An insight by Andrew Howie How a brand perceives itself and how its consumers perceive it are often very different. Whilst most big brands try and live their positioning line, most fall short. For example, Toyota sign off their ads with ‘Oh What a Feeling”. I’m not sure if you have driven a Toyota lately, but whilst they are very …
A review by Lauren Jane Taylor Swift has become a household name around the world by writing and recording songs that almost everyone can relate to in one way or another. Her honest songwriting nature has captivated fans and aided in helping her sell over ten million albums worldwide. This is partly due to the fact that she has successfully …
An insight by Andrew Howie I recall vividly the white cardboard glasses that had a red and a blue lens Sitting in a cinema with a bucket of popcorn as objects flew out of the screen at me. It doesn’t seem so long ago does it? Technology has come on in leaps and bounds. No longer do you need to …
An insight by Michael MacRitchie Ok China readers it is official…. Not that this is entirely breaking news but Andy Lau is “officially” the hottest Asian actor. Apparently he now not only ticks all the boxes for Chinese Women but now Western women are also swooning for him… The movie star came out tops in a survey of 108 Western …
An insight by Andrew Howie Seen by most as the premier film festival on the plant, Cannes is here again. The world’s greatest actors, most beautiful people and movie executives trot along to watch the latest movies. There is a mix of art-house films and big budget productions. The big one this year is with Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett. …
An insight by Andrew Howie Our ability to consume content continues to becoming easier. We now have so many different devices at our disposal, we are constantly connected. As news breaks, we are able to read about it. In some cases, even before traditional news outlets have been able to report. Through such channels as Twitter and other social media …
An insight by Andrew Howie With seven world titles and 91 grand prix victories to his name, there is little that Michael Schumacher has not achieved. He has driven for several teams and conquered all who stood up to him. All except one person. Father Time. It seems that despite having more talent in his little finger than most Formula …
An insight by Andrew Howie It has been touted as the format that will save the game. T20 cricket has come, seen and conquered in recent years. The shorter format of the game, originating from the UK, now offers lucrative deals to the world’s top players. And it is over in less than 3 hours. So successful has this format …
Insight by Andrew Howie There has been a huge growth in the number of ‘foodies’ in recent times. This secretive group of people enjoy going to good restaurants as entertainment and are hard to come by. They are not necessarily looking for expensive nor exclusive. They do however know of all the best places to eat. For them the thrill …
An insight by Andrew Howie Social media has brought about many new trends. It has also allowed for many heroes to be born and trends to spread globally in the blink of an eye. Think about some of the most viewed clips on Youtube. Evolution of Dance and Keyboard Cat were huge successes as a result of the internet. Brands …
An Insight by Michael MacRitchie China-To understand the widening digital gap between the Chinese state and its people, consider the underground success of the American TV shows “Gossip Girl”, “Lost” & “Prison Break”. Prison Break: There isn’t much about this Fox drama that would suggest a Chinese hit. Shot partly at Joliet Prison in Illinois, the show is an unabashedly …
By Andrew Howie Turning our readers attention to Australia and a recent scandal with one of the major league clubs. When the police look to take down a drug ring, they don’t look to pin it on the mid-weight dealer. They look to go all the way to the top. Because, if you take down the top, then you ultimately …
-Andrew Collins is a leading social media strategist and founder of Mailman Social Media, he also consults to MGI on global entertainment partnerships. First of all – brands in Asia love to have the affiliation with ‘star power’. For the fortunate brands that get this connection right it can rain long term benefits (think……) but for the few brands that …
An insight by Andrew Howie The growth of the modern day crime based drama has been steady over the last ten years. The origin of the genre is hard to pin point, but the Godfather series and success of such shows as The Sporano’s can definitely share in credit for the boom. The ability for big screen ideas to be …
An Insight by Andrew Howie For many years most pretended that global warming was a fad and would not last. But, without admitting that it is actually a problem, most industries have begun making efforts to reduce their foot print. Some have done so in response to increased government pressures. Others have done so due to increased social pressures. But …
A insight from Michael MacRitchie To follow on from Andrew Howie’s piece on the FIFA world cup, I would like to turn the readers attention to China… Here in Shanghai one of the biggest TV networks CCTV (China Central Television) has won the rights to broadcast the World Cup and is now blowing the whistle for bids on advertising slots …
Denim brand G-Star has released its new ad campaign starring actress Liv Tyler. The campaign was shot by Dutch photographer and director Anton Corbijn for the third time, an artist mainly known for his work for bands including Depeche Mode and Nirvana. G-Star is also Dutch and already successful on European markets but wants to up its ante now, especially …
An Insight by Lauren Jane Whether you like Ke$ha or think her song, Tik Tok, is commercialized garbage, there is no denying that she has now got herself a smash hit single. Tik Tok hooks in the listener from the very beginning. Her playful and bizarre rapping style is so uniquely different from other pop-artists, and through this, she’s found …
An Insight by Andrew Howie We are on the verge of a huge groundswell. We are under 100 days to the FIFA World Cup in South Africa. With that comes some amazing, and very expensive advertising. Every celebrity with an endorsement gets rolled out to be the backbone of brand campaigns. This leads to a huge amount of noise but …
A review by Michael MacRitchie This is not your typical war movie. Instead of dwelling on bloodshed on the battlefield, The Founding of a Republic focuses on the psychological war between China’s Nationalists and Communists, and the complex negotiations of their power struggle. The inclusion of archival black-and-white footage, from pivotal battles such as as those at Huaihai and Pingjin …
