Campaign Asia

P&G reviews Asia-Pacific corporate PR account

HONG KONG - Procter & Gamble is reviewing its corporate PR relationships across Asia-Pacific, as the FMCG giant aims to tighten up corporate oversight of brand communications activity.

All About... Media in 2009

The only certainty about it is that things will change.

Nike China reviews corporate communications

SHANGHAI - Nike has begun a review of its corporate communications account in China, putting five-year incumbent Apco on alert.

Live Issue... LG, Samsung face up to transparency problems

Korea's electronics giants are seeking to upgrade their PR capabilities as they look to overseas markets.

Researchers feel the heat of recession

Market research companies in the region are being put under increased scrutiny as key clients start to pull back spend and demand even greater value for money.

Weber to defend bumper Microsoft account

GLOBAL - Microsoft has put its US$4m global mobile PR business up for review, putting four-year incumbent Weber Shandwick on alert.

LG calls global PR pitch

GLOBAL - Korea-based LG Electronics has called a global pitch for its US$2 million public relations account.

BA calls global PR pitch

LONDON - British Airways (BA) is reviewing its PR accounts across Asia-Pacific, Europe, and the Middle East.

Feature... Reaching a billion muslims

Marketers should drop their safety-first approach and engage at a much deeper level with the region's growing Islamic community

Profile... MTV's Roedy keeps faith with localisation drive

The music TV giant's global chairman insists troubles in Asia do not mean its strategy is failing.

Live Issue... Starcom sets sights on Asian growth

Starcom spent much of 2008 in the news - though not always for the reasons it would like.

Edelman wins Samsung global PR account

GLOBAL - Samsung Electronics is believed to have selected Edelman to handle its global corporate business following a battle between some of the biggest-hitters in the agency world.

Profile... ITV chief gets acquainted with Asian viewers

Peter Iacono sees Asia as pivotal to the British TV station's plan to double its revenue by 2012.

Live Issue... India's brands face challenge to overseas ambitions

A year that began brightly for India ended in tragedy, when terrorists laid the commercial capital Mumbai to siege.

Lamb departs Motorola after 25 years

HONG KONG - Motorola regional director of corporate and business/technology communications Mary Lamb (pictured) has opted to take voluntary redundancy at the struggling mobile giant.

Profile... Selling coffee culture to a region of tea-drinkers

Starbucks marketing chief Arun Bhardwaj grew up on tea, but coffee is where his passion now lies.

Publicis PR chief mulls global network merger

PARIS - Olivier Fleurot (pictured), the new CEO of Publicis Groupe's PR division, has admitted a merger of MS&L and Publicis Consultants is possible as he seeks to boost flagging growth.

In-flight media focuses on the frequent flyer

Airlines have the captive audience that brands desire. But how effective are inflight media at reaching out to frequent flyers?

Live Issue... Asian creativity strives to retain its momentum

After a storming 2008, will creative standards suffer as the downturn hits agencies and clients?

Diller sees opportunity for digital in the downturn

HONG KONG - US media mogul Barry Diller (pictured) expects digital media to profit from the current economic slowdown, and is actively seeking deals in China to support this view.

BoC calls global brand pitch

BEIJING - Bank of China (BoC) is reviewing its international brand strategy to build its appeal across the US, Europe and Japan as its Western competitors struggle.

Kwong takes charge of Publicis Greater China

HONG KONG - Publicis Hong Kong CEO Laurie Kwong (pictured) has been handed a new role as CEO of the agency's new Greater China unit, overseeing China, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

CSL poised to reappoint Leo Burnett

HONG KONG - Four months after it resigned the business, Leo Burnett is expected to resume working on mobile operator CSL's creative account, following the departure of CSL CMO Christina Teo.

Beleagured AIG searches for PR support

HONG KONG - Beleagured insurance giant AIG is searching for PR support after its brush with bankruptcy, in a bid to rebuild consumer and employee confidence in the region.

Nitro/Mei Kao alliance shelved

SHANGHAI - Nitro's joint venture deal with highly-rated independent shop Mei Kao has fallen through, three months after it appeared close to coming to fruition.

Wang takes charge of Euro RSCG North Asia

SHANGHAI - Former Ogilvy & Mather Greater China vice-chairman Joseph Wang has been hired by Euro RSCG to take on a newly-created position as North Asia chairman.

China Telecom reviews creative

BEIJING - China Telecom has put its Rmb 100 million creative business up for review, with six agencies believed to be in contention.

Wang departs ECD role at Publicis China

SHANGHAI - Publicis China ECD Violet Wang (pictured) will step down from her position, but will retain a consultancy role at the agency she joined 20 months ago.

Lai departs as Initiative removes Asia-Pacific leadership role

HONG KONG - King Lai (pictured) is to depart his role as Asia-Pacific president at Initiative, following a worldwide reorganisation at the agency that eliminates the leadership position in this region.

Bank of China reviews global brand strategy

BEIJING - Bank of China (BoC) has called a pitch focusing on its international brand strategy, aimed at MNC customers in Europe, the US and Japan.

Coca-Cola unveils final Olympics push

BEIJING - With exactly one month left until the start of the Beijing Olympics, Coca-Cola has launched an integrated advertising programme based around the Mandarin expression Shuang, which translates as complete physical, emotional and spiritual refreshment.

De Kretser plans WPP exposé

KUALA LUMPUR - Public relations pioneer Michael de Kretser, who has recently found himself embroiled in a legal wrangle with WPP, is to publish a “tell-all” memoir that reveals the “real truth” about his dealings with the WPP Group.

Coke set to launch new drink in China

SHANGHAI - Coca-Cola has briefed three agencies regarding the launch of a new product into the mainland market.

Vodafone rethinks Australia approach

SYDNEY - Vodafone's decision to review it's A$40 million (US$34.7 million) advertising business in Australia may force STW to disband its dedicated Vodafone unit barely a year after creating it.

Tourism Australia hires DDB to handle global creative work

SYDNEY - Tourism Australia (TA) has named DDB Worldwide as global creative agency for its US$169 million advertising account for the next three years.

Burson calls for return of PR generalists

HONG KONG - Burson-Marsteller founder chairman Harold Burson (pictured) has warned the PR industry that increasing specialisation is hampering the emergence of executives who can run multi-disciplinary PR agencies.

ITV launches Asian channel

HONG KONG - UK commercial TV network ITV will launch its new Granada TV general entertainment channel on 1 November, after inking deals with ABS-1 satellite and India's NDTV.

Live Issue... Spend lags rhetoric in drive for CSR

Nike's CSR pitch illustrates challenges that exist for agencies and clients.

Bindra to reap golden sponsorship rewards

BEIJING - Abhinav Bindra (pictured), the air rifle marksmen who won India's first ever individual Olympic gold medal, is expected to reap an endorsement windfall from a slew of brands eager to associate themselves with the 25-year-old.

Wang to depart Ogilvy & Mather

SHANGHAI - Ogilvy & Mather Greater China vice-chairman Joseph Wang (pictured) is to depart the agency after thirteen years.

10 MNC brands fail China CSR test

BEIJING - A committee organised by the Chinese media has revealed that 10 multinational corporations fail a series of tests designed to assess their CSR performance.

Nike names Ong to head Southeast Asia marketing

BEIJING - Sharon Ong, currently in charge of Nike's 'BJ08' marketing project, has been named as marketing director for Nike Southeast Asia.

Aggressive foreign media shock officials

BEIJING - The lack of a single communications point of contact is being blamed for Beijing's difficulty in countering the slew of negative stories generated by the foreign media in the run-up to the 2008 Games.

Profile... Polite Englishman is a formidable sales machine

Mandarin Oriental's marketing chief, Michael Hobson, combines stability with an element of surprise.

Bank of America shifts PR to Fleishman

ASIA-PACIFIC - Bank of America has named Fleishman Hillard as its new PR agency for Asia-Pacific, as the financial giant looks to boost its regional profile amid its acquisition of US investment bank Merrill Lynch.

AXA reviews regional creative

ASIA-PACIFIC - Insurance giant AXA is reviewing its regional creative business, pitting incumbent Grey against Saatchi & Saatchi.

Brand Thailand plunges into crisis

BANGKOK - Thailand's tourism body is expected to slash global marketing spend as the country's international image is battered by its descent into crisis.

Western Union hires Publicis Hong Kong

HONG KONG - Western Union has selected Publicis Hong Kong as its first ever global creative agency-of-record, following a pitch that included the client's other global agencies McCann Erickson India and Leo Burnett Chicago.

Tang takes top job at Hoffman Asia-Pacific

BEIJING - The Hoffman Agency has named Text 100 China MD Chris Tang as MD of its Asia-Pacific operations, filling a role that has been vacant since the departure of Susan Tomsett earlier this year.

Brand Thailand sinks into crisis

BANGKOK - Thailand's tourism body is expected to slash global marketing spend as the country's international image is battered by its descent into crisis.

Dreyer's focuses mainland brand offensive

BEIJING - One year after launching in China, Nestle's Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream is expected to launch a brand programme aimed at building an upmarket consumer positioning.

Nike hands CSR to Fleishman Hillard

ASIA-PACIFIC - Nike has handed its CSR assignments for China and Southeast Asia to Fleishman Hillard, after a final round of pitching believed to have included Edelman and Burson-Marsteller.

Live Issue... PR grapples with consolidation's 'awkward factors'

Landing prestigious global accounts may not always make economic sense or be a good grassroots fit.

Profile... Balsara doesn't blink as Madison remains free

Sam Balsara finally explains how he engineered his groundbreaking deal with MediaCom.

Star expands international sales operation

LONDON - Star Group has expanded its international sales footprint with the appointment of Robert Baird in London.

Live Issue... Brand events have lost their lustre amid the clutter

Event marketers who fail to see the bigger picture risk harming the brand with mediocre offerings.

Stewart returns to Moto after agency unit disbands

SYDNEY - Neil Stewart will return to Motorola one year after departing the company, following the disbandment of WPP's dedicated Vodafone Australia unit, One Barrack Street.

Edelman revamps India line-up

MUMBAI - Edelman has announced a slate of new hires and promotions in India, as it seeks to broaden and grow its presence in the market.

Beaven denies Initiative/UM China merger

GLOBAL - Initiative global chairman and CEO Richard Beaven has denied local reports that his agency will merge with IPG Mediabrands sibling Universal McCann in China, but noted that back-office integration between the two brands remains a continuing trend.

IMF selects H&K for global account

GLOBAL - The International Monetary Fund has selected Hill & Knowlton to handle stakeholder outreach strategy across Asia and the Middle East.

Profile... Socco plots fightback as Toyota hits speedbump

Can marketing's Mr Nice Guy steer the iconic car brand around a rare blip in its global sucess story?

AXA retains Grey in Asia-Pacific

ASIA-PACIFIC - AXA has retained incumbent agency Grey to handle its upcoming brand campaign, following a pitch that included Saatchi & Saatchi.

Corona reviews Asia-Pacific creative

ASIA-PACIFIC - Corona beer has kicked off a pitch aimed at consolidating its creative business in Asia-Pacific.

China adspend growth revised downward

GLOBAL - Carat has released new global adspend forecasts for 2008 and 2009, revising China's growth downwards by a percentage point for this year, and over two per cent next year.

Xian Janssen calls for creative pitch

SHANGHAI - Xian Janssen Pharmaceutical is believed to be pitching creative duties for two of its biggest mainland brands - Gyno-Daktarin and Motilium.

Publicis quits 'risky' SEM

FUZHOU - Less than six months after winning the business, Publicis China has ended its relationship with Chinese automaker South East Motor (SEM), citing onerous contractual obligations that could have seen the agency heavily penalised for not meeting campaign objectives.

Rylance resigns from Burson-Marsteller again

Arun Sudhaman