David Blecken
May 12, 2011

Asian Marketing Effectiveness Festival opens in Shanghai

SHANGHAI - Close to 400 delegates were in attendance for the first day of the Asian Marketing Effectiveness Festival 2011 in Shanghai. The day’s sessions focused on marketing insights from around the world.

Asian Marketing Effectiveness Festival opens in Shanghai

Proceedings began with a briefing from Nielsen showing global innovation in media effectiveness research. BBH’s Charles Wigley, the content committee chairman, then set the tone by stating that the advertising industry had become regrettably conservative and was in need of new thinking.

In the first full session of the day, Rory Sutherland, vice-chairman of Ogilvy Group UK, echoed that point. Sutherland lambasted the defensive attitude he believes the marketing industry has adopted over the years, and advocated greater emphasis on psychology and understanding of human behaviour in the development of marketing initiatives to promote truly effective business results.

Next up, Charlie Robertson, founder of Red Spider, presented models for icon building and speed planning, as well as the case for working remotely where possible as an agency.

Robertson’s session was followed by an in-depth presentation by Gurdeep Puri, co-founder of the effectiveness partnership. Puri outlined the requirements for building a culture of effectiveness into an organisation. He said that in order for marketing to be effective, the function needed to be aligned fully with other areas of a business - in particular the financial department, with clear effectiveness goals a consideration before the development of any initiative.

This was followed by a session from Mark Earls, founder of Herd Consulting. Earls argued that marketing typically focused too heavily on changing the behavioural patterns of individual consumers, when the average consumer is motivated not by individual thought but by the behaviour of others.

The afternoon included presentations from Chuck Brymer, president and CEO of DDB Worldwide; Peter Field, honorary fellow and consultant for the IPA in the UK; and John Gerzema, chief insights officer of Y&R Group.

Brymer’s presentation highlighted the continuing need for creativity - in particular creativity based on motivating social groups - in driving effectiveness. In his session, Field drew on the analysis of close to 1,000 effectiveness case studies to show that common practice in marketing does not necessarily equal best practice and that existing models can actually undermine effectiveness.

Gerzema then explored ways of creating powerful brands for the modern world. Having achieved differentiation, it was a brand’s responsibility to maintain it, he said, adding that he believed ‘consumers’ had become ‘customers’ who invest in brands rather than buying their products; similarly, he said marketing should not be an individual department, but a way of thinking within a company.
 

Source:
Campaign Asia

Related Articles

Just Published

1 day ago

Agency Report Cards 2024: We grade 25 APAC networks

The grades are in for Campaign Asia's 22nd annual evaluation of APAC agency networks. Subscribe to read our detailed analyses.

1 day ago

Publicis Groupe acquires influencer agency Captiv8

Captiv8 will join forces with the group's Influential and Epsilon.

1 day ago

Agency Report Card 2024: EssenceMediacom

In a difficult year underlined by restructuring and turmoil within parent company GroupM, the world’s largest media agency still holds many of the keys to mount a stronger rebound in 2025.

1 day ago

Disney sets sail: VP Sarah Fox on the brand’s ...

With localised strategy, strong fan engagement, and Disney’s knack for storytelling, Cruise Line will make its maiden voyage in December 2025. Campaign speaks exclusively with VP and regional GM Sarah Fox ahead of Campaign 360 next week.