Business

Thursday May 7, 2009

The ad-vantage of being seen or heard


PETALING JAYA: “If an advertisement is created and no one sees or hears it, is it an ad?”

This question was thrown to the audience at the Effie Effectiveness 2009 Talk Series yesterday by Effie Awards chief judge Alan Fairnington.

He said transmitted messages only became communication if someone heard or saw it. “If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?” he asked.

He also quoted Sir Isaac Newton’s first law – the Law of Inertia – that states that a body persists in its state of rest, unless acted upon by an external force.

Nichola Rastrick ... ad effectiveness is about brand equity

“This, therefore, suggests that there may be no change in fundamental behaviour towards your product or service without an advertising stimuli,” he said.

Fairnington, who is Batey (Pte) Ltd Singapore chief executive, was among the three speakers at yesterday’s talk. His presentation titled How Sir Isaac Newton and Bishop Berkeley Established The Importance of The Effie.

On ways to win an Effie Award, he said: “The way is to tell a compelling story, have a target audience and a creative strategy.”

Meanwhile, Millward Brown Singapore managing director Nichola Rastrick, who spoke on Ad Returns – The Long-Term Investment Plan, said that focus should be on the long-term payback of investment on brand values instead of just quick sales.

“Ad effectiveness is not about transactional data but about brand equity,” she said.

Astro TV chief operating officer (customer and content) Henry Tan, who spoke on Common Sense Effectiveness, said it was important to keep to simple-yet-strategic objectives.

“What begins as a process to achieve effectiveness can end up derailing the purpose itself. We can become fixated with the means and lose sight of the end,” he said.

The talk series, sponsored by Millward Brown, Malaysia, is organised by Malaysia Effie Awards and jointly supported by the Malaysian Advertisers Association, Association of Accredited Agents Malaysia and Media Specialists Association.

The Effies, taking place in October, honour exceptional campaigns in the communications industry.

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