Racheal Lee

THE FACE BEHIND THE BRAND: Hilton Worldwide’s new APAC chief marketer Mark Liversidge aims to make the hospitality group’s name synonymous with travel.

SECTOR STUDY: Greater awareness of the need for preventative health measures, the effects of pollution and aging populations are increasing demand for vitamins and supplements.

INDONESIA - Curtailed fuel subsidies and new tax and finance reforms could be an opportunity to grow the country’s taste for low-cost green cars. But other population factors come into play, and marketers of other products could learn something from the auto market.

To help typhoon survivors, Philippine Red Cross (PRC) and P&G turned fashion items into daily essentials such as food, water and medicine through fundraising project Aid Couture.

JAKARTA - Indofood, Indonesia’s largest food company, has called separate pitches for its flagship brands, Indomie instant noodles and Pop Mie cup noodles, according to industry sources.

ASIA-PACIFIC - Research by Waggener Edstrom with 2,200 consumers in Asia-Pacific details the relationship between brand activity online and consumer behaviours such as brand advocacy, spending, and engagement.

JAKARTA - Japanese automotive brand Subaru has called an integrated creative pitch for its SUV, the Subaru XV, in Indonesia.

As Asia’s societies become more health conscious and affluent, consumers look for technologies to help them stay healthy and exercise more, or at least remind them to. Do these devices solve real problems, or are they pure marketing gimmicks?

SINGAPORE - State-owned flag carrier Qatar Airways has awarded its PR retainer account in Singapore and Malaysia to Waggener Edstrom.

VIETNAM - Instead of launching a plain sales promotion, beverage brand Ovaltine chose to stir up interest with a pure digital campaign, engaging children to talk about Tet and make a pledge to do good.

In 2014, Singapore’s employers must adapt to a new advertising rule, the “Fair consideration framework,” which starts in August. Savvy firms will use employer branding to help ease into the new legal landscape and grab the best talent.

MANILA - Typhoon Yolanda represents an opportunity for brands to engage with people and contribute to society. More to the point, 96 per cent of the population expects nothing less, according to a McCann Worldgroup report.

MANILA - Fast-food chain McDonald’s has adjusted its thematic approach for a breakfast campaign in the Philippines following the Typhoon Haiyan disaster.

SECTOR STUDY: Consumer demand is nudging makers away from the sugary and fizzy, towards the healthy and natural, often using local ingredients and flavours.

Formerly known for sports-oriented campaigns featuring well-known figures, the Mondelez brand Biskuat decided to take a different approach with its core consumers in Indonesia.

SINGAPORE - Science Centre Singapore is looking for a media agency to handle the booking of advertisements for four attractions: Science Centre, Omni-Theatre, Snow City and the new Kids STOP.

SINGAPORE - Singapore-based independent branding agency Bonsey Design has partnered with Sydney’s The Jaden Group to launch a new digital tieup Bonsey Jaden.

SINGAPORE - Digital agency Wunderman has announced a regional leadership change, appointing Martin Conneen as the regional president for Wunderman Asia Pacific.

SINGAPORE – The Singapore Sports Council has called a pitch to appoint a Singapore-based social media agency to promote the 28th Southeast Asia Games, which will take place from 5 to 16 June next year.

MANILA - Communications agency Cohn & Wolfe has expanded in Southeast Asia by opening an office in Manila.

NEW ZEALAND – The New Zealand Transport Agency has launched an impactful TVC, entitled ‘Mistakes’, to remind drivers to slow down when they drive.

SINGAPORE - Mobile device manufacturer HTC has chosen Epic PR to handle its public relations account in Singapore.

JAKARTA - Beverage manufacturer PepsiCo has handed the digital account for Pepsi Cola to local firm Red Comm Indonesia.

SINGAPORE - Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) has called PR pitches in Singapore, the United Kingdom, the United States and Japan.

KUALA LUMPUR - Cheil Worldwide opened an office in Kuala Lumpur on 23 December.

SINGAPORE - Publicis Worldwide has named Lou De La Pena as CEO of Publicis Singapore, effective 17 February.

MANILA - Pantene Philippines, with BBDO Guerrero, hopes to foster real social change with its recently launched ‘Whip It movement’.

Ikea found consumers have grown to love its kitchen solutions but still had misgivings about product durability.

To counteract a stuffy image and market its 3G service to teenagers, Thailand telco AIS gave young fans a chance to interact with teen heartthrob James Jirayu.

ASIA-PACIFIC – Consumers are craving more content, creating an opportunity for brands and publishers to fulfill their hunger, according to the Wave 7 social-media study conducted by UM.

SINGAPORE - Singapore-based Vocanic will be providing enhanced social-media capabilities for GroupM agencies following WPP’s acquisition of a majority interest in the company.

SINGAPORE - Havas Worldwide has named Dan Gibson, currently managing director of Host Singapore, to also lead Havas Worldwide Singapore as group managing director.

GLOBAL - Zurich Insurance has appointed Mediabrands as its media agency of record in a move that is believed to be part of a global realignment.

JAKARTA - Independent digital agency Red Communication Indonesia has announced two business wins, from Singapore Tourism Board and Tigerair Mandala.

CAMBODIA - FMCG company Unilever has realigned some creative accounts in IndoChina and has reappointed Riverorchid Media as its media agency of record in Cambodia.

SINGAPORE - Social business consultancy Omnifluence has hired Marcus Huang, formerly of The Secret Little Agency, as creative director and set up a digital and marketing practice through the acquisition of local firm TokTog.

According to a recent study, around 40 per cent of consumers have relationships with three or more financial service providers, which represents an obvious opportunity for banks that can tempt such customers into monogamy. But it won't be easy.

SINGAPORE - Mondelez International has selected Singapore-based Being Worldwide, a TBWA Group agency, to handle the strategy and creative development for two biscuit brands in Southeast Asia.

ASIA-PACIFIC - Fitness First Asia has appointed Tribal Worldwide Malaysia to develop a digital-led campaign that focuses on highlighting its expertise and support for members.

SINGAPORE - Waggener Edstrom Worldwide has hired Stephen Tracy to head up its Insight & Analytics (I&A) practice across Asia-Pacific.

SINGAPORE - DDB Group Singapore once again secured the advertising agency of the year honor at this year’s Singapore Advertising Hall of Fame Awards, which took place Friday.

Mondelez International launched a digital campaign for Oreo, entitled “Oreo Cream Nan Puk”, to redefine the image of the cookie online.

ASIA-PACIFIC - Coca-Cola Pacific Group will be renamed as Asia Pacific Group, effective 1 January, to further sharpen its focus on China, India and Indonesia.

HO CHI MINH CITY - Beverage brand Kirin's new campaign for its Rising drink evokes the rising sun to hint at unlimited possibilities and appeal to Vietnamese youth.

SINGAPORE - Sentosa Development Corporation has selected Grey Group Singapore to handle its integrated branding and communications.

SINGAPORE - Johnnie Walker has launched a 90-second film in which glass tumblers form themselves into the shape of a Formula 1 car—and inevitably crash—as part of the brand's global responsible-drinking initiative, “Join The Pact”.

HONG KONG - Mother’s Choice, an organisation that offers adoption services in addition to help for teenage mothers coping with crisis pregnancies, has launched a month-long multimedia campaign in connection with Adoption Awareness Month.

SINGAPORE - South Korean skincare company Amorepacific Corporation has appointed Blugrapes as the official social media agency for innisfree.

BANGKOK - Global communications firm FleishmanHillard has launched in Thailand to further strengthen its presence in Southeast Asia, appointing Sophis Kasemsahasin to lead the new office.

KUALA LUMPUR - Kidproof Southeast has launched a campaign to create awareness on the increasing spate of missing children.

MANILA - BBDO Guerrero hijacks vanity to help mobilise aid for victims of typhoon Yolanda, which tore through the Visayas region of the Philippines last week.

HO CHI MINH CITY - P&G has launched an online campaign for its new Tide Plus Liquid detergent in Vietnam.

Seeking top-of-mind status among travellers, Qatar Airways devised a contest that got people talking about the airline and its destinations—to the tune of more than a quarter of a million tweets in seven days.

CHINA - UK-based fashion website ASOS has entered China by launching a standalone website, Asos.cn.

KUALA LUMPUR - Heineken has partnered with digital media group Rev Asia to handle the bulk of a four-month integrated campaign promoting Heineken Thirst, an electronic-music festival taking place in Malaysia in December.

JAKARTA - Initiative Media has announced two significant business wins in Indonesia: coffee company Santos Jaya Abadi and tobacco brand Sampoerna.

SINGAPORE - The Travel Corporation, parent company of Trafalgar, Insight Vacations, Contiki and Uniworld, has pledged SG$25,000 (US$20,000) worth of aid to the victims of super Typhoon Yolanda in The Philippines.

GLOBAL - American multinational financial services corporation MasterCard has launched a global media review.

BANGKOK - Hoping to entice travelers who would otherwise visit closer destinations, the Tourism Authority of Thailand has unveiled an integrated campaign in the United States, including its first-ever TV commercial in the country.

MANILA - Johnson & Johnson has handed the digital business for its Modess brand to BBDO Guerrero.

SINGAPORE - Communications firm Ketchum, a unit of Omnicom Group, has officially established its presence in Singapore through the acquisition of independent public-relations consultancy Icon International Communications.

BANGKOK - Global humanitarian group Unicef has appointed UM Thailand for its media planning and buying duties, following a competitive pitch against incumbent OgilvyOne.

Vietnamese eyedrop product OSLA launched its first campaign in 15 years to boost its market share.

SINGAPORE - Fortis Colorectal Hospital Singapore has appointed independent digital and technology agency Section for its latest digital marketing campaign.

Durex Malaysia and Durex Singapore unveiled a social media campaign to increase awareness on safe sex practice among young people.

Malindo Air's Twitter account has surged in popularity of late with posts drawing expressions of affection and delight from its followers. Only problem? The airline's account has been hacked and the poster isn't from the brand.

GLOBAL - Specialist marketer/agency management consultancies The Observatory International and Roth Associates have consolidated their businesses under the name Roth Observatory International.

MANILA - FMCG company Johnson & Johnson Philippines has named creative digital agency Di9it as its digital agency of record for several brands.

KUALA LUMPUR - Havas Worldwide has promoted creative director Ezra Foo as its head of creative in Malaysia beginning in January, replacing Ng Heok Seong who is departing to assume a role outside of the country.

ASIA-PACIFIC - Mediabrands’ full-service media agency BPN has announced three business wins in Thailand and Indonesia, from Direct Asia, AJE Group and Telkomsel.

AUSTRALIA - White Ribbon Australia has launched a campaign that cleverly disguises a message about violence against women in the trappings of a scenery-filled tourism commercial.

SINGAPORE - Danish toy-maker Lego has launched a regional video campaign, entitled 'Lessons of friendship from a 9-year-old' for its Lego Friends Diary, a book on friendship aimed at girls aged nine to 12-years-old.

Many skin-whitening products capitalise on socio-cultural dynamics exploiting negative emotions and going so far as to suggest an association between lighter skin and intelligence. Instead brands could play a role in changing and improving these dynamics while actually helping their business.

SINGAPORE - Market research and analytical company Nepa has opened an office in Singapore. It plans to manage larger multi-market projects from the city while tapping into Asia's growing demand for consumer insight.

BANGKOK - Saatchi & Saatchi Thailand has launched Live Creativity, a social and content-creation hub to amplify the reach of Thai advertisers through the rapid production of content for social networks.

SINGAPORE - Malaysia-based luxury property developer Eastern & Oriental (E&O) has handed the PR duties for the launch of its Andaman condominium project in Penang to Hume Brophy.

SINGAPORE - One9Ninety has announced business wins from Volvo Cars and Playboy Fragrances.

SINGAPORE - After a lengthy pitch process, telecommunication company SingTel has consolidated its major marketing duties under the Ogilvy umbrella by selecting Ogilvy & Mather Singapore as its agency of record.

ASIA-PACIFIC - Nearly nine out of 10 travellers in Asia-Pacific rely on mobile technology to stay in touch and avoid FOMO (fear of missing out) even while on vacation, according to research from TripAdvisor.

SINGAPORE - National University of Singapore (NUS) Business School has selected Bates CHI&Partners as its branding agency of record for MBA and Executive MBA programmes.

ASIA-PACIFIC - Social-media managers must tread a fine line when it comes to monitoring and moderating comments posted on social-media sites such as Facebook.

SINGAPORE - Bite has made two senior appointments to its Singapore operations, naming Adrian Heng and Smitha Virik as general manager and director, respectively.

KUALA LUMPUR - FMCG Dutch Lady is tipped to have moved its regional media account to Carat.

SINGAPORE - Haymarket Media will begin publishing the Singapore edition of consumer-technology magazine Stuff in January, taking over from current licensee Absolute Publishing.

SINGAPORE - JWT Singapore, together with China-based field and activation company Always, has launched a shopper-marketing division, JWT Always to address Southeast Asia.

SINGAPORE - Dutch Lady has appointed BBH Asia Pacific for its business in Southeast Asia.

SINGAPORE - Relevance is key to consumer engagement. Great Eastern takes up the challenge and turns it into an opportunity to support its customers' health and lifestyle choices and capture their loyalty. It’s an initiative that runs deeper than just a “Life is Great” tagline.

SINGAPORE - Pharmaceutical brand GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is letting consumers hear directly from sensitive teeth in a campaign for Sensodyne that uses AR (augmented reality) technology.

SINGAPORE - Contracts-for-differences provider, IG Markets Singapore, brings on independent agency, The Secret Little Agency (TSLA), as its creative lead in Singapore.

SINGAPORE - Yannis Kavounis sees cultural tensions dominating the luxury sector. But the future, he says, depends on how companies resolve them.

ASIA-PACIFIC - Vizeum Asia Pacific has promoted Kristian Barnes, chief commercial officer for Aegis Media in Australia and New Zealand, to regional CEO, following the recent launch of its global rebranding.

SINGAPORE - FMCG giant Unilever has appointed veteran Rohit Jawa, senior vice president of global marketing operations, as chairman and CEO for Unilever Philippines.

KUALA LUMPUR - GAB Professional Solutions (GABPS), a training and innovation unit for Guinness Anchor Berhad (GAB), has appointed boutique brand consultancy LAB as its brand communication agency.

ASIA-PACIFIC - Mobile applications remain a largely untapped opportunity within the travel industry in the region despite the high adoption rates of smartphones and tablets.

MANILA - Procter & Gamble Philippines has created a campaign, 'The Kayanihan Project', with the tagline “For a New Philippines all must be as one!” in answer to President Aquino’s message to Filipinos to unite in positivism and contribute to a national project for continuing progress.

SINGAPORE - Singapore's latest employment measure promises to aggravate the already-intense talent war in the industry.

ASIA-PACIFIC - Caltex has launched a regional campaign showcasing its Techron fuel as a 'five-star' product.

KUALA LUMPUR - TekMark has appointed Leo Burnett Institute of Behaviour, a division of the Leo Burnett Group, for a major and expansive branding project.

ASIA-PACIFIC - More than half (62 per cent) of Asian online shoppers prefer to shop with their favourite retailers online, and more than two out of three use their mobile devices for shopping online.

BANGKOK - Coca-Cola Thailand has unveiled an integrated campaign, entitled ‘Be fizzy, be bold, share a Coke’, for the launch of its ‘Share a Coke’ initiative in Thailand.