Issue 227

www.marketingmagazine.com.my

ISSUE 227 MID-SEPT2018

JOHAN ISHAK

CEO - MEDIA PRIMA TELEVISION NETWORKS

UNLEASHING THE FREEDOM OF DEMOCRACY FOR MARKETERS AND VIEWERS ISSN 1985-5575

00227 9 771985

557001

KDN NO. PP15776/03/2013 (033405) RM3.50

“IF YOU WANT TO WIN THE HEARTS OF NANDO’S, DOMINO’S, CALPIS, OOKYO, UNIFI, REDONE OR MALAYSIA AIRLINES WITH YOUR IDEAS, DON’T GO FAR.” LOG ON TO MC2AWARDS.COM

November 16 is a great day for marketing communications and media players in Malaysia as we are hosting the CMO Conference & CMO Awards in one day.

Malaysian CMO Conference 2018

Goodbye Marketing, Hello Engagement!

Marketers have never been in a bigger dilemma than today, and also have never been in a more connected time than now. AI, AR, machine learning and the chance to integrate data with intelligence.

Programmatic, Blockchain, Chatbots, Brand Safety, trust deficits, and the list is endless. Marketing happens everytime you engage with your consumer.

Date

16 November 2018 (8.30am – 6.00pm) Venue

The Grand Ballroom, Sime Darby Convention Centre marketingmagazine.com.my/cmo2018/conference

Tai Kam Leong

Head of Brands & Partnerships Maxis

Indran Balavishnu

Country Head Phar Partnerships Malaysia

Norsiah Juriani Johari aka Juju

VP, Brand & Group Comms Johor Corporation.

Dato’ (Dr.) Hussamuddin Hj. Yaacub

Arvind Sethumadhavan

Dalia Feldheim (tbc)

Damien Crittenden

Jayaram Gopinath Nagaraj

Juliana Chua

Srikanth Ramachandran

Lim Imun

Ben Mahmud

Timothy Johnson

Datuk Seri Dr Hasmiza Othman (DSV)

Airin Zainul

Chairman, CEO & Group MD, Karangkraf Media Group

General Manager Blaze Digital Malaysia

Head - Strategy & Business Development, Downstream Marketing, Petronas.

Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer, Dentsu Aegis Network Asia Pacific

GM of Marketing Pavilion Kuala Lumpur

SVP of Marketing Product & Partnerships INTI International University & Colleges

CMO & VP, Marketing APACÂ Electrolux

Director, Moving Walls

Founder - Vida Beauty

VP - Client Strategy Xaxis APAC

General Manager, Marketing Munchworld

Director, Tonton and Licensing & Merchandising Media Prima TV Networks

ISSUE 227/// MID-SEPT2018 COVER STORY

EVENTS CALENDAR 24 SEPTEMBER

MARKETING LEADERSHIP SERIES: BRAND PLANNING WORKSHOP 24 SEPTEMBER

MARKETING LEADERSHIP SERIES: LINKEDIN STORY TELLING WORKSHOP

PRODUCTION NOTES

16 NOVEMBER

MALAYSIAN CMO CONFERENCE & AWARDS 2018 7 DECEMBER

MC2 AWARDS - IDEAS OASIS

Business Development Manager Jarrod Sunil Solomon jarrod@adoimagazine.com Art Director / Designer Chemical Ali ali@adoimagazine.com Events & Workshops Ruby Lim ruby@adoimagazine.com Web & Digital: Nurul Amira Ibrahim amira@adoimagazine.com Photography & Digital Imaging DL Studio No 7, Jalan PJU 3/50, Sunway Damansara 47810 Petaling Jaya, Selangor D.E. Malaysia Tel +603 7880 6380 / 6386, Email: studiodl@pd.jaring.my

Naoto Mitake made his Malaysian directorial debut with Prudential Assurance Malaysia Berhad’s PRUcancer X campaign – UNSUAY. A Japanese film director from prominent production group, AOI Pro Inc. Japan, Naoto is now based in Malaysia, as part of Directors Think Tank’s roster – a talent exchange initiative that’s part of the joint-venture between Directors Think Tank and AOI Pro...

INFLUENCER MARKETING

ROCKETFUEL ENTERTAINMENT’S STAR-STUDDED LINE-UP HITS THE BIG SCREEN THIS OCTOBER

EDITOR’S NOTE

HOW TO TAKE THE BULLSHIT OUT OF THE JARGON

The knack of seeking out great talent has to be second nature to influencer marketing player Rocketfuel Entertainment. After all, Rocketfuel Talent, the talent management arm represents some of the most popular stars in Malaysia including Zizan Razak, Lisa Surihani, Aaron Aziz and Hisyam Hamid, Harvinth Skin as well as over 100 talents across Astro’s TV and Radio....

How many times have you heard the following words being peppered in business conversations and interactions with people in the marketing communications industry? “End to end solutions” is a term generously proffered by people offering anything from a proposal for a product launch to a television commercial project.

Here is its actual meaning according to Techopedia: An end-to-end solution...

THE BEST OF GLOBAL DIGITAL

08 TOP MEDEKA TVCS 2018

TOP MERDEKA 2018 TVC

Roving Photographer: Mccain Goh Contributors: Alvin Teoh, Edward Ong, Salim Khubchandani

There have been many Merdeka commercials produced over the years in what has become a veritable tradition. After all, it just isn’t the same without them.

Using humour, drama and unexpected points of view, these ten have won over our hearts and inspired our spirits.

Printer: Cetakrapi Sdn Bhd 22, Jalan Kepong, Taman Sri Ehsan, 52100 Kuala Lumpur Distribution: Spear Millennium Distribution Sdn Bhd E-1-5, Apartment AC4, Taman Sri Sentosa, Batu 6, Jalan Kelang Lama, 58000 Kuala Lumpur MPH Distributors Sdn Bhd (5048-A) Ground Floor Warehouse, Bangunan TH No. 5, Jalan Bersatu, Section 13/4

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Tel: 603-7726 2588 Fax: 603-7722 5712 www.marketingmagazine.com.my © All Rights Reserved By: Sledgehammer Communications (M) Sdn Bhd (289967-W) No part of this magazine may be reproduced in any form without 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 assumes no responsibility for errors, omissions and/ or for any consequences of reliance upon 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.

MARKETING magazine in now available in over 200 selected bookstores across the Klang Valley.

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DRAGONS OF MALAYSIA & ASIA AWARDS 2018

Content Officer Reena Sekaran reena@adoimagazine.com

DIRECTORS THINK TANK PARTNERS UP WITH BONSEY JADEN FOR A SUPERSTITIOUS PRUDENTIAL CANCER PROTECTION CAMPAIGN

JOHAN IS CHAMPIONING DEMOCRATISATION AT MEDIA PRIMA

24 OCTOBER

Regional CEO Professor Harmandar Singh ham@adoimagazine.com

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THE BEST OF GLOBAL DIGITAL MARKETING MADE ITS MALAYSIA COMEBACK! The Best of Global Digital Marketing returned to Malaysia on September 4, 2018 showcasing best practices from all over the world. Fun fact, Best of Digital Marketing has already won popularity already in more than 30 cities around the world – in Singapore, Moscow, Istanbul, Amsterdam, Johannesburg, Madrid, and Shanghai...

CREATIVE SURGE

DATA & YOU

DATA SCIENTISTS: SPECIES OF THE 21ST CENTURY! As I proceed to write this next piece, it was heartening to receive some feedback from those who read my last piece titled “Analytics – not so complex after all“ in a previous recent issue of this same publication, which seemed to compliment the fact that it had ‘made such a simple read’ on a subject which many have begun to fear as being rather complex, and loaded with technicalities.

Around the subject of analytics or more specifically data analytics, the profession of a ‘data scientist’ draws much ‘awe’, with it being quoted as being ‘the sexiest job of the 21st century’. This piece dwells on this very highly regarded species (unfortunately often even feared in some quarters by those who fear data...

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IDEAS: THE BATEY ADS/SIA STORY

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Welcome drinks. Book the Cook menu. Buffet spreads on long haul flights. Upper decks which transformed into full-sized beds. Free headphones. KrisWorld. VOD KrisWorld with Nintendo. Inflight phone and fax. Innovations we’ve come to expect as standard on SIA flights were not all dreamed of by somebody in SIA. Some came from the agency....

Painter, rock guitarist, creative crusader (also a Chartered Accountant and once PwC auditor), Johan Ishak may be a difficult man to define even though he has been CEO of Media Prima Television Networks (MPTN) for a year now.

One thing Johan is not is shy.

We hijacked him from a sea of people at Pavilion KL on Merdeka eve where they were doing a social experiment entitled “Sekuat mana perpaduan rakyat Malaysia?” to assess unity among Malaysians.

After jostling with a massive crowd and going ballistic with rock band Bunkface who sang the official National Day song “Sayangi Malaysiaku” which was written by them, Johan emerged unscathed and ready for this interview….

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ISSUE227MID-SEPT2018

COVER STORY

JOHAN IS CHAMPIONING DEMOCRATISATION AT MEDIA PRIMA Digital challenges and possibilities have liberated our ecosystem with a rejuvenated democracy that is sweeping the country.

In a recent piece you shared extensively about democratising advertising and content…..

Enough cannot be said about it. It is about freedom and where everyone wins. We are taking freedom to a new level.

TV advertising is known to be the most expensive medium but is also the most efficient. Some digital advertising is gaining popularity but who can argue with a drama series like Nur, that garners a reach of 11 million viewers (one third of the country’s population)!

In democratising advertising, we will make TV advertising affordable to non-traditional tv advertisers who now can’t afford it. The Keynesian Economic model will tell you when there is demand, the price must go up.

So this is the plan…

MPTN will segregate which time slots are premium for

traditional advertisers and which ones strategically positioned at cheaper rates. We want to see businesses like car mechanics, Nasi Lemak restaurants, childcare centres and the like to appear on TV too.

After all, Malaysia’s primary economic movers are SMEs. Why not add to that multiplier for a win-win economic benefit?

Embracing this, MPTN has introduced #JomMasukTV. And what about content?

Democratising content is the new game in town. MPTN’s first window is TV as television ad spend is still strong. Then we pivot onto our very own Over-theTop (OTT), tonton.com.my, where subscribers pay RM10 per month to watch our 30 years worth of content. And this is now FREE! It still makes business sense to us because the twin brother to TV advertising is Digital

advertising. So the happiness index goes up for viewers, advertisers and of course MPTN. Everybody wins.

What’s happening to tonton?

We are the first OTT in the country and in the region. We have gone through the different facets of an OTT’s life cycle.

Tonton started 8 years ago, and we were toying with different ideas on how to monetise it but after 8 years, we’ve realised it’s very difficult to run the subscription business. When people started getting alternative content which did not require payment, they skipped the ones they had to pay. We can’t deny them the freedom of choice.

Everybody is asking why Media Prima is now working with YouTube…

That’s the agreement we did that was announced a few weeks

ago. 80% of video consumption on the Internet is from YouTube in Malaysia. Even my kids are not watching pay TV anymore, they have gone to YouTube.

We were fencing the content in tonton for 8 years, but then we realised why don’t we just uplift it and go everywhere. Tonton is still the one stop OTT for all our content, it is for free and the look and feel is different. It’s more smartphone friendly.

Now we have decided to democratise the content. So after TV, where we get television ad revenue, the content can go anywhere - to YouTube and also other OTTs. I noticed YouTube also champions freedom of information, opportunity and belonging. Are you not diluting tonton’s content by sharing it with the world’s largest online video

platform?

The user behaviour is different: for YouTube, users would probably Google to look for a particular title but on tonton, they know we are broadcasters therefore users will head in and look at the available content. It’s like purchasing Adidas shoes; you can purchase them at an Adidas store or at an Al-Ikhsan store. So if you try to protect the earning revenue from Adidas store and try to not go to Al-Ikhsan, it’s probably more detrimental to your earning capacity.

Having said that, I need to correct the perception the market has when we did an announcement with YouTube, they may have missed the point of this democratising. It is not about moving from tonton to YouTube, it is simply about reach.

Industry and tech wise, it makes sense for us to capitalise a lot more on the tech leaders,

ISSUE227MID-SEPT2018

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COVER STORY

“SILOS ARE GONE,”

declares MPTN CEO Johan Ishak in this wide ranging interview. He says all the Media Prima CEOs are working together to figure out what works best for the client.

instead of investing in more tech inhouse.

It’s about revenue generating and cutting costs which give the optimum, not maximum results.

Tonton you see today is powered by YouTube and DailyMotion technologies.

DailyMotion will be the engine behind our life, and Youtube will serve as the library. It is more cost efficient.

windowing. The first window will always be TV. The second window is catch up tv, it’s a separate window because it earns advertising revenue.

Now if there are other partners who want to collaborate with our content, we can create the second window again and that economic number may be better than us straight away heading into Youtube.

Is Media Prima closing the doors for potential collaborations with other platforms?

It is not exclusive. Whatever makes the best economic sense, we will gravitate towards it.

So if the other OTTs feel like they want to work with Media Prima, to collaborate with us and use our content and that makes better economic sense than Youtube, we will go for it.

This is what we call

So how do you monetise?

Live content on tonton will carry advertisements, the content on YouTube won’t.

Whatever advertisements that come through YouTube’s channel can come on tonton’s content, and we get our revenue share.

It is also a brave move….

Democratising means sacrificing certain elements of the business model, therefore you have to be more focused.

local group of digital assets in the country.

When we acquired Rev Asia last year, it immediately placed us as the number 1 ranking digital media company because in total our digital assets give us around 11-12 million monthly viewers.

If you open the ranking to global digital platforms in Malaysia, we are Number 3 as Google is Number 1 and Facebook is Number 2.

Between the CEOs in the Group, we are not worried about our own little division anymore, so I’m not too bogged down to thinking about what works for TV. Even if it means sacrificing my TV division and allowing other divisions in, it’s okay as long as Media Prima is working

together providing solutions.

Instead of being platform centric, we ask “what is your product, what is the audience, what is the best way to reach your audience and what makes sense”. If it means 2 platforms out of 5, so be it.

Moving forward….

We are closely monitoring the progression of Google’s machine learning and artificial intelligence products to see if it makes sense for us to use them. We have our own inhouse too, which develops programmatic tech for the purpose of pushing advertisements to different target audiences across Media Prima’s digital assets: it’s called AudiencePlus.

We are not going to go for SVOD (Subscription Video On Demand), we are just going to go for AVOD (Advertising Video On Demand) which is free to consumers.

Because if you try to do both, in an era where content is made for free, it’s the classical dilemma of cost leadership versus differentiation in marketing textbooks.

There are plenty of other players in the market, OTTs who are driving the SVOD business and we will be observing their progress to see how SVOD is growing. At the same time, it does not mean whatever actions we are implementing now are set in stone.

What advice can you give to marketer’s offline-online budget balancing act?

If you’re putting 40% of your budget into digital, bring it to us because we have the largest

Check out KOPI - our latest tonton original series based on a collection of Malaysia’s best short stories from Fixi. Each episode is unique in its storyline yet united by Kopi. 25 episodes @ 10 mins each starting Sept 16 till Oct 10, with stories like Secangkir Kopi Bersama Dia, Kopi 3 Rasa, Kopi Percik, Kopi Kola, Kopi Jantan Kaw and more!

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ISSUE227MID-SEP2018

EDITOR’S NOTE

WANT TO “DIEI DON’T IN MY OFFICE. I WANT TO DIE ON THE BEACH. ”

JACK MA IN HIS RESIGNATION LETTER AS CEO OF ALIBABA

By the Turbanned Stranger | ham@adoimagazine.com

MANY PEOPLE “ARESOTRYING TO EAT OUR LUNCH - SO WE MUST BE DOING SOMETHING RIGHT.

”

AMIT SUTHA, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF UNIVERSAL MCCANN MALAYSIA AND ENSEMBLE WORLDWIDE AT THE BEST OF GLOBAL DIGITAL MARKETING CONFERENCE 2018

BEHIND EVERY “GREAT BRAND

CAMPAIGN IS A CLIENT WITH BALLS OF STEEL.

”

JOACIM BORGSTRÖM, ECD OF BBH SINGAPORE AT THE BEST OF GLOBAL DIGITAL MARKETING CONFERENCE.

HOW TO TAKE THE BULLSHIT OUT OF THE JARGON ... REMARKETING AS A SOLUTION FOR COUPLES BITTEN BY BED BUGS IN CINEMA HALLS TO CRYPTOCURRENCY CRACKHEADS PUNTING ON THE NEXT BIG THING...

HOW many times have you heard the following words being peppered in business conversations and interactions with people in the marketing communications industry?

“End to end solutions” is a term generously proffered by people offering anything from a proposal for a product launch to a television commercial project.

Here is its actual meaning according to Techopedia: An endto-end solution (E2ES) is a term that means that the provider of an application program, software and system will supply all the software as well as hardware requirements of the customer such that no other vendor is involved to meet the needs. E2ES includes installation, integration, and setup.

“Game-changer” is probably the number one ice-breaker for those who claim to be “killing it” in the business.

Sprinkle “game-changer” in your discourse and it will bring any conversation to life. Including peaking the interest of nearby eavesdroppers. I personally know

many “games-changers” in our industry who seriously need a nappy change from all that fancy posturing.

“Social” is another magic word that makes anyone with half a foot in the industry sound like Jack Ma. Try these on for size: social PR, social culture, social engineering, social hygiene, social narrative.

“Geo-fencing” is the go to solution for everything you wish to make precious, exclusive and sound important. Its first cousin “ring-fencing” is another derivative of the same plot which can turn a simple explanation into a priceless blueprint for the future. “Once we ring-fence our priorities by deviating market pressures to the fringe, we can liberate the brand in an ecosystem which enriches the customer experience.”

Not convinced?

But you must admit, it takes the hard work out of its original meaning: Geo-fencing is a feature in a software program that uses the global positioning system (GPS) or radio frequency identification (RFID) to define

geographical boundaries. And when you do understand what Remarketing means, you’ll more amazed how the word is fluidly recycled into arguments that have nothing to do with its original context. Effervescent spin masters have been overheard prescribing Remarketing as a solution for couples bitten by bed bugs in cinema halls to cryptocurrency crackheads punting on the next big thing.

My personal favourite which I use shamelessly because it elevates both the sender and recipient to celestial heights is “luminous”.

Because “have a luminous day” adds wonder to the existential phenomenon of being a human in a dreaded sea of mindless zombies.

Remarketly,

Time to recognise Malaysia’s Best Marketers!

Brave and brilliant marketers deserve fame too.

The first ever Malaysian CMO Awards are here to reward the best in the business of marketing.

Deadline for Entries:

19 October 2018

Winners Announced:

5 November, 2018 Awards Evening:

16 November 2018 (6.30pm – 10.30pm)

FREE TO NOMINATE: marketingmagazine.com.my/cmo2018/awards

Best Marketer in B2B Marketing Best Marketer in SME Marketing Best Marketer in Omni-Channel Marketing Best Marketer in Millennial Marketing Best Marketer in e-Commerce Marketing Best Marketer in Travel & Hospitality Marketing Best Marketer in Sustainable Brand Marketing Best Marketer in Education & Training Marketing Best Marketer in Media & Content Partnership Marketing Best Marketer in Customer Experience Marketing Best Marketer in Event & Experiential Marketing Best Marketer in Retail & Promotions Marketing Best Marketer in Festive Communications Marketing Best Marketer in Data & Technology Marketing Best Marketer in Loyalty & Engagement Marketing Best Marketer in Influencer Marketing Best Marketer in Social Media Marketing Best Marketer in Mobile Marketing The Marketing Trailblazer Award will be betowed on the marketer who is never afraid to push the boundaries of innovation within their category. This award will go to the brave marketer who has made a difference with fresh thinking and breakthrough work.

Marketing Trailblazer - Telco Marketing Trailblazer - Financial Services Marketing Trailblazer - F&B Marketing Trailblazer - Digital Marketing Trailblazer - FMCG Marketing Trailblazer - Media & Entertainment The Rising Marketing Star is awarded to the most promising young marketer under 30 who is making waves in the local industry with ground-breaking ideas, strong strategic skills and has a tenacious will to grow in this industry.

Rising Marketing Star - Financial Services Rising Marketing Star - Telco Rising Marketing Star - F&B Rising Marketing Star - Digital Rising Marketing Star - FMCG Rising Marketing Star - Media & Entertainment Malaysian CMO of The Year 2018 (no entries required) There can only be one! This coveted award honors the marketer who checks all the boxes. The judges will be selecting the deserving winner for this award and will be looking for a leader who has pushed the boundaries and shown the way for new posssibilites. The true game-changer!

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ISSUE226END-AUG2018

TOP MERDEKA 2018 TVCS

TOP MERDEK

There have been many Merdeka commercials produced over the year without them. Using humour, drama and unexpected points of view, th 1

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Petronas #CeritaKita PETRONAS shows how children see the good in everything and encourages us all to witness Malaysia through the eyes of our children.

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Grab Do You Know Who The New Malaysia Is Really For? Everyone has been talking about the dawn of a New Malaysia this year, and Grab highlights exactly what that means to all of us.

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IOI Properties When was the last time you complained about Malaysia?

As our National Day grew closer, IOI Properties wanted to know what Malaysians said or complained about Malaysia lately, so they did this heart-warming experiment to find out.

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Digi A Special Little Place The video was created to play up and highlight the strength of all things made in Malaysia – people, places, things and brands, encapsulating the notion that the future is great when it is Malaysian Made.

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Watsons #KonfirmGood Watsons hilariously showcases some of the habits that are just so Malaysian, and also encourages us to break free from these bad traits.

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KA TVCs 2018

ISSUE227MID-SEPT2018

rs in what has become a veritable tradition. After all, it just isn’t the same hese ten have won over our hearts and inspired our spirits.

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Telekom Malaysia #TMSejahteraMalaysia Telekom Malaysia’s reinterpretation of ‘Sejahtera Malaysia’ in the 6 different main languages of Malaysia perfectly demonstrates the coming together of Malaysians of all different races and cultural backgrounds.

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F&N Satu Keluarga, Satu Kebangsaan Bersama

F&N F&N’s Merdeka tale tells that despite differences in background or religion, love for the homeland is what unites us, just like a great family.

RHB ‘Together-gether Walau Berbeza’ RHB’s fun remix of the iconic ‘Tanggal 31’ not only celebrates how diverse our country is, but also emphasises how there is beauty in our differences.

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Content Partner:

http://namaasia.com

Celcom Axiata ‘Adik-beradik’ The short film tells the story of John, a visually-impaired Malaysian, and his group of friends. Despite being blind from birth, John does not miss out on anything thanks to his friends. The film portrays the values of respect, tolerance and acceptance that are truly Malaysian.

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Maybank ‘MYStories: Major Wong’ Maybank has chosen to honour our unsung heroes who placed the wellbeing of our country and community ahead of theirs.

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TOP MERDEKA 2018 TVCS

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ISSUE227MID-SEPT2018

WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO WITH IT Addressing the problem of relevance is important rather than spending months on a problem which doesn’t yield any benefits from its resolved outcome.

DATA & YOU

DATA SCIENTISTS:

SPECIES OF THE 21ST CENTURY!

Pic Courtesy: berkeleysciencereview.com

AS I proceed to write this next piece, it was heartening to receive some feedback from those who read my last piece titled “Analytics – not so complex after all“ in a previous recent issue of this same publication, which seemed to compliment the fact that it had ‘made such a simple read’ on a subject which many have begun to fear as being rather complex, and loaded with technicalities.

Around the subject of analytics or more specifically data analytics, the profession of a ‘data scientist’ draws much ‘awe’, with it being quoted as being ‘the sexiest job of the 21st century’.

This piece dwells on this very highly regarded species (unfortunately often even feared in some quarters by those who fear data like the plague, and hardly understand its value).

I am reminded of the famous quote which describes Big Data and goes something like : ‘it being like teenage sex, of which everyone talks about, nobody really knows how to do it, everyone thinks everyone else is doing it, so everyone is drawn towards it, claims or likes to claim they are doing it’.

‘Simplicity’ is at the core behind the success of this species: Data has been around us for centuries and has only evolved in different forms, from the growing number of sources and at varying speeds, sizes and other parameters, and in the process has recently given birth to the species called Data Scientists.

With the data to address and exploit posing to be large and complex in itelf, the key lies in not being overwhelmed but taking a simplistic approach in addressing the problem therefore by breaking it down to its lowest common denominator.

A very simple high level process to data science and its

successful steps are in clearly defining the following very simple questions : WHAT PROBLEM ARE WE REALLY SOLVING Importantly, this must be explained in plain and simple language that can be easily understood rather than being loaded with jargon, and that has things off to a great start. This may be harder than it appears.

HOW DO WE KNOW THAT WE’VE GOT THERE Having an error metrics for cross-validation or KPIs. There may be situations though where not all error metrics may be quantifiable.

HOW IMPACTFUL IS IT TO THE BUSINESS Define the change that would happen after solving the problem with the help of data..

WHAT IS THE MOST ‘OUTOF-THE-BOX’ THING THAT CAN BE DONE WITH DATA Getting people to come up with ‘out-of-the-box’ applications or uses to which the data can be put.

In the above regard, there are some very cool yet simple data products which have come into being in our everyday lives, which we have come to take for granted.

One of them that comes to mind being ‘Google Maps with Traffic’, which is nothing but maps which we grew up with and were trained to read even as kids, but is now with significant amount of technology and crowdsourced traffic data which is fed into it real time from people’s phones.

WHAT MAKES DATA SCIENTISTS Being new and appearing sexy, Data Science is a field that has drawn many to even make a career transition, invariably upskilling themselves in certain areas. The Venn diagram (on the left) reflects what makes a data scientist akin to a Swiss-army knife : There is no single role that covers this much hyped profession. The explosion in demand in areas like Machine Learning for example has happened very rapidly, thus having educational institutions and online educational platforms grabbing the opportunity and scale up with courses being offered. Aspiring Data Scientists have been taking the opportunity almost as if self-breeding, to upskill in relevant areas and help fill up their knowledge gaps to get themselves into the ‘sweet spot’.

In Malaysia for example, MDEC has set a target to have at least 2,000 trained Data Scientists by the year 2020. This sees hectic activity to this effect through workshops and often subsidised and affordable short courses being publicis ed and conducted every other day.

It may be pertinent to mention here that there is a need for not only the right aptitude and skillsets, but also the right attitude towards recognizing the value of insights and passion for data to soil one’s hands with it.

Highly Paid yet sometimes a frustrated breed : Despite the gloss and

…THERE IS A NEED FOR NOT ONLY THE RIGHT APTITUDE AND SKILLSETS, BUT ALSO THE RIGHT ATTITUDE AND PASSION FOR DATA TO SOIL ONE’S HANDS WITH IT... glamour like is the case with many other professions, the US which is ahead on the curve as compared to other countries has been seeing its share of challenges towards talent casualties. Recent surveys of 64K developers on Stack Overflow revealed that 14.3 per cent of Machine Learning specialists were seeking greener pastures, with Data Scientists being a close second at 13.2 per cent. (www.ft.com : How Machine Learning creates new professions – and problems).

The above frustration seems to stem from expectation not meeting reality owing to the following key reasons : • lack of clear questions to answer • lack of technical knowledge among nonspecialist managers • lack of other like-minded talent to work with • being reduced to becoming the ‘go to’ person about anything data To sum up therefore, in terms of key ingredients it’s about having the passion for data and insights, being inquisitive and asking the right questions, exploiting the numerical and logic skillsets and not being overwhelmed with the data.

Salim is Founder and Managing Director of OnTarget Marketing Solutions, Malaysia, a digital marketing and data analytics company.

Given his immense passion for data and strong belief in its producing great insights,he has combined over three decades of Marketing experience recently with a Data Science Certificate course. He is contactable at salim@ myontarget.com

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DIRECTORS THINK TANK PARTNERS UP WITH BONSEY JADEN FOR A SUPERSTITIOUS PRUDENTIAL CANCER PROTECTION CAMPAIGN

PRODUCTION NOTES

NAOTO Mitake made his Malaysian directorial debut with Prudential Assurance Malaysia Berhad’s PRUcancer X campaign – UNSUAY. A Japanese film director from prominent production group, AOI Pro Inc. Japan, Naoto is now based in Malaysia, as part of Directors Think Tank’s roster – a talent exchange initiative that’s part of the joint-venture between Directors Think Tank and AOI Pro. This campaign, in partnership with Bonsey Jaden, takes on a riskier and quirkier approach to the sensitive subject of cancer for the Malaysian audience - as cancer is a subject not discussed out in the open.

The three commercials show young Malaysians how helpful superstition can be in covering and protecting them from cancer, i.e. not at all.

UNSUAY (anti-bad-luck), was launched as a fake brand that exploits superstitious acts and words. It featured a touch-friendly block of wood, a ‘Choi’ pin and a bad luck swatter. The Unsuay collection was promoted like real items on social media pages.

In the launch film, the true message was revealed: superstition can’t cover you.

PRUcancer X is the only real cover from cancer. The campaign was further supported by unbranded Facebook, Instagram and YouTube advertisements that led to the UNSUAY campaign page.

“We realized that most millennials are still uninsured despite knowing the increasing number of young Malaysians

being affected by cancer. This is bigger than insurance; it is a conversation of getting Malaysians to be empowered enough to talk about cancer and exercise control, so that they can continue to be free and independent even when the unexpected big C strikes. It was extremely crucial for this campaign to stand out from the wide amount of internet information most users face every day,” said Natasha Sebastian, Head of Digital Marketing, Prudential Assurance Malaysia Berhad.

Adam Chan, Regional Executive Creative Director of Bonsey Jaden further explained, “Tonality was key in this campaign. We were taking something that was literally life and death and communicating it in a way that could get more people to talk about something truly uncomfortable - cancer.

We felt that a strong insight and irreverence was the way to do that, so we worked with Naoto to help bring that balance of gravity and disarming humour to life.”

“I feel thankful for having an opportunity to work with the amazing creatives from Bonsey Jaden. Instead of the usual sad/ emotional commercial for insurance, I felt this campaign could impress people in different ways - show them something that they have never seen before. As my first directing job in Malaysia, I enjoyed this unique campaign.

I hope it reaches out and influences as many millennials, like myself,” said Naoto, the film director.

The Touch Wood Wood

The CHOI Pin

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INFLUENCER MARKETING

ROCKETFUEL ENTERTAINMENT’S

STAR-STUDDED LINE-UP TAKES IT TO THE BIG SCREEN THIS OCTOBER

Influencer marketing is where focus is placed on influential people rather than the target market as a whole. It identifies the individuals that have influence over potential customers, and orients marketing activities around these influencers. In today’s context, this also involves talent management and curating content for each influencer’s digital universe.

THE knack of seeking out great talent has to be second nature to influencer marketing player Rocketfuel Entertainment. After all, Rocketfuel Talent, the talent management arm, represents some of the most popular stars in Malaysia including Zizan Razak, Lisa Surihani, Aaron Aziz and Hisyam Hamid, Harvinth Skin as well as over 100 talents across Astro TV and Radio.

Malaysia’s sweetheart, Lisa Surihani will be acting in Jibril, a Viu Original. Produced by Konda Kondi Studios, the series will star Aeril Zafrel, Lisa Surihani, Tony Eusoff and Sangeeta Krishnasamy, and will be directed

by Megat Sharizal. Jibril is a tale of a lawyer who possesses exceptional intelligence, striking good-looks and an uncanny power of deduction. A sequence of events leads to several murders and assassinations.

Jibril is called upon to defend one of the suspects and thus begins the revelations of a secret terror organization and the search for its elusive leader.

Rocketfuel’s Lisa will be playing

the character Mona whose role is portrayed as fearless and intense. Jibril is said to be the first legal thriller in Malaysia and will be premiering on 22 October 2018.

Malaysia’s favourite comedian Zizan Rizak stars in a new Indonesian film, ‘Kesempatan Keduda”. The film by RA Pictures which will be released on 11 October 2018 tells the story of Abi (Raffi Ahmad) who has a ambitious wife in his life, Maya (Dinda Kanya Dewi) who goes to the point of having an affair with Abi’s boss to get what she wants. Unable to stand her, Abi takes the path of divorce. Zizan Razak plays Ken, Abi’s best friend from high school. Ken unfortunately also goes through the same path of divorce as Abi. Together, they decide to support each other and help one another start a new life.

Looks like October is definitely turning out to be an exciting month! With Rocketfuel showing no signs of slowing down, we can definitely expect more big hits from them.

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THE BEST OF GLOBAL MARKETING

THE BEST OF GLOBAL DIGITAL MARKETING MADE ITS MALAYSIA COMEBACK!

Roman Olivarez, Creative Director of Lowe Makati City

Turbanned stranger

Amit Sutha, Managing Director, Universal McCann and Ensemble Worldwide

Joacim Borgström (ECD) and Nikhil Panjwani (CD) of BBH Singapore

THE Best of Global Digital Marketing returned to Malaysia on September 4, 2018 showcasing best practices from all over the world. Fun fact, Best of Digital Marketing has already won popularity in more than 30 cities around the world – in Singapore, Moscow, Istanbul, Amsterdam, Johannesburg, Madrid, and Shanghai.

The Best of Digital Marketing conference provided attendees key learnings from a lot of real and recent digital marketing campaign cases from all kinds of companies. Hando Sinisalu, the man behind this event trots the globe yearly to share the best digital marketing cases studies to his audiences.

It took place at the Sime Darby Convention Centre, and had an impressive line-up of internationally acclaimed speakers such as the Executive Creative Director of BBH Singapore, Joacim Borgström, Roman Olivarez the Creative Director of Lowe in Makati City, Nikhil Panjwani, Creative Director of BBH Singapore alongside Malaysia’s very own Amit Sutha the Managing Director, Universal McCann and Ensemble Worldwide.

Amit kicked things off with a very unique KFC’s Rain or Shine case study which explored how KFC developed its very first econometric model which learnt weather data and recommended KFC’s media mix. Joakim Borgström & Nikhil from BBH Singapore then continued to impress the audience with their The IKEA Human Catalogue case study. By getting the world-record holding memory athlete Yanjaa to memorise the 2018 edition IKEA catalouge, BBH Singapore showed how they turned the IKEA catalogue launch into something truly unforgettable.

Later on, there was a panelist discussion analysing different campaigns – basically what works and what doesn’t.

MARKETING even sneaked in a little surprise for Hando at the end of the event with a birthday cake!

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and buying were part of an agency’s suite of services. Big agencies had departments that provided these services- instead of outsourcing them. Income generated from media allowed the agency to invest in learnings about next generation innovations and threats facing the industry.

CREATIVE SURGE

IDEAS: THE BATEY ADS/SIA STORY WELCOME drinks. Book the Cook menu. Buffet spreads on long haul flights. Upper decks which transformed into full-sized beds.

Free headphones. KrisWorld. VOD KrisWorld with Nintendo. Inflight phone and fax. Innovations we’ve come to expect as standard on SIA flights were not all dreamed of by somebody in SIA. Some came from the agency.

Before Ian Batey piloted the agency that bears his name, he was Account Director at McCanns handling MSA (Malaysia Singapore Airlines). When SIA took off, he started Batey Ads with George Chan, a former Financial Controller (or something like that) with the airline. More than advertising, they knew: what the client needed was aviation ideas.

Objective MSA (Malaysia Singapore Airlines) was formed in 1966, jointly owned by the governments of both countries. In 1972, after both administrations decided they wanted their own flag carrier- and presumably because it confused the rest of the world with two flags on the aircraft- MSA became Malaysian Airline System (now Malaysia Airlines) and Singapore Airlines.

Challenge While the Malaysian government was developing a domestic network; Singapore chose to go all the way with international routes.

This meant that SIA had to effectively compete with more established regional players.

However, it takes time to plan for and manage a larger fleet, train new pilots and work out a more expansive route.

Nobody was more invested in the business than Ian himself. He attended aviation seminars and conferences. He learned about industry trends and outlook.

He also personally selected the people who worked on the account. Novelists wrote copy for colouring books in the amenities kit. Artists art directed the ads.

Creatives flew in- and out- just to work on a single campaign.

SIA was a company that couldn’t wait to grow up. The category norm at the time was to talk about exotic destinations, and number of flights to major cities.

Batey told SIA they couldn’t just rely on a destination campaign.

The agency developed two other pillars: Best inflight service represented by the Singapore Girl.

And the youngest, most modern fleet which, in the years to comewould be overlapped with onboard innovations such as KrisWorld, Nintendo games, Biggest show in the sky with the latest movies on demand and so on.

Meanwhile, now that the agency had proposed luxurious castles in the air, all they had to do was find- or rather create- the necessary foundations.

Truth Back then, media planning

Answer In the 90s, the standard par excellence was the Sony Portable Video player which was available to Business and First Class passengers of British Airways.

How can SIA up the game with KrisWorld?

The agency asked experts how to put a VCR and Walkman into each seat. Following which, they worked with SIA to merge screens, video-on-demand, video games, and phone calls with seat design.

Bear in mind the system was untested and costs more. While SIA was negotiating with four separate vendors and wondering if it would work, Batey developed the ads. The agency created campaigns to demonstrate the potential of selecting from a menu of channels, and showed how the phone, games, start, stop, rewind and forward buttons

strengthened SIA’s best inflight service proposition Altogether, they had one team working on existing briefs.

And another on spec briefs. The latter was put together to find and develop business ideas. After all, more business for SIA meant more business for Batey.

Not only that, the agency also organized global sales conferences. They flew in the best speakers and thought leaders.

Every two years, the agency held a pitch. Which they prepared a year in advance. With themselves as the competition.

Cost was never a reason to reappoint Batey. It was always about the ideas.

Nowadays, it’s trendy to talk about being a business partner.

How many agencies actually act like one? How many will spend ahead of revenue or shoot the work ahead of the brief? During their heydays, Batey Ads walked the talk and inspired a generation of creatives to do better, go the distance, fly higher heights.

Edward Ong is on a quest to discover and create Malaysia’s best ideas.

He is an award-winning Writer and Creative Director, and can be found at IdeasAreBorderless.com

EVERYONE’S COMPLAINT DEPARTMENT:

EPIPHANY THERE is a great debate about the value of creative awards the last 10 years and it revolves around the culture of scamming.

I’ll try to get beneath it and see if I make sense. For me, it’s about validation. Many of us measure our self-worth through accolades and creative awards are still a big deal. It’s an official recognition of success and there is nothing wrong with that. A little bit of competition is good for everyone.

But where it goes awry is in the manner of how we perceive what success is and what is it we’re really celebrating.

If success is measured by creativity alone, then a culture of ‘made-for-award’ work will dominate the award scene. John Hegarty, when asked to comment about this in an interview with AdAge replied that he ‘didn’t come here to look at somebody’s portfolio… when you pretend

that this is a piece of advertising that had an impact on the marketplace, forget it.’

Ouch.

Somewhere in the pursuit of validation, we’ve forgotten that creativity does not serve itself.

That’s fine art, not commercial art. Creativity exists to solve a problem and if done well, it’ll make some sort of an impact, become a part of culture and result in winning awards. That’s what success is. You create great work that win awards, not create great work to win awards.

Until we all realize this, the creative award show that was meant to celebrate creativity at its best will suffer some degree of scorn. And it is a great injustice to the many who slog it out in the trenches of adland. We all suffer when we pursue false gods. There is no glory in that.

Now let’s not leave this

article hanging over the pit of depression, shall we? Thankfully, the old ways are dying off.

Agencies that have invested too much time and effort to keep the culture of ‘made-for-awards’ going are collapsing.

It’s a necessary and painful lesson and in its place are a new breed of hybrids and dreamers, people who know how to navigate the ever changing marketing landscape while having their feet grounded in the human

The ‘Everyone’s Complaint Department’ series of comic strips began as random doodles and reflection pieces of Alvin Teoh, ECD of NagaDDB Tribal.

These little stories were originally posted on Facebook and are an ongoing tribute to life in Adland.

condition. These are the people who want to leave their mark through the brands they serve and the community in which they are a part of. Perhaps this is an epiphany and an awakening in adland? I believe so.

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NEARLY HALF OF BUSINESSES SPEND MORE THAN $500,000 ON DIGITAL MARKETING

Almost half of businesses invest at least $500,000 in digital marketing every year, according to a new survey from The Manifest, a business news and how-to website. Forty-one percent of businesses spend at least $500,000 on digital marketing annually, and 81% spend at least $50,000. Investment in digital marketing is likely to increase every year, experts say.

Almost every business plans to invest more time and money in digital marketing. Among businesses that use digital marketing, nearly all (99%) plan to increase their investment in at least one channel in the next year.

Businesses place considerable value in digital marketing and want to invest more in it because customers spend much of their time online.

Most businesses plan to increase their investment in a combination of digital marketing channels, with social media (64%) and websites (55%) topping the list.

OGILVY INDONESIA APPOINTS ADRIAN MILLER EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Formerly of Saatchi & Saatchi and J. Walter Thompson, Adrian Miller replaces Ogilvy’s chief creative officer Din Sumedi who left the agency in May this year.

Miller has 15 years of experience starting with two years at Leo Burnett in South Africa before relocating to Malaysia where he worked at ECD at MullenLowe Group and Saatchi & Saatchi.

Ogilvy Indonesia chief executive Anne Ridwan said: “With Adrian on board, we have one of the world’s best creative

directors who will work across Ogilvy to ensure we produce world class creative work for our clients.

“His experience of leading integrated campaigns means that he will be a vital addition to the ‘One Ogilvy’ spirit and 360 services that we offer to our clients.”

Ogilvy ASEAN chief creative officer Ajab Samrai said Miller brings “unrivalled experience”.

across Asia covering Malaysia, India, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Subsequently, he entered the start-up world by setting up two marketing advertising firms in Malaysia Advocacy and Newton TAC. His industry experience across Retail, Telecom, OTT, FMCG and Beverage categories will also help ada to deepen its capabilities in its industry-led solutions.

PUBLICIS ONE LAUNCHES DIGITAS MALAYSIA, THE CONNECTED MARKETING AGENCY

PUBLICIS GROUPE, VCCP WINS CATHAY PACIFIC ACCOUNT

Publicis One, the global communications enterprise that unifies all Publicis Groupe agency brands’ across small and medium size markets, has announced and launched the Digitas brand in Malaysia.

The launch of Digitas, The Connected Marketing Agency, will provide Malaysian brands with access to Digitas’ diverse expertise across data, strategy, creative, media and technology all under one roof.

Digitas Malaysia will be led

by Randolph Tan, Publicis One Growth Officer - Digitas, who brings over 10 years of technology background to the agency. He will report to Tan Kien Eng, CEO, Publicis One Malaysia and will have a brand reporting line to Annette Male, CEO, Digitas APAC.

ada APPOINTS MAHESH NEELAKANTAN AS COUNTRY DIRECTOR FOR BOTH MALAYSIA AND SINGAPORE

ada has announced the appointment of Mahesh Neelakantan as Country Director for both Malaysia and Singapore.

This position has been specially crafted to drive synergies across both markets.

Mahesh brings with him the best of both worlds with his experience within the ‘MNC Corporate’ world and ‘StartUp’ environment. He held key positions at Ogilvy & Mather

Cathay Pacific announced that Publicis Groupe will be handling it’s creative and media in an agency roster that also includes VCCP. Ending a 25-year relationship with McCann, Cathay Pacific Airways, Hong Kong’s flagship carrier, had assigned its creative and media duties to Publicis Groupe and VCCP. The review was conducted through the first half of this year with agency talents selected from Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Japan, India, Australia, the US and the UK. “We were impressed with the quality of thinking and passion for Cathay from all the agencies that took part in this review” said Edward Bell, General Manager, Brand, Insights and Marketing Communication for Cathay Pacific.

Tom Kao, Publicis Groupe CEO Hong Kong, stated “Cathay Pacific is the pride of Hong Kong and we are extremely honoured and privileged to work with this global iconic brand.”

TONTON MADE ACCESSIBLE AT NO COST TO MALAYSIANS

Media Prima Television Networks announced that its popular over-the-top (“OTT”) service, tonton, will offer Malaysians its video streaming services at no cost, in-line with Media Prima’s Group-wide business transformation strategy to increase revenue through programmatic advertising, one of the fastest-growing digital revenue segments.

This follows Media Prima’s

announcement to consolidate all online video content using YouTube’s Player for Publishers service. In lieu of this, tonton’s annual subscription video-ondemand (“VOD”) model will cease beginning 31 August 2018.

This will enable tonton to generate sustainable revenue through programmatic advertising which is seen by many industry analysts as the most effective tool for advertisers to capitalise on the right audiences for their campaigns.

BLAZE DIGITAL BOLSTERS TEAM WITH NEW HIRES

Blaze Digital has announced new additions to its team. Andy Yap joins as Vice President to lead the team in helping brands understand their true online audience to better target ads based on psychographics, behaviours and buying intention.

Mark Anderson transitions from Astro Radio’s sales to heading sales for Blaze Digital.

With over 17 years of experience in content creation and sales, he will now lead client engagement for Blaze Digital, driving innovative digital led marketing solutions for clients.

Jennifer Ding joins Blaze Digital as Head of Programmatic and Inventory Management.

In her previous role as Head of Digital Advertising at Karangkraf Media Group, she was responsible for setting up the group’s end-toend digital advertising solutions.

MALAYSIAN PRIMUS LEAVES AND MATEUSZ JOINS

BBDO Singapore has named Mateusz Mroszczak as its new Executive Creative Director.

Mateusz will join BBDO Singapore from Happiness Brussels and Saigon where he was Group Creative Director spending equal time between the

19 NEWS

two offices. Prior to Happiness, Mroszczak was Executive Creative Director at Darwin BBDO in Brussels.

“We look forward to welcoming Mat to Singapore and back into the BBDO network.

He’s a world-class creative leader with a unique ability to blend storytelling, experience and technology,” said Richard Fraser, CEO BBDO Singapore.

NASA’S NEW FRONTIER: ROCKETS AS BILLBOARDS?

In August, NASA Administrator Jim Birdenstine told advisers that he is forming a new committee focused on figuring out how NASA can go commercial. The committee, headed by Maxar Technologies’ Mike Gold, will pursue ways NASA could work with advertisers to brand its spacecraft and rockets as well as investigate how astronauts might engage in endorsements and media opportunities — both on and off Earth.

“I’d like to see kids growing up, instead of maybe wanting to be like a professional sports star, I’d like to see them grow up wanting to be a NASA astronaut, or a NASA scientist,” he said.

“I’d like to see, maybe one day, NASA astronauts on the cover of a cereal box, embedded into the American culture.”

It will be interesting to see if this takes place. Throughout all these years, NASA has steadfastly stayed away from endorsing any particular product or company — even going so far as to call the M&Ms astronauts gobble in space “candy-coated chocolates” out of fear of appearing to favour one brand of candy.