Our most feared competitor, TIME!

wow... it has been nearly 1.5 months since my last blog entry. despite the unstable economy and uncertain future ahead, there is plenty of work to be done. i've been occupied with back-to-back events, new projects, personal errands, and the list goes on...

i have been involved in quite a bit of new biz pitches and brainstorming sessions lately. and i feel i am running out of creative juice. being creative and coming up with big ideas for clients is my day-to-day job, which could pose challenges to some (e.g. accountants and ibankers, no offense). there is never a "best idea" because like the chinese saying goes, "the is always another higher mountain". we are not competing with other creative agencies to win a business, but rather, competing with time, time to come up with something to boost the "wow" factor when the client hears our idea.

if we had all the time in the world, we could use this time to look for ideas, get insights, be creative to come up with a kick-ass campaign. but we don't... so the only way to compete with time is to use it to read, to see, to converse, to listen, to experience, to come up with the big idea that is slightly better than the one prior. this is a really difficult task and often times, an around the clock commitment.

for a financial consultant, his or her job ends at 4:10pm when the stock market closes, but for creative consultants, it doesn't really end at all...

Billion, clever DM stunt!

A Brand That Speaks For Itself

instead of talking about how great the 3g iphone is, highlighting the specs and talk about what everyone else is talking about, i would like to look at this from a marketer's perspective.

apple has simply created not just an iconic brand, but a lifestyle which everyone is after. the introduction of the macbook air, ipod and iphone are great examples of how apple has turned its products around to becoming must haves.

i am sure not how much apple spends on advertising, pr, online, etc., but i believe majority of publicity is self-generated by end-users / consumers who are in love with the brand. let me give you some examples of the buzz that has generated after steve jobs made the announcement of the 3g iphone at the apple's worldwide developers conference.

source: blogpulse

source: google trends

source: factiva (iphone mentions)

source: factiva (apple mentions)

there you have it. apple has done it again. for those that weren't able to wait for the 3g version and got the aftermarket 2g version, time to upgrade?

We Are Blushing

if you can't read the fine print, it reads:

we seem to have scooped all the 'agency of the year' awards for advertising, direct and digital marketing and public relations in hong kong last year as well as winning asia-pacific awards for best creative agency, best network agency and best one-to-one agency. which means we left hardly anything for anyone else. sorry, guys. having said that which, our team couldn't have done it without our clients. so many thanks to each and every one of you. forgetting to express our appreciation for your help and support would give us a reason to blush.

this was a full-page ad that ran in scmp. what a creative way to pat ourselves on the back for a job well-done.

An Award-Winning Ad Campaign

reason:
- delivers the message
- concept is fresh
- simple to execute
- most importantly, cost effective

Calvin Klein towers Victoria Harbor

calvin klein launched its biggest outdoor campaign in the world, a 27-story billboard across the former ritz carlton in central, hong kong. very kool!