"We are not winning a giant very big headine kind of piece of business around the world but if you look around in the creative industry that happens very very rarely. What we have been doing and that is where the frustation comes in is that we have consistently won business around our network including in 2009 which is why we did better than the competiion in 2009 when most companies were down by double digit we were not, we were down close to five per cent."
In addition to the regional win of UOB, the agency group has won accounts including BMW and Samsung in Malaysia, Chrysler in Korea, Telkomsel in Indonesia and Unitech Wireless in India.
Asked if Leo Burnett Group is close to regaining its lost status in Asia-Pacific, Bernardin said the agency has been quiet for the last few years. “I think there was a period when we were quiet, but successful. I like quiet, but quiet sometimes get boring. We are now in a completely new phase.”
Talking about new areas of growth, Bernardin said that shopper marketing is “a bigger area of growth” for agencies like Leo Burnett and the group is looking to acquire agencies with this capability.
“We are always looking for agencies, which complement our portfolio and services, agencies which have a digital component or shopper and retail component. Shopper marketing is fast becoming a thrilling aspect of the creative business, which I like because it is so unexpected. Who would have thought that creative agencies would be excited about shopper marketing?”
In the last few months, Singapore and Malaysia has emerged as a hub of shopper marketing for Leo Burnett in Asia Pacific. “It is an important market. We have put a stake on the ground. Jarek Ziebinski is one of them. He is making a positive impact in this market and we have never been as focused on growth as we are now", says Bernardin.
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