FOCUS: AGENCY OF THE YEAR AWARDS 2000 - Asian Ad Campaign of the year - A salute for Sunday; for maintaining its standard of excellence

<p>Category: Asian Ad of the Year </p><p>Winner: Sunday </p><p>Agency: BBDO </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>To describe the reaction of the general public as "perplexed" when BBDO </p><p>unveiled the very first of its ads for the Sunday mobile phone network </p><p>would be an understatement. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>One of the agency's three television commercials showed a man standing </p><p>in central Hong Kong, not doing anything much ... and then breaking </p><p>wind. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Up popped the tagline, "Feels like Sunday". </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Another of the spots featured nothing but a close-up of a woman's </p><p>breasts, and the same tagline. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>And despite the murmurings of discontent and criticisms of the creative </p><p>concepts, BBDO carried on the way it had started off - with creative </p><p>executions that were light years removed from what was then the norm in </p><p>terms of advertising for telecom companies. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Even BBDO's win of the account from incumbent Saatchi & Saatchi in late </p><p>1997 was cause for controversy. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Saatchis had held the account since Sunday's launch in September that </p><p>year, and when Sunday parted ways with Saatchis, then-CEO Clara Wong </p><p>told MEDIA that she believed the agency had been "unfairly dumped" </p><p>(MEDIA, December 19, 1997). </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>For BBDO, however, the win was both a triumph and a relief, for the </p><p>agency had earlier lost the USdollars 13 million SmarTone business to </p><p>Leo Burnett. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Then-regional ECD David Alberts, one of the founders of the now-defunct </p><p>Hub, described Sunday as "an innovative and progressive company that </p><p>truly believes in advertising". </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>In an industry where people usually have to eat their words, Mr Alberts' </p><p>praise is especially sweet as Sunday has indeed proven to be everything </p><p>he said, and more. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>And more importantly, in an industry where the creative work of an </p><p>agency is usually at the mercy of staff who come and go at the blink of </p><p>an eye, BBDO has stood head and shoulders above the rest in maintaining </p><p>the quality, concept, humour and sheer enjoyment factor in all its work </p><p>for Sunday. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Mr Alberts and those who worked on the original BBDO campaign for Sunday </p><p>back in 1997 may have long moved on, but in place now is a young, fresh, </p><p>exciting team of creatives who constantly break the mould with unusual, </p><p>unexpected creative. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Over the three years since BBDO took over the account, the Sunday ads </p><p>have earned awards and recognition in various shows, including MEDIA's </p><p>Asian Advertising Awards and the Hong Kong 4As Kam Fan Awards. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The strength of the creative work is further underlined by the fact that </p><p>the awards are being won for executions in all forms of media, and in </p><p>both English and Chinese languages. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>But it's not just peer group recognition that the BBDO Sunday work has </p><p>earned: also giving the ads a thumbs-up over the years is the general </p><p>public - last year, Sunday commercials scored highly with Hong Kong TV </p><p>viewers in the Top Ten TV Recall surveys conducted by Market Behaviour </p><p>Hong Kong, tying for top place with competitor Hutchison Paging & Mobile </p><p>Communications. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>In a market where companies seek to protect their corporate image with </p><p>cautious and conventional ad campaigns, Sunday's efforts have been a </p><p>breath of fresh air. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Despite being a newcomer in an industry dominated by brands backed up by </p><p>Hong Kong's leading conglomerates, Sunday's extensive use of humour and </p><p>daring creativity enabled it to break through the telecom marketing </p><p>clutter. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Sunday's strategy stands as proof that celebrities and grand productions </p><p>are not enough to lure and sustain viewers' attention. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The decision to award Sunday the title of Asian Ad of the Year 2000 is </p><p>in recognition of the ongoing and consistent levels of excellence that </p><p>the brand and its agency have achieved in Asian advertising. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>