Opinion

The week in review: Why Asia’s rising stars need a ‘backpacker mentality’ | ‘Sickening’ mock MH370 ad | Brands slammed on national TV in China | MediaCom wins network of the year | Twitter turns eight | Bitcoin appeals to publishers | Two global jobs land in Asia

Mumbrella Asia logoIn a week that began with foreigns brands being humiliated on national TV in China, Mindshare’s Pete Mitchell returned to Asia to a global role at Mondelēz International, a media agency turned hashtags into electricity, and an a Chinese e-commerce website entered the Guinness Book of Records for selling 60,000 boxes of milk in an hour.

Story of the week

Brands such as Nikon, BreadTalk and Ozmilko were hung out to dry on a national broadcast on China’s CCTV to mark World Consumer Rights Day.

Quotes of the week

MH370 mock adA Singapore blog, Temasek Review, published an offensive pastiche Malaysia Airlines ad mocking the missing MH370 flight with a tagline that read:

Lose yourself on a journey of epic proportions

Jeffrey Seah, Starcom Southeast Asia’s CEO, gives one attribute locals need to make it to the top of agency networks in Asia:

You need to have a backpacker mentality – the ability to understand a place in ten days. If you have a package tour mentality, you won’t last. You need to be comfortable in uncomfortable situations.

Deepali Naair, CMO of India’s Mahindra Holidays and Resorts, told online advertisers at Ad:Tech in New Delhi to stop fretting about low internet penetration in India:

Does it matter when India reaches 500 million internet users? The current 200m probably control 90 per cent of disposable income.

In an interview with Mumbrella, MediaCom’s global boss Stephen Allan said:

I get the sense that some people do not want foreigners coming into their market and taking local jobs, although at the same time these same people want the opportunity to work overseas.

Bitcoin boss Peter Vessenes suggested why publishers should embrace the virtual currency for their paywalls:

People would rather pay with Bitcoin than give their personal information to a publisher.

Rita Nguyen, founder of Myanmar’s first social network Squar, is asked if there will ever be another market like Myanmar in Asia in an interview with Mumbrella:

North Korea is another market of similar potential

In response to an opinion piece headlined ‘Where have all the planners gone?’ by strategy honcho Neil Cotton, an unnamed planner has an explanation of her own:

The real planners are working, not throwing their weight around like fading rockstars

Ken Mandel

Ken Mandel

HootSuite’s Ken Mandel told Mumbrella why marketers are still making bad mistakes in social media:

Because it’s real time marketing. Imagine if actors only had one take to get it right in a live TV commercial.

Andy Baker, CEO of wearable tech firm SmartLife, got real about the latest phenomenon to excite marketers at Festival of Media Asia, pointing out that one challenge is that there are 76 different sizes of bra:

No one wants a fridge that advertises to them.

Brand Malaysia takes another hit in the wake of the MH370 mystery. Spotted on Reddit:

Malaysia should rename their country to Delaysia.

BBC Asia’s business correspondent Linda Yueh of the BBC had a challenge for Festival of Media Asia delegates:

Whoever can explain how Heathrow made it on to a list of the world’s best airports wins a spot on my next show.

Mondelez International’s newly appointed global media innovations director Pete Mitchell talks about the creeping hand of procurement at Festival of Media Asia:

They get involved very early and you feel their hand upon your shoulder.

George Patten, global MD of Accenture, at a session on payment at Festival of Media Asia:

Is it healthy that procurement departments are incentivised through cost savings?

An ad agency boss’s reason for why he is not based in Singapore:

I need stimulus.

Best work

Tata. The tea brand supports women’s rights in India as elections approach.

Dulux. BBH has a point to make about “colour prohibition”.

Bata. A look at life from below the knee.

Royal Dutch Guide dog Association. Guide dogs are not just for people who can’t see.

Samsung. More rival-bashing.

Worst ad

Your customers may have an eye for success, Hong Kong Broadband Network, but what about your ad agency?

Hong Kong Trader ad

Best-read story on Mumbrella

Temasek Review flamed for mock MH370 ad

Top media and marketing headlines

Good week for… 

MediaCom and Zenith Optimedia. The GroupM giant won media network of the year at Festival of Media Asia, while Zenith topped RECMA’s ranking of the most successful media agencies in Asia in pitches.

Yihaodian. The Chinese grocery website entered the Guinness Book of Records for selling 60,000 boxes of imported milk in one hour.

Martin SorrellSir Martin Sorrell. The WPP boss received GBP22.7m (US$37.5m) in company shares.

Asia as a marketing and media power hub. Two executives were handed Asia-based global roles – Pete Mitchell was named global media innovations director at Mondelēz International and Jean Lin was appointed global CEO of digital agency Isobar.

Twitter. The microblogging site founded eight years ago today (it launched later, on 15 July 2006) now has around 200 million active users and 2,700 staff.

Bad week for…

Press freedom in Vietnam. Prominent blogger Pham Viet Dao was jailed for “abusing democratic freedoms to infringe the interests of the state”. The 62 year-old had written posts that criticised the government and covers issues such as a territorial dispute with China.

ViiV billboard

The reputation of Japan for tolerance. A billboard in a gay district in Tokyo was censored after complaints about an HIV awareness campaign.

Prediction for next week

Consolidation begins in the programmatic buying space in Singapore, with the merger of two players.

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