Look out for the latest issue of Campaign Brief Asia out now and available at AdFest 2011
The latest edition of Campaign Brief Asia is out and will hit the desks of subscribers this week. It is also available at AdFest – held in Phuket this Thursday through to Saturday.
The issue contains a spotlight on the current state of creativity in Singapore agencies. Singapore’s award haul at Cannes last year was a paltry eight Lions. That performance alone is indicitive that, creatively, all is not good in a country that prides and judges itself on it’s international standing. Our story talks to 10 of Singapore’s creative leaders to see if there is an end to this form slump.
The issue also carries an interview with Steve Back, who in January this year left Saatchi & Saatchi Sydney to join Ogilvy Singapore as Chief Creative Officer.
Here’s another great story this issue – the legendary Neil French picks his all-time “Singapore Agency Dream Team”. Read who French rates as the best he has worked with during his time in the Singapore ad industry.
Plus lots more – contact your local distributor of Campaign Brief Asia and order your copy now (click the link below).
Hong Kong
Basheer Design Books
1/F Flat A, Island Building
439-441 Hennesy Road
Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
Tel: (852) 2126 7533
Email: basheer@netvigator.com
Keng Seng Trading & Co Ltd
Contact: Jessica Yau
1/F Winner Commercial Building
401-403 Lockhard Road
Hong Kong
Tel: (852) 2591 1068
Email: Jessica@kengseng.com
India
SBD Subscription Service
Attention: Ajay Dhingra
51/1 New Market,
Near Liberty Cinema
Karol Bagh
New Delhi 110005 India
Tel: (91 11) 572 3138
Email: sbds@bol.net.in
Indonesia
Basheer Graphic Books
Dilantai 4.02Plaza Block M
Jalan Bulungan, Jakarta
Tel: (6221) 720 9151
Korea
Yi Sam Sa
Attention: Hee Cheol Kwak
66-11 Kyungwoon-dong
Jongro-gu Seoul 110-310
South Korea
Tel: (822) 735 3002
Fax: (822) 734 4415
Email: yss23k@kornet.net
Malaysia
The Other Bookstore
Attention: Haja Deen
L2.33a Tropicana City Mall
No3 jalan SS20/27 Petaling Jaya 47400
Selangor, Malaysia
Tel/Fax: (603) 7710 5405
Email: hajaotherbookstore@yahoo.com
Philippines
Adobe Magazine
Attention: Angel Guerrero
Tel: (+632) 8450218
Fax: (+632) 8450217
Mobile: (+63) 9209005609
Singapore
Basheer Graphic Books,
Contact: Abdul Nasser
#04-19, Bras Basah Complex,
BLK 231, Bain Street,
Singapore 180 231
Tel: (65) 6336 0810
Fax: (65) 6334 1950
Email: abdul@basheergraphic.com
Taiwan
Far Go Chen Co., Ltd.
Attention: Steven LIU
1F, No. 24 Lane 279 Fu Hsing South Road Sec. 1
Taipei, 10665 Taiwan ROC
Tel: +886-2 2704-3118
Fax: +886-2-2704-8396
Email: Fargo899@ms35.hinet.net
Thailand
Basheer Design Books
998/7 Soi Sukhumvit 55
Sukhumvit Street Wattana
Bangkok 10110
Tel: (662) 391 9814
Email: thai@basheergraphic.com
Also it can be ordered from any Asia Books retail outlet in Bangkok.
Email: Patcharee_J@asiabooks.com
6 Comments
Singapore is better in terms of creatives as compared to some other asian countries. We aren’t that bad. All we need to do is pull our socks and work a little harder.
The question ‘Can Singapore bounce back?’ rather assumes Singapore was ‘there’ to start with.
If you exclude scams, Singapore’s creative output has never been more than average for a retail bucket shop. And yes, I have worked in Singapore and have the gongs from outrageous scams to prove it. It was compulsory. Meanwhile no one gave a shit that I was also trying to improve the work of my actual clients.
Well summarised, 1:44 PM.
They will need to scam better, that’s why they got Steve Back. Suits are bad, can’t sell anything plus they dont have to.
Exactly 11.31.
Stephen Mangham is one of the best and smartest MDs it’s been my pleasure to work with. But there is simply no one below him. The junior suits seem get no guidance at all, though getting rid of Mark Wong had to a step in the right direction. I do not know why Stephen has done so little to bring others on, but there you are.
One reason why creatives there produce initiatives so much is that awards are considered to be entirely their responsibility. No one else’s. Suits and planners are under no pressure at all to do good – yet alone award level – work. They are there to keep the client happy and spending in the short term. With that disconnect, the only way creatives CAN do work that isn’t absolute crap is to do it without the planners (who are fuck useless, all think they’re CDs, and – last time I looked – actually outnumbered the creative dept) and the equally useless suits.
That means initiatives. Or only have the shit Ogilvy actually publishes in your book. And that seriously bad shit.
In other markets, it is the entire agency’s job to do good work. It is not easy, but it is the only way to do good, real, work that advances the client’s marketing objectives as well as the careers of the creatives. That sure as fuck does not happen at Ogilvy
To change that, creatives don’t need to ‘pull their socks up’. The agency – and the industry in Singapore and beyond – needs a complete DNA transplant.
Stunningly, the powers that be on this site left the words ‘shit’ and ‘fuck’ in my post above but changed ‘scams’ to initiative. No I did not mean initiative work. Initiative work is initiated by the agency but is then taken to the client. Scams are work the client probably never sees, or allows so long as the public do not see them.