IAS AR 2004 - Institute of Advertising Singapore

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2 0 0 4 G r a d u a t i o n C o n f e r m e n t C e r e m o n y “The Land of Peach Blossoms beyond this World” Diploma & Professional Certificate Programmes Keynote Address by Rod Pullen, IAS President Continue to invest time, effort (and some cash) to “learn”. Today you are celebrating that foresight and wisdom. Do not stop continuing to invest in your future. You will pass others by. The Land of Peach Blossoms Beyond This World… was written by the Jin Dynasty man of letters - Tao Yuanming. It tells of a fisherman who having lost his way, proceeds along a stream, at the end of which he finds a place of beautiful hills, rivers and scenery – especially beautiful fragrant peach blossoms. The people there lived a peaceful, happy life. On seeing the lost fisherman, they tell him their ancestors fled to this utopia to escape the recurring wars.They decided to live there for ever and stay away from the troubled world. Before he leaves, the fisherman is guest of honour at a marvelous feast. But once back home, he keeps thinking of the Land of Peach Blossoms, which he never finds again, even though he searches for the rest of his life! This charming and romantic story can be found in most cultures worldwide. And I include the culture of business, at least our business - ADVERTISING. I’ve been fortunate to meet many young talented people (such as yourselves) starting out, or early on in their career in this industry. Some have a romantic, dreamy, somewhat unrealistic image of this business. I know many of you are mature working adults, already seasoned in business so you probably don’t think like this…but I say…… “More is the pity!!!” Surprising as it may seem, I can well remember my first days in advertising. I believed it to be EXCITING, GLAMOUROUS, DYNAMIC and FUN …. a world populated by FAMOUS CHARACTERS and CREATIVE TYPES in which talented individuals could become fabulously RICH and HAPPY. At risk of being seen by you all as a tired old cynic…..let me simply say this……It can be all those wonderful things and a whole lot more besides. But only for a very few people. Why is that, you may ask Today you are here to celebrate your wellearned graduation, but perhaps I can offer a few thoughts, which may or may not be useful at some point in your future career. So here goes….. 1.“Spend some time looking in the mirror” Invest some time thinking about what are your own expectations of yourself. Know those things are the most important to you today. Then think what may be more important to you in 10 years time…..20 years. Think hard about what is different about YOU. What activities / things you like doing and importantly what you do not like Above all else – be HONEST, CRITICAL and REALISTIC about yourself. But don’t be afraid to dream and aim high. Be as precise as possible. Then write down your thoughts and ideas. Put your report away in a private place. Only 6
get it out and re-read it once a year, on an easy to remember date. I honestly believe some people get unhappy about their work/careers/jobs because they have totally unrealistic ambitions or self evaluation criteria…. If you don’t know where you’re headed, how do you know if you’re getting there If you don’t know where you’re headed, how do you know what it will take to get there Because where is there As a result people end up adopting ‘a common standard’ or doing the ‘norm’ which means you’re becoming more like everyone else and not being YOU! In marketing, that means you are becoming undifferentiated – a commodity! 2.“Be happy while you’re living” There is an old Scots proverb, which says “Be happy while you’re living, for you are a long time dead!” Most people working in our industry appear to be well-suited for the work. But some are not. So I urge them to move on. Frankly, it is a roller-coaster of a world. It has its “ups” and its “downs”. These highs and lows are really emotional peaks and troughs. And I sense today, the highs are becoming more and more infrequent, but are no less critical for you to experience, participate in and savour. Ours is increasingly demanding and complicated work that demands patience, determination, hard work and at times – true grit! So be honest, own up if you are not happy with your work and its challenges. Happy people are five times more productive than those “chugging along”. 3.“Be strong but be flexible” The advertising industry is changing – and very quickly! Having stared hard in the mirror you will have decided on your career dreams. But be prepared for change. Be prepared to change to a new course. Technology is changing everything. It’s changing this industry dramatically. Marketers look for highly effective, highly affordable solutions to problems. As a consumer, you yourself know people are less and less impressed by ads. Advertising is just one of the ways to communicate commercially today. There is a worldwide trend towards more accountable, targeted techniques. Across Asia, ‘non classical approaches’ account for 26% of all expenditure and this is growing by 1% each year (and probably accelerating). Advertising is no longer “all important” in our industry – but you know that. Above all else, be HONEST, CRITICAL and REALISTIC about yourself. But don’t be afraid to dream and aim high. 4.“But I can’t play Chess!” Raymond Chandler once said, “Chess is about as elaborate a waste of human intelligence as you could find anywhere outside of an advertising agency” There are a few very well educated, brilliant,talented types in this business. But there are many “ordinary” individuals,who earn success more simply. They apply old fashioned principles of “common sense ”. Here are five tips: ❖ As you already know, continue to invest time, effort (and some cash) to “learn”. Today you are celebrating that foresight and wisdom. Do not stop continuing to invest in your future. You will pass others by. ❖ Set out to be the best informed person about the business you are working on, whether you are a marketer, agency or media person. Most people cannot really contribute much, because they really don’t understand much about the business to which they’ve been assigned. ❖ Most of our work is routine and considered “maintenance”. Look out for the real opportunity and then give it all you’ve got – 150%. Sacrifice that weekend away with friends, that dinner with your partner, that late night out and you will be rewarded and recognized. ❖ Learn how to be an excellent and persuasive communicator. Learn how to write in a concise, lucid, way. Practice editing. Do not develop the modern disease of using fancy marketing and advertising lingo….senior management hates B*#! S*#! and long winded mail. Learn how to make presentations and be a good speaker. You need to be able to sell your ideas. The more you sell, the higher you will rise. ❖ Remember that a journey is only 10,000 steps. Concentrate on the “KISS” principle-keep it simple stupid! Worry about delivering the essential and obvious things - but do them uncommonly well.Developing a reputation for total reliability and always ‘delivering’ on time, will drive your career success. 5. About waiters and cooks When you talk to anyone about their choice of favourite eating outlets, most say they go to that place because “They love the food”. In today’s world having high standards in serving customers is essential; business is all about providing great customer service. But I ask you, do you want to be a great waiter or a great cook Don’t be content with being a waiter….. try instead to become a great cook. Being the creator of new ideas to solve business problems is I assure you, far more exciting and rewarding than being a great waiter. Being a cook takes hard work, determination and a love of cooking. Becoming a great cook takes courage, passion for perfection & imagination And this brings me to my last point. This industry in which you have already invested considerably is a business of imagination. It is a business of creation and creating. It is a business of conception…of fresh, engaging, original thinking & ideas. If you decide to remember anything tonight, please just remember only that. How lucky we all are to be involved in such a wonderful industry…and how wonderful, all of you have decided to invest your future in its future. I have gone on too long…. So I close tonight congratulating each and every one of you. In today’s “University of Life”, you are already ahead of many of your peers. Your investment in an IAS Diploma or a Professional Certificate programme is tangible testament to your hard work, ability and determination. All of us at the IAS hope it will be a spring-board to great career success. In the words of Leo Burnett, founder of the agency of his great name…. “When you reach for the stars you may not quite get one, but you won’t come up with a handful of mud either”. Thank you 7
Page 1 and 2: I N S T I T U T E O F A D V E R T I
Page 3 and 4: IAS Executive Council Members 2004
Page 5 and 6: It is with great pleasure that IAS
Page 7: The following form the IAA Singapor
Page 11 and 12: FOR THE STARS Standing L-R: Mr. Gee
Page 13 and 14: S i n g a p o r e A d v e r t i s i
Page 15 and 16: Guests mingling and networking at t
Page 17 and 18: S i n g a p o r e A d v e r t i s i
Page 19 and 20: NEW YORK HERE WE COME! IAS Events M
Page 21 and 22: epresentatives at the IAS EFFIE Sem
Page 23 and 24: GAPORE EFFIES Judging Panel IV with
Page 25 and 26: EFFIE Singapore Awards Executive Co
Page 27 and 28: Lee Cheok Yew spoke on MTV Branding
Page 29 and 30: Seto Lok Yin, Director, Industry De
Page 32 and 33: Members IAA Singapore Chapter & Fou
Page 34 and 35: SPEAKERS OF THE 6TH SINGAPORE INTER
Page 40 and 41: THE 6TH INTERNATIONAL ADVERTISING C
Page 42 and 43: Nick Waters Gerry Pereira Charles W
Page 44 and 45: AN ODE TO SINGAPORE’S VERY FIRST
Page 46 and 47: THE HALL OF FAME AWARDS - A HIGH
Page 48 and 49: The Relationship Marketing Campaign
Page 50 and 51: The Singapore Advertising Hall of F
Page 52: SPONSORS Consumer Probe

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