FOCUS: 2000 Previews - Winds of change for media practices

<p>Ongoing globalisation of advertising must inevitably bring to Asian </p><p>markets the same revolutionary changes to media practice that have swept </p><p>through Europe, UK, USA and Australia - all pitched at greater </p><p>cost-effectiveness - according to Mr David Baker, CEO of Australian </p><p>media agency AIS Media, owned by Dentsu. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The changes themselves, headed by the rise of the media agency as a </p><p>multi-service source to advertisers, are undergoing cost-structure </p><p>modification as corporations develop strategies that deliver better </p><p>return on investment and minimise waste. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Outlining the kind of global momentum knocking at the gates of Asian </p><p>markets, Mr Baker noted the most significant marker had been the shift </p><p>of strategy and planning services from full-service agencies to media </p><p>agencies: "In the hands of skilled practitioners, media strategy, </p><p>planning and buying became value-added levers. Expertly applied, they </p><p>could increase such factors as brand awareness while reducing the cost </p><p>of advertising." </p><p><BR><BR> </p>