Korea devises digital focus for AdAsia Jeju

Employing the slogan 'Beyond ...', the 2007 event, marking AdAsia's 50th anniversary, is gearing up for a provocative discussion that looks past the traditional definitions of media, creative, marketing and advertising. With this in mind, AdAsia 2007 organising committee vice-chairman Nack Hoi Kim noted that Korea was the ideal location, given its status as a global tech leader. "As you know, with the end of the analogue era and the start of the digital era, there are big changes in creative and media, and we have to go beyond the traditional," said Kim. "We have strong digital and mobile convergence, and this is our positioning." Kim pointed out that Singapore had seen significant success in its attempts to cast itself as a regional hub for the advertising industry, as evidenced by AdAsia 2005 and Government policies to develop the city's design credentials. "They have a very clear vision for Singapore to become a critical hub in Asia," explained Kim. "I am very impressed with the Singapore convention -- the city has a lot of talent from all over Asia, so we have to prepare famous speakers and panelists." AdAsia 2005 deputy chairman Eric Teng agreed that the 2007 platform should offer a natural evolution from this year's event. "It takes what we have learned here to extend it beyond," said Teng. "I suppose 'Beyond' is a good way of embracing that." Teng also declared himself "very happy' with AdAsia 2005, pointing to its success in offering a 'learning', rather than simply a 'listening' experience for the 1,353 delegates. "I don't recall AdAsia before covering issues such as legal issues and blogs," said Teng. "We have been able to put together a show showcasing how our advertising and marketing market has changed in Singapore in the last five years." Delegates noted that certain panel discussions and presentations were particularly engaging from this year's event. "The conference has been an eye opener," said Charles Toh deputy GM, TV airtime sales and marketing, MediaCorp TV. "The ads presented by Tham Khai Meng were great as was hearing Tony Fernandes from Air Asia. I think some more case studies would be beneficial as it would be good to hear what's happening in different markets." "From an interactive advertising perspective the sessions have generally been reasonable," added Polly Cholsiriungskul, managing editor of Thomas Idea Co Thailand. "It's been insightful to listen to different Asian-view points. In my opinion it would be great to hear more about new trends and where we can go from here."