 1995 by Carlsberg's part­ ner Beer thai Co Ltd, is now the leading • New MD for Grey New Zealand national beer of Thailand with approximate­ Eric Rosenkranz, Grey Global Group Asia Pacific ly 60% of the market share. Chang overtook President recently announced that General Manager Singha within five years of its introduction Peter Darroch will be instilled as Grey new Zealand to the marketplace.

Managing Director effective 27 September 2002.

Dato' Jorgen Bornhoft, Managing Director of Darroch, a native of New Zealand, was Executive Carlsberg Brewery Malaysia said, "Malaysian Vice President at Rapp Collins in New York for two years, COO at Young £r Rubicam Group NZ, and consumers are looking for new tastes and founding MD at Saatchi £r Saatchi Direct NZ and MD better value for their money - namely a bet­ at Ogilvy & Mather Direct NZ. ter choice of a quality beer at a better price.

This aptly describes Chang Beer."

• Bcom3 Shareholders To Vote On Publicis Merger Publicis Groupe SA and Bcom3 Group, Inc have announced that the Registration Statement has been declared by the Securities & Exchange Commission, clearing the way for shareholders of Bcom3 to vote on the company's merger with Publicis. The results of the Bcom3 shareholder vote will be announced at a shareholder meeting on Friday, 20 September, at 9am (US Central Time) in Chicago. Closing would occur immediately thereafter, on the same day.

Publicis Groupe and Bcom3 first disclosed their intentions to merge on 7 March 2002.

363D0I

MARKETINGCOMMUNICATIONS

actually do the bullc of the trend spreading as they are the ones who often function as the social or informational hub for their friends.

Marian concluded from X-Plorer 2002 that there actually is such a thing as Global Youth Culture. That youth around the world do share some common opinions and fears. In general, the youth of today are more social and socially minded. They fear isolation, rely on friends, family or personal mentors more than socalled "experts" and share common fears sur­ rounding world politics, the environment, and health care, to name a few.

But most importantly, the youth today tend to be fickle in their likes and dislikes.

They cannot easily be fooled by advertise­ ments that tell them what's cool or what's not, and actually have a healthy respect for those brands that evolve and shake things up a bit.

In essence, they are strong brand loyalist and are not prone to trust easily.

Marian presented her findings to a capaci­ ty crowd at the Raffles Hotel in Singapore on 20 August.

New Brew

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BookReview

NEWS BRIEFS: ASIA • AXN Records 1.7 million Votes In Online Poll

Turning On Radio

AXN, Asia's first action-adventure channel received 1,738,245 votes in its Anime-on-Demand voting poll at its website (http://axn-asia.com) from i to 31 July. The poll was conducted in order to determine the line up for the AXN anime marathon, which aired on 11 August from 12 noon until 2:30am early the next morning.

• Nielsen Media Research Announces Q2 Ad Spend With the strength of the recent World Cup, adver­ tising expenditure in Asia rebounded strongly in the second quarter of this year, according to latest Advertising Expenditure Information released by Nielsen Media Research in Asia Pacific. The world's two fastest-growing consumer markets - China and India -grew at 33%, South Korea at 21%, Indonesia at 42%, Malaysia at 17%, Thailand at 14%, Hong Kong at 13%, the Philippines at 7%. Singapore, down 5%, was the only market in Asia to post negative growth.

• Getty Images Official Pixmen for Tennis Australia Getty Images, Inc, recently announced that its sports photography resource, Getty Images Sport, has signed an agreement with national sporting organisation, Tennis Australia and its flagship event, the Australian Open, as the official photog­ rapher to the two entities. Getty Images Sport, for­ merly known as Allsport, has served as official pho­ tographer to the Australian Open for the past five years; however, the new agreement will see that arrangement extend to include Tennis Australia.

• ESPN STAR Announces EPL Coverage in China ESPN STAR Sports has signed its biggest ever distri­ bution agreement in China which will result in the English Premier League being broadcast live to over 100 million football fans across the country from August of this year. The distribution deal covers over 20 regional TV stations as well as national channels CCTV 5 and Hunan Satellite. In separate ESPN STAR news, Tiger Beer, produced by Asia Pacific Breweries, recently announced that it had signed to sponsor the English Premier League throughout the region, and ESPN STAR announced it had acquired exclusive telecast rights for all international cricket from five countries Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Zimbabwe and England - till 2008.

Title: Cutting Edge Radio Author: Jim Aitchison Price: RM80 at all major bookshops

BY drawing on no less than 80 of his fellow advertising veterans, Aitchison has managed to create the rare advertising text that simul­ taneously entertains, educates and most importantly, inspires.

The book is written with the same folksy style that marked his two previous works in the 'Cutting Edge' series - Cutting Edge Advertising and Cutting Edge Commercials.

But don't be misguided by the comfortable

• Hallmark Channel Specials on HK's ATV Hallmark Channel, has announced a weekly twohour programming block of Hallmark original pro­ ductions to be aired on Hong Kong's terrestrial net­ work, ATV World Channel from September 1, 2002.

This movie block to be shown every Sunday during primetime, and will reach 1.5 million TV homes in Hong Kong. Hallmark Channel currently serves 19 million households in the Asia Pacific region.

38aDOI MARKETINGCOMMUNICATIONS

Jim Aitchison will be at the Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club, Bukit Kiara on 20 September to give a talk and launch Cutting Edge Radio. Tickets are available by calling Ragoo on 6016 383 0681.

Aitchison has recently served as head judge for Adrenaline - Malaysia's first dedicated advertising student awards show.

Branding and the Mind

• Lowe China Announces Appointments Lowe & Partners has made a series of senior appointments in China. Stephen Drummond, pre­ viously strategic planning director of Lowe's Hong Kong office, has been appointed strategic planning director for the Greater China region and will also continue in his role as planning director on the HSBC Asia-Pacific account. Matt Bartelsian, for­ merly client service director for Lowe Singapore, will be appointed a business director of the Shanghai office.

approach, there's a distinct urgency to the text as well.

"Radio separates the men from the boys" so says the book's opening quote. Aitchison is clearly underscoring the singular starkness of the medium. His brief historical perspective is important (art-based types take note: this sec­ tion is sprinkled with photographs in what is otherwise a text-based book), and quickly moves into the 'hows' and 'dos'. Aitchison is clever in his intertwining his theory with practical examples - the real secret in maintaining any advertising professional's rapt attention.

Aitchison doesn't actively work in agency environs anymore. After 20 years on advertis­ ing's field of play, he's moved up to the com­ mentary box. As an author and radio host, he's now in a position to give an informed overview of the creative process.

Title: Building Brands £r Believers Author: Kent Wertime Price: US$29.95 at Kinokuniya (KLCC) and all MPH outlets

WITHOUT a doubt, the endless stream of books on the subject of branding is enough o make any marketer's head spin. So what makes Building Brands & Believers different?

Ken Wertime, CEO of Ogilvy Interactive Asia shares his profound experience, which results in an intriguing and persuasive model that is based on 12 archetypes. Instead of the usual insights about marketing wars, brand loyalty and the 'ABCs' of how good brands are built,

this thought provoking book brings an impor­ tant new contribution to the branding debate.

Ken, a veteran advertising and communi­ cations expert, explores the DNA of contempo­ rary commercial images. He puts forward a simple but powerful idea: namely that by understanding the subconscious working of the mind you can better entice and persuade your consumers.

Using a basic concept stemmed from Carl Jung's pioneering psychological studies in the first half of the 1900s, Ken Wertime brings forth ideas on tapping into more unconscious and emotional levels that influence consumer perception and preference.

Jung showed that archetypes are basically a root of our abilities to communicate a concept.

Jung also asserted that the unconscious is an active agent in our lives, not some 'closet' or 'attic' in the mind.

Ken's work is simple - he demystifies the most inner working of brand images. As he says "Archetypes are the hidden reason that a simple, black T-shirt with an Armani logo can sell for quadruple the price of one without."

Not getting enough response?

Call us now! With our capabilities, we can help you floor the pedal to the metal.

Add us to your system.

www.digiscan.com.my Colour Separation & Digital Imaging Solutions 38, Jalan PJU8/5G, Damansara Perdana, 47820 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia. Tel: 603-7727 6693 Fax: 603-7727 6918 Email: digiscan@tm.net,my

Postscript to September Mourn

NEWS BRIEFS: M'SIA PRCAM Holds Workshop for PR Professionals A recent industry workshop entitled "There's More To PR Than Meets The Eye," gave 25 area PR spe­ cialists better insight and a better understanding of the everyday challenges of public relations, accord­ ing to organisers. The workshop was aimed at PR consultants with less than two years of experience in PR consulting. Karina Bahrin, General Manager of Publicis PR, said that PRCAM's entry-level PR workshops "are invaluable and fill a critical gap in the PR consulting industry - that of skills develop­ ment and training. Understanding that the role of public relations goes beyond publicity is key to growing into an effective business communications adviser to clients."

By Julie Lingan

IN last year's October issue of ADOI, I did a

and meaningful, as who knows it could very

lamentation on the September 11 lunacy,

well be the last? Similarly, of all the things

when havoc flew in brightly to spread dark­

we could do to improve ourselves in the work­

ness in the streets and hell threatened to rule

place, we could start by saying hello with a

the world. In contrast, I also wrote about the

smile first thing in the morning before our

day after, when life went on as usual. We

first cup of coffee, when we would really

went about our shoot deliberating on whether

rather do our greeting by SMS.

• C-Quill Announces New Global Reality Series

the model should have her hair up or down,

Just as important, how do we feel about

Chasing Time, an American-produced new global travel reality series, is makingwaves in the US for it's heart-pounding adventure challenges in such cities as Buenos Aeries, Rome, Barcelona, San Francisco, Mexico City, Havana, Cape Town, Hong Kong, Vancouver, Sydney, Stockholm, Dublin. Contact CQuill at 603 7806 2982 for more information.

as though we hadn't been numbed the night

ourselves today? As for me, an obsessive-com-

before when we watched, in disbelief, a

pulsive collector of self-help books (why do I

Spielberg-look-alike of a set featuring one

get the feeling that a lot of you readers out

beloved part of a New York skyline.

there can empathize with me), I am begin­

It's been a year - at least to most of us

ning to think I don't need them. I am begin­

whose biggest grief was empathy with our

ning to rely more on my gut, inner voice,

brothers and sisters in humanity who kissed

common sense, judgment and whatever it is

• Apple Launches New Server

their loved ones goodbye for the last time

that now automatically jumps to my rescue

Axis Computers Sdn Bhd has been appointed by Apple Malaysia as the distributor for Apple Xserve, a iU rack-mount server designed as a compliment to Apple's UNIX-based Mac OS X Sever software. The new server will be positioned as a video streaming sever that helps enterprises deliver creative, med-rich content viabroadband and Internet distribution.

that one fateful morning. To those withknives

whenever I feel I have to act on something.

DiGi and AMP Launch 'Community Infoline' AMP Radio Networks and DiGi Telecommunications recently announced the formal launch of The Community Infoline - Malaysia's first community switchboard and one-stop interactive information service. The Community Infoline has been in oper­ ation since 21June of this year and can be reached at 6016 206 6666. Submissions to the line can be made by post, fax (603 9543 0152), email (community_infoline@astro.com.my), or on the web.

• Coca-Cola Southeast and West Asia Win Award Coca-Cola Southeast and West Asia (SEWA) Division, which includes the Malaysia operation, has made history as the first-ever division in the Coca-Cola Company to win the Robert W Woodruff Award in two consecutive years, the company recently announced. The award is dedicated "to both the spirit of excellence and the commitment to superior performance that are the legacy of the person for whom the award has been named," said Brian Dyson, Vice Chairman and CEO of The CocaCola Company.

in their hearts who have had to cope daily with their irreparable loss, it must feel like a hundred.

After 365 days, when the alarm of the wake-up call that reverberated throughout the world has probably gone mute (will it ever?), how are we doing really? Do we, for instance, find ourselves waking up in the dead of night reflecting on life and how the

I am beginning to rely more on my gut, inner voice, common sense, judgment...

things that seem to matter during the day take on a totally different perspective while we lie awake at night? During such soulsearching hours, I once found myself think­ ing of the copy for my epitaph. How willIbe

The lessons I've learned in life prior to

remembered by those left behind? Pardonmy

September 11, have become watercolour pieces

French, but who gives a shit about "multi-

on the wall compared to the one burning oil

awarded creative director" or "poet" or "pianist"?

canvas that now hangs between my eyes

The gardener on duty will certainly let the

reminding me of mortality and priorities,

grass grow around me given that pompous

love and goodbyes.

declaration, and will not even bother to pull

It's been a year - and to date, The New

out the wild weeds that have strayed nearby.

York Times continues to publish stories on

But if the copy read something like: 'She

each victim as though the paper's life

always found time to share joy with her hus­

depended on it. I take my hat off to them.

band, blessings with her children, magic with

Their lady president vows they will diligent­

her grandchildren, and laughter and tears

ly continue to do so until they cover each and

with her friends,' then maybe the same gar­

every single victim. Testimonies of their

dener may find time to rest under the shade of

aborted lives on earth. Black and white

• Chuo Senko Reestablishes Malaysia Operation

my tree and even place a flower blown by the

remembrances for loved ones who will,

Japanese agency Chuo Senko has reestablished its presence in Malaysia after several years of servicing Malaysia clients throughits other offices.Founded in Tokyo in 1954, the agency has eight offices in Japan, as well as offices in Thailand (regional headquarters), Indonesia, Singapore, China, Taiwan, Vietnam, and now, Malaysia. MD Sumihiro Yamamoto and VP and Regional CD Tim Clark helm the local office, located in Damansara Heights.

wind on my bosom.

chances are, cut and paste the articles and

kodDOl MARKETINGCOMMUNICATIONS

Since that awakening, which led me even

frame them up on the wall, if only to remind

to choose the kind of music for that transito­

themselves

ry moment suspended in time,Ihave stopped

come...that once upon a time, they had in

and for

all generations

to

hugging and kissing all of the above on auto

their midst, the gift of sharing their lives

mode. Now, even if I'm running late, I give

with Luis or Jordan or Daddy or Mommy,

them an extra second or two to turn that

brother or sister, lover or friend. Until that

habitual greeting into one that's more caring

one crazy September Mourn...

ESPN STAR Sports To Hold Inter-Agency Foosball Tourney AS part of the regional launch of the live and exclusive new season of the English Premier League on ESPN and STAR Sports, the broadcaster will hold the country's first ever inter-agency two-a-side foosball tournament.

Scheduled to be held in Kuala Lumpur on 23 October 2002, the competi­ tion offers cash prizes and ESPN STAR Sports goodie bags to the top teams.

Foosball, which is sometimes referred to as slugger, kicker, babyfoot, table footies or table soccer, is a highly competitive game that requires a lot of wrist skill, eagle-eye coordination and full-on concentration. No longer just a tavern game, foosball has turned into a professional sport in the US and many European countries.

Interested participants should send an email to Celeste Lim at ESPN STAR Sports at foosball@espnstar.com complete with names, designa­ tions, agency and contact details.

The ESS Inter-Agency Foosball Tournament, KL is supported by the official broadcast sponsor of ESPN and STAR Sports' live and exclusive coverage of the English Premier League: Tiger Beer and Toshiba. ADOI is the official trade publication.

Steal Me A Paradise ADOI columnist Julie Lingan and artist Dato' Ibrahim Hussein recently launched their first col­ laborative effort: Steal me A Paradise - a coffee table book fea­ turing Ib's art inspired by the poetry of Julie. The book is joint­ ly published by Casa Loca Sdn Bhd and the Ibrahim Hussein Museum £r Cultural Foundation.

Telephone 6012 3077007 or 604 474 9669 for more information. The book was formally launched by HRH Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, Sultan of Selangor.

Football Heroes In Singapore

In mamorfam

Tribute to September 11

th

THIS image is available for download from the Newspaper Association of America website as a tribute to the victims of September n. The tribute is being run in the September issues of several magazines and is being offered for display in newspapers across the country. The tribute was created by Lowe, headquartered in New York City.

AD #1 FREE CLASSIFIEDS DTP DESIGNER required for regional publishing company.

Experience not essential. Attitude and talent vital. Call 6016 254 5511 or email nathan_conrad@ham.com.my.

English Premier League legends David O'Leary, Ray Wilkins, Andy Grey and Gerry Armstrong were in Singapore recently for ESPN STAR Sports' EPL Charity Auction. All told, S$/2,000 was raised for the disabled of Singapore.

42 aDOl MARKETINGCOMMUNICATIONS

Immediate vacancy for TRAFFIC CONTROLLER in an international ad agency. 1-2 years experience. Must be independent, with great communication £1 people skills. A real go-getter. Please call Helen at 012 2143069 or fax your resume to 03 7955 6131.

|M

Action A M

That's for sure."

John Ong Moh Taur, 34 years, General Manager of Siabex Technology Sdn. Bhd. Shares the same view

with 3,453,000* Chinese viewers, aged 15-45 years, ntvj, the No. 1 station among Chinese viewers.

Weekend on 7(Chinese). Golden Hour. Dinner Treat. Edisi Mandarin.

All packed with action that makes headlines. Look out for them.

brand

Only on your feel good channel.

Be apart of Malaysia's most popular TV channel.

To advertise, call Air7 at (03) 2095 7277.

'Source: AC Nielsen Telescope (1-28 February 2002)

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feel good channel

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the way. j Still ahead of the curve.

Still topping the charts* Thanks to you, we were Survey 1, 2002 - 1.394 million

voted the No.l* English station for the third consecutive year.

Survey 2, 2001 - 1.298 million

Source: Radio Listenership Survey, N i e l s e n M e d i a Research

hilz

Survey 1, 2001 - 1.136 million

fmi mm

www.hitz.fm

Survey 2, 2000 - 1.024 million

Survey 1, 2000 - 974,000

Klang Valley 92.9 • Penang/Alor Setar 92.8 • Ipoh 92.7 • Seremban 95.0 • Melaka 93.0 • Johor Bahru 97.6 • Kuantan 93.2 • Kuala Terengganu 94.8 • Kota Bharu 92.8 • Taiping 93.6 • Kuching 95.3 • Kota Kinabalu 100.8