360DigitalInfluence

Head on down to Managing Through Flu to stay up to date on all matters pertaining to the Swine Flu pandemic.

Our Health team in Hong Kong have developed a simple aggregation site that provides RSS links to Google News regarding Swine Flu, Twitter links to CDC Emergency that responds to public health emergencies and even a map tracker for reported cases.

It’s tragic that the Swine Flu pandemic is going around now. And even as Health Authorities scramble to quarantine the matter, we can help ourselves by not alarming ourselves with rumours and hearsay.

It’s especially important that in health crisis’s like these, we get official news and trusted information information regarding the situation.

Do comment if you want to share with how you stay up to date so that we can all benefit from information.

Dear all,

We’re changing our clothes.. Clothes for our blog that is. Bear with us for the next couple of days or so, as we start dressing up and getting pretty. During this period, all comments and posts will be disabled. Your kind understanding on this will be deeply appreciated.

And oh, Happy Easter everyone!

Recently, we organised an Open Room event at The Screening Room for bloggers to meet Yasmin Ahmad, the director of the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports latest commercial, simply entitled “Family.”

It’s a simple commercial with one simple message. love that is found in the family.

Yasmin is indeed a true storyteller, who uses unconventional, or rather, imperfect characters to tell universal tales of humanity. MCYS could have chosen to tell the story in the usual way of featuring your regular nuclear family. Two parents, two children and a dog, but they chose Yasmin tell the story in a much realer way.

Watch the commercial and you’ll see what I mean:

The event had the bloggers arriving, before they were treated to Yasmin’s showreel of past work, some of which were fan favorites like Tan Hong Ming in Love:

After they had watched Yasmin’s body of work and the new commercial, it was time to meet the director herself.

I’ll let the bloggers tell you how they felt about the new commercial and their impressions from meeting Yasmin themselves, but here are some excerpts:

“The film doesn’t have such a family. It just consists of a father and a daughter. The family seems incomplete and thus imperfect and the girl a little spoiled yet I think it captures the way we experience our family relations for most, if not all, of us.”
- Ian, on the red dot

“There was a particular blogger who mentioned that because the majority of the population has a complete family unit, they may not be able to relate to the video - to which Yasmin humorously replied, “I watched ‘Finding Nemo’ … I laughed and I cried … But I’m not a fish!””
- Rinaz

“While I was chatting with some of the another attendees, she came in and we got introduced. I was told later that I squealed when she was introduced to us. I got to shake her hand! OMG I even got to take peekchers with her!! I think I might have even hyperventilated.”
- Min Tea

“The standard style of TV commercials promotes government campaigns in a traditional and mostly predictable way, the new Family TVC hopes to leave a deep impression on viewers with its engaging and emotive storyline. Instead of painting a rosy picture of a perfect family, this TVC seeks to touch the viewers deep inside.”
- Eastcoastlife

For me personally, it was a tremendous opportunity to meet and listen to the insights of a storyteller who is so human, down to earth and observant, it was no wonder her work always touches the hearts those it comes in contact with.

if the brand for this is the concept of love within the family, then I think we’ve succeeded in connecting it with her public.

Highlights

See you next Open Room! -)

More pictures at The Open Room Flickr Page

We’ve started a new blog, and what you see here is mainly a beta sandbox. We’re Tania and Brian from Ogilvy Public Relations Singapore, and part of the Ogilvy 360° Digital Influence team. Bear with us while we further tweak this blog.

In the meantime, we’re whetting your appetites with our first blogger social to launch The Open Room!

Who’s “We”?

John Bell, head of Ogilvy PR’s global 360° Digital Influence and board member of the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA).

Tania Chew, a communicator, connector & digital media strategist with Ogilvy PR’s global 360° Digital Influence team.

Brian Koh, a communicator who discovered his love for social media to feed his appetite for music and works in Ogilvy PR’s global 360° Digital Influence team.

What’s The Open Room?

It’s a concept created by the fun folks in Ogilvy PR’s 360° Digital Influence team aimed at facilitating casual, open conversation between brands and digital media mavens like you.

What’s In Store?

Good grub, great conversation, “touch” stations with fun products from the likes of Playstation, Canon, Intel and Nokia, and a LIVE interactive photo wall.

Date: Monday, April 28, 2008

Time: 5 - 7pm

Venue: 35 Robinson Road, #03-01 The Ogilvy Centre, Singapore 068876

RSVP by Wednesday, April 23, 2008:

Email: brian.koh@ogilvy.com

Twitter: @litford

Phone: 6213-7837