DIARY: Stories we could tell ... HK 4As bug infects peers further afield

<p>Let's just call it the Hong Kong Exorcise the Gwei bug. From what </p><p>we've seen, it's virulent, it's mutated and it appears to have afflicted </p><p>advertising agency associations as far as a three-and-a-half hour plane </p><p>ride away. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Just how do we know the bug's extremely contagious? Take a look at the </p><p>call for entries ads coming out of Singapore and Malaysia for their </p><p>respective advertising agency awards. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Their ads haven't quite managed to plumb the lows scaled by the Hong </p><p>Kong 4As. After all, an entry kit complete with virgin's pee and </p><p>chicken's claw to scare away the gwei (Cantonese slang for Caucasians), </p><p>would be pretty damn hard to beat. But let's say they're just a shave </p><p>away from doing so. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The Singapore 4As has a pointed message on what really stands out when </p><p>it comes to grabbing the top prize. It's anything that's bigger, louder, </p><p>bolder. If in doubt, just check out the body parts in its ads. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Which leaves media to conclude that it's true - winning the grand prize </p><p>can be a great ahem ... ego extender. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Over the causeway, media can't help wondering if the Malaysians aren't </p><p>sublimely putting out a message about advertising creativity in their </p><p>country. Otherwise, please explain the point of having a visual filled </p><p>with emaciated, starving people? </p><p><BR><BR> </p>