5 proven methods to gain and keep the attention of Top Headhunters.

 

10 years of recruiting for the advertising industry across Asia has taught me that it is not only important to find a good Head Hunter to help you with your career change, but KEEPING their attention is essential. Here are 5 methods to do so:

Resumes: MS Word “.doc” format – not pdf, not ppt.  Most recruiters will need to reformat it in a way that the clients request or their agency presents to clients.   Word “.doc” format and reverse chronological order with simple formatting is the absolute most common format Head Hunters use and clients receive.  Using a Head Hunter will put you directly in front of a decision maker, so the thinking of making a unique or “eye catching” resume is just needed.  In fact, those that come across the desk of most recruiters will get stripped down to the bare bones and put on a Word .doc in the end. Top producing Head Hunters will be reviewing and processing many resume a day.  Make it easy for them to work with and you will keep their attention. 16 page resumes, with 4 different fonts, 5 different types of bullet points/sizes  go to the trash box. Try to keep it under three pages.  No need to squeeze all on one page, but don’t put every details of your working life. Each job, focus on SUCCESS/RESULTS.  Headhunters want to see numbers, percentages, staff numbers managed, increases in revenue, decrease in costs, higher brand awareness etc.  Try to quantify as much your success.  For each company/role you have worked, attempt to highlight in a couple of sentences your key responsibilities and then show 3 to 4 KEY success stories. You want to demonstrate to you Head Hunter that every career change you make, means results and success for your employer and that there is a provable pattern of your success.

Define multiple next steps: The worst answer to a Head Hunter’s question, “What’s your ideal next career step?” – “I’m open.”  NO. Talk in specifics.  It will not limit what a Head Hunter presents to you, but it will get you roles that are pretty close to what you think is your ideal next step.  If you have been in your industry for 10+ years, you probably know there are a couple of routes you could take in your career.  Know what they are! Know which one you are the best fit for. Articulate that to your Head Hunter.  Consider the size and scope of the role you want next. The type of company – a start-up, a multi-national, a boutique firm?  Guide your Head Hunter to the “ideal” role/s you can make a move to, they will get MORE roles to you if you give them a target to work with. 

Preparation for interviews: Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance (5Ps).  A top Head Hunter will provide you as much information as they have received from their client and may have even put together an information pack about their client. Interview tips and a “role play” phone call or a face-to-face preparation meeting with your Head Hunter may have also been conducted.  But at the end of the day, you must prepare yourself for the meeting.  Even if you are unsure if the potential employer is the right next career step for you, you must go in prepared and showing enthusiasm/curiosity for the role and the company.  Thoroughly examine the company’s website.  Not a glance, but a true exploration of the company, “about us”, press releases, Investor Relations, products, services etc.  You may find out a lot more about the company that you expected.  A simple search on the internet about the company can also show you stock prices, performance and latest news.  It is imperative you are well versed in the latest news of the company.  Having this knowledge before you go into a meeting, and incorporating it into your answers and questions to the interviewer will demonstrate interest, curiosity and your seriousness level in their company.  This will be reflected in the feedback they pass on to your Head Hunter.  Regardless of the outcome of the meeting, you want your Head Hunter to hear that you were prepared and knowledgeable about their client company.  The opposite, will simply not get you another meeting.

Prove you are counter-offer resistant: In a buoyant market, it will be common for you to receive multiple offers and even a counter-offer from your current employer when you tell them you are resigning. If you have decided to take the offer of your Head Hunter’s client, the guaranteed way to destroy your reputation and have it known in the industry (Yes, Head Hunters do talk to other Head Hunters) is to them accept a counter-offer by your current employer.  Simply, do not start the process of interviewing with a top Head Hunter, if you plan to leverage an offer to gain an advantage with your current employer.  Examine your reasons for deciding to move on from your current employer and realize that even if a counter-offer is made, the reasons for moving on are most likely not going to change. In a survey done by the Wall Street Journal, over 50 percent of individuals receiving counter-offers after turning in their resignations accepted them. Within eighteen months, 93 percent of those accepting counter offers had left, some voluntarily and some fired. All of the remaining 7 percent were actively seeking new employment.   All top Head Hunters have suffered from candidates accepting counter-offers. To keep the attention of a top Head Hunter, if you interviews with them, volunteer the reasons you will not accept a counter-offer.  Multiple reasons are stronger than one, and will provide a degree of comfort for a Head Hunter to get you out to their top, preferred clients.  Head Hunters do not want to send candidates to their clients to waste valuable time, gain excitement from a client, only for it to be result in rejected offer.  If this occurs multiple times for a Head Hunter with a Client, the Head Hunter may lose them as a preferred partner.  Showing respect for a Head Hunters relationship with their client is appreciated and will be recognized and rewarded.

 

Communication: Over the past 10 years, the recruiting market has transformed significantly.  Timing is more important than ever.  Timing, in terms of responding to client/candidate requests, introducing candidates to clients, feedback from candidates/clients and timing of decisions to offer or not to offer.  A top Head Hunter will be working with a select group of clients and candidates at one time.  They tend to do their best to be timely and accurate with the information they convey to both the candidate and client. If you initiate your career change via a Head Hunter, be prepared to open up a very liberal line of communication with them.  Give them your mobile, direct office, home number, txt address and other contacts details that enable your Head Hunter to get hold of you easily.  The pace of the industry is faster than ever, and delays can be costly.  It may cost the Head Hunter a fee, but more importantly could cost you a role that is a career builder. Answer emails quickly and fully.  Be as flexible with your ability to meet a Head Hunter’s clients and requests.  Do not leave a Head Hunter waiting for hour and hours on urgent client requests.  The Head Hunter appreciates you are employed and working hard, but during the process you must make this a priority task for you.  Your new job is getting a new job!

-Tyron Giuliani, Regional Executive Search Specialist – Asia. ty@optiapartners.com

 

 

Peter Webb - set for global collaborations!

If you have ever worn a pair of Quiksilver baord shorts or other Quiksilver gear over the past 25 years, the chances are that Peter Webb has had his hand in its creation.

As one of the original artist for the brand, Peter help move surf culture into the mainstream youth and urban culture of the world. Peter’s creative vision and original work, has greatly shaped the Quiksilver vibe.  Peter played a large role in creative ventures such as Echo Beach, Ghetto Dog, The Crossing, Warpaint, and Surfers of Fortune.

Peter Webb’s gift as an artist lies in his skill as a colorist. It is here that his sensibility finds full expression. More often there is a joyous dance between the various hues, a musical play improvised like fine jazz or Eastern Raga. Though a very different artist Peter’s use of color often has something of the spirit of Matisse flowing though it. Even when Peter’s subject moves toward the dark and disturbing there is always undeniable pleasure in the use of color.

 

Peter is now entertaining collaborations with other brands throughout the world, and as an independent artist looks forward to helping other brands to speak with the youth and young adult markets of the world. With proven success, Peter's designs have been sold and worn in over 90 countries worldwide and he continues to influence and lead the current generation of youth and young adult with his designs.

For projects in Asia, you may contact his Business Director – Asia, Tyron Giuliani at ty@asianetjapan.com   Call: 81 (0) 90 6013 6562

www.petercwebb.com

 

Agency Report Card for 2010, brought to us by Campaign Asia

 

Campaign Asia's David Blecken brings us their Agency Report Card for 2010.  A great wrap on a year that has brought many agencies close to 2008 levels.

Score key 
10=Unparalleled; 9=Outstanding; 8=Excellent; 7=Good; 6=Satisfactory; 5=Adequate; 4=Below average; 3=Poor; 2=A year to forget; 1=Survival in question

Asatsu-DK

Regional head Kazuhiko Narimutsu
Score this year 4
Score last year 5 

The dynamics and pressure of the Japanese market took their toll on ADK in 2010. Business declined by 4.5 per cent and the agency lost money, prompting some tough decisions. Senior managers took pay cuts ranging from 20 to 35 per cent and CEO Koichiro Naganuma stepped aside. Despite the gloom, some important initiatives were introduced. ADK launched a new neuromarketing group to explore brain patterns and how they reflect brand decisions, and partnered with retail giant Lawson and NTT DoCoMo to introduce a concept of in-store display with the potential to reach more than 9,700 Lawson outlets across Japan. The network also expanded its footprint abroad, with the launch of a second agency in Malaysia, Dai-ichi Kikaku and served as lead consultant for the Shanghai Expo’s Japan Pavilion and Chinese Private Enterprise Pavilion. 

Creatively, ADK’s work for Hoyu and Mitsubishi won at Cannes while Levi’s, Asahi and Domino’s Pizza campaigns picked up awards at the New York Festival and Adfest, but the agency has enjoyed better metal years.

Reassuringly, ADK continues to have the right mindset and talent mix for growth although it still barely registers in the regional Agency Image Survey. The biggest challenge facing new boss, former COO Yoji Shimizu will be recovering from the buffeting of the last few years. With long-standing chief executive Koichiro Naganuma having recently taken personal responsibility for the decline and stepped aside, it will be up to former COO Yoji Shimizu to ensure that ADK continues to hold its own within Japan’s ‘Big three’ triangle.

Bates 141

Regional head Tim Isaac
Score this year 6
Score last year 7

Rebuilding its brand and strengthening internal operations meant Bates 141 underwent a number of changes in 2010. Most notable was a management restructure, which included the departure of regional chief executive Digby Richards and chairman of 25 years Jeffrey Yu. Tim Isaac stepped up to fill the vacant position. 

Other departures included Southeast Asia director Peter Skalberg and Singapore managing director Edward Pank. Frederique Covington became managing partner for Southeast Asia and head of strategy for Asia but subsequently left the agency for Microsoft.

Elsewhere, Sonal Dabral was appointed managing partner and head of creative for Asia while Conrad Chiu expanded his role of Hong Kong CEO to encompass Greater China as managing partner. This followed a problematic period in China, which saw the Beijing operation scaled down and VP Randy Xiao leave after just 12 months. In the Agency Image Survey, regionally, the network has relatively high awareness but ranks lower for overall perception.

Unsurprisingly, the network has been relatively quiet on new business, but did manage to claim new billings totalling US$7 million. These included regional assignments for HSBC, Diageo in Vietnam, and ITC, Colgate and Max Bupa in India, one of the network’s stronger markets and the strongest creatively according to the Creative Rankings - although the agency’s overall position was relatively low. Going forward, Bates is expected to focus on emerging markets like Indonesia, where Shubho Sarkar has been named CEO, as well as specialist below-the-line operations.

BBDO

Regional head Chris Thomas
Score this year 8
Score last year 8

The BBDO Proximity network enjoyed another solid year in Asia, spurred by the strength of  operations in Australia and New Zealand. Although the agency lost out to DDB as Network of the Year at Spikes Asia, Colenso BBDO Auckland brought home a significant number of creative awards including world’s number one for emerging and young creatives in Gunn’s Young Guns report. In Australia the agency increased its stake in Clemenger, which it has part-owned since 1973, from 47 per cent to 74 per cent. Clemenger’s US$2 billion in billings made the move BBDO’s largest investment in the region in a decade, and part of a concerted push for regional expansion by Omnicom Group. 

Further regional reinforcements were made as Carol Potter was promoted to CEO of a newly formed Greater China region heading up a strong triumverate with newly promoted MD Tze-kiat Tan and ECD Wai-foong Leong.

In India, Proximity extended its footprint with the establishment of a Mumbai office headed by Ranjeev Vij in response to growing digital demands in that market. Jean-Paul Burge became president for Japan and Southeast Asia as well as overseeing Singapore. Somkiat Larptanunchaiwon became CEO in Thailand, and Jonathan Teo and Richmond Walker ECDs in Singapore and Malaysia respectively.

Staff retention may have been strong, but big single business wins were largely absent, with the exception of Johnson & Johnson’s global baby products account and the Platinum Guild International in China. BBDO finished the year outside the top 10 in Campaign Asia-Pacific’s New Business League.

BBH

Regional head Charles Wigley
Score this year 6
Score last year 6

Having picked up major new business from the likes of the Singapore Tourism Board, Coca-Cola and Unilever the year before, 2010 was a year of consolidation for BBH. Nonetheless, the agency remains strong, particularly in Southeast Asia, where it posted growth of 29 per cent year-on-year. In India there was further good news, a series of smaller wins contributed to growth of 155 per cent at the fledgling office.

BBH is growing thanks to strong management - John Hadfield and Frances Great were rewarded for their performance with respective promotions to CEO and MD - and a willingness to look beyond long-term clients such as Levi’s - relinquished in July after a period of 28 years. A challenge will be balancing this growth with the ‘boutique’ status BBH is proud of.

The past 12 months saw the agency broaden the scope of its relationships with key accounts Perfetti Van Melle, Coca-Cola and Diageo, as well as taking on new appointments from clients such as YTL Communications in Malaysia. However, the awards haul for the year was small and the agency remains relatively low down the awareness and perception table in the Agency Image Survey. In terms of work, major new campaigns were lacking, but the agency made an unexpected detour to experiment with a reality TV series, and is taking steps to raise its digital game. A staff training partnership was formed with Swedish digital school Hyper Island and former OgilvyOne China digital director Thijs Jacobs came on board as creative technologist. Darius Karbassioun also joined as engagement planning director in China. 

Cheil Worldwide

Regional head Nack-hoi Kim
Score this year 5
Score last year 5

Having concentrated on establishing itself as a separate entity to its main client Samsung last year, Cheil Worldwide is still struggling to decide what to do with its independence.

The year saw relatively little in the way of new external business, aside from a respectable US$6.5 million appointment by China Mobile in Beijing, where Cheil opened for business in February.

Instead, the focus was on stabilising operations and, where possible, extending them. The longest awaited of these came with the opening of Beattie McGuinness Bungay (BMB) in Mumbai in partnership with Madison Media. President Bruce Haines said Mumbai had been chosen above “risky” Singapore, with Sydney and Shanghai as potential follow-ups. Further expansion came in the shape of One Agency, unveiled as a below-the-line complement to the acquisition of BMB and the Barbarian Group.

Again, the new network’s scope remains undecided in Asia where Thailand was highlighted as a priority following the appointment of SJ Kimm as president Cheil Southeast Asia and Kimm pointing to the market as a key growth area along with Vietnam and Australia.

In Seoul meanwhile, two major hires were made in former Diamond Ogilvy chief creative officer Wain Choi as executive global creative director and Jeffrey Curtis, previously of Lowe Thailand, as global creative director. These were countered by the departure of global interactive ECD Andrew Berglund, and the loss of Samsung’s creative account to Leo Burnett in Malaysia. Cheil’s international success will depend on attracting and retaining talent, and the quality of work produced outside the confines of Samsung.

DDB

Regional head John Zeigler
Score this year 9
Score last year 8

DDB came into its own in 2010. The network consistently ran in the top two positions in Campaign’s New Business League with more than 300 new business wins and billings exceeding US$300 million. Its appointment by Huawei in India was its biggest non-globally aligned win, followed by Telstra in Australia and DBS in Hong Kong and Singapore.

Creatively, it enjoyed its most successful year ever at Cannes and Spikes Asia, where it was named Network and Creative Agency of the Year. Meanwhile, John Zeigler, DDB and Tribal each took prizes at the Agency of the Year awards in their respective categories. 

During 2010 DDB announced a number of management changes. Richard Thomas was promoted to president of global accounts and chief integration officer. The agency also raised its profile with the launch of a Greater China sub-regional network, headed by Dick van Motman. The new structure brings together five offices: Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, Guangzhou and Taipei.

Meanwhile, the already successful DDB Group New Zealand merged full-service, data driven creative agency Rapp and digital marketing agency Tribal DDB as Rapp Tribal. Though impacted by the departure of ECD Dirk Eschenbacher, Tribal remains strong, as does Rapp. After reinvigorating Rapp in 2009, revenue increased by 35 per cent with new business wins totaling $65 million. While DDB’s regional network presence in the Agency Image Survey is high, it will need to raise its profile in China where it remains relatively low.

Dentsu

Regional head Tatsuyoshi Takashima
Score this year 6
Score last year 5

With an eight per cent rise in revenue, things began looking up for Dentsu in 2010.

The agency introduced a number of important initiatives inside and outside Japan, expanding its integrated marketing capability more than most. Few companies have diversified their business as much with added value services, and 2010 was no exception. At home, Dentsu announced an expanded alliance with Apple for the iAd service, and the launch of management consulting group, Dentsu Consulting to compete with the McKinseys and BCGs of Japan by helping clients with more upstream business services. The operation is led by Naoihiko Oikawa, a heavyweight with decades of relevant experience. In China - where Dentsu has its largest presence outside Japan - a similar unit, Dentsu Marketing East Asia was launched to help Japanese companies entering China with planning, procurement, production, distribution and sales strategies. Other initiatives in the market included a minority investment in SunTrend, one of the country’s best shopper marketing agencies, a 49 per cent joint venture with Blue Focus, one of China’s top PR agencies and increased attention in Hong Kong with the opening of a branch of Media Palette.

Outside China and Hong Kong, diversified services were a priority with the establishment of Singapore-based Dentsu Sports Asia, led by Kiyoshi Nakamura, to leverage sports marketing assets and Dentsu’s long-term relationship with Toyota leading to a new office in Australia. Creatively, 2010 was a very positive year, and Dentsu enjoyed the highest perception of all Japanese agencies in the Agency Image Survey.

DraftFCB

Regional head Mark Pacchini
Score this year 3
Score last year 3

At the end of 2009, DraftFCB’s executive chairman Howard Draft announced his intention to install “supersets of talent” in selected hubs in Asia to raise the agency’s low profile in the region, while also looking to make acquisitions in mainland China. Sadly, no one could say this vision was realised in 2010. 

A huge management overhaul of its China operations received a blow when Gary Tse, former CEO and chairman of Greater China, resigned after 23 years. Next to go was Simone Tam, former MD of DraftFCB Hong Kong, after 17 years. Former CEO of Saatchi Guangzhou Pully Chau, stepped into Tse’s shoes half way through the year and with her appointment came a slight upswing as the agency picked up Mengniu Dairy, Valspar, Kunlun Mountain Mineral Water, COFCO’s Fulinmen cooking oil and food and China Construction Bank. Towards the end of 2010, Mark Pacchini, former president of Greater China, was named president DraftFCB APAC, succeeding Anil Kapoor, named chairman emeritus of DraftFCB Ulka (the agency’s strongest in the region). 

A major win in the India market was Air India, but the network’s highlight was its global US$700 million Nivea win by German healthcare company Beiersdorf. Previously the incumbent in 51 markets, DraftFCB expanded this remit to nearly 90 countries. In terms of awards there was little to shout about. Neither did the agency fare well in the Agency Image Survey. In terms of awareness it placed in the bottom half of the ranking, while in terms of overall best agency DraftFCB failed to register at all. 

Euro RSCG

Regional head Oliver Pluquet
Score this year 6
Score last year 7

Although noticeably quieter than 2009, last year saw the Havas-owned agency roll out a number of new offerings and attempt to strengthen its digital capabilities, naming Andrew Knott to the newly created position of chief digital officer. The agency did benefit from some key global digital alignments, specifically being placed on Unilever’s first global digital agency roster, being named IBM’s global digital agency-of-record and being awarded the global digital business for EDF.

 Euro also named Daniel Lee to the newly-created position of regional digital director Southeast Asia for Euro RSCG 4D. Shortly after, the network launched a social media arm bringing together social and digital efforts under one brand. In May, the network launched its public relations offering in Southeast Asia - Euro RSCG PR Southeast Asia - to be headed by Nor Badron as MD of the hub in Singapore. However, the new arm has yet to see any significant wins.

A big blow for the agency was Victor Ng’s resignation after two years heading the creative team. Ng is still to be replaced. On the flipside, the agency promoted Matthew Fanshawe to the newly created role of regional MD. Euro continued to expand on its partnership with Pernod Ricard, picking up the Jacob’s Creek Australian Open account, winning the integrated Chivas Brothers business in Japan, including media, the regional integrated account for Dulux, and Reckitt Benckiser moved global ad duties for its newest brands, Durex and Scholl. In the Agency Image Survey, Euro improved but still placed in the lower half of the table for both awareness and overall best. 

Grey Group

Regional head Nirvik Singh
Score this year 5
Score last year 4

The appointment of Nirvik Singh to the role of chairman and CEO of Grey Group Asia-Pacific at the end of 2008 gave the agency a new approach, which it continued to build on in 2010. The network has certainly come out of its shell after a quiet 2009 and indeed was recognised as WPP’s strongest creative performer at year’s end. 

Grey Group continued to nurture its global relationships with key clients such as P&G, British American Tobacco and GlaxoSmithKline. Its new business record was also strong and the agency maintained a top-four position in the New Business League. In terms of high-profile wins, the network scooped Panadol globally, worth US$100 million, with a third of the business in Asia. Other regional wins included Reliance Communications, Allianz, Abbott Infant Nutrition Similac and Gain.

In China: ChangYu, Coca-Cola Ice Dew and Danone. G2, Grey Group’s global brand activation agency network, also announced a majority-stake acquisition of DPI, one of Greater China’s leading integrated shopper marketing consultancies. 

The network raised its creative profile with the hire of Ali Shabaz as chief creative officer for Grey Group Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand, as well as executive creative directors Randy Rinaldi, Pornthep Piyarat and Attlee Ku. In India, Hari Krishna now heads up Grey Mumbai, Ketan Desai leads Grey Delhi and Vijay Jacob is Grey India VP/Head of South. Success at Cannes and Spikes Asia was matched by the Agency Image Survey indicating Grey Group had significantly raised its game in China. That said, regional awareness of the agency remains low.

Hakuhodo

Regional head Junji Narita
Score this year 5
Score last year 5

After a disappointing and extremely challenging 2009, Hakuhodo ended 2010 with new management, Junji Narita became chairman and chief executive, a new diversified offering, a stronger mindset and a plan for the future.

New initiatives remained firmly concentrated on the domestic market. In keeping with the spirit of Hakuhodo’s proprietary approach to research and insights, the company invested in a new ethnographic division Hakuhodo Ethnovision. Led by Hiroshi Shirai, the ex-GM of the marketing planning division, the group promised to dig deeper than ever before into the anthropological aspects of human behaviour. A global alliance was formed with Marketshare, with former Procter & Gamble CMO Jim Stengel a prominent player. 

From front-end to back-end, 2010 was also a year of investment in measurement services. X-Advance, a new online evaluation tool, was rolled out across key clients. Two further arms -Engagement Business Unit and Owned Media Value Consulting - were launched to strengthen digital expertise and build client efficiency and effectiveness online. 

There was some - arguably overdue - activity outside Japan. Most significantly, the agency identified Bangkok as a regional hub, with Wooh Hoh as Regional ECD and Bee Lee as CD joining to provide greater leadership on the creative front. 

At Cannes, work shone for Sony, K’s and KDDI and the agency also picked up wins at the London Advertising Festival. Still the number two agency in Japan, Hakuhodo continues to dream of global expansion. Improved conditions in the region make this a real possibility.

JWT

Regional head Michael Maedel
Score this year 7
Score last year 7

JWT maintained its reputation as one of Asia’s most compelling creative shops and the network showed a strong performance at creative awards shows with India performing particularly well at Spikes Asia. That said, the agency failed to reach the creative highs it hit in 2009, and China was especially quiet at the global and regional shows.

JWT saw senior management hires across the board in India, China, Singapore and Australia, most notably Adrian Miller joining as CCO in India and Donald Chan taking the helm in China after a short stint at TBWA. However, the resignation of Desmond So, CEO of JWT Hong Kong, was confirmed in January this year, with Dennis Wong, ex CEO of Euro RSCG Hong Kong, set to take over. JWT’s ECD Steven Lee also decided to leave the agency.

The agency raised its game in new business, taking Microsoft 7 (China) and securing BhartiAirtel (India), the Federal Government Department of Health in Australia, adding another Kraft brand in the Philippines, and Denizen. Local new business wins included China Unicom, Wamda and Sinian Dumpling. However, at the beginning of the year Baileys parted company with JWT and called a pitch for its US$60 million global ad account.

The network strengthened its digital offering with hiring David Jessop as business director, Billy Chan as group account director and Munhoe Tung as creative director to lead its digital team, XM. Overall, JWT managed to raise its profile in the region. The agency ranked sixth in terms of overall awareness among marketers in the region. 

Leo Burnett

Regional head Jarek Ziebinski
Score this year 6
Score last year 5

Last year saw a resurgence for Leo Burnett. With Jarek Ziebinski having completed his first full year in charge of the region, the results started to show. Winning 27 Cannes Lions, including a media Grand Prix for the Sydney office, it was by far the best return from an Asia-Pacific agency. Later in the year, Leo Burnett added to this haul with a total of 40 awards from Spikes Asia, including two Grand Prix and four golds. Unsurprisingly, the agency’s Sydney ECD Andy DiLallo occupied the number-one spot in Campaign Asia-Pacific’s creative rankings for the best part of the year. 

On the new accounts front, Leo Burnett’s progress was not quite so dramatic but still showed steady growth. Tan Kien Eng’s appointment in late 2009 as CEO Malaysia and Singapore, has seen the agency secure some significant clients in the two countries including Samsung, Proton and Max Factor in Malaysia, and UOB in Singapore. Elsewhere, the Ebay win in Australia, McDonald’s in the Philippines and Chrysler in Japan have all contributed to the agency’s business growth.

But while Australia, Southeast Asia and Hong Kong were big positives in 2010, China remains a challenge. Aside from  P&G out of Guangzhou, the mainland is a work in progress. The departure at the end of 2010 of Greater China CEO Michael Wood could herald a rethink of the agency’s strategy in China, although in Eddie Booth, Leo Burnett has a ready and experienced replacement. Another key talent loss was Nick Handel. No worries from marketers though, in the Agency Image Survey, the network ranks third in overall awareness and is second best agency.

Lowe & Partners

Regional head Rupen Desai
Score this year 4
Score last year 3

Although starting from something of a low base, 2010 was arguably the year that Lowe finally started to make progress in Asia-Pacific. Traditionally strong in Thailand and Vietnam thanks to its Unilever business, the network looks to now be reaching further afield. In July it appointed Rupen Desai as Southeast Asia president with the intention of strengthening Singapore as a regional hub. In fact, talent was a key focus for the agency in 2010. On the creative side, the agency had to balance new hires with some major losses. In Thailand, Paul Grubb’s departure to Publicis was followed by the appointment of Pom Chaiyaporn. In China, Norman Tan was named as country CCO following the relocation of Ng Tian It back to Singapore. Ng resigned six months later and Dominic Stallard and Clinton Manson arrived in Singapore to replace him as joint CCOs. 

One continuing challenge for Lowe in Asia is to prove that it is more than Unilever’s in-house agency. So far, progress in this respect has been slow, although Vietnam is showing the way forward, winning clients such as Vietnamobile, Pernod Ricard and Total Lubricant. Elsewhere, the adding of Indomie to the agency’s Indonesian accounts, F&N Dairies in Malaysia, Idea cellular in India and Taobao Mall in China are at least adding variety to Lowe’s business.

In terms of marketer perceptions, Lowe is an average to poor performer. According to the Agency Image Survey, the network ranks 12th out of 22 agencies in overall awareness, but slips to 14th in terms of the best agency ranking. 

M&C Saatchi

Regional head Chris Jaques
Score this year 4
Score last year 3

With the addition of 110 new local clients and  billings over US$160 million, 2010 was reasonably kind to M&C Saatchi. The agency established a new office in Guangzhou, launched Shark, a regional shopper marketing practice, and consumer rewards company, TRCO. The company also established regional design practice, id, in Hong Kong and Mumbai, and expanded its Clear Brand Consultancy. 

In terms of new wins, the highlight was the addition of the David Jones business in Australia where the agency also kept its hold on Brand Australia and ING, and retained the Optus business. It continues its 13-year relationship with ANZ, which it serves across Australia and Asia. M&C Saatchi also won a four-year contract to rebrand Australia. 

In China, where Chris Jaques vowed to create an “annoyingly aggressive” operation, M&C Saatchi appointed Angela Hsu to the newly created position of CEO North & Central China, and installed Louis Cacciuttolo as CEO in Guangzhou. In China, they won the creative business for Watsons.

Less positive was the agency’s second departure from the Singapore market where plans to expand the team to 25 did not pan out. Meanwhile, in China, the departure of Rob Campbell from Sunshine, M&C Saatchi’s branding consultancy that Campbell launched in Shanghai two years ago, was an unmistakable blow. M&C Saatchi does not enter into any regional or international award shows but enjoys a top three position in terms of awareness in Singapore, Hong Kong and other markets, according to the Agency Image Survey. 

McCann Erickson

Regional head Exco team
Score this year 7
Score last year 8

The most significant event in 2010 for McCann Worldgroup was undoubtedly the appointment of Nick Brien as global head, replacing John Dooner. Brien immediately oversaw a restructure that split the Asia-Pacific region into four geographies - India, China, Japan and Southeast Asia/ Australia - and stripped Michael McLaren of his Asia-Pacific duties. Having installed Charles Cadell for Southeast Asia and Australia, TH Peng for China, Prasoon Joshi for India, and McLaren for Japan, the idea is for the new Exco to run the region collaboratively. 

Away from personnel shifts, 2010 was a year of ups and downs. A positive was the continuing strong performance of McCann Healthcare Worldwide, which increased billings to US$305 million and added 32 staff.  Major wins included SS Pharmaceutical in Japan, Ministry for Health, Family Affairs in Korea, and Pfizer Animal Health in Australia. Outside the healthcare sector, wins included the Bank of Philippine Islands and Drypers in Thailand.  In India, ESPN T20 Champions League, Brittania Cookies, Reliance Big Entertainment and Artsana India and the Thai Tourism creative business. 

A major blow in Malaysia was the loss of Proton, taking away an estimated $14 million account. Staff retention appeared to be an issue in 2010 - at the senior and creative levels. Angsana Chongsrichan, Margaret Chan, Mark Ingrouille Philip Rowell, Farouk Maddon and Sylvester Song left. Agency Image Survey results suggest McCann Erickson is valued for its creativity and global presence, but not value for money. 

Ogilvy & Mather

Regional head Tim Isaac
Score this year 9
Score last year 9

The goal in 2010 for Ogilvy in Asia-Pacific was to return the agency to pre-crisis levels and restore profitable growth to the Hong Kong office, the network’s fourth largest agency. As well as the global UPS account, major wins included MetLife in Japan, Boehringer-Ingelheim in Australia and Resorts World Sentosa in Singapore. Ogilvy won Intercontinental Hotel Group Singapore for the China and Japan markets and in India picked up ICICI Bank and Spice Handsets and retained Unilever, Amex, IBM, BAT and General Motors. 

Ogilvy added to its trophy cabinet during the year, including two IPA effectiveness awards and 12 prizes at the Asian Marketing Effectiveness awards. Ogilvy & Mather Taiwan became the first agency in Taiwan to win a Yellow Pencil at the D&AD show. Other high points included the expansion of digital business with Thomas Crampton’s Digital Influence division almost tripling revenue from 2009.

The agency’s importance in the global network was emphasised when Ogilvy Worldwide promoted Paul Heath to the newly created role of worldwide director for Ogilvy & Mather Advertising, in addition to his primary role as CEO of Asia-Pacific. Heath set out to assemble a global executive committee consisting of regional heads David Mayo, president of Ogilvy & Mather Advertising Asia-Pacific, Hugh Baillie from the UK, Simon Pearce from New York and Fernando Musa from Brazil. At the senior level, more hires were made as the network focused on talent development. Acquisitions continue and a joint venture with Apex Communications in Chengdu expanded the agency’s business in western China.

Publicis

Regional head Kevin Ramsey
Score this year 7
Score last year 7

The year for Publicis began with the hiring of Kevin Ramsey as chairman and CEO of the Asia-Pacific region. The former McCann Worldgroup regional head quickly brought in his old agency’s Southeast Asia area director Mark Ingrouille as CEO of its Thailand operations and Asia-Pacific director of business development. Other key hires included Richard McCabe to the newly created role of regional planning director and Paul Grubb, who joined as executive creative director in Thailand.

New business flowed along nicely, although this took the form of a series of smaller, solid wins rather than anything spectacular. The stand out new business was the global creative and digital account for Siemens Energy, out of the Publicis Malaysia office, which surprisingly also pulled in the full communications assignment for the entire product portfolio of the Maggi brand from long-term incumbent Ogilvy. 

Creatively, however, Publicis Asia-Pacific has had little to shout about judging from award show results. Three Cannes design golds for the ‘Beer/Mountain/Sky’ campaign and a gold and silver from Spikes Asia was a decent haul but a poor return compared to the agency’s creative rivals. Vice-chairman and chief creative officer Calvin Soh will see much room for improvement in this respect.

Following a year of consolidation and organic growth, 2011 could be a year for Publicis to really push its offering. According to the Agency Image Survey, Publicis still scores low among marketers for both awareness and performance, suggesting the agency still has some work to do to build its reputation in the market.

Saatchi & Saatchi

Regional head Ian Rowden
Score this year 4
Score last year 5

In the year that Saatchi & Saatchi celebrated its 40th anniversary the Asian part of the famous agency did not have too much to raise a glass to.

The Saatchi & Saatchi Singapore office in particular went through a turbulent 2010. In May, APB dropped it from its regional creative review for Tiger Beer, with the business eventually going to Y&R. The following month, the agency again lost out to Y&R, this time for the Singapore Navy business, an account Saatchi had held for 28 years.

Confirming the Singapore decline, Singapore and Malaysia CEO Dean Taylor left at the end of July. His successor Paul Roebuck arrived with a good reputation but a big challenge. July was also bad in Australia where, following a five-month tender process, David Jones went with M&C Saatchi after 14 years. And towards the end of the year, Malaysia and Singapore ECD Adrian Miller, one of the agencies key creatives, left for JWT Delhi.

 It has not been all doom and gloom. Creatively, the agency had a decent year, with Saatchi & Saatchi Sydney picking up three gold Lions at Cannes for the Toyota 4WD campaign, which also won gold at Spikes Asia. But even this success was tempered at the end of the year when the ECD behind the Toyota campaign, Steve Back, left. 

Can Saatchis pull it together? In terms of perception the agency is still strong, ranked third best agency overall in the region according to the Agency Image Survey, and the number one agency in terms of awareness. But regional head Ian Rowden, now in his third year, will need to start really earning his money if Saatchis is to return to former glories.

TBWA

Regional head Keith Smith
Score this year 8
Score last year 8

It could be argued that 2010 for TBWA was defined by its work. Two major campaigns caught the eye, the high-profile ‘Here for good’ global campaign, out of Singapore for Standard Chartered Bank and the multi-award winning ‘Sky Comic’, by TBWA Hakuhodo with adidas for the 2010 World Cup. 

Elsewhere, it was a year of consolidation for the agency as it battled to regain status in key markets in the region. TBWA’s commitment to China remained strong and the agency installed Ian Thubron as group president, redefining Hong Kong, Taiwan and China as TBWA’s Greater China region. Overseeing 500 staff across TBWA, Integer, TBWA Hakuhodo and Tequila Digital, Thubron’s appointment is part of a restructure intended to refocus the agency in this critical market. As part of the restructure, Jeff Ma was appointed managing director TBWA Shanghai, while Ruth Ang was promoted to Senior VP, TBWA Greater China. Less promising was the departure of China CEO Donald Chan after less than 12 months in the role. 

In terms of disciplines, the agency has concentrated on its digital offering, hiring over 200 digital experts across the region. Tequila Digital Australia’s managing director Charles Clapshaw was named to the new role of president Tequila Digital Asia-Pacific. Other appointments included Scarlett Lok as head of digital for TBWA Greater China, Louise Kristensen as head of digital for TBWA Tequila Hong Kong and Brent Farrell to digital managing director of Singapore. The Agency Image survey found TBWA to be creatively strong. For the year ahead, TBWA’s initiatives in the Greater China region are to be watched. 

Wieden & Kennedy

Regional head Kel Hook
Score this year 5
Score last year 5

It was a quiet year for Wieden & Kennedy, with the agency concentrating its resources on producing work for its established clients rather than chasing new business. 

India, China and Japan continue to be key markets. In India, the agency was awarded the creative duties on the Budweiser brand from AB-InBev. In the same market, Wieden launched key creative campaigns for a range of clients, including Royal Enfield motorbikes and value flyer IndiGo Airlines. In China, it rolled out new work for Converse focusing on skateboarding, following up on its 2009 positioning that put the brand at the centre of the underground music scene with the ‘Love noise’ project.

Creative wins were few and far between, although the agency’s Tokyo office did pick up a gold and silver in the digital category at Spikes Asia for its ‘Nike music shoe’ campaign. 

Awareness of the agency in Asia-Pacific remains low. Only Cheil scores lower in terms of marketer awareness. Better news is that Wieden’s reputation rises in terms of performance, with the agency sitting comfortably mid-table. 

In terms of talent, the big addition in 2010 was the hiring of Rob Campbell as regional head of planning, based out of Shanghai. Campbell replaced Nick Barham, who was appointed as Wieden’s co-ECD. Campbell’s industry knowledge and innovative approach to planning should sit well within the agency’s culture. Looking ahead into 2011, industry eyes will be on the Levi’s business, which the agency took from BBH.

Y&R

Regional head Matthew Godfrey
Score this year 4
Score last year 4

The big change for Y&R this year came about at regional leadership level, with Matthew Godfrey, formerly of Publicis, coming in to replace Ambar Brahmachary in March. Godfrey will surely be tasking himself with raising the profile and achievement of an agency that has been punching below its weight in Asia and that came into 2010 on the back of losing one of its biggest accounts - Singapore Tourism Board.

Godfrey certainly hit the ground running, with the agency winning the Tiger Beer regional account in May after a final shoot out against Ogilvy and then taking the symbolic Singapore Navy business from incumbent Saatchi & Saatchi. One of the big highlights of the Y&R year, though, was its creative success, which has in previous years been lacking. Y&R Jakarta took home the first Cannes gold in the history of Indonesian advertising, while the Asia network also picked up metal at Spikes Asia and NY Festival for work for clients including LG, Cadbury and Australian Defence Force. But while Y&R is  picking up momentum in Southeast Asia, it is still something of an outsider in other markets. 

In China, the agency started the year with the departure of Greater China president Tom Kao, and the position remains empty. In October, Shanghai MD Henry Chan, seen as one of the main drivers of Y&R’s business in China, also stepped down. Better news came in April when the agency won the creative account for Gap, which opened its first stores in China in November. It will be interesting to see how Y&R builds on ground made in 2010. Shifting some of the regional focus out of Singapore and more towards China will help.

2011 How it looks for our industry in Asia - well written by David Blecken at Campaign Asia

A very good piece by David Blecken at Campaign, providing us with a wrap of 2010 and the challenges of 2011 from some of the most influential people in our industry in Asia.

Steve Garton

Executive director
Synovate

2010 was a very hard year for many agencies. The end of the recession didn’t necessarily imply recovery. It was a year of reset in terms of client expectations. Agencies had to yield to price pressure, and there was a continuation of the wrenching of 2009. What propelled change was the search for more effective ways to get the message out. The growth of online is also continuing to put pressure on agencies, internet dollars often turn to dimes, and this is a risk for the industry. Unless it finds more creative ways of adding value it won’t be able to drive enough cash flow to attract top talent.

It will probably become clearer than ever that there is even less middle ground for medium-sized agencies. The middle ground has shrunk dramatically. Big agencies can wheel in global experts, and boutiques can continue to provide niche services. There’s still a role for small digital agencies with great ideas. 

Paul Heath

President, CEO
Ogilvy & Mather Asia-Pacific

Overall, 2010 was a year of resurgence, a real opportunity to have a relevant discussion with clients, to join the dots and to link creativity and effectiveness.

I expect this year to be a tipping point for digital. People will stop talking about it as something separate from the ‘mainstream’ and it will start to become pervasive and at the centre of everything we do. This won’t be everywhere in Asia, but tier one and two cities in China may already be at that tipping point.

The growth of digital is of course great news and the level of complexity represents an opportunity for agencies to help clients navigate it. Clients are likely to put more emphasis on ROI and we may start to see elements of payment by results introduced to agency compensation models, as well as the growth of consulting services inside agencies. There are also advances in the area of neuroscience – clients are beginning to show genuine interest in this area. 2011 won’t be without pain, but the potential gain will make it all worthwhile.

Nirvik Singh

Chairman, CEO
Grey Group Asia-Pacific

Until now, talk has centred on India and China, but in 2010 four new markets featured prominently - Indonesia, Bangladesh, Vietnam and the Philippines - going into 2011 I expect these markets to continue doing really well.

The trend of more fragmented media will be heightened going forward, and we need to continue to move from being advertising agencies to communications companies. Clients are demonstrating this with more spend in areas like retail. In 2011 I also expect to see the emergence of more activity on the mobile front. Marketers will find ways and means of taking that forward, as well as retail and the below-the-line space of consumer engagement.

As an agency, if you are siloed in your approach it won’t work. We went from a bundled to undbundled offering, but now agencies are starting to bundle their services again. Integration is driving the future. The agencies that are successful in getting out of silos will be the agencies of the future. I strongly believe that will be the model going forward.

Keith Smith

President international
TBWA

2009 was a very tough year for the industry as a whole but last year we all got the feeling that things are starting to bounce back. At TBWA, our way of coping with the recession is to have digital at the heart of our agencies. We spent a lot of time in 2010 hiring the best digital talent and digital creative talent we could. We see this as the right way to move forward.

In 2011, the digital emphasis will continue, but will be more part of a broad scale communications plan that includes other aspects. A key part will be retail activation, which is growing at a phenomenal pace. We think the linkage of digital with retail activation and strong brand support is the way forward for the industry.

2011 is going to be a year of measured growth. Clients are not going crazy in terms of increasing spend, but this will potentially be a really healthy growth phase, with proper, measured development.

John Zeigler

Chairman, CEO
DDB Asia-Pacific

In 2010 we became more collaborative as opposed to the old way of following a process and delivering. It’s more relevant to the digital age, and we feel that we’re on the cusp of a new era. We’ve migrated from a pure digital focus to the integration of digital with a mainstream focus, which will very much be in play this year.

In 2011, we will see agencies more aggressively challenge their talent to jump the chasm of the old to the new world and begin to filter out those who cannot get it. This will create opportunities for new creative leaders. I believe we will also see clients accelerate their hunger and need for results changing the way they allocate their spend to achieve this. This will lead to a greater allocation to the creative idea instead of media placement. In essence, a move from paid media to earned media.

Outside of the communications business we will definitely see the rise of the marketing executive in the business arena. This will make the communications business a more critical asset to demonstrate delivery and, if all works, could help marketing regain its prominence in the game to gain and grow business and brand performance.

Last but by no means least. I feel we will see increased importance of Asia as a fuel for multinational brand growth. This is already happening. With continued financial issues in USA and Europe, the focus on Asia will continue to rise.

Cheuk Chiang

CEO, Asia-Pacific
PHD

Media, communications, entertainment, and related industries are experiencing rapid change. Change like we’ve never seen before driven by revolutions in technology and consumer’s almost insatiable desire for content and social connection, for example, just five years ago iPads didn’t exist let alone Facebook apps.

The traditional boundaries of the media and entertainment industry have also become meaningless. Today almost every business and social activity is a form of media. An increasing proportion of our social interactions happen across media channels. 

This translates to huge challenges for both clients and agencies as content proliferates, media gets more fragmented, consumers change behaviors and reaching and engaging audiences gets more and more difficult.

In this environment, collaboration is the key. Clients and agencies need to form stronger partnerships, encourage transparency and work closely to develop unique and compelling strategies that engage consumers.

Vishnu Mohan

CEO, Asia-Pacific
MPG

2010 was a year of great growth. All agencies capitalised on increased activity from marketers who put 2009 behind them and saw 2010 as an opportunity to get back on track and build their brands. It was a great year for the extended space of digital and sports and entertainment marketing. In 2009 we saw companies pulling out of sponsorships, but these came back and companies once again looked on them as an important part of the marketing plan. We also saw a lot more social media than previously.

I think the model of engagement with agencies is moving to one where agencies will be required to prove their value through linking their efforts to an actual deliverable. Buying and tactical planning will keep getting squeezed as companies continue to seek higher order services. Two other changes I anticipate are increasingly more senior level involvement [from clients] on the media front than before. You will also see more specialised people at the clients’ end, such as social media evangelists.

A challenge will always be getting the appropriate people who understand the business. The talent that exists is flocking more to marketers and even media companies than agencies. The perceived glamour pushes talent in that direction. But if you want to engage with an advertiser you have to have the talent who understands their business.

Additionally, the term ‘social capital’ is going to be important in this decade. Every company is going to have to look at building sustainability across all aspects if it wants to be successful. Consumers are increasingly smarter and more sophisticated and they will continue to find companies either praiseworthy or guilty depending on their actions. This is going to be a big thing and is not just limited to a handful of people - it’s imperative from the CEO to the bottom of the company.

Matthew Godfrey

President
Y&R Asia

2010 was a bounceback year in Asia, and we’re seeing more pressure for our clients that growth has to come from this region, and so they need to find a way to capture the market to drive that growth. So the responsibility falls to agencies to lead marketing thinking from Asia more than ever before. Two of the top three ad markets in the world are now in Asia. If you’re CEO of China, your next ambition should be global, but I’m not sure we’ve made that switch yet.

A focus will be empowering people with the tools to help them innovate, but this is different from a process. If you build marketing innovation you can really bring growth to sit and have a proper boardroom conversation. Look at the Old Spice campaign - marketing innovation took it from a funny ad to a worldwide success. Our job is about positioning. There are a lot of case studies but if you just try to replicate them the resulting campaign will not be as successful. It’s not just the content, but the innovation we take to market that’s important.

A lot of people have said that we need to bring the fun back into the business, but I only half agree. What I think we need is to bring innovation back into the business - not to bring the parties back. The old school definition of fun is not really what we’re here to do.

Jarek Ziebinski

President
Leo Burnett, Arc Asia-Pacific

I will list a couple of things here that I anticipate for the year ahead but God may laugh at me for attempting to foretell the future. The truth is, no one really knows what is going to happen tomorrow. More uncertainties exist in the business environment now than ever.

The magnitude of the impact from the global financial crisis goes deeper than what we can see now and cannot be underestimated. It has changed the mindset of an entire generation of consumers who experienced it and or grew up in these times and will continue to impact behaviour in the years ahead. This applies similarly to corporations and clients in how they do businesses. Ever increasing accountability is demanded of corporations and of agencies going forward. 

Without a doubt, digital and technology advancements will continue to shape the way we live our lives, impact the way brands communicate with people and inevitably our businesses. As challenging as it is becoming, there is also an abundance of opportunities to take our business forward. However, instead of trying to predict the next digital trend and to invent more jargon, the key is to bring the focus back to people and their behaviour. Whether it is trying to understand how digital technologies are shaping their lives, or how they are consuming it, we must never lose sight of the most important thing: what matters to people.

Malcolm Hanlon

Managing partner
ZenithOptimedia, Asia-Pacific

A big challenge in 2010 was the explosion of complexity in the communications world -digital, social, search, more metrics - a time when ad budgets started to improve but there was a massive increase in workload. There’s still something of a disconnect with clients wanting more work for similar fees as before.

A change is that clients are now drafting in media experts to run their Facebook pages. Rather than lots of generalists at media agencies, clients are expecting more specialists: people who are really experienced in certain areas. It’s impossible to be an expert in everything from performance marketing to analytics to digital TV. The future is in more specialists being brought in based on client needs. These teams will get bigger and the teams of generalists will get smaller.

The other thing is that it’s a tech war out there these days, especially in Asia. There are massive amounts of inventory and technological advance is the key driver. The most technologically advanced companies become leaders; for agencies, the ones with the best systems and technology will be the leaders of the future. We need to become as sophisticated as other industries with these technology platforms.

Jeffrey Seah

CEO, Southeast Asia
Starcom MediaVest Group

Last year was a year to get back on track, with a bit more rationale and forward planning. All the pitching in 2009 was a knee-jerk reaction, and people were calling pitches for different reasons than we were used t- cost, wanting to do things more simply, etc. There was no consistent aim in them, apart from being driven by cost.

More and more, we’re getting our people to have a deeper understanding of client needs, importantly partnership in real partnership form – either marriage or divorce. More and more needs are non-classical. The balance between content and control will rear its head this year, but the most important thing is working together as partners.

The companies with the most adaptable talent are the ones that will capture the available opportunities. This relates to Darwinian business theory. Something to consider is: what is the definition of a product? Every agency has been moving towards a servicing mode rather than developing products, which they really should be doing. Some define a product as servicing in itself - as long as clients are happy, that’s the product - but really that is only half of it.

Barry Cupples

CEO
OMG           

The media business is ever changing.  With the advent of new social platforms, it is also our job to evolve.  We do that by ensuring open architecture communication across our communities and sharing the information on fluid change regards how what consumers want and how they want to receive/interact with messaging, so that our clients can benefit from this knowledge.  For instance, mobile apps are constantly changing the way that many consume/ get involved with media.  In our shifting communications landscape understanding this fluidity and constantly changing value equation is crucial for our team members if we are to service our clients as experts. It is NOT easy!

Content and technology will continue their growing symbiosis and these elements and the understanding of how best to utilise them have always been key to our business, as the industry always says, “Content is king”. The context to how it is optimised is now queen. Paid, owned and earned media will continue to be the pillars on which the agencies development will measure itself as the currencies at work in each will begin to change and the challenge will be to harness the power of success metrics that may make some measurements obsolete.  The challenge is an exciting one and one that makes the industry a great place to be working.

 

SPOTLIGHT ON WORK: Martell Cognac – “Ultimate Start-up space”

Download now or watch on posterous

MARTELL_INTEGRATED_H264_SMALL.mov (13002 KB)

 

 

Most premium spirits do advertise a familiar “success” story.  Successful man, with a gorgeous lady and a group of successful friends, all experiencing the best of life has to offer.  TBWA Singapore decided to change this by; not just talking about success, but trying to enable it!  I really like this concept, and it certainly got great results.  A great piece of integrated advertising!

 

They rented a prime retail shop and turned it into a live billboard. 3D projections featured a series of potential businesses that changed constantly. This was their challenge to Singaporeans; to generate the best business idea to fill the space. The winner received The Space rent-free from Martell to grow their new business.

 

CAMPAIGN RESULTS

 

60,111 followers on Twitter. 29,442 fans on Facebook. 2,068,594 total unique views for all social media, blogs and forums. 26.3 million Google search listings for “ultimate start up space”. 40% increase in search traffic for Martell. $869,609 in free PR. 

 

And 1 new business.

 

"You foreigners' flunky!" - Chinese CEO lets rip - a lesson on non-social media!

 

The CEO of Chinese B2C site Dangdang has let fly on the twitter-like microblogging service Sina Webo.  Li accused Morgan Stanley of undervaluing Dangdang's IPO, using vicious and foul-mouthed words to attack several anonymous Sina Weibo users who are believed to be Morgan Stanley employees.

 

"I am here openly criticizing investment banks, criticizing Morgan Stanley, what, Morgan Stanley can't be criticized? Not be cursed? You foreigners' flunky!" reads one of his tweets.

 

The incident has put Dangdang into a public relations crisis. The exchange certainly is a lesson on how NOT to use social media. These type of outburst in public surely cast doubt on Li's judgment and certainly reinforce the image of the Chinese CEO's as "ALWAYS" right and not in need of counsel or PR management. It certainly will take a brave PR or Corporate Communication's manager inside a company to "advise" their boss on how to play in the social media space - as a local "spat" could quickly turn into a global viral story!

 

Mobile Phone carrier Softbank to allow texting and Net access on Subways in Tokyo!

The Tokyo government is allowing Softbank to install antennas in Tokyo subways to allow Softbank phone users to Text and access the Net while in the subway.

At the moment, you can call and have full access at train stations, but while moving in a train, it currently is not possible.  Citing an increase in productivity as one reason, I think it is more likely that online gaming and txting friends is going to be the main usage. 

It is however good news for mobile phone advertising and idle time of users that can be on the trains for up to 2 hours.  I wonder if this will lead to increase of mobile advertising and train advertising that will already see now in Tokyo. 

One point though, it can be pretty hard to get your hand on your mobile phone in a rush hour train!!

 

Li-Ning - watch this brand!

 

For many outside of Asia, Li-Ning will have zero brand recognition.  Incredible, for a brand that generates revenues in the sales of sporting equipment/apparel closing on 1.5 Billion dollars.

A brand that has risen to the number 1 spot of Chinese sports brands in the market, placing itself up there with Nike and Adidas, which dominated China as the number 1 and 2 sports brand.  Now, like a number of other leading Chinese sporting brands, they are looking to expand "westward".  Some feel it is too early for them to do so, but looking at their annual report, and the reported cash and profit margins they are experiencing, I think the timing is great.  A chance to some in the market as something "new" and I am sure the US consumer will start to put Li-Ning on their feet soon enough! 

In May, Li Ning will be launching a 10 Million dollar Ad campaign in the USA.  Let's enjoy watching a brand identity grow and I wonder how much analysis will be made  regarding how they agency will bring them to market in the minds of the consumer.

Wunderman Worldwide makes appeal for flood relief in Queensland - lead by Matt Batten

Please spare a thought for Queenslanders in Asutralia.  An estimated 3/4 of the State was under water in the recent flooding - that is more than 5 times the land mass of Great Britain.  Please give generously to those in need.

View the video presented by Matt Batten, Creative Director of Wunderman.

http://wndr.mn/help

JWT's Top 100 things to watch in 2011:

In alphabetical order, here are 100 things to watch in 2011, according to JWT:

1. 3D Printing
2. Africa’s Middle Class
3. Apps Beyond Mobile
4. Art.sy
5. Auto Apps
6. Automatic Check-Ins
7. Bamboo
8. Bank Branch Out
9. Banner Ads Do More
10. Beer Sommeliers
11. Biomimicry
12. Bjarke Ingels
13. Brazil as E-Leader
14. Breaking the Book
15. Brigadeiro
16. “Buy One, Give One Away”
17. CAPTCHA Advertising
18. Children’s E-Books
19. Coming Clean with Green
20. Costlier Cotton
21. Culinary Calling Cards
22. Decline of the Cash Register
23. Deforestation Awareness
24. Detroit
25. Digital Downtime
26. Digital Etiquette
27. Digital Indoor Maps
28. Digital Interventions
29. East London Tech City
30. E-Book Sharing
31. Electronic Profiling
32. Entrepreneurial Journalism
33. Facebook Alternatives
34. Fashion Fast-Forward
35. F-Commerce
36. Food, Ph.D.
37. Gay-Centric Hotels
38. Global Disease, Refocused
39. Green Luxury Cars
40. Group-Manipulated Pricing
41. Heirloom Apples
42. Home Energy Monitors
43. Ignorance Is Bliss
44. In the Flesh
45. Jennifer Lawrence
46. London Tourism
47. Long-Form Content
48. Matcha
49. mHealth
50. Michael Jackson Lives On
51. Micro-Businesses
52. Mobile Blogging
53. Mobile Memes
54. The Nail Polish Economy
55. Nanobrewers
56. Near Field Communication
57. The New Mobility Industry
58. New Nordic Cuisine
59. Next-Generation Documentarians
60. Neymar
61. NKOTBSB
62. Objectifying Objects
63. Odyssey Trackers
64. Older Workforce
65. The Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN)
66. Pedro Lourenço
67. Personal Taste Graphs
68. Piers Morgan
69. Pogo
70. P-to-P Car Sharing
71. Rooney Mara
72. Rum
73. Rye Rye
74. Ryo Ishikawa
75. Scanning Everything
76. Self-Powering Devices
77. Smart Lunchrooms
78. Smart-Infrastructure Investment
79. Smartphone Cameras Take Over
80. Smoking on the Fringe
81. Social Browsers Go Mainstream
82. Social Networking Surveillance
83. Social Objects
84. Space Travel Goes Private
85. Storied Products
86. Stricter Green Building Standards
87. Tablets for Tots
88. Tap-to-Pay
89. Tech Liaisons
90. Tech-Enabled Throwbacks
91. Temporary Tattoos Go High-End
92. Tintin the Movie
93. Transmedia Producers
94. Tube-Free Toilet Paper
95. Ukraine
96. Urban Industrial Parks
97. Video Calling
98. Virtual Mirrors
99. Voice-Activated Apps
100. YouTube the Broadcaster

Happy Holidays

Being PC here, Happy Holidays!  I've been running around like a headless chook at the moment, so will get back to this blog in the new year!

Great to have met so many great people over 2010 and looking forward to helping candidates and clients alike in 2011!

Let's get creative and have fun in 2011!

Li Ning ramping up in USA

If you haven't heard of Li Ning yet, you certainly will!  It is the largest Chinese sporting brand and now they are selling in the USA.  Suffering by design and quality issues in the past, they are now poised to take on Nike on their home turf.  By the way, Nike is actually number 1 in China in the sports category competing against Li Ning.

This is a very well done TVC - great humour too!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5MWk3qtflE

Asia leads mobile ad spend!

No surprise here.  Unlike many countries in the "West" where families will have multiplle PCs in their homes, it's not the casein Asia.So the only truly personal communication device is the mobile.  This is only going to increase!  Billions to be spent going forward into 2011!




Campaign Aisa reported that..."According to findings from mobile advertising company Smaato, 2010 saw Japanese companies invest more than US$1 billion in this business followed by South Korea and China ($270 million and $180 million respectively). In Asia more than 15 billion page impressions are being generated on a daily basis in mobile.

“In 2011 mobile apps will continue to surprise the media; new smartphones and tablet PCs are enhancing our daily digital lives. With new innovations like LTE broadband bandwidth, NFC smartphones and more relevant mobile ad formats we will see a dramatic lift off in global Mobile Advertising,” said Harald Neidhardt, CMO and co-founder, Smaato Inc.

Smaato gathered market data for the three strongest regions in mobile marketing: the USA, Europe and Asia. The trends show market analysis published by leading market research companies.
In 2010, the iTunes Store tippled its offering of mobile applications and the Android market was established as the second largest app store. Android bypassed Apple with a market share of 25 per cent (Apple 17 per cent) and is now the second largest OS behind Symbian (37 per cent) according to Morgan Stanley.

The growth of mobile as an established media channel will continue the next couple of years. Other key findings from Smaato are that the US is the second largest market globally in terms of mobile advertising spending behind Japan. It will close the gap next year with a forecast of $1,24 billion and will grow up to $5 billion in 2015."

How do colors affect purchases - creatives note the old basics!

Video Marketing - insights from Michael Rucker of Google in Campaign Asia

 

In Japan, people spend nearly 17 hours a month on average viewing video content, followed by 12.7 hours in Hong Kong and 10.4 hours in Singapore. Michael Rucker, Google product marketing manager for JAPAC, looks at emerging trends for this highly engaging medium that sees marketers increasingly turn to video-sharing sites.

1. Don’t be afraid to use hyper-fragmentised videos
Online video has all of a sudden created an infinite shelf for content, and the fragmentation it renders is ample. Over 35 hours of content is uploaded to You Tube each minute.
Now, if you’re a beauty product enthusiast, not only can you watch a dedicated channel all about make-up tips, but you can also go straight to niche topics to find videos on how to do Lady Gaga’s eyes as featured in 'Bad romance'. Marketers can promote their brands and products subtly by cutting through the clutter via hyper-fragmentised videos.

2. Great content can come from anywhere.
Online video is just an extension of the video fragmentation story. As TV fragmented from a few terrestrial commercial channels to hundreds, new content surfaced in different forms across Asia-Pacific.
Online video is fragmenting video at many times the order of magnitude and the variety of content creators is changing in similar ways. From FMCG to film studios, record labels to bedroom video bloggers, video-sharing sites have become a home to the rampant growth of professionally-produced and user-generated content.

3. Engaging ads are becoming content
Fragmentation and online video propel marketers to rethink about advertising. For years, marketers have tried to build ads and force viewers to watch them by bundling them with content. But viewers choose to watch these engaging ads instead of content.

Over the years, TV has offered higher monetisation by displaying more ads per hour. But now, the trend is reversing due to the exponential growth of online video. Eventually, fewer ads will be shown but with more advertiser impact generated from each view, delivering even higher monetisation to content creators.

4. There is no online video, just video.
We are seeing a convergence as the war between online video and TV is coming to an end. With the rise of IPTV and mobile devices, the segregated worlds of television and the web is collapsed into one seamless entertainment experience.
Marketers are fascinated by the business potential brought on by an expanded universe of content from a variety of sources including television providers, the web, content libraries and mobile applications.

5. Use video to open doors to untapped markets.
Engagement is the key to any successful video campaign and there is no 'one-size-fits-all' solution. Whereas for deep-pocketed sports advertisers, sports events like the Indian Premier League (IPL) is one of the 'must-have' Asian media properties. Video streaming of IPL matches opens up a new form of distribution for sports rights and introduces new opportunities for brands to expand into different untapped markets.

Australia World Cup 2022 Bid presentation Video to Fifa (Kangaroo)

As an Australian in Asia for the pas 12 years, I can only say it is really time we update what Australia is about. And not promote/Advertise the same old Sydney harbour sites and Ularu. Yes, it was certainly different than all other presentation videos, but the "cringe and cheese" factor was too high for my liking.

How to get headhunted in Campaign Asia

http://www.campaignasia.com/Article/239754,getting-headhunted-for-top-roles-not-advertised.aspx

Pernod Ricard Japan picks Isobar as digital AOR for Chivas Regal

Isobar Japan has scooped Chivas Regal’s digital agency-of-record contract following a pitch called in August which also involved incumbent Euro RSCG. 

Although the monitored digital spend for Chivas was only about US124,000 July 2009 to June 2010. I really think Isobar has an opportunity to "uplift the luxury, authentic and prestigious brand image of Chivas Regal in Japan."  It's a brand with over 200 years of history, so certainly going back to it's roots and providing some historical perspective in the digital campaign would do well to interest the Japanese consumer - who do love the "history" of a brand.  Tie that up with some good on-and off-trade activity, events and PR; and they can compete with the "whisky high-ball" boom we are now seeing in Japan.

TopJobsInAsia.com & AdvertisingJobsInAsia.com

I've been putting together a team of liked-minded people over the years, to help on projects and execute things that appeal to each other and are mutually beneficial.  A plan for 2011, is to construct a free* portal site for Job posting for both agency side and client side roles throughout Asia.  Considering the size of the market, I am hoping clients and candidates I know, may call on the site as another channel to help them find people and also for people to find their next career move.  I am not writing myself out of a job, but as one extra tool, I think it is something that will benefit all.

I actually own the domains:   TopJobsInAsia.com and AdvertisingJobsInAsia.com

A shamless request: If any of my "creative" friends out there would love to bang together a FUNKY logo for either or both, I would be fully appreciative and it would be the basis of the "look" of the site.  Ideas welcome! The more the merrier...

As always, you can contact me direct at   ty(at mark)asianetjapan.com





*until the traffic picks up and I need to cover higher costs - clients will pay a small fee for posting once i can jutify the cost/value.

It's positive all round!

The details:

• At IPG: Total salary and staff incentive expenses rose 12 percent to $1 billion.
• At WPP: The total number of employees increased 3.5% from December 2009 to 102,759,
• At Omnicom: Salary and service costs as a percentage of revenue increased 1.5% to about $2.2 billion.

It's great to see agencies growing again, after such a "hold and wait".  Let's hope the GFC has taught some valuable lessons, and we move forward, smarter and less complacent!

IPG is looking healthy again! It last saw positive territory in Q1 2009 — eighteen long months ago -congrats!!: