A year in headlines

January
People and companies
The arrival of strategy specialist Eric Einhorn to helm McCann WorldGroup and PR veteran Serge Dumont to a senior Omnicom role sets up 2006 as a key year for the major groups seeking a sound footing in Asia. 

Brands and marketing
Two major media moves ring in 2006. Nokia signs up MediaCom, demonstrating a mastery of conflict management by GroupM, with four other mobile brands in its fold.
Johnson & Johnson, meanwhile, moves its China media business out of Universal McCann, another blow for the drifting IPG agency, and into OMD.

Media developments
Recently resized, The Wall Street Journal Asia names former Hachette regional head Christine Brendle to succeed departing regional MD Winnie Wong.
February
People and companies
The future of Batey, as an independent unit within JWT, is finally confirmed.
TBWA, meanwhile, folds its Tokyo office into a new JV majority-owned by Hakuhodo, led by Hakuhodo's Hiroshi Ochiai and TBWA's Gary Wenzel.

Brands and marketing
PepsiCo applies its Power of One philosophy in Thailand, calling a review to consolidate media suppliers that was to last most of the year.
Another of the year's major reviews, for troubled Malaysian carrier MAS, stirs, but will not gain momentum until later in the year.

Media developments
Mark Clifford, the man who helped refocus Hong Kong's The Standard as a business paper, jumps ship to join rival title South China Morning Post.
Indonesia, meanwhile, experiences its biggest media event of the year with the launch of Astro.

March
People and companies
Omnicom establishes its first Asian office for its PHD media network in Hong Kong, on the back of a US$13 million win for local telco Hutchison.
Grey Global Group, meanwhile, loses China head, Dennis Wong, who exits after just seven months in the job. His shoes will be filled by JWT Taiwan's Steve Lin.

Brands and marketing
First-time Olympic sponsor J&J initiates a shootout that will place the winning agency at the heart of its China strategy. The pitch is open to non-club agencies, including Ogilvy, which would eventually clinch the business.

Media developments
Star reshuffles its top tier of management in India, charging CEO Peter Mukerjea with overseeing the imminent launch of DTH services, seen as critical for future success in India.

April
People and companies
BBDO ends its nine-month trawl for a China chief, hiring Carol Potter, a former JWT London Uni-lever global executive.
Universal McCann's Torie Henderson, meanwhile, quits after 12 years with the network to take up a regional role with OMD.

Brands and marketing
TBWA's late entry into Motorola's regional pitch sets tongues wagging about Omnicom's desire to win the brief, having already snaffled sizeable portions of Moto business in the US and Europe.

Media developments
Lad's mag Maxim announces a toned-down version in the Philippines to capture the higher ground from current racy reads.

May
People and companies
Thailand's Creative Juice\G1 signals its regional ambitions by opening its first office outside Bangkok in Manila, with Tanke Tankeko heading creative.
Another bidding war erupts around Chinese PR hotshop, BlueFocus.
Brands and marketing
A Sony pitch, aimed at implementing a roster structure after years of mainly project-based assignments, heralds a major brand rethink for the electronics giant.
In Taiwan, Chunghwa consolidates its business with Leo Burnett, as the telecoms giant eyes overseas markets for expansion.

Media developments
An Initiative study shows cinema is Asia's fastest-growing medium, driven largely by new multiplexes in Malaysia and Thailand.

June
People and companies
News of Chris Jaques' coming exit from Y&R Asia emerges, after Y&R Australia chief Hamish McLennan lands the global CEO role at Y&R Advertising.
Publicis posts its top Taiwan execs, Sheena Jeng and Roy Soetanto, to Shanghai, after China CEO Neil Hardwick steps down.
Brands and marketing
Motorola opts to stick with Ogilvy in Asia, despite concerted wooing from Omnicom.
Diageo selects OgilvyOne meanwhile to handle CRM across seven markets, after a review challenging agencies to make relationship marketing relevant in a digital age.
In Cannes, Japanese shop Design Barcode takes the Titanium award, from a shortlist of three.

Media developments
The 110-year-old Malay Mail unveils its radical makeover, deploying a magazine style in a bid to reverse declining readership and shake off its serious image.

JuLY
People and companies
MEC chief David Morgan leaves after just six months in the role to take over the helm at Universal McCann, vacant since Allan Medforth's exit in February. 

Brands and marketing
LVMH shifts media partners in Japan, where it is the biggest single spender in magazines, as part of a questioning of its reliance on print in a changing media environment.

Media developments
Disney becomes a contender in India after buying local kids' broadcaster Hungama TV.

AUGUST
People and companies
Arnold's Kitty Lun takes up the reins at Lowe China as David Taylor moves aside, preparing for a regional IPG role in 2007.

Brands and marketing
Both Gillette and Fonterra assign major accounts to BBDO, as Gillette consolidates regional marketing in Singapore and Fonterra displaces former global partner Y&R.

Media developments
NatGeo debuts Wild, a new global channel recalling its wildlife roots, in Hong Kong, while StarHub launches a video-on-demand service in Singapore.
Meanwhile, editorial veterans unveil an online title, Asia Sentinel, to fill a perceived vacuum for regional news in Asia.

SEPTEMBER
People and companies
WPP pulls the plug on what was once one of Asia's largest PR shops, MDK.
Top-level change at Publicis' China media ops, as Doug Pearce exits Starcom and Chris Skinner departs ZenithOptimedia in Hong Kong. Zenith also bids farewell to Singapore MD Kenneth Tsang.

Brands and marketing
Beleaguered national carrier Malaysian Airlines initiates its long-expected review, led by Indira Nair, who came on board earlier in the year.

Media developments
Former Astro COO David Butorac ends up at Star, while GMA foments a ruckus among agencies in the Philippines, offering end-to-end marketing services to advertisers under the banner 'Weapons of Mass Attraction'.

OCTOBER
People and companies
Chris Jaques is named Y&R's North America chief, three months after resigning from Y&R Asia-Pacific.
Anil Kapoor takes charge of Southeast Asia in a regional rejig for recently-merged DraftFCB, while Carat's caretaker CEO Patrick Stahle shakes up the agency's regional offering that sees the departure of veteran MD Anna Azilli.

Brands and marketing
Thailand's Public Health Ministry imposes a wide-ranging ban on alcohol advertising, astonishing the industry, which had expected the country's recent coup to soften planned restrictions.
HSBC, meanwhile, appoints a marketing team with little banking experience to give a fresh spin to new brand HSBC Direct.

Media developments
A tumultuous decentralisation at MTV sees 84 staff in Singapore-lose their jobs, including regional head Nigel Robbins, as the world's oldest music channel painfully readjusts to the digital revolution.

NOVEMBER
People and companies
David regional CEO Digby Richards shifts to a BatesAsia role as part of increasing consolidation between the two networks.
Y&R confirms that JWT Japan president Ambar Brahmachary is to become its new regional CEO. Omnicom appoints Paul Payne as MD of PHD in the region.
Brands and marketing
Coca-Cola hatches a specialist multi-disciplinary team in China to focus on its Olympics sponsorship drive.
In another Olympics-related move, Uni-President dismisses JWT two months after appointing the agency to its roster.

Media developments
In Singapore, an overhaul at MediaCorp charges its sales teams with selling more integrated packages, as media habits fragment.

DECEMBER
People and companies
Graham Kelly confirms his departure from BBH Japan after just over a year in the job.
Omnicom announces it is about to open the first China office of its interactive network Agency.com.

Brands and marketing
Sony unveils its regional Robots campaign, a bid to revive the flagging brand.
Chinese sportswear brand Li Ning steps up internationally, appointing Ruder Finn to handle its first global PR brief. 

Media developments
Following some frantic bidding ESPN Star Sports retains  English Premier League rights in 12 markets, but loses them in Hong Kong, Singapore and Thailand.