FOCUS: AGENCY OF THE YEAR AWARDS 2000 - Suit of the Year - Multi-talented veteran Ho praised

<p>Category: Suit of the Year </p><p>Winner: Jeff ho </p><p>Agency: Leo Burnett Hong Kong </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Leo Burnett Hong Kong's group brand director Jeff Ho has won Suit of the </p><p>Year at the 2000 Agency of the Year Awards. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Mr Ho is a nine-year veteran of Leo Burnett, having joined the agency in </p><p>Hong Kong. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>He also worked at the LB-Sydney office for two years before returning to </p><p>Hong Kong 16 months ago. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Mr Ho was nominated for the award because he combined the talents of an </p><p>excellent client handler, a true business partner, advertising innovator </p><p>and responsive agency team player all in one. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>This made him highly valued and respected among clients and agency </p><p>peers. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Managing director of P&G Hong Kong (previous Vidal Sassoon & CDI client) </p><p>Rene Co said: "What makes Jeff so special is that he doesn't behave like </p><p>a supplier, but acts like a true co-owner of the business. He is not an </p><p>order taker, but actively engages in developing the vision, strategies </p><p>and plans for the brand. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"I have yet to see an account person who is more attached to a brand or </p><p>persistent in attending all consumer exposures so that he can hear </p><p>things first hand, understand the consumer and form his own views and </p><p>perspective." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Mr Ho, applauded for showing tenacity and commitment in understanding </p><p>all his brands, went the extra mile on the CDI campaign. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>To get into the heads and hair of the Chinese consumer, Mr Ho travelled </p><p>into remote parts of mainland China to interview consumers and </p><p>understand "why they didn't wash their hair more frequently". </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>As Mr Ho said, it wasn't too hard to find the target consumer he wanted </p><p>to talk to. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>When he realised winter and cold temperatures seemed to create new </p><p>challenges for hair washing frequency, he convinced a strategic planner </p><p>to travel with him in the middle of January into northern/eastern China </p><p>- Shenyang. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Mr Ho's probing and persistent efforts led to some very insightful and </p><p>provocative advertising for CDI. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The advertising created impressive results in terms of changing consumer </p><p>habits and significantly increasing hair-washing frequency in key </p><p>Chinese markets. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"Jeff manages to keep innovation going on the brand and maintains a </p><p>steady stream of provocative ideas coming for both above and </p><p>below-the-line activity," said Ms Co. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"Jeff is an excellent project manager and can be counted on to be on top </p><p>of different project requirements and needs. He mobilises agency </p><p>resources to deliver things on time and often ahead of schedule." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Mr Ho was involved in the development of some strong TV advertising for </p><p>Vidal Sassoon, but his vision for the brand went beyond traditional </p><p>media to reinforce Vidal Sassoon's fashion-forward image in Hong </p><p>Kong. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>He targeted fashionable areas in Hong Kong and working with the Starcom </p><p>media group, Mr Ho identified key areas to showcase the new hair looks </p><p>and styling products from Vidal. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The group created dramatic pillar ads and platform posters to dominate </p><p>Hong Kong's MTR stations for four weeks. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Mr Ho also demonstrated his ability to be innovative in his execution of </p><p>projects when he was in California shooting a TVC for the Hennessy </p><p>client. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The client decided that the print ad should be shot on location, however </p><p>there was no print ad manager around to offer advice or guidance, so Mr </p><p>Ho relied on his own contacts and resources. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Through his contacts, Mr Ho arranged a photographer and learned how to </p><p>manage lighting, talent, make-up and hair during the photo shoot. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Mr Ho's name was also on the top of the list when Eddie Booth (ECD) did </p><p>an informal survey of the creative department at Burnett to determine </p><p>the account person they most liked to work with. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>One CD said, "Jeff is such a strong supporter of the agency work, and </p><p>though he is a 'worrier', he manages to constructively worry about how </p><p>to sell the work to the client and how to ensure it is properly </p><p>executed. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Jeff is also a lot of fun - while there are lots of heated debates and </p><p>flare ups, it never gets personal." </p><p><BR><BR> </p>