Sydney Team Gets Down with 2 to Tango

The poster, educational fact packs and website feature two cartoon characters dancing together - a condom and a pill packet - as the key visual for the campaign.

On behalf of Schering Pty Limited, Weber Shandwick partnered with Sexual Health and Family Planning Australia (SH&FPA) to develop a national sexual health education program to raise awareness and educate the community about the need for effective protection against the risk of pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

The It Takes Two to Tango program detailed the benefits of using both hormonal (the Pill) plus barrier (condom) contraception together for best protection against both pregnancy and STIs. While the program had broad appeal, it specifically targeted women aged 16-25 years.

Working closely with Schering, Weber Shandwick also developed a communications campaign targeting general practitioners (GPs) to extend the reach of the 2 to Tango program. This outreach effort was designed to encourage GP participation in the program by providing educational materials to support patient counselling.

Weber Shandwick coordinated a national media launch event which was attended by key women’s media as well as high profile newspapers. In addition, Weber Shandwick arranged a direct-to-consumer promotion on the day of the program launch. Young women were handed red roses during peak travel times at crowded stations in central Sydney. The roses were tied with ribbon displaying the 2 to Tango website address: www.2toTango.com.au.

The 2 to Tango campaign was highly successful. Thus far, the campaign has reached more than 12.9 million Australians via media coverage and promotional activities including the awareness poster, website, roses promotion and GP outreach. 

	Southeast Asia's First Sea Jelly Exhibit Brings Back the Crowds to Ocean Park

Ocean Park, Hong Kong's premier theme park, has provided unforgettable experiences to more than 70 million visitors for 29 years. The park's famous cable car ride, aquarium and dolphin shows continue to attract visitors from around the globe.

As the park enters its 30th anniversary, its management has rolled out a redevelopment strategy to upgrade many of the attractions to connect visitors to nature. In line with these plans, on April 10, Ocean Park's chairman, Alan Zeman, unveiled a unique sea jelly exhibit, "Sea Jelly Spectacular" featuring more than 1,000 sea jellies, and launched two new restaurants on the premises.

Weber Shandwick in Hong Kong provided strategic counsel, event management and media relations services to Ocean Park management, with the objective of generating public awareness for the jellyfish exhibit and the restaurant openings.

The Hong Kong team developed an interactive event to highlight the new attractions. The team devised interactive and creative jellyfish characters who greeted the media and guests during both launches while students created their own jellyfish t-shirt designs.

Journalists from both local and regional print, and broadcast media attended the event which generated 51 news articles with an advertising equivalent of more than 1.6 million Hong Kong dollars. The event attracted many visitors and broke its average daily attendance record during the Easter holidays.

 

	OneSMART™ MasterCard® PayPass™ Rolls Out in Malaysia

Guests at the launch of OneSMART™ MasterCard® PayPass™ in Malaysia.

MasterCard reaffirmed its industry leadership by launching OneSMART™ MasterCard® PayPass™ in Malaysia. Launched in line with the Malaysian government’s vision to move to a complete e-payments environment by 2010, PayPass was rolled out in Malaysia as the country’s first internationally accepted EMV (Europay MasterCard VISA) contactless payment solution.

PayPass was launched at the Grand Ballroom of the Shangri-la, Kuala Lumpur, with more than 150 local and foreign guests and over 45 members of the media in attendance.

Weber Shandwick teams in Malaysia and Singapore worked together to execute the event. The team in Malaysia conceptualised the event; liaised with third parties; and coordinated media relations, client briefing, project management and interviews. Weber Shandwick in Singapore carried out regional coordination for foreign media and foreign attendees.

Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs, Malaysia – Yang Berhormat Datuk Mohd. Shafie bin Hj. Apdal. spoke about PayPass at the event: “MasterCard PayPass promises to revolutionise the advanced payments environment with its speedy, quick and convenient payment mode…The government strongly supports the development of the Malaysian retail market and we commend the efforts put in by private sector organisations such as MasterCard in introducing programs like PayPass…”

At the event selected guests were invited to conduct the first international PayPass transaction in Malaysia using their foreign MasterCard PayPass cards. The capabilities of the contactless solution were further demonstrated at a MasterCard booth positioned in the ballroom where guests tested the contactless payment solution.

	Bosch Launches Intrusion Alarm Systems

Bosch Security Systems, a division of Robert Bosch GmbH, recently launched two security products (Easy Series Intrusion Control Panel, and Wireless Intrusion Alarm System VR8) to the Indian market targeting the residential and small business segments.

Corporate Voice | Weber Shandwick in India was called upon to help Bosch present an overview on ‘New trends in Home Security Solutions’ in India and showcase award winning products from Bosch’s Portfolio.

The CV|WS team invited 13 journalists to attend a media roundtable chaired by David Anderson, Global Head, Intrusion Detection Business and Dhiraj Wali, Head, Security Technology Division, MICO. CV|WS advised that Bosch invite home décor and trade magazines in addition to mainlines and business dailies in order to broaden the scope of their coverage.

At the roundtable there was a product demo which helped demystify the cutting-edge Bosch technology.

	IPG Shanghai Expo Task Force: Serving the China Government

On March 30, 2006, the IPG Shanghai Expo Task Force, led by Powell Tate | Weber Shandwick in China, organised the first formal Corporate Information Session for the Shanghai Expo. Attracting more than 150 senior executives from Fortune 500 companies, the event served as a launch pad for the Shanghai Expo sponsor selection process.

Initiated by Powell Tate | Weber Shandwick, the Corporate Information Session was attended by Shanghai Municipal Vice and Deputy Director of the Executive Committee of Shanghai World Expo. Representatives from the American and European Chambers' of Commerce, Japanese External Trade Organization and Hong Kong Trade Development Council and were also present.

In 2002, China won the bid to host the 2010 World Exposition in Shanghai. This is the first time that the event will take place in a developing country with a theme that is related to city—“Better City, Better Life”. Expected to attract 200 countries/international organisations and 70 million visitors, the six-month long Shanghai Expo will account for a total investment of US$3.55 billion.

The IPG Shanghai Expo Task Force has been intimately involved with the Shanghai Expo since the beginning. Besides directing the campaign that won China the hosting bid, IPG also compiled the Market Development Master Plan that will direct all commercial operations for the years leading up to 2010, drafted its Global Promotion and Communication Strategy, coordinated a Shanghai Expo luncheon at Aichi Expo Japan in 2005 and made its first marketing brochure in 2006.

Since its inception in 1851, World Expositions have engendered significant milestones in human achievements such as the erection of the Eiffel Tower at the Paris Expo in 1881 and the presentation of television and elevators at the 1939 New York Expo.

	Weber Shandwick and McCann Erickson Work Together to Launch the Birth of Venus

Yasuko Matsuyuki talks about SS Pharmaceutical’s new product and shares beauty tips with the participants of the announcement event at Tokyo’s newest luxury hotel, the Mandarin Oriental.

On February 6, a crowd of more than 350 invitees from the pharmaceutical industry and the media gathered to see SS Pharmaceutical, one of Japan's leading pharmaceutical companies, launch its newly developed "HYTHIOL-C PREMIERE" series. The product is targeted at women and helps fade freckles and facial pigmentation.

The president of SS Pharmaceutical and other top executives demonstrated the product and discussed the company's marketing plan. The highlight of the event was the introduction of the face of HYTHIOL-C PREMIERE, and star of the product's television commercials, popular actress, Ms. Yasuko Matsuyuki.

Along with McCann Erickson and other supporting agencies, Weber Shandwick was involved in the planning, implementation and media activities surrounding the launch event. SS Pharmaceutical requested that Weber Shandwick focus primarily on television exposure. The team approached many entertainment programs from Japan's major television stations and focused on morning television show coverage.

All five Japanese television networks appeared at the site with the majority of networks airing clips of the event on the morning shows the following day. "Sports dailies" (Japan's boulevard press) also covered the event. There was positive coverage of SS Pharmaceutical's choice of Matsuyuki as the face for their new product and the media praised the actress for her beauty. Articles describing the product in detail and introducing SS Pharmaceutical's strategy also ran in several industry papers.

	Malaysian Dental Association-Colgate Oral Health Month April 2006: Bringing “Healthy Smiles For Life” to all Malaysians

“Healthy Smiles for Life” Ambassador Amber Chia gets a check-up during the MDA-Colgate Oral Health April 2006.

Deputy Minister of Health Yang Berhormat Datuk Dr Abdul Latiff bin Ahmad, giving a speech during the launch of the MDA-Colgate Oral Health Month.

Colgate-Palmolive wanted to promote its flagship event, Oral Health Month (OHM), in a new and creative way this year. Colgate wanted fresh ideas on how to position the three year old annual event, while still maintaining key messages & positioning about oral health and hygiene.

The Malaysian Dental Association (MDA) was already on board to professionally support the campaign and they would provide free dental check-ups throughout the month.  Weber Shandwick was therefore required to get creative and ultimately generate nationwide publicity for OHM. 

The Malaysian Dental Association-Colgate Oral Health Month April 2006 was aptly themed "Healthy Smiles for Life"

To give the journalists a hands-on experience of what to expect, Weber Shandwick proposed to set up educational stations such as the Plaque House and the Revolving Tooth Model at the press conference/launch. These stations would be used during on-ground shopping mall activities during OHM itself. The launch event attracted approximately 50 media, eager to "brush up" on their dental health knowledge.

ALL FOR HEALTHY SMILES: “Healthy Smiles for Life” Celebrity Ambassadors with Mr John Hazlin, Marketing Director of Colgate-Palmolive Malaysia (right).

Weber Shandwick also proposed that Colgate take “Healthy Smiles for Life” further by providing free dental care and Colgate products to the underprivileged indigenous
people of Malaysia (the Orang Asli) via the "Healthy Smiles for Life" Charity Campaign.

Three “Healthy Smiles for Life” celebrity ambassadors—including a theatre personality, singer, and model—were brought on-board to promote the Charity Campaign and attend one of the shopping mall events. 

Weber Shandwick liaised with the Malaysia Book of Records to set a record for “The Largest Ever Dental Check-Up Event”. The record-setting feat was targeted to promote OHM and encourage members of the public to go for their dental check-ups at any of the four shopping mall marquee set-ups during the month of April.

Oral Health Month 2006 saw free dental check-ups in over 420 participating dental clinics, 40 hypermarkets and supermarkets, and four mall dental stations. In 2006, the total number of dental check-ups was targeted to reach 100,000 Malaysians, which was 20 percent more than 2005. The official entry into the Malaysia Book of Records has not been confirmed, but is anticipated to qualify.

	Weber Shandwick in Hong Kong Assists the University of London

Since 1989 the University of London (UoL) has been working closely with Hong Kong University SPACE, a leading institution in delivering distance learning programs. Weber Shandwick in Hong Kong recently completed a project to raise awareness of the UoL External Program.

The public relations objectives of this project were to build the credibility and reinforce the international value of UoL as a global distance learning provider. Additionally, one of the goals of the program was also to bring to life the experience of studying for a UoL degree.

Weber Shandwick in Hong Kong conducted a media relations program that engaged visiting Professors and Directors from the University during their stay in Hong Kong. Coverage was secured in the Career & Education Expo 2006, the biggest event in the industry in Hong Kong.  Furthermore, two case studies were completed lining up graduate students to speak to the media.

Securing media interest was the biggest challenge with this project as education media prefer hard local news stories. A case study of one of the first graduates from the Msc Information and Security program was pitched to the media at the same time a news story broke regarding the database of the Independent Police Complaints Council of Hong Kong being accidentally published on the internet. 

This raised concerns over Internet security issues and Weber Shandwick was able to leverage the story given the current situation, securing media interest. The case outlined the program the graduate had studied and illustrated real-life applications from the course. Another spokesperson was also secured who spoke about the entry requirements to the course and other details to raise awareness about this program. Using hot topics, Weber Shandwick was able to raise media interest for UoL.

	Accton Technology Hosts 2006 Distributor Conference in Taiwan

Guests enjoy traditional Taiwanese dancing.

Accton Technology usually holds its annual distributor dinner in an exotic location in Asia. This year however, the company decided to ‘return to its roots’ and hold the event in Taiwan, the country where the company was founded. A three-day conference was held with the objective to give guests an insight into the marketing and technical aspects of Accton and its subsidiary brands SMC and Edge-core.

The conference consisted of 50 delegates from the Asia region, ranging from Iran to Japan to Australia. The team in Taiwan conceptualised the conference theme “Branching Out for Growth”. Under this main concept, three other themes were developed for each day of the conference.

CEO AJ Huang hung wishing envelopes on the Accton Tree.

The first day’s theme was “Seeding the Future”. There was a traditional lion dance and the Accton tree was unveiled to signify the company’s commitment to helping its distributors grow. All delegates were handed wishing envelopes to write down their expectations of Accton and then hang on the tree.

For the second day, the theme “The Art of Lifestyle” was incorporated into the day’s program. Weber Shandwick arranged three activity sessions that allowed the delegates to experience the life of the Taiwanese. There was tea tasting, meditation, and in the evening a performance of music and hand puppets.

On the last day, Weber Shandwick organised Haka cuisine for lunch and a Taipei city tour.

The delegates were impressed with the event, and most have stated that they would join a similar event in the future.

	Weber Shandwick Launches Ground-Breaking Urban Community in Australia

Ross Taylor (Lend Lease), The Hon. Frank Sartor (NSW Minister for Planning), Nic Lyons (GPT), Sonya Phillips (Mayor of Baulkham Hills Shire Council) and Jon Isaacs (Chairman of The New Rouse Hill) officiating at the sod turning ceremony.

Weber Shandwick in Australia was onsite to help launch the estimated AUD1.5 billion, The New Rouse Hill, a ground-breaking urban development in Sydney's northwest region.

Given just six weeks to prepare for the event, the Weber Shandwick team in Australia successfully implemented a detailed project management program.

The innovative development is a joint venture between property development group Lend Lease and property trust GPT Group in partnership with government agencies, the NSW Department of Planning, and development agency, Landcom. The development will be a benchmark for sustainable urban communities with a strong emphasis on retaining open green space, incorporating educational and community facilities, housing, shops and transport.  All residents will also have access to a community intranet. Over 12,000 jobs are likely to be created throughout the development and over 4,500 people will live in The New Rouse Hill.

More than 120 VIPs arrived at the event to see the NSW Minister for Planning officially mark the commencement of work. The event received great coverage in daily metropolitan newspapers, regional and local press and talkback radio in Sydney.

Weber Shandwick had been invited to tender a proposal for the launch as a result of new business meetings with the GPT Group.

	World Gourmet Summit in Singapore

Philippe Legendre	Paco Roncero

In April, the World Gourmet Summit, a two-week landmark event for "foodies" around the globe, brought some big names in the culinary world to Singapore, including legendary Michelin-star chefs Philippe Legendre from France and Paco Roncero from Spain. Celebrating ten years of epicurean excellence, the organisers upped the ante this year with Culinary Master-classes with some of the visiting chefs.

This year, the extra spark of glamour came with compliments from Weber Shandwick's client, Discovery Travel & Living (DTL) channel.

As the official lifestyle channel, DTL brought into town renowned Canadian chefs Michael and Guy Rubino, owners of one of the world's top restaurants, Rain. The chefs cooked up a storm for a full-house, serving unique and unusual Asian dishes like Malaysian black cod and Rendang lamb. Attention to detail was the order of the day and the pair personally prepared every single dish for the 170-strong guest list and even brought in their own special crockery to complete the dining experience.

Canadian chefs the Rubino brothers.

Ian Wright of Globe Trekker fame (a Discovery Travel and Living channel program) also made a guest appearance. True to form, Wright regaled diners by sharing his unusual travel adventures as they tasted some of his favorite dishes, including an unmistakably English, fish and chips.

Weber Shandwick's Singapore team put DTL in the media spotlight during the World Gourmet Summit and helped to bring to life the channel's strong focus on food, high living and the finer things in life.

	Bristol Myers Squibb Media Workshop on Treatment of Gynaecological Cancers

Media attend the 58th Annual Congress of the Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) supports the activities of various associations in Japan, aiming for wider application of BMS products in the Japanese, the world second largest pharmaceutical market.  Its products are often recognised as a standard treatment in the U.S. and Europe, but their use lags in Japan. Treatment of gynaecological cancers in Japan is of top quality however, only a number of limited medicines are used in the country because of the difficulty and complexity of getting approval from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

The 58th Annual Congress of the Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (JSOG) was held in Yokohama from April 22 to 25.  Weber Shandwick in Japan was assigned the planning, preparation, and execution of a media workshop during this period to inform the media about the current circumstances of treatment for gynaecological cancers in Japan and the need for introducing new treatments.

The implementation posed several challenges and difficulties. First, Yokohama isn’t the most suitable venue to gather journalists because although it is not far from Tokyo, the time spent travelling would have discouraged many reporters. Also, although cancer is an issue of concern to the Japanese public, it was a challenge to secure media coverage without actually having any new data or information to release at the media workshop.

The Tokyo office, therefore, proposed stories for each speaker and recommended focusing on the comparison of Japan and the U.S. in order to expose problems in the Japanese system and also to highlight the need for improving Japan’s current regulations.

Owing to the introduction of these interesting topics into the program of the workshop, many key journalists decided to attend, and, after the lectures, the Q&A and discussion session was very lively. Resulting coverage from the media workshop has been pleasing and the Tokyo office has also succeeded in setting up one-on-one interviews with influential daily newspapers for this project.