OFF THE VINE: ACNielsen lays on the facts not PAX

<p>Are we finally witnessing a seismic change in the way advertisers </p><p>in Asia behave towards their rivals? </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>In recent days, we saw Richard Branson's airline leave its establishment </p><p>rival British Airways less than amused by its creative-snatching </p><p>antics. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>While cheeky, the way Virgin hijacked BA's promotion to announce its own </p><p>seventh anniversary give-away of 88 per cent seats, was more or less </p><p>expected for an airline carrying Branson's audacious DNA. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>What took Vine by surprise though was the rumble in the musty world of </p><p>research. Arch-rivals ACNielsen and Asia Market Intelligence have always </p><p>kept to discreet comments when talking about each other's research </p><p>projects - ATMS and PAX respectively. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Finally, one has pulled its claws out to take a swipe at the other. In a </p><p>full page ad announcing CNBC's pole position in the cable/satellite </p><p>scene, the copy reads: "Know the facts, not the PAX." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Ouch! But can we expect to see more of this, especially after BBDO </p><p>Philippines' promising start with its Pepsi-sponsored anti-drug </p><p>campaign, which simply said: "Say no to Coke". </p><p><BR><BR> </p>