We would like to welcome two great additions to the team. While this has been a hard year in some respects, the staff we now attract from other agencies is certainly a highlight. Here is some background on Aaron and Danielle.

Aaron Cher

-          Previously a digital project manager from OgilvyOne Singapore, he has worked on numerous accounts like the Singapore EDB, American Express®, DHL, Nokia and IBM where he delivered a multitude of projects of varying digital competencies and technologies ranging from various enterprise level CMS, Social Networking integration, 3D modeling , aGPS triangulation, text-to-speech, Symbian and Windows Mobile applications and the like.

-          Aaron is a graduate from NUS with a Bachelor in Computing and is currently a PMI® certified Project Management Professional (PMP) with more than 11’000 hours of experience.

“I joined TUS because I was impressed by the leadership who not just have a direction which I totally agree on, but also a deep passion for great work and the digital industry. Aside from running the business, this passion is what infects every individual to push the limits and reach the next level. Thus TUS, to me, is an environment where I can play a more active role in maturing the digital project management office by bringing the PMI standards and integrating it with the unique areas which our fast paced industry possess whilst enjoying every moment of it.”

Danielle Chong

-          Danielle came from McCann Worldgroup where she worked on the Intel account.  Her digital marketing experience stems from years of working in San Francisco, managing clients in the technology, telco, real estate and nonprofit industries.

-          Before McCann, she was with Publicis Modem in San Francisco managing $2.5MM Amgen and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals DTC Rheumatology account for biologic drug ENBREL in the digital marketing space.

-          Danielle graduated Magna Cum Laude from Boston University with a B.S. in Communications, and held marketing-related positions in Kuala Lumpur, London and Boston during the course of her education.

“The culture at TUS is what attracted me to this place.  Having worked at agencies in the US with track records of producing award-winning work, I’m excited to be exposed to similar thinking in a more independent and adventurous environment.  Such is the setup at TUS, where an open-door support system amongst senior management encourages creative freedom and allows the team to provide sound strategic marketing solutions to our clients.”

Aaron & Danielle

And yet we hear so much that it is ‘new’. Even the “web” is 15 years old and as Heidi Klum might say on Project Runway – “that is like dog years”.

Born during the Cold War need to have a technology edge, in the days when Sputniks were the uber technology of the day and Neil Armstrong’s footsteps were fresh on the moon, ARPANET laid the foundation for today’s internet and then the web 2.0 world we know today.

So why the slow uptake? Not by consumers of course – penetration rates are through the roof – IDA is laying down fiber optic cables with typical Singapore government speed and efficiency. But adoption by Business in general in Singapore.

What are we doing to make the most of our broadband leadership? Why does Singapore languish with 2-3% online spend? Why do we plan one ‘edm’ at a time and think online is an add-on to some ATL plan?

The internet is 40 and here to stay. As is technology in general – as a tool for business efficiency and innovation there has been nothing like it for two hundred years.

And while this year has been great (to make clients try new things), if Singapore will be a leader of great new technologies and new ways to engage consumers – we have to be faster in accepting change.

I would not be saying “Invading Asia” as a heading, but I would be happy to talk about making a home here – especially in Singapore. But despite the heading, some of the things they quoted in this article are certainty a reflection of our opportunity for TUS…

Working in Asia (pdf)

On the whole, like other developed markets, Australia has its fair share of big and powerful independents. In Asia this is not necessarily the case. Multinational agencies and brands tend to dominate. Euan Wilcox, business director at agency The Upper Storey, says: “Unfortunately Asian clients still trust multinationals too much.

“They trust the name,” he says. “In London and New York the best and most dynamic agencies are independents. But in Asia you have to have the name. But that is our opportunity – to build a name that is independent but has the credibility of a multinational.”

The Upper Storey, which has offices in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and India, is bucking this trend and has worked with LG, Dell, Nokia and Nikon. Wilcox has worked in Asia for the past five years, following a stint in Europe, and feels that in the Asian business environment “anything goes”. “While budgets are smaller and the work arguably less sophisticated, the business environment is more dynamic,” he says. “Thus it is a better environment for things to change and business opportunities to come up.”

The market dynamics of Asia vary massively from country to country. While budgets in Singapore might be small for a national campaign, those in China and Japan would be huge in comparison. And while some clients are risk-averse and less spontaneous, others in places such as Indonesia are more willing to push the envelope. And as business growth in Asia skyrockets while stagnating in the West, the common belief is the deluge of Australians heading to Asia will grow stronger.

Wilcox believes there is nothing like working in Asia “in terms of developing skills needed in a globalised world”.

“Ten to 20 years here will pay off much more significantly than in the United States or Europe,” he says. “Australians have to wake up to Asian business opportunities more. Spending time here will help them do that much better than in Australia.

After an extended period of feverish excitement, challenges and determined efforts at the TUS offices, the 2010 through-the-line campaign for OCBC Cycle Singapore successfully launched today with a press conference being held at OCBC’s Chulia Street building.

Here’s an excerpt from our press release which best describes the campaign-

” TUS was tasked with the TTL campaign that includes the innovative website and integrated ATL assets island-wide. At the core of this campaign are people’s experiences at the cycling meet, starting with a contest for all to share their 2009 race moments. The winner will eventually be featured in online and print ads of OCBC Cycle Singapore 2010. Voices of the people are also ‘heard’ in stories and posts on the website aggregated from various social media sources, in the lead-up to the event.

What sets the campaign apart, however, is TUS’s online “enhanced social registration system” that makes signing up easy. It not only melds the contents of the rides but also helps users map back to social connections in Facebook they are already familiar with. Through Facebook Connect, they can see which of their friends have joined or are interested in which rides, making it effortless to team up and cycle together.”

Holding the line

Following are snippets of the various campaign elements being painstakingly hammered together nail by nail.

The event site that harnesses social media to push/pull content and interests.

Read the Rest of the Entry …

Looks like these guys are. These youths were spotted all raring to go cycling – even without their bikes. From what we hear, they’ll be making their next appearance at the OCBC branch on Chulia Street at 3.15pm, Wednesday 14th October.

All ready to go

Youths spotted on Orchard Road on Tuesday 13^th October, during lunchtime.

Riding forth

Wondering what they’re up to?

So did most Singaporeans, as they did cycling motions, winding through the lunchtime crowd with bicycle bells.

Our “Tomorrow’s Stars, Today ” site for Intel gets mentioned on Adobe’s October 2009 newsletter as an example of sites that “… should inspire and trigger some creative areas of your brain …” , courtesy of Rob Ford, founder of The FWA. Thanks Rob!

Dell Swarm is having a nice run at various award shows. Last week picking up a Bronze at the Spikes – and excitingly it picked up 3 awards at the SMA’s including the Grand Prix last night.

This is very encouraging, as this was all based on the Singapore version. The version 2.0 in Canada has major improvements and additions – so wait until we tell the world about that.

You can read more about the awards here… nothing about The Upper Storey – but hey – its only a Media agency show anyway