Draft pounces on fall of Simon Marketing

HONG KONG: DraftWorldwide has expanded its promotional marketing capabilities by setting up Premium Surge, an in-house unit that designs and manufactures promotional premiums. The new entity was built on the ashes of US-based Simon Marketing, whose exclusive relationship with McDonald's came to an abrupt end last summer over a promotional games and sweepstakes scandal in America. Premium Surge consists of 14 top executives from Simon Marketing worldwide, including a team in Hong Kong, led by Calvin Wong. Draft Asia-Pacific regional director, Greg Paull, said: "Calvin was the driving force behind Simon Marketing in Hong Kong and China for the past 13 years and, as such, he has a network of key toys and promotions designers and makers in China, an asset which we will leverage for Draft's clients." The new unit's initial clients consist of Burger King and Kellogg's. All 14 executives snapped up by Draft have played integral roles in successful premium campaigns, including the McDonald's Happy Meals promotions. They will continue to create, develop, engineer and maufacture premium campaigns and products - ranging from brand-building and customer loyalty programmes to retail products aimed at both the children's and adult's markets. Paull added: "We are pleased to provide our clients and prospective clients with the collective expertise this group represents. "Although unrelated to promotional premiums, the recent unfortunate circumstances involving Simon Marketing created a unique opportunity for us to begin Premium Surge with a staff of exceptional calibre." Draft had been looking to create a premium company for more than a year Premium Surge will initially operate in three locations: Hong Kong, Los Angeles and Chicago. Working with more than a dozen factories in China, the Hong Kong team will play more of a manufacturing role.

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