Campaign Asia

Fake pictures create a storm on Social Media

So much fake and misinformation swirled around on social media sites in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, a massive, deadly storm that took several lives in the Caribbean and the USA. People tucked ...

Cultural blunders: Brands gone wrong

Everyone makes mistakes. Even marketers. But it’s especially entertaining when we hear of big brands making them.

What the ad industry can do to stop the exodus of their best talents

What do advertising people have in common with construction workers, taxi drivers, textile machine operators and people who operate drilling machines? They’re all working in areas where jobs are disappearing the fastest. Fact is the advertising industry loses more jobs than any other industry having shed 65% of all jobs over the past decade, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The value of nothing: In defense of artists and designers

“Nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing." ―Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray

Creative People: The most important resource of all

Campaign Asia’s recent celebration of their 40th Anniversary covering the media and marketing industry was brilliant in reflecting on the leaders, thinkers, and creators who have shaped, influenced, and changed the industry we work in. But there are more accolades to pass around.

Taglines: In one era and out the other?

I love great taglines. I used to see them everywhere. Less so these days, I’m afraid.

The house Sir Martin built

I am simply amazed by Sir Martin Sorrell and his WPP Group.

Multiculturalism: The unstoppable global trend

Businesses know that in today’s globalized world, they have to be able to compete in multicultural environments.” —H.E. Mr. Ban Ki-moon, United Nations Secretary-General

After a long battle with mediocrity, Creativity died last week.

Sadly, after a long, hard-fought struggle, Creativity has passed away. It died last week after years of room temperature mediocrity.

Our risky obsession with digital

I'm a big fan of digital marketing. But I fear we're losing the art form that is strategy coupled with creativity.

RIP Michael Ball: They don’t make 'em like they used to

Mike Fromowitz remembers mentor, friend and giant of Asian advertising, Michael Ball, who died Sunday.

Euphemania: The art of not saying what you mean

Euphemisms are endemic—in product descriptions, job descriptions and industry jargon. Mike Fromowitz makes an argument for simplicity and clarity.

Hall of shame: More multicultural brand blunders

It’s baffling how often even major companies continue to get their messages wrong.

The sad state of advertising agency morale

Mike Fromowitz describes the problem and offers 10 principles to improve it.

Sleeping giants awake: Consultancies loom large in agency space

It’s never been harder to be an ad agency, writes Mike Fromowitz. But could the presence of giant consultancies in the creative game actually be a good thing?

Culture matters

Lack of cultural understanding can be disastrous, and avoiding pitfalls requires more than a cursory familiarity, writes Mike Fromowitz.

The monumental shift in media

There’s a monumental shift underway in the way consumers consume media. Television and print, once so dominant, are being slowly edged aside by the internet, which offers even more ways to connect with consumers.

Shocking fashion ads: Too scandalous to be viewed?

Fashion ad campaigns are sensational, provocative, outrageous and scandalous. Creative? Very. You cannot not notice them. This is all about money, marketing and business sense, and these racy campaigns achieve all the attention they’re after.

The Naysayers

"Here is my secret. It is very simple: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."—Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s The Little PrinceThere are some ...

ADOPTING A SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN—WHAT THE PROS SAY

What is the best advice you would give a client looking to adopt a social media campaign?Wayne Rowe • To not get caught up in what everyone else is doing - customize your campaign to your product ...

Trends in advertising [more random thoughts from Cannes]

Clients are expecting us to be more globally focused, more innovative and more technologically savvy than ever before. They realize the solutions to their problems are not necessarily going to be ...

Digital or Integration. And Who could have imagined this?

Part 1: Is the future about Digital or Integration?Two years after dismantling its digital agency brand, Agency.com, TBWA is launching its new approach to meeting clients' growing digital ...

MORE most interesting sound bites from Cannes

It is a shame that what’s meant to be a celebration of creativity is being used as a war ground. Country against country, continent against continent, network against network, agency against ...

Most interesting sound bites from Cannes.

Everything that turns brands into social tools that play a relevant role in people’s lives is the way forward. We’re obviously not quite there yet though. “Useful is the new cool” is a pretty old ...

Commoditization: The biggest threat facing ad agencies today

Many industries, including advertising, are becoming saturated with competitors of all sizes, to the point where the products and services we produce and provide, are becoming commoditized. ...

The new CMO and the end of business as usual.

We ask the question: What does it take to be a really good Chief Marketing Officer?We are seeing rapid social and technological shifts in marketing and advertising. Social media spans the whole ...

Creating The Big Idea

Our industry is going through massive changes with the expanding use of digital and social media. Given that many advertisers are focusing on the web’s potential and are dumping a great part of ...

Invasion of the bean counters-why the fun is disappearing

When I started out in the ad agency business, ad agencies were never run by “businesspeople” or "bean counters" but by admen who just did it because they were creative, and because they were able ...

People thrive when they feel appreciated.

Kudos to you, if you do everything you can to keep your creative people (and other employees) happy. It’s a fact that happy employees contribute more to a companies bottom line than those who fall ...

The state of the ad industry - what you need to know.

Many of us are totally consumed by our jobs—answering emails, writing marketing and advertising plans, blogging, making ads, designing websites, sitting in meetings, taking phone calls...So, most ...

Advertising: The Digital Trust Factor

I think many readers of this blog need to see this article edited by Frédéric Filloux (the general manager of the French ePresse consortium). The information here is very important for both ...

The problem with working for shares instead of a fee.

This year, I have had several requests from several SME companies of all sorts to work for them—literally for free. As an ad agency, we need to charge a fee and earn a profit or we’ll go out of ...

Four things I am certain of

Our daily life increasingly revolves around blog posts, emails, and status updates.Is this messaging overload? I think so. What do you think? How much of our time are we really wasting on the ...

“Agencies get paid like we're doing our clients' laundry”—Lee Clow

In a three-minute video that is now posted all over the web, TBWA\Worldwide Chairman and Global Director of Media Arts, Lee Clow is seen speaking his mind on the present agency compensation ...

How can a small agency compete with the big guys?

Recently, John Zeigler, Chairman and Chief Executive of DDB Asia-Pacific, India and Japan, wrote a letter to the editor of Campaign Asia (Inbox, March 2012) which was a response to my blog story ...

Anyone can make video films, right?

Anyone can paint, cook, design, write, sing, art direct, dance, run a marathon, right?I just came out of the Golden Phoenix where the meal cost a fortune, and the food was dreadful. And they ...

David Ogilvy — “I am a lousy copywriter”.

British-born David Ogilvy was one of our greatest ad men. In 1962, Time magazine called him "the most sought-after wizard in today's advertising industry." During his illustrious career he ...

Life is a Pitch.

Campaign Asia has been conducting a poll which asks the question “Will we see more business pitches in 2012?”By far, the answer is Yes, more pitches than 2011.Ad agencies continue to pitch and do ...

Can Marketers Do Well By Doing Good?

People love to say they hate advertising. I think we've earned this bad reputation by not caring enough about what our messages say and how they can effect the choices people make in their lives. ...

Small Agency vs Big Agency

Recently, several friends of mine in the advertising industry have written to me about their new start-up advertising agencies. I’m both proud and excited for them.The early days of starting one’s ...

What companies can learn from the Master of Innovation

There’s much that companies and brands can learn from Apple, the masters of innovation. It’s hard to think of a large company that better epitomises the art of innovation as they do. Apple’s ...

The travel & hospitality industry has some of the biggest budgets, and the worst ads.

If the single purpose of a travel or hospitality advertisement or website is to get you to spend your money, then why is so much of it dull, boring, and regurgitated pap? The travel industry ...

Is Pen and Paper mightier than the Computer for generating ideas?

I spend several hours on the computer most every day. And though I do most of my writing on the computer, I still conceive my ads and design concepts on paper first.I carry a notebook and pen with ...

IS ASIA’S FASTEST GROWING MARKET BEING IGNORED?

For decades, ad agencies have directed their clients to chase younger audiences. Ad agencies want to be cool, win awards and do ads for 16-year-olds rather than for consumers who are 50+ years-old....

ADVERTISING GIVES A LOT BACK

Advertising gives a lot back to people who work hard on behalf of their clients.Advertising rewards those who help build their ad agency's bottom line and reputation.Advertising pays well ...

The party’s not over for luxury brands in China.

The Chinese market is huge and in order to do business there one must have a good understanding of the country’s people, their diverse ethnicities, and trends.

The rise of netizens

“Failure isn’t fatal, but failure to change might be.” —John Wooden, legendary UCLA basketball coach, who won 10 national championships in 12 seasons because of his ability to constantly adapt to new players, new rivals, and new styles of play.

Legendary ad men: They don’t make them like they used to

Jim Aitchison, author of Cutting Edge Advertising once wrote that “there is nothing permanent in advertising. A few great men with vision and guts build a great agency with some great clients, but eventually they sell their group or retire from the business. Nothing is permanent. The hardest thing in the advertising agency world is to sustain your creative reputation over decades. It takes commitment and people capable of wielding a mysterious kind of magic.”

Made In Hong Kong: When creativity was king

In his new book "Made in Hong Kong", longtime advertising creative Chris Kyme challenges the territory’s advertising industry with the question “Where’s the creativity?”

The case for Singapore's advertising expats

Singaporeans need to be confident in their abilities to compete internationally and continue to recognise and reward merit—wherever they find it, urges Mike Fromowitz, partner and chief brand officer for Ethinicity Multicultural Marketing+Advertising.

Creative freelancers in a fast-changing marketplace

At an advertising industry get-together put on by The Bauhub, I sat with several creative freelancers in a discussion that centred on the difficulties they are facing in a fast-changing marketplace.

Give big agency holding companies a break!

There is always some debate as to whether getting bigger is better. Some would tell you that our business is all about entrepreneurship and innovation, and that scale has historically been the bane of innovation and creativity.

The most critical risk of all is not taking risks

It’s been said: “The most critical risk of all is not taking risks.” However, most people view taking risks as irrational, foolhardy, and assiduously to be avoided. Unfortunately, life is not like that. Everything we do involves risk. There are dangers in every type of travel, but there are dangers in staying home too — 28% of all fatal accidents occur there.

Creative people, data and Superman

We all want to live in a world where good ads triumph over the bad, dull, boring kind.

Omnicom and Publicis: Does size matter?

There’s not ever been an event bigger than this one in the advertising and marketing world.

Are agencies producing ideas of any real value?

I’m seeing more really “stupid” advertising these days. In our instant gratification-based society those who deliver first don’t necessarily deliver the best solutions.

Ad agency success doesn’t come through conformity

Differentiation is what tells the world that you are unique, and that your ad agency has special qualities that set you apart from all the others in your market. Differentiation tells clients why they should spend their money with you.

A minority opinion: The message is the medium

John Hegarty, the worldwide creative director and co-founder of the London-based agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty has a modus operandi: When others are zigging (being a sheep), he zags.

Not the era of mobile, but the era of video

It’s no secret that digital video consumption continues to increase as TV Everywhere expands and mobile audiences grow.

Ad agencies: Do they really need a “Head of Innovation”?

I had been mulling over this question for several months: Do ad agencies really need a Head of Innovation?

Busy reinventing a troubled agency

Enough is enough. Let's set the record straight.

Digital Natives — the dominant demographic

The world is changing. The way we learn today is changing. The young talents finding their way into advertising jobs today are different. They are wired differently. They are information saturated,...

Searching for the brain’s buy button

It’s the year 2030. Or is it?I lie inside a long metallic tube, a functional magnetic resonance imaging machine (an fMRI for short), and every 0.5 seconds it scans the blood-flow activity in my ...

The Internet game changers have arrived

The latest real-estate rush has just begun on the Internet. The expansion of domain names on the Web is putting the business world through some revolutionary changes. The net will get a lot bigger ...

Living the Digital Life

Up in the morningThey called me this morning at 7:45 a.m.I was at the kitchen table drinking my coffee, reading the news on my iPad, when the phone rang. I answered and heard this “canned’ voice. ...

Agencies of the Future, or Flavour of the month?

There are so many articles and blogs written about the "Agency of the Future". Agencies believe they need to re-invent themselves to stay relevant. I continue to believe the best thing for ad ...

Who needs more ad award shows?

Before I begin this post, let me say that I remain a positive advocate of ad award shows. They are an incentive that helps to generate better ideas in the industry, and they do take advertising ...

Let's not give up on traditional advertising just yet

It no longer makes any sense to talk of ‘digital’ in advertising as a separate medium or discipline. The fact is, most all advertising is now digital in some way.

What makes creative people tick?

Curiosity about life in all of its aspects, I think, is still the secret of great creative people. —Leo BurnettCreative people suffer some of the worst calumnies. They never show up on time. They ...

A sexist marketing concept or one of the world’s great brand icons?

Over the years, The Singapore Girl has been criticized as a sexist marketing concept, and accused of stereotyping the Asian women as desirable and subservient to males. What a load of crap!Singapor...

Traditional advertising fails on the Internet.

Despite robust growth, the market share of internet advertising in both Hong Kong and Japan is about 10 percent. Singapore’s internet advertising market share, as a portion of its total advertising...

The 60 second Elevator Pitch—What's your story?

You are in an elevator, and a friend introduces you to someone who could be an ideal new client for your business.He asks you that inevitable question: “What is it that you do?"This is it. The ...

HEY NEIL, THANKS FOR THE LOBSTERS.

I tore the package open with great delight while the FedEx man stood at the doorway earnestly awaiting my signature for proof of delivery. I couldn’t wait to sink my teeth into the pages of Neil ...

He turned creative industries upside down and then right side up.

Steve Jobs. The man who created a revolution. Who challenged everything, and changed everything.He turned creative industries upside down and then right side up.Because of him, nothing will be the ...

The Power of Manifestos

Do you get frustrated by companies that don’t tell you why they are in business? In a marketplace filled with commodity products, brand knock-offs, copyright infringements and questionable new ...

Regional executive creative directors: Do agencies really need them?

Some agency groups in Asia are looking towards the future.

Growing and nurturing an ad agency culture

In order for ad agencies to stay relevant, they must embrace, grow and feed a unique agency “Culture”.

Hey, I need a big idea by tomorrow!

In its quest to be the agency model of the future, a new virtual agency that bills itself as the “World’s Fastest Agency” (WFA) was launched this past week.

Where are the Bernbach's, the Ogilvys, the Burnetts when you need them?

John Hegarty, co-founder of Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH), is known to speak his mind, and that he did in April on a live chat conducted via the U.K.'s The Guardian.

Growing an ad agency is not as easy as it used to be

The best way to get to a prospect client is networking.

Does your agency presentation suck?

Bad presentations are painful—for the presenter dying a slow death in front of his audience and for the bored people who have to sit through it.

Content-ed consumers? Brands become publishers

I don’t know about you, but I'm being swamped by the sheer amount of content prattle I receive every day. Most of it could easily be termed 'landfill'.

Agencies were respected by their clients...at one time.

The intoxicating days of advertising portrayed in the now famous TV series “Mad Men” is unrecognizable to many of us senior advertising practitioners today. With the introduction of social media and everything digital, agencies have had to adapt to new ways of working to remain competitive.