Campaign Asia

Saatchis ECD looks to add to Thai smiles

CREATIVE PROFILE: After a decade of working abroad, Golf Nuntawat Chaipornkaew is happy to be back where it all started — at Saatchi & Saatchi Thailand, as the new executive creative director.

Social media: Still growing but brands need to avoid becoming too static

ASIA PACIFIC – Tighter integration with video and e-commerce figure large on the social media landscape for marketers in 2014. The time for collecting followers has passed; utilise social mediums to turn interactions into transactions.

Edmund Choe: Focus on client solutions, not awards

CREATIVE PROFILE: Edmund Choe, the newly appointed CCO for TBWA Singapore and Southeast Asia, wants to build creative teams who chase ideas that work, rather than trophies.

Taxi-driver movie puts a mirror up to youth drink driving

KUALA LUMPUR – Help University, a private university in Malaysia, has launched a drink-driving awareness campaign targeting students ahead of the festive season, which is the worst period for drink-driving.

CASE STUDY: How Heineken got partygoers to ‘Drink less, dance more’ at ZoukOut

Heineken created an artifical sunrise powered by dance steps to encourage moderate drinking.

Vodafone reviews media account

GLOBAL - Vodafone has begun an agency review for its existing media planning and buying agency arrangements, according to the company.

Fitness First to flex new branding muscle across Asia

SYDNEY - Fitness First, a London-based health club group, is rolling out new branding in Australia and Asia-Pacific as it eyes regional expansion.

Brother ‘organises chaos’ in InstaVideo campaign

SYDNEY – Japanese office-products company Brother worked with The Works to create an InstaVideo campaign for a range of labellers in Australia.

Zalora promotes Singapore’s music with new campaign

SINGAPORE – Singapore-based fashion e-tailer Zalora has collaborated with four local singer-songwriters in a brand campaign launching today that supports the city-state’s local music scene.

Lux invites fans to share their fabulousness at ‘House of Lux’

SINGAPORE – Unilever’s Lux brand, in collaboration with its global digital agency SapientNitro and content partner Yahoo, recently launched ‘House of Lux’, a social platform for the brand’s fans to discover and share 'fabulously feminine' things.

Chris Tang joins Huntsworth as regional CEO; Bob Pickard promoted to APAC chairman

SINGAPORE - Huntsworth, the international PR and healthcare communications group, has appointed Chris Tang as CEO for Asia Pacific and promoted Bob Pickard to a newly created role as chairman for the region.

Unilever increases reliance on mobile advertising through Vserv.mobi

SINGAPORE – Unilever has expanded its partnership with Vserv.mobi, a mobile advertising exchange, in Southeast Asia and India.

Dog Digital signs global deal with Infront Sports & Media

SINGAPORE - Following a competitive pitch last August, Switzerland-based sports marketing company Infront Sports & Media picked Dog Digital to deliver digital and technical consultancy services for the next three years.

Sony ascends to great heights to showcase A7R camera

CHINA – A new TVC for Sony China evokes a trip to the edge of space to suggest a camera's ability to provide new perspectives.

Mobile-ad initiative targets SMEs, undercuts agencies

KUALA LUMPUR - MobileAds.com, a Malaysia-based technology startup, has joined hands with Smaato, a global mobile RTB (real-time bidding) ad exchange, to launch an interactive mobile advertising offering for small businesses and budget advertisers.

CASE STUDY: Singapore Cancer Society helps women conquer mammogram fears

The Singapore Cancer Society (SCS) encourages women to drop the excuses and take action. How an integrated campaign successfully urged the nations’ women to get their mammograms.

Asia’s ad women still earn less than men but the gap narrows at small companies: Font

ASIA PACIFIC - Average salaries in advertising and marketing stayed flat this year, compared to 2012, but larger companies continue to show greater gender disparity, according to a Font Talent report.

CASE STUDY: AWARE Singapore battles violence against women with social media and art

The Association of Women For Action and Research (AWARE) Singapore partnered with digital agency Xpointo Media to coax Singaporeans to pledge their support for ending violence against women. The collaboration used an art fest combined with social media to engage and unite people in the city.

Why independent media agencies win favour in Australia and New Zealand

AUSTRALASIA - Leaders from two successful independent media agencies, Match Media in Australia and Open Communications in New Zealand, tell Campaign Asia-Pacific why independents are taking the lead in the two markets and how they aim to maintain their success.

Community Chest creates RFID billboards for easy donation

SINGAPORE - Community Chest, a non-profit organisation raising funds for social-service programmes, has launched ‘Dreams’, an outdoor campaign created by Tribal Worldwide Singapore to turn billboards into digital donation boxes. People can easily tap their EZ-Link card (a contactless smart card that Singaporeans use to pay for public transport), to do social good on-the-go.

YoMost encourages Vietnamese youth to live it up

HO CHI MINH CITY - Vietnamese yogurt brand YoMost invites Vietnamese youth to create a ‘YoList’ of things they want to experience through a digital platform created by Leo Burnett Vietnam.

Singapore Airlines hands global social-media business to Dentsu Möbius

SINGAPORE - After a pitch, Singapore Airlines (SIA) has selected Dentsu Möbius, the digital arm of Dentsu Network/Asia, as its global social-media agency of record.

Asia’s luxury brands should personalise digital engagement

ASIA PACIFIC - With an increasing number of consumers heading online, it’s vital, even for luxury brands, to use digital strategies to drive in-store sales and maximise customer relationships with tailored experiences.

Castrol stirs up conversation with bikers via digital campaign

SINGAPORE – Castrol has chosen an emotional appeal in its first marketing campaign for its Power 1 motor oil.

Martin Shaw succeeds Nico Abbruzzese as digital head for Maxus APAC

SINGAPORE - Maxus has promoted Martin Shaw to head of digital for Asia Pacific as Nico Abbruzzese has taken on a global role as worldwide director of creative technology at Metalworks by Maxus.

Coca-Cola enters strategic partnership with ArtScience Museum in Singapore

SINGAPORE – ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands (MBS) has entered into a strategic partnership with Coca-Cola Singapore Beverages, appointing the company as its official beverage partner. The four-year partnership begins on 1 January and runs through 2017.

CASE STUDY: How interactive video promoted Piaggio's premium scooter in Vietnam

Piaggio worked with Sofresh to create a digital campaign featuring an interactive online video to unveil the Vespa LXV in a competitive market.

Unilever, Mindshare detail impact of digital-video GRP buying in recent Singapore campaign

SINGAPORE – Unilever, Mindshare and TubeMogul have detailed work they did to effectively reach a target audience in a video ad campaign promoting a new men’s shampoo range.

CASE STUDY: How Alibaba hit record high sales for Double 11

Alibaba’s “11.11 Shopping Festival” for Tmall.com and Taobao Marketplace reached a new high for sales in its fifth year this year thanks to a concerted campaign in the online, offline and mobile spaces.

Criteo expands in Southeast Asia via a Singapore hub

SINGAPORE - Criteo, a Paris-based technology company specialising in performance display advertising, has opened a Singapore office to accelerate cross-market growth and tap into the region's growing mobile population.

Philippine telcos need to get personal with customers amid rising competition

MANILA - Telco operators in the Philippines have to become more aggressive to acquire new customers, but then cannot neglect to build long-term relationships with them to drive growth in an increasingly competitive market.

Tiger Beer brings Radler to Singapore

SINGAPORE - Asia-Pacific Breweries Singapore has introduced Tiger Radler, a combination of beer with natural lemon juice, and will give the beverage a major marketing push in 2014.

LBC Express rebranding highlights the emotional side of logistics

MANILA - Logistics companies are not known for making emotional connections, but that's exactly what Philippines-based LBC Express is trying to do with a new integrated rebranding campaign.

Text100 shuts Japan office

TOKYO - PR agency Text100 has closed its Tokyo office and laid off its three consulting staff, the agency told Campaign Asia-Pacific.

EnergyAustralia suits up heros for water safety

SYDNEY – EnergyAustralia, in partnership with Swim Australia, challenges Aussies to become WaterHEROES in a new swim safety awareness campaign.

Data and analytics are integral to marketing strategy: Sparkline

SINGAPORE – Sparkline, a web and mobile data analytics start-up, recently launched in Singapore. Managing partner and co-founder Aleetza Senn spoke to Campaign Asia-Pacific about the company’s approach, the data challenges businesses face and sector opportunities in Singapore.

Infiniti calls global social-media pitch

GLOBAL - Infiniti, Nissan’s luxury car brand, has called a global social-media pitch for the first time.

Word-of-mouth still reigns for consumer-electronics buyers: Text100

ASIA-PACIFIC - Word-of-mouth remains the most influential source of information for Asian consumer-electronics shoppers, two-thirds of whom decide what to purchase before visiting a store or e-commerce site, according to the Text100 Digital Index.

VML and Y&R revamp network structure, focus on shopper marketing in 2014

ASIA PACIFIC - Y&R has appointed Camellia Tan as director of network development for VML Asia, while Liz Kim will take over Tan's job as director of network development for Y&R Advertising Asia in a move to leverage synergies between the two units for regional and global network expansion.

Ogilvy & Mather invests in marketing analytics in Singapore

SINGAPORE - Ogilvy & Mather, supported by the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), has launched a Marketing Analytics Centre of Excellence to serve Southeast Asia.

Marketers digitally confident, but still failing to put data to use: Adobe

ASIA PACIFIC - Marketers across Asia-Pacific are gaining confidence in their digital abilities, but are still failing to use data to drive business, according to the second annual Adobe APAC Digital Marketing Performance Dashboard.

Most 'Great Singapore Sale' print ads failed to draw consumers: Ipsos

SINGAPORE - During the 2013 Great Singapore Sale (GSS), which took place from 31 May to 28 July, most print ads either didn’t gain high visibility or failed to leave consumers with a lasting impression, according to a study by Ipsos.

Lexus uses Twitter and Vine to sneak peek new coupe and concept cars

TOKYO - Lexus International plans to reveal its latest models through Twitter and Vine by responding to one a tweet at a time in the run up to the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show.

Valspar Paint launches branded product in Australia

SYDNEY - Valspar Paint, a US-based manufacturer of paint and coatings, has launched its own branded product to the premium DIY market through Masters Hardware & Danks Corporate stores in Australia.

China’s wired women connect and shop online the most

CHINA – Marketers take note: Technology and social media play a larger role in the lives of China’s women than in other global markets.

CASE STUDY: How Piaggio cultivated image of 'originality' among Vietnamese youth

Piaggio, an Italian manufacturer of scooter, ran a digital campaign for its flagship motorbike, the Liberty Italia, aligning the product with Vietnamese young people's desire to stay true to themselves.

Thailand's Pruksa launches first thematic campaign in two decades

BANGKOK – Pruksa, a property developer in Thailand, has gone the extra mile for brand building with its new cross-platform campaign ‘Mind beyond invention’.

Adelaide tells unexpected story with winemaker Justin Lane in new short film

ADELAIDE - In a film atypical of tourism advertising, the South Australian Tourism Commission has invited winemaker Justin Lane to reveal the quirky and unassuming side of Adelaide.

CASE STUDY: How VivoCity brought QR codes to life

VivoCity, Singapore’s largest retail and lifestyle destination, used QR codes in a fun way to engage shoppers and increase sales during the 20th annual Great Singapore Sale (GSS).

Virgin Money uses funny home videos to sell insurance

SYDNEY - Virgin Money has come up with a new approach in selling its insurance policies by adopting a series of funny home videos in a new campaign for its Income Protection and Life insurances.

Brands risk a crisis when they sideline communications teams

ASIA PACIFIC - Organisations in the region risk failure in a social media crisis unless they stop sidelining their corporate communications teams and give them a seat in the boardroom.

Electrolux sparks imagination with vacuum-cleaner art

BANGKOK – Electrolux, collaborating with renowned Thai artist Chalit Nakpawan, has seemingly created a piece of art using its new vacuum cleaner, the Electrolux UltraCaptic.

CASE STUDY: How Ebara coaxed children to eat vegetables with games

Ebara and Beacon/Leo Burnett Tokyo created integrative games to add fun for children to eat vegetables.

Lexus calls on Dentsu for Vietnam entrance

HO CHI MINH CITY – Lexus has officially entered Vietnam and appointed Dentsu Vietnam, a wholly owned subsidiary of Dentsu Network/Asia, as creative agency to spearhead the launch.

Adidas immortalises fans' defeat at hands of NBA star Dwight Howard

MANILA - When NBA player Dwight Howard visited the Philippines, Adidas created a one-of-a-kind 'autograph' session for fans.

Digital and localisation are key to success in hospitality: Outrigger

SINGAPORE - With a recently opened beach resort in Phuket, Outrigger Enterprises Group is planning big in Asia Pacific. Sean Dee, the brand's global CMO, talks about how the lodging and hospitality company focuses on being a local expert and using digital tools to drive its expansion.

Red Rooster launches RoosterRaps with fun campaign in Australia

SYDNEY - Red Rooster, an Australian fast food chain, has launched its new range of wraps—‘RoosterRaps’, with a humorous TV campaign.

Time Out Tokyo aims to strengthen brand with print edition

TOKYO – Time Out Tokyo has launched a print edition after four years of operation as a purely online publication in an effort to build the brand and extend content to new audiences in the Japanese market.

The Austin defines lifestyle through art in micro-films

HONG KONG – The Austin, a luxury property development in Hong Kong, has released a series of micro-films showcasing the development's 'intrinsic' artistic lifestyle.

Audi quattro takes on 'challenges' of driving in Singapore

SINGAPORE – While you might not consider Singapore a challenging place to drive, Audi is showcasing how its four-wheel-drive technology surmounts urban obstacles in a new campaign.

Instagram moves to monetise: Ad format of the future?

GLOBAL - Instagram's new ad format, which gives users the ability to comment on, like or hide 'sponsored' posts, is receiving a mostly positive reaction, although Asia’s marketing industry may have to wait to experience the format firsthand.

Video content strongest influence in online travel planning: Google

SINGAPORE – Half of travelers in Asia Pacific use videos in the research process, and videos have an even greater impact on decision-making in emerging markets (80 per cent) than mature markets (70 per cent), according to Google’s Travel Study Insights.

Skyscanner shows how sexy travel search could be

SINGAPORE - A new campaign from flight search engine Skyscanner targets the Philippines, Australia and New Zealand with three videos featuring the imaginary exploits of a would-be ladies' man in various international cities.

Effective Measure appoints global CMO, expands into new markets

MELBOURNE - Effective Measure, a provider of media planning, audience profiling and digital metric solutions, has appointed Lizzie Babarczy as global chief marketing officer as the company hatches plans to enter six new markets, including two in Asia-Pacific, by the end of the year.

WeChat partners with Chatime to offer rewards worth over US$1.8 million

KUALA LUMPUR – WeChat has partnered with Chatime, a lifestyle tea provider in Malaysia, where customers can redeem digital coupons through WeChat and purchase one million cups of Chatime worth more than US$1.8 million.

Consumers in China, India want more sharing by brands: Edelman

HONG KONG – A majority of people in China (91 per cent) and India (82 per cent) want brands to be more open and sharing, but about 75 per cent think brands are doing it wrong, according to a new Edelman consumer study.

Newly merged Smart Axiata launches brand campaign in Cambodia

PHNOM PENH – Smart Axiata, a mobile service provider in Cambodia, has launched a new thematic brand campaign.

Newspapers, music and grocery shopping top Malaysians’ weekly to-do list: GfK

MALAYSIA - An online survey by GfK shows that reading the newspapers (82 per cent) is the most common weekly activity in Malaysia, followed by listening to music (63 per cent) and grocery shopping (56 per cent).

Nissan Pathfinder keeps a seat for the underdog

MELBOURNE – Nissan Australia has launched a campaign, created by Whybin\TBWA Melbourne, for the relaunch of its flagship family SUV, Nissan Pathfinder, in Australia.

Robert Harvey becomes CEO of Aegis Media New Zealand

NEW ZEALAND - Robert Harvey’s newly created CEO role at Aegis Media New Zealand brings new challenges to provide leadership for the company’s eight agencies and more than 80 staff in the country.

Asia-Pacific affluent travel more, buy more, but remain cautious about financial investments: Ipsos

SINGAPORE – Robust domestic demand, accommodative monetary policies, rapid credit growth and the rebound of capital inflows have driven Asian affluent’s lifestyle, spending and media consumption worth a total investment of US$767 billion, according to the Ipsos Affluent Survey Asia Pacific (formerly Ipsos PAX) launched today.

Involvement with yakuza groups threatens Mizuho brand

TOKYO - Mizuho Bank faces major damage to its reputation at home and globally after accusations of lending money to organised crime.

Nimble shows a new way of borrowing money for unexpected events

AUSTRALIA – Nimble, an online lending company in Australia, has launched a brand campaign to show Aussies how to ‘Nimble it’ with smart little loans when unexpected things happen.

Macquarie Dictionary's film chronicles birth of a word: 'phubbing'

MELBOURNE - After alerting the world to rail-related dangers, creative superstar John Mescall, is documenting the birth of ‘phubbing’ to help Macquarie Dictionary ignite passion about words.

Crocs selects R/GA Singapore as digital agency for Asia-Pacific

SINGAPORE – Footwear manufacturer Crocs has chosen R/GA Singapore as its regional integrated marketing communications (IMC) and digital agency, without a pitch.

PR agencies adjust identities for digital times

ASIA PACIFIC - As brands increasingly seek integrated approaches to campaigns and marketing strategies, PR agencies have been revamping their organisations in order to meet clients’ changing needs, as well as attract more varied talent.

Kulara Water launches campaign for new mineral water brand in Cambodia

PHNOM PENH – Kulara Water has launched a new campaign for its mineral water brand Eau Kulen.

TAB rebrands betting service with everyman hero

SYDNEY - Western Australia’s TAB has launched a rebranding campaign to show its commitment to a more personalised and rewarding betting experience for its punters.

RCL cruise invites customers to Instagram 'film festival'

SYDNEY - Global cruise brand Royal Caribbean International (RCL) has lauched an Instagram-hosted social media 'film festival' as part of its ‘Designed for WOW‘ national brand-awareness campaign.

BPAY View launches campaign featuring ‘human letterbox’

SYDNEY - BPAY, an Australian payment service, has launched a new advertising campaign featuring a neglected mailbox in order to raise awareness about its electronic bill presentment service, BPAY View.

Ad agencies must explore new lines of business: Hakuhodo

SPIKES ASIA 2013 - In an example-laden presentation, Hakuhodo executives Morihiko Hasebe and Kentaro Kimura challenged agency leaders to follow their lead in looking for potential lines of business beyond traditional advertising.

Notch and Riverorchid form joint venture to expand across Indochina

HO CHI MINH CITY - Notch, a Vietnam-based digital agency, has formed a joint venture in Vietnam with Riverorchid, Indochina's specialist communications network, effective immediately.

Stay independent, stay collaborative: Independent Agency Showcase

SPIKES ASIA 2013 - Three independent agencies—thenetworkone, Goodstein and ComZone—used the Independent Agency Showcase to present their work and talked about how they transform great creative ideas into business for brands.

Access creativity in China with a business mindset: Anomaly

SPIKES ASIA 2013 - Taking on the negative perception some have about creativity in China, Richard Summers, head of strategic planning at Anomaly Shanghai, discussed a different breed of creativity in China, which comes from commerce and entrepreneurship.

Spikes Asia 2013 kicks off

SPIKES ASIA 2013 - Jurors have a stack of 4,832 entries from 20 countries to get through, and more than 1,800 delegates from 28 countries are expected for the 2013 Spikes Asia Festival of Creativity, which gets underway today.

CEO support key to digital initiatives' success: McKinsey

GLOBAL - C-level executives are stepping up their game to drive digital strategies within their companies, and support from senior-management is still key to an initiative’s success, according to a recent McKinsey study.

Updated: NTUC FairPrice’s 'pretentious' expat dinner event draws fire

SINGAPORE – When a friendly dinner invite from expats turned out to be a set-up by NTUC FairPrice to promote a new food section, Singaporeans felt cheated and took their criticism online.

Prudential launches regional brand campaign and social-media platform

HONG KONG - Prudential Corporation Asia today launches its latest regional brand campaign, 'I am Prudential', along with a social-media platform, 'Life’s Little Secrets', as it aims to communicate its business philosophy of listening and understanding.

Effective use of YouTube

ASIA PACIFIC - While some brands are still using YouTube as little more than a place to post their TV ads, others are finding better ways to use the medium to connect with their customers. Here, Campaign Asia-Pacific highlights three brands using YouTube effectively and talks to them about how they make the world's favourite video site work for them.

Sophie Chen