The Spunky Rawkstarr

We're on a roll... please meet one of our spunkiest Rawkstarr yet... Vince Lee!

1. Hi Vince, could you share with your background and how you entered the advertising industry?

Okay I’ll skip to the part when I’m already in The One Academy. Back then I still wasn’t sure what the advertising industry actually do. Then I realise the stuff that we were thought in college clearly wasn’t sufficient. I know a few friends from the industry so I get them to hook me up with some freelance. I started from there onwards into a Jakarta based company, and later on co-founded a small agency with a few friends. It was a really tough time, having to handle both company stuff and also college assignment. But still it’s very rewarding.

2. What are your career dreams and aspirations?

Instinctively, I’ll climb as high as possible on the advertising career ladder. And I guess I’ll figure something out along the way. I guess I aspire to be someone like Janet, to give and mentor fresh, young bright minds.

3. What is your view on advertising and what about the industry excites you?

In my opinion, advertising is the best job in the world. They practically pay you to be crazy and silly. The buzz of getting new challenges and solving new problems each day really appeals to me. Passion will always keep you through.

4. How did you come to know about 95% and why did you pursue to seek further knowledge outside college?

My copywriting lecturer. I asked her once where can I learn more about copywriting and ideas she told me straight the only place I can learn good stuff is 95%. Coincidently 2 of my classmates went through the training and came back a different person. What I felt was college only teach us the skills and put in a lot of rules on it. I needed something more that will bring my skills to a new level.

5. How has “Idea Rawkstarrs” played a part in your journey in advertising?

The training breaks all my deep-rooted assumptions about advertising and graphic design. With some guidance from Shahnaz, Peter, and Janet, I manage to combine both my skills and thinking into my work.

6. Which agency would you like to work with in the future and why?

Droga 5. That place is filled with genius.

7. What is your favourite ad / campaign and why?

Tap Project by Droga 5. The only creative material of the campaign is a piece of sticker that sticked on restaurants. It’s the idea that makes it so genius.

8. Which advertising persona/figure that your respect and would like to work with (regardless of whether the person is still alive or not)?

David Ogilvy

9. What would like to say to students who are about to enter the industry?

Advertising is not for the faint-hearted. It’s not just the glamour that you see from outside. It’s brutal. If you dread the long hours in office and days spent without going home, leave now before you realise you’re wasting you life. You gotta have real hardcore passion about it.

The next Rawkstarr in line is...

You've met one of our current Rawkstarrs, Lucky.

Now it's time to meet the next Rawkstarr who's just joined the industry. Meet Adlin Rosli!

1. Hi Adlin, what are you doing now and which agency are you with?
I'm currently serving my probation period with Proximity Malaysia.

2. What’s the best thing about your job right now?
Seeing working people wondering why I'm not dressed for work every morning when we share the elevator.

3. Is it true that ad agencies have booze parties all the time?
A total myth! But my colleagues party as hard as they work.

4. What were you doing before advertising and what got you interested in the industry?
I was working at a content company. They did websites and magazines. I was burnt out and really needed a change. I foolishly paid attention to my friends who are in advertising telling me things like "you'll love it, you get paid to Facebook."

5. What was your journey like transitioning to the ad industry?
Slow and painful. I spent 2 years procrastinating.

6. How has Idea Rawkstarrs played a part in your journey towards advertising?
Idea Rawkstarrs gave me the basic tools to figure out what to do in advertising. I picked up some good basic skills to understand and use strategy with creativity.

7. Now that you’re in the industry already, how is your experience so far?
I feel like screaming at Janet for not warning me enough this shit is hard. I'll do it now, "JANET!!!! ARRRRGHHHHHHHH!!!!!" That said, it's also a lot of fun.

8. Share with us, the top 3 fun facts of being in an agency/the industry?

1. The people you will meet are either big assholes or the funniest people ever. Nothing in between.
2. You will feel inadequate with the T-shirts and shoes you own.
3. Leaving at 7pm will make people go "Wow! Half day?"

9. What is your favourite ad / campaign and why?
ADK Japan's Power Rangers-ish Nike Ad. I love it because it's so absurd, but it makes sense with what the brand is about and how it ties back to playing with your shoes. Also, anything with ninjas automatically gets points in my book. Be amazed here: http://bit.ly/5sosnt


10. What would be your advice to those who are thinking about joining the industry?

Make sure you have a decent collection of T-shirts and shoes. And be prepared to work as hard as you play

(95%: Well said Adlin!)

Meet the Rawkstarrs!

Many times we've talked about our Rawkstarrs and perhaps some of you are curious about these 'crazy' people who are so willing to spend their evenings cooped up in a training instead of chilling with their friends.

So we decided to 'expose' some of these culprits we call Rawkstarrs.


First in line is one of our current Rawkstarrs... Lucky Handoko!


1. Hi Lucky, could you share with us a little bit about your background please?
I'm 22 year-old design student majoring in advertising. I love creative ideas that work and inspire others. I consider myself as a creative person and idea generator but somehow all of my ideas are raw and random. Never know whether they will work or not, whether it is good or not.

[*Note from the 95% team: Not yet Lucky...you're getting there ;) ]

2. What are your career dreams and aspirations?
My biggest dream is to be a CEO of my own big advertising company.

3. What is your view on advertising and what about the industry excites you?
For me, advertising is more than just advertising the product and hope people will understand and eventually buy it.

It's far more than that. It can be a tool to communicate my thoughts to mass of people, it can also be my power to drives people's mindset and way of life. That's also why i find advertising so interesting. Some may think it's not a big thing, but it can be very impactful.


4. How did you come to know about 95% and why did you pursue to seek further knowledge outside college?
I knew 95% from a friend. She was so passionate about advertising as well. We went to the workshop and then I found that 95% was actually interesting. The approach of education is different and somehow suits me.

Then I decided to join, it's not because I didn't get anything (well I did get something but not that much) from my college but I don't think one source of knowledge will be enough since advertising is also about exploring new things.

If I only learn from my lecturer, then I'll be end up just like a younger version of him, with his taste with his standards. Yuck.

5. How has “Idea Rawkstarrs” played a part in your journey in advertising?
So far it plays a big role in my advertising journey. It made me see things in a wider scope. I know so much more about the industry.

It makes me realize that ideas can only get me so far, but great ads will always come with strategies.

It really helps me manage my thoughts. It helps me to put my randomness in a correct box and make ideas that are not only look nice but also working. Still working on that :p

6. Which agency would you like to work with in the future and why?
It’ll either be Leo Burnett or Ogilvy. For me they are like the BMW and Mercedes Benz of the ad industry.

7. What is your favourite ad / campaign and why?
There are many ads that I like but the one that always stick in my mind will be IAPA adoption ad by Ogilvy Mumbai and Petronas ad by Yasmin Ahmad. It touches me and I feel good, so good that I won't let my self forget about it. Can't explain more.

The Theory of Fun campaign was also very great. The campaign put new concepts in people's head without saying a word.

8. Which advertising persona/figure that your respect and would like to work with (regardless of whether the person is still alive or not)?
Peter Gan :D

9. What would like to say to students who are about to enter the industry?
The World is bigger than just “A+”s.

Thankies!

Special thanks to all the lovely ladies & gentlemen that graced this special,
special event.

Curious about what all the star-plushies (or better known as'huggies') are for? Click on the photo to see our Thankies Chocolate Party photo album!

Christmas comes earlier at 95 Percent.

Thanks Yenny for the Christmas present for everyone of us. Can you guess which one is for who?

Vacancy at 95%

We are looking for a Senior Account Executive, or Account Manager, to manage our corporate clients. You'll be joining a dynamic team of people who are passionate about making a difference and committed to growth. If you are results driven, and you love to win, this is your space to shine.

Criteria :
Intention-Driven
Responsible
Authentic
You create Possibilities
(if you're a 95% grad or Shinester, you'll know what we mean)

Strong command of English.
Fantastic people skills.
Anal about details.

Call Felicia at 03-22876095 or email felicia@95percent.com.my for an interview.
Let's spread the love!

Ebay Wicked Sick BMX

Creative copywriting works its magic on Ebay.

Creative Billboards

Janet received an email on a series of creative billboards and she decided to share the fun with the rest of us!

To see the other creative billboards, click on the picture above!

Kancil Awards 2009 - The Post

10 Golden Kancils?

The Kancil Awards 2009 is a sign of how we have grown as an industry, and how 'advertising' has evolved in sync with people's lifestyle. By emulating the international award shows and splitting up the work into 10 different categories, each with its own Golden Kancil, the 4As is giving due recognition to the significance of the fast rising categories.

Back in 2007 when there was only one Golden Kancil, the five or six Golds contending for this ultimate honour were a mix of film, digital and print entries. The judging must have been like comparing apple, orange and rambutan to see which is better.

This year, it is good to see standards being maintained somewhat, with Gold still being a rarity. And only two Golden Kancils were awarded.

Print used to be Malaysia's greatest strength. Now it is Film and Digital. Although, without our much beloved Yasmin, it will be interesting to see who picks up her torch.

Click on the title of this post to view one of Yasmin's last commercials, the Film Golden Kancil winner.

The Digital Golden Kancil

IF Interactive's Golden Kancil is touching in its simplicity and rich in meaning. Very Zen, like San Yen himself. Click on the title of this post to view and reflect.

Kancil Awards 2009

Congratulations to our graduates Bee Nee and Lei Yoon!
Bee Nee, who was student award winner last year, wins a Bronze in the digital category for Grey Group’s Eye On Asia consumer studytool, Eyeball.
http://eyeball.com.my/

Lei Yoon at Ogilvy won a Bronze for Guiness shamrock'd www.our-work.com.my/shamrockd

Has any other 95% graduate won anything? Pls let us know so we can celebrate with you.
For the full results, click on the title of this post.

Terry Fox Run KL 2009

TERRY FOX RUN KUALA LUMPUR 2009

Sunday 1 November 2009 Flag off @ 9.00 a.m.

Taman Tasik Perdana (Lake Gardens)

On the Road of Hope for cancer research

Terry Fox knew personally, the importance of the need for cancer research. At the age of 18, he was told that his right leg had to be amputated above the knee as a result of bone cancer. During this crucial period, Terry saw the intense pain and despair of other cancer victims and was deeply moved. In order to raise funds for cancer research, he decided to run across Canada asking for donations. This became “The Marathon of Hope”. Terry Fox died before he could complete his crusade, but his legacy is carried in the hearts of all who participate or donate to the Terry Fox Run each year around the world.

How the Marathon of Hope began:

Since it began in 1983, the Terry Fox Run has become the largest, single-day, fund-raising event for cancer research. Here in KL, the organisers aim to continue the quest to keep Terry’s dream alive. This year, with the support of sponsors and participants, we hope to raise both funds and awareness for cancer research here in Kuala Lumpur. The beneficiary in previous years and this year as well is the Cancer Research Initiatives Foundation (CARIF). You too, can take up the quest so that Terry’s dream of finding a cure for cancer can become a reality.

If you would like to volunteer

Or

If you need more information

Please contact :

Ms Yoon / Mr Peter Kang, CARIF, 2nd floor, OPC, Sime Darby Medical Centre, T: 56391874

Or email them at organizer(at)terryfoxrunkl.org

So, mark your calendar today for Terry Fox Run and do your bit for cancer research.

Please watch this inspiring story about Terry Fox.

Wake Up Lah!

Click on the title of this post to link to the website.
Choose one of the wake up potions and type it in there.

The Science of Art Direction

Yap Pow Hoong, the Executive Creative Director of Milk + Co (who looks more like a financial director), will be giving a talk just for students. Working people, please wait, he will give another talk just for you guys, in a week or two.

Date : 21st October, Wednesday.

Time : 7 - 9pm

Venue : 95% The Advertising Academy

Fee : RM50 for public. RM10 for students. Free for graduates of 95%.

To book your seat, please email janetlee@95percent.com.my

Janet shares her learnings from Spikes Asia

It's amazing how much the ad scene around the world, and especially in Asia has evolved. In the words of TBWA's John Hunt "Our playground has gotten so much bigger."
These talks aim to open your mind, heart and imagination.

BRAND IDEALS
Created by Chris Garbutt of Ogilvy & Mather Paris
Delivered with permission by Janet Lee
Date : 7th October (Wed)
Time : 7 - 9pm
Venue : 95% The Advertising Academy
Fee : RM50. Free for graduates, RM10 for guests of graduates.

4 TRENDS AT AWARD SHOWS
Created by Chris Garbutt of Ogilvy & Mather Paris
Delivered with permission by Janet Lee
Date : 15th October (Thurs)
Time : 7 - 9pm
Venue : 95% The Advertising Academy
Fee : RM50. Free for graduates, RM10 for guests of graduates.

Graduates of 95% are those who have completed the following trainings :
Idea Rawkstarrs
Hydrogen
Copywriters In Progress
Ad Newbies In Progress
and the previous 2-month trainings.

We've been getting many enquiries already and seats are limited. Book yours fast.
Email janetlee@95percent.com.my

Neil French at Spikes Asia

Janet re-connected with mentor and God, Neil French at Spikes Asia on Thursday 17th September.
Happy, happy, happy day :)








I had the privilege of working with Neil French 4 years into my career as a copywriter. From him, I learnt that an advertising master is one who is able to identify the core issue, solve it, and then explain it so clearly that everyone else immediately sees it too. Cracking the brief brilliantly is not enough, true mastery as Neil has demonstrated many times, is in being able to make the logic of the solution appear obvious.

At Spikes Asia last week, these are the gems I picked up from this great man who wears his sense of dignity like a magic cloak.

Neil says... "The truth is immutable. I have never in my life regretted telling the truth. It has always made my life better."

Neil's worst ad (yes, even God has done a bad ad) - A full colour double page spread back in UK. It didn't get a single response.

Neil's most awarded campaigns were for real clients : Chivas Regal, Kaminomoto and XO Beer for Singapore Press Holdings. He's brilliant at explaining his thinking to the client. And that's why he doesn't need to scam in order to win.

Click on the title of this post to view his work.

When the BBC reporter attempted to provoke Neil, he demonstrated that you cannot be ruffled unless you allow it. And he didn't. He calmly explained his POV with a patience I never knew he had. He has mellowed. Take it from me - I used to be known as "French Fried Janet".

As I sat watching the reporter try again and again to inflame the interview, I realised that most people judge ads on their surface value. They have absolutely no clue of the thinking process that led to its conception. No wonder they think advertising people are frivolous wankers. Perhaps this is a label we have earned. Too many clever gimmicky ads have been awarded around the world. Too many scams have been applauded.

For the industry to regain its credibility, I think we must follow the teachings of Neil.

One of his all time favourite campaigns that never won any awards anywhere, but was very good for the brand, is a series of films for Union Bank of Switzerland. http://www.neilfrench.com/ubs/index2.html
Brilliant moving work.

Must Watch!

If you have a goal that appears to be "impossible" right now, you must watch this Pantene TVC. Click on the title of this post and you'll be inspired.

Jeff Orr was one of the brains behind this. He says it never ran on TV. It was posted on Youtube 4 years ago. Wow, it took four years for the virus to spread!

Trapped Girls Updated Facebook Status Instead of Calling For Help

How crazy is this? Click on the title of this post to read the full article.

How to present Strategy

The only thing tougher than cracking an advertising strategy is how to sell it! How do you build your case and lead your audience step by step until they arrive at the obvious conclusion that your strategy is brilliant? This is a task that requires skill and creativity. Come hear from two people of different disciplines share how they do it.

Speakers : Joseph De Leon, Strategic Planning Director of Draft FCB & Woei Hern, Associate Creative Director of Dentsu Malaysia
Day & Date : Monday 24th August
Time : 7 - 8.30pm
Fee : No charge for graduates, RM10 for guests.

Dharma shares a CI case study

Award winning copywriter and executive creative director Dharma Somasundram has evolved into a brand consultant. As Managing Partner of a brand consultancy agency called Ova, Dharma has re-invented how CIs should be created and written. She shares her experience of creating successful CIs this Sunday at 95%.

TOPIC :
TRANSLATING STRATEGY TO A VISUAL IDENTITY SYSTEM.
It is important that a brand speaks in 1 voice across its many touchpoints – a visual system being one of those touchpoints. Find out how a visual communications system can be on-brand, yet flexible enough to meet creative and advertising needs.

Day & Date : Sunday 23rd August
Time : 2 - 3pm
Venue : 95% The Advertising Academy
Fee : no charge for graduates, RM10 for guests.

To book your seat, email janetlee@95percent.com.my

Thanks Woei Hern!

Woei Hern, Associate Creative Director of Dentsu Malaysia, gave up Capoeira practice last night to come and judge the advertising strategies written by the current batch of Idea Rawkstarrs.

This morning, he posted this on his blog. Click on the title of this post to read and learn.

Age shouldn't be a barrier to greatness

Many great things in history were achieved at young age. We are inspired by this video...

Brainstorm with Jeff Orr, ECD of TBWA

This generous man is back to lead another brainstorm. This time, it's for a real project, and if your ideas are selected, they will actually be produced.

Briefing : 3rd August, Monday. 7pm - 8.30pm
Brainstorm : 7th August, Friday. 6.30pm til late.

Jeff is an inspiring mentor and ECD who has raised many of today's top Creative Directors, including Edwin Leong, ECD and Chairman of JWT and Andy Soong, ECD of Publicis. The way he thinks will open up your mind. It'll be hard work, but you'll learn lots.

This event is only for graduates and current participants of 95%.

To book your seat, email janetlee@95percent.com.my

"I'm going to have the most awesome tweets now because of this." Tien Ming

While people protesting the ISA, we were examining headlines and each other's body parts. It was a 2-hour talk titled 'The Lost Art of Great Headlines' by Janet Lee. Was it worth fighting through the massive traffic jams and roadblocks to get here? Here are some of their comments...

"Glad to know headlines can be more than just add-ons to visuals." Rudy La Faber

"You'll never look at headlines the same way agin." Jonathan Yap

"Janet made us write @#%$#@ things about our classmate! The perve! I would have loved to have seen more examples." Adlin

"Life is never the same once you've trained at 95%!" Alice Yong

"Writing is more fun when you know the rules." Ong Sue Yin

"Makes life easier!" Ben Ng

"Even after graduation, I learn something new each time I come back." Ng Bee Nee

"Copywriting rocks. Advertising rocks. I rock." Vince Lee

It was so good to welcome back our graduates. It was like a family reunion with graduates from different 'generations' coming together and getting to know each other.

The Lost Art of Great Headlines will be on again on 23rd August, Sunday, 10am - 12pm.
Entrance Fee : RM195
Graduates and current Idea Rawkstarrs, no fee.
Guests of graduates : RM50
To book your seat, email janetlee@95percent.com.my

Stacy's Scraps

The best ideas come when you are focussed on making customers happy :)
Click on the title to read this simple success story.

Savvy Presenter Tip No. 1

To find out more, click on the title of this post.
Or contact gracelook@95percent.com.my

Next Intake : 29th September 2009

Idea Rawkstarrs is a 3-month training for Copywriters, Graphic Designers, Account Executives, Marketing Executives who aspire to be outstanding.

1. YOU'LL LEARN THE FORMULA TO CREATE WINNING IDEAS
Idea Rawkstarrs will train you to think, strategise and create ideas the way the working professionals do. This is the discipline that Creative Gods around the world apply to their work. It works from them, it will work for you.

2. YOU'LL GET A COMPETITIVE EDGE WHEN JOB HUNTING
Thousands of graduates are applying for jobs. Ad agencies have greatly reduced hiring. It is much tougher now. The graduates who are still hoping and trying their luck will be left behind. The ones who wake up and work to give themselves an edge are the ones who will succeed.
Adversity brings out the best in some people, while others just cannot see beyond their problems. Guess who will be the victor and who will be the victim? Where do YOU choose to be?

3. YOU WILL LEARN FROM THE BEST PEOPLE IN THE BUSINESS
Janet and Peter have won over 80 local and international advertising awards. They have created unprecendented marketplace success for many clients. Imagine how high you can reach when you stand on the shoulders of these giants!

4. THE PEOPLE WE TRAIN WIN THE TOP AWARDS
The top Kancil Student Award winners for the past four years are graduates of 95%. What career opportunities would open up for you, if you were one of this year's winners?!

5. RESPECTED BY THE AD INDUSTRY
We are recognised by the 4As and its member ad agencies. We still get calls from ad agencies who want to hire our graduates. Even now when times are bad, 95% graduates are still in demand.

6. WORLDWIDE CONTACTS
We have contacts with Creative Directors in Malaysia, Singapore, Mumbai and China. This can open doors for you.

7. AN OPPORTUNITY TO EXPERIENCE YOURSELF AS SOMEONE AWESOME
It takes courage and passion to get what you want in life. This cannot be taught. Only you can push yourself to manifest these qualities. At 95%, we provide you with the opportunity and the coaching to experience yourself as courageous, passionate, and innovative. You'll find the wisdom and power to overcome challenges. How soon do you want to awaken these qualities within yourself?

To enquire, please call 03-22877095 or email janetlee@95percent.com.my or ninetyfivepercent@gmail.com.

The Persuasive Writer

We miss our graduates, and we're going to start giving them good excuses to come back to 95%. We'll be launching our 95% Alumni soon and you can look forward to short talks, taboo competitions, brainstorming gang-bangs, and more.

As a pre-launch, there will be a talk for a small group of copywriters. The speaker is Joel Lim, a very talented young copywriter (young compared to me!) who made it to Associate Creative Director, and then won the Astro scholarship to pursue his Masters in Australia. He'll be back for holidays and would like to share what he has recently learnt :

THE PERSUASIVE WRITER.
An intimate workshop on how the six principles of persuasion can make your copy more effective.

Date : Monday 6th July
Time : 7 - 9pm
No fee for 95% graduates. RM10 for guests of graduates.
15 seats only.

A Great Banner Ad

Most banner ads are bland, boring and expected. This one is addictive!
A wonderful example of GREAT copywriting!

Click on the title of this post to view.

Norman wins Bronze at Cannes

Norman Tang, Congratulations on winning your first international metal : a Bronze award in Design, with Andy Soong and the team at Publicis.

I think you're fearless

Sign up for the upcoming fear.less eBook by Clay Hebert and Ishita Gupta. Click on the title.

The New CATS in Town

95% launches an amazing new training programme for organizations outside the ad industry called CATS, which stands for Conceptual Age Training Series.

Times have changed. Traditional solutions need to be replaced with innovative ideas. These ideas can only come from executives who are not mere rote thinkers, but highly skilled, and also highly driven creative problem solvers.

CATS is a unique programme of short trainings that are designed to activate creativity and reinforce marketing skills, while developing resourcefulness and passion.


To demonstrate what we mean, our own Marketing Exec Grace went around town personally delivering letters of introduction to HR Directors and Heads of Companies.


Each letter was held aloft by a helium filled balloon with an uplifting note for those braving the downturn.




This was accompanied by a letter in an envelope that explained the advantage of being a furry feline : you'll always land on your feet!



Grace and her team (Kalsum, VJ, Josh and Becky) sure got lots of attention and brought smiles to many faces.

In the CATS workshops, you will be led to generate powerful and innovative ideas, and you'll surprise yourself by revealing new, imaginative ways of presenting a solution!

The first workshop is titled EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING. It will be held on Tuesday, 31ST March 2009.
Please call Grace (03-2287 7095) for more information and the full 2009 CATS training calendar.

P.S. We have only 30 places to offer for the EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING workshop. So if you hurry, there's still time to send in your registration details. Call Grace to register today!

Tips for Copywriters

Click on the title and link to Joel Lim's blog. He's a very talented young copywriter (young compared to Janet) who made it to Associate Creative Directorhood and then won the Astro scholarship to pursue his Masters. Now studying in Australia, he seems to have lots of time to blog. (Fans of Dune will love it!)

Haha, found this old photo of Joel as a judge at one of our Idea Generators' shows. Pix shows, from left : Participants Tang, Naim, Joel, Shen, Badd, Yng, Janet, and the three other judges Alexis Fernandez, Jeff Orr and Raymond.

In a recent email, Joel said "As 95% The Advertising Academy, you have a niche in the area of a "true" creative advertising syllabus.

IACT hammers marketing and some advertising into its students.
Limkokwing and The One Academy churn out designers.

95%, by being The Advertising Academy is perhaps The Only Advertising Academy today.

I don't know of any other school that has a proper creative advertising programme. And creative advertising is the foundation stone on which planning, client service, etc, is built. AWARD School does teach creative advertising, but it is a fleeting, intensive course.

Great news and a timely, natural progression, fantastic!

One day, agencies will have the Alchemy and the Magic that once made advertising great decades ago. This is the creative gold and dignity that I am pursuing, and God willing, will one day preach."

The Final Presentation

After six months of training, the pioneering batch of Hydrogen candidates presented their final assignments on Wednesday 11th February. To simulate the ad agency environment, the candidates were divided into groups, comprising of an AE, a Strategic Planner and two Creatives.

The mission? To re-position Skol Beer and induce trial with the objective of beating Tiger Beer to be the number 2 brand to Carlsberg.

The brief was given by Abhinav Sharma, Strategic Planning Director of McCann Erickson.
The work was judged by :
• Brian Lee, Director, Corporate Marketing, Samsung Malaysia. He was with Carlsberg when Tiger Beer (Skol's main competitor) was launched.
• Zayn Khan, Managing Director of Ogilvy & Mather.
• And Abhinav himself, of course.



Trainers Agnes Liew-Gan and Peter Gan watch the show while Shahnaz does camera duty.







While the AEs and Planners presented the advertising strategy and creative ideas to this panel, the Copywriters and Art Director presented their portfolios to a group of Creative Directors.


This was an intense face to face grilling where each candidate was seated in front of a CD, explaining the thought processes behind each idea. It was an enriching, enlightening and unforgettable.













The CDs who generously contributed their time and inspiring guidance were :
Jeff Orr, Group Executive Creative Director of TBWA-ISC\Malaysia.
SP Lee, Managing Director & Executive Creative Director of Dentsu Malaysia.
James Yap, Creative Director of Saatchi & Saatchi.
Vincent Chan, Creative Director of GanForHire.
Alvin Ng, Creative Director of TBWA-ISC\Malaysia.

VINCENT CHAN :
"When reviewing the work of 95% graduates, I always expect to be excited, enriched, enthralled and entertained. There's just so much talent and unbound creativity in the work that it's hard to imagine ANY serious advertising student not wanting to be a part of your programmes, which, to me, are a sure-fire way to getting noticed in the industry."

ALVIN NG :
"The students' work was impressive, taking into consideration the kinda crap I came up with when I was a student.
They were well prepared, enthusiastic and confident (thankfully they didn't mix up confidence with arrogance).
Overall, they give the industry a lot of hope for the future and once they get into the workforce, they surely can make a difference... if they want to."

BRIAN LEE
"The presenters both from Account Management and Strategic Planning not only did their homework and research well but also exuded a level of confidence required for the industry they will soon join.
I believe 95% The Advertising Academy is the first in the country to provide not just academic requirements but real life experience for participants to have an accurate feel on what the industry is really about.
This would definitely prepare the Hydrogen candidates to short-cut their ‘freshie’ stage and hopefully have a quicker and quantum leap at the beginning of their career.
I truly believe this will set new heights for the industry."