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| Discovery Channel & Reader’s Digest partner in new magazine Under a publishing agreement, Reader’s Digest Singapore office is working with Discovery Networks Asia, to produce Discovery Channel Magazine, 112-page A4 magazine. This will be distributed mainly in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines. Pulse predicts lower consumer spending Fears of a recession in the USA and tumbling share prices have signalled a more prudent approach towards spending in 2008. In a recent poll conducted by the Pulse Group, 78% of consumers throughout Asia-Pacific said they will be spending less. Soundbuzz bought by Motorola Singapore’s Soundbuzz has been bought over by mobile giant Motorola. The company which now has offices in Singapore, Australia and India, built its business since 1999 on music downloads and mobile downloads like ring tones. Motorola is currently operating a music download service in China. SMRT adds Tunnel TV Singapore’s underground train service SMRT has introduced Tunnel TV to the network. Commuters can watch digital images through the carriage windows by synchronised LED panels in the tunnel. Several major advertisers have already signed up for the new media. 
Emphasis Media expands Singapore operation Custom publisher, Emphasis Media, has moved the Singapore staff into new offices in Bugis Village and added to its editorial and design team to handle the Singapore Airlines portfolio of magazines. National Geographic launches Wild in HK Net Geo Wild has been launched on Hong Kong Cable Television (Channel 33). What is interesting is that it is being broadcast with dual voice track options to cater for English and Cantonese speaking viewers. Blue Inc Media buys AdKom Blu Inc Media (HK) which is part of Singapore’s SPH Magazine group has acquired AdKom, which publishes Asia-Pacific Boating, China Boating, Luxury Properties and other titles which are circulated in major cities in Asia. BusinessWeek/China redesigns Executive Life BusinessWeek/China is planning to redesign its luxury lifestyle magazine Executive Life. This is in response to the growing sophistication of the readers in China. Stephen Barry, MD of Stepworks, is heading the team. Wunderman has a new Agenda Asia-based interactive specialist, Agenda, has been acquired by Wunderman. This buys the old established direct marketing agency the Agenda offices in Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Taiwan and Kula Lumpur. TNS integrate Hong Kong and Singapore The Hong Kong and Singapore business of TNS have been consolidated into the region’s International Research Centre. Wade Garland, formerly MD of the HK operation, will manage the combined entity. 
Tourism Malaysia getting close to decision M&C Saatchi and TBWA\ISC are still in the race as Tourism Malaysia slims down the contenders. The account is reportedly worth US$44 million. Star TV delivers knock out with Bruce Lee Star TV has launched a new channel dedicated to broadcasting the best Chinese movies from the 1970’s to the 1990’s. Star Chinese Movies 2 features megastars like Bruce Lee, Jet Li, Jackie Chan and Michelle Yeoh. Hong Kong Tourism Board talks to agencies After a long search, the lucky short listed agencies have reportedly been asked to attend a briefing from the Hong Kong Tourism Board. The Board will be briefing on their global business. Forbes Asia Rich List Forbes Asia has just published the Indonesia Rich List for 2007. Top of the list is Aburizal Bakrie whose net worth rose to US$5.4 billion from $1.2 billion last year when he was ranked 6th on the list. Sukanto Tanoto, owner of April, one of Asia’s largest pulp and paper makers, came second with a net worth of US$4.7 billion. StarHub media up for pitch One of Singapore’s major telecoms accounts is looking around for a new media agency. StarHub currently with Zenith is looking at MindShare, PHD and Starcom as well as the incumbent. The winner will be announced next month. Neville Brody to design D&AD Annual 2008 Neville Brody, the man who at one time revolutionised typography in Britain, has been given the prestigious task of designing the D&AD Annual for this year. People going places Iris Singapore has appointed Rob Davies and John Scott as Creative Group Heads; Chris Morley has been appointed as Managing Director, Nielsen Marketing, China; James Lofthouse has moved from TBWA Singapore to Young & Rubicam Singapore; Industry veteran, Kao Sheng Chi, has been made Senior Vice President and Country Manager of China for The New Media Group; BBH Asia Pacific has added Jimmy Neo as Design Director. He was recently at JWT Singapore; Art Director Paul Downs has joined BBH from Publicis Singapore; Coralie Cazeils has become Key Account Director with Synovate in Hong Kong moving from Ipsos France; Todd McCracken has left Grey Asia Pacific where he was Regional ECD to join Ogilvy & Mather Singapore as Country ECD; Zuji has appointed Tai Parata as Director of Marketing Asia Pacific; Neerja Wable has been appointed CEO of TNS covering India and Sri Lanka. She moves from Millward Brown; Budget airline, Tiger Airways has appointed Steve Burns at Chief Operating Officer; Roddy Yu has been promoted to Managing Director, Greater China for Edipresse Asia; Julia Lai has been promoted to Deputy General Manager at PR firm Waggener Edstrom Worldwide in Singapore; Turner Entertainment Networks has promoted Soumitra ‘Sunny’ Saha to Senior Vice President and General Manager; Debra Soon has been appointed Chief Editor, MediaCorp News and Current Affairs Division. Cecilia Lim has been appointed General Counsel for Tiger Airways in Singapore. Lisa Ong has moved from Starcom Taiwan to be OMD Singapore’s CEO. Christoph Peter-Isenmueller moves to Hong Kong as Head of Marketing Asia Pacific for Puma. ZenithOptimedia has pulled over Rubin Suardi from MindShare Indonesia. He takes on the role of Senior Manager; Turner Broadcasting has promoted Eslinda Hamzah to Senior Vice President for CNN Broadcast & Commercial Sales and Marketing and Affiliate Relations, Asia Pacific; Damien Cummings is in a newly-created position at Neo@Ogilvy of General Manager and Practice Lead, Digital Consulting; SPE Networks has appointed Jack Lim as Vice President, Advertising Sales and Marketing while Gregory Ho becomes VP and GM of Animax Asia; Pat Lim has been pushed up to Managing Director, PHD Singapore; Amanda Woo has joined Clear Channel Singapore as Marketing Manager; Saatchi & Saatchi Singapore has brought in Nathan Hackstock as Digital Creative Director while Simon Lazenby joins as Digital Business Director; Mitch Barns has been named as President, Nielsen Greater China; Hanis Harun and Barry Ooi have joined Nielsen in Malaysia; James Scanlon has joined Cheil Worldwide as Associate Creative Director in Korea. Winners 999 Pharmaceuticals in China has gone to Starcom after a three-way pitch; New World Telecom has appointed Grey Hong Kong as its agency of record. Digitas has picked up Absolut Vodka. It will handle the spirit’s digital account in China; BBDO has won the large (US$20 million) SingTel account leaving behind O&M and Bates Asia on the home stretch. Y&R held the account for 15 years and declined to repitch. DiGi Telecommunications has given Grey Malaysia US$14 million worth of business. Asia PR Werkz has been appointed PR agency for BabyTV when it launches in Singapore. M&C Saatchi has retained Australia’s Optus account reportedly worth US$52 million. China Mobile has appointed Lowe Worldwide after a pitch which included Saatchi & Saatchi, Dentsu and Ogilvy & Mather. Proximity Singapore has won the Carl Zeiss Vision account; LG China has moved its media buying and planning business from Dentsu to MindShare; OMD has retained the media business for Visa in Asia Pacific and USA after a lengthy reviews. Carat has pinched the Beiersdorf Hong Kong media business from PHD; Singapore Exhibition Services has appointed Upstream Asia as the public relations company for CommunicAsia2008 and BroadcastAsia2008. They will handle the brief in key markets across Asia Pacific and provide strategic counsel and event PR support in Singapore; Publicis has picked up the creative brief for the Nestlé China milk account; ZenithOptimedia has added projects from Dopod Mobile and Shanghai Mobile; Icon communications consultancy has been appointed public relations agency partner for the first Singapore International Water Week to be held in the Republic in June 2008. The firm also recently won Carlson Hotels Worldwide, the World Effie Festival, Siemens and the Singapore Airshow. Icon opened its Singapore office in May 2005; Pico Art International has been awarded the contract for setting up the temporary seating and hospitality suites for some of the sites around the 2008 Formula 1 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix circuit. The contract over five years is worth over $20 million; M&C Saatchi has won the Volkswagen Singapore account after a pitch between four agencies. Grey has won the Kaplan Singapore account after a three-way pitch. Kaplan, owned by The Washington Post Company, offers educational undergraduate and postgraduate courses; Bank of Communications (BOCOM) will be using Grey Shanghai for its corporate advertising. This comes after a four-way pitch. 
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