PR delegates add to 'innovative ideas' at MediaWorks

The event was held from 10 to 13 July at the Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel & Towers. It was the ninth running of the specialised training course and conference, and the first time that delegates from PR agencies have attended.

The 121 delegates from 12 countries were joined by chairperson Torie Henderson, president of global account management at Omnicom Media Group, and 10 industry leaders who acted as mentors during the competitive pitch for mobile-phone maker HTC.

The mentors were:

• Rob Campbell, regional head of strategy, Wieden+Kennedy, China
• Gautam Dutt, managing director, digital services, Havas Media
• Malcolm Hanlon, COO Asia-Pacific, ZenithOptimedia
• Audrey Kuah, CEO, Aegis Media Singapore
• Swapna Nayak, regional communications planning director, IPG Mediabrands
• Jeremy Paul, managing partner, Ignition Factory, Omnicom Media Group
• John Sintras, director, SMG global experience product and chairman, SMG Australia
• Lee Smith, CEO, platforms, Asia-Pacific, Omnicom Media Group
• Neil Stewart, CEO, Asia-Pacific, Maxus
• Jon Wright, head of analytics and insight, APAC, MEC

The event started off with a one-day conference, utilising the skills and knowledge of the mentors and event sponsors, on topics such as insights, strategy, ideas and pitch presentation.

HTC regional media director Lori Becker then asked the 10 teams to come up with a strategy that involved paid, owned and earned channels, with the theme 'Exceptional', for the launch of the new HTC One.

The teams and their mentors then had 36 hours to come up with ideas that they pitched to the judging panel on the third afternoon. Two finalist teams were announced on the same night at a dinner celebration.

“The event showed off some amazing talent, and I left with innovative ideas,” Becker said.

The winning team, crowned on the final day, was the black team, which was mentored by Campbell before a surprise midnight leadership switch on the third night and by Smith afterwards. The team's campaign focused on strengthening the company's brand position with the element of "Instant Awesome" spanning activation, PR and events. The team's consumer insight was that 'expectionals' feel a tension between their projected identity and their hidden true self. HTC closes the gap between the two, helping them maximise their potential.