China - The 43rd International Advertising Association (IAA) World Congress was held in Beijing over May 8th-10th, 2014. At the grand opening and award dinner, which took place in the Great Hall of the People on the evening of May 9th, Saatchi & Saatchi Greater China CEO Michael Lee took home the "Outstanding Contribution to the Advertising Industry in China Award", the first and only Chinese CEO to win this individual achievement award. Alongside Michael, the two other industry elites distinguished with this award were Miles Young, Worldwide Chairman and CEO of Ogilvy & Mather, and Serge Dumont, Vice Chairman of Omnicom Group.
Michael, currently CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi Greater
China, has had twenty-five years of experience in the advertising world, in
which he is known as “The Rainmaker”. Michael started his career in
1989 in Hong Kong with a Computer Science degree from University of
Melbourne.
In 1997, Michael left the relatively comfortable and
secure advertising life in Australia to plunge headfirst into the
developing China market as one of China’s earliest advertising pioneers. With a
finely-tuned business acumen and an outstanding track record of business
success, he became General Manager of DMB&B Beijing at the age of 29 —
still the youngest to do so at an international ad agency in China to this
day. In the sixteen years since, Michael has never strayed from his mission to
develop and advance creativity and innovation.
In 2005, Michael broke the norm by creating
a partnership of four great creative leaders (deemed "The Four
Gods" by the industry) to lead the agency instead of having a
single ECD. As a result, Ogilvy & Mather Shanghai topped the
Greater China Creative Ranking at CampaignBrief and became one of the most
influential creative agencies in China within three short years. He also
kickstarted many innovative business ideas in China, such
as founding OgilvyFashion, the country’s first international
agency to specialize in fashion and lifestyle communications.
After joining Saatchi & Saatchi in 2012, Michael
continued to blaze forward, leading the agency to win CR3 China Creative Agency
of the Year for 2 consecutive years, and producing China’s first “Nano Movie”
(a new form of branded entertainment) as well as China’s first
Cannes–winning public service ad for CCTV. Michael also positioned himself at
the forefront of the corporate communications field, promoting corporate social
responsibility and sustainable development, and leading the Greater China team
to support and partner with a diverse range of domestic and international NGOs
and charity organizations to realize Saatchi & Saatchi's mission of
changing the world through love and creativity.
Even as an experienced agency leader in China, however,
Michael always stays ahead of industry trends. In response to the challenges
posed to advertising by new media and the development of new technologies,
Michael launched a new “Monsters Attack” campaign at the beginning of
2014, aimed at returning the industry to its former heights of glory.
Michael also
presented a speech at the IAA World Congress entitled "Chinese Elements,
Global Catalysts: How Chinese Culture Can Empower Brands for Global
Impact", in which he shared his insights with an audience of 1,600 on
integrating Chinese culture into brand communications. He has
given multiple interviews to the media about his feelings on
receiving the award and his predictions and suggestions for the future of
China’s advertising market.
Guillermo Vega, multi-award winning CCO of Saatchi & Saatchi London, is a man in a hurry. His career includes setting up and growing W+K Sao Paulo from 3 to 100 employees in 4 years. He talks about learning to be patient, the Super London way.
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Publicis Groupe hires Natalie Lam
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Launched in 2012, Team One’s The Legacy Lab™ is a thought-leadership platform exploring the dynamics of long-term brand building in a short-term world. The Legacy Lab has researched influential brands including The Bluebird Cafe, It Gets Better Project, Girls Who Code, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, The Championships, Wimbledon and Taylor Guitars among others, and publishes many of its learnings online.…
Saatchi & Saatchi London has hired Guillermo Vega, the former ECD of 72andSunny New York, as its Chief Creative Officer. Joining on October 1, Vega will lead the agency’s creative department and build on its existing creative success. His appointment completes the Saatchi & Saatchi London management team, alongside Sam Hawkey (Chief Operating Officer), Richard Huntington (Chief Strategy Officer) and…
Cannes Lions 2018 saw Saatchi & Saatchi offices around the network pick up a total of 17 awards. The wins were split across Saatchi & Saatchi New York, Saatchi & Saatchi LA, Saatchi & Saatchi New Zealand, Saatchi & Saatchi Germany and F/Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi Brazil. Winning clients were Tide, National Down Syndrome Society, Toyota, Elanco, Sadia and the…
SKS365, a leading international betting company, has chosen Saatchi & Saatchi Italy, led by CEO Simone Masè, to handle the creative account for its sports betting and gaming brand, PlanetWin365.
Today Saatchi & Saatchi announces taking the pledge, and joining Free the Bid as a global network.
Publicis One Croatia today announces the appointment of three award-winning creative talents to Saatchi & Saatchi, promoting growth and creative excellence goals in Croatia and throughout the Adriatic. The three new appointments, who have extensive creative experience, will spearhead a re-energizing process of the agency in Croatia. Appointed are Ivan Tanić, who joins as Creative Director, Nebojša Cvetković as Art…
Saatchi & Saatchi New Zealand has been appointed as Tourism Fiji’s global brand agency of record, following a selection process and creative pitch that began in mid 2017. Saatchi & Saatchi will lead the creation of a revitalised brand platform and global campaign to attract visitors to Fiji from all over the world, focusing on key markets – Australia, New…
Kraft Heinz China recently appointed Saatchi & Saatchi Shanghai as their lead creative agency in China for all Kraft Heinz brand categories. Saatchi & Saatchi Shanghai won this business after a fierce multi-way pitch against other agencies over the past months. Saatchi & Saatchi Shanghai will lead creative services for all brands under the Kraft Heinz China umbrella. This covers…
Saatchi New York’s “It’s a Tide Ad” campaign for Super Bowl LII got the stamp of approval from a group of top advertising creatives today, winning the Super Clio, honoring the game’s best work.
Saatchi & Saatchi London have been named ‘The Best and Bravest Agency on the Planet’ by Contagious Magazine after topping their 2018 Contagious Pioneers agency rankings. The list recognises the top ten agencies round the world who consistently set the standard for creativity, innovation and excellence in marketing. The Contagious Pioneers list is based on an analysis of the Contagious I/O intelligence…
