Campaign Asia

Taiwan adspend slumps 6.6 per cent

TAIPEI - Taiwan adspend dropped 6.6 per cent to NT$42.4 billion last year, the fourth consecutive annual decline since Nielsen began measuring the data in 2004.

Sector Insight... Taiwan electronics retailers eye state hand-out

Taiwan's retailers of 3C - local shorthand for computers, communications and consumer electronics - eagerly await the passing of a bill that will begin putting NT$3,600 (US$108) shopping vouchers in the pockets of every Taiwan citizen before Chinese New Year.

Taiwan vouchers fall flat for agencies

TAIPEI - Taiwan's much-touted voucher programme has failed to translate into a rash of new business for agencies, despite consumers' desire to spend them.

Sector Insight... Competition grows in Taiwan's whisky market

Whiskey is the spirit of choice in Taiwan, but top brand Johnnie Walker is under pressure from Asian labels.

United Advertising set to scoop Chunghwa

TAIPEI - United Advertising is poised to wrest the Chunghwa Telecom (CHT) creative account from incumbent Leo Burnett in what could be the year's largest creative pitch in Taiwan.

Sector Insight... Hong Kongers hunt profits from 'big four' banks

The SAR's finance-obsessed residents are continuing to look for banking products that can make money.

Carrefour Taiwan fined for false advertising

TAIPEI - Carrefour Taiwan has been levied a fine of NT$3 million (US$88,300) for false advertising in a promotion that allowed consumers to exchange Government-issued stimulus vouchers worth NT$3,600 for double that value in Carrefour coupons, according to the Fair Trade Commission (FTC).

Sector Insight... As wine sales soar, will China be the next Chile?

The hills of Shantung, birthplace of Confucius, are now planted with cuttings of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay and Riesling.

Brandimage teams with Taiwanese partners

TAIPEI - International branding consultancy Brandimage has partnered with several Taiwanese operators to launch a new agency for the market, Jin Jin Jin Communications.

Red Bull hits back at Taiwan health authorities

TAIPEI - Red Bull has criticised the Taiwanese health authorities after its products were confiscated over suspected cocaine contamination.

Sector Insight... OTC drugs market enjoys steady growth in China

Medication bought over the counter is cheaper and often the only option for some Chinese consumers.

Sector Insight... Beautiful skin cuts deep into Japanese wallets

With 22 per cent of Japanese over 65, the older consumer is a lucrative market for the skincare industry.

Taiwan invests billions in creative industries

TAIPEI - Taiwan's Government has unveiled a huge investment in the country's creative industries.

Rule change to boost Taiwan's agencies

TAIPEI - Taiwanese agencies have welcomed the prospect of a longstanding ban on Chinese brands advertising in the country being lifted.

Live Issue... Taiwan media sector must act fast to get out of trouble

Taiwan's media sector is in deep trouble. Last year, Nielsen measured spend at NT$42.4 billion (US$1.2 billion), a 6.6 per cent decline year-on-year and the fourth consecutive annual fall.

MTV Taiwan hit by fraud complaints

TAIPEI - A popular call-in quiz show aired by MTV in Taiwan is being investigated due to consumer complaints of possible fraud.

Live Issue... Luxury brands face rise of second-hand market

Luxury lovers are responding to recession by buying goods at second-hand stores or just renting them.

The Hoffman Agency closes in Taiwan

TAIPEI - The Hoffman Agency shut its doors in Taiwan this week after four years on the island, with former staff setting up an independent agency, BMA Global Services.

GroupM Taiwan boss takes over independent UCG

TAIPEI - Sandra Yu (pictured), chairwoman and CEO of GroupM Taiwan, is taking a majority stake in United Advertising, the largest independent ad agency in Taiwan, along with its marketing communications subsidiaries that together form the United Communications Group (UCG)

Filipino mobile market rocks to its own ringtone

Handsets holds sway over service providers for a population that is still more inclined to text than to talk.

Is there a gap for foreign retailers in China's convenience store sector?

Local outlets still dominate the Chinese convenience store sector, but is there a gap for overseas brands?

Taiwanese beer: China offers profits for Taiwanese brewers

Beer vendors struggle with a declining market, but China offers profits for Taiwanese brewers.

Cambodian telcos battle for the final frontier

Advertisers are cleaning up as telcos struggle to make their voices heard in the emerging market.

Cambodian telcos battle for the final frontier

Advertisers are cleaning up as telcos struggle to make their voices heard in the emerging market.

Cambodian telcos battle for the final frontier

Advertisers are cleaning up as telcos struggle to make their voices heard in the emerging market.

Ad spend cuts have little effect on shrinking Japanese car market

Japanese car makers slashed adspend during the past couple of years, then sat back expecting the worst. But not much happened, which has led them to question the relevance of advertising to their business.

Unilever hopes Indonesians will take to Wall's

Despite having one of Asia's lowest per capita incomes, Indonesia is a target for Unilever's ice creams.

Ad spend cuts have little effect on shrinking Japanese car market

Japanese car makers slashed adspend during the past couple of years, then sat back expecting the worst. But not much happened, which has led them to question the relevance of advertising to their business.

Taiwanese beer: China offers profits for Taiwanese brewers

Beer vendors struggle with a declining market, but China offers profits for Taiwanese brewers.

Taiwan ad spend leaps 24 per cent after decade of decline

TAIPEI - According to Nielsen's latest report, Taiwan ad spend has leaped 24 per cent to US$695 million (NT$22.3 billion) in the first half of 2010, marking a welcome turnaround after nearly a decade of decline for the island's advertising industry.

New entrants VanaH and I LOHAS revive Japan's mineral water sector

Despite excellent tap water, two brands, VanaH, and I LOHAS (lifestyle of health and sustainability), a new launch from Coca-Cola Japan Corporation (CCJC), have revived the Japanese mineral water business.

Regional air conditioner manufacturers benefit from hot weather

Korea's LG leads a regional air conditioner market that is benefiting from hot and hazy climatic trends as El Nino again wrecks havoc across Asia.

TAA to demand lock on prices for booked airtime in Taiwan

TAIPEI - The Taiwan Advertisers' Association (TAA) is preparing a letter that it will send to the island TV and cable broadcasting associations in the hope of averting a summer pricing disaster.

Want Want billionaire picks up China Times

TAIPEI - Want Want China has snatched the China Times Group from rival Jimmy Lai, founder of Next Magazine and Apple Daily.

Biscuit maker poised to buy China Times

TAIPEI - In an eleventh hour move, Want Want China Holdings, a maker of rice crackers and milk drinks, is believed to have snatched the China Times Group from rival suitor Jimmy Lai, founder of Next magazine and Apple Daily.

Feature... The consumer connection

Hands-on consumer experiences are driving sales in the region across an increasing variety of retail formats.

Sector Insight... Malaysian beer brands face pricing problem

Promoting beer in a highly taxed and largely non-drinking Muslim nation requires a creative approach.

Sector Insight... Fast food battles to retain its slice of Singapore

Pizza Hut's decision to hand its Singaporean creative account to JWT, ending an 11-year relationship with BBDO, comes as competition intensifies among Western franchises in the Lion City's saturated fast food market.

Live Issue... National carriers run into turbulence

While it helps, it is no longer enough for airlines to play the patriotism card.

Sector Insight... China car sales set to slow to single-digit growth

After years of prodigious growth, the mainland car industry faces a slowdown.

Sector Insight... Price comes before brand for Indonesia telcos

In the fiercely competitive mobile market, finding a point of difference other than price is proving difficult.

Sector Insight... Small cars drive India's motor industry growth

With one of the lowest car-ownership rates in the developing world, the market is there for the taking.

Live Issue... Mainland car makers search for brand strategy

Local manufacturers will have to raise their game to make it in what is now the world's largest car market.

Sector Insight: Food giants cash in on noodle-loving China

Sales are set to grow beyond last year's $8.6 billion as recession-hit buyers choose cheap, convenient snacks.

Taiwan channels over-step product placement limits

TAIPEI - Hard-pressed Taiwanese TV broadcasters are testing the legal limits of product placement in programmes, and are facing fines from the island's National Communications Commission (NCC).

Taiwan adspend bump fails to materialise

TAIPEI - Taiwan's first look at post-election adspend demonstrates a negligible boost in spend, despite the promise of a new economic era.

Olympic fever fails to hit Taiwan

TAIPEI - Interest in the Olympics from viewers and advertisers in Taiwan is notable by its absence, according to data from Nielsen.

Taiwan's UDN launches personal finance supplement

TAIPEI - The United Daily News (UDN) has launched its fourth magazine supplement, a weekly pull-out that focuses on personal finance.

Live Issue... Why China Times fell into the hands of the biscuit baron

Late in their careers, self-made billionaires sometimes turn to the glamorous world of media for an entrepreneurial fling.

Leo Burnett takes Mitsubishi Taiwan brief

TAIPEI - Leo Burnett Taiwan has been awarded the total promotion business for passenger and commercial vehicles - imports included - for Mitsubishi Motors in Taiwan.

Sector Insight... Innovation backfires for Japanese beer giants

Beer sales are in decline, but the fall in the market's value has been hastened by its leading brands.

Sector Insight... Hotels vie for visitors as room numbers surge

After several good years since Sars in 2003, the industry is losing steam in the region after the Olympics.

Sector Insight... Japanese tobacco giants focus on point-of-sale

British American Tobacco's (BAT) decision to consolidate activation marketing for its Japanese brands with Ogilvy Action highlighted the complexities of marketing cigarette brands in what remains one off the most lax tobacco regulation regimes in the developed world.

Nielsen debuts AdRelevance in Taiwan

TAIPEI - Nielsen Online has rolled out ad tracking system AdRelevance in Taiwan, the seventh market in Asia-Pacific to have the service.

Downturn drives home the green auto agenda

Growth in car sales in Asia is beginning to drop, but changing consumer attitudes may signal a new opportunity for car brands which are gentler on the environment and the pocket.

Ebay to take stake in Korean auction site

SEOUL - eBay is poised to purchase a stake in the Korean Internet auction and retailer, GMarket.

Live Issue... Taiwan's China Times must either learn to adapt, or die

When Lin Sheng-fen, president of China Times, stood on the pavement outside the newspaper's Taipei headquarters and announced that it would drastically reduce pages and cut staff numbers in half, a shudder is likely to have passed through the island's other newspapers.

China Times announces drastic downsizingg

TAIPEI - Taiwan's China Times has announced it is to produce a dramatically smaller paper and drastically cut staff.

McDonald's Taiwan drops 'one price fits all' strategy

TAIPEI - McDonald's has implemented a tier-pricing system in Taiwan, partitioning the island into three districts to counter the impact of food price inflation.

Taiwan ad spend grows 23 per cent in Q1

TAIPEI - The first quarter saw Taiwan adspend grow 22.8 per cent to US$312 million (NT$9.9 billion), according to Nielsen data, perhaps signaling the start of a recovery from a protracted ad slump that began before the global downturn.

MAA advises local broadcasters to amend TV prices in Taiwan

TAIPEI - Taiwan's media agency association, MAA, has issued a letter to the island's terrestrial and cable TV associations requesting that local TV broadcasters review and perhaps amend their pricing practices.

Hwa Wei Grey closes its doors in Taiwan

TAIPEI - Grey Group is closing its joint venture with Hwa Wei in Taiwan.

Taiwan's NCC turns down four of Next Media's TV channel applications

TAIPEI - In what is seen as a rebuke to print magnate Jimmy Lai's broadcasting ambitions in Taiwan, the National Communications Commission (NCC) has rejected the applications for four of the five channels Next Media planned to launch this year.

Sector Insight... Singapore's telco trio look to data and tourists

The city-state's three operators seek to grow market share by turning their focus to the pre-paid consumer.

Chinatrust Bank hands Media Palette Taiwan $10 million media account

TAIPEI - Leading financial services provider Chinatrust Group has named Media Palette Taiwan as its agency-of-record after a pitch that included MEC, Starcom and local shop MediaDrive.

Sector Insight... Coca-Cola puts the fizz back into the Philippines

Coca-Cola is working on a new offensive in the Philippines to guarantee its lead in the archipelago's large, but contracting, soft drinks market.

Chinatrust Bank calls $10 million Taiwan media pitch

TAIPEI - Chinatrust Bank has called a pitch for its media business, which will see Carat Media Taiwan and four other media agencies vie for the account.

Sector Insight... Hypermarkets seek new opportunities in Asia

As global retail operators build their presence in the region, they must vary their growth strategy by market.

Taiwan adspend shows summer surge: Nielsen

TAIPEI - Adspend in Taiwan has seen a sudden surge this summer in Taiwan, which in turn has driven up TV airtime prices, according to new figures released by Nielsen.

Saatchi & Saatchi Taiwan wins Master Kong instant noodles

TAIWAN - Saatchi & Saatchi Taiwan has scooped the Master Kong instant noodle account in Taiwan after a three-way pitch against the brand's roster agencies Publicis Taiwan and Grey.

China Times Group to launch Want Bao newspaper in Taiwan

TAIPEI - Taiwan's China Times Group, owned by biscuit maker Want Want, is set to launch a newspaper focusing on Chinese business news as cross-straits relations thaw.

Sector Insight... Vietnam poised to become new auto battlefield

Despite a recent dip in sales, Vietnam's nascent car industry is expected to grow rapidly in the coming years Smith.

China Times owner hits out at regulator

TAIPEI - The new owner of Taiwan's China Times Group has claimed that it was singled out for tough treatment by this week's ruling of the island's National Communications Commission (NCC).

Nielsen launches online measurement in Taiwan

TAIPEI - Taiwan has become the latest Asian country to see the launch of Nielsen's internet audience measurement survey.

Sector Insight... Luxury sector loses its recession-proof status

Falling sales in Japan mean luxury brands are looking to China for growth, but recession is biting there too.

Sector Insight... Vietnam braces itself for a fast-food explosion

With the country's entry into the WTO, global fast-food franchises are scrambling for a piece of the pie.

Sector Insight... China milk loses market share to foreign brands

Four months after the melamine scandal broke in China, the nation's infant milk business has been turned on its head.

Sector Insight... Singapore banks look to rebuild following crisis

The city-state's financial services industry adopted a safety-first marketing strategy after last year's turmoil.

Dentsu Taiwan to probe World Games pitch bribe claims

TAIPEI - Dentsu Taiwan is conducting an internal investigation following accusations of bribery connected with its World Games advertising account.

Sector Insight... 'Big four' eye growth in China delivery market

UPS, DHL, FedEx and TNT have been cutting Chinese adspend despite ambitious plans to expand.

Sector Insight... Koreans show enduring passion for cosmetics

The sector has been a rare bright spot in Korea's ad market this year, but consumer spend is polarising

Brands still wary of Chinese gamers

Unlike neighbouring Japan and Korea, in-game advertising has so far failed to make a significant impact in China, despite the huge number of active online gamers.

Sector Insight... Taiwan gaming firms look to offline advertising

The growth of the online gaming industry in Taiwan has created a new group of big-money advertisers.

Live Issue... Luxury watches find booming market in China

Newly affluent Chinese men are purchasing high-end watches to act as symbols of their social status.

Sector Insight... Tide turns against tobacco sector in Indonesia

Lax regulation of the industry appears to be ending after the authorities ditched a tax break on adspend.

Sector Insight... Japanese duo battle for Indonesia's bike sector

Honda and Yamaha are spending aggressively to maintain their dominance of the motorcycle category.

Sector Insight... MNCs compete for control of Thai haircare sales

Unilever and Procter & Gamble are spending heavily to increase their share of Thailand's haircare sector.

Taiwan set to overhaul terrestrial TV

TAIPEI - Terrestrial TV stations may soon disappear from some households in Taiwan due to a new move by the National Communications Commission (NCC).

A Price on Creative

Will performance-based pay hinder creative or lead to effectiveness?

Adspend in Taiwan drops to record low

TAIPEI - Taiwan's adspend sank to a new low of US$1.2 billion (NT$39.4 billion) last year, according to Nielsen Taiwan.

China's airlines see growth despite recession and increased competition from high-speed rail

The biggest threat facing China's airlines last year did not come from global carriers. Instead it came from domestic high-speed trains now plying the heavily travelled corridors between first and second tier cities within the country's 33 provinces.

UB Group and SABMiller have India's beer market on tap

Despite growth in the country's beer consumption, there is little competition for UB Group and SAB Miller.

Taiwan's car industry faces a bleak 2010 following sales boom from tax cut last year

Last year, a year-long commodity tax cut revived the Taiwanese auto sector from a 22-year lull. As the initiative became void on 31 December last year, there is little optimism for car sales in 2010.

Sector Insight... Handset firms rush to capitalise on Chinese 3G

The recent launch of Apple's iPhone in the mainland capped a busy 2009 for smartphone manufacturers.

Agencies pitch for NextTV media account despite licence row

TAIPEI - Media agencies in Taiwan are pitching for the launch of cable channel NextTV, despite the whirlwind of negative publicity last month that prompted Taiwan's National Communications Commission (NCC) to reject NextTV's application for a broadcasting licence.

Vietnam: Soft drink brands see double digit growth in sales during 2009

Glenn Smith