Abstract:

Consider a commercial break placed on ABS-CBN, a terrestrial broadcaster in the Philippines.Within that break can be found a mix of local and international brands. The creative would be principally out of the Philippines and the target audience would be a sub-set of the local population. The campaign would be budgeted, planned and bought in Manila, and the return in sales would be expected in the Philippines. Compare this with a break on the STAR TV network, a leading Pan-Asian satellite network. Here, we find an international spirits maker targeting affluent business men in late prime time in Taiwan. There is a tea company trying to build awareness in India. There is a promotional tie-in for a soft drink running on a Pan-Asian basis. Finally, there is a Hong Kong based jeweller running a purely local campaign. In total, this represents a mix of languages, timezones, creative and a multitude of simultaneously available target audiences that can be aimed at one or all of the 50 plus nations in STAR'S footprint. This contrast is at the heart of this paper. Change in the Asian media scene is explosive. To date, most hype and attention has been concentrated on the viewer and their consumption of programming. This paper instead focuses on the 100 hours a year (average) every viewer spends watching commercials. Will those 100 hours be there in the new Media world? How will the bright agency find them? How will it track them, and how will it report on its success. Those are the challenges for the agency and this paper highlights the support and innovation required in media research to make it happen.