MEC News desk RSS

Slow to take off, but YOG did resonate with 61% of young people

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 16:34:00 +0100

MEC a leading media agency, today reveals post-YOG research conducted immediately at the end of the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games (27 August to 1 September).

It demonstrates that three in five of 13-24 year olds who were surveyed expressed positive sentiment towards the event, with close to a quarter 'loving' it. See Chart 1.

Chart 1

The Games did not start off on a positive note though - interest was lukewarm according to a poll conducted by Channel News Asia, where an overwhelming 88% conveyed their apathy towards the inaugural event in Singapore. In a social media monitoring exercise that was carried out by MEC to examine the sentiments online, it was observed that buzz in the social media sphere built up as the Games commenced and culminated towards the last few days. See Chart 2.

Chart 2

Additionally, the research shows that the YOG was a roaring success with young people, with 72% feeling proud that Singapore hosted the YOG and 75% believing that the YOG has given Singapore somewhat of a boost. See Chart 3.

Chart 3

38% of young people have attended an on-ground event - be it the opening or closing ceremony or any of the sports events - and a good majority among this group attended the events voluntarily. See Chart 4

Chart 4

Compared with other events, the significance of the YOG has always been its emphasis on education instead of competition. The main goal was to give the youth education based on Olympic values - friendship, excellence and respect. Several engagement events have been crafted specially for this purpose and young Singaporeans expressed keen interest in them, especially YOG Theme Song "Everyone" sung by five youths representing the five different continents and the Journey of the Youth Olympic Flame. See Chart 5

Chart 5

With the strong performance of our table tennis and soccer teams, it is no surprise that these are the sports that are eagerly followed. Similarly, the social media space is abuzz with mentions of 'table tennis and the 'football'. See Charts 6 and 7.

Chart 6

Chart 7 - Keywords that are highly popular online

"Despite some initial controversy, the YOG ended on a high note during the closing ceremony two weeks ago. The research results are a testament to the success of the event in reaching out and engaging with young people," said Connie Chan, Managing Director, MEC Singapore.

MEC claims first Boomerang award for “Ultimate Schick Boy”

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 16:25:00 +0100

Leading media agency MEC, today announced its first ever Boomerang Award for their Schick Exacta 2's digital campaign, "Ultimate Schick Boy".

The campaign won a bronze in the Websites/Microsites category at the awards held in August as part of the Internet & Mobile Marketing Association of the Philippines (IMMAP) convention.

Now in its fourth year, the Boomerang Awards recognizes great innovations in online/mobile campaigns in the Philippines and rewards brands that build their businesses and achieve their marketing goals using these channels.

MEC was the only media agency to win in this year's Boomerang Awards, other winners were from digital publishers and suppliers, creative agencies and digital boutiques.

The winning submission from MEC Interaction, the agency's digital specialists - "Ultimate Schick Boy" - centered around the search for the next male heart-throb via a branded website to exemplify Schick's qualities of being cool, free-spirited, and fresh looking. It was also intentionally a play on the words "Schick Boy" and meant to latch on to the local phrase "chick boy". Social networking sites disseminated the promo mechanics of the contest and also became an avenue for students and faculty to cheer on their campus favorites. The entry had digital at the heart of its campaign and as the central communication platform.

Leon Uy, head of MEC Interaction said: "Through MEC Interaction, MEC is eyeing to include more submissions and innovations to next year's Boomerang Awards. The power of technology and the internet in our everyday lives has increased tremendously and the evolution of brand marketing is just beginning. It is within these emerging platforms of endless possibilities that MEC Interaction aims to help our clients further their business goals."

MEC releases annual book of award-winning cases

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 14:10:00 +0100

MEC has released its annual book of award-winning case studies, "Inspiring People, Exceptional Results," which is available for download here

The case studies demonstrate how MEC delivered impressive sales results for clients. They include: 2.7 million packs of gum sold for Wrigley and a 148 percent increase in rum sales for Bacardi.

"These campaigns prove without a doubt that Active Engagement delivers exceptional results and outstanding value for our clients, all around the world." said Charles Courtier, MEC's Global Chief Executive Officer (http://www.mecglobal.com/about-us/our-team/charles-courtier).

The 11 case studies highlighted in "Inspiring People, Exceptional Results" were chosen from 200 entries globally that were submitted in MEC's 2009 internal 'Global Ideas' competition and judged by MEC's executive team. This year marks the eighth annual release of the book.

One notable case from the US demonstrates how MEC restored the relevance of the Goldfish brand with an engaging, data-driven communications plan. Using the consumer insight that kids aged eight and up are increasingly embracing the Internet as an entertainment source over television, MEC created an online space in partnership with Nickelodeon, the Goldfish Zone. The Goldfish Zone featured Goldfish-themed activities and games and a chat function that allowed kids to interact with their virtual friends. Visitors to the site spent an average of 5.36 minutes per game per week, and the campaign yielded a 7 percent increase in new purchasers.

Please visit http://www.mecglobal.com/inspiring-people to view additional campaign results.

MEC Singapore announces two new hires

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 15:24:00 +0100

MEC Singapore, a leading media agency, today announced two new hires.

Ann Lim is appointed as Regional Director for Global Solutions, the agency's division of international media specialists. She will be reporting directly to Connie Chan, Managing Director of MEC Singapore. Ann will be responsible for providing thought leadership and driving integrated planning work for clients such as Michelin, Singapore Tourism Board and the Economic Development Board.

Ann joins MEC with in-depth experience of delivering integrated marketing solutions for brands. She started her career in creative agencies where she spent 6 years building her experience in various industries such as automotive, finance and FMCG. She has also spent the last 5 years in brand marketing roles with Daimler and MasterCard.

Teh Siew Yee joins as Analytics Director with MEC Interaction. He will work with the team to ensure that digital and data is fully integrated throughout all areas of the business and to deliver best-in-class analytics for clients.

Siew Yee joins MEC from HP where he spent more than 10 years working in analytics functions. His last role was leading a team of marketing analysts across various products and marketing groups.

Connie Chan, Managing Director, MEC Singapore said: "We are delighted that both Ann and Siew Yee have joined the team in Singapore. At MEC, we continue to evolve our approach for clients and we are committed to bringing the very best talent to MEC."

Both appointments are effective immediately and both will be based in Singapore.

MEC Australia makes key senior hires

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 13:58:00 +0100

MEC Australia has announced the appointments of James Hier, as Chief Strategy Officer, and Tim Knight, as Chief Innovation Officer. Both will report to Peter Vogel, MEC Australia's National Managing Director.

James Hier will lead MEC Australia's strategy, Analytics and Insight teams.

He joins MEC having spent the past 5 years working for the Global Unilever Marketing Academy as their lead consultant for IBC (Integrated Brand Communications). Over this time, James has been a content developer, trainer and brand strategy facilitator for the Academy. He ran live brand development and growth workshops in 23 countries across 6 continents - making him an accomplished global marketing specialist. Prior to this role James was Managing Director and Chief Strategy Officer at Nota Bene, South Africa's number 1 communications planning agency working with clients such as Unilever, Diageo and Cadbury.

In addition to working at Unilever, James has also developed global brand strategies for Heineken and SABMiller in a number of markets international markets.

James Heir said: "I am very excited to team up with MEC and Peter Vogel again. I have always admired MEC's strategic focus and I now look forward to developing work that drives genuine business results for our great portfolio of client partners in Australia."

Tim Knight is charged with leading MEC Interaction, MEC's digital, social, search and direct specialism.

Tim began his digital career at the University of Kent in Canterbury (UK), as the organising blogger and content developer. He graduated and moved to Radley Yeldar Design in London where he launched their online creative offer. In 2004, Tim moved to Australia and spent 4 years with Tequila, rising to become National Managing Director. Under his tenure he grew the business from a small digital team of 8 people to a company of over 50. He has a deep digital expertise having worked across brands such as Diageo, Egg, Virgin Money, Mars, Nissan, Pacific Brands, eBay and Apple.

Tim Knight said: "MEC's strategic approach, its focus on digital and its access to analytics and insight is what enticed me to move onto the media agency side of the industry. I am impatient to start working with the team."

Peter Vogel, MEC's National Managing Director said: "I believe that the most important ingredient for success in our industry is PEOPLE. This is how I have built and grown successful businesses before - by attracting the best talent in the market. After a long search, I am delighted that I have now appointed James and Tim. They are both at the pinnacle of their respective fields and are exceptional talents and are both fantastic additions to the team here in Australia."

MEC Indonesia welcomes home Achie Francia-Munar

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 16:30:00 +0100

MEC, a leading media agency, announced today that Achie Francia-Munar has been appointed Executive Director MEC Indonesia, which is one of the network's fastest growing operations, with clients such as Telkomsel, SONY, Pizza Hut, Citibank, Wrigley and Singapore Airlines.

Achie will oversee the Agency product to MEC's key clients as well as leading MEC Trading for Indonesia and will work as part of agency's senior management on structure, product offer and new business strategies.

Her appointment is effective September 1st and she will report directly to Jaydeep Chaudhuri, the country head for MEC Indonesia.

Originally from the Philippines, Achie is a stalwart of the Indonesian media scene having worked in Indonesia since 1996 in leading organizations like Matari, Initiative and Zenith Optimedia prior to taking over MEC Philippines in 2007 as managing director. She left in 2009 to return to Indonesia and set up Optima Media Dinamaika (the combined media buying company for OMD, DDB, JC&K and Optima) as managing director.

Jaydeep Chaudhuri said: "Achie's appointment shows our genuine commitment to invest in top quality senior talent for the benefit of our clients. With her arrival we will be better placed to develop and drive our clients' approach across all platforms - especially now that we have launched market-leading practices in Outdoor and Digital, complimenting our Active Engagement philosophy. I am genuinely excited to have Achie as part of the growing MEC Indonesia team."

MEC Indonesia has been a industry front-runner in Indonesia in the recent past being crowned the undisputed "New Biz Champion - 2009" by R3, an independent media auditor and launching MEC Outdoor with offices in 8 cities across Indonesia.

Explosive homepage takeover leads Expendables launch

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 16:00:00 +0100

MEC Interaction, MEC's specialist digital, social, search and direct response business has developed a digital campaign to drive awareness and ticket sales for the launch of Lionsgates's latest film, The Expendables, which is currently number 1 at the US box office.

Following a range of previous activity including trailers running across Facebook, YouTube and SkySports, the Yahoo! homepage takeover on the 20 August will mark the nationwide launch of the film two days before.

The takeover is one of the most ambitious of its kind; integrating 3D and available video content from The Expendables trailers on Yahoo!'s homepage, boldly drawing the user into the advert. The adventurous animation and narrative of the takeover is designed to reflect the quality and tone of the action-packed movie, and reward the user for their interest by giving them relevant, fun, interactive content. A Yahoo! mobile homepage takeover will take place on the same day.

The activity will target internet-savvy 15-34 males with trailers running across Facebook, YouTube, Gaming sites and Sky sports. It will also be extended across a wider audience across technology sites, on mobile and MSN Messenger.

The digital strategy is a core strand within the fully integrated marketing campaign for the launch of the movie. The digital campaign supports a substantial TV campaign, including a high profile promotion on Channel 5, as well as a sizeable press and outdoor presence, which will see The Expendables artwork posted on large format sites and buses Nationwide. Additionally, radio ads will run Nationwide with promotions across Talksport, Kiss & Big City, as well as numerous Brand promotions and tie-ins to support the ATL activity.

Ross Cunningham, Head of Marketing at Lionsgate, comments: "Our team at MEC Interaction has a proven track record of ground-breaking digital marketing solutions, and we look forward to developing a truly creative and targeted digital plan with them to launch The Expendables in the UK. We are excited to be involved in creating innovative digital stand out for this project with the explosive and bespoke Yahoo homepage takeover."

Liz Cheeseman, Account Manager, MEC Interaction said: "We are very excited about the UK launch of The Expendables. MEC Interaction continually strives to push the boundaries with its digital campaigns and Lionsgate is always open to big ideas. The Expendables takeover of the Yahoo homepage is the biggest of its kind and really plays on the action-packed concept of the film. We are looking forward to seeing how users react."

To view the Yahoo! homepage takeover please click here

MEC appoints Paul Hutchison

Sun, 22 Aug 2010 15:56:00 +0100

MEC, a leading media agency, has bolstered its senior client service team with the hiring of Vizeum Managing Partner, Paul Hutchison as Client Service Director.

Hutchison joined Vizeum in 1991, leaving in 2005 to work at creative agency DLKW and Partners as Planning Director on The AA business before returning to Vizeum in 2006.

At MEC, he will work alongside the agency’s four Client Service Directors who between them have the responsibility of overseeing all of MEC’s client relationships.

His appointment follows an extremely successful period for MEC, with a string of new business wins across the last few years, that has seen them rise steadily in the rankings.

Steve Hatch, MEC UK’s MD commented: ‘Paul has been in our sights for quite some time and we are delighted that he’s joining us. He has first-class senior client handling experience and also great strategic credentials too. Paul’s appointment underlines our commitment to continue investing in talent and resource as the agency grows in size.’

Colgate Max Fresh launches digital activation TV partnership

Sun, 22 Aug 2010 15:47:00 +0100

MEC, a leading media agency, is working with Colgate to create an integrated campaign for one lucky person to win the opportunity to be a TV presenter and to help launch Colgate's new toothpaste - Max Fresh with Mouthwash Beads.

The integrated campaign has been created in collaboration with MEC Access and MEC Interaction, and includes an online hub using the MySpace platform to house the competition entry and to further cement Colgate Max Fresh with new music talent. The entry mechanism for the competition is also housed on the myspace platform and consumers can enter by uploading a video of themselves on www.myspace.com/maxfreshuk.

To bridge the gap between the launch of the competition and the Q Awards in October, bespoke content will be created for the Colgate page via music blogger Gill Mills. Each day, MySpace users will be encouraged to discover new music from Colgate's Fresh Track of the Day.

The winner will appear in a spot that will run on 4Music in November, and will also win the chance to present at the Q Music Awards 2010 via an on-air promotional spot. The sixty-second advert will be produced by Box TV.

Mike Norris, Brand Manager - Experiential, Colgate, said: "While we were keen to align Colgate Max Fresh with music, MEC came up with a truly integrated and bespoke offering to tap into this audience in a completely different way. We are excited to launch our new toothpaste with this inspired campaign, and look forward to viewing the entries."

Beatrice Boue, Business Director, MEC adds: "MEC created the idea for this campaign based on consumer insights to deliver a TV led partnership with significant digital activation. It is an excellent example of how TV sponsorship can reach further than a simple badging exercise, and demonstrates the capabilites of combining the talents across our agency teams to deliver an innovative solution for Colgate."

MEC Malaysia scoops LiLian Hor

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 15:43:00 +0100

MEC, a leading media agency, announced today that LiLian Hor has been appointed to lead MEC Interaction Malaysia, MEC's digital, search and direct specialist unit.

The appointment is effective immediately and LiLian will report directly to Law (CK) Chan Keong, MEC's Managing Director and Ben Poole, head of MEC Interaction Asia Pacific.

LiLian will be responsible for client service across the agency along with the strategic planning development of their business, specifically the integration of digital within communications for brands.

LilLan brings ten years experience in client service and strategic digital planning, having worked at Ruumznation SDN BHD, and Mindshare Malaysia with clients such as Epson, Nike, Heineken, Volvo and Samsung. Her deep knowledge of digital platforms puts LiLian in an ideal position to bring brands closer to the digital world, while integrating their solutions across all media.

Law Chan Keong, Managing Director MEC Malaysia said: "LiLian's appointment shows our genuine commitment to invest in senior digital talent for the benefit of our clients. With her arrival we will be better placed to develop and drive our clients' approach in the digital space. I am genuinely excited to have LiLian as part of the MEC Malaysia team."