Indonesia, proud host of APMF

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.