a Jacket will do the trick

We are what we wear. 

Do you subscribe to this saying?

I was reminded by a new colleague recently about the need to portray ourselves professionally at all times. 

'A jacket is all it takes', she said. 

This new colleague of mine is a nice lady who has had vast experience in the field of PR & communications. As we were discussing about some of the members of the team, she highlighted the fact that all marketing staff should have at least a proper jacket with them at all times. 

They are all good staff! What they probably need is to have a jacket with them. Just put on a jacket, and they are good to face their stakeholders', she said.  

It may sound superficial but i actually agree with her. 

Stakeholders in our case, are doctors, media and the front line staff. 

My colleague even highlighted the fact that most nurses and front line staff are professionally and appropriately dressed. As marketing & PR practitioners, we cannot afford to lose out in the wardrobe department.  I agree. 

This is a fundamental requirement for any aspiring marketer or PR professional. 

A jacket will do the trick. Invest in a decent outer wear, and you be surprised how it will help you 'elevate' your status and rank. 

I found myself believing in this after my conversation with her. Any thoughts?

A publicist

Just to clear the air on what a publicist does.

Extracted from Wikipedia.

A publicist is a person whose job is to generate and manage publicity for a public figure, especially a celebrity, a business, or for a work such as a book or film. Just like lawyers, most top level publicists work in private practice, handling multiple clients.

In the world of celebrities, unlike agents or managers, publicists typically take a monthly fee for serving a client (whereas agents and managers tend to take a percentage of their client's gross income). Publicists can be at local, regional or national level. They can also have special expertise in areas such as entertainment or literary publicity.

One of the publicist's main function is to generate press coverage on behalf of clients and to serve as the bridge between clients, their public and media outlets. A publicist writes press releases, manages campaigns and performs other public relations functions. It usually takes many years to develop the media contacts, experience and relationships necessary to be an effective publicist.

Some publicists specialize in representing 'ordinary' members of the public to procure the maximum possible fee for stories they wish to sell to newspapers, television stations and magazines.

An older meaning of the term is closer to pamphleteer: someone who circulates ideas by publishing them, perhaps in ephemeral forms.

Everyone needs Publicity!

Yes, Everyone needs publicity.

Mr Jackson Lim (not his real name) is a struggling teacher caught up in his busy daily routine, preparing his teaching materials, giving lectures and tutorials & mentoring students. After 8 years in the educational industry, he questioned whether he is recognised for his efforts in his school. He is a quiet person who don't neccesary get alot of attention from students or his peers. He wonders why he is not moving up the ranks after 8 years of teaching in a local secondary school.

Alison is an account servicing executive working in a local advertising agency. With all the good marketing qualifications she has, it's tough not to see her worth to her company. Sadly, even though she's been very hardworking, she's not getting the kind of recognition she needs and she attribute it to her lack of áirtime' in her organisation. The general manager of the agency knows Alison, but not a on very close term.

The above are two people I've met recently. They need áirtime'in their area of work. How do they generate publicity or interest for themselves? And how do they use PR to advance their career?

Will a little publicity make a difference in their career?

Stay tuned.

Passion is what you need in life

There are people who procrastinate and let the world pass. There are also passionate people who make things happen & work the world. 

Successful people make things happen through passion, hard work and determination. 

And even if there's this thing call luck, as Oprah Winfrey profoundly said, 'Luck is all about preparation meeting opportunity'. 

We need to prepare ourselves for that opportunity.  

Often times, we find ourselves whining and complaining why we are in a certain state of our life. We give all sorts of reasons and excuses on why we can't move forward.

I have met very  passionate and successful people who truly enjoy and believe in what they do. Actors, PR folks, Doctors, Entrepreneurs, to name a few. And one common trait which i found was that they all have a sense of purpose & vision in life - something keeping them alive and breathing. 

It's difficult to identify that trait if we do not prepare ourselves for greater things. 

We need to sit down and re evaluate what we really need and do to make things better. 

And as i ponder, I realise, its really passion which keeps me going in my life. It's the only thing i need at this point to breathe. 

Follow me on twitter.com/dennistkh

I tweet about marketing, PR, COMMs and everything about my life. Pls join me if you are on twitter.
Dennis T

How did i fare as a lecturer?

I was at Singapore Polytechnic yesterday at 3pm to give a talk on the Vietnam market.

I must say it was a nice experience and a fruitful trip. I procrastinated on my slides as i've only started working on it the night before from 10pm till 3am in the morning. Well for a 5 hours effort, i reckon i did a good job putting the fundamentals together,with nice photos and all.

Roger, who was the lecturer with International Business school was kind enough to invite me for a talk. "don't worry, just share your experience as a regional marketing manager. tell them about the nice experience you had in vietnam', he said. The truth is - my experience in vietnam have been really awesome, apart from my first trip which i was robbed. I am serious. And at knife point.

Will tell you more if you meet me in person.

Anyway, those are good memories. I always think the nicest thing one can experience as a person is when you travel. I have the luxury of extensive traveling in the course of my 9 years career working for a number of reputable companies. I have made nice and true friends from India, Vietnam and also US. Those experiences were great - driving in Delhi, getting robbed in Vietnam, meeting corrupted authorities from Bangladesh, Dhaka, All bizzare but they really made me who i am as a person.

Back to the lecture - I guess, & hope the students benefitted from my talk. I just wanted to share how one can learn great things when they are overseas. As Singaporeans, I believe we been too sheltered to the point we get fixated over certain perceptions which are not essentially the realities & truths. We need to constantly push frontiers and expose ourselves to deeper dimensions, and experience new things & arenas that are more uplifting and edifying.

Well to the students from Singapore Poly, thank you for your kind attention. You guys were great! I hope i had made a slight difference to your life.

Live your dreams and pursue them. No second guessing, don't look back and just go for it!

Why i admire my sister so much?

This thread is a non academic one. I just wanted to dedicate this space to my beloved sister who got married yesterday. 

My Sister is always self sacrificing. She has a good heart, someone who always put others above her. 

'Wendy is all about Life. Wendy is all about living life to the fullest' said Huipeng during the wedding ceremony. I couldn't agree more. 

Wendy and I took part in a local celebrity competition, 'star search' when we were younger.

We both thought our lives would change after the competition. :)

Wendy had big dreams. She has what it takes to be a star, very talented & gifted in her own ways. I always believe she'll go far in the entertainment scene.

As a brother, I share a lot of commonalities with her. Some spoken, some unspoken. I guess coming from the same background made me understand her better. 

I knew I haven't done enough for her as a brother. I know i had failed her in many ways. 

When i walked pass her room every morning, I only have one wish - the hope of seeing her happy and that i am able to help her make her life even better. Amidst my busy schedule, I know i have not spent enough time and effort on wendy. 

All i want is for her to be happy & not lose her 'self' after she get married. She will continue to pursue her interests and passion. 

She has found a good man, Julian. And Wendy will be an even better person. 

Wendy - Thanks for always being there for me. As you said, ' in life, we hold multiple roles - as a friend, a sister, a daughter in law, a daughter, a niece, a cousin. To all these friendships and relationships- let's hope we can push them to a greater level'. 

I hope our brother - sister relationship could be further strengthened & deepened, as we progress in every area & stage of our lives. 

Thanks You for being my sister. Love you. 

GOD Bless you in every area of your life. 

Dennis Toh

Why the Heineken AD IS GREAT!

The recent Heineken TVC must have resonated with most guys. I thought it was simply a brilliant idea. The delivery and execution was seamless and yet simple.  The TVC highlighted the fundamental difference between men and women. While women are thrilled and turn on by a closet filled with clothes, shoes, bags, etc, Men are highly charged upon seeing bottles of beer, to be exact Heineken stacked for their drinking pleasure. The reaction of the men were classic and priceless. 

A very hilarious and impactful one i must say. Kudos to the advertising company behind this campaign. Very high brand recall i must say. 

Dennis T

Follow me on Twitter

Do follow me on twitter if you are on board - 

www.twitter.com/urbanedition

Dennis T

Social Media proves a hit for MCYS Campaign

The online component for the Ministry of Community Development Youth & Sports (MCYS) and Leo Burnett's 'funeral' Ad has recently concluded and the use of social media has proven to be a huge hit for the campaign. As well as the popular TVC, in partnershop with Fulford PR, Leo's burnett digital strategy involved engaging bloggers and using online mediums such as Youtube and Facebook to drive home the campaign's central theme of 'Beautifully Imperfect'. 

Extracted from Marketing Magazine. 

Don't forget these Marketing & PR tactics

So we know marketing is all about 4ps. Whether we are promoting a product, service or even a celebrity, we need to study the competitive landscape and market situation closely. Depending on the trade you are at, different marketing strategies and tactics are adopted for different circumstances.

We need to question the marketing intent behind every marketing initiative. What is the challenge and objective behind every activity? Are we trying to generate awareness? Or are we looking at a short term increase in sales and profitability. Do we need additional product visibility and mention in the public and media realm?

The conventional marketing tactics include advertising- BTL & ATL; PR, Sales Promotions, Events, exhibition, Media relations and the list goes on. However, please remember that there are always other tactics which we fail & forget to use. Below are five common tactics:

1) Get your products or services into production set or documentary series.
It is always good to make friends with script writers or producers. If you know they are developing a script and need content advice or products for the production set, be open about their request and try to fulfill their needs. Attempt to steer their interest to your favor, say if they are not sure whether they want to have their shoot in a hotel or coffeeshop, do grab the opportunity and say your hotel lounge is available ( if you are the PR executive of a Hotel).

2) Be an opinion leader in the field of Marketing
If you are a brand manager, try to get some 'airtime' for yourself. This could be done so when you reply to media queries. Make sure they quote your name and designation correctly. When your designation & company appear in the media, it gives people that additional visibility about the brand. In addition, it positions you as a credible subject matter expert which the media can trust.

Try to send marketing & PR articles to Straits times classified or other internet sources - in hope that they be published. This will give you & the brand that additional publicity and awareness.

3) Credit Card Loyalty program marketing
Alot of marketers forget that this is a good platform to target directly at the card's membership base. As banks are very focused on segmenting their audiences, it will also ensure that you are reaching the right demographics by getting into the right cards. The investment is quite minimal. You don't really need a huge marketing budget to get your promotions listed. Just ensure that you have a sound strategy in engaging the various credit cards in SG. Credit card companies like DBS, Citibank, UOB, OCBC, HSBC prefer to sign exclusive deals that set them apart from their competitors. So you need to ensure that you have a good pletora of services or promotions which you can evenly spread across the various cards.

4) Don't neglect the social media & forums
Identify key social media and forums which you could target. If you are a marketer for IT products, forum like Hardwarezone.com is an important platform for you to measure your no. of brand mention. Get into the forums and study the conversation and the things said about your brand. Do a content analysis and quantify the no. of positive and negative remarks. Plant a pseudo user and seek to steer the string of entries to your favor. Weave your messages subtly and suggest points or issues that are at your favor. Then see what happens. If the next few threads turn positive, you have successfully steer and change public opinion!

5) Organise joint events with other brands
Identify key partners that are relevant and complementary to your brand. If there are good synergy in the partnership, join forces to drive some good initiative collectively. It could be for a charity drive, forum, or even bundling of products to increase sales.

Well, as a marketer, we constantly need to think of new and fresh ideas to market the brand we are representing. There are alot of facets and approaches in our marketing work. So keep renewing your mindset and take a proactive approach towards your work. Try different avenues and you'll find that all your efforts will bring returns and fulfillment, at the end of the day.

Dennis T

Pivital Moments in the history of User Generated Content

Pivotal moments in the history of User Generated Content

1980

Usenet is born; it is a global discussion network that allows users to share comments and experiences.

1998

An online diary community is formed with the inception of Open diary, one of the first providers of blogging software

2000

Nupedia emerges as a web-based encyclopedia with articles written by experts. Contents is offered free of charge.

2001

Wikipedia evolves from Nupedia as its creator want neutral points of view and a publicly editable encyclopedia that favours concensus over credentials.

2002 

Online Social networking and virtual communities are popularized with the launch of friendster. 

2003

My space arrives, after employees of eUniverse see potential in their friendster accounts and decide to adopt some of its more popular features. 

2004

Facebook enters the picture as a way of connecting people through common interests and networks. 

2005

Youtube is established after employees of paypal see it as a mean of sharing videos.

2007

To reach out to more users, Youtube mobile is launched using RTSP streaming for its videos. Not all Youtube videos are available on the mobile version as yet.

2007

Not to be outdone, Google developes a technology that allows for a unified social media platform called Opensocial

2009

The user Generated Content Revolution continues..

extracted from you (tube), me(dia) & the world (wide web) by Sumita, Poh & Ng.  

The forms of Social Media have improved. How about our relationships with people?

The advent of Internet has changed people's lives tremendously. The role it has played on globalisation is significant and we are now living in an era where information becomes easily accessible and international communications much easier and faster. If i would list down the various applications of internet - IRC, ICQ, YAHOO MESSENGER, MSN, SKYPE, FRIENDSTER, YOUTUBE, YAHOO GROUPS, FACEBOOK, & the most recent TWITTER, these platforms have been used by us to connect with our friends and strangers in one way or the other. These applications have injected and redefined new social networking lifestyles we lead at a particular point of time. The level of interest is also directly proportionate to the extent of media buzz & hype created about that application. More often than not, the application is like a bubble phenomenon. It come and go fast. Take ICQ for example, I used to treat it as an application to talk to friends online. Hmm, 6-7 years back? Where is ICQ now?

My point is - the applications & sophistication of social media has indeed improved through new innovations and interventions by the IT researchers and programmers. While we so willingly subscribe to these social media lifestyles, let's not forget that at the end of the day, these platforms are meant for us to improve our real life relationships with friends & relatives. We should not be coiled or stucked in the social media realm - in search of real relationships - but still find ourselves unable to attain breakthrough in how we conduct our day to day interactions and relationships with people.

A virtual self can only bring us so far. The innate desire to connect with real souls and lives can only be satisfied through our day to day interactions and communications with people we love and care.

Hence, while we are heavily invested in our social media virtual lifestyle, let's remain mindful that these social platforms are just an extension of our daily lives. To indulge and dwell into it without investing time to build real relationships, is dire and might have a dangerous impact on our lives. We should make use of IT applications to improve our lives and not let it have control over us.

So we need to ask ourselves this question - while we see the various IT applications improving over the years, are we leveraging on it to improve our real life relationships? If you find that you are still socially handicapped after so many years, is the social networking websites & applications really helping or are they deterring you from improving & moving further in your life?

Think about it!

Dennis T

Can we milk the success of American Idol in Singapore?

Singapore Idol 3 is holding its official audition today and tomorrow in Handy Road, Cineleisure.

American Idol had recently crowned it's winner, Kris & the show continues to be a big hit with people from all ages. After many runs (I lost count), I am still hopelessly hooked to the show on every wednesday and thursday nights and i fear that I might be suffering from some post american idol blues now. I just can't find an alternative reality show to satisfy my craves.

I reckon Youtube should be my next best option now. How about British got talent?

The Idol show is a platform for aspiring singers to try their shot at stardom. This is one important platform for them to get noticed and famous overnight. We know that AI did produced some big names like Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Hudson & Kelly Clarkson, just to name a few. However, this is not so in the case of Singapore Idol. All i knew was that Taufik is now a spokesperson for 7 Eleven & Hardy will be the new host for Singapore Idol 3! How successful is that?

So is it a case of a small domestic market that is affecting the record sales in Singapore or that Singaporeans are generally not exactly the talented bunch. I think we'll have a long standing debate if we harp on this. It is very much a chicken and egg issue.

From a media owner point of view, the show is just one programming strategy to find reasons for advertisers to pump their marketing dollars into the commercial slots. Ricola, i believe was one of the sponsors in Singapore Idol 2. Do you think awareness and sales have gone up after AI2? I am sure the sales people from Mediacorp will try to target sponsors who are in the KTV business, throat soothing lozenges company, or even any lifestyle brands. From a marketing perspective, I am not really sure about the ROI. The brand equity of reality shows like star search, Project superstar, Singapore Idol is lukewarm and has eroded over the years. Do you really want to associate your brand with such shows?

I hope something good will come out of this. I personally feel that there is still room to grow the entertainment scene in Singapore. We constantly need new blood to inject new ideas and freshness to the scene. Nobody wants to talk about Fann Wong and Zoe Tay forever. The media needs new faces to prime about. We need new talking points to spice up our daily routine. So in a way, such shows allow the nation to uncover some fresh faces; new public agenda to talk about; at the same time, set the stage right for people who are serious in embarking a career in the entertainment industry.

I believe and hope that AI3 will be a successful one; even though the odds seem to be against it.

Dennis T

Why Twitter could be a good PR platform for you?

If you are an actress, politician, CEO, writer, or anyone who needs a strong following, i seriously think it will make sense for you to consider twittering now. I have seen a lot of local DJs , actors & celebrities on Twitter and leveraging it as a platform to communicate and reach out to their fans, friends and target audiences.

Well social media in general has really redefined the way relationships are built especially since commoners could connect & communicate much easier with the rich and famous. People like Obama, Ellen Degeneres, Ryan Seacrest do have a huge fan base in twitter. And it is all about your sphere of influence. Everyday, through their daily broadcast, they are able to communicate their thoughts, opinion and causes directly to their fans and supporters.

In a way, the novelty of celebrities and politicians being difficult to access in the public domain is now gone since people can gain access to this group much easier.

The success of any PR campaign is always measured by it's reach and extent of publicity generated. If you have a huge fan base to being with, you already have a good start against your other peers. Remember - since PR is all about building goodwill and relationship, by tweetering daily and having daily broadcast of your thoughts and opinion, it will create a long-term impact on your audience.

This continuous bombardment of information, what i call conditioning will build brand recall and mindshare in the mind of your followers. Over time, all these efforts will result in good returns. Whether you are launching a music CD, a book, an advertising campaign or even a public appearance, all your hard work in twittering will channel into good vibes and goodwill in the mind of your followers. You'll never imagine the level of mileage you could gain from this long term effort.

So if you are in a profession where you see yourself as a brand; a product which needs to be constantly marketed, & to engage your audiences always - don't rule out twitter. I do believe there are long term benefits to this effort. So start twittering, work hard & don't leave to fate if you want to be known, rich, successful or famous.

Twitter your way to success.

Dennis T

10 survival tips for a Marketing Manager

So you are a new marketing manager on board a new company. I am giving 10 tips for you to survive better in the new environment. 

1) Study the corporate culture of the organisation. 

Does the organisation have a strong marketing culture? If the people in the marketing team are very driven and talk like marketing people, it shows the top management's emphasis on the marketing function of the organisation. 

2) Strike alliance with the right people.

Do some research on the organisation chart. Identify the key leaders in the organisation. In any organisation, the CEO, COO, CFO, General manager are people which you should know and strike a close alliance with.  Get into the good books of the HR director. He or she is the last person you want to offend. 

3) Build rapport with your team

If you are entering your position with a team to lead, the immediate task is to build rapport with your team players. Identify the indian chief within the group and look at official and unofficial ways to get buy ins from them.

4) Talk to Predecessors

If you have the chance to talk to the previous marketing manager, do try to get as much information as possible. Suss out information on important information like advertising vendors, Media contact list, structure of company, marketing budget, etc. The challenge is to listen with an open mind. He or she might have something bad to say about the company. Listen and try to be objective about it. Everyone is different and react to situation differently. Don't get affected if there is alot of negativity but stay positive and tell yourself you can make a difference.

5) Marketing Plan

Try to identify whether a marketing plan is developed. This is quite fundamental as it is the blueprint and foundation for every  marketing department. If it's been developed, look at it and assess the extend for which it can be executed. If it is a sound plan, start a strategy to ensure that execution is done and implemented well. You will still score points even though the idea don't originate from you.

6) Meet Advertising, PR or Design vendors

Start to meet up with previous marketing vendors. Talk to the sales & account person to understand the previous relationships; working relationships; marketing development process. You will get a good idea of how the proposal and concept gets approve in your organisation. Sometimes you'll get good hints about the CEO or COO management style , especially on influencing the marketing approval process. 

7) Network, Network, Network

This is quite a fundamental. Network immediately with internal and external stakeholders. This is a pre-requisite for all aspiring marketer and you'll never stand to lose anything from it.

8) Dress Professionally

Sometimes we need to dress to look the part. Try to project a smart and professional image during meeting and when you meet fellow colleagues. Remember people like to discuss about their colleagues especially on the newly joined staff. So try to minimise any PR disaster like losing your anger during a meeting; being caught lunching secretly with someone of the opposite sex or being seen drenched in the middle of the pouring rain. 

9) Know your stuff well

As a successful marketer, time will tell whether you really know your stuff. Apart from the 4ps,  a marketer needs to study the strategic competitive environment of which the organisation is operating in. Think Big and be more macro about your approach. Look at various perspectives and devise the best marketing strategy to tackle the current organisation's challenge.

10) Think Positive

As in all profession, having the right attitude is everything. People are automatically drawn to leaders who exude certain charm and positive energy to people around them. So be the change agent rather than waiting for things to happen. Once you subscribe to this mode of thinking, i am very sure you will succeed in life. 

What exactly do marketers do?

So you want to be a marketer? Do you have what it takes? To alot of people, marketers are a bunch of people who merely know how to talk and package themselves. In actual fact, there is alot of serious work behind what we do. Yes, we get to attend media parties, enjoy sponsors' freebies and perks, get free samples to use, but these are just some facets of our work. The behind the scene is what most people cannot see. This involves getting management's approval on the year long marketing plan, getting buy ins on the agency's proposed campaign concept, long nights of chasing sales targets, never ending disputes over pricing with the sales team, & the list just continues. 

As in all profession, it takes alot of passion for one to really stay in one trade, and most importantly, enjoy the process. I have been in the trade for more than 8 years - exposed to various marketing disciplines like PR, Marcom, Product Marketing, Events, Media relations and I am proud to say I enjoy every moment of it. Once you get the hang of it, you'll realise there are so much facets to our work, not just limited to the 4ps. 

Well, So you want to be a marketer? With passion and determination, I am sure you could be a successful and creative one as well. 

Advertising in Social Media

The influx of social media has redefined the way we communicate and how we relate to one another. Gone are the days of friendster and we are now in the era of facebook and twitter. Even with facebook, I get this sense that it'll be over real soon. As a marketer, I constantly think about the marketing opportunities we could get from all these social media, how effective is this medium and whether we could reach out to a substantial number of people at a low investment cost. I believe we could allocate a mere 5% of our budget for social media for a start. The investment is low and hence there won't be any harm trying. Well, It's getting late and I am feeling real tired. will blog again soon.

Dennis T