An industry Christmas List Pt.1

(Marketingmagazine.com.my) – By: Malati Siniah

While Christmas may be over, many of us are still in the holiday spirit (or nursing that hangover).
As we gear up for 2017 we managed to catch up with Malaysia’s industry heads to hear from them their hopes for the New Year….

An outspoken thought leader Girish Menon CEO, GroupM had this to say about the growth of his agency.

“I would like the growth of the agency to come from more diversity…diversity of talent (by race, by capability, by personality), diversity of products & services (covering everything from data to content) and diversity of clients (large volume, process-oriented clients to smaller, maverick, risk-taking clients)”

What he wished clients would ask more of the New Year?

“I would like client marketers to ask their CFOs for more budgets to invest in two areas. One is to create better content assets for digital platforms and the second is in data analytics and predictive modelling to assist in marketing decision making.”

Finally, what are the changes he hopes 2017 will bring to the industry?

“I would like to see the industry (both agencies and clients) be willing to take risks, accept failure and try out new, untested tactics & platforms based on gut feel, even if there is insufficient data to support the decision.”

Not once to mince his words Astro’s Henry Tan had this to say on the changes he wished to see happening within the marketing industry…

“To stop buying cheapest, to pay for top solutions and to grow value (rather than madly cutting cost)”

When asked what he wished to see more from his agency Henry echoed the statement he made during his Keynote speech at the inaugural APPIES Malaysia awards,

“Media and creative agencies truly work together to provide effective breakthrough solutions!”

Thanking his advertisers, agencies and business partners for a great year, Henry emphasised that to keep up with changing times ‘Media companies need to keep innovating and redefine their value proposition in the fast changing and increasingly “borderless” world.’

The man who made headlines this year the insightful Andreas Vogiatzakis of CEO of Havas Media Group Malaysia had this to say about his plans for the agency,

“We are a startup and as such, we have high aspirations, but we are also grounded in reality at the same time. My aim for growth is in quality, not quantity.

Our conversations are with like-minded clients and people, who will become long-term partners, rather than based on a transnational relationship.”

His hope for the industry in 2017?

“My wish would be for more focus on quality than quantity. 2017 should bring braver, bolder and better campaigns that change the game and refocus our minds.

Less price-driven reviews and more value creation via creative thinking and executions than just cutting prices.”

Stay tuned tomorrow for Pt.2….

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An afternoon of conversations we never had, with leaders most of you never met.

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