WassupIssue 6 November 2011
The cultural trends magazine from Ogilvy & Mather Asia Pacific
Edited & designed by Kunal SinhaEditorial assistant: Madhumita Bhattacharyya
Correspondents:
Elaine Dai (Beijing)Neha Punjabi (Mumbai)Donnah Alcoseba (Makati City)Wine Chua-Leonardo (Makati City)Tania Chan (Singapore)Shun Man Lee (Singapore)Naoko Ito (Tokyo)Azusa Fukai (Tokyo)Siddharth Roy (Colombo)Mei Wu (Taipei)Caryl Heah (Kuala Lumpur)Beatrice Yong (Kuala Lumpur) Josephine Phang (Kuala Lumpur) Zubair Siddiqui (Karachi)Serena Park (Seoul)Timothy Sarker (Dhaka)Naima Hamid (Dhaka)Tari Rusbianti (Jakarta)Astrid Savitri (Jakarta)
© Ogilvy & Mather Asia Pacific, 2011
Wassup
As Steve Jobs gets going with his Great Gig in the sky, we set about asking
technology creators in Asia what they saw as the big changes that we should
anticipate. It all seems to be headed in one direction: faster, thinner, more.
Which for us, in the world of brands and marketing communications,
represents an opportunity. An opportunity to disrupt things, with content
and creativity.
Just to make things interesting, almost to remind ourselves that there is
indeed a world out there that’s not so twenty-something, gadgetry-
obsessed, we spoke to senior citizens. They provide a fascinating perspective
on the changes that are gripping Asian societies. These are stories of
adaptation and fortitude.
In this last issue of 2011, we thought it would only be appropriate to ask
each country what their top brands were, and what are the big things they
anticipate in 2012. Once again, the Asian diversity is revelatory.
Over these six issues of Wassup, we hope we’ve been able to stimulate you,
and would like to continue to hear from you …
14 countries.
20 correspondents deeply immersed in popular and leading edge culture bring you Cultural Insights that will make a world of difference to your business
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Look who‟s talking:
Technology creators in Asia
Knowing me, Knowing you:
Senior citizens
Playing on my iPod
Rage against
Waiting list
Tense about
Top brands of 2011
Most anticipated in 2012
Look who’s talking
Technology creators in Asia
Look who’s talking …
What are the biggest challenges currently facing Sri Lanka
with respect to technology?
We are facing issues with broadband. Affordable broadband is not
stable and stable broadband is very expensive. Then there are
language issues. There are lot of people who are talented and
committed but they have language barrier which prevents them
from learning new things.
Most local customers are afraid to implement new technology as
they think it will cost a lot. There aren't proper places to educate
customers.
In addition, freelancers are ruining the market. People who are
working in the industry are over-positioned due to social media.
Accessibility and usability of technologies are still ignored. For
example, as a tax payer, how many government websites are
accessible to the people? Specially to people with different
abilities?
What technological changes or innovations and new services
are you anticipating in the coming year?
Augmented reality is the next big thing. From mobile to real-time.
From web to big screen.
HTML5 will change the way world is using the web.
Facebook will be the best tool for businesses in the coming years,
with lots of features and benefits.
Mobile money. Very soon the world will say goodbye to plastic
cards.
How do you feel about a post-Steve Jobs era in technology?
I think the world will still love Apple products as the company has
touched the market. It has always addressed simple but critical
things when it comes to laptops, mobile phone and portable music.
It has addressed usability and accessibility issues very
intelligently, which will keep them safe for the next 10 years. Even
now they have SIRI to stay competitive. I think you will get SIRI on
iPods and MacBooks as well, which will change how the world is
using these devices. We might miss the awesome way in which
Steve Jobs presented products, but with the structure Apple has, it
can still come up with creative ways to do things as its employees
think differently. I have a faith in Apple, maybe because I am an
Apple user myself and I admire Steve Jobs a lot.
Chamara Peiris, CEO, International Operations at Xiteb
We had a chat with Chamara Peris, the user-interface lead,
information architect and designer who is particularly interested in
web standards, accessibility, usability and search engine
optimization. Here’s what he had to say about Sri Lanka’s tech
future…
Any other ideas on where
technology is headed?
The web will boom in Sri Lanka
very rapidly. Social media
usage is increasing and Sri
Lankan companies will adopt it
soon. But we still need proper
education and industrial
training for employees. At the
moment, there isn‟t a single
reputed institute teaching web
design.
The government has taken
positive steps to layer fiber
optics around the island and
replace the old copper cable.
So hopefully, in a few years, we
will get all our voice,
broadband and TV through
this.
Finally, we need proper
language training. Speaking
English in our way isn't
working. We have to learn it
perfectly to compete with
India.
Look who’s talking …
MALAYSIA
Meet Wu Han, chief designer, and Calvin, web
applications developer, with Mindvalley. With
presence in 22 countries, Mindvalley is an
Internet marketing and publishing company
that specializes in self-development programs.
Wu Han is also the founder of Webcamp, a
community of individuals with a keen interest
in the online economy, meeting on a monthly
basis to share information and ideas.
Calvin feels that the strength of Steve Jobs was
in how he made Apple products mainstream
by adding a “human touch” to technology.
“You know you‟ve made it when you go to a
hotel lobby and see two old ladies playing
games on their iPad,” said Calvin. But Wu Han
believes that in Steve Jobs‟s absence, the
floodgate of innovation will be opened in the
technology space. “So far, the attitude was,
„Let‟s see what Jobs will do‟. Now it‟ll be more,
„Let‟s see what I can do.‟”
.
Wu Han, Artist-in-
Chief
Calvin Tee, Web
Applications Manager
Both feel that most Malaysian consumers are
highly digital and tech-savvy. But the country
has a lot of catching up to do when it comes to
infrastructure and companies. “E-commerce
hasn‟t picked up yet in Malaysia, largely
because of lack of secure payment gateways,”
says Calvin.
The duo predicts that phones and tablets will
continue to dominate the future, and they are
looking forward to the iPhone 4S because of its
new features (i.e. voice recognition), which
present opportunities to change the landscape
of marketing and information gathering.
BANGLADESH
We interviewed our very own techie Yousuf Kamal,
the senior IT executive at Ogilvy Dhaka.
Yousuf feels Samsung‟s new phone, Skin, will be the
next big hit. It is supposed to bend like the human
skin.
The Steve Jobs fan believes there are many
people who think like Steve Jobs but to be
creative like him is nearly impossible. He was
a visionary. Yousuf still hopes that the flow of
Apple products will be unaffected. The
biggest change in the coming year will be
cloud computing. There will be a web-based
OS, and all the work that one does will be in a
cloud where it will be secure and the need for
a hard drive will vanish. He also thinks 3D
technology will evolve to a new level where
no glasses will be required. It will feel as
though the viewer is a part of the image.
Look who’s talking …
SHANGHAI
Kevin Zhang is a graphic user interface designer
in a software development company in Shanghai.
He has been working in the field for more than
four years and never stops loving what he is doing.
“Good UI design includes interaction design,
information architecture and information design,
so a good UI designer needs to study various
things including marketing, engineering, project
management and psychology. Right now I am
pretty good at the graphic design part but not
very good at user interaction. However, I am
studying so hopefully I will be able to deliver
better work in the future,” Kevin said. He thinks
that compared to western countries, China still
has a long way to go in terms of UI design since
most local designers are not well-trained, don‟t
have the deep knowledge that good design
requires.
Kevin is a big fan of Steve Jobs and Apple
products. “I will always remember the day I got
my first Apple computer. I was still in college; it
was such an fascinating experience when I first
used it,” Kevin recalls. He thinks Steve Jobs had a
profound impact on the way consumers use and
perceive technology today. All user
interface/experience designers around the world
know how Apple products changed their
profession. “But I believe there are many people
inspired by him who will follow the way he
worked and the spirit that he created.”
There is a lot of change happening among
Chinese consumers today. Kevin thinks they are
becoming more sophisticated and demanding in
terms of user experience now that they have been
introduced to products such as the iPhone and the
iPad. “As the market develops and consumers
become more sophisticated, we‟ll be seeing more
and more touch screens, at which point your
computer just becomes a giant cell phone. But we
should really look into strong UI design influence
from our neighbors, such as Japan and Korea.
Most Chinese users grew up with Korean and
Japanese cultures, so some of them are
particularly attracted to cute things, because it‟s
familiar.”
http://it.oc.com.tw/ocitview.asp?gitid=1754650
TAIWAN
Vincent Chen has been working as an engineer in a
mobile phone manufacturing company for the past
five years.“Unless we have a wiz such as Steve Jobs
to create a new market, in the next three to five
years all we can look forward to are combinations or
improvements on existing elements to be applied to
the existing digital devices,” feels Chen.
He thinks that being thin will remain the trend for
cell phone design over the next three years.
However, what is defined as thin in the future might
not be exactly the same as now.
Redefine “thin”
Thin mostly meant "carry-on" in the past, but for the
new generation, thin is being “too thin to feel". Take
Samsung for example, with its plans to introduce a
mobile phone with a screen as thin as a sheet of
paper within two years.
Indeed, the screen known as Creaseless AMOLED is
not only lightweight, but can be curved. That will
give product designers more room to play, and
allow users to use cell phones in their own
comfortable way.
If technology continues to evolve, perhaps laptops
will be replaced by dual touch panels in the future.
“Like the product in the film Real Steel, combining
the advantages of a traditional laptop and tablet PC,
the keyboard appears merely when needed, just
like in the iPhone.”
Look who’s talking …
Look who’s talking …
Chirag Rathod is a techie's techie. He works at Oracle in
Bangalore, India, and is currently creating a software product
called Jdeveloper. One of his recent acquisitions is the Kindle 3.
He also owns a Panasonic Lumix LX5 camera, a Nikon D40 SLR,
an iPod Shuffle to give him company on his runs, a Dell Latitude
laptop, a Garmin forerunner 305 (a GPS sports watch), a 21-
geared Track 7.1 IFX commuter bike and an iPad 2.
He is now looking forward to buying an iPhone 4S or Galaxy S2.
Chirag does not change his phone to get the new software,
which he downloads himself; it‟s the new hardware he is after.
Currently he is excited about the NFC (near-field
communication) chip, which is like a swipe card payment
gateway. He believes it has the potential to replace his wallet.
The iPhone 4 is a disappointment to some, he adds, as it does
not have NFC.
In the post-Jobs era, Chirag thinks that for at least two years,
Apple will be delivering products that Steve‟s mind has
touched. The way release cycles go, Steve must have left
something in the two-year developmental cycle, he feels. What
happens after that is anyone‟s guess. But Chirag thinks that after
a point, the leader being the be all and end all of a company is
a facade. There are many smart people working under him; he
just takes a call on what gets thrown out and what appears
before the public. People like Jonathan Ive, who Steve always
supported, has been with Apple for almost 20 years and is still
on board.
The only thing he feels might change about Apple is the
'secretive' approach towards new launches. He hopes Apple
also decides to launch products in India at the same time as in
the US.
The most anticipated new product might be the Apple TV, but
what Chirag thinks would be really cool is an actual television
from Apple, which would have everything, including the
Internet and connectivity with your hard drive – all without the
wires. Knowing the way Apple designs are, it will look like a
painting on the wall, says Chirag. Just like its uni-body
aluminum Macbook Pro.
This doesn‟t mean Chirag is only positive about Apple. Read his
post to know why: http://hapuchu.com/post/3084819907/why-i-
will-not-buy-the-ipad-in-india
JAPAN
Tomotaka Takahashi, 36, is a roboticist and
founder of Kyoto University's ROBO-GARAGE,
which started in 1999.
Inspired by his childhood obsession with
Astroboy and other fictional characters,
Takahashi decided to study robotics after
completing a sociology degree. Takahashi
prefers to work on smaller robots, as they are
easier to handle and people have more realistic
expectations of them. Unlike machines, which
are cold and uninviting, humans can relate to
robots because they have bodies like humans
or animals, which opens up new possibilities
for communication, which Takahashi believes is
their greatest strength.
Creating a number of humanoid robots entirely
by himself, from concept through to production,
Takahashi's designs have been featured in art
exhibitions celebrating Astroboy, and was
selected amongst Time Magazine's Coolest
Inventions of 2004. His work has also been used
in promotions for Bandai, Panasonic and Pepsi.
SEOUL
Kyungjune Lee (right) is CEO of Nomad
Connection, a media solution provider,
currently servicing the #7 Android media
player Zimly (www.zim.ly), which was
designed and crafted for Android devices.
Lee sees the long-term trend in IT as being
dominated by a rapid growth of the
Facebook ecosystem. Currently, Facebook
works mainly by connecting people,
performing a socializing function only. But
the movement is towards expanding the
range of products and services provided
through Facebook. For instance, more
people will listen to music and consume
other content directly through the
Facebook platform. Related functions and
the companies providing them may be
eventually absorbed into Facebook. This
will allow users to easily identify what
their friends are listening to, viewing or
reading.
In terms of devices, more content will be
distributed more easily through tablet
computers, which will accelerate the
growth of this market. Distribution and
sale will be much easier via tablet devices
than on mobile phones, which will fuel a
dramatic growth of the market of tablet
devices such as the iPad.
Look who’s talking …
PAKISTAN
Sheikh Danish Ejaz is a graduate from the
University of Staffordshire in computing and
IT and has been working in the advertising
and digital industry since 2004.
What are the biggest changes this year in
technology?
This has been an interesting year, with
growing penetration of iPods and Galaxy
Tabs, and BlackBerry also coming up with
new products. Companies are focusing on
providing more personalized and portable
devices, with a focus on small size and
durability. This gives people the opportunity
to communicate with each other through
more than one channel. It leads us to create
social media, now an integral part of our
lives. Earlier, companies were fighting over
the best phone but now the war is for the best
smart phone. The biggest war is now the OS
war, and surprisingly with growth of 16 per
cent market share (Jul 10 – Jul 11), Android
seems to be booming. But after the iPhone 4S
launch, the numbers need to be reviewed.
What is the best selling brand in Pakistan
in 2011?
Talking about just one product will not be fair
to other brands. In the technical world, I see
people moving towards Macbooks and
iPhones with another segment becoming
Android savvy, but, overall, Samsung is now
one of the best-selling brands at both the
high-end and low-end.
What's your personal favorite?
In computers I am looking forward to getting
myself a durable and reliable Lenovo laptop.
I love my new HTC phone.
Look who’s talking …
What are the most anticipated new products of
2012?
People are anxiously waiting to see Google‟s new
OS along with Windows 8. A lot of Apple fans are
already waiting for iPhone 5.
What should be expected in the post-Steve Jobs
era?
Steve jobs did an amazing job in setting the
direction for the company towards innovation. It
will be tough for the company and the fans
initially to get back on track but I believe
eventually Apple will live up to expectations. As
for other companies, they are catching up and
trying to take advantage of this tragedy to rise to
the top. Samsung was close and ended up with a
lawsuit. Let‟s see what others come up with.
Look who’s talking …
SINGAPORE
Chi Tran loves everything about technology -- innovation,
social networking, mobiles and solutions. He closely watches
everything to do with the subject. In 2012, Chi will be waiting
for the arrival of Google Wallet in Asia, which will allow him to
shop without carrying his wallet. “This integration of consumer
experience is set to be of high priority among brands that are
fighting for consumer attention and purchase,” Chi says.
Chi feels that there is a big void to fill after the death of Steve
Jobs. However, he believes that the Apple founder‟s legacy will
live on; user experience will continue to play the lead role in
molding the technological landscape. Other brands will be
catching up to fill that void. “We already see brands like
Samsung and Nokia digesting that shift in paradigm and
churning out great products.”
One example is in the home technology space. With Internet
TV, smart phones, smart fridges, and so on, it won‟t be long
before consumers can stream TV programs onto their smart
phones even if they are away from their TV sets. They‟ll be
accessing their smart fridge from their smart phone to send
them a shopping list. “Digital is pervasive, and it‟ll be cool to
see more of us adopting new conventions and behavior with
new technologies.”
YouTube Link for Multi-touch Interactive Screen Demo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pz17lbjOFn8
Senior citizens in Asia
Knowing me, knowing you
SINGAPORE
“Live long, learn longer” is Yee Kit Hong‟s mantra. He is
61, and is known among family and friends as Kit. He
leads a very active lifestyle; exercising, traveling, hiking,
runs his own accounting firm and consults with non-profit
organizations. He lives with his wife and four children.
Kit is a true nature lover. He enjoys long walks in parks or
reservoirs to relax and wind down. He also takes
occasional trips with friends to Malaysia to visit the farms
and has even scaled Mount Kota Kinabalu last year. He
likes traveling and seeing the world.
Kit finds young people these days less appreciative of things around them. “They are so distracted by
mass media and consumer goods that they fail to enjoy the simpler pleasures in life. They also tend to
view things with a short-term perspective and wants everything their way,” says Kit.
To keep abreast of the rapidly changing world, Kit reads widely and also chats with his children about
the latest happenings so that they are in the know when they speak to their peers or business partners.
Kit is not one to be stuck in the past, and technology is something he embraces. He has an HP laptop and
iPhone with plenty of cool apps. Kit has been familiar with computers ever since the 1980s and has
upgraded with the times. But current technology, Kit feels, can drive people apart even as it brings them
closer. “People are more connected on virtual platforms while they lose the personal touch in face-to-
face communications. It‟s just sad.”
Knowing me, knowing you
PHILLIPPINES
Sonia Enage, 61, is a mother of two and the
curator of the National Museum. In her spare
time, she hosts cultural tours for visiting Italians
and teaches art to university students. Here, she
speaks about what it means to be a “senior
citizen” today.
Everyday joys
“What makes me happy is the everyday chats I
have with my two daughters. I think ours are
relationships that have grown so much through
the years. Before, it was about me as their mom,
telling them what to do. Now, there is a mutual
respect and understanding. We can talk as
adults.” Sonia believes that the joys in her life
right now have little to do with acquiring things,
as it used to be 10 years ago. Now, it‟s all about
how well she is able to nurture relationships.
The impatient digital world
A few months ago, she was turned down for a
freelance writing job because she had no
working knowledge of the Internet, and didn‟t
use social networking sites. Despite stating her
intention to take a certificate course on using
online platforms, the company decided to hire a
teenager with little writing experience but who
was digitally-savvy. Sonia marvels at how analog
skills are rapidly becoming irrelevant, and how
much one can get left behind because of
technology.
Through her course, she is learning the basics of
the Internet – writing an e-mail, searching for
information on Google, finding her friend‟s
albums on social networking sites. “It still feels
awkward for me, like I‟m too lazy to get out of my
house and actually meet a friend and talk to her.
But I see the convenience of it.”
Redefinition of quality time
Sonia doesn‟t feel that quality time with family
and friends has been taken away by technology.
Rather, it‟s been redefined. “Before, quality time
meant sitting down for all three meals with my
husband and daughters. Today, I feel that
technology like cell phones allows us to develop
stronger personal relationships because I have
access to them every minute of the day.”
Favorite young person
“Of course, it would be my daughter. I am so
proud of her. I look at her and I am reminded
that I never had it so good.” For Sonia, her
daughters are many things she wanted to be and
hopes she can still be – brave, full of life,
generous and thoughtful.
They are her biggest supporters in learning new
technology – painstakingly going through
Facebook albums with her so she can see their
family photos from a recent vacation. By next
year, Sonia‟s goal is to open a Facebook account
and master the technique of uploading albums
herself.
Knowing me, knowing you
MALAYSIA
For Mr and Mrs Azmeer, health is of utmost
importance. Both work to ensure they are as
healthy as possible; bad health can be costly: not
just financially, it would also rob them of their
independence.
They both agree that Malaysia has changed a lot
since they were young. Back when they were in
school, there was a lot less racial polarization –
the three main races were treated equally and
opportunities were merit based, unlike the racial
quotas in place today. Peer groups were a mix of
races, visiting each others‟ homes freely, and
even celebrating holidays together.
Family dynamics have changed a lot. When the
Azmeers were young, their parents were much
more hands off – children were essentially left to
themselves. However, when they became
parents themselves, they played a more active
role in their children‟s lives. Another change
they have noticed is that children these days are
a lot ruder; growing up, they would never have
dared to talk back to their parents. However, one
positive family value of today is the shift from a
stricter parent-child relationship to a closer,
friendly relationship.
One negative social value they have seen
emerging is the shift from a „we‟ culture to a „me‟
culture. These days, people are a lot more
selfish, they feel. Also, people are a lot more
“shameless” and openly do things that they
would have been embarrassed to do, like
getting divorced.
Mr Azmeer is quite tech-savvy and uses the
computer daily, typically for his duties as a
board member or for events that he organizes.
He is self-taught, but consults his daughter if he
has any questions. Mrs Azmeer does not use the
computer at all. This, she says, is not out of fear,
but rather out of lack of interest. She relies on
her daughter for any tasks that she needs done
on the computer, like banking or booking trips.
One of the good things about technology, she
admits, is that it helps people keep in touch.
BEIJING
Mr Liu is very content. This may be why he looks far
younger than his 62 years. He taught Chinese at
Beijing No.55 High School for 35 years. “When I
retired five years ago, I felt very upset that I had so
much free time. I loved teaching, and had almost no
time to develop my own interests while I was
working. After I retired, I have taught myself new
things. I like being busy and I love talking to people,”
said Mr Liu.
Every morning My Liu goes for a walk in a park, and
he carries his pet bird in a cage and talks with his
friends who also keep birds. “There is a Chinese
saying about birds singing and flowers giving their
fragrance to describe beautiful days of spring. That
is how I feel every morning. It is fun to communicate
with other bird keepers about their problems and
points of pride.” After lunch, he goes to the Senior
Citizen Activity Center to play chess. Sometimes he
reads books on photography and practices on the
new camera his daughter bought for him as a New
Year gift. “My birds are my models. It is a way of
documenting their growth. But I also love taking
pictures when I am traveling with my wife.”
Liu, who is able to speak standard Mandarin, some
English and has a deep understanding of Chinese
culture, was selected as a senior volunteer for the
2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
“The work helped me gain an understanding of
different cultures since we served people from so
many different countries. I am also glad that I was
able to contribute and participated as a Beijinger,”
he said.
Mr Liu doesn't want to left behind by technology. He
learned how to shop online last year when his
daughter taught him how to buy food and snacks for
Chinese New Year. He has since started purchasing
food and small home appliances on Taobao.com.
Mr Liu has one son and one daughter. His son is a
sales manager at a foreign company and his
daughter works for a non-profit organization. Liu
thinks his children have grown up in a very different
environment and have different values compared to
people of his generation. “When I started working,
others were jealous of me because having a
teaching job meant being able to provide stability to
my family. When my son was looking for job, I was
able to get him one at my school but he rejected my
offer, as he thinks teaching is not as interesting and
challenging as what he does now. Young people
nowadays are less conservative, take more risk and
are more optimistic compared to my generation,” he
said. He also thinks family values have become less
important. “I lived with my parents so I could take
care of them. Today my children have their own
homes and only visit once a month as they have
children to look after and travel so much for work.”
Knowing me, knowing you
JAKARTA
Toegiyono is a 68-year-old father of three daughters and
grandfather of three. By staying in touch with young people,
he is in touch with the dynamics of today which he feels is
completely different from what he experienced in his youth.
Teaching has helped him keep on learning. After retiring
from a public company, he became professor of
international management, business and politics, global
trade and tourism at university. In his spare times he is
involved in his church, and regularly takes part in walks and
events for the environment.
Consumerism is what bothers Toegiyono most about today‟s
world; with people only bothered about how to spend and
earn more. This leaves them open to corruption, bribery,
and cheating, and measuring relationships in money terms.
Working parents come home late at night every day and
leave early in the morning. They have been substituting by
baby sitters, who are often not as educated and lack
parenting skills. Electronic media, computer and games are
a child‟s companion even when parents are home.
The variety of Indonesian culture and customs is vanishing
due to globalization. Bahasa Indonesia is used less and less,
and traditional clothes are only worn for special events.
Traditional puppets and musical instruments are being
neglected as well.
Toegiyono feels that the best young role models of today
are Lionel Messi and the characters from the film Laskar
Pelangi, as they are an inspiration for everybody who wants
to achieve their goals.
Knowing me, knowing you
Knowing me, knowing you
TAIPEI
Xiu-Gin Hsu, 64, works in a hotel. She is past retirement age, and is
not the main breadwinner of the family. But like most baby
boomers in Taiwan, she believes wealth is accumulated through
hard work and people should work till they are unable to do so
anymore, so she plans to retire at age 65.
Mrs Hsu cooks every weekend for her family, and often visits her
husband's relatives. She spends a lot of time on her family and feels
that family is the most important thing in life. Family cohesion has
deteriorated in Taiwan, she thinks, and she is worried about her
many friends who live alone and meet their family members once
in a blue moon.
She is also very concerned about environmental issues. She thinks
Taiwan‟s economic development has created too much waste, so
she sorts her garbage carefully and uses recyclable shopping bags
and tableware, and has asked her children and grandchildren to do
the same.
Many Taiwanese women have jobs, and do not depend on their
husbands financially, which Mrs Hsu believes is a great thing.
With the exception of mobile phones, she does not like using tech
products because they are too complicated and aren‟t of much use
to her.
When it comes to young Taiwanese people, Mrs Hsu likes artist
Han-dian Chen and golfer Yani Tseng, both of whom have achieved
success through hard work and are still very humble.
Yani Tseng Han-dian Chen
Knowing me, knowing you
COLOMBO
Shirani Athukorala is a 70-year-old housewife who
lives with her husband. She has two daughters and
one son. All three children are married and have
given her five grandchildren. Shirani owns a Maruti
Car which she drives herself. Being around the
grandchildren is what keeps her happy.
Shirani loves to help people. But sadly, she
sometimes gets cheated, which really hurts her.
She is very optimistic and believes that if we can‟t
change the world, the best thing to do is to go with
the flow.
When she was young, she used to listen to the radio
and the whole family enjoyed dinner together. She
had a lot of siblings which resulted in many close
family moments, which is something she misses
today. She sees the difference of today‟s
generation, especially through her grandchildren.
She feels that everyone today is so busy with
various activities that they don‟t have time to spend
with their families. She sometimes wishes she could
go back to the old days but she is now used to the
hectic lifestyle. She sympathizes with her
grandchildren and wishes they had more time with
their parents.
Shirani is still a busy housewife as her husband is
still employed so that they don‟t have to depend on
their children and burden them for their daily
needs. Shirani makes sure her husband is properly
fed and looked after and the daily chores are taken
care of. She manages to find time to watch some TV
and to do a little bit of sewing. Visiting friends,
driving around and traveling are what she does
when she is bored. She and her husband also visit
their grandchildren.
Shirani says she is not afraid of using technology if
she is told clearly how to use it. She uses a cell
phone, though only to make calls. She uses email to
write to her daughter who lives abroad. Shirani
remembers how when she was young, in the
“courting stage”, she and her husband had no
mode of communication except for love letters,
which she still finds more romantic than the
modern ways. SMS might be convenient and fast,
but the creativity and romance is lacking.
The family moments which Shirani values so much
are lost to the new generation. She agrees that
children now are much more advanced than those
of her generation as they are exposed to a lot of
movies, television and technology, but they have
lost the appetite for reading.
She likes the convenience and ease of modern life,
but believes it should be monitored. Shirani likes to
keep with the times and admires Indian actress
Sonam Kapoor as her favorite young person and
role model for her daughter or granddaughter.
Knowing me, knowing you
KARACHI
Tell us about yourself…
My name is Mehboob Khan. I am 63 years old. I
have a beautiful wife and six children – three
daughters and three sons. Two of my daughters
are married. One lives in Dubai and one in
America. One son is married and lives in
Canada now.
I studied business and joined my father’s
business at the age of 19 and have been
working since then.
What keeps you busy now?
My prayers keep me busy. My daily routine
involves waking up early and reading the
paper with my breakfast. Then I follow up on
the business front over the phone. Then I watch
TV; news channels mostly. After that, I get on
the Internet and follow up on the US
immigration process, as I have applied for visas
for the family. In the evening I have a cup of tea
with my wife and children in the garden. After
that, I watch some more TV. I check Facebook
to stay in touch with friends who are scattered
around the globe and Skype with my daughters
and son in Canada. I go for a walk at 7pm to the
park, then have dinner. I go to bed at 9pm after
having a cup of green tea as it helps with
digestion. My future plan is to help settle the
three children I have living with me and then
move to America permanently with my family.
What makes you happy?
My children's success makes me very happy.
What bothers you?
When I see my family in any sort of trouble. The
country's current state also makes me sad.
Are you happy with the way things have
progressed with time?
In my times there were no cell phones. Now,
even an eight-year-old has a cell phone and is
up to date with technology. I try my utmost to
stay in touch with new developments on the
technology front. My children are the best
teachers when I need help.
How do you feel about the changes in social
or family values?
Today due to globalization, Pakistani culture is
largely influenced by western society. This is
due to the fact that many Pakistani are living
abroad and they come back with this change.
Many restaurants from other countries have
opened and are doing a lot business here,
which opens new horizons for our people.
Media has played a wide role in bringing this
change. There are many international channels
we can watch these days. The positive aspect is
that the new generation gains knowledge,
while the negative is that they are attracted to it
and want to live in that way.
What values do you see getting lost?
There are certain families that do not keep up
with the values of living together and taking
care of old parents or younger siblings. They
think it is not cool to live with their parents.
With time I believe they will realize the
importance of this value and by then I hope it’s
not too late to make amends.
Who is your favorite 20-25 year old?
My son Bilawal. He is 22. He is studying and
helping me out with my business. I am very
close to him. He reminds me of my relationship
with my father.
Knowing me, knowing you
Aklima Khatun, who lives in Bangladesh,
takes great joy in the Hindi shows she
watches, which keep her happy through the
week.
She is grandmother to Nazia Islam, and she
is concerned about her granddaughter‟s
well-being. To keep the home clean,
Aklima hired a maid. She saves time by
paying bills online. She keeps herself busy
by watching TV, helping out around the
house and gossiping with her friends over
the phone or whenever they meet.
She does not have a fear technology. “I was
born in a world where there was no
technology available to me, so in a sense
technology is younger than me. And if new
technology comes and threatens my way of
living, bring it on!” she says.
The values of old that have been lost
include a declining respect for elders,
loyalty and commitment in terms of family.
The new and emergent value that she loves
is openness to new ideas.
Her favorite young person is her
granddaughter, Nazia.
Japan‟s Genjiro Tagawa and his wife have been married
for 41 years. Mr Tagawa retired two years ago and now has
more time to spend with his wife. “I feel like we are
starting all over again. I have realized how little time I
have spent with my own wife.”
His daily routine has changed since his working days when
he would have a quick breakfast and rush to the station.
Now he walks to the park for an hour‟s jog before
breakfast – with his wife, of course. “I did not know what to
do every day for the first couple of months after
retirement. I just sat in front of TV for hours and got bored.
My wife suggested jogging, which she has been doing for
the past 10 years. I hesitated first, but I started to enjoy it. It
is good for health and I have lost two kilos.”
He also started cooking for the first time, and is now taking
cooking class. “I never knew how hard and time
consuming household chores were till I started seeing my
wife doing them and I felt useless just watching. I also
started worrying that if anything happened to her, I should
at least know how to take care of myself.”
His wife Michiko Tagawa says, “I was very afraid of the
idea of my husband‟s retirement. I was worried about how
I would deal with him all day long. But it turned out that he
is not so bad after all!”
In the aging society of Japan, seniors are one of the major
economic drivers and they are very active. They
participate in sports, travel and learning new things. There
is also a rising trend of senior divorce, caused by difficulty
adjusting to each other after retirement.
Finding old friends and exchanging ideas are what make Sharad happy. He also enjoys traveling
and going on pilgrimage very much.
His prime concern at the moment is his second daughter's single status. She is 34, lives in London
and has set a tough criteria for finding a match.
Sharad believes technology – Internet, computers, mobiles – has changed the world we live in,
transforming it into a village. He feels the change is all positive. He never felt intimidated by
technology. He still fondly remembers the training programs he went through in the last few
years of his work life. Now he checks e-mails, Googles to get information and browses
matrimony websites for his daughter and Skypes with his cousin in the US. He even knows about
GPRS maps on the mobile.
The social and family values he sees changing fastest is the move toward nuclear families.
Everyone leads hectic lives and has less time for affection, sharing and love.
His favorite 20-25 year old is his son, Pranav. He is proud of his education and feels he is a caring,
simple and thinking guy! Outside of his family, Abhinav Bindra‟s gold medal for India in the
Olympics has done him proud.
Knowing me, knowing you
INDIA
Sharad Malthankar, 65, is a father of three
daughters and a son. He took early
retirement and is still leading an active life.
He is an early riser and takes his morning
exercise routine very seriously. The
motivation is not only good health, it‟s also
meeting his friends!
His two-hour morning ritual of reading the
paper (The Times of India) and one-and-a-
half hours of morning puja (prayers) are
sacrosanct. He recently became the
chairman of his housing society and is
enjoying new responsibilities. He also likes
gardening and watching TV, especially the
news, discussion panels, regional TV series
and travel shows. Some of his favorite topics
are politics, current affairs and stock
markets.
.
* or at my favorite KTV parlor
Playing on my iPod*
Foster The People
Pumped Up Kicks
http://www.youtube.co
m/watch?v=SDTZ7iX4v
TQ
MALAYSIA
Zivilia
Aishiteru
http://www.youtube.co
m/watch?v=D3-
dvCXE-6E
INDONESIA
Ayu Ting Ting
Alamat Palsu
http://www.youtube.com/w
atch?v=pFlJ9kCX_oc
Digu Dasa by Romesh.
-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=eGDmM_kw8qQ
"Jordan"
by Buckethead.
http://www.youtube.
com/watch?v=OTcg
9JybEp8
INDIA
SRI LANKA
Remake of "Ra Sihinen" by
Shihan Mihiranga
(Originally sung by Namal
Udugama).
http://www.youtube.com/w
atch?v=lTOyahw-lJE
Song: Chammak
Challo
Movie: Ra.One
Singers: Akon,
Hamsika Iyer
Link:
http://www.youtube.
com/watch?v=6FteXh
p7MZY
Song: Sadda Haq
Movie: Rockstar
Singer: Mohit
Chauhan
Link :
http://www.youtube.
com/watch?v=n6mra
YuSELU
BANGLADESH
Playing on my iPod*
TAIWANCHINA
Zhang Jing
“Looking For”
http://v.youku.com/v_
show/id_XMjk5NDAw
NTQ4.html
Laure Shang
Where Is My Soul
http://v.youku.co
m/v_show/id_XM
jkzNzkwMDg0.ht
ml
Hebe
“My love”
http://www.youtube.c
om/watch?v=t3r7a_7L
qRA
SodaGreen
“Love lonely”
http://www.youtube.co
m/watch?v=AUv4_lsYb
6U
Bilal Khan feat. Zoe
Viccaji
"Anjaane“
http://www.youtube.co
m/watch?v=NLwEUsJeJ
HY
PAKISTANSkima Switch
“Hare Tokidoki Kumori”
http://www.office-
augusta.com/sukimaswi
tch/
JAPAN
SuperHeavy
“Miracle Worker”
http://www.youtube.com/w
atch?v=MTF7T1Nw5OU&ob
=av2e
Zia Quizon
“Ako Na Lang
http://www.yout
ube.com/watch?
v=3kX1JeNhpqA
PHILLIPPINES
Above & Beyond ft Richard Bedford
“Sun & Moon”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ll
5ykbAumD4
SINGAPORE
Avicii
“Levels”
http://www.youtube.com
/watch?v=TnOjBX4veNI
What‟s making people really angry,
and why?
Rage against
MALAYSIA
An Australian daily's report of Malaysian
Prime Minister Najib family‟s shopping spree
during his trip there for the Commonwealth
Summit has been making waves in Malaysia.
The report claimed that the Prime Minister‟s
wife spent RM488,000 on pearls and their
daughter spent RM195,000 at a department
store. This report comes on the heels of other
spending-related scandals related to the
Prime Minister and his wife Rosmah Mansor.
These include a RM74 million diamond ring,
the scheduling of an official trip to coincide
with a personal engagement, and exorbitantly
priced renovations to the Prime Minister‟s
residence.
This report has sparked another round of
intense chatter on social networking sites.
Many are shocked at the family‟s lavish
lifestyle and speculate that the family has
been misusing the public‟s hard-earned cash.
Outraged netizens have demanded to know
where the money is coming from and have
started a petition online calling for the
declaration of assets of all government
officials.
“Najib and his wife should not fleece the
people. Officials are always trying to overstep
their boundaries, this is a clear abuse of
power and as a government staff, I am
disgusted with all the profligacy,” a
government employee said.
This picture posted on a blog points to
Rosmah Mansor (extreme right) and her
jewellery
TAIWAN
Three local dairy producers in Taiwan that control
80 per cent of the domestic fresh milk market have
all raised their prices on October 1, pushing the
cost of raw milk up by 7.99 per cent. The highest
price rise was 27 per cent by one of the companies.
Stores in turn have raised coffee prices by 10 per
cent, and the coffee chain Starbucks has even
raised prices for black coffee and fruit juice.
One office-goer said, “I understand that they‟re
raising prices because the price of milk has risen.
But I don‟t get why that should affect non-milk
items.” Some people are also questioning why
coffee vendors have to increase prices so much.
Incensed by the hike, a “do not buy convenience
store coffee on October 20” event was being
promoted on Facebook, which has attracted over
9,000 supporters.
Fair trade authorities have fined the three largest
dairy producers for price fixing. The fines of up to
NT$12 million were announced on October 20
following an investigation into the recent price hike
for milk.
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/
event.php?eid=220109671386805
Rage against
Mumbai and India have been enraged by the
deaths of Keenan Santos and Reuben Fernandes,
who paid with their lives for standing up to street
harassment by eve teasers.
On the night of October 20, at about 11pm,
Keenan and Reuben were standing in front of a
paan shop along with five friends, including two
girls. They had just finished dinner at a
restaurant in Andheri, Mumbai. A drunken man
named Jeetendra Rana purposely fell on one of
the girls (Keenan's girlfriend) and passed an
obscene comment. Keenan and Reuben
confronted the man. After a while, he came back
with around 15 men, armed with bamboo sticks,
sickles and knives. Seeing the mob coming, the
boys sent the girls inside the restaurant. The
boys took on the men unarmed. Keenan and
Reuben were stabbed, while the others were
beaten up. Keenan was pronounced dead after
being taken to the hospital while Reuben later
succumbed to his injuries.
As it emerged, a number of people were silent
spectators of the senseless violence. "People
stood there watching...did nothing," said
Priyanka Fernandes, Keenan‟s girlfriend.
Parents of the victims are asking what the
authorities will do so that the sacrifice of their
children is not in vain. The police arrested 21
people in connection with the murder. Minutes
after the murders, the perpetrators had
apparently been shouting that they would get out
of jail in no time.
The outrage on the Internet has continued, with
multiple discussion threads with users from
across the country discussing everything from
police protection and sexual harassment to
safety in Mumbai and self-defence tricks for
women. "Everyone has reached a point where
they are saying enough is enough. We're now
brainstorming on how we can spread more
awareness," said Benjamin, Reuben's brother.
A networking community dedicated to Keenan
Santos grew from 18,000 to 56,000 members in
two days. The 'Zero Tolerance Campaign' was
launched to take concrete steps about this public
outcry.
"We are supporting this movement. Hope it will
bring about some change," said Sheldon Santos,
Keenan's brother. "We wanted to take it beyond
venting. The campaign will be used to bring in
reforms so that such cases don't occur again,"
says Sagar Bekal, a group member.
The team spent time outside spots where young
people hang out together, collecting signatures
for a petition addressed to home minister R.R.
Patil seeking sections 354 and 509 of the Indian
Penal Code be made non-bailable.
The online campaign has seen netizens talk
about eve-teasing and sexual harassment with
renewed interest. In the past, several
movements, have addressed these issues. Some
of these online groups have been revived
following the Amboli incident. Bloggers have
been posting tips, martial arts moves and other
means to fight sexual harassment is public
places.
Netizens have now directed their ire at the police
and politicians after joint commissioner (crime)
Himanshu Roy, in an interview to a radio
channel, said, "We have 30 operators currently
and receive around 20,000 calls daily. We
understand that there is an urgent need to
increase lines as well as operators and are in the
process of doing so." In a country where
politicians have hundreds of security personnel,
why are there are a paltry 300 staff to address
the emergencies of all Mumbai, asked angry
listeners.
CHINA
On the afternoon of October 13 at a hardware market in
Huangqi, Foshan city, Guangdong province, a car hit a two-
year-old girl and didn‟t bother to stop. No passersby reached
out to help, either, and as a result, another car ran over her. In
seven minutes, a total of 17 people passing by failed to extend
a hand or call the police, till the 19th person, a garbage
scavenger, discovered her. But by that time, the little girl was
already badly injured. The woman called for help, and the
young girl‟s mother, who was in the area, immediately rushed
over and took her to the hospital.
The accident has been one of most hotly discussed topics in
China of late, with people angered by the coldness of
witnesses. The news video has received over 700,000 views on
Chinese video-sharing website Youku.com and has attracted
over 6,200 comments. This news is also spreading on China‟s
popular micro blogging service Sina Weibo in addition to
receiving a lot of attention on major internet news portals and
communities. One netizen commented on Sina Weibo: “Those
people who walked by without offering help are animals. No,
even some animals have compassion and would at the least
stop to take a look. Those 18 pigs who walked by should also
be arrested and taught a lesson with 15 days in jail. Instead it
was the waste scavenger woman from another part of the
country who had a conscience.”
On October 21, the little girl died in hospital. Thousands of
netizens, including Chinese celebrities, have been expressing
their thoughts on this issue on Sina Weibo, urging people to be
more helpful in future: “Don‟t be so cold, we should never let
this happen again!”
SRI LANKA
Last month, the custodial death of an alleged convict saw
wide-spread violence engulfing the locality of Dompe.
Hearing of his son‟s death, the father of the man also
suffered a heart attack. Public anger was further fuelled
when police issued a statement that the “convict died after
jumping out of a vehicle in an attempt to escape”. Local
residents set fire to the police station and destroyed
several vehicles. Special Task Force & Army
reinforcements were called in to restore peace.
Police atrocities have been on the rise of late. This comes
close on the heels of a peaceful demonstration by workers
of a free trade zone turning violent due to indiscriminate
firing by police. Such acts of police brutality have Sri
Lankans increasingly worried and angry.
Rage against
Rage againstPhone Fraud
Source : us.foto.detik.com
INDONESIA
Feri Kuntoro, 36, lives in Jakarta, and is the first consumer to have complained to the police about his
cell phone service provider‟s alleged fraud. Feri subscribed to specific number, as advertised on TV,
following instructions to get a chance at winning a BlackBerry. Since then, he was being billed US$ 20-
22 every month. When he complained to the provider, he was instructed to deregister. When that didn‟t
work and he continued to be billed, he finally went to the police.
Since then, many people have come forward to report similar cases. They have turned to Facebook and
the media to talk about the issue. People are even more angry at the response from the communication
minister and the service provider. The ministry merely went on the defensive, and the company hid
behind claims that its services had government regulator approval.
Consumers who reported fraud to the police were allegedly threatened. A movement was launched to
boycott Indonesian phone cell providers. On October 15, Indonesian activists encouraged people to
shut down their mobile phones for two hours.
Stop phone fraud pretense selling mobile
content.
SINGAPORE
On August 8 2011, TODAY newspaper reported that a Chinese migrant family had complained about
the smell of curry being cooked by their ethnic-Indian Singaporean neighbors. After some mediation,
the local family agreed not to cook curry when the Chinese family was home. This was the source of
much anger amongst the many Singaporeans who love their curries.
Soon, Flor Leow, a Singaporean in her 40s, started the “Cook and Share a Pot of Curry” page. “Let‟s not
argue, let‟s not quarrel, let‟s learn to tolerate” is her message. Her page went viral, with more than
57,000 people pledging support and agreeing to cook curry on August 21. People clearly felt strongly
about the issue as even the Facebook pages of the four presidential candidates attracted only a third of
the endorsements garnered by the curry campaign!
On August 21, Singaporeans and foreigners alike gathered to cook and share their curries.
Singaporeans have embraced curry as the new national symbol, and Singaporeans have shown that
they will stand up for what they stand for.
PAKISTAN
Pakistan Railway‟s failure to pay its pensioners took a deadly turn recently, causing outrage across
the nation. Retired employees of the public company were forced to line up for their pension near
the Railway Workshop, Mughalpura, for days in the scorching sun, with no arrangements for drinking
water or shade. Despite the conditions, they could not leave because they had not been paid their
pension for over three months and were desperate for money.
Weakened by heat, Mahmood Khan suffered a heart attack while standing in line. Some of the other
pensioners rushed him to a nearby hospital where doctors pronounced him dead. The intolerable
heat caused two other pensioners to faint, and their families had to rush over to take them home.
The tragedy didn‟t speed up the payment process, however, and pensioners continued to suffer in
the heat for a few more days. The government announced it would pay compensation of PKR 500,000
to Khan‟s family, which is can hardly make up for the loss they have suffered.
BANGLADESH
A number of investors in the Dhaka stock market are very angry at
the huge losses they have suffered of late. Among them are those
who have invested everything they had in the market, and now
stand to lose it all. They are raising questions about the regulatory
bodies entrusted with the smooth functioning of the bourse, and are
wondering that when the market rises again, who will look after
investor interests?
Rage against
Rage against
PHILLIPPINES
On October 18, 19 government soldiers
died in an encounter with the Moro Islamic
Liberation Front in Basilan, Mindanao. The
fallout of a feud dating back to the 1970s,
there have been numerous rounds of
peace talks about MILF‟s demands for an
autonomous Muslim-Filipino nation, none
of which have yet borne fruit.
Results of the investigation into the
encounter have not been revealed to the
public, but the government has called for
continued talks and a hunt to find those
involved in the attack. One section of
lawmakers believes, however, that the
government stand reflects weak
governance, and uncalled for concessions
to what are probably delay tactics of the
rebels. Rumors that the government has
granted 5 million peso aid to MILF for a
leadership training institute as part of the
peace talks have not gone down well
either.
Lawmakers opposed to the current talks
suggest reintegration of rebel leaders via
training in the national military academy
and jobs or alternative livelihoods for
rebel families instead of straight out
grants, as has been recommended in past
negotiations.
In a TV news poll on Tuesday November 1,
86 per cent of Filipino viewers were
against the shape of the current peace
package.
Waiting list
Taiwan‟s first LPGA tournament
The whole nation watched as Taiwan hosted its first ever
LPGA tournament in October. Eight of the world‟s top 10
players will compete, including world number one,
Taiwan‟s own Yani Tseng.
Records were broken as Tseng returned for the
tournament. Over the four days of play, 66,000 people
were at the Sunrise Golf Club to watch, including 28,000 on
the final day. These figures surpass previous highs for
attendance at a professional sporting event in Taiwan.
Taiwan readers line up to buy Steve Jobs‟s Chinese-
language biography
The Chinese-language version of Steve Jobs‟s biography
went on sale in Taiwan on October 24. People lined up
outside a major bookstore in Taipei at least an hour ahead
of time to get their hands on a copy.
Eslite, one of Taiwan's leading bookstore chains, offered
free gifts at 12 of its outlets on the first day of sales to the
first 100 people who showed up dressed in black
turtlenecks, just like Jobs used to wear.
The exclusive Taiwanese publisher of the biography said it
had planned to do a first print run of 100,000 copies, but
decided to go with 220,000 copies instead based on the
warm reception.
Tokyo Sky Tree is an upcoming broadcasting tower in
Sumida, Tokyo, with a restaurant and observation deck. It is
set to be the tallest man-made structure in Japan, standing
634 m (2,080 ft) high. The project is being led by Tobu
Railway and a group of six terrestrial broadcasters (headed
by public broadcaster NHK).
Construction of the tower is scheduled to be completed by
February 2012, and will open to the public on May 22, 2012.
Waiting list
After many months of hoping and wishing for YouTube
sensation Jayesslee (http://www.youtube.com/jayesslee)
to grace us with a concert in Malaysia, the dynamic duo
finally came to town in October. The Korean-Australian
twins Janice and Sonia Lee, commonly known as Jayesslee,
have been rated as one of YouTube‟s top musicians since
their debut in 2008. The twins shot to stardom with their
tight vocal harmony and acoustic covers posted online.
Jayesslee gained exposure in Malaysia late last year,
going viral on social networking sites, and charming the
hearts of Malaysians with their vocals, looks, and bubbly
personalities.
Jayesslee‟s Malaysian fans attempted to create a
movement earlier this year to persuade the twins to travel
to Malaysia for a concert. Using Facebook as a platform,
the petition was titled „10000 Malaysians would love
Jayesslee to come to Malaysia‟. Other fans took to
personally writing letters and e-mails to the twins. The
movement failed at the time, but fans‟ wishes were finally
fulfilled with a cozy Jayesslee concert live in Kuala Lumpur.
The fourth ICC World Twenty20 will be held in Sri
Lanka between September 18 and October 7, 2012.
This will be the first World Twenty20 tournament
held in an Asian country, the last three being held in
South Africa, England and the West Indies. The
format will see four groups of three in a preliminary
round. Fixtures were announced on September 21,
when the ICC also unveiled the logo of the
tournament, Modern Spin.
The first World Twenty20, a biennial tournament,
was hosted by South Africa in 2007, where India beat
Pakistan in a thriller of a match. Pakistan defeated
Sri Lanka in 2009, while England became the third
World Twenty20 champions, beating Australia in the
West Indies.
Is it now Sri Lanka‟s turn?
Waiting listStar Alliance is offering Round The World
fares which include 27 airlines flying to 1,160
airports in 181 countries. The discounted
economy class fare is a very reasonable RMB
20,000, which has young Chinese hatching
plans to realize their “world travel dreams”.
Gap year, or taking a year off to travel, is
becoming a trend among young people in
China. An increasing number of university
graduates and even young professionals are
putting their careers aside for long journeys to
foreign countries. A big part of the attraction
of a gap year is escaping the drudgery of
work for new and exciting experiences. Many
Chinese people grow up complying with their
parents‟ expectations, but with rising
uncertainty, the youth is now making its own
decisions. For students, the choice to take a
gap year is a rite of passage to becoming a
stronger individual; for young professionals it
is the opportunity to explore or refresh
themselves.
That is what is fuelling the craze for the Star
Alliance offer. In just three days, the message
of the promotional fare has been reposted
almost 40,000 times on micro-blogging site
Sina Weibo, and has received almost 3,000
comments. A lot of netizens have shown strong
interests in purchasing the ticket. “We all
should do this before the end of world comes
in 2012!” said one potential world traveler.
India was eagerly awaiting the biggest birth to
hit Bollywood, with Abhishek Bachchan and
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan‟s first baby on the way.
Huge media coverage has ensured that the
baby will arrive under the glare of a million
spotlights. Indians across the globe are
speculating and latching on to any news related
to the Big P (pregnancy).
The baby finally arrived on November 15,
trigerring a fresh round of media frenzy.
Waiting list
Indonesia has been looking forward to the
South Asia Sport Festival, the 26th Sea Games,
from November 11 to 22. Palembang, a city
on Sumatra Island, and Jakarta are to be the
centers of the event.
There has been much trouble in the run up to
the games, chief among which was the
bribery involved with the construction of the
athletes‟ villages. Though some noted
politicians were involved, the sport minister
has washed his hands of the matter. The
venues, not yet ready, have been in the
media spotlight, leading to fears of a
possible delay in the schedule.
Despite all the chaos, the government and
committee in charge of the event appear
positive that the festival will be a success.
http://www.seag2011.com/
The wait is finally over -- Singaporeans no longer
have to spend all of their time in H&M every time
they travel abroad, as the Swedish brand finally
threw its doors open in Singapore on September 3.
Singaporeans have repeatedly demonstrated that
they don‟t mind a queue, and the result was more
than 1500 people in line for the official opening,
with some die-hard fans camping from noon the
day before. Some of those in line were genuine
fans of H&M, but others were only there for the
freebies - the first five to enter the store that day
were to receive $250 gift cards, with $20 cards for
the next 300. An obvious strategy to adopt, given
that freebies will have Singaporeans happily
queuing till no end!
The massive crowds at the prominent location
along Orchard Road simply meant more publicity
for the store, which has three levels with a
complete range of apparel and accessories for
women, men and kids.
Waiting list
.
Gaming consoles such as Wii,
Playstation 2 and 3 and the Xbox
360 have taken the world by storm,
and Pakistan is no exception.
Pakistani men, young and old,
have been spending hours on
gaming consoles playing their
favorite games. With the advent of
online gaming with consoles such
as the Xbox 360, a virtual
community has grown around it.
The latest fad is Call of Duty:
Modern Warfare. The latest edition,
Modern Warfare 3, is already on
top of every gamer‟s most wanted
list.
And with competition in the form of
Battlefield 3 having released on
October 25, Activision has been
preparing for war, advertising
MW3 across the world ahead of its
arrival on November 8.
Bangladesh has been waiting for the release of Tritio Jaatra, the second studio album from
rock band Nemesis. The event took place on Eid-Ul-Azha. The band delayed the launch,
which was previously scheduled for Eid-Ul-Fitr, allegedly due to issues with its record
label. Millions of Nemesis fans have been eagerly waited for their album. “Wait; if you wait
you will have something GOOD to listen to,” said Nemesis to its impatient fans.
Waiting list
News that the iPhone 4S is already being
pre-sold in Singapore has roused
speculation that pre-sales will begin in
another three to four weeks in the
Philippines. But that isn‟t soon enough for
some: many iPhone fans have put
themselves on the waiting list through
friends and family in various countries in
the hopes of getting their phone sooner
than that.
The Philippines is still reeling from the
effects of Typhoon Pepeng, and scores
of people are waiting for their share of
relief items being distributed
throughout the country. As usual, it is
the far-flung affected areas directly hit
by the typhoon that are the last ones to
be reached by aid workers.
Children peek through the gate of Angono High School
in Binangonan, Rizal, as they wait for relief goods from
the Philippine Air Force. Photo by Mark Balmores
Tense about …
Tense about
There are few conversations amongst Malaysians
these days that don‟t include the subject of the
rising cost of living. Prices in urban areas have
sky-rocketed and wage-earners are feeling the
pinch. The Economist Intelligence Unit has
reported that the cost of living in Kuala Lumpur
has risen by nearly 25 per cent in the past two
years and recent inflation statistics show that
food and non-alcoholic beverage prices have
increased to twice the global average. Urban
property prices have increased 40 per cent in
the past year with the average price of a
residential property costing nine times the
average urban household income.
However, even though prices have increased
drastically, wages have not increased to match it
– from 2001 to 2010, wages have only increased
2.6 per cent. One point of contention currently is
the fact that with current salary levels, property
prices are well beyond the reach of today‟s
youth.
The government has been trying to tackle this
issue by announcing specific measures in the
2012 budget to lessen the impact of inflation.
Some of the measures include one-off cash
handouts to low-income households and
financial aid to civil servants. However, public
sentiment remains doubtful that the measures
would solve the real problems. Furthermore, it is
evident that the government‟s ability to improve
the situation will be a big factor in determining
whether the party remains in power following
the upcoming general election.
For thousands of home owners in India, who had
taken home loans and were worrying about higher
equated monthly instalment (EMI) outgo due to
increasing interest rates, the National Housing Board
(NHB) order for the waiver of prepayment penalty
came as a brief respite. But the joy might prove to be
short-lived as most housing finance companies
(HFCs) plan to compensate for the revenue loss by
levying higher interest rates or additional charges.
HFCs have to maintain a net interest margin (NIM) of
230-250 basis points (2.30-2.50 per cent). Scrapping
the prepayment penalty would mean a 25-basis-
point hit for the companies that are already reeling
under tightening margins due to rising interest rates,
say officials in the housing finance business.
Industry members feel that the waiver of the penalty
will only encourage borrowers to swap loans to
different banks and HFCs. Loan swaps usually
happen when there are other players in the market
offering lower interest rates. Since customer
acquisition and retention charges are also high, most
banks feel that it is only fair that they be
compensated for the additional work through other
sources.
“A lot of work, time and effort goes into acquiring a
customer. There has to be some deterrent to prevent
accounts from being frequently switched from one
company to another,” said Srinivas Acharya,
managing director, Sundaram BNP Paribas Home
Finance.
The battle for new customers has seen banks get
creative. ICICI Bank and LIC Housing Finance
launched teaser rates or hybrid rates where the
interest is lower than the industry average for the
first two to five years, after which prevailing floating
rates apply. Though State Bank of India scrapped its
teaser scheme a few months ago, HDFC launched a
loan that offered interest rates as low as 10.75 per
cent for the first three years.
Many borrowers do not want an extension in their
loan repayment tenure and prefer to move to new
lenders offering lower rates.
Tense about
During the financial crisis in 2008, high-tech
companies in Taiwan asked employees to take
unpaid leave instead of laying them off.
In October 2011, this practice has started again.
Some companies have been cutting back staff as
well. Eight firms in the industrial zone of the
Hsinchu Science Park have been encouraging
employees to take annual leave in a bid to lower
production amid slowing global demand. A
leading LED testing and packaging service
supplier said that it will start an unpaid leave
plan from November to counter slowing global
demand.
Laborers in Taiwan have begun to feel uncertain
about their economic future once again.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwA
yj8IYEn8
The prolonged dry spell in areas of Sri Lanka
including Polonnaruwa, Anuradhapura, Matale,
Batticaloa, Ampara and Moneragala districts has
made it difficult for people to get drinking water. In
Aralaganvila and Dimbulagala, there are villages
where people flock to the well in the early hours to
draw water. In other areas with only a few wells, the
water level has dropped drastically, forcing
villagers to walk for kilometers in search of water.
Even in major water supply systems, flow has been
restricted to a few hours a day. The water level has
dropped to critical lows in the major tanks in
districts such as Minneriya and Giritale. The delay of
the monsoon rains is likely to have an adverse
impact on yields in the 2011/2012 Maha season. In
addition to the food costs going through the roof,
north Sri Lanka is reeling and waiting for some relief
– either from the government or the weather gods.
Dengue fever is a growing
epidemic in Pakistan. Due to high cost of
treatment, the disease is spreading
rapidly. Already affected by floods and
suicide bombings, Pakistan now faces an
unprecedented outbreak of this deadly
tropical disease. In less than a month, 126
people have died and more than 12,000 have
been diagnosed with the virus, which has
spread rapidly through Pakistan‟s cultural
capital, Lahore. Dengue sometimes results in
fever, muscle and joint ache, but it can also be
fatal when it develops into hemorrhagic fever
and shock syndrome, which is characterized
by bleeding and loss of blood pressure. There
is no vaccine, which is why prevention is
critical.
Authorities in Lahore have blamed the crisis
on prolonged monsoon rains and unusually
high seasonal temperatures. But the locals
blame it on inefficient government and long
power cuts. Lahore has the most number of
reported cases, and banners with giant
mosquitoes and public warnings have been
hung across avenues and crossings in the city.
The government is trying to reduce the spread
of the epidemic. The government of Punjab
has opened a hotline. Spraying teams have
been organized to fumigate, spray and fog
areas where the Aedes mosquitoes is thriving.
Mobile teams operate around the clock to
treat the affected in rural areas. In early
September, the government of Punjab
ordered schools, colleges and universities
in Pakistan to close down for 10 days for
intensive spraying. Private hospitals have
agreed to provide free treatment to dengue
patients.
Tense about
On the morning of October 6, 2011, co-founder of
Apple Steve Jobs passed away, losing his fight
against cancer. After the announcement of his
death, more than 35 million Chinese paid online
tributes to the creator of the popular iPhone and
iPad digital devices. By 6pm, over 36 million
microblog posts about Steve Jobs had been
posted on Sina Weibo. Sina even created a new
emoticon of Steve Jobs‟s face. Hundreds of Apple
fans gathered in front of retail stores in Beijing,
Shanghai and Chengdu, where they set up
memorials filled with photos, flowers, and sticky
notes on which fans had scrawled messages.
Apple products have soared in popularity among
increasingly affluent Chinese consumers. Demand
for white iPhones sparked a scuffle outside the
Beijing Apple Store in Sanlitun earlier this year. In
the quarter ended June 25, Apple said it sold $3.8
billion worth of products in greater China
(including Hong Kong); more than a six-fold
increase over the previous year. Apple also
opened new stores in Hong Kong and Shanghai
last month.
Some Apple fans are worried that Apple has lost
its soul and are rushing to purchase the last Apple
products that Jobs has worked on. “I have to get
the iPhone 5 as it is the final amazing art work of
Steve Jobs!” said one loyalist on Weibo.
They say that during every Manny Pacquiao match,
there is a dramatic decline in crime, traffic and
footfall in public places across the Philippines. No
surprise, since everybody is at home glued to their
TV screens.
The November 12 match of our national boxing hero
against Juan Manuel Marquez had Filipinos holding
their breath in anticipation. Who cares if the final
verdict was controversial? Pacquiao won, didn‟t he!
This is merely the latest round in an ongoing sports
saga. Seven years ago, Pacquiao managed to knock
down Marquez three times in the first round but was
unable to knock him out, ending the bout in a draw. In
their second meeting in 2008, the two fought a close
bout with Pacquiao winning the fight by one round in
a judge‟s scorecard.
At the Philippine kick-off, Marquez and his team
members said Marquez should have won the previous
two fights against Pacquiao. They left no room for
doubt about how they felt, wearing “We Got Robbed”
shirts, referring to Marquez‟s close loss against the
Filipino four years ago.
This irked many Filipinos, further fueling a collective
demand for national victory. And they got exactly
what they wanted!
Tense about
People have been tense about the Eid holiday and how to spend it. Eid Ul Azha is the festival of
sacrifice, and is one of the biggest religious celebrations in Bangladesh. People give cows, goats and
even camels for sacrifice in the name of Allah. With spiraling prices, people are worried that they
won‟t be able to buy a decent animal to sacrifice at a decent price.
Then there is also the worry that they won‟t be able to get tickets to travel during the holidays due to
the rush.
Both marriage and divorce cases
have increased in the aftermath of the
March earthquake in Japan.
43 per cent of women in their 20s say
they want to get married even more
after the earthquake. Unfortunately,
this does not mean finding the perfect
partner is any easier than before.
On the other hand, divorce cases are
also increasing. Although every
relationship breaks up for unique
reasons, many have reported that
they began to reassess their lives and
their values after the disaster, and
began to question what and who is
truly important to them.
OR
Tense about
Tense about
Fraudulent text messages to extort money have been doing the rounds in Indonesia. Sent by cybercriminal syndicates, many people have been cheated by these frightening texts. The messages,claiming that the recipient‟s child has met with an accident or has been kidnapped, were used toget parents to wire transfer large sums of money to unknown bank accounts.
Even though the syndicate was finally caught by police, the SMS attack still appears now and again.It is a source of stress because the messages come from an unknown sender, and no one reallyknows how the criminals get hold of the phone numbers or personal information.
“Send to Bank Rakyat Indonesia
account name Johan Veronika
No.011601051664507, tell me after
you transfer the money, text me…”
“Mom, Dad, I am at police station now. I have to
pay medical cost for the car accident injured party,
4 million, text to this number 085613734734, ask
him the bank account number and please send the
money now. Urgent. I‟ll call you back”
“Send the money through BRI account
name Solvi Safitri Account number :
089501006526502. Call or text me after the
transaction, my phone cell run out of
battery.”
Tense about
Orientation in local universities for freshmen has been taking an extreme turn in Singapore.
Girls lying on the ground with guys perched suggestively over them, eating biscuits out of each
other‟s mouths, hugging for an extended period of time as a trial of endurance are just some
examples of what students are being forced to do. For some girls, these activities have proved to
be so embarrassing that they burst into tears. These activities have also raised concerns among
parents.
Another strange trend has been seen among secondary school students, who have been choking
each other, claiming that it gives them a high. They even show off their deeds by taking videos
and sharing them online. To them, it is fun and they are replicating what they have seen on
YouTube. For the parents of Singapore, it is traumatic to hear of their kids resorting to such
potentially fatal activities for “fun” and it is even more upsetting to know that these behaviors
might easily go unnoticed.
Top brands of 2011
What people filled up their physical and online shopping carts with …
Top brands of 2011
Who can forget the overnight sensation he created as the returning
officer of the Singapore elections in 2011? He earned more than
30,000 likes on Facebook in less than 24 hours. That‟s a record that
will be hard to beat. He‟s also had his face Photoshopped on
medicated oil and face powder bottles. Yam Ah Mee has become an
iconic figure – a brand in his own right.
SINGAPORE
1.Yam Ah Mee
Eating can be more important than sleep for some
Singaporeans. Planning their lives around food, many
Singaporeans turn to Hungry Go Where for credible
reviews of restaurants and food stalls. Founded in 2006
by three local men, it has since expanded to include
HungryDelivery, HungryDeals and HungryBBQ. The way
to Singaporeans‟ hearts is definitely through their
stomachs.
2. Hungry Go Where
3. NTUC Income
NTUC Orange Force, a homegrown brand that has
proven to be quick and responsive, is available 24/7 to
assist in case of accidents, helping have vehicles
towed and alternative transportation arranged, and so
on. Their response to flash floods last year with a series
of print ads that ran within 24 hours of the incident with
promises to quickly and fairly pay out claims to
insurers earned them quite a reputation for prompt
action.
http://sgentrepreneurs.com/interviews/2009/10/20/in-conversation-with-
wong-hoong-an-co-founder-of-hungrygowhere/
http://sbr.com.sg/information-technology/news/hungry-go-where-strikes-
microsoft-deal
http://www.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne+News/Singapore/St
ory/A1Story20110509-277804.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v
=zzzYzqKNJRw
http://theideaphile.blogspot.com/2011/05/ntuc-incomes-flood-campaign.html
http://sbr.com.sg/financial-services/more-news/ntuc-income-provides-members-personal-
accident-response-team
Top brands of 2011
Malaysians hailed Apple, Samsung and Groupon Malaysia as the top three brands of 2011.
Apple came in first place, with consumers attributing the brand‟s superiority to its technological
advancements in hardware, with devices such as the iPad 2 and iPhone 4S, as well as in its software,
with the launch of its updated operating system, iOS 5. Consumers also noted that Apple products
have consistency in quality and that the brand has tremendous loyalty and the ability to easily
generate hype and publicity. Additionally, Steve Jobs‟s recent death transposed the brand that he
embodied into an even more legendary status as people mourned his passing the world over. Most
memorable of Apple‟s communications are its recent ads introducing Siri on the iPhone 4S
(http://youtu.be/rNsrl86inpo), as well as Apple‟s Keynote events. Interestingly, Apple‟s corporate
communications is as influential as any advertising campaign; as one consumer said, “Apple‟s
Keynotes are considered their best ads”. Watch one of the Keynote videos mentioned by consumers:
http://youtu.be/UhLLNrU3uXQ
Samsung also emerged as a contender for Malaysia‟s top brand of the year, as consumers increasingly
recognized its phones and tablets as quality products. Consumers praised offerings like the Galaxy
Tab and Galaxy S II, as “Apple contenders” and “iPhone killers”. The most memorable
communication from Samsung is the “Too Realistic?” campaign for the Galaxy S II, which highlights
the phone‟s display. See the ads: http://youtu.be/GOKO6isa08A and http://youtu.be/1ng_h0iA4i0
Groupon Malaysia, formerly known as Groupsmore, is Malaysia‟s tech startup darling of the year.
Launched in September 2010, Groupsmore was bought over by Groupon within five months of going
online. Featuring discounted gift certificates from various local and regional companies, discount-
loving Malaysians flocked to the site to get their hands on deals for restaurants, travel, beauty
services, activities, entertainment and other items. Within five months, Groupon Malaysia had reached
50,000 in members and as of August 2011, the site had a member base of over 700,000. In terms of
communication, Groupon advertises through web banners. It reaches the masses mainly through
word-of-mouth, and also by using social networking sites.
Top brands of 2011
Sacai is a Japanese brand created by Abe Chitose, the
designer behind Sacai womenswear since 1999.
Chitose worked for Comme des Garçons and Junya
Watanabe before that. Her knitwear collections have
built an underground following with very little
publicity. Starting very small, Sacai made a Paris
collection for the first time in 2011 and has become a
popular name in high streets around Europe.
±0 became one of the most popular home
appliance brands in Japan and beyond
with its simple, practical and elegant
design. ±0 was founded in 2003 by
designer Naoto Fukasawa. The brand‟s
design sensibility is based on the belief
that beautiful objects are not just about
matching colors or shapes; they are about
harmony between these devices and life.
The ±0 brand is a symbol signifying “just
right” – a shape that is “just right”, a size
that is “just right”; a price that is “just
right”.
We ran a poll in the office for the three brands of the
year in Bangladesh, and the answer was Coca Cola,
Apple and Google.
At the very top was Coca Cola. Why, we asked?
EVERYONE loves Coca Cola, we were told. It is just
like they say in the ads: Coke is about open
happiness. The particular campaign that cemented
the soft drink major‟s position at the peak was the
Coca Cola Friendship Machine campaign, which
was also favorably reviewed across media.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bj3QLLTFDX8
Top brands of 2011
UNIQLO: UNIQLO created a buzz with many events and campaigns in Taiwan this year. In March, the
world‘s first UT GALLERY was held in Taipei, where UNIQLO collected highly popular items such as
Naruto, One Piece, Care Bears and Cath Kidston that have been sweeping Japan‟s spring/summer
style. The event was full of atmosphere from Taiwan‘s military housing era, which reflected the strong
difference between Taiwanese traditions and Japanese fashion.
After opening a flagship store in East Taipei in September, UNIQLO opened another five stores in
three months. With each opening, they held a Lucky UNIQLO Line event on Facebook, which drew
about 60,000 participants.
Recently the brand invited famous Taiwanese artists to shoot ads that generated significant buzz.
http://www.youtu
be.com/watch?v=
zNwByHJWiiA
http://www.youtu
be.com/watch?v=
CuWExQrVPBc&f
eature=related
TC Bank: The “Dream Rangers” commercial for Ta Chong
Bank has taken on a life of its own in Taiwan and across the
globe with over 3.7 million views on YouTube. The video has
close to 11,000 likes and fewer than 40 dislikes.
Ta Chong bank means People‟s Bank. Through this
commercial, TC Bank wanted to convey that it understands,
identifies and supports the Taiwanese people, and that TC
Bank embraces the Taiwanese spirit.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vksdBSVAM6g
HTC: HTC is the first Taiwanese company to be listed by
Interbrand as one of the world's top 100 brands, debuting at
No. 98 in the 2011 Best Global Brands report.
HTC believes that a company should focus on the value of
innovation and the training of talent for the next generation.
Wall Street Journal described HTC CEO Peter Chou as the
next Steve Jobs.
Top brands of 2011
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMzAwNTc4MzA0.html
In September, 2011, Levi‟s launched its first global campaign, Go Forth in China, featuring Brunei-
born Taiwanese actor and signer Wu Chun. The campaign encourages young people to pursue their
goals and dreams. It has been one of the favorite ads among young Chinese consumers in 2011.
In January, 2011, Diageo launched the new campaign for its Johnnie Walker brand – Words of
Journey. The campaign uses a documentary approach to tell the stories of 12 Chinese pioneers,
chosen from the fields of business and the arts. They reflect upon their life journeys against the
backdrop of modern China. In a few months, the video has received more than 30 million views
online. The spirit of overcoming difficulties has struck a chord with viewers.
http://johnniewalker.tudou.com/yulujihua/
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMjU1MjYyMTY0.html
In May 2011, Dove launched its first big digital campaign, You‟re a Beauty Story, on Sina.com and
Sina Weibo. The campaign aims to inspire the women of China to acknowledge and embrace their
beauty and ultimately capture all the individual beauty stories of the millions of women across the
country. Through the campaign, the brand has successfully reached out to more than 60 million
women in China.
INDIA
In India, it has been the telecom majors that have done their best to grab the country‟s attention this
past year. Airtel‟s latest campaign, featuring the exceedingly hummable anthem Har friend zaroori
hota hai, really hit home with young people across the country. Then there were the Vodafone
BlackBerry Boys and Idea 3G population control campaigns which both made their mark.
Finally, Cadbury‟s Shubharambh campaign is a cute and clever way to reposition chocolate as an
Indian tradition. Sweets are eaten in India to mark the start of a new venture, and the Cadbury ads
bring a smile to the face as they suggest that Dairy Milk does the job perfectly.
CHINA
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMzAwNTc4MzA0.html
If in most countries 7-Eleven is known as a corner
store, in Indonesia it has adopted a different format.
It provides café-style seating, which has made it one
of the most happening hang-out places for teenagers
who spend hours sitting there with friends while
having cups of coffee, soft drinks and fast food at
affordable prices. In three years, the brand has
spread all over Jakarta, with more than 80 branches
that stay crowded from 7am to 11pm every day.
On weekends, 7-Eleven invites indie bands to
perform at the stores, which has proved to be an
even more potent driver of traffic.
Top brands of 2011
Even though the iPad had arrived
in Indonesia last year, it wasn‟t till
2011 that it became a craze,
following the launch of the second
edition of the device.
The iPad cuts across age groups
in its appeal, infringing on the
territory previously occupied by
the netbook. Children put their
Nintendo Wii away to play with
iPad, and the latest iPad apps are
always a hot topic amongst teens.
Mizone is an isotonic drink, a challenger brand to
Pocari Sweat which is a pioneer in the category.
In 2005, Mizone was launched and gained huge
success as it offers a variety of flavors that Pocari Sweat
doesn‟t have. But the following year, the US Food &
Drug Administration accused Mizone of fraud for not
putting information about preservatives on its labels,
leading to a drop in sales.
Since then, Mizone has worked hard to regain
consumer trust through massive activation and below-
the-line activities. Their efforts have been rewarded
with an even bigger following in Indonesia than when
it was first launched.
Mizone FlashMob
House
Car
Cellphone
iPad
Bike
Blackberry
iPad is identified as the 4th most coveted product in IndonesiaSource:http://www.indomarketbiz.com
Top brands of 2011
Sri Lanka‟s top brands in 2011 were liked not because of a particular commercial per se, but
because they have been consistent in their brand personality. Here are some of the ads that
viewers recall, and though they are not all necessarily from the past year, they have
contributed to the continued success of the brands.
There‟s Coke, with its fun Brrr campaign:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hn7bBZJQob8
Sunlight‟s colorful detergent ad:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mz3zQSmaQwM
Sri Lanka Bell‟s corporate campaign designed to inspire the patriot in every viewer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFl4-Zoaj5g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZALZIuWNgKg&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQf4BHcmJrg&feature=related
Nestle 100 years: Kasambuhay,
Kasambahay Short Film Anthology
Apple: iPad 2
Globe Tattoo Mobile
Internet
PHILLIPPINES
Top brands of 2011
The latest campaign from Levi‟s features
Strings, a very popular band in Pakistan,
and two upcoming musicians Zoe and Bilal.
Levi‟s promoted the new artists by
launching their music, and the ad reveals
how these two musicians are inspired by
Strings.
The campaign is essentially about how
Strings are the originals, and how Zoe and
Bilal are inspired by them. Much like Levis,
the „original‟ purveyor of denims,
continues to inspire young people today.
Jeans by Levis are not just clothes; they are
all about comfort and resilience of the
material, which inspires people.
Links:
http://www.youtube.com/user/levistheorig
inals?blend=21&ob=5
http://tribune.com.pk/story/180180/levis-
music-release/
Samsung advertises itself as a quality brand that is affordable too; a brand for all classes. In this
campaign, Samsung products are positioned as the choice of the people, not just because of
the pricing but also because they have many of the features which competitors only offer at a
far higher price point.
Links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGs_QhCqveU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gX61dXmGoNc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vW_JFvYS_LY
The love for Coke has spilled over to its brand Coke
Studio in Pakistan. Launched in 2008, the program
focuses on a fusion of the diverse musical influences
in the country, including eastern classical, folk, and
contemporary popular music. The show provides a
platform for renowned as well as upcoming and less
mainstream artists, from various genres and regions,
to collaborate musically in live studio recording
sessions. It is one of the most popular music programs
in Asia. Season 4 started on May 22, 2011.
Link:
ttp://www.youtube.com/user/cokestudio?blend=1&o
b=4
SOUTH KOREA
1. Hyundai Motors „Hope Bus Concert‟
Hyundai Motors ran a guerilla concert on a bus sometime between July and October in Seoul,
featuring five top singers. This was designed to surprise and cheer up commuters. The theme song
for the concert has a very cheerful message, and can be downloaded from the homepage
(www.bus-concert.com). All three videos, which tell stories related to getting around by bus, have
clicked with audiences. The ad was awarded the Grand Prix at the Korea AD Awards (Integrated
Media).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=q0Wl95IijQs
www.bus-concert.com
2. Korean Air's new destination campaign
Unlike previous destination campaigns for Korean Air featuring overseas travel to countries such as
the US, China, Australia and Japan, the carrier‟s new campaign focuses on Korea itself.
This campaign is unique as it features user-designed content that was chosen through a serious
competition. The campaign was rolled out for overseas media including CNN and BBC to encourage
overseas tourists to come to Korea as well. It received the Grand Prix in the Korea AD Awards (Print
Media).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9fKWZ-ks0E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZjmIXtUFGM
3. Korea‟s #1 energy drink Bacchus
The campaigns for Korea‟s #1 energy drink Bacchus has been loved by Koreans for such a long
time. This year‟s campaign was also successful in its humorous depiction of ordinary people making
a trip to the pharmacy to get Bachhus to help them solve every day problems.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4zzySDMRFk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYw2WNwhPpw
Top brands of 2011
Most anticipated
An exciting trend at the movies this year has been the growing popularity of domestic films.
Starting with Jump Ashin! through to You Are the Apple of My Eye and the upcoming Seediq Bale,
many people are choosing Taiwanese films over Hollywood fare at the box office. On its first
day in theaters, You Are the Apple of My Eye even beat out behemoths Harry Potter and
Transformers for ticket sales.
The buzz around films such as Seediq Bale has not gone unnoticed by international audiences.
The Discovery Channel has produced a special on Taiwan‟s burgeoning film industry that will
be shown across Asia.
Many Taiwanese films will be released in 2012, including Black & White Episode I: The Dawn of
Assault, which is an adaptation of a very popular TV series. Many Taiwanese hope that there
will be many more good movies releasing in Taiwan in the year 2012.
The Discovery Channel Press Conference
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkWGx
DdW0AA
“Black & White Episode
I: The Dawn of Assault”
Most anticipatedThere seems to be a sense of trepidation among
Malaysians about the year 2012. The declining
Malaysian economy, the seemingly
unstoppable global and local recession,
political turmoil and prophesies about the end
of the world are top of mind when Malaysians
look ahead to 2012.
However, amidst the doom and gloom, there is
one shining source of optimism that many
Malaysians are anticipating – the looming
general election. As the constitutional
parliamentary term in Malaysia is five years,
after which the parliament must be dissolved by
the King on the advice of the Prime Minister, the
13th general election must be held in or before
2013. Till now, Prime Minister Najib has yet to
call for elections, but many are predicting that it
will take place sometime next year.
As more and more Malaysians grow dissatisfied
with the current ruling party, Malaysians hope
elections will bring a change in the country‟s
leadership.
On a lighter note, many Malaysians are also
looking forward to seeing technological
innovations in the upcoming year – they have
particularly high hopes for Apple‟s iPhone 5,
which is expected in 2012.
Picture credit: http://bit.ly/gASqxH
In India, the Ministry of New and Renewable
Energy has proposed to create special
economic zones for the production of
equipment required by the renewable
energy industry. The states of Tamil Nadu,
Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and
Jharkhand have offered to give land to this
end.
India is hoping energy from sustainable
sources will be the answer to its energy
crisis: the most remote villages in the
country are set to get a minimum of one unit
of electricity by March 2012 from renewable
sources.
With over six per cent of total installed
power capacity in India being generated by
wind, the country has come a long way in
sustainable energy production, but there is
still plenty of ground to cover. Over 10 per
cent of India‟s power currently comes from
renewable sources.
Formula 1 is now in India, and the ultimate speed demons will be back to rock racing enthusiasts
again in 2012. Having had a taste of the thrilling sport in 2011, people can‟t wait for another fix at
the Buddh International Circuit of 60 laps of pure excitement.
On a less positive note, there are many in India waiting to see if the end of the world is indeed
neigh. The calendar of the ancient Mayans does not go further than 2012, allegedly because the
world ends before the year is through. But forget the Mayans; it is the Rolland Emmerich
apocalyptic blockbuster film 2012 that has really got people all worked up.
Music concerts from the world‟s hottest
bands are finally about to reach
Indonesian shores. The two mega-bands
that are most awaited are U2 and Coldplay,
both scheduled to perform around
February 2012.
Some of the artists now coming to
Indonesia have done Asian tours before,
but they didn‟t stop by Indonesia due to
the security concerns back then,
particularly in the aftermath of bombings
in Bali and Jakarta.
Music fans in Indonesia are now gearing up
to welcome them and hoping that the
situation in Indonesia will stay conducive to
many more such live acts.
Most anticipated
The first premium outlet center in South East
Asia is coming to Singapore‟s
neighborhood! Genting Group, in a joint
venture with Chelsea Malaysia LLC, is
establishing Chelsea Premium Outlet
Centers in Malaysia, the first of which will
be the Johor Premium Outlets in Kulai.
The news alone has made shoppers go weak
in the knees, with talk of jaw-dropping 65
per cent discounts on designer brands. The
official opening date is December 2, 2011,
and we are expecting Singaporeans to flock
across the Causeway more often than ever
to our friendly neighbor for some intensive
retail therapy.
Most anticipated
Outdoor music festivals didn't start in
China till 2002. After some false starts
over the years, organizers of these
events started to gain experience and
now even receive support from the
Chinese government and corporations.
In 2011, there were over 100 music
festivals around the country, attracting
more than three million viewers. Music
festivals in China are finally going
mainstream, and local government
officials see them as a good way of
letting youth blow off steam while
promoting a creative culture and tourism,
-- one of the fastest growing industries in
China.
Fuelled by this trend, Chinese audiences
are now hungry for more, and are
seeking festivals with a better line-up –
even if they are overseas. This year, on
micro-blogging site Sina Weibo, lots of
young people are already asking their
friends if any of them would like to go to
Fuji Rock Festival 2012. “After years of
going to music festivals in China, it‟s
time to see the ones in our neighbor
countries,” said one netizen. “Plus, price
of flight tickets to Japan has gone down
so much since the earthquake and Fuji
rock usually has very good line-up!”
With Japan still concerned about the energy
shortage, people are looking forward to more
power-saving home appliances. Panasonic‟s
new home electronics line Eco Navi is
already growing in sales, a trend likely to
continue in 2012.
Since the launch of the line in 2009, it has
expanded to 21 categories and 187 products.
The brand has 90 per cent awareness among
consumers. Market share is 36 per cent in air
conditioners, 45 per cent in washing
machines, and 33 per cent in refrigerators.
The frenzy is building. Multi-colored flags are being printed by the thousands. People in party
stripes are gathering in market squares and avenues. Manifestos are being taken down and dusted
off. Charters and agendas are being drilled into the heads of TV audiences and celebrities are
picking sides and composing patriotic songs. All this ahead of the most anticipated event in
Pakistan – General Election 2012.
Recently Lahore, the second largest city of Pakistan, witnessed Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf‟s
(Movement for Justice Party) political rally. The party‟s PR machinery was running at full throttle
with prominent news stories prior to the event and interviews by the top cadre running on nearly
every channel. Billboards, banners and buntings festooned the city, especially the roads leading
up to the venue, which was chosen for its significance, as it was the very place where the resolution
of Pakistan was signed in 1940, kick-starting the movement for the creation of a separate homeland
for Muslims. The rally, which saw about 60,000 to 90,000 supporters, signaled to the rest of the
players in the field, including the current government, that PTI had raised the campaign bar.
The event had the most popular rock and pop-stars of Pakistan singing patriotic songs and rousing
the crowd to chant slogans. Imran Khan‟s party summoned a “tsunami” of Pakistan‟s youth and
played up its young, patriotic-yet-cool factor to the maximum.
Not as hip but definitely as passionate was the Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz Sharif‟s party‟s –
rally. There were clowns on stilts, a would-be groom who swore not to marry till the current
government was overthrown and a real, live lion – the party mascot. The cool pop stars of Imran
Khan‟s rally were missing here, but one of the party leaders, Shahbaz Sharif, belted out a few lines
from a revolutionary poem, moving the crowd to tears.
Election fever has spilled over into the digital world too, with campaigns on Facebook to be
registered as a voter and to change profile pictures to ones that declare one‟s political affiliation.
Soon, party songs will be sung in the streets and party symbols – bicycles, arrows, lanterns, books,
lions, tigers – will be painted and plastered on the walls of the city and stickers stuck to the backs
of cars. Political leaders old and new will dye their hair, trim their moustaches, get facelifts and
don dapper sherwanis and shalwar kameezes in their best effort to look Prime Ministerial. They
will make the rounds of long-forgotten districts and neighborhoods and promise the promises
they‟ve been promising for years and once again, we‟ll all fall for the scintillating charm of hope,
dressed in the exciting garb of festivity and circus-like spectacle. It‟s a combination that not many
in our part of the world can resist.
Most anticipated
Most anticipated
PhilippineTourism Campaign 2012
The Philippine Department of Tourism faced a major setback in early 2011, when its campaign
titled Pilipinas Kay Ganda (direct translation: Philippines, So Beautiful) was met by massive
public criticism. For the rest of the year, the department battled accusations of lack of
originality, strategic planning and even plagiarism, as well as rumors of corruption of
committee officials. The result was the eventual resignation of the department head.
Now, a new tourism campaign will be launched, with an icon of the Filipino ad industry at the
helm of affairs. Even though there are problems facing the country‟s tourism infrastructure,
Filipinos are anticipating an impressive campaign as the project is reported to have already
progressed to agency pitch phase. Given the anger that erupted about last year‟s initiative,
especially online, it is expected that this year‟s creatives will also be closely watched.
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