"WILL YOU MARRY ME?"

During the evening rush hour, Lee proposed to his girlfriend of 3 years, Karen Ng, at one of Clear Channel’s busiest bus shelters on Orchard Road, right in front of Dhoby Ghaut MRT. To make sure the message was not lost on Karen or anyone else, Lee proposed against a backdrop he is all too familiar with – on a Clear Channel bus shelter advertisement! Indeed a clear-cut example of a modern-day mobile proposal!  

Changi EYEs Higher Percentage of Travellers

Airport media specialist EYE is happy to announce that the number of travellers arriving in Singapore has registered 3.62 million in June this year, hitting pre-recession highs. Great news for airport advertisers, this figure is an 18.6% increase compared to June 2009 and almost 13% more than in June 2008.

Passenger growth was led by traffic to and from Southeast Asia, Northeast Asia, South Asia and North

America. Double digit growth was recorded for all these regions. Passenger traffic to Northeast Asia grew 35%, supported by more flights to Hong Kong, Macau, Taipei and Seoul. Long-haul traffic also improved, with passenger movements to North America rising 28%.

The increase in passengers is not just good news for businesses, but an indication of renewed strength in the

Singapore economy. This takes the total number of passenger movements for the first six months of the year to more than 20.2 million, an increase of 17% year-on-year, an 8% increase compared to the first halves of 2009 and 2008.

Junice Liew, Head of Marketing, EYE Singapore comments, "The substantial increase in visitors to Singapore reinforces the value of airport advertising. This spike in traffic offers advertisers greater opportunity for exposure when utilising EYE's static and digital media offerings at Singapore Changi Airport. It is a fantastic sign that travel,and subsequently business at Singapore Changi Airport is booming."

Source: Changi Airport Group Pte Ltd, June 2010

Discovery Networks Asia-Pac Launches Global Lifestyle Channel TLC this month

TLC replaces Discovery Travel & Living, reaching 133 million households in 20 countries, celebrating everyday life and special occasions by offering both new perspectives and shared experiences from real-life people in remarkable circumstances. First launched internationally in Norway on 4 March this year, it is one of the top ten channels for women aged 25-54.

Viewers can expect to enjoy TLC hit series CAKE BOSS, SAY YES TO THE DRESS and LA INK.

Heartiest congratulations from the AdLib team!

Mindshare & Starhub On The Future Of Digital Content Creation

Digital content creation recently received a boost with the launch of MDA’s Content 360 TV initiative, designed to encourage digital production studios to deliver TV and/or video productions for new media platforms. These platforms include the development of new media properties, or episodic online video programmes distributed exclusively online, in partnership with sponsors and online distribution partners.

In a ground-breaking collaboration between Mindshare and StarHub, aspiring producers and writers can discover commercial and creative opportunities of video content development beyond traditional media formats. Through MDA’s Content 360 programme in combination with Mindshare’s M-Content’s sustainable advertising and marketing model to support digital TV production on StarHub’s next-generation Internet TV platform, content producers now have a viable avenue to develop and distribute their media projects to a focused online community.

A short seminar with  Peter Diermayr, Managing Director Of Mindshare S’pore, Yeo Chun Chung, CIO And Director For Broadcast & Music At MDA, Mike Rich, CEO Asia Pac Groupm ESP and Starhub’s COO, Tan Tong Hai, will present this new initiative in digital content development at a press conference next week at MDA’s  Screening Room @ Fusionopolis.

91.3FM & Radio 100.3 offer online radio streaming

Streaming also accessible via affiliated websites

Listeners can now tune in to 91.3FM and Radio 100.3 online, not just through its respective websites at www.radio913.com and at www.radio1003.com but also across other SPH-owned websites: www.omy.sg, www.razor.tv, ww.asiaone.com, www.stomp.com.sg and www.straitstimes.com

All listeners need to do is click on the 'listen live' button(s) located on the home pages of the above websites, effectively equipping thousands of users with free unlimited access to the stations' music and diverse programme segments. Audio equipment will no longer be a necessity as everyone will be able to listen to the radio network virtually. Listeners can catch their favourite radio programmes and music 'live' at any time, any day.

This partnership not only expands listenership on radio websites, but helps strengthen its online presence. Streaming live  makes it 360 degrees in dimension, engagement with listeners is higher and offerings enriched. Following the recent increase in listenership for both radio stations, it is anticipated that online streaming will also translate into the further expansion of new listeners. Topline survey results in June 2010 showed the highest jump of 87,000 new listeners for 91.3FM and 29,000 new listeners for Radio 100.3 among its radio competitors.

(Source: AC Nielsen Radio Survey (Wave 1), 17 June 2010)

Effectively, this enables advertisers to utilise the benefits of live streaming and amplify their reach on one of the fastest growing media platforms.

Bird’s EYE View of FIFA World Cup, courtesy of Emirat

Airport media expert, EYE, is proud that its client Emirates broadcasted live coverage of the 2010 FIFA World Cup to travellers at Singapore Changi Airport and other airports worldwide.

Football fan travellers did not miss out on the World Cup action regardless whether they departed or were in transit, as Emirates screened each match live on a number of plasma screens across Terminals 2 and 3. Fans were also able to watch World Cup updates with screenings of the most recent matches when on their plane journey.

Junice Liew, Head of Marketing - Singapore, said, "This is a great example of EYE’s client, Emirates, showcasing their brand and maximising digital advertising opportunities at famous international airports such as Chan

EYE Advertising’s Looking UP!

After last’s year successful advertising campaign, global engineering conglomerate Punj Lloyd has renewed its contract for the second year in a row.

Its new campaign, ‘Punj Lloyd Group - Done. The Punj Lloyd Way’ is a six month strategy that kicked off in mid February. Ms Chiam Soon Kiam, Senior Manager, Corporate Comms commented, "We have got excellent mileage from the past Out-of-Home campaign with EYE. We had great visibility at the airport last year and hope to see another year of successful brand recall for the Punj Lloyd Group. As a global company, Asia Pacific is an important market for us. The decision to advertise with EYE gave us the desired visibility in their target markets. Also as Singapore is a preferred tourist and business hub and a preferred transit stop for travellers to US via the east, it made good business sense to advertise at Changi Airport."

EYE has more than 200 static, digital and ambient advertising opportunities across 5 terminals at Singapore Changi Airport.

Grey Group S’pore Strengthens Relationship with ESPN STAR Sports

Winning two additional regional accounts, namely ESPN HD and ESPN Player, extends Grey Group’s relationship with ESPN STAR Sports after the agency secured the ESPNEWS account in SEA last year.

Grey Group Singapore was awarded the two additional accounts without a pitch. Through-the-line campaigns are targeted for a concurrent launch this month, first rolling out in Singapore, followed by other markets in Asia.

Grey currently handles ESPN, STAR Sports and ESPNEWS brands. Well-done guys!

PurpleClick & Yolk join hands to ‘Welcome the World’

In a bid to support a new initiative ‘Singapore Welcomes the World 2010’ spearheaded by Young Business Leaders (YBL), PurpleClick Media and Yolk created a micro site www.purpleclick.com/ybl/wtw.html  to promote the nation’s hosting of upcoming international events.  

Yolk designed the logo for customization while PurpleClick created and hosts the micro site.

CEO Leonard Tan of PurpleClick was awarded the Singapore Youth Award 2010 in theEntrepreneurship  category – the highest national honour for achieving excellence in entrepreneurship. Way to go, Leonard!

MediaCorp wins 13 medals @ PromaxBDA World Gold Awards 2010

MediaCorp garnered 13 awards at the 2010 PromaxBDA World Gold Awards held from 22 - 24 June in Los Angeles, winning 4 gold, 4 silver and 5 bronze.

MediaCorp’s haul of awards came from:

- Channel 8: 1 gold, 3 silver, 1 bronze     - Channel U: 1 gold, 1 silver

- Channel 5: 1 bronze   - okto: 1 bronze  - Interactive Media 1 gold

- Marketing Communications: 1 gold, 2 bronze

PromaxBDA is the world’s premier body for marketing, promotion and design professionals working in the entertainment and information industry. With a membership of over 3,000 companies and individuals drawn from more than 70 countries, the PromaxBDA membership represents every major broadcast and cable television organization, radio, computer hardware and software corporations, internet and other emerging technology stakeholders, premier design, promotion and advertising agencies.

The PromaxBDA awards are regarded as the most prestigious awards in its field for creative endeavour.

*SCAPE & StarHub Collaborate On Developing Youth Talent & Leadership Through New Media Initiatives

*SCAPE and StarHub have embarked on a collaboration to holistically develop youth talent and leadership through a range of new media initiatives. The collaboration will focus on four strategic outcomes, namely:
·  Providing platforms to showcase youth talent;
·  Developing programmes to nurture youth leadership;
·  Championing initiatives to raise social awareness;
·  Developing youth-oriented content for new media, television and mobile platforms.

*SCAPE and StarHub's strategic partnership complements the fusion of youth development, integrated media and technology. Young Singaporeans are not only consumers of content, but increasingly, the creators of it. New media is shaped by the young blogger, social networker, film maker, aspiring dancer, cheer leader, event organizer or Facebooker. The new media projects are managed by GRID MMS, *SCAPE's appointed Managing Agent for New Media, and consolidated under a cyber youth movement called '360 Without Borders' which aims to nurture well-balanced young Singaporeans to use their talent to pursue social change and worthwhile causes.

Mr Philip Wu, CEO of GRID MMS, "Young Singaporeans today are not only consumers of new media, they are also fervent creators of content. We seek to harness the power of this trend by leveraging on StarHub's integrated media platforms to provide a stage for such content to gain a wider audience." Projects are set to be carried out at *SCAPE's 12,000 sqf new media facility - GRID New Media Studios, 6000 sqf Music Studio, 500 seater auditorium and an events area with a capacity of up to 5000 people.

GRID New Media Studios is also the headquarters of the '360 Without Borders' movement.
·  GRID New Media productions - a post production facility;
·  Grid New Media Studios - an internet broadcast studio;
·  Grid 'No Limits Café' - where young people can come together to engage in creative brainstorming, script and storyboard content as well as pre-development activities; and
·  GridNew Media Academy - where training in new media skills will be provided.

Fulford PR gets fashionable with Paragon

Paragon Shopping Centre has engaged Fulford PR on retainer to help ongoing publicity efforts as the mall relaunched itself recently. This account win comes soon after the agency clinched PR Agency of the Year – Singapore, at the recent PRISM 2010 awards.

Congrats to Linda and the Fulford team! 

Latest News - Fulford has been acquired by international innovative marketing services group, Qobliq, combining sponsorship, PR, digital and experiential marketing.

Poster Challenge Awards 2010

A total of 428 campaign posters were submitted for the Poster Challenge 2010, of which only 30 posters made the final cut.

Over a 4-week period, Clear Channel invited agency, creative and client partners to vote online for their favourite, most inspiring or simply, the best campaign posters.

AdLib’s heartiest congrats to these deserving winners:

o     My Favourite Poster: Voters’ fav was Carl’s Jr "The Big Carl" campaign by ASPAC F&B and Jaab

o     Best Creative Articulation: Coca-Cola Far East and McCann Erickson Malaysia led the category with its Coca-Cola "Open Happiness"

o     Media Planner of the Year: Celia Tan from Mindshare Singapore was recognised as a rising star and a role model

o     Campaign of the Year: Coca-Cola Far East, MEC and McCann Erickson Malaysia were awarded for Coca-Cola "Open Happiness", for the best-of-the-best and most outstanding campaign.

Nippon Paint Appoints ICON as PR Partner

ICON has been appointed the new public relations agency of record for Nippon Paint Singapore,covering media relations activities for Nippon Paint, focusing on its corporate branding and promoting the company’s vast collection of award winning paints.

ICON is also an official member of the Ketchum global network, one of the world’s largest global communications consultancies.

iphone App Extraordinaire
Chase the Dentsu iButterfly

It's an attention-getter for sure! A slice of Augmented Reality has hit iPhone users! Unveiled at the ad:tech conference by Dentsu, watch in amazement, try and catch virtual butterflies flying out of your iPhone. Cool, man, just watch the butterflies!

The next and nearest best thing are the many colourful  and different fishes swimming on this Editor's iPhone screen in 3D. Fish gazing, I call it!  A great stress-reliever.