Ex-Bulletin exec joins Ketchum's broadcast start-up

Ketchum's new offering will be headed by vice-president Simeon Mellalieu, who joined the PR consultancy from Bulletin's Hong Kong office in March this year. WPP's Bulletin shut down its Asian operation -- consisting of offices in Hong Kong and Singapore -- earlier this year. "Now that Bulletin is gone, there really isn't anyone in Asia," said Mellalieu. "We feel with the way the group is expanding in greater China, we need to put a greater focus on broadcast and have a greater expertise in doing so." In particular, Mellalieu feels that the changing broadcast landscape necessitates a more sophisticated approach than is commonly provided to clients. "A lot of agencies do say that they 'do' broadcast, but all the production is farmed out to a third party and the decision making is done by a production house," he explained. "The broadcast opportunities out here are changing quite rapidly, so we need to use a variety of techniques to reach broadcasters." Accordingly, the agency has formed a strategic partnership with Asia-Pacific Vision, a production house that specialises in video content. Mellalieu believes this will help Ketchum further differentiate itself from its competitors. "If you really look at what people are doing, it's just interview placement," said Mellalieu. "But if you look at what clients want to do, interview placement is not always necessarily the way to do it." By providing strategic counsel, Mellalieu was confident that Ketchum could now help its clients to navigate the massive diversity of broadcast outlets in Greater China and beyond. "People may want coverage on CNN as it's a prestige channel," Mellalieu said. "But you do have to question whether it's a suitable outlet for a particular client."