CAREERS MEDIA: Ex-JWT CEO Pereira joins Carlson as A-P president

<p>Former J. Walter Thompson CEO and chairman for Southeast Asia Gerry </p><p>Pereira has joined relationship marketing company Carlson Marketing </p><p>Group as president for Asia-Pacific. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Mr Pereira, an 18-year veteran of JWT, is based in Singapore where </p><p>Carlson has a staff of 60, but will be spearheading a regional </p><p>acquisition and recruitment campaign over the next 18 months aimed at </p><p>planting the Carlson flag in most frontline Asian countries. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Carlson will be targeting existing loyalty companies and Internet-driven </p><p>loyalty companies, but in some cases will be looking at strategic </p><p>hirings who can provide creative planning and account service which can </p><p>be backed up by the Singapore HQ as the regional resource and excellence </p><p>centre, according to Mr Pereira. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Among the biggest accounts are the British Airways executive class </p><p>loyalty programme worldwide, the Internet-driven loyalty programmes for </p><p>Cisco Systems in 11 countries and relationship marketing for Citibank in </p><p>Australia. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Carlson is rated as the biggest relationship marketing company in the </p><p>world in terms of revenue. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Mr Pereira sees the biggest competitor in the region as Y&R's Impiric, </p><p>but said the understanding of relationship marketing in Asia still has a </p><p>long way to go and many clients tended to equate it with direct </p><p>marketing. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>He said Carlson offered highly sophisticated database management on </p><p>behalf of clients, or could interface with a client's database, offering </p><p>the type of relationship programmes that brought loyalty and </p><p>results. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"In the early days, people wanted to be treated equally and that's what </p><p>advertising is all about," said Mr Pereira. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"Now people want to be treated as individuals." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>He said it was no longer about share of market, or share of wallet, but </p><p>about share of loyalty. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>