Indonesia, proud host of APMF

Rodney Louis Vincent, Contributor/Jakarta

Acting as official agents of the Asian Federation of Advertising Associations (AFAA), the Asia Pacific Media Forum (APMF) will be the center of attraction for media specialists, owners of media enterprises and related industry professionals to gather and uncover some unconventional truths of the changing dynamics in the media world.

The basic concept of the APMF was first introduced and proposed to the AFAA board during the Asian advertising congress, AdAsia, in Jaipur (India) in November last year by Gunadi Sugiharso, chairman of Lowe and Initiative Media, who is also co- chairman of APMF. The forum is organized by the Association of Asia Pacific Advertising Media (AAPAM), and will be held on March 14 and March 15, 2005 in Tanah Lot, Bali.

APMF has three main objectives: First, to raise curiosity among advertisers, media specialists, and advertising agencies regarding the evolutionary changes in media that are taking place at lightning speed. The second objective is to gather people who are concerned with issues related to the media industry, share knowledge and experiences on progression and provide a platform for new business opportunities. The third objective is to foster closer relations within the region. A long-term objective of APMF includes raising the professional standards in the region, especially in the media area of advertising.

The following are APMF's topics for next year: * Thematic Proposition, Directional Overview * Multimedia, Prints, Specialists * Prints for Media and Agency * Regional Opportunities * TV Effectiveness * How Much is Enough TV/Radio Programming, Measurements * Individual Media (Radio, Outdoor, Rural) * POS, Event, Personal Media, Interactives * Cyber Media, Innovative/New Media

Gunadi Sugiharso explains: "We definitely want participants to find it useful to attend this conference. The advertising industry is concerned about changes in the media environment and some of the relevant topics will be addressed to people in the various areas of specialization. For example why would an advertiser benefit from attending this conference? Because he will come away with a better understanding about the changes as well as the coming developments in the media environment. He will also be able to manage his large investment in media more efficiently".

For an advertising agency, it is a common trend to approach media specialists. An advertising agency manager wants to know what to do with his structure and his talents and how to prepare for the next three to five years. On the creative aspect, the media problem could be that consumers are not watching their thirty-second commercials because of too many choices. So, creative teams will have to go outside the box and find new ways of communicating their message.

TV stations can also benefit from new ways of using the media so they can maintain their audience and get them more involved in the programs. For the industry in general there will also be a segment on research, looking into new technology to measure the effectiveness of advertising in this new media environment.

As this media forum is the first of its kind in Asia, setting the benchmark to match the expectations of each specialist will be important. It will be held bi-annually at the same place and location, but with different topics each time.

Achjuman A. Achjadi, president of the Convention Committee, described the two-day-event in more detail: "The first day will focus on consumers, advertisers, advertising media, and also research. On the second day we will be focusing on media itself. So, it's not only from media specialists to media specialists, it's basically for the whole industry with a range of topics. Take entertainment for example, we will look at reaching the out- of-the-way consumers. Not just traditional media but also non- traditional media, and going specifically into TV and the technology of it."

Ranjana Singh, APMF Convention Committee, said that leading advertisers, agencies, media, other communicators and government figures will share their insights on the impending changes and issues in the media world.

"We look for worldwide personalities who have something to contribute, who provoke some thought, and who would ensure there is debate. "Some of the confirmed speakers for this event include Alan Rutherford, worldwide head of media, Unilever; Miles Young, chairman of Ogilvy Asia Pacific; Sheila Byfield, worldwide consumer insights for Group M/Mindshare, and speakers from Millward Brown and Nielsen Media will be there. There will also be a speaker from Japan, as it is one of the biggest countries in terms of advertising.

Asia Pacific Media Forum's strategy is to tackle issues that will provide participants from the various areas of expertise with the latest developments in their field as well as a glimpse into the future. "The APMF is an event that really signifies Asia coming of age in media terms. The Asia region will now accelerate its learning and development to rapidly become a world leader in media markets." - Alan Rutherford, worldwide head of media, Unilever.

The writer is the editor of ADOI Magazine, an English publication about advertising and marketing.