Optimum Media Direction (OMD) has won US$120 million in new
business across Asia-Pacific so far this year and the agency is on
course to rack up billings of US$1 billion by year's end, not
including Japan, up about 10 per cent from 1999, according to OMD Asia
CEO Mike Cooper.
New wins include Seagram's (regional); McDonald's (Hong Kong and China);
AIG and AOL (HK); Reckitt & Coleman (HK); Visa and Samsung (Singapore);
7-Eleven (Thailand); and Maxis Communications (Malaysia).
The agency began setting up in the region three years ago, however, Mr
Cooper said of OMD's performance to date: "We are miles ahead of where
we want to be.
"About 20 per cent of our business is currently made up of direct
clients but we will try to increase this number because this is a
growing market and we want our rightful share," he said.
Mr Cooper also said that new research and evaluation processes would
soon be rolled out to more effectively answer return on investment
questions.
"If we can get closer to the answers of ROI questions, then that will
give clients confidence and that would help advertising as a whole."
