Arc Worldwide president and executive creative director Tan Kien Eng, and Leo Burnett Thailand CEO On-Usa Lamliengphol said yesterday that clients were moving part of their advertising budgets to new media as a result of the fragmentation of the industry that those new media were causing.

The new media also allow creative people to play a bigger role as they have to create ads that are really relevant to the brands, products, services and target audiences, the executives said.

Tan said this is not the end of advertising, which traditionally relied mostly on mass media like TV, since advertisers can establish marketing communication strategies that combines traditional and new media channels.

"The idea is the most important thing," Tan said. "Yet, marketers and creative people need to be insightful and imaginative, and to respect and be honest towards targeted customers."

He said entertainment is always a good ad strategy and the Thais are very good at it.

Arc is an affiliated company of Leo Burnett focusing on direct marketing. Its success over the past few years is helping to drive the growth of Leo Burnett, said On-Usa.

However, she declined to reveal figures.

Nitida Asawanipont

 The Nation