advertising + marketing my - mar/apr 2014

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M A R C H / A P R I L 2 0 1 4 | a d ve r t i s i ng + m a r ke t i ng 1WWW.MARKET ING- INTERACT IVE .COM

ED S L E T T E R

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EditorialRayana Pandey, [email protected]

Elizabeth Low, Deputy [email protected]

Rezwana Manjur, Senior [email protected]

Editorial InternationalMatt Eaton, Editor (Hong Kong)[email protected]

Oliver Bayani, Editor (Philippines)[email protected]

Production and DesignShahrom Kamarulzaman, Regional Art [email protected]

Fauzie Rasid, Senior [email protected]

Advertising SalesChe Winstrom, Sales [email protected]

Mercy Soh, Senior Account [email protected]

Johnathan Tiang, Account [email protected]

Trina Choy, Account [email protected]

Yuru Wong, Account [email protected]

EventsYeo Wei Qi, Head, Events [email protected]

Database & CirculationsJune Tan, Senior Database Operations Executive [email protected]

FinanceEvelyn Wong, Regional Finance [email protected]

ManagementSren Beaulieu, [email protected]

Tony Kelly, Editorial [email protected]

Justin Randles, Group Managing [email protected]

Advertising + Marketing Malaysia is published 6 times per year by Lighthouse Independent Media Pte Ltd PP 16093/12/2011 (026708). Printed in Malaysia on CTP process by Atlas Cetak (M) Sdn Bhd No. 2 Persiaran Industri, Bandar Sri Damansara, 52200 Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur. Tel: 03-6273 3333. For subscriptions, contact circulations at +65 6423 0329 or email [email protected]. COPYRIGHT & REPRINTS: All material printed in Advertising + Marketing Malaysia is protected under the copyright act. All rights reserved. No material may be reproduced in part or in whole without the prior written consent of the publisher and copyright holder. Permission may be requested through the Singapore of ce. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in Advertising + Marketing Malaysia are not necessarily the views of the publisher. Singapore: Lighthouse Independent Media Pte Ltd 100C Pasir Panjang Road, #05-01 See Hoy Chan Hub Singapore 118519 Tel: +65 6423 0329 Fax: +65 6423 0117 Hong Kong: Lighthouse Independent Media Ltd Unit A, 7/F, Wah Kit Commercial Building 302 Des Voeux Road Central, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong Tel: +852 2861 1882 Fax: +852 2861 1336 To subscribe to A+M Malaysia magazine, go to: www.marketing-interactive.com...............................................................................................................

There has to be a few solid reasons whyPR has been voted as one of the most stressful jobs in the world for a few years in a row. While the methodology of such research can be debated, I know for a fact my PR friends seem to be in a re ght at work on a daily basis.

Drawing the line on clients demands versus the risk of losing the account is the bottom line of nearly every dilemma they face. Whats making their job so tough?

Second guessing Quite often the PR agency/manager has no inkling of what the clients management wants. And this is more so in the case of bigger, multinational companies where the management is not easily accessible, leaving a lot of room for miscommunication, second guessing and, therefore, mismatched expectations.

The dollar dilemma Budgets, as always, are another source of frustration. From shoe-string to nonexistent to simply bad budget management the range is, well, disappointing. My sympathies are with poor account managers who are being pulled by clients on one hand asking for more with less and by account directors, on the other, whose orders are to stop servicing the client.

Perfection is a myth Sometimes clients ask for perfection. Agency folks, this will ring a bell. Youve worked very hard to get a media plan ready releases, social media, press interviews, everything. A pretty creative PR campaign overall, but that one teeny weeny typo, which would have crept in thanks to auto-correct, is all the client is xated on. The entire work is ignored because of that one mistake. Now, thats really asking for perfection, isnt it?

so is the deadline How many times have you had a client come to you and ask for that report on Saturday morning? The team ends up working all night on Friday, hands the report to the client on Saturday and gets this million-dollar reply as a reward: Oh! my boss just postponed the meeting to next week, but thanks for your effort, anyways!

Death of a PR managers career This one is a horror story and doesnt happen often, or so is my hope. Clients call the PR agencys boss asking to remove a consultant from the account on the grounds of underperformance. Now this could well be true in some instances, in others its just a case of the client not providing the consultant with ample information. We are playing with someones career, guys.

This comes across as a long rant against clients, granted, but these reasons are why PR is one of the worlds most stressful jobs. What are the other issues the business of PR faces? We explore all of that in this edition.

Also, on behalf of Advertising and Marketing Malaysia, Id like to thank all our advertisers, partners and readers for the support they have shown to our restructuring efforts in the market.

Heres to working closely together in the future.

ALL STRESSED UP

A MEMBER OF

AMMY_01_MarApr2014_EdsLetter_sub.indd 1 25/4/2014 9:39:20 AM

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M A R C H / A P R I L 2 0 1 4 | a d ve r t i s i ng + m a r ke t i ng 3WWW.MARKET ING- INTERACT IVE .COM

C ONT ENT S

The use of traditional and not-so-traditional avenues gives brands much cause for marketing joy.

OPINION

DEPARTMENTS

4 NEWSBMW Asia calls for a regional creative pitch; LOralMalaysia settles digital pitch; AirAsia apologises over ad; plus more.

What youll learn in this issue:>> Why senior executives leave large

agencies.

>> An in-depth look into regional roles.

>> Key marketing ideas for your brand.

31

4

14

26

FEATURES

14 WHY SENIOR PR GUYSLEAVE BIG AGENCIESWhile churn in agencies has always been the norm, several senior public relations agency professionals tell Elizabeth Low why larger agency models didnt work for them.

26 PROFILE: HTCS SIRPA IKOLAHTC is splashing out in a costly effort to make its brand likeable. Can it become the brand of choice? Rezwana Manjur asks HTCs Southeast Asia marketing lead Sirpa Ikola.

38 CASE STUDY: SENHENGElectronics rm Senheng runs a contest that leverages sport to generate millions in sales revenue.

40 CASE STUDY: WATSONSHealth and beauty brand Watsons scores big with guys with its title-sponsorship of Piala Malaysia.

42 CASE STUDY: BUMBLEBEESony, Kao Laurier and DiGi grow brand awareness and forge social bonds with a traditionally anti-social practice.

44 CASE STUDY: VITAGENVITAGENs move to ride on a popular comedy programme goes down well with its target audience.

48 CASE STUDY: PERODUAPerodua takes the comedy route to reinforce its position as the most affordable and popular MPV among Malaysian motorists.

31 AD WATCH/WEB WATCHHakuhodos Patrick Ng praises Heinekens campaign; while VML Qais Joshua Sim gives the Indochino website full marks.

30 BRAND HEALTH CHECK: ABERCROMBIE & FITCHIt looks like sexy models and controversy arent enough to keep a brand going, as Abercrombie & Fitch is nding out.

THE CASE STUDY EDITION

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4 a d ve r t i s i ng + m a r ke t i ng | M A R C H / A P R I L 2 0 1 4 WWW.MARKET ING- INTERACT IVE .COM

NEWS

New partnershipClozette and StarWorld, FOX International Channels female entertainment channel, have paired up to create an original short-form content production. The content, titled StyleSetter, is a two-minute interstitial covering the latest fashion and beauty trends as well as the venues and events industry in Asia. This is an open partnership which initially runs across the markets of Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong. Roger Yuen (pictured) is the founder and chief executive of Clozette.

Big pushIndependent data management platform Lotame secured US$15 million in Series D funding. The round was led by Sozo Ventures and TrueBridge Capital Partners, with substantial participation from existing investors Battery Ventures, Emergence Capital Partners and R.J. Finlay & Co. Combined with previous funding, Lotame raised a total of US$44 million. The nancing allows Lotame to accelerate the development of its innovative real-time, cross-device data platform.

A better serviceMusic streaming service Spotify partnered with SEA digital media representative Better Sdn Bhd to open the music services advertising platform to local brands in Malaysia. Since launching in Malaysia in April 2013, Spotify has been connecting with music fans in the market by providing free access to more than 24 million international and local songs that are available across all devices.

A MONTHIN NEWS

Milking its partnershipThe National Basketball Association (NBA) and dairy company Royal FrieslandCampina made a deal for a multi-year marketing partnership across Southeast Asia. FrieslandCampina activated its Drink.Move.BeStrong campaign to reach the NBAs fan base in Asia. This is done through grassroots events, television and digital activities, and localised content for its customers. FrieslandCampina will provide NBA fans the opportunity to receive NBA-branded products, in-store promotions and NBA experiences.

A roaring startLOral Malaysia chose Lion & Lion as its digital marketing agency. The pitch for the account involved six other advertising and media agencies. Lion & Lion is tasked to develop and execute digital marketing across the region for the cosmetics group. The scope of the assignment encompasses all of LOral Malaysias 17 brands, including haircare and skincare leaders LOral Paris, Garnier and Lancme.

Looking next doorSingapore Tourism Board (STB) launched a tender looking to appoint a research agency to conduct qualitative consumer research with its target audiences in Malaysia. According to a spokesperson from STB, Malaysia is one of Singapores top ve source markets in terms of tourism receipts and visitor arrivals, hence it is important to our marketing and research efforts.

Protecting mans best friendDog food brand Pedigree collaborated with Starcom MediaVest (SMG) Malaysia to launch Pedigree Nutri Number Calculator. The insights for the campaign stemmed from an observation the majority of dog owners in Malaysia provided their dogs with either meal leftovers or home -cooked food on a daily basis. As a result, their dogs are not getting enough nourishment because their nutritional needs vary largely from humans.

Af niti secures accountsBrand communications and creative agency Af niti has secured several regional accounts. It was appointed by Malaysian premium boutique hotel chain, Jia Hotel Group, to develop the hotels brand identity, and to strategise and lead its marketing and promotional efforts as the hotel group braces itself for two key launches in Malacca and Penang in 2014. Af niti also bagged niche Thai property developer, Thai Kriya Limited.

A long-term affairTribal Worldwide Malaysia retained Volkswagen Malaysias digital advertising business after a four-way pitch. The agency has worked on the business since the Volkswagen Group in Malaysia was established in 2006. Over the years, Tribal Worldwide Malaysia has seen the brand through several key milestones by injecting social experience and introducing digital innovations to create one-of-a-kind car launches. This contract will take effect for two years.

AirAsia sorry over adBudget carrier AirAsia has apologised for an article in its in- ight magazine Travel 3Sixty. Under its training and preparation section, an article was written with the sentence: Pilot training in AirAsia is continuous and very thorough. Rest assured that your captain is well prepared to ensure your plane will never get lost. Have a safe ight. This came shortly after the tragedy of Malaysian Airlines missing ight.

A new startThe Sunday Mail was relaunched in March 2014. The relaunch comes after English daily newspaper Malay Mail embarked on a digital revolution with partners that included the Oriental Daily, Sinar Harian and Makkal Osai to launch the Malay Mail Gr8 Deals subscription packages with device partners Huawei and Samsung. The Sunday Mail is in print and digital.

Making a differenceLowe Malaysia has been appointed for the education brand portfolios of Telekom Malaysia Berhads (TM) education arms, Multimedia University (MMU) and Multimedia College (MMC). The achievement follows Lowes recent appointment as the lead agency for TMs consumer and SME market segments. Mazuin Zin, managing director of Lowe Malaysia, said: MMU and MMC have been discreetly transforming the tertiary education sector for the longest time.

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Research Asia Interactive returns in 2014 and will take an in-depth look at the developments, challenges and the future of market research.

Find out all about them on27 June 2014

Grand Park City Hall Hotel,Singapore9.00am 5.00pm

(Registration starts at 8.00am)

What are the forces redefining

market research?

w w w . r e s e a r c h i n t e r a c t i v e - c o n f e r e n c e . c o m

6 a d ve r t i s i ng + m a r ke t i ng | M A R C H / A P R I L 2 0 1 4 WWW.MARKET ING- INTERACT IVE .COM

NEWS

A new tasteKronenbourg beer launched a regional integrated brand campaign with the help of BBH Asia Paci c. The campaign, which extends to print, digital, point-of-sale, out-of-home and all brand collateral, will launch across the region. BBH conceptualised the campaign Taste the French Way of Life with development for the Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan markets.

A group partnershipGroupon launched Groupon Partner Network (GPN), a proprietary local e-commerce af liate marketing platform, designed to help online publishers monetise their online presence through the promotion of Groupon deals. Through a suite of publishing tools, including re-targeting, GPN distributes relevant Groupon deals across partner websites and apps. GPN is available in more than 30 countries, including Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Thailand and Philippines.

A new beginningBMW Asia called a pitch looking for a creative agency. The pitch is for the Southeast Asia region and is being handled by marketing consultants R3. R3 con rmed its involvement with the pitch. BMW appointed Y&R its creative agency in November 2012 and the contract took effect from 2 January 2013. The nalists for the last round of reviews included Publicis Worldwide.

Time for a holiday?Skyscanner kicked off its rst integrated marketing campaign, Go Anywhere and Everywhere, with a consumer competition that offered winners free holidays to numerous destinations across the world. Through this campaign, Skyscanner aimed to raise awareness of its brand and how it makes planning for travel easy. Skyscanners agencies on the campaign were Leo Burnett, Havas Media and IN.FOM for creative, media and PR respectively.

An updated offeringAmobee updated its Amobee platform with the addition of Amobee LTV which enables advertisers, publishers and app developers to gain insights into mobile app customer bases. Amobee LTV aims to get detailed insight on mobile app users and directly engage and re-engage app users to increase ROI. The platform provides a user-friendly holistic view of what users are doing with multiple apps.

Reaching the party crowdMotive Media, a nightlife media network for venues and events, launched in Singapore. Motive Medias launch is aimed at helping create the link between brands and partygoers. It has secured media spaces in popular club locations such as The Vault, ky, Dom and Timbre. The rms existing clients include Cognac Croizet, McLaren, Volvo, DQ Vodka, Jabra, SINGHA and SingTel.

Cashless but happyMcDonalds Singapore launched a card payment initiative through its mobile application for food delivery. To make use of this new payment feature, customers create a one-time user account and register their Visa cards. When orders are placed, the pre-registered Visa account will be used and payment can be made. Card details are encrypted and securely managed by Visas payment gateway CyberSource.

A watchful eyeThe Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is in the midst of looking for an agency consultant. The consultant will help the board conduct a two-way performance evaluation between STB and its appointed creative, media, digital and digital production agencies. The consultant will have to monitor and determine annual scope and fees, and assist with year-end fee closure and manage pitches if required.

An eye-catching experienceMediatech launched a 12 by 10 metre high-resolution LED display screen at the junction of Orchard and Cairnhill Road outside the new Robinsons mall. This screen offers advertisers a multi-sensory canvas to display their advertisements and digital campaigns through augmented reality technology. Mediatech is the exclusive media marketing partner of this new display screen. Mediatech has already lined up a list of advertisers for 2014.

Going liveDentsu Aegis Network is set to launch the experiential marketing agency psLIVE in all key Asia Paci c markets. Ashish Bhasin (pictured), chairman of Posterscope and psLIVE Asia Paci c, said the plan would begin with rebranding the existing and experiential business in markets such as India, Malaysia and Indonesia in the near future to psLIVE. The agency will rst roll out in India.

Carlsberg appoints JWTCarlsberg Singapore retained GolinHarris to lead its corporate and internal communications and brand marketing efforts in 2014. These services encompass the brands of Carlsberg, Carlsberg Special Brew, Kronenbourg and Somersby for 12 months. Meanwhile, Carlsberg appointed JWT to handle its creative business in Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong after a three-way pitch. The three JWT of ces will work with Carlsberg on a regional and local level.

Good sportsmanshipMP & Silva partnered with the Badminton Asia Confederation for the exclusive worldwide media rights for its calendar of events, including the regions premium international tournament in the Badminton Asia Championships. The rights, from 2014 to 2016, comprise the global distribution of media and covers all platforms and devices, including broadband internet and mobile, as well as betting and in- ight rights.

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NEWS

8 a d ve r t i s i ng + m a r ke t i ng | M A R C H / A P R I L 2 0 1 4

HOW MUCH DOES THAT COST?

This Valentines Day, Power 98 had a fun day out as the Safra Radio Station crew hit the streets distributing fl owers. The primary objective of the activation was to market the radio station and the DJs from the prime-time belts.

The campaign was pulled off in partnership with Marina Bay Link Mall and Jurliss Flowers.

Through the on-ground activation, Power 98 FM aimed to reach out to its target base of PMEBs. Meanwhile, Marina Bay Link Mall took part in the campaign to reward and thank its customers. For Jurliss Flowers, the ultimate aim was to increase brand awareness.

Overall, the marketing activation cost SG$30,000.

FLOWER POWER

Communicating to the massesGo Communications formed a partnership with Sengdara Communications in Laos, headquartered in Vientiane. The Laos partnership adds further strength to the Go Groups network that includes of ces in Thailand, Philippines, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Japan, India and China. With of ces in each of the Mekong Delta countries, The Go Group has an edge to service both international and local companies who are looking for a network.

Finding a voiceClear Scalp & Hair partnered with NBCs The Voice competition for season six as the of cial haircare sponsor of the show. The multi-platform partnership includes custom content featuring personal stories of past The Voice artists. Additionally, as part of the initiative, Clear Scalp & Hair will be the of cial title sponsor of The Voice Live Tour.

A Kiwi affairHavas Media Group, the global media network of Havas, formed a strategic alliance with Kiwi agency Lassoo Media. This alliance allows Havas Media Group to extend its presence in New Zealand, a market it views as important in the Asia-Paci c region. As a result of this strategic alliance, Lassoo will support Havas Media Groups international requirements in the New Zealand market.

For the ladiesTBWA\Shanghai created a platform to support the adidas womens all in for my girls platform in China, with a campaign spanning TV, print, outdoor and PR. The latest spot is built on top of a campaign which rst introduced the idea of sisterhood and how sport for young Chinese women is fun, playful and social without having to be overly competitive. The campaign launched of cially on 1 March.

For the youthAustralias online and digital out-of-home content platform oOH! Media launched a content platform across more than 50 universities throughout the country. The new platform by Australias largest out-of-home media company acts like a giant digital campus where every tertiary student in the country can hang out and discuss news, views and pop culture on campus, at home or when they are out and about.

A new lookReebok is sporting a new look with its new logo. The change is its second big revamp in its 121-year history. The brand will be using the Reebok Delta symbol across all its products. The new logo will rst appear on footwear and apparel across all tness disciplines supported by Reebok, including training, running, outdoor, yoga, dance and aerobics.

Roaring good timeYamaha Motor Vietnam appointed Dentsu Vietnam its corporate advertising and creative agency. Dentsu Vietnam is tasked with helping build greater awareness for Yamaha Motor and to revitalise the companys brand image in the country. Dentsu Vietnams scope of work includes creative, media planning and buying, and event management, while leveraging on Yamaha Motors ve innovative brand characteristics sporty, fashionable, fuel ef cient, high performance and durable.

Time for a tea breakLipton launched its new global brand campaign which encourages people to break out of their routines and embrace the present. The Be More Tea campaign kicked off with a 60-second spot that aired during the Academy Awards featuring the Muppets as they prepared for their upcoming movie Muppets Most Wanted. The campaign highlights the essence of the Be More Tea spirit.

A good chatBurberry has extended its partnership with WeChat to enhance its social and mobile presence in China. The expanded digital deal allowed Burberry followers on WeChat to watch its London Fashion Week show and hear WeChat-only audio content. Followers could also instantly personalise a digital version of the Runway Made to Order plaques with their name in English or Chinese characters.

A bling affairLuxury jewellery retailer Tiffany & Co. named Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide its new creative partner. A pitch for the global business started in October. Ogilvy & Mather will provide brand positioning and advertising support for Tiffany & Co. globally with creative and strategic hubs in New York and Paris. Its not clear how the relationship will play out across Asia.

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NEWS

M A R C H / A P R I L 2 0 1 4 | a d ve r t i s i ng + m a r ke t i ng 9

Getting good vibesViber and Nokia inked an exclusive deal which provides Nokia X device users with a version of Viber that is at parity with Vibers latest version for Android. This strategic partnership will help us provide Nokia users with a great messaging and calling experience enhanced with photo sharing, stickers and other Viber functionality, said Talmon Marco, CEO of Viber.

A creative incubatorCreative network Iris has launched an innovations and ventures division. Called The Nursery, it will focus on the development of new products and services. The dedicated global unit will tap into the networks creative teams to bring more start-up style ideas to big brands and create new business concepts.

Lowe cooks up a winIndonesian instant noodle brand Indomie appointed Lowe Indonesia as its agency following a pitch that involved Ogilvy and Leo Burnett. The appointment is for the Indonesia market and the contract is said to be for a year. Joseph Tan, CEO of Lowe Indonesia, said: For Indonesians, Indomie goes beyond being just the ultimate comfort food; it conjures up national pride across our countrys diverse cultures.

X marks the spotMountain Dew partnered with 20th Century Foxs X-Men: Days of Future Past. Managed by creative agency Motive, the campaign builds on more than a decade of successful entertainment partnerships. This is Mountain Dews largest-ever international entertainment promotion. The global TVC will launch at the end of April globally and the promotional campaign engages consumers across various touchpoints from in-store and special commemorative packaging.

AUDIT WATCH

INDONESIAN INFLUENCEA new Indonesian newspaper has launched in Singapore targeting Indonesians living in the country.

Radar Singapura was published in January with an initial print run of 5,000 free copies. The newspaper is distributed at Indonesian restaurants at Orchard, Bugis and Raffl es and Paya Lebar MRT, as well as student forums, remittance centres, the Indonesian embassy, professional associations, Indonesian gathering places and relevant events.

It targets telcos, airlines with daily fl ights to Indonesia (such as Garuda, Singapore Airlines, SilkAir, Lion Air, AirAsia, Jetstar, Tiger), banks/remittance services (such as Western Union, Mass Express), and Indonesian restaurants (such

as Sari Ratu, IndoChili) and more. For readers, it targets Indonesians living and staying in Singapore as workers, students, business owners and tourists. It aims to have its circulation audited, said chief editor Martin Pardede, but it has not determined when and who this will be done by.

A strong addictionA recent ad by Coca-Cola for its Diet Coke campaign raised a few eyebrows for cheekily playing with the term Youre on Coke. The campaign runs with the tag line, Youre on next to the Diet Coke logo and was created by New York agency Droga5. Coca-Cola said the advertising was one part of the new campaign for Diet Coke called Youre On.

For a better experience Dentsu Aegis Network said it will launch its experiential marketing agency psLive in all key Asia-Paci c markets. The agency will rst roll out in India, with Asia-wide plans for psLive expansion expected soon. Ashish Bhasin, Chairman & CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network South Asia, will take on the additional role of Asia chairman for Posterscope and psLive Asia Paci c. Nick Waters, Dentsus Asia-Paci c CEO, said psLive will play an important role in Asia, particularly in key markets like ANZ, South East Asia and India.

Another opportunityCarat extended its Australian presence with a launch into the Queensland market. Furthermore, the agency has integrated digital experts within every client service team and expanded the agencys strategic resources by tapping into Carats 25-strong national strategy team. Gabriela Merrick was promoted to managing director for Carat Brisbane. She has 11 years of experience with the company and was most recently GM at Mitchells Queensland.

T AHUN Baru Imlek, atau yangdikenal juga sebagai Lunar NewYear, atau Spring Festival(Festival Musim Semi), merupakansalah satu acara yang palingditunggu-tunggu setiap tahunnya. Iniadalah acara terbesar dan terpentingdalam komunitas etnis Tionghoa,yang dirayakan di seluruh dunia.

Di Singapura, Imlek tak hanyadirayakan etnis Tionghoa. Semua orang,dari latar belakang etnis atau bangsaapapun, akan ikut larut dalamkebahagiaan. Mereka akan tumpah kejalan-jalan, menikmati kemeriahan acaratahun baru.

Tahun ini, puncak dari keseluruhanacara adalah Chingay Parade. Paradetersebut menampilkan atraksi daridelapan ribu orang, batik terbesar didunia sepanjang tiga ratus enam puluhmeter, boneka sejenis wayang setinggiempat meter, tarian balet oleh tujuhratus penari dan pergelaran dari negaraItalia, Korea dan China. Sungguh sayanguntuk dilewatkan.

Penjuru Singapura juga dihi-asi dengan berbagai ornamenberbentuk kuda. Sesuaipenanggalan China, 2014 adalah

Tahun Kuda Kayu. Kuda Kayu melambangkan

antusiasme. Tentu saja kitaberharap dunia bisnis akanlebih bergairah dibandingkantahun sebelumnya. Pasarlebih optimistis danmemiliki mood yangpositif. Gong Xi Fa Cai.

EDISI 01/ TAHUN I - JANUARI 2014 www.radarsingapura.com, 24 HlmMCI (P) 085/12/2013

Kepingan lego, jika berada di tangan ahlinya,dapat memunculkanbentuk yang luar biasa.

LENSA HAL 18

HAL 19

PSSI akhirnyaresmimenunjuk Aji Santososebagaipelatih TimnasU-23.

SPORTIF

Resep soto ayamLamonganadalah salahsatu kulinerkhas Indonesiayang begitubanyak digemari.

Soto Ayam Lamongan

KULINER HAL 22

DOK RADAR SINGAPURA

Tak Ada Lawan, Dilarang IkutKompetisi Lego di Indonesia

Mengaduk Yu-sheng,Menanti Angpao

Perayaan Imlek, atau lazimnyadiucapkan di Singapura sebagaiLunar New Year, adalah satudari sekian banyak acarapenting yang paling ditunggusetiap tahunnya.

LAPORAN UTAMA HAL 4

KISAH SUKSES HAL 6

SEPUTAR SELEBRITI

Shandy AuliameluncurkanbukuIncomplete

yangmengisahkanperjalanan

hidupnya.

Aji Arsitek Timnas U-23

HAL 21

Menanti Berkah di Tahun Kuda

Bukan Anakyang Diharapkan





Tahun Kuda Kayu.Kuda Kayu melambangkan


ANUARI 2014 www.radarsingapura.com, 24 HlmMCI (P) 085/12/2013

a,kanbiasa.

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EDISI 01/ TAHUN I - JANUARI 2014 www.radarsingapura.com, 24 HlmMCI (P) 085/12/2013

Kepingan lego, jika berada di tangan ahlinya,dapat memunculkanbentuk yang luar biasa.

LENSA HAL 18

HAL 19

PSSI akhirnyaresmimenunjuk Aji Santososebagaipelatih TimnasU-23.

SPORTIF

Resep soto ayamLamonganadalah salahsatu kulinerkhas Indonesiayang begitubanyak digemari.

Soto Ayam Lamongan

KULINER HAL 22

DOK RADAR SINGAPURA

Tak Ada Lawan, Dilarang IkutKompetisi Lego di Indonesia

Mengaduk Yu-sheng,Menanti Angpao

Perayaan Imlek, atau lazimnyadiucapkan di Singapura sebagaiLunar New Year, adalah satudari sekian banyak acarapenting yang paling ditunggusetiap tahunnya.

LAPORAN UTAMA HAL 4

KISAH SUKSES HAL 6

SEPUTAR SELEBRITI



hidupnya.

Aji Arsitek Timnas U-23

HAL 21


Bukan Anakyang Diharapkan

A new marketTurner Broadcasting formed a partnership with PT Trans Media Corpora to launch CNN Indonesia as a 24-hour news channel and website in Bahasa Indonesia. Jeff Zucker, CNNs worldwide president, said this agreement puts CNN in a unique position to reach millions of Indonesians in a way it had not been able to previously. The TV channel will be accompanied by a strong digital presence.

A marriage made in spaceNDN Group is taking one Chinese couple into space to get married. The record-breaking attempt is slated for Q1 or Q2 of 2015 in collaboration with Virgin Galactic, which will provide a manned spacecraft for at least six passengers. Andy Ann, founder of NDN Group, said the initial idea of a space wedding was spawned between himself and Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson.

Scooting offItalian scooter brand Vespa appointed BBH to handle its global advertising account. The appointment comes without a pitch. BBH will handle advertising across Asia, Europe and the US. The agency will help the scooter brand develop a new brand position that builds on its strong heritage and simultaneously appeals to newer audiences. Ads will roll out later this year.

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1CampaignThe IKEA Bedroom Stories

BriefTwo short lms were created which featured bedroom makeovers for people facing unique space challenges. The rst lm centred around the life of 30-year-old civil servant Frank, whose passion for Cosplay has not only seen him sweeping up awards at world championships, but has also left him with a cluttered bedroom. The second lm featured Michele, a mum trying to squeeze her beloved husband and son into one bedroom in a four-room at.

Client IKEA Creative BBH APAC

Media OMD

2CampaignCornettos Red Tour

BriefUnilever is pushing its Cornetto brand through Taylor Swifts upcoming Red Tour in ASEAN. The campaign includes TVCs, OOH and radio ads and will run on a number of platforms, including YouTube and Yahoo. The other markets the campaign runs in include Japan, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and Malaysia.

Client Unilever Singapore

Creative Alchemy Media Mindshare

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4Campaign Taste the French Way of Life

BriefKronenbourg beer launched a regional integrated brand campaign with the help of BBH Asia Paci c across print, digital, point-of-sale, out-of-home and all brand collaterals. BBH Asia Paci c was rst handed the Kronenbourg business in October 2013 and was tasked to create a new brand strategy for the French beer brand in the region. The new campaign is also built off strong Asian insights.

Client Kronenbourg

Creative BBH

Media OMD

3CampaignAnywhere and Everywhere

Brief Through the campaign, Skyscanner hopes to raise awareness of its brand and how it makes planning for travel easy, and also delight people with a free holiday. The campaign is heavily publicised through digital media, mobile ad networks and social media such as Yahoo, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. In addition, there are out-of-home executions, including posters at 122 bus stops island-wide, double-decker buses and giant outdoor digital screens.

Client Skyscanner

Creative Leo Burnett Singapore

Media Havas Media

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NEWS ANA L Y S I S

WHAT KIND OF CMO ARE YOU?A study has identi ed three main types of CMOs. Whos adding most to the nancial bottom-line? Elizabeth Low reports.

There are three main types of CMOs traditionalists, social strategists and digital pacesetters when it comes to integrating digital in a business.

Three types of CMOsTraditionalists are challenged by the data explosion, the growth in social media, and the plethora of new channels and devices. They have yet to integrate their physical and digital sales and service channels; seldom engage with customers via social networks; and rarely use analytics to extract insights from the customer data they collect.

Social strategists, on the other hand, have passed the rst few milestones. Theyve recognised social medias potential as a vehicle for engaging with customers, and theyre building the infrastructure theyll need to operate in the social arena. But they have not begun to exploit the opportunities arising from the data explosion and advanced analytics.

As for digital pacesetters, they are reasonably prepared for the data explosion and well-placed to handle the increasingly heavy social and mobile traf c from a growing range of devices. They are also actively putting in place the resources required to operate as a fully integrated physical-digital enterprise, and regularly use analytics to generate insights from customer data.

These were the three main pro les of CMOs identi ed by IBM in its study of more than 500 CMOs across 56 countries and 19 industries worldwide, including Asia-Paci c and Japan. The study, Stepping up to the challenge: How CMOs can start to close the aspirational gap, is part of its C-suite studies.

And theres a close link between the degree of digital acumen CMOs display and the nancial performance of the enterprises for which they work, said the study.

Forty three per cent of the outperformers in the study are digital pacesetters, compared

with just 25% of traditionalists, while 31% of outperformers are social strategists.

Succeeding in a digital world takes three prerequisites: using data analytics to get a much deeper understanding of customers, individually as well as collectively; designing rewarding customer experiences; and capitalising on new technologies to provide those experiences smartly and ef ciently, said the study.

Rising in uence of CMOsOther insights from the study were that 63% of CEOs lean on CMOs to help formulate their business strategy, concluding that the in uence of CMOs within their organisation is increasing. This is second only to the CFO (72%). (Pictured in gure one).

It also found that when a CMO has a close working relationship with the CIO, the enterprise is more likely to perform better overall. High-performing CMOs were reported to have a stronger working relationship with CIOs than those identi ed as nancial under-performers.

The study also found that CMOs today are less concerned with both monitoring their brand via social media and trying to monetise social media.

In addition, 94% of marketing leaders believe that mobile applications will play a signi cant role in helping them reach their goals over the next three to ve years, which is up from 80% from three years before.

FIGURE 1Rising star: CEOs rely increasingly heavilty on CMOs for strategic input.

CxO involvement in business strategy development

CMO

CFO

CIO

CSCO

CHRO

72%

63%

42%

37%

35%

Cracking the code: What skills should a CMO possess?

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NEWS ANA L Y S I S


NEWS ANA L Y S I S. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

WHY SENIORPR GUYSLEAVE BIG AGENCIES

While churn in agencies has always been the norm, several senior public relations agency professionals

tell Elizabeth Low why the larger agency models didnt work for them.

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NEWS ANA L Y S I S

1. Too much process is killing innovationMost large agencies are parts of listed companies leading to what some have called a short-term obsession with targets and, in turn, a short-term view on productivity, people and training.

Often you hear that senior agency staff are encouraged to run their team/practice/project as if it was their own company but the reality is you hardly have any freedom to execute it that way as you are still stuck in a complex organisation that traditionally is mainly focused on stability and risk-aversion, said Lars Voedisch, founder of PRecious Communications, who has had experience at several larger network agencies.

2. Less actual time with the client and PRMany times, big agencies are hired not only for their ability to execute, but especially for the promise of strategic counsel and insights provided by senior consultants. However, several professionals have lamented that in reality senior consultants get less time with the client.

This is due to the rigid staggered hourly rate-charging roster. If a director-level or above staff spends too much time with a client, the shown pro tability of the account goes down and a nance director would run after them shouting over-servicing, Voedisch said.

Bob Pickard, chairman of Huntsworth Asia Paci c, echoed similar views.

Theres a cruel irony that many rising executives experience the hard way inside conglomerate rms when they realise the very assets that made them senior in the rst place consulting savvy, new business prowess, amazing client service become much harder

to actually do in rigid bureaucracies where the stultifying process and administrative mania grinds everyone down, he said.

Pickard, who has held leading roles in several large agencies, said what might disappoint the most is those who eventually rise to senior roles in the rm may not be the most talented at leadership as well.

3. Bogged down by global reportingOthers have highlighted their reporting lines to global headquarters as a hindrance.

A former agency lead, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said because of having to run even the minutest detail through several levels at the regional or HQ level, large agency managers struggle to make the changes they need to make to adapt the agency and align it with local market dynamics.

It makes it dif cult also to provide relief where it may be needed across the business such as hiring staff to alleviate pressure when you are investing in a client or needing to give someone an out-of-line pay rise, he said.

Pickard said it depended on the rm.The ones who get it and provide line-of-

sight management latitude with empowered

senior leaders on the front lines of the business, in this region are the ones where the best people really want to work, he said.

On the other hand, rms with a repelling effect on talent acquisition and retention are the ones that put Asia under direct rule from global HQ, he added, where the solution to just about every problem seems to involve putting Westerners on planes to Asia rather than empowering the Asian leadership.

He said companies that allowed the Asian leadership to loom large in the global enterprise and that means proportionate seats on the executive committee and shares of the stock seemed to thrive compared with the ones where Asia was kept under the thumb of remote corporate masters.

4. But there are also bene ts On the other hand, one former senior-level PR professional, who has also left a larger agency for a more independent out t, said he disagreed with the idea it was limiting to lead at a larger shop.

I tend to disagree that your wings are clipped working in a big agency because its in a bigger out t that you have the resources and budget to experiment new business ideas and campaigns.

In a smaller agency, you may not have the resources to try new things, for example, hire a small unit of people to do social media. As a senior leader in a big agency, you need to be able to work the system in order to experiment.

He added a bigger agency would always come with more processes, bureaucracy and even politics, and it was merely part of the business that some senior folks may embrace as part of their work, but some may not.

At the end of the day, I think senior people should nd a con guration where they can be the best they can be: where they have freedom to innovate, can avoid wasting time on nonsense, enjoy the ability to act quickly and can make decisions at the client-facing coalface of the business, Pickard said.

Whether your agency is big or small, if the people you work with share your passion for building the rm with their own hands and hearts intelligent and fun colleagues who you like, respect and trust then thats probably the right rm for you. Bags are packed: Some senior talent prefer smaller agencies over big ones for a variety of reasons.

Whether your agency is big or small, if the people you work with share your passion for building the rm with their own hands and hearts intelligent and fun colleagues who you like, respect and trust then thats probably the right rm for you.

Bob Pickard chairman of Huntsworth Asia Paci c

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NEWS ANA L Y S I S

At Marketing magazines very rst PR Awards in Singapore, the of cial Talent Sponsor, Prospect Resourcings managing director Emma Dale revealed some home truths about PR jobs and the required skills.

WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES YOU FACE IN SOURCING PR TALENT?On top of very strong PR/communications skills and the experience of working with local, regional and also global clients, what clients are really looking for from local candidates is uency (verbal, reading, writing) in Mandarin, Cantonese and English. This is very hard to nd. Understandably, this skill helps bring in new business and develops relationships with stakeholders and media.

AGENCY VERSUS IN-HOUSE PR ROLES, WHICH IS MORE IN DEMAND?It is tough sourcing PR talent for PR agencies because many candidates want in-house roles. They feel the grass is greener on the other side, and that an in-house role offers a better work/life balance. There is also a belief there will be less pressure. And I can tell you plenty of

in-house practitioners would tell you this is a myth. Moreover, there is tough competition for in-house roles because they are fewer in number and high in demand.

WHAT DOES THE INDUSTRY THINK ABOUT JOB-HOPPERS?There are a great many job-hoppers in the market they have moved over the years just for salary or a better job title. Thankfully, employers are now more wary about these movers, and are not as interested in them compared with people who have displayed stability and longevity in their previous rms.

WHAT ARE THE SKILLS PR PRACTITIONERS OF THE FUTURE SHOULD POSSESS?PR practitioners need to be far more integrated. PR agencies are no longer offering pure-play PR services and therefore, require their staff to have skills in digital, social and marketing in general. In-house roles require candidates to have speci c skills such as internal and external comms, stakeholder engagement, events and so on.

Last year, we saw a huge emphasis on

internal comms, employee engagement and executive comms. Firms saw the bene t of communicating better with their staff to make sure they were retained and engaged.

Other than these, whats also important is the ability to understand an integrated approach, diversify your skill-set, and multi-task. Gone are the days where senior people just took on pure strategic roles. The job now requires everyone to be exible, adaptable, strategic as well as hands-on.

ARE BRANDS AWARE OF THE EVOLVED ROLE OF PR AND THE VALUE IT CAN ADD?There is a growing awareness among businesses that the role of PR is more than column-inches and that media relations/support is a small part of the puzzle. Whats also important is the role PR plays in creating content. The PR industry needs to continue to develop and improve its content offering across multiple digital and traditional media platforms.

With more than 300 attendees, the inaugural awards took place at the InterContinental Singapore on 26 February.

DELIVERING SOME HOME TRUTHS ABOUT PR

Have the right expectations: PR job seekers need to know what they are getting into when looking for a job.

What PR job searchers need to know about their next employer.

AMMY_1 _ ewsAna sis_M t _MarApr14_sub.indd 1 23/4/2014 12:21:2 PM

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DO YOU REALLY BELIEVE IN YOUR STRATEGY?Try a really easy test to evaluate the viability of your marketing plan.

Its been my experience that nine times outof 10, social media measurement problems are not problems with social media, but with strategy. The problem appears to be a measurement issue, but actually its symptomatic of deeper issues that occur long ago at the beginning of the campaign. Its like going to a doctor with a curious case of uncontrollable bleeding, but not mentioning the machete implanted in your leg.

I quickly diagnose faux-measurement issues when I hear: The client wanted to go viral, but now the

CEO wants to know what the business results were, can you help?

Its awesome we got one million Likes. When I see a case lm with numbers of fans

incrementing on a spinning counter.

The solution is actually very simple it only requires four steps and a bit of intellectual honesty.

At the beginning of each campaign I ask the consulting strategist to give me four broad statements based around intent, strategy, tactics and KPIs.

If youre not familiar with formal logic, then you can apply a really simple test the really? test. When you are evaluating the strategic argument ask yourself, Really? do I honestly believe in the cold light of day that this will work?

If you dont, redo it. Most campaigns Ive evaluated fail the test the rst time.

In the case of our Purple Cow strategy, I do not believe one million Likes means we will increase our market share by 10%. It fails as a strategy, and Likes fails as a valid KPI for this campaign.

If our research shows that: The key barrier to the purchase of Purple

Cows is that only 10% of the total addressable market have seen a humorous Purple Cow;

Fifty per cent of people who see a Purple Cow campaign convert to purchase;

Of the group that converted, men between 28-35, who are rst-time fathers, make up 80% of that group.

Then we could do something like this:1. We will grow our market share in the Purple

Cow market by 10%.2. By increasing awareness of talking Purple

Cows among men 28-35 who are new parents.

3. Through daily videos of a talking Purple Cow comedian telling jokes about his rst time raising Purple Calves.

4. We will know we have succeeded if our target group of men aged 28-35 who are new parents on Facebook show an 80% increase in awareness versus our control group post-campaign.

There is still no guarantee of success, but the strategy will be sound. To ensure success, you need a good creative and a heavy dose of luck. But as they say, those who practice often are far more lucky than those who dont.

Jonathan Nguyen is regional strategy director at Social@Ogilvy.

Navigate the marketing process with intellectual honesty.

To ensure success, youll also need good creative and a heavy dose of luck.

For those of you familiar with formal logic, you may see similarities between this structure and a syllogistic argument. In fact, I like to call this the strategic argument and it can be evaluated in the same way. It should be the executive summary of any strategy, social or otherwise.

AMMY_1 _ ewsAna sis_ A Y_MarApr14_sub.indd 1 2 /4/2014 10:21: AM


NEWS ANA L Y S I S

THE REALITIES OF A REGIONAL ROLEAiming for a regional role? Rezwana Manjur nds out what you need to know about it.

Talk to any regional marketer and they willtell you that what makes Asia exciting is its diversity and thats precisely the biggest challenge as well. However, they are also the rst ones to be made redundant in times of economic recession or organisational restructures as has been witnessed in the past.

Be it LG, Samsung, Nokia and others, the restructures in these organisations have made regional marketing leads redundant or scrambling for another role within the local operations.

This led us to ask senior marketing professionals what they thought were the perils of a regional role. Here are some highlighted by

Sandeep Khanna, founder and CEO of Karma Asia Consulting.

Khanna, in the past, has held top regional roles in companies such as LG and Nokia.

In uence without authority: In most companies it is an advisory role with real authority vested with the country management. In this scenario, how does one deliver value?

The policeman no one likes: In many companies, it is essentially a policing role where templates and processes are the key tasks assigned to the regional person. Not a very enviable job.

The rst cost to be cut: It is an inherently unstable position. Whenever there is a need to cut costs, the regional folks are the rst on the chopping block. Only in very rare companies do they centralise marketing and only have sales people in the countries.

A relentless treadmill: If the job is to be done right, the regional person has to not only know the countries better than the local people, they must be able to generate synergies by running regional programmes which deliver better ef ciencies as compared to the countries doing things solo. For that to happen, they need to run faster than

Being in the know: While a regional role sounds lucrative, are you prepared for it?

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NEWS ANA L Y S I S

everyone else in the marketing function which sometimes becomes operationally infeasible.

Daily challenges of regional marketersKhanna highlights other operational challenges as well. The most important task, perhaps, is to create a sharply de ned vision for the regional marketing team and get buy-in on this from the countrys managing directors, regional CEO and global leaders. Often this does not happen. And that leads to all sorts of confusion and chaos on a day-to-day basis.

If this is sorted at the start, then the rest follows easily and the regional teams and local teams can actually build a complementary set of programmes to win in the markets. The successful companies do this well and that is what separates the leaders from the also-rans, he says.What exactly are those challenges: Local of ces might not want to engage

the regional marketers because they do not know enough about local markets. There is low potential to add value to local businesses.

It is a staff function most of the time. Country business heads could undermine the importance of the regional marketing people. As a rule, line managers get more respect than staff.

It is very hard to please everyone. From a local countrys perspective, the starting position for a regional role is that of a policeman out to nd faults.

High degree of politics is another concern. A regional job is seen as a reward for doing well in a country most of the time. This can easily become a cause of envy or jealousy among those who did not make it.

It is dif cult to win country support because regional objectives sometimes are long-term while countries are looking at the next quarter.

It is hard to be objective. Generally speaking, regional people focus on key markets only, sidelining the smaller and less important ones. Its these markets that could then go viral with criticism thereby undermining the good work potentially done in the more important markets.

Despite all that there are huge pluses to this role. Every market, with its own culture and dynamics, makes the job of a regional marketer exciting and rewarding.

This role lets you drive the marketing vision for the business. There is a higher sense of ful lment because it sharpens the strategic thinking of the person.

It lets you create value by building and

aggregating local efforts and synergising them. Add to it the fact its a great learning opportunity to cross-pollinate and fertilise ideas across the borders, Khanna says.

Access to top management accords regional leads with a much better networking potential with global leaders and even the functional leaders of other functions in the region.

And, of course, there is a higher exposure to strategic initiatives of the company and an opportunity to be part of bigger initiatives.

Go global or local? Whether to go global or local is a huge concern for decision-makers at the business level. We ask what works best for some marketers in a regional role. Sarah Fisher, senior marketer for adidas said that despite the diversity present in the market it still employs a global campaign strategy. While this choice has its fair share of challenges, it is important for the brand to be consistent.

Of course, the brand makes small tweaks for campaigns to simply make sense in that market, but on the whole the brand employs a global strategy with a local twist.

We are believers for the most part in one

a local on the team who can put the campaign in the right cultural perspective. We spend a lot of time discussing cultural differences which the end-consumer may not pick up on due to the fact the nal campaign only re ects an aspiration and certain parts of the setting, she says.

While we aim to take into account the different regional differences, we always have to balance the production budget versus local relevance.

Tips for a regional remitMany regional marketers have learnt about cultural sensitivities the hard way. Its better to be prepared than be sorry later, so here are some basic tips they shared. They are easy to remember, but easier to forget, so watch out:Distribution channel: While markets such as Hong Kong and Singapore have 100% mobile penetration rates, other markets such as India have not yet reached the same mobile maturity levels. For many emerging markets in Asia TV remains king, so know your market before you decide the media mix.Translation: A perfect campaign tag line could turn out to be imperfect when translated. So be very careful when adapting campaigns.

There are all hues of regional marketers. But to be a really good one, there is a need for an amazing combination of ability and attitude.

Sandeep Khanna founder and CEO of Karma Asia Consulting

consistent brand voice, we have the same lters that apply across all our communications as a brand around the world and we genuinely believe this is what makes us so strong, Fisher says.

She explains this is to ensure consumers in all parts of the world are looking at the same visual identity from the brand and therefore, as a result, knowing exactly what the brand stands for.

Fisher says todays world is increasingly becoming connected and, hence, the fragments are becoming smaller. Despite each market having its own distinct culture there is absolutely overlap regarding trends and activities, she says.

However, not all marketers agree. On the basis of anonymity, one senior marketer from a large FMCG brand said sometimes the local teams can have a not-created-here attitude when it comes to a global campaign.

While in reality, FMCG brands will have to go with regional strategies to assure high quality of production and a well-aligned brand image across markets, it is always important to have

Cultural nuances: Now this may sound like common sense, but its an elusive concept. For example, what may seem perfect in Singapore may be considered offensive in Indonesia.Attire: Remember that while a few parts of Asia are cosmopolitan, many Asian markets are still conservative. There are also several Muslim nations with guidelines for attire and outlook.Talent: Is the talent featured in campaigns truly Pan-Asian or does she/he look too much like someone else from another culture? There are deep-rooted cultural issues such as skin colour and social standing that can come up when marketing in a diverse region such as Asia.

There are all hues of regional marketers. But to be a really good one, there is a need for an amazing combination of ability and attitude, Khanna says.

Ability, thought leadership in the business, a demonstrably superior ability to plan and execute, strong conceptual and thinking skills, attitude, a very high level of charisma, energy and collaboration, all rolled into one, is what is needed. Are you prepared?

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2 4 a d ve r t i s i ng + m a r ke t i ng | M A R C H / A P R I L 2 0 1 4

THE BIG BUSINESS OF FAKING ITCelebrities and businesses have bought fans and followers just to gain clout online. But heres what it will really cost a brand. Elizabeth Low writes.

As businesses rapidly move to boost theirdigital clout, the lure of taking the quick route to success has also been on the rise.

Recently, the spotlight has fallen on the lucrative business of click farms and selling fake followers, fans or Likes on social media.

According to an Associated Press article, Dhaka, in Bangladesh, is an international hub for click farms. Quoting the CEO of Dhaka-based social media promotion rm Unique IT World, Saiful Islam, he says he pays workers to

Buyer beware: In the long-term, bought fans are all cost and no bene t.

manually click on clients social media pages, making it harder for Facebook, Google and others to catch them. This is because this makes those accounts genuine.

The article pointed out Dhaka as the most popular city for many, including soccer star Lionel Messi, who has 51 million Likes. These click farms have many, usually lowly paid, workers simply tapping away on Like buttons, viewing videos or re-tweeting comments. While these businesses have drawn much controversy

for being the digital ages sweatshops, there are also many implications for brands.

SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCE GOING CHEAPBusinesses selling followers are proliferating online. According to AP, BuyPlusFollowers sells 250 Google+ shares for $12.95, Instagramengine sells 1,000 followers for $12 and Authentichits sells 1,000 SoundCloud plays for $9.

More examples are proliferating such as TheSocialBoost, selling Instagram followers

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NEWS ANA L Y S I S

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online, and another selling Twitter followers on eBay. And these are getting cheaper. According to Jeff Hurmuses, vice-president of APAC for security solutions rm Barracuda Networks, there are currently 52 sellers on eBay selling Twitter followers and who are also making fake Twitter accounts more affordable.

A year ago, 1,000 fake followers could have set you back US$25, but now the average price is US$11. At an estimate, these dealers have several thousand buyers who spend an

average of US$65. In fact our researchers found one dealer who may have generated US$1.4 million just by selling fake Twitter followers, Hurmuses says.

Nearly 63% of fake accounts are created by duplicating the information of real users by appending their screen name with a few characters while still using the same pro le photo, location and description, adds Hurmuses.

Spamming using Twitter lists is another trend we have discovered. Twitter accounts barely a few hours old can add over 90,000 people to various lists, he says.

But, as of now, there is no way to stop such activities other than by manually blocking these suspicious users. While this may work in the short-term, Hurmuses says it will be a tedious process for users who have been added to hundreds of lists.

THE BIG CLEAN UP IS IT ENOUGH?In 2012, Facebook made a major announcement a move to clean up fake Likes. This move affected many brands regionally.

Despite the move, a Facebook spokesperson said it still needed to focus on dealing with abuse for fake accounts.

Weve made a lot of progress by building a combination of automated and manual systems to block accounts used for fraudulent purposes and Like button clicks. We also take action against sellers of fake clicks and help shut them down, a spokesperson from Facebook said.

THE REAL PRICE OF FAKING ITWhile this takes place across the region, one agency executive highlighted how rampant the situation is in China.

Florian Pihs, senior planning director of strategy, innovation and optimisation at SapientNitro China, says his team comes across click fraud often. While the agency largely works on creatives, his team encounters it in the analytics and optimisation aspect of the business.

There is a huge amount of click fraud in China. When we are trying to look at how the site is performing and segment it in terms of search traf c, traf c from social media and so on you never see any media platform miss their target. They usually over perform their targets by around 50%. Then when we go down into numbers on where this is from, where did they arrive from, which landing page, what did they do from there, we see a lot of irregularities, in terms of paid traf c that is coming in from odd hours, he says.

However, he laments that clients and media agencies have not had a genuine incentive to address the issue when brought up since both parties will temporarily appear to have achieved their objectives on clicks and traf c. Few clients are eager to get genuine traf c, he adds.

That is a behaviour that is rewarded in China at this point in time, he says.

Ryan Lim, business director and co-founder of Blugrapes, says that this was prevalent in Singapore more than a year ago, but he sees much less of it now the market is more sophisticated.

HOW IT HURTS BRANDSIt slowed when marketers realised that they couldnt sustain it and their fans dropped when they couldnt pay, Lim says. Also, it was not promoting real growth for a brand.

The problem with this is that it dilutes a brands effectiveness online.

The impact of your digital activation is reduced by the amount of fake traf c, Pihs says. Right now what you are measuring is just clicks and traf c, you are hoping that awareness will lead to preference, he adds.

But these fake clicks will do nothing towards that goal. In the long-term, bought fans are all cost and no bene t, and will cripple a brands ability to justify an ongoing budget for social media, says Ian McKee, CEO and founder of social media agency Vocanic, adding he has seen this outside of China in the region as well.

Bought fans are empty calories while the fan count will grow, the engagement rate will plummet with no possible way to lift it. The brand is left with a dead weight to manage, he says.

Fake clicks will do nothing towards that goal. In the long-term, bought fans are all cost and no bene t, and will cripple a brands ability to justify an ongoing budget for social media.

Ian McKee CEO and founder, Vocanic

This includes catching fake accounts at various points of interaction with Facebook, including registration, friending, clicking the Like button and messaging.

We write rules to catch anomalies that signal fake accounts, and we use classi ers based on machine learning to help us identify suspicious behaviour. To validate and improve the quality of our automated decisions, we often use user prompts and other techniques to help us better determine if an action or account is real, she said.

A Google spokesperson said it had also placed methods to check for clicks and views.

And we take action against bad actors that seek to game our systems, she said. But she did not give details on how it was doing this.

Twitter could not be reached for comment at the time of printing.

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P RO F I L E


REZWANA MANJUR

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HTC IS SPLASHING OUT IN A COSTLY EFFORT TO MAKE ITS BRAND LIKEABLE. CAN IT BECOME THE BRAND OF CHOICE? REZWANA MANJURREZWANA MANJUR ASKS

HTCS SOUTHEAST ASIA MARKETING LEAD SIRPA IKOLA.

It hasnt been an easy time for HTC. Competing in an extremely competitive environment, with much stronger rivals, the brand is well aware of its challenges.

Pushing against its ailing market share, it spent the whole of last year on major marketing initiatives to turn around its brand.

While tech geeks and enthusiasts were aware of the technological differentiators presented by the brand, general consumers still didnt know what the Taiwanese smartphone company stood for. Despite all its prior efforts, the public still generally saw it as a tech provider, senior director of marketing for Southeast Asia, Sirpa Ikola, tells Marketing.

The brand was in desperate need to make itself more interesting. Hence, in the second half of the year, in came the iron man himself as Robert Downey Jr jumped on board as the brands ambassador. Many deemed the stunt as HTCs boldest move yet to reviving its image.

HTC reportedly spent US$12 million signing on the actor for a two-year period. A global campaign was rolled out starting in August and the initial campaign comprised a series of 16-second ads which featured the actor as the instigator of change. The series of ads were designed as playful and provided unique interpretations of HTC acronyms such as Humongous Tinfoil Catamaran and Hipster Troll Carwash.




P RO F I L E


Nonetheless, in January 2014, co-founder and chairwoman Cher Wang told Reuters in an interview that marketing was an area the company didnt do well in 2013.

So were all the efforts in vain? Was the US$12 million spent worth it, I ask Ikola.

Marketing did what they could. And we did so in a very competitive environment, was her response.

Ikola, who came on board the HTC team late last year, justi es that brand-building doesnt happen overnight.

We focused on brand and I think the brand piece worked for us. Whether it worked to activate sales on a retail level or not perhaps there are still things to be learnt but brand-building does not happen overnight, she said.

To Ikola, both brand-building and marketing takes time and one of the key factors in marketing that one quickly comes to terms with is the ability to create multiple experiences and experiment before you hit the targets. What the marketing initiatives did, however, was create buzz around the brand.

I think it was a great effort in getting our name out there and it was successful.

We created a lot of talkability about what he (Downey Jr) was able to do for the brand, and that awareness of what HTC stands for was necessary and important. At the same time we need to do more in the consumerisation of the brand and educating the people to understand the key experiences that we bring to the market.

And perhaps that is something HTC needs to do more of. Education efforts, she explained, are not an easy feat for the brand. Plus, working on the Android platform, she says the brand has to strive harder to nd a point of differentiation.

HTC THE PREFERRED BRAND?In comparison to what HTC did last year where the focus was awareness, this year it wants to put a focus on becoming the preferred brand.

By preference I mean that the base of people I ask will say they only choose HTC not I consider it but rather I prefer it. Thats the kind of emotional connection we want people to have to the device and the capabilities, and that is the key strategy I need to crack.

Going forward, HTC will also be offering a wider product portfolio. It

will also now be heavily targeting the mid-tier market, launching products in the US$150 to US$300 range in both its emerging and developed markets. It is also looking to broaden its market beyond tech-savvy 20-to 30-year-olds. And to expand more of its core audience, HTC will be making a push into lifestyle by reaching out to in uencers.

We need to have more females, power mums, soccer mums, bloggers, creative people we want them to see the bene ts of it. HTC should be able to in ltrate these people through their passion points.

Ikola and her team plan to get the ball rolling by introducing the device

through design because that is ultimately what attracts the consumers, and then slowly seep the products through to in uencers, social media, PR and press. Word of mouth is also very important for the brand.

FREEDOM OF THE UNDERDOGOn the bright side, while acknowledging the brand is an underdog compared with rivals such as Samsung, this gives it a lot of freedom to experiment.

HTC is a very entrepreneurial-spirited company where many things happen fast and you often have to nd your own way of doing things. We can never complain about too much bureaucracy and you have a lot of power in your hands to make the right things, she said.

We need new, crazy out-of-the-box ideas. And you have that freedom when you are an underdog, she adds, also referring to her expectation of agency partners.

Nobody can spend crazy money anymore, so you have to make your media and your marketing work harder. More with less, also alternative marketing ideas.

Hailing from Finland, Ikola cut her teeth marketing for Nokia, which was where her love of consumerising technology began.

She says an entrepreneurial attitude is important to her.Im used to working at a very entrepreneurial company because of

before, so I bring a lot of energy to the team and a can-do attitude, adding that one doesnt necessarily need an army of people doing things for you, but believes in empowering a team to outdo itself, similar to her take on agency partners.

The promise of an underdog coming and making a mark or even potentially threatening the big guys is fantastic.

WE FOCUSED ON BRAND AND I THINK THE BRAND PIECE WORKED FOR US. WHETHER IT WORKED TO ACTIVATE SALES ON A RETAIL LEVEL OR NOT PERHAPS THERE ARE STILL THINGS

TO BE LEARNT BUT BRAND-BUILDING DOES NOT HAPPEN OVERNIGHT.


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(Figures in thousands, in US$) 2012 2011 2010

Net sales 4,510,805 4,158,058 3,468,777

Gross pro t 2,816,709 2,550,224 2,217,429

Net income 237,011 143,934 155,709

Ailing teen apparel retailer Abercrombie &Fitch (A&F) recently stripped its controversial chief executive Mike Jeffries of his chairman duties. According to a Reuters piece, the move came because of investor pressure to reduce Jeffries control over the company.

He was appointed A&Fs CEO in 1992 to revamp the brand, and was responsible for the companys sexed-up image, with its racy ads, catalogues and topless in-store male models the brand has become well-known for.

Meanwhile, Jeffries also created waves for the brand with his controversial jibes. For example, Jeffries once declared the brand only wanted to market to good looking people.

The brand has also been accused of racist behaviour in its hiring practices. In the midst of the press storms these incidents created, it looked like the brand was getting away with the controversy. However, A&Fs heavy focus on marketing and neglect of other elements such as product and pricing may have led the brand into its current decline.

The brand banks heavily on enforcing an aspirational lifestyle, in its own words. In the midst of this, it has also kept its prices high. For example, simple tees in A&F cost an average of SG$50-80. Its key marketing vehicle is its store experience, according to A&F in its annual report. It also markets through digital, e-commerce and social media.

Analysts have said the brands overt focus on marketing and cutting costs instead of improving merchandise to bring back shoppers is costing the brand.

Shares of the company, which is set to post its eighth straight decline in quarterly same-store sales, have lost about a quarter of their value in the past 12 months, according to Reuters. Can the brand turn itself around?

TREATMENTChaudhrys cure: Become more inclusive as a brand. Have a clear role in the value it can create

for the community.

Chongs cure: Adjust the brands strategy to a new

audience. Cleaner retail store designs. Shift in core messaging.

A&F is just operating in a very tough environment with the killer matrix of the rise of fast-retailing; the impact of online shopping creating a generation of browsers and not shoppers and new ideas by indie fashion entrepreneurs.

So other than the sexy perception, customers now want your brand to be sexy in terms of pricing and availabi

advertising + marketing my - mar/apr 2014

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