FOCUS: AGENCY OF THE YEAR AWARDS 2000 - A year of cheer for region's media specialists

As it has been every year, the selection of Media Agency of the Year for 2000 was a close-run decision. Other media specialists which came under consideration for the title were: Carat Asia-Pacific - Direct new business track record of over USdollars 210 million across the region. In addition, not only did Carat win business locally but managed to develop these relationships into full regional assignments or appointments in other markets. - New business success in launch markets of Singapore, China and Japan. - Execution of successful campaigns focused on driving client business. - Integration of non-conventional communications modes into client consumer programmes, such as programming, sponsorships, product placement, PR and promotions. - Development of effectiveness tracking and modelling systems with the focus on driving client business. - Execution of innovative solutions that delivered results while avoiding gimmicks. MindShare - Aggressive investment saw unprecedented growth, strong new business gains, development of new products and services. - The launches of MindShare Philippines in February and MindShare Indonesia in April. - Staff numbers grew from just 300 staff in 1998 to more than 1,000 and billings in excess of USdollars 3 billion in 2000. - Focus on training and development with the 'Driving for Excellence' programme, a tailored regional training programme designed specifically for its Asian teams, held in Suzhou, China and Bangkok. - The appointment of a training and development director for the region, making MindShare the only Asian media specialist to do so. - The launch of MindCast in Greater China, focused on creating TV programming and syndication solutions for clients. Year no. 1 business plans have been exceeded by more than 200 per cent. MindCast operations are scheduled to be launched in other markets in the region, including Japan and Thailand. - The launch of M Digital, an interactive media consultancy, with dedicated teams in Japan, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, and Singapore. - The regionwide rollout of MindShare 3D, research that brings together three WPP Group research products - TGI, Brandz and Futura.com - to provide the region's only single-source database of consumer-brand relationships, social attitudes and opinions, and media consumption habits. Committing more than USdollars 2 million across Asia, MindShare has now launched 3D in Japan and China, with four additional countries coming online in 2001. - New business totalling USdollars 300 million was added in 2000, coming from a combination of new client relationships and growth from existing clients. Optimum Media Direction - Annual projections exceeded with new business wins of more than USdollars 120 million across Asia-Pacific. A significant proportion comes from direct clients, which now represent up to 30 per cent of OMD's clients in a number of markets. - OMD's research programme has added a new survey, Roar, which launched in Asia-Pacific this month. The agency is working in conjunction with Channel V, Hachette, Fox Pictures and Dotlove.com. - Staff at OMD's Singapore office have been named 'Young Media Strategist of the Year' by the IAS for two consecutive years. In 2000, the title was bestowed upon Ms Ang Wan Gyn. Zenith Media Despite the loss of the crucial Procter & Gamble account in China in late December last year, Zenith kept its focus firmly on the future. - In July, the network introduced the Zenith Media MBA to train the next generation of media directors and general managers. - A secondment programme was established with the Zenith office in New York, enabling staff at associate director level and above to spendt one month in the Big Apple, developing an international perspective on the company and the industry. - No staff were laid off; numbers in fact increased from 165 at the start of the year to nearly 200 today. - In September, Zenith Taiwan, under the leadership of GM Susan Wang, won Asia's only Media Lion at Cannes for its breakthrough work for Nokia. - Zenith Interactive Solutions was launched in Hong Kong in August, under the leadership of business director Gary Wong. - Equinox Communications started up in July, with the brief to deliver strategic through-the-line media planning. - Other new specialist divisions set up were Croton, Megavision and Impact. - New offices in Vietnam and Japan were opened. - New business wins worth more than USdollars 150 million were chalked up across the region.

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