ANN joins roadshow for advert agencies

ANN members also joined forces to set up an advertising office in Singapore to represent the 22 members from 19 countries in Asia.

Up to 20 regional advertising executives based in Singapore were joined by 30 executives from Thailand at a one-day roadshow last week organised by ANN. 

The roadshow was co-hosted by ETPL (Exploit Technologies), Singapore-based technology transfer arm of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), and Knorex, developer of the iSnap print-to-mobile technology. The theme of the event was “Advancing the Next Frontier of Asian Media”.

At the event, ANN also signed a memorandum of understanding with ETPL to collaborate on projects and solutions aimed at the media and advertising industries. Among other things, this will cover human-language processing, mobile imaging, video processing and analytics.

ANN members participating were Thailand’s The Nation; Malaysia’s The Star; the Philippine Daily Inquirer; Indonesia’s The Jakarta Post; China Daily Asia-Pacific; The Japan News by Yomiuri Shimbun; and Kantipur Group’s Kathmandu Post. 

The event was inaugurated by Felix Soh, chairman of ANN and editor of Singapore Press Holdings’ New Media; ANN executive director Pana Janviroj; ETPL executive vice president Woo Kwai Merng; and Knorex chief executive Justin Choo.

Thepchai Yong, The Nation’s group editor, told the gathering of the “revolution” that will radically alter the Thai broadcast-media landscape. Licences for 24 commercial digital terrestrial TV stations will be auctioned in the next several months providing unprecedented challenges and opportunities, he said. 

“It will create a healthy, competitive environment that will benefit both the audiences and advertisers.” 

ANN has a combined daily circulation of English-language newspapers at 2.5 million and 13 million when taking into account vernacular newspapers.

“We presented our enormous regional media powers and innovations,” Pana said.

Ken Li, director of newly set-up ANN advertising representative in Singapore, said the regional agencies were “very impressed” with ANN’s presentations, which took place at Singapore’s research and development complex Fusionopolis last Friday.

On its collaboration with ANN, ETPL senior vice president Lee Han Boon noted: “With new business models comes the need for new technologies. ETPL has been working with A*STAR and partner organisations to develop portfolios of enabling technologies to help strengthen the sector’s competitiveness. As A*STAR’s technology-transfer arm, we then work with licensees on commercialising the most promising research outcomes and bringing them to the marketplace – much like what we’ve done with Knorex.”

Justin Tan, Knorex’ business development director, remarked: “It is an exciting time for the Asian media and to be part of the industry where we are seeing regional efforts from cross-industries coming together to forge closer bonds in pursuit of new growth drivers.” 

ANN will join ETPL’s “Media Exploits 2013” in October. It is ETPL’s annual industry networking event that showcases patented and patent-pending technology aimed at the media and advertising industry.