Myanmar, rising among Southeast Asia

By Chris Ong

Among the various Southeast Asia countries, Myanmar is rising and making an impact in the region. With the other regional countries having the head start, the gap between them and Myanmar would be even more obvious. But things are about to change. Since the welcome of its political freedom, we can see the global influence to the country’s culture and economic status.

With the opening market, we can see International banks penetrating. From Bloomberg BusinessWeek report,  we can see Key players like Visa and MasterCard are aggressively finding collaborating partners and setting up ATMs in Myanmar to made a presence in Myanmar. We are proud to be part of the effort for the MasterCard campaign in Yangon International Airport. Strategically located at key locations in the Airport, MasterCard welcomes the visitors and also “reminds” them their presence in the country with simple and impactful message and placements. 

Yangon International Airport Arrival MasterCard Greetings

Yangon International Airport Arrival
 MasterCard Series of Lightboxes

Domestic brands are under huge pressure from the rapid influx of foreign companies, Not only does major western companies like Coca-Cola and Pepsi are rushing in for opportunities, we can see Asian brands trying to make an impact too. "It is very tough for us, now that these big multinationals are here," said Sai Sam Htun, chairman of the Loi Hein Group of Cos., one of Myanmar's largest conglomerates, according to the Wall Street Journal. 

Billboard Scene at Yangon CBD located at
Bo Gyoke and Sule Pagoda Road

Jetstar billboard with us at the corner of Bo Gyoke 

and Sule Pagoda road, facing Trader Hotel

China brand like Midea and ChangHong have their brands advertised along the streets and roads of Yangon. Not only will they be competing with the domestic brands for home appliances market, big players like LG, Panasonic and Samsung have their own outdoor advertising billboards all across the country in strategic locations.

Chang Hong Electronic billboard at Yangon Airport Road

Midea strategic billboard placement just outside of the
Airport along the Airport Road

Following the report from The Economist, telecommunication and IT infrastructures are growing at a healthy speed, no wonder HTC and Smasung are spending big money with billboard placements located at key locations to target their consumers. Along the busy streets in Yangon, we can see that these giant mobile phone makers are always trying to make their product the most prominent and head on by the vehicles and the human traffic.

HTC Wall Facade along the busy streets of Yangon CBD Area

Samsung showing off their flagship Galaxy Note II phone
along the major road leading to Traders Hotel

As the culture opens up more, the Burmese are more tech and IT savvy, we can see advertisement for IT product can be seen all around Myanmar. For Kyocera, they see this as a chance to penetrate into this growing market. Their regional campaign with us targets the regional market like Bangladesh, Nepal and also Yangon. Their Yangon campaign was done with a placement at the Airport arrival; they will be able to capture the attention of all the arrival passengers.

Kyocera Light box prominently located at

 Yangon International Airport Arrival

konica Minolta situated before the turn into

Yangon Railway Station

Myanmar’s auto market is now blossoming too. Most of the market is dominated by Japanese automakers like Nissan Motor and Nissan, but western companies like Ford motor and General Motors have all established or plan to establish presence in the newly open country. Hitching a ride from the Korean wave, Hyundai will also be setting up their shop in Myanmar. Younger people of Myanmar are influenced by Korean culture; they are walking into showrooms looking for cars that were shown in Korean drama.

Naypyidaw, which have just recently opened their International Airport, have seen a growth in the market. This capital of Myanmar have held the World Economic Forum 2013 during this year’s June, ever since, Naypyidaw have been in the radar of various investors. To target the investors who are there for the forum, MasterCard have worked through us to locate a premium site which helps to create an impression to them and also the tourist and locals of Naypyidaw.

Located at a prominent location before

 reaching Junction Center of Naypyidaw.

The second largest city which is situated north of Yangon is the capital of Mandalay region. Mandalay is the economic hub of Upper Burma and is considered the center of Burmese culture. With the high influx of Chinese immigrants, it has shaped the city’s ethic makeup and increased commerce with China.

Mandalay is the major trading and communications center for northern and central Burma. Much of Burmese external trade to China and India goes through Mandalay.

Mandalay City Center 

With so many different kinds of industries heading into Myanmar, we are sure that the outdoor scene there will get even more vibrant than what we see now. Investors will definitely keep this country within their radar for more investment.  

Poster, Posters Everywhere

By Chris Ong

Other than trailers, the second thing that will force me to shell out the money from my wallet to watch a movie in the theaters would be the movie poster. Movie posters are usually clean and simple, usually showing the genre of the movie using simple pictures.

As the number of blockbuster yearly increase, it would be harder for these movie makers to stand out among the stars. In recent years, we can see movie makers spending more and more budget in outdoor advertising for their new movies.

Outdoor advertising works wonder for movies; they usually create word of mouth both physically and also digitally. This would greatly improve the campaign awareness and also create a greater impact and feel to the movie.

One of the simple and my personal favorite execution for is done quite some time ago for the movie “The Day After Tomorrow”, which is about Manhattan being overwhelmed by a huge tsunami.

Half Submerged billboard creating an impactful message for the movie and created a buzz

This creative placement was done in India Mumbai. The billboard poster itself is pretty straight forward, but it’s the location of it that's clever and witty. Its message is totally in line with that of the movie, and you just can’t help but look at it. It clearly shows the theme of the movie and effectively promotes it.

To sell the futuristic theme of the movie “Tron Legacy”, Fluorescent lights were used to show a different feel to this huge movie poster along the streets of United State.

Simple movie title for Tron Legacy by Disney, wait till you see the night version…

Now, THIS is Tron! 

We see how this simple movie poster was portraying the theme of the movie across to the consumers. With bright neon light lighted for the movie title, both human and vehicle traffics would be sure to notice the gigantic poster.

Remember the movie “Inception”?  They are the talk of the town some time back, with a huge cast of actors and a wonderful story line  They have spent quite a bit on out of home advertising with great placement at strategic location in France and United State.

What is real? The building or the gushing water?

Now, the dream is real! 

Cleverly using the tall building along the streets, the posters and billboards manage to show the movie’s concept and grab the interest and target the passerby. With a placement so big and a concept so special, these poster will sure to generate a talking point and create awareness across the nation.

With strategic placement and simple and clear message, we can see how movie posters can hooks a person’s interest of a movie in just an instance. To end it off, I would like to share one interesting campaign for the movie “Contagion” which was done at Canada. Wonderful campaign and true to the message it wants to bring across. Not to mention, using something that you would never think of, bacteria. 

Jakarta Airport Advertising

By Chris Ong 

Airports are always the first and last point of contact when you are traveling to another country; needless to say, it is also one of the key locations where advertisers would take their chance to aggressively market their product and brand.

Jakarta Airport is home to a number of advertisers, from the sponsors at the waiting area before the departure gates to the countless light boxes at the check-in counters, it would be hard to be not “intoxicated” by these brands that you see everywhere.

Accenture key Sites in Jakarta Airport

Jakarta Airport Human Traffic Flow

Making use of the unique structure in Jakarta Airport, one of our clients, Accenture, managed to target all the travelers flying from the Star Alliance and Sky Team. By cleverly and strategically placing 2 of their advertisement at the check-in counters of the airport, they covered most of the check-in areas within the international airport and also reaching out to their customers. 

Accenture site located at the end of Terminal 2D

Accenture site at the start of Terminal 2E

Similarly, Industrial and commercial Bank of China (ICBC), who wished to target the arrival passengers, booked with us the site that is right after the arrival counter of terminal 2D, targeting the passenger who arrives via the terminal. This site is prominently situated at the turn before the baggage claim area. 

Jakarta Airport Arrival Terminal 2D ICBC

Jakarta Airport Arrival Termian 2D ICBC

What is interesting in Jakarta Airport are the few “out of the box” kind of advertising found in the airport. Located at the arrival of Terminal 2D, ICBC used what we call a “Concept Lightbox” placement to capture their esteem client. Making use of the space that we have, they manage to create a special space for their campaign which acts like a lounge for their clients. 

Jakarta Airport Concept Lightbox ICBC

Jakarta Airport Concept Lightbox ICBC

With the amount of business travelers on the rise in Indonesia, we can also see a rise in number of B2B advertisers in the airport. Jakarta Airport also acts like a hub for travelers, who wish to fly domestically. After the recent APEC that was held in Bali, we are seeing a rise in number of advertisers in Indonesia.  

Australia Outdoor Landscape - by the Outdoor Media Association (OMA)

According to the Outdoor Media Association (OMA), the Australian Outdoor industry posted net revenue year-to-date of $503 million in 2012, a healthy 1.8% increase on $494 million in 2011. This is an impressive result given that many other traditional media are seeing a decrease in audience and market share.

Growth drivers for Outdoor media During the past ten years, the Outdoor industry in Australia has almost doubled in total revenue, with growth expected to continue in the future.

OOH Strengths identified by the OMA include:
As our population grows, Out-of-Home (OOH) becomes more powerful and more relevant. While other mediums are fragmenting and fighting for the consumer’s attention, OOH keeps broadcasting and gaining audiences. 

OOH is High Impact OOH achieves great cut-through because it stands alone, it's not competing with the clutter of other advertisements, as is the case with other media environments. Dominant visibility, larger-than-life images, strong branding and messaging that stands out from the environment – OOH’s impact is largely determined by the creative. Research from Nielsen shows that 86% of people agree that OOH makes brands stand out.

OOH is Engaging The medium is the message. OOH doesn’t come with editorial content. The right message and the right creative are extremely engaging. Digital and mobile technologies used in OOH encourage greater consumer interactivity. According to a study conducted by the Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA), 71% of people said they felt more positive towards a brand that offers interactive OOH. According to Nielsen, 75% of people agree that OOH gives them something to look at when they’re out and about.

OOH is Cost Effective Our studies show that OOH is the second most efficient media in terms of Return on Investment (ROI), after Television. The higher the proportional spend on OOH in an advertising campaign, the more efficient it becomes. According to our Brand Science research, campaigns with greater than 15% of the total spend on OOH have higher ROI. Further, when OOH is included in an integrated campaign, it improves the ROI. 

OOH is a Media Multiplier Another strength for OOH is that it acts as a media multiplier. Through our Brand Science studies we know that OOH not only works stand alone but also improves the ROI of other media when you include them in the mix.

OOH offers Sustained Awareness Using OOH is an effective way of increasing the reach and recall of a campaign. Coming second only to Television, OOH delivers strong campaign retention with 55% a week after activity. OMA research shows 82% of people agree that there are some OOH campaigns they remember for a long time. But more so, as shown in our Brand Science studies, when OOH home is used in conjunction with other media such as Television, Radio and online, it has the power to extend the half life of an integrated Television or Online campaign by up to 30%

OOH impacts on the Path-to-Purchase Location-based technology provides consumers with access to brands and relevant content on their Path-to-Purchase. Research from the UK’s Outdoor Media Centre (OMC) shows that OOH is the advertising medium most seen by shoppers in ‘the last window of influence’ before shopping. 

OMC research shows that: only 13% of consumers stick to a pre-determined purchase list 88% of people see OOH ads and 72% can be swayed towards a product by recently viewed OOH

The OMA is certainly resource rich for OOH from the basic to full spectrum information on how OOH interacts with other media. It is a good place to visit regularly.

Salute to Mini drivers!

By Chris Ong

Nothing beats the feeling of assurance and satisfaction after purchasing a new product or owning one of it. Be it the newest iPhone or the new pair of Nike shoes that you bought, we love the feeling of being appreciated and also to be assured that we have made the right choice.

Mr Bean might have made it even cooler, but owning one of the few mini that are zooming in the roads seems like a dream to me. They are always such a pleasant thing to watch when they drive pass me.

As a form of gratitude and a salute to these mini “heroes” out there, mini came out with one unique campaign to let them know that they are special and appreciated.

Along the streets of London Cromwell Road, these digital outdoor billboards are out there “recognizing” the mini drivers out there to change the message accordingly. Spotters will be out there taking note of the mini’s model, Color and also gender to trigger the billboards along the roads to display the corresponding messages, this ingenious way of using the interaction on the roads to capture the attention of the divers really intrigues me.




"Hey Red Mini, What's Your Secret?"



Looking Hip there red Mini

Greetings, Black Mini

Let messages like “Hello there blue Mini drive” or “Hey Cream Mini, what’s your secret?” to greet you in the morning when drivers are heading to work. A “Thank you” gift at the end of the road which ranges from a good morning breakfast to a tank of free petrol will be given to the lucky driver that was spotted.  

Imagine the feeling of the other commuters along the road when your car was “Greeted” on the large billboard, I bet there will want to own a mini of their own too. Just like how Mr Bean acknowledge the same Mini that Emma de Caunes drove.

The Branded Crime Fighters

By Chris Ong

Across the globe, we always view any police force as individuals that are vigilant and brave; the same could be said for our own Singapore Police Force (SPF). We can be sure that we are safe in the hands of these crime fighters.

In recent years, we can see a rise in public awareness about crime prevention all around us.

“A brand is a psychological construct in the mind of everyone who’s aware of us,” said Mr. Ng, who was made police chief in 2010. He kicked started a series of campaign to educate us citizens to keep a look out for our surrounding and engage the public with the force.

An image paints a thousand words; a wall of text requires you to read through it, a video needs you to invest time if you want to watch entirely of it. Images does not have either of those problems, instead, what you see is what you get. Advertising not only benefits consumer goods, it can be used to create awareness and public message for everyone.

From pillar wraps to large format billboard display, we can see SPF putting effort to educate and encourage the public to fight crime together with the force.

Lowest Crime Rate in 29 Years

Statistics shows that Singapore enjoyed the lowest crime rate in 29 years. Of course, the vigilant policemen and patrolmen are doing their job diligently to ensure that these crimes would not happen under their watch. But a lot more effort was placed into crime prevention campaign that was spread across the nation.

TPM is proud to be part of SPF campaign which was pushed out in Mid-March. This campaign was spanned across various places in Singapore to ensure that the message to be well received nationwide.

Giant Lightbox located at Furam City Center 

Tri-vision Display located at People's Park Complex 

These awareness messages are strategically located at places with high human and vehicle traffics which ensure that no one misses them. To reach out to more people, SPF choose to make use of table tops across various major food centers to help push the awareness even more. Around 800 table top displays were used to cover 8 major food centers across Singapore. 

Joo Chiat Food Center Table Top Displays 

Sembawang Hill Food Center Table Top Displays 

Serangoon Food Center Table Top Displays 

Joo Chiat Food Center 

With that much amount of impression that is carefully placed at every corner of Singapore, we sure believe that these images are “Burn” into the minds of all our fellow citizens. As the saying goes, “Prevention is better than cure”, we strongly believe that these prevention measures that the SPF took will be well worth the effort.

Gizmodo - This Ad Has a Secret Anti-Abuse Message That Only Kids Can See

Developed by the Grey Spain, this simple but effective Out of Home advertising uses a simple lenticular technology to achieve its campaign objective.

From Gizmodo -

In an effort to provide abused children with a safe way to reach out for help, a Spanish organization called the Aid to Children and Adolescents at Risk Foundation, or ANAR for short, created an ad that displays a different message for adults and children at the same time. The secret behind the ad's wizardry is a lenticular top layer, which shows different images at varying angles

Good Out of Home advertising is - simple, effective and thought provoking. Algorithm mix of location, media, creative, production techniques and execution.