MAM
Sony is no. 1 in Harris Interactive’s best brands survey
NEW YORK: For the fourth year in a row and the sixth time in the last nine years, Sony has been chosen as the number one brand, according to the annual Harris Interactive(R) survey of the best brands.
The survey asked respondents to name the three brands they considered the best. Sony is followed by Kraft, Dell, General Motors and Microsoft. Since The Harris Poll began measuring “best brands” in 1995, Sony has been named number one six times (1996, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003). Harris interactive has said, “This poll underlines very strongly the linkage between corporate reputation and brand image.” This year’s poll reflects the results of an online survey of 879 adults in the US conducted between 16-22 June.
Sony’s consolidated sales in the US for the fiscal year ended 31 March 2003, were $20 billion.
AD Agencies
Omnicom Advertising names Ellie Brocklehurst chief growth and marketing officer for Asia
The former TBWA Asia marketing chief returns from maternity leave with an ambitious mandate to make Omnicom the most sought-after network in the region.
NEW YORK: Ellie Brocklehurst is back, and she is not easing herself in gently. Omnicom Advertising has appointed Brocklehurst as chief growth and marketing officer for Asia, a role that puts her in charge of growth and marketing initiatives across the network’s three flagship agencies: BBDO, McCann and TBWA. Her brief is to sharpen existing capabilities while identifying new avenues for expansion across the region.
Brocklehurst brings a career that has moved steadily upward through some of the industry’s most recognisable names. She began at Source Music before moving through Exposure Public Relations and Marketing, Taurus Marketing and LEWIS Global Communications. She then joined BBDO Worldwide as communications manager for the Asia group, rising to regional communications director for Asia. At Wunderman Thompson, she served as head of marketing and PR for APAC before being elevated to APAC growth marketing lead, where she worked closely with local management teams on client expansion strategies, new business acquisition and brand building. Most recently, she served as chief marketing officer at TBWA\Asia.
Brocklehurst, who is returning from maternity leave, was characteristically direct about what she intends to do with the opportunity. “Transitioning back from my final maternity leave is a significant personal milestone,” she said. “While it’s the end of one era at home, it marks the beginning of an ambitious new one professionally.” She left little doubt about the scale of her ambition. “I’m stepping into this role with a clear mission: to make Omnicom Advertising the most awarded, revered, and sought-after agency network in Asia.”
In a region where agency networks are jostling hard for creative dominance and client loyalty, that is a target worth watching. Brocklehurst has spent two decades learning exactly how this game is played. Now she gets to set the rules.
