Ideology dares to be different with its own winning formula

<p>A marriage into a big multinational advertising family is not </p><p>something Taiwan's most creative independent agency, Ideology, is </p><p>considering. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>This stance flies in the face of the global trend in which many </p><p>reputable local shops in Asia have merged with an international </p><p>advertising brand. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Despite the fact that Ideology has been 'proposed' to by 12 </p><p>multinational networks, the agency has stood firm. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Ideology founder and chairman Cheng Sung Mao said his refusal to merge </p><p>with multinational companies was simple: the agency could not think of a </p><p>compelling reason to ally with a foreign partner. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"They (the multinationals) said they need us for the region (expansion), </p><p>but they can't answer my question: 'What can you really bring to us?'," </p><p>said Mr Cheng. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>There was no struggle against the temptation to resist a buyout attempt </p><p>and this feeling was underlined when Mr Cheng said that merging with a </p><p>multinational brand was not something glorious in Taiwan. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Founded 12 years ago with a four-member team, Ideology now has 100 staff </p><p>while its billings last year totalled NTW$1.392 billion. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Ideology was established at a time when many local agencies in Taiwan </p><p>were being bought out by multinational networks. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Local agencies faced two dilemmas: merging with an international brand </p><p>but losing its original brand name or missing out on the life of a </p><p>multinational. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"We wanted to do something different, and that's why we called ourselves </p><p>Ideology," said Mr Cheng. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>As the name suggested, Ideology aimed to create a unique positioning and </p><p>focal point - ideology - to communicate with consumers. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>As Mr Cheng put it, "We don't see ourselves as an agency," but as the </p><p>creator of the ideology behind brand communications. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Deep insights into local culture and consumers allow Ideology to take a </p><p>bold advertising approach, which can demonstrate the agency's </p><p>distinctive approach. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"When we set up Ideology, we never thought of becoming the most creative </p><p>agency," said Mr Cheng. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"There are two sorts of agencies: others and Ideology. We don't like to </p><p>bother others and the others don't bother us." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Despite the fact that Ideology was always the biggest winner at </p><p>advertising awards, he said the agency had in fact struggled hard to get </p><p>good results at awards. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"We didn't intend to be compared with and to compete against others, but </p><p>we participated because we wanted to support this sort of event," said </p><p>Mr Cheng. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Prior to setting up Ideology, he worked at several multinational and </p><p>local agencies on account servicing and strategic planning. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"We wanted to do something (for advertising), but it would be difficult </p><p>to pursue in the agencies we had worked for." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Asked about his biggest achievement to date, Mr Cheng said: "We </p><p>accomplished our goal when we started the agency." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Asked if Ideology's unconventional philosophy would affect business </p><p>pitches, Mr Cheng admitted there were certain clients the agency would </p><p>find impossible to handle. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Ideology launched with two clients: Denmark's chewing gum Stimorol and </p><p>Taiwan's Seaweed. Today, the agency handles more than 20 clients ranging </p><p>from government-owned China Telecom to Toshiba television. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>As the Internet is an inevitable move in communications, Mr Cheng </p><p>launched an interactive company idcyber this year. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"Advertising should be the forerunner of everything, we see what's ahead </p><p>of us is the dotcom," said Mr Cheng, who started to invest in several </p><p>portals in Taiwan three years ago. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>It has become the norm for traditional advertising groups to launch </p><p>interactive subsidiaries to service the holding agencies. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>However, Mr Cheng said the Internet is becoming part of the advertising </p><p>discipline which should be integrated into the agency's total </p><p>services. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>In the arena of Internet development, Mr Cheng did not rule out the </p><p>possibility of merger and partnership in the future. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The Internet is one arena in which local and overseas alliances are </p><p>important because it quickened the further development of the </p><p>medium. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Meanwhile, both local and multinational agencies have jointly formed </p><p>media independents to strengthen their media clout, but Ideology has no </p><p>intention of going this route. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"I cannot see a true media independent in Taiwan - they were formed for </p><p>the purpose of making profit and the increase of their bargaining </p><p>power," said Mr Cheng. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"They (media independents) are fighting for themselves not for the </p><p>clients - what they said was different to what they actually did." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>China is the focus of expansion for advertising groups in the region, </p><p>but Mr Cheng said Ideology did not consider the mainland as a potential </p><p>business destination. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"Just because everyone goes there doesn't mean we have to go there too," </p><p>he said, stressing that the agency just did not have the "power" to </p><p>expand into the mainland. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"As a local Taiwan agency, it is simply too tough to find local partners </p><p>and clients in the mainland, where all the well-known brands are </p><p>multinationals". </p><p><BR><BR> </p>