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March 1, 2012

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Home 禄 Business 禄 Media

Providing advertising focus amid media revolution

By Wang Yanlin | March 1, 2012, Thursday | Print Edition

DO you realize that "everything begins and ends in media," said Melvyn Goh, president of Mindshare China.

It's also his company's mantra, no doubt to remind every business that understanding and using the media can be a profitable strategy.

"We are at the very heart of the most exciting business on the planet," Goh told Shanghai Daily in an exclusive interview.

Media used to be just newspapers, magazines, radio, television and billboards. That's what's now known as "old media." The Internet has changed all that, ushering in a proliferation of communication channels dubbed "new media." In fact, there is no such thing as old or new media - just integrated channels - search, social, mobile, e-commerce and gaming among others.

Goh, a Singapore native in his late 40s, discusses his business with deep seriousness. In such a competitive realm, it pays to be serious.

Mindshare was set up in 1997 as a media and marketing arm of the WPP Group, the world's largest communications services company.

Goh joined Mindshare China in 2010, after serving as chief executive officer for the M Media Group, a media investment arm of the Morningside Group.

"Today's media business is connected with more technology, more speed and more channels," Goh said. "Every aspect of human life has been transformed by changes in the media."

Consumers are largely pleased by having more choices for information, but companies may find it increasingly tricky to decide how to allocate their marketing and advertising budgets.

"Do you know how many television channels there are in the Chinese mainland?" Goh asked, with a deliberate pause. "More than 3,000!"

The biggest challenge is that consumers have more freedom than ever before with the invention of mobile media devices. They can choose their media, and their choices are multiplying.

Whatever the form, the basic principles of effective communications remain.

"Don't be confused by brands," Goh said. "If you step back and look at it, the unprecedented flux in media is only the change in functionality that can be accessed in three types of devices: mobile phones, tablets and non-portable big screens. There is no strict boundary between so-called traditional media and new media. The industry is experiencing a massive integration."

Another challenge is that the popularity of blogs and Weibo, the Chinese version of Twitter, has turned everyone into potential creators and transmitters of information as well as passive absorbers.

Looking ahead, Goh predicted more media budgets will move from television to online videos. Still, he said, television operators in China have nothing to fear because the whole market will continue to show robust growth of between 13 percent and 16 percent a year.

"China's advertising market will remain fantastic in the next 10 years, though the recent weaker performance in the economy may cause some ups and downs," Goh said.

To thrive in a new-era media world and find the best media partner, Goh said companies need to be more proactive.

More interactive value-added services, such as paying via TV, can bring new opportunities for advertisers, he said.

At the same time, utilizing social media, brands need to become more relevant and interact with consumers rather than just invading their time and space.

"We have entered a post-mass communications era, and communication is now addressable, portable, searchable, socialized, interactive, tradable, gameable and everywhere," Goh added.

Being a global company gives Mindshare the size and scope to identify trends quickly and apply them to the needs of clients, Goh said.

The company also prides itself on attracting some of the brightest minds in the business -- people who know how to think constructively.

"Our core competitiveness lies in the ability to identify, recruit, retain and motivate people who are passionate and innovative in media," Goh said.

Shortly before Goh joined Mindshare China, the company lost the business of Unilever, one of its most important clients.

He said that together with the team, they worked to put the company on a stronger footing. Within a year, Mindshare China won L'Or茅al China and retained Yum! Brands and China's dairy giant Yili Group - all amongst the top 10 advertisers in China.

Last year, Goh was named Agency Head of the Year for Greater China by Campaign Asia Pacific.

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