The Hindu Business Line : Connecting with Asia

THE premier biennial event for advertising and marketing professionals in the Asian continent, Ad Asia 05, took place for the second time in 25 years in Singapore from November 20 to 23. Set off by the melodious strains of Singapore's leading band and inaugurated by Dr Lee Boon Yang, Minister for Information, Communication and the Arts; Mr Lim Chin Beng, Chairman, Ad Asia Organising Committee; and Media Corp's Chang Long Jong, the conference witnessed over 1,000 delegates from nearly 30 countries eager to imbibe the latest trends and moves in the advertising industry. From the rich tapestry of historic Jaipur (where the last Ad Asia was held) to the modern metropolis of Singapore, it was indeed a quantum leap, but the overall quality of presentations and a rather weak format, originally conceived with the positive objective of enhancing participatory dialogue and lively panel discussions, left the delegates wishing for more.

Alluding to the fact that Ad Asia 05 was part of an ambitious line-up of 130 events to mark the Singapore Design Festival, Dr Lee in his inaugural address stated that "with China and India enjoying exponential growth, we need to position ourselves to plug into the vast potential and soar with them in the next wave of Asian successes."

Explaining the rationale behind the theme `Winning in Asia', Mr Lim Chin Beng stated that the galaxy of speakers and panellists had been briefed to share their expertise on the three sub-themes `World to Asia', `Asia to Asia' and `Asia to the World'. It did not, unfortunately, come through clearly as some of the speakers seemed to stray from the topics given to them. These minor aberrations were lost in some of the more interesting presentations that swept the audience off its feet.

`A Presentation on Marketing Lessons from the World to Asia' by Hermawan Kartajaya, President, World Marketing Association was packed with homilies on brand management and strategic business concepts. The Indonesian expert is acknowledged as one of the "50 Gurus who have shaped the future of Marketing" by the Chartered Institute of Marketing of the UK, and recognised as such by no less than marketing guruPhilip Kotler.

A sampling of some of Kartajaya's quotes: A brand should be shaped by integrity, identity and image. Guard your name. Individuals are human beings. Touch their mind, heart and spirit. Create horizontal communication based on moral, emotional and spiritual values.

Kartajaya's stirring presentation left little room for panelists Eric Mowever, President, IN International Network, and Ben Fennell, CEO, BBH Asia Pacific, to go into further discussion on the subject.

The presentation on `Irreverence in Advertising' by Tham Khai Meng, Co-Chairman, Ogivly & Mather, Asia Pacific was a pathetic substitution for Neil French, who recently resigned as Worldwide Creative Director, WPP, who could not make it to the convention. The series of exhibited commercials, reeking of sex, perversion and all that is ugly were certainly not an advertisement for TVCs.The afternoon session was lit up by an ebullient portrayal of the new world of `Blogs, Flogs, Wikis, Podcasts and Tagging' by Christopher Graves, President, Ogivly Public Relations Worldwide, Asia Pacific. Graves was clear that the new generation was moving from the Age of Deference to the Age of Reference. These newfound expressions were "pushing brands into conversations. The fact is you can monitor it or try to help shape it but not in traditional ways, and you cannot manipulate it." Participating in the discussion on `Establishing a Pan-Asian Network', Shan Seow, Deputy Group CEO, MediaCorp, Singapore, presented an interesting case study on Channel News Asia. That it was essential to present Asian perspectives in English and viewed through the eyes of Asians rather than from the prism of international news networks was well communicated by him. Added panelist Jamshed Qureshi, CEO, Bond Advertising, Pakistan: "It is a difficult task to develop a niche for your brand in Asia but if you are willing to think globally but act locally then there is still a lot of potential." The other panelist was Pradeep Guha, CEO, Zee Telefilms, India.

In the current context of the recent proliferation of low-cost carriers dotting the Indian skies, the topic of `Battle of the Low-Cost Carriers' was of considerable interest to the large Indian delegation. What came as a disappointment was the absence of the third participant, Capt G. R. Gopinath, Managing Director, Air Deccan, who would have been eminently qualified to speak on the subject. Nevertheless, Tony Fernandes, Group CEO, Air Asia, did not disappoint.

Down to earth and firmly believing in keeping it short and simple, he spelt out his vision, which was to make air travel more affordable to Malaysians. Air Asia went on to revolutionise the air travel industry in Malaysia and pioneered the low-cost phenomenon in Asia despite teething problems with the Singapore Government worried about the impact of low-cost rivals on its flag carriers.

The findings of Sei-katsu-sha or Understanding the Consumer were revealed by Hiroshi Tanaka, General Manager (R & D), Hakuhodo in a leisurely and scholastic style much to the amusement of some. Beneath what appeared to be a rather basic approach to research, he dwelt on the agency's `Habit' database of information aimed at enabling social and psychological factors to enter the marketing and advertising mix when applied to rapidly evolving consumer categories such as mobile phones. Chipped in appropriately panelist Deborah Malone, Editor, The Internationalist, "The best practices in marketing connect with consumer passion and contemporary culture."

The concept of below-the-line marketing has become obsolete, averred Gavin Coombes, Executive Vice-President, Euro RSCG 4D, Asia Pacific. It is the basic job of any communications professional to know the target audience and to adopt the line of approach appropriate for the occasion. SMS is developing into a major conduit of communication, he concluded.

The saga of the Samsung brand and its rise to the numero uno position in global brand awareness were described at length by Seong Soo Hwang, Vice-President (Marketing). What were the ingredients that went into play in this global exercise? Restructuring, strategic brand marketing system, mobile success, sports marketing and good corporate bonding. Samsung had gone through the processes of surround marketing, touch marketing and 360-degree marketing. An interesting statistic he shared: An expenditure of $1 million results in 1 per cent increase in global awareness. Samsung spent $7 million which resulted in a 7 per cent increase! Bharat Patel, Chairman, Procter and Gamble India, and Deborah Malone were the two panelists who were engaged in the discussions that involved a lively interaction with the audience.

In his absorbing presentation on `The Awakening of Another Asian Giant: India', Anil Kapor, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, FCB-Ulka, drew upon his wealth of experience in brand management and corporate planning and highlighted the importance of an advertising agency creating a unique advertising consultancy practice - the very principle that saw him steer an ailing Ulka into one of the Big Four agencies in India today with the fastest rate of growth in business.

After dissecting the question `Can Asian Brands Rule the World?" with all its ramifications, Paul Temporal, Group Managing Director, Temporal Brand Consulting, Singapore, and leading global expert on brand creation, concluded with a big `Yes'. The verdict won applause. A classic example was Toyota. There was a rider attached to it. "But not in the category of luxury goods," he cautioned. His advice? Asians will have to develop skills of emotional bonding. Also, adequate brand management talent will have to be harnessed, as businesses no longer drive brands; brands drive businesses. There has to be a shift from R & D to D & D (design and development), he said.

In his presentation on `New Communications Business Model; From Asia to the World', Noriyuki Shutto, Executive Advisor, Dentsu, Japan, passionately appealed to agencies to serve clients as corporate communications partners. In a heated debate with the two panelists Eric Mower and Ramesh Narayan, Managing Director, Canco Advertising (the latter adopting a more charitable stance despite his deep understanding and knowledge of the subject!), Noriyuki Shutto insisted corporate identity took precedence over individual brand image and this should be reflected in the advertising communication too. Ultimately, Shutto and Eric Mower agreed to disagree, with Mower scoring a point mentioning Lexus which merited separate treatment by Toyota!

An interesting value-addition to the congress was an exhibition of over 60 booths showcasing a wide variety of media, marketing and communication tools and related companies and businesses. While the booths vied with each other in design, freebies and interactivity, Photolibrary stole the show with its strategically placed Heineken Beer tap that parched the throats of the delegates - a case of how to connect with the right tools!

Ad Asia will move to the Korean city of Jeju in 2007 where the spotlight will be on the convergence of digital and traditional media. See you in Jeju!

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