Run for the money.

The Standard Chartered Bank KL Marathon will be run in June. We will be organizing TEAM TBWA\TEQUILA Malaysia to have fun doing the run. Exclusively for our staff there will be cash prizes for runners who manage to do reasonable times. It’s worth starting your training now. Not everyone needs to run the whole marathon, there will be 5 km, 10km and half marathon events also:

Do 5 km in 25 minutes or less and win RM500.00
Do 10 km in 55 minutes or less and win RM1,000.00
Do the half marathon in 2hrs 20 minutes or less and win RM2000.00

And remember, you can add to the fun by designing your own running costume. For example, here’s one cheeky outfit!

Now I can tell you where to go.

I have a new app on my iPhone. It tells me where to find the nearest public loo. Another useless novelty you say? Actually no, it's another clever, brand-behavior idea. Charmin (Do you like it soft or do you like it strong?) toilet paper has been providing free, clean toilets at busy festive venues for years and last made big news when they sponsored a luxury loo in Time's Square.



And now Charmin helps Blackberry and iPhone users to go when they've gotta go. Find the whole story here.
By the way, according Sit or Squat, the nearest public loo to our office is at KLCC; so if you are out and about better give yourself plenty of time. And the cleanest ones are on the ground floor but they cost RM1. Very useful info to know.

And the winner is .... BLINK!

Last week we informed you that Blink was a finalist in the British Council's International Young Music Entrepreneur of the Year 2009. Now we are delighted to inform all of our readers that he is the winner!
A reminder about IYMEY:
IYMEY is an annual award which champions creative entrepreneurship in music, particularly in emerging markets. It is open to music entrepreneurs aged between 25 and 35 and recognises extraordinary achievement and potential. We are all very proud of you Blink.

Get your pulse back!

The all new FREEDOM website is finally up and running - sexier and sleeker than ever! Leading the kick-off for the brand new FREEDOM World is 2 Days of FREEDOM. Set to be Malaysia’s largest two day outdoor music festival with three of the world’s top 10 DJs in one venue - happening on the 29th & 30th May 2009.

Mark those dates and register online now!

Where do we draw the line?

We know that there is no longer any above-the-line versus below-the-line. And it is nearly impossible to determine if our audiences are on-line or off-line. But in these uncertain times it is always good to know where you stand. And, as Raj has discovered, these people in Gunung Brinchang in the Cameron Highlands have left you in no doubt...

Disruption cuts through, in everything we do.

We also celebrate those who dare to disrupt the conventions in their own place of work. Recently, David Holmes, a steward at Southwest Airlines in the U.S.A decided not to deliver the pre-flight safety announcement in your usual way. He took an unconventional route - he rapped it! He's now a Youtube sensation (with over 200,000 total views), and an inspiration to all of us Disruptives everywhere.

Speaking about his musical entertainment he said: "I didn't know how they were going to react, but I like to have fun at work. People started getting off the plane and said to me 'that's the first time I have listened to the emergency instructions'."

In an ABSOLUT World, you would be there too!

Tantalizing escapades to the soundtrack of pulsating beats illuminated Kuala Lumpur as ABSOLUT launched its stylish new Gift Pack at the ‘In an ABSOLUT World, Every Night is a Masquerade’ Launch Party at the Lodge Hotel on March 13th. Exclusive guests & celebrities were treated to an unforgettable night of revelry and expression, along with a chance to win some fabulous prizes in various fun activities throughout the night.

Dressed to impress, the Lodge Hotel was transformed into a whimsical but lavish playground with unique themes and personalities in a quirky and fun manner that celebrates the spirit and splendour of ABSOLUT Vodka. The vision where any night can be turned in to a glamorous masquerade and become a bit more joyful, glamorous and fun where people can embrace their glamorous side can now be realized with ABSOLUT. Expect more ABSOLUT events coming our way this year!

Just another day at the white board

Click on image to view close-up.

The Movement

F&N SEASONS has launched a new thematic campaign called "The Movement". Comprising of TV, outdoor and BTL, this new campaign injects vibrancy and youthfulness into the brand strengthening its relevance to younger consumers. The first airing appeared on 13th March 2009.

If you've not caught it on the telly yet, here's a private viewing.

Smarties Reinvented

Firstly, this brand of candy is not to be confused with the Nestle product, it is the American Smarties – very sweet, very sugary, and very easy to grind up into a fine powder. So what happens when kids reinvent a 60 year-old product? Something that the brand owners would probably wish never happened, but maybe the sales manager hopes will keep his job going for a while.

Apparently these videos have been around for a couple of years already but have only just begun to gain popularity. Coke and menthos chaser anybody?

Gold at ITB in Berlin: Take 2

The ITB in Berlin is the world's largest and most prestigious annual tourism and travel fair and this year's Gold Award to ISC is the agency group's 28th top international award for the nine-year old "Malaysia: Truly Asia" campaign, the world's most awarded tourism destination ever and which is in the running for at least two more by mid-2009.


ITB's organizing president Wolfgang Jo Huschert with ISC's Account Manager Nurul Othman (left) and Account Director Nor Amanah Latiff (right), holding ITB's Gold Award for best Print Campaign awarded to ISC's "Malaysia: Truly Asia".

Ready, Set, Go.

After weeks of intensive planning, the new Visa Go campaign from TBWA goes live today. This is the campaign that won the global Visa business for TBWA just a few months ago...

If you picked up your newspaper in KL this morning you couldn't have missed the wrap-around covers and colour launch ads. But if you haven't got to read a newspaper yet, there's no need to miss out. Here is a taste of what you will see.










The TVC has been on-air since last Friday 13th, a lucky day for Visa!

Keep the confidence, keep the momentum.

An inspiring message from Tom Carroll reminds us that we are still the best and that we are in better shape than other networks!


Click here to view video.

Malaysia Truly Asia wins Gold … again.

Is this Malaysia’s most awarded campaign of all time?
Yesterday’s Gold award from one of the world’s leading travel trade show, ITB Berlin, is the 24^th major award win in this campaign’s illustrious 8 year history.

Malaysia: Truly Asia has become a global case study for tourism promotion. Strategically and executionally it is one of the best of all time, as further proven with its Gold Award for Best Long-Term Marketing and Brand Building in last year’s Asian Marketing Effectiveness Awards.

Nor Amanah Latiff and Nurul Othman will return from Berlin next week with the trophy for Gold in the Print category. Meanwhile here’s a picture of the ad and Gold from that same festival last year where M:TA won Gold for the best online campaign in the world.

Next year …… ?

The British Council just Blink’d

10x10: Item 3. ATTRACT THE BEST AND MOST DIVERSE TALENT.

Our own Blink - DJ, Producer, Designer and Entrepreneur Extraordinaire has just been nominated as a finalist for the British Council International Young Music Entrepreuner 2009. The winner of the Malaysian national winner will compete against the world’s best young music entrepreneurs in the UK in June.

ABOUT IYME
IYMEY is an annual award which champions creative entrepreneurship in music, particularly in emerging markets. It is open to music entrepreneurs aged between 25 and 35 and recognises extraordinary achievement and potential.

The IYME 2009 Prize
The national winner will travel to the UK in May 2009 to take part in a tour of the music industry. This will include visits, meetings, and gigs in London and Manchester, an opportunity to promote the national music scene at The Great Escape music conference and festival.

The IYME 2009 winner will be announced at an awards ceremony during the UK visit. The prize will consist of a financial award of £7,500, which will be linked to the UK and tailored to the winner’s specific needs. The winner of IYME is decided based upon a presentation made by each candidate to an elite judging panel from the UK music industry.

About Blink
Blink is no stranger to the club scene in KL. At 26, he’s won awards and competitions for his turntable skills, played at international festivals such as the 2007 Global Gathering in the UK and has conceptualised and created several popular club nights - Eclectic Phunk, Mis-shapes, Hura Hura and LapSap, the last being his most successful endeavour yet. What started out as a monthly private party in the middle of the week has now diversified to include a clothing label and spin-off events: LapSap Junkyard Sales, LapSap & Co presents…’. Neither mainstream nor commercial, Blink believes that with LapSap they have created a home for the underground creative community – DJs, musicians, fashion designers, stylists, graphic designers – to channel their respective creative expressions. Blink wants people to know that there is more to music and clubbing scene than just being a DJ – there are economic and creative opportunites waiting to be made and taken.

www.blinkville.com

Welcome to the new TBWA\ TEQUILA\ Malaysia

“Welcome to the new TBWA\ TEQUILA\.”

“But this is just the creative department.”

“We’re happy that you noticed. You are correct, we are just a creative department.”

“But who looks after my account?”

“Creative people.”

“And strategy?"

“Creative people.”

“Events? PR? Production?”

“Creative.”

“And don’t tell me, - Finance is managed by creative people too?”

“Of course. And how would you like your coffee?”

“You have creative coffee?”

“Actually that’s not us, it’s San Francisco Coffee downstairs. We outsource.”

“So let me get this straight. Every function in the agency is handled by your creative department.”

“Actually we don’t have a creative department per se. We do have an Ideas Department.”

“How many in your Ideas Department?”

“As of today, February 10, 2009, 146 people.”

“That’s a very big department. And what kind of people are they?”

“Disruptive.”

“Does that cause problems?"

“It causes solutions.”

“For who?”

“For you, of course.”

“OK, I’m totally confused, but let’s get down to work anyway.”

“Welcome to the new TBWA\ TEQUILA\.”