M&C Saatchi has launched in Indonesia with immediate effect. Within Southeast Asia, M&C Saatchi Indonesia will complement the existing operations in Malaysia and Singapore.

The agency will offer integrated marketing solutions including advertising, digital and social media marketing, mobile marketing, performance marketing, CRM, data analytics, public relations and influencer marketing, sports and entertainment marketing, sponsorships, shopper marketing and retail innovations, among others.

Former Phibious Indonesia lead Anish Daryani has been appointed to spearhead the launch in Indonesia. Daryani has 15 years of advertising experience in India, Kenya, Nigeria, Vietnam and Indonesia. He has been working in Indonesia for the past two years. He will manage the M&C Saatchi Indonesia operations as founding partner and president director. Other founding members of the agency in Indonesia include Dami Sidharta (executive creative director) and Elki Hendria (executive planning director).

Sidharta comes with over a decade of experience in advertising. He looks at himself as a “people-based creative”, drawing his creative inspiration from the lives of people around him. He has helped nurture brands like Telkomsel, Samsung, Gudang Garam, Pocari Sweat, Panasonic, Yamaha and Indonesia Tourism Board, among others. His campaign ‘Gudang Garam Rumahku Indonesiaku’ was recognised as the best commercial by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Indonesia.

Hendria  also comes with over a decade of experience as a communications strategist. He likes calling himself a “creative strategist” and believes that strategy isn’t strategy if it doesn’t complement creativity. Elki has helped contribute towards many business wins and leverage brands such as Indofood Frito Lay, AirAsia, Gudang Garam, The Body Shop.  Among his conquests are also awards at Campaign Asia 2016 & 2017 and some Indonesia Marketing media awards back in 2014-2015.

Daryani said: “Indonesia is a stable economy that has performed consistently over the past several years. With indigenous home-grown businesses driving the economy, this was just the right time for M&C Saatchi to launch in Indonesia."

He added that marketing services are becoming more complicated. Which is why the agency set up business - To simplify Brand Building in a Digital Age. This is also in sync with its core principle - Brutal Simplicity of Thought.

"In an era where clients are forced to work with separate brand and digital agencies, our value proposition is Digital Brand Marketing, where clients can get integrated specialisations under one roof - saving them valuable time and money, as well as leading to more effective solutions. The model we are creating for Indonesia is what I believe every other agency will want to be,”  he said.

He further added that along with M&C Saatchi, other specialist brands from the network will also be launched. These include LIDA, the CRM and big data analytics agency; M&C Saatchi Mobile, the specialist mobile ad performance and services agency; and Bohemia, the specialist performance marketing agency which was acquired by M&C Saatchi in Australia.

Moray McLennan, global CEO, M&C Saatchi, said: “Our strategy is simple, find top talent in key markets and give it the freedom, responsibility and backing to flourish. Brutal Simplicity of Thought and an entrepreneurial spirit have been the key to M&C Saatchi outperforming the market. They are what clients both want and need."

He added: "It was relatively easy to identify Indonesia as a key market, it was more challenging to find the right talent.  Anish we wish you and your colleagues all the best.”

Richard Morewood, Asia CEO, M&C Saatchi commented: “We are very proud to now have presence in Southeast Asia’s largest market. This expands our footprint in Asia where we’ve successfully launched in Singapore, India, China and Malaysia. With our entrepreneurial style of operations, and finding a suitable partner in Anish Daryani, who has proven track record in Indonesia, we’re confident of winning big in this market.”

Procter & Gamble (P&G) plans to reduce the number of agencies it is working with by another 50% this year, in a bid to save US$400 million.

Chief financial officer Jon Moeller said on an investor call that new advertising and agency models will also be implemented. To date P&G has already reduced its agency roster from 6,000 to 2,500, saving US$750 million in agency and production costs, and improved cash flow by over US$400 million additional through new payment terms. Last year, it also revealed plans to reduce marketing spend by US$2 billion in the next five years. This was part of a broader US$10 billion cost reduction plan it launched one year ago, according to several media reports.

Moeller said that P&G will pursue further cost reduction opportunities through "more private marketplace deals" with media companies and precision media buying, fueled by data and digital technology. According to Moeller, efforts such as reducing non-viewable ads have enabled P&G to eliminate waste and reduce losses, while concurrently increasing the number of consumers it is connecting with by 10%.

"We will continue to reinvent our agency relationships, consolidating and upgrading P&G's agency capabilities to deliver the best brand building creativity," he said. Moeller added that the company requires the contribution of creative talent and "are prepared to pay for that".

"We will move to more fixed-and-flow arrangements with more open sourcing of creative talent and production capability, driving greater local relevance, speed and quality at lower cost," he added. Moeller said:

We'll automate more media planning, buying and distribution, bringing more of it in-house.

Meanwhile, P&G reported net sales of US$17.4 billion in the second quarter of 2018 ended December 2017, a 3% increase compared to the same period the prior year. Core selling, general and administrative expense dropped 40 basis points, partly due to savings in overhead, agency fees and advertising production costs. Media spending was also in-line with prior year levels, according to the financial statement.

Organic sales for P&G's beauty segment increased by 9%, while healthcare and fabric and home care increased by 4% and 3% respectively. On the other hand, organic sales for the grooming segment dropped 3%, while the baby, feminine and family care segment witnessed a 1% decrease in organic sales.

"Innovation drives superiority and builds brand relevance across age groups including Millennials," Moeller said. Among the list of P&G brands that led in market share over the past 13 years include Olay, Old Spice and Tide, which was recently thrown under the spotlight due to the "Tide Pod challenge". The challenge saw consumers ingesting its Tide Pods, which led to Tide releasing a public service announcement on social media and roping in American footballer Rob Gronkowski to hammer home the message.

(Read also: How P&G avoids the content marketing 'crap trap')

Many people can't get up without their caffeine fix in the morning, and 7-Eleven Hong Kong is betting big on its upgraded no-frills Arabica coffee offering at its 260 stores to serve those needs.

While independent artisanal cafes and chained coffee shops are booming in Hong Kong, the coffee obsession has reached a new peak in the city.

7-Eleven Hong Kong sees this potential and has unearthed a segment that has never been catered to before - for the coffee drinkers who look for a quality and freshly ground coffee at a reasonable price but do not need fancy features.

(Gallery available on web)

"We have done a lot of market research and came up with this insight," said Elman Lee sales and marketing director at 7-Eleven.

"Hong Kong is such a fast-paced city and not everyone has time to sit down and enjoy the coffee," she said.

She also said not every customer looks for a barista to serve them a coffee with latte art, all they need is just a nice, no-frills coffee on-to-go. That's why she sees a big opportunity in this new market segment.

Setting the flat rate at $14, Lee said the convenience store won't sacrifice quality of the low price, "We also pay attention to details", Lee said. For instance, their coffee beans are 100% Arabica, it uses coffee machines from Switzerland and also uses fresh milk instead of UHT so as not to corrupt the aroma.

With this new product, 7-Eleven also looks to make it one of its signature products, "When it comes to drinks at 7-Eleven, we are more than Slurpee; I hope people will also appreciate and remember the quality coffee at Daily Café."

She added one of its biggest advantages is that it can leverage its massive network to promote the beverage.

https://youtu.be/2SOHujRd114

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YL36VVdzMRw&feature=youtu.be

To maximise the exposure, 7-Eleven tapped local hip-hop duo FAMA to shoot some tongue-in-cheek videos to promote the new product.

The campaign will also extend to bus ads, social media, MTR windows, print ad, promoters flyers, in order to interactive with customers across different touchpoints and different marketing channels.

Do you have a good idea of your brand health online? If you don't, you really should.  The key to combating this is monitoring conversations on social media, said Myljoy Polestico, managing director, Zanroo, during a Digital Marketing Indonesia conference held on 29-30 November 2017.

“Having a better sense of online conversations also allows a brand to close the gap between how you as a marketer perceive your brand, versus how customers are actually talking about your brand,” Polestico explained. Monitoring conversations can also allow brands to find out which words consumers are using to describe their brand, and thus give a better hint at how to better connect with them through marketing by using said words.

As such, these insights can be used in better targeting strategies and allow brands to place ads based on where certain keywords are seen online. Brands can also identify which netizens are talking negatively about their products to avoid advertising to them.

“When you are able to do that, you can change your messaging and content in your marketing campaigns, saving a lot of money in the process,” Polestico explained. These conversations are not limited to a brand’s own social media pages, but their competitors as well. To be able to understand how their product is being perceived versus their competitors, marketers need to look out for mentions of their own brand on their competitor’s social media pages too. It also gives an organisation an indication of where they lie in the social maturity curve.

Monitoring conversations online can also allow brands to better engage in real time marketing – as it allows brands to have a conversation with their customers in real time. Not only can brands address real time concerns, they can also create relevant content in real time to engage with customers.

“You have two seconds to capture somebody’s attention. If you don’t do that in that time, it is already considered a bad user experience,” Polestico explained.

As such, brands need to be present at the stage where their customers asking for recommendations or reviews – which can be achieved through being there at the conversation stage. This will allow marketers be wary of specific customer behaviours at different stages of the purchase journey.

The three types of social media users you need to know about

Also speaking at the conference was Luciana Budiman, country general manager, Isentia Indonesia. Weighing on being part of social media conversations, Budiman said that it is also best to not leave questions posed by consumers unanswered. This is especially those posted on the brand’s official social media page, then followed by potential complaints on other platforms.

“A good and timely response will help to increase the engagement level and increase the attractiveness of your product,” Budiman said. She explained that there are three types of social media users.

The first are the Lurkers who rarely post anything on social media – but represent 90% of the entire online population. Next are the Dabblers who post comments occasionally – who represent 9%. Lastly, the final 1% of users are the Enthusiasts, who frequently engage and share online, posting around five times a week.

“The power of 'Lurkers' should also not be one that is taken lightly as there are around 100 times more 'Lurkers' than 'Enthusiasts'. As such, a page with 750 reviews has the potential to garner around 75,000 impressions,” Budiman added.

Currently, in terms of social media, Budiman explained that Indonesia has around 126 million active Facebook users, making it the fourth largest country in terms of active users in the world. On Twitter, there are 24.3million active users in Indonesia - placing Indonesia as the third largest Twitter market in the world.

Meanwhile for Instagram, despite there being only 8.9 million Instagram active users in Indonesia, making it the 12th position, it is projected to become the major social media platform for users to post social media comments. This is compared to Twitter and Facebook in certain industries.

As worldwide mobile usage skyrockets, the need for non-siloed data grows more critical. Marketers need to understand the impact of their ads along an increasingly fragmented customer journey, one that might begin on one device and end on another. Reebonz set out to discover the influence of mobile on their own path to purchase. It wanted to know how their ad spend was reaching and influencing users who convert across devices.

This post was done in conjunction with Publicis Media.

Problem

Does mobile sell more McQueen? That was a key question for Reebonz, a luxury marketplace for Alexander McQueen shoes, Balenciaga bags and everything in between. Founded in 2009 to make luxury accessible to consumers, Reebonz reaches fashion-savvy buyers and sellers across Asia Pacific, Australia and Singapore.

Solution

Like many sophisticated advertisers, Reebonz works with many partners to leverage best-in-class capabilities across insights and execution. Sparkline set up Analytics 360 to connect data across devices from Reebonz’ logged in users, allowing Reebonz to gain a single view of their customers using the User ID override feature. This allows Reebonz to review and analyse the full customer journey directly in Google Analytics 360. This recommended  new setup revealed exciting insights: when mobile web was part of the purchase path, cross device reports showed that conversions improved up to 2.8 times.

To act on this untapped opportunity in mobile, Reebonz approached Performics, its media agency partner. Performics enabled cross environment conversions in Reebonz’ DoubleClick Search bidding strategies. The process was a simple as ticking a box, but produced high returns. The cross environment signals led to a 55.4% increase in ROAS and 20% increase in transactions originating from paid search. Using DoubleClick Search to focus on their cross-device customers, Reebonz could value their existing activity more accurately and increase their cross environment conversions on Google.

Objective

To better understand multi-platform user behaviour on the Reebonz website and improve ad spend ROI for users who convert across platforms.

Execution

The brand used Analytics 360 to understand the customer journey across devices and optimised strategy using cross-device signals in DoubleClick Search Results

Results

• 55.4% increase in search marketing return on ad spend (ROAS)
• 20% increase in search marketing transactions

This powerful combination of insights from Google Analytics 360 and DoubleClick Search capabilities had a large impact on Reebonz’ business, as Reebonz co-founder notes:

“Users have multiple ways of engaging with Reebonz to sell and buy products. Understanding how our advertising can best target users working across devices is an important step in Reebonz’ marketing strategy. Our work with Google, Sparkline and Performics helped us understand this shift and act on it. With over 50% ROAS uplift on search, we’re extremely happy with the results, ” Benjamin Han, co-founder, said.

The answer, is short. Mobile does sell more McQueen, and more Ferragamo, Prada and Jimmy Choo.

MullenLowe Group has integrated its operations in Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong to create MullenLowe Group Southeast Asia. The new hyperbundled agency will be led by Paul Soon as CEO of MullenLowe Group SEA, who will start the role in mid-March, reporting to Vincent Digonnet, CEO MullenLowe Group APAC.

Prior to the appointment, Soon was most recently APAC CEO at POSSIBLE. He brings 18 years of leadership experience, pioneering integrated marketing in Singapore by setting up ADinc.com (Advertising and Digital) in 2000, which was subsequently bought out by AKQA. He then joined XM Asia where he held leadership positions for nine years, becoming APAC CEO in 2011 where he helped grow a single market agency into one that is now present in Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and Hong Kong as Mirum.

Under this new structure, Adrian Sng, managing director of MullenLowe Malaysia will report to Soon. Meanwhile,  Radhe Vaswani, currently managing director of MullenLowe Profero Southeast Asia based in Singapore will move to Hong Kong. She will take the newly created position of COO global clients for MullenLowe Profero, driving global engagements, most particularly for Harley Davidson, HSBC and Peninsula, and strengthening the global footprint of MullenLowe Profero from Asia. Vaswani will continue to report to Digonnet in her new role.

According to the agency, the launch of MullenLowe Group Southeast Asia is the latest step in the building out of MullenLowe Group’s hyperbundled model across Asia, and follows on from the creation of MullenLowe Group China, MullenLowe Group Japan and MullenLowe Group Greater Mekong over the last six months.

The hyperbundled agency will unite the MullenLowe creative communications business with MullenLowe Profero’s renowned digital expertise, MullenLowe Mediahub media planning, and the newly acquired corporate PR capability of MullenLowe Salt, across the three markets.

“MullenLowe Group exists in essence to give our clients an unfair share of attention. I love that challenger mind-set and the entrepreneurial spirit that goes with it. Culture is a huge part of why I am attracted to MullenLowe Group. I look forward to working with Vincent and the regional leadership team to be the best version of ourselves over the years. Having built businesses from the ground up and led operations in the context of large groups, I look forward to combining both in joining a global boutique like MullenLowe Group," Soon said.

“MullenLowe Group offers clients world-class capabilities across the full communications spectrum and the entire consumer journey,” said Vincent Digonnet, MullenLowe Group APAC CEO.

“Singapore and Hong Kong are small domestic markets but huge market places, harbouring the headquarters of all major multinational corporations looking to develop their presence in the rest of Asia. As a starting point, it is very important to acknowledge the world-class creativity, recognised year after year in all major awards shows, coming out of our Singapore operation," Digonnet said.

He explained that at the same time, it is crucial to build top level consulting capabilities, bringing together creativity in communication as well as in business transformation based on consumer insights, innovative media, technology, design, CX, UX, social, CRM and analytics. This will be combined in a "seamless model" that builds brands and helps transform experiences.

"Soon has the experience, the drive and a deep understanding of both brand building and business transformation, making him the ideal person to lead the charge. I am delighted to see him join our team at MullenLowe Group for this exciting new journey," Digonnet added.

In December 2017, MullenLowe Singapore CEO Shannon Cullum left the agency to take on the chief marketing officer role at JET8, a locally-started social and mobile engagement company. Before that, he handled both the Singapore and Vietnam markets. In August, MullenLowe Group appointed Vincent Digonnet as its APAC CEO in August, taking over duties in the South and Southeast Asia region from Joseph George, who left after 26 years with MullenLowe Group.

Weber Shandwick has announced that Tyler Kim, currently managing director, Korea, has been appointed to the role of managing director, North Asia, which formally extends his remit to include the firm’s Japanese operations.

Darren Burns, president, China and chair, creativity & innovation, will continue to oversee Weber Shandwick’s operations in China.

Working closely with the leadership team in Japan and South Korea, Kim is charged with driving business objectives across both markets. Hitoshi Shioya, currently managing director, Japan, will assume the role of vice chair, Japan.

With over 25 years’ experience in communications, Kim has been growing the firm’s Korean business from a single employee to one that now employs over 100 staff.

“With Tyler at the helm, supported by two very strong local teams with highly specialised skills, our offering in Japan and Korea will be greatly strengthened over the coming year, and beyond,” said Baxter Jolly, chief executive officer, Weber Shandwick Asia Pacific.

What’s a text message to you? Cold, straightforward, and otherwise devoid of life? P&G's fabric softener brand Downy wants to mix things up with its new “Scent by Downy” campaign.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1676EXbeX8&feature=youtu.be

In commemoration of the brand’s foray into China, Downy and Grey Group Hong Kong introduced "Scent by Downy". Because scent can trigger emotions and the brand found a way to communicate and introduce these scents in one of the most popular forms of communications – text messaging.

The concept is simple, Downy partnered with a digital scent technologist in Japan, and chose 100 frequently texted words. These act as keywords to trigger one of the 3 scents built into the scent device. Users download an app and connect it via bluetooth to their phones and the scents are activated whenever a keyword is used in a text message.

This took place on 20 December, 2017, a one-off special 24-hour promotion deal for the device during the new year season on TMall flagship store and the 5,000 gift sets were available on a first come first serve basis.

(Gallery available on web)

Credits
Anjali Jain. SVP, regional business director
Desmond Li, senior account director
Christy Leung, account rxecutive
Michael Knox, chief creative officer
Christopher Lee, group creative director
Jeffrey MC Wong, associate creative director
Jackie Wong, associate creative director
Ealon Li, associate creative director
Jeffrey Wong, art director
Rachel Lao, art director
Huma Qureshi, regional director, PR & corporate communications

If you have been finding it hard to stretch on flights without looking like a crazy person, this collaboration between Pure Yoga and Cathay Pacific will now grant you solid reasons to "move your body".

The two companies co-launch a new in-flight programme this month, which is named "Travel Well with Yoga". The programme brings a series of videos developed by Pure Yoga instructors onto Cathay Pacific's in-flight entertainment screens, to demonstrate yoga and meditation routines that can be done before, during or after a flight for a restful journey.

Available in English, Chinese, Mandarin and Japanese, the videos can now be seen across all Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon routes by accessing the Lifestyle section on screens.

(Gallery available on web)

"We all know that sitting still for a long period of time can be uncomfortable," said Simon Cuthbert, Cathay Pacific entertainment, platforms and connectivity manager.  "The need to get up, move and get your blood pumping is important during a flight. Yoga is an innovative way to do this."

He added that the series of exercises are fairly flexible, as the moves can be done from an economy class seat, or in hotels after the flight.

Pure Group regional marketing director Gary Wise said that the programme is a huge step forward in the company's vision to make yoga more accessible. "We're delighted to present this unique programme in collaboration with a partner as prestigious as Cathay Pacific."

Adding on the collaboration, discounts and upgrades are offered to Cathay Pacific Marco Polo Club members, Wise said.

A+E Networks has unveiled a Facebook video to show appreciation for fans of its HISTORY channel TV show Vikings and celebrate the heritage of individuals.

The objective was to increase engagement and raise brand awareness of Vikings, as well as spark laughter among viewers. The video, which garnered over 6.8 million views, 127k reactions, 48,282 shares and 16k comments at the time of writing, was part of a campaign that included TV, out-of-home, digital and experiential executions. The campaign will run for six weeks and was conceptualised and produced in-house by A+E Networks.

In the video, the male protagonist named John Rockson eagerly runs to check his mailbox, hoping to receive a copy of the results from his DNA test. Upon seeing it was empty, he shuts the mailbox dejectedly. This continues a few times, with Rockson rushing to the mailbox in anticipation only to find it empty, causing him to either sigh or curse in frustration each time. One day, Rockson checks the mailbox as usual only to find an envelope inside, just when he least expected it.

In a statement to Marketing, A+E Networks' spokesperson said it leveraged social insights and found that Vikings reviewers were very curious about their personal heritage. They expressed interest in purchasing DNA kits to confirm their Vikings lineage, which sparked the video idea.

"The creative hook was: What if an average Joe 'Dad' found out he was less than 1% Viking, but fully embraced it as a lifestyle?" the spokesperson said.

As a fan of the show, I have always wondered (in my wildest dreams) if I was secretly a Viking. But who am I kidding? I am probably 100% Asian.

Visa has launched a new spot which puts Olympic athletes in the spotlight. The move is in line with the upcoming Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018, where Visa is an official sponsor. Called “Resetting Finish Lines”, The film showcases a compilation of vignettes which aims to highlight the inspirational and historic stories of eight Team Visa athletes en route to the Games.

The spot also showcased the athletes leveraging its payment innovations, such as Visa Checkout, contactless cards and wearable payment devices. Watch it here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2mGe1NsTlw&feature=youtu.be

The campaign was also supported by Team Visa athletes who shared the campaign across their personal social media accounts, the statement added. This was to highlight their appreciation for the support received during their training for PyeongChang 2018. The athletes were Mikaela Shiffrin (USA, Alpine Skiing), Kamil Stoch (Poland, Ski Jumping), Mark McMorris (Canada, Snowboard – Slopestyle & Big Air) and Park Seung-Hi (South Korea, Speed Skating).

“Creating a film and inviting Team Visa athletes to be the stars and represent the Visa brand is our way of celebrating their inspiring stories and cheering them on throughout their journey. When it came time to launch the film, we couldn’t have asked for a better medium than the athlete’s own social media channels,” Lynne Biggar, chief marketing and communications officer at Visa, said.

The film was shot by sports marketing director, Stacy Wall, in New Zealand and South Korea, and hopes to encompass one global storyline that will be shown in more than a dozen versions across the world. It also saw Visa updating the lyrics, music and vocals of “Anything You Can Do” by Irving Berlin to match the energy of the athlete stories.

If you are a Spotify Premium user, your recent listening experience might have been interrupted with the insertion of ads into certain playlists.

Spotify has since then said that the in-house ads were "loaded by mistake" when they appeared to paying subscribers, according to TechCrunch. Marketing has reached out to Spotify for more comments.

The issue was first brought to light in a latest post on American discussion website Reddit, where one of the users said the first "song" on the "This is: Hans Zimmer" Official Spotify playlist was in reality an advert for an upcoming Spotify podcast "Showstopper", which was unrelated to Hans Zimmer.

"Even if it was related to Hans Zimmer, it still would have been unacceptable, especially since I am a paying customer paying for UNINTERRUPTED listening," the Reddit user said. Another Spotify Premium user tweeted that the music streaming site has also interrupted the RapCaviar playlist with video ads, and that the ads have "[infested] all of the playlists".

@Spotify why are you injecting ads into PREMIUM accounts? I am paying you so I don't hear ads. pic.twitter.com/Up83Y3vyRZ

— (((Kelly Lincoln))) (@ExitPass) January 17, 2018

They're infesting all of the playlists. RAP CAVIAR has embedded VIDEO PROMOS in the midst of the playlist as well.

— (((Kelly Lincoln))) (@ExitPass) January 17, 2018

Quoting the company's spokesperson, TechCrunch said that it is trialling new ways to promote "Showstoppers" around relevant playlists, and that it "should not have appeared" for Premium users.

The original podcasts, including "Showstopper", were launched by Spotify last February. Recently, the music streaming service also launched a new multimedia format "Spotlight", which introduces visual elements such as photos, videos and text, to complement the listening experience for its audio content. Among the list of partners Spotify is working with for "Spotlight" include Buzzfeed News, Genius, Refinery29 and Uninterrupted. "Spotlight" will also showcase content from Spotify's own original series including RISE, Spotify Singles and Viva Latino.

Earlier this month, Spotify confidentially filed for a public listing that lets companies list shares without raising money through a traditional stock offering. It also appointed Universal McCann last August to manage its global media planning and buying duties, following a competitive review which began in late 2016.

RHB Bank has launched its latest ad campaign titled "Perseverance" to mark the upcoming Chinese New Year (CNY) festive celebration. Created by FCB Kuala Lumpur, the campaign centres around Malaysia’s national diver and 2017 FINA World Champion, Cheong Jun Hoong’s dedication in preparing for the upcoming 2018 Commonwealth Games that will be held in Australia this April.

Throughout the film, Cheong’s steely determination holds true as she trains relentlessly throughout the CNY period; all the while supported by her family, coaches and fans until she eventually finds success in a winning dive. Cheong is the first female lead in RHB’s ongoing narrative of challengers who buck the norm to find success. She joins rapper Altimet and national footballer Thanabalan who had appeared in previous RHB festive campaigns.

Abdul Sani Abdul Murad, RHB Group’s chief marketing officer, said “Cheong’s journey is one that we’re very familiar with at RHB, in a sense that prosperity stems from an unyielding belief and continued support from those that matter. 'Together we progress’ is what we believe in and we hope to use this coming CNY as an opportunity to get all of Malaysia behind Jun in her quest for gold at the Commonwealth Games.”

Ong Shi-Ping, chief creative officer of FCB Kuala Lumpur added, “In a sport that requires endless hours of perseverance just for that split second of perfection, we think there’s a great story to share and Cheong is the perfect person to tell it. The film is deliberately fast-paced and energetic, heightened by the beat of traditional Chinese drums, to cut through the many other ads appearing during CNY.”

Meanwhile, recently FCB Malaysia announced that it is changing ownership and transforming into a Malaysian-first agency. In an exclusive interview with A+M, CEO Tay said that despite the buyout, the agency remains “very much a part of the FCB Worldwide network” as an affiliate business partner. The new structure, he explained, gives the agency the ability to operate quickly and efficiently based on market conditions. However, being an affiliate of the FCB Worldwide brand, the agency will continue to have access to a pool of global clients, agency tools and resources.

Campaign credits:
Creative agency: FCB Kuala Lumpur
Client company: RHB Bank
Client(s): Abdul Sani Abdul Murad, Tunku Hazli Bin Tunku Tolha, Mohd Anwar Bin Mohd. Amin
Chief creative officer: Ong Shi Ping
Head of creative: Ferohaizal Abd Karim
Associate creative director/creative group head: Ravi Costa/Zahriel Yazid
Copywriter(s): Mandy Chock/Felice Puah/Shaun Tay
Producer: Brandon Chai
Head of account management: Natasha Aziz
Senior account director: Syahriza Badron
Production house: Pixelpost
Film director: Deryl Emuang

Read also:
Case study: RHB Bank uses football to give back to the community
RHB Bank picks FCB KL as creative partner, launches Raya campaign

Local home furnishing store Pricerite has launched a new brand campaign to extend its ad theme, "small space, big universe" (小小空間 大大宇宙), and highlight the bright side of small living in Hong Kong.

With small living place a norm in Hong Kong, the strategy attempt is to create consumer empathy by focusing on how small can still be beautiful. "Childhood" (小時候), which is a popular local lullaby, was modified and used as a theme song throughout the advert.

Pricerite also invited actress Karena Lam as the new spokesperson, as her refreshing image "matches the positive and inspiring brand image of Pricerite", the brand said in a release.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XXPFCY8N7o

The TV commercial kicks off with Lam singing on the rooftop with the Hong Kong skyline as background. Then she explores how individuals, regardless of limited living space, live on the bright side and achieve their dreams in different life stages.

“Hong Kong is a small place and there are many restrictions and challenges, but Hong Kong people are brave enough to take on challenges and look for the bright side. Pricerite’s philosophy is the same as Hong Kong people. We launch different innovative products to tackle the changes in the Hong Kong living environment, cater to our customers' needs and enhance their quality of life no matter how limited the space,” said Derek Ng, the CEO of CASH Retail Management Group Limited.

(Gallery available on web)

A series of print ads were launched simultaneously to extend the story in TV commercial.

The 45-sec new TV commercial of Pricerite on-aired on 15 January, 2018, followed by outdoor, print and digital advertising.

Credits
Client: Pricerite Home Limited
Creative agency: Uth Creative Group Limited
Creative team: Ada Lo, Winnie Chan, Kenson Chan, Cola Chan
Account management team: Desmond So, Winnie Yuen, Cathy Law
Director: Wing Chow
Photographer: CK Chan & Patrick Yick

Iris Singapore has appointed Leah Eser as head of culture to drive growth of the agency’s PR and influencer capabilities and streamline the agencies current culture offering. She reports to Sorcha John, managing director of Singapore.

Eser joins from Iris Culture in London, which specialises in sports marketing, brand experience and entertainment. During her time in London, Eser was a director in the PR team, working closely with brands such as BMW, Samsung and BRITA. This was to develop compelling communications strategies across multiple channels to drive PR value for key campaigns.

In a statement, the agency explained that Eser’s move is a significant step in “building a worldclass, fearless Culture team in Singapore”. Through the move, the agency hopes to develop the agencies current Culture proposition in Asia, and help to push greater and more effective ideas that resonate with brands audiences. This will be done by having a diverse collective of PR, social and experiential specialists from various backgrounds and skill sets.

“Culture is in some ways a bit of a funny title to be owned by one person, everything we do should be infected by, and inject itself into, culture, but so often we see a lack of this in adland. So while Eser brings with her deep expertise in PR and influencer, her role will span our entire creative product, ensuring that we maximise the creative opportunities to shape and be shaped by the culture all around us,” Sorcha John, managing director of Iris Singapore, said.

“It’s an incredibly exciting time to be joining Iris Singapore. The agency is producing some outstanding creative work and getting recognition for its strong commitment to Iris’ new ‘for the forward’ proposition,” Eser said.

The move follows the iris Singapore’s recent account wins including Starbuck’s digital and social account, Kerry Foods, Jägermeister and Hugo Boss. Iris was picked for creative duties for Hugo Boss in Singapore, supporting Jägermeister with its Asia Pacific brand strategy and leading innovation for Kerry Foods. It also follows the agency's recent global rebrand.

Dr Pepper Snapple Group has been served with a lawsuit by IPG's Initiative former associate director at Initiative Nancy Mucciarone, claiming she was sexually assaulted by one of Dr Pepper's employees, media manager Justin Whitehead.

Mucciarone claimed Whitehead made sexual advances towards her, and that she was forcibly kissed and groped when she turned down his advances, according to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ). She added that her superiors attempted redeploy her to another account after learning about her sexual assault claims, as Dr Pepper was an important account, and her work environment became hostile.

"Dr Pepper's spokesperson said that immediate action was taken and that it has terminated Whitehead after it was notified of the sexual allegations," WSJ reported.

Quoting US chief of Initiative Amy Armstrong, WSJ reported that the agency stands by its actions and is dedicated to maintaining a safe workplace environment. Armstrong said that the agency immediately took action by alerting Dr Pepper, which swiftly terminated Whitehead for his inappropriate behaviour.

This comes after IPG chairman and CEO Michael Roth came out against workplace harassment last October, by issuing an internal memo titled “A Workplace Free from Harassment”. Roth, in the memo, re-emphasised that one of IPG’s core values is to ensure that all employees can enjoy workplaces that are respectful and supportive. He also encouraged employees who have been victims of sexual harassment to make a report “without fear of reprisal”.

Allegations such as these are not new to the ad industry. Most recently,  VICE Media placed president Andrew Creighton and chief digital officer Mike Germano on leave, following a New York Times report last year on sexual misconduct within the company. The report stated that there were four settlements involving allegations of sexual harassment or defamation against VICE employees, with Creighton being one of them. More than two dozen women said they experienced or witnessed sexual misconduct, including forced kisses and groping.

Meanwhile, news recently emerged that WPP has ended its support for the men-only Presidents Club Charity Dinner, after allegations of groping and harassment towards hostesses surfaced.

According to the Financial Times (FT), WPP had sponsored a table at the fundraising dinner. Sir Martin Sorrell described the news as "highly regrettable" "if true". In a separate statement to Marketing, Sorrell said that the behaviour reported "has no place in our society, and never did", adding that it was a mistake to not have ended its association with the Club previously. He made clear that the Club's charitable activities are not an excuse for the kind of behaviour described, and called it "totally unacceptable".

"We know that our sponsorship of a table at the event has caused concern and offence both inside and outside WPP, and we apologise that we did not act sooner. In future we will support the charities involved directly and not through any such third party," Sorrell said.

In a study done in the USA last year, 4A’s found that majority of women who participated in the study had experienced sexual harassment at some point during their careers. From overly sexualised depiction of women in ads to sexual harassment in the workplace, women have been voicing out their experiences from across the ad industry globally.

Ad industry veteran Cindy Gallop also called for an “end the Harvey Weinsteins of our industry once and for all” in a Facebook post. According to an article on CNBC, she says she has received emails from all over the world regarding the matter.

WPP has appointed Connie Chan (pictured) as executive director of its government and public sector practice, Singapore. Prior to the move, Chan was chief client officer for APAC at GroupM’s MEC, before it was reorganised into Wavemaker.

Before that she was the managing director and founding member of MEC Global Solutions in Singapore since the division’s inception in 2006. She is also the president of the Singapore 4A’s. During her time at GroupM, Chan focused on building a strong client leadership and business development community to encourage growth and change for clients and the agency. She also has leadership experience on government accounts such as Economic Development Board and Singapore Tourism Board.

WPP’s government and public sector practice was established in Singapore in 2016, as part of a global line-up that includes leaders in London, Brussels, Washington, Delhi, Sydney, and Beirut. It brings together the collective capability of WPP’s agencies in Singapore in data, insight, analytics, media and creative execution and public affairs, to service Singapore government agencies. It also advises policymakers and public sector communication leaders on strategy, innovation, capability development and global best practice, and invests continuously to advance thinking on the strategic use of communication.

In Singapore, the practice is also a leading provider of executive education to Singaporean and international civil servants for the region. This is through its partnership with the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore where, since 2014, it has delivered the Communications for Public Policy Delivery programme.

“In Chan we have an established leader with the deep knowledge in data, analytics and digital communications that is recognised to be at the heart of successful public policy delivery. I am so pleased to have her join our team,” Michelle Harrison, global CEO of WPP’s government and public sector practice, said.

“After over 20 years working on the cutting edge of media, data, and technology, I am thrilled to join the global leadership team of WPP’s government and public sector practice and as a Singaporean, to be able to apply this knowledge and experience to the challenges and opportunities of Smart Nation,” Chan said.

Incumbent JWT will no longer be working with Changi Airport Group (CAG) for its creative duties after a five year long relationship.

In an internal memo to employees seen by Marketing, Southeast Asia CEO Jacco ter Schegget wrote that while he was disappointed the agency was not appointed by Changi, he believed JWT and Mirum did well.

"This is the first time that Mirum and J. Walter Thompson had come together in pitching such a big piece of business. I believe our work was solid, on brand, and fresh. The client recognised this as well. Together, we gained significant ground and finished a close second. But in our industry there’s no prize for second place. Therefore after a hand-over period, the Changi business will leave the agency after five years," ter Schegget's memo said.

He added that JWT and Mirum took into account the possibility of Changi not being retained and have planned for individuals working on Changi to be redeployed to other accounts. This was to "minimise the impact as far as possible," ter Schegget said, adding that the respective individuals have been notified. A spokesperson has confirmed the news. Marketing understands that there won’t be any senior departures.

He said, "To conclude, personally I don’t like to lose in life. Especially not this one, as it was the first big pitch I took on at the agency. Many people felt that we had little chance, and some advised against even taking this pitch on. But I’m glad we pitched. It gave me a great first-hand experience of working with the wealth of talent in our agency, and we put into practice and tested our combined Mirum and JWT proposition."

He added that pitching for Changi "proved very rewarding" and will set the agency "in good stead" for further transformation. In a separate statement to Marketing, ter Schegget said while the agency had hoped for the best, it had also planned for the worst.

“We had measures in place to ensure the impact of this loss would be very minimal. It’s been a privilege to work with Changi for the last five years, and we look forward to the opportunity of working with them again in the future," he said.

JWT had made it to the final round of shortlist, which saw Ogilvy and BBDO both pitch for the account. The pitch initially called in August last year, saw six agencies vying for the account. These agencies were JWT, BLK J, BBDO, Ogilvy & Mather, TBWA and TSLA. It was managed by consultants R3.

Meanwhile, to ramp up its creative efforts, JWT also brought on board  Farrokh Madon as chief creative partner. He was formerly chief creative officer of Y&R Singapore, a role he left in 2014.

Madon came on board Y&R in May 2012, reporting to then-Southeast Asia CEO Sanjay Bhasin and regional chief creative officer Marcus Rebeschini. Before Y&R, Madon was executive creative director at McCann Erickson Singapore, and ECD at BBDO Singapore. He has also worked for agencies such as Ogilvy & Mather, Saatchi & Saatchi, Batey and M&C Saatchi.

High cost of brand investment is the key internal and external challenge faced by SMEs in Malaysia, according to the latest survey by BIZSPHERE Brand & Marketing Group (BIZSPHERE).

Titled “Maximising Brand Potential for Malaysian SMEs”, the study shows that “high cost of brand investment” is a challenge for SMEs, in bringing their brand to the next level. Insufficient fund for brand and marketing was most voted (53%) as the top internal challenge, whilst high cost in brand communication ranked top (52%) for external challenge.

Check out the related chart below:

BIZSPHERE managing consultant, Yap Keng Teck (pictured right) said the lack of strategic brand planning is the main reason why SMEs perceive cost to be high, and as such do not have sufficient funds for it. He added that,

Most SMEs lack capability to find differentiation or strong value proposition for their brands.

Yap said, local SMEs are not learning and adapting fast enough to face the borderless digital economy especially the Industrial Revolution 4.0. In addressing this, Yap added, SMEs can be more cost effective by selecting only the most relevant and effective media and programmes for their brands "instead of just following what others are doing."

The study also said that SMEs are clearly moving towards digital communications to promote its brands. Digital media was voted as the most effective communication channel (58%) compared to engagement activities (39%) and conventional media (16%). In addition, social media is regarded to be most relevant with 59% vote, followed with online ads with 45% vote.

Yip Wai Ling (pictured left), BIZSPHERE brand manager, said she is not surprised by the above result as Malaysia has one of the highest ratio of online social communities and active users in the region. However, she said, that SMEs should not choose the agencies with the lowest cost but to choose the ones that "understand your branding needs and link it back to your business growth strategy."

She added,

SMEs know that digital marketing is important, but many still do not know how and rely on social media agencies.

Meanwhile, the top five wishlist of SMEs includes access to government assistance programmes, promotion through digital media, promotion through engagement events, allocation of budget for brand and marketing and dedication of resources for brand management.

The study also showed that, in average, half of the SMEs are unaware of the support and assistance programmes offered by government agencies and trade associations, with only 8% having participated and benefited from the programmes offered. Yap said this is because many SMEs still do not pay enough attention to the news announcements and email notifications from the agencies. That said, Yap also said he has met with many SMEs who knows about the programmes but reluctant to participate with "the excuses of time consuming and tedious process."

“I would also like to stress that government agencies do not appoint any agents to apply for grants. SMEs need to stop thinking that there will be guaranteed results by going through such ‘agents’, he said, adding there are SMEs who seek for consulting assistance to guide them but acknowledged that they can’t expect guarantee results. Yap said,

SMEs need to learn from the process and to be independent in the long run.

This latest SME online survey was carried out from 25 October 2017 to 22 November 2017, distributed mainly through emails to over 10,000 business communities. Survey partners include MATRADE, SAME, MAYBANK and AVIS Malaysia. BIZSPHERE is an integrated branding and marketing management company which focuses on SMEs branding. Clients include brands such as JOVEN, Inovar Floor, Captain Oats, AVIS, Bluescope and Miaow Miaow.

Beiersdorf Singapore has appointed digital transformation agency Passion Peers to manage social media duties for NIVEA and Eucerin, for a period of one year with the option to extend for another. Passion Peers will also be responsible for working on a campaign for Hansaplast.

This follows a two-round pitch comprising four agencies, including incumbent IH Digital, held in December 2017. Work will roll out beginning this month.

In a statement to Marketing, Beiersdorf's country manager Sudarshan Singh said Passion Peers was chosen because of its ability to quickly understand what the company was trying to achieve, and being honest about whether its expectations could be met. The agency also offered alternative ideas.

Singh added that Passion Peers understood how digital platforms could help achieve Beiersdorf's objectives and portrayed passion and enthusiasm, which makes a huge difference in the working relationship.

"We would want to build a true connection with our consumers and engage them with meaningful and relevant content. As the social web matures, so do its users, and they will expect and demand authenticity from the brands they trust. Our brands are anchored in care & honesty and we would like to bring this human touch in our messaging. From business perspective we would like to see how our social media efforts are tied to business results," Singh said.

"I am quite excited with the trust that big clients are showing in independent start-up agencies and the readiness to take on a holistic approach to marketing. The team is gearing up to bring a social to sales approach with an authentic voice for Beiersdorf brands," Kanika Agarwal, CEO and principal strategy consultant, Passion Peers, said. She added that while Facebook might be making things complex for marketers, that is where the old and new rules of storytelling on social have to be smartly played up.