This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily on November 19, 2018

KUALA LUMPUR: The International Advertising Association (IAA), which celebrated its 25th anniversary in Malaysia and its 80th year globally on Saturday, marked the event by inducting two past presidents who helmed the association’s Malaysian chapter as well as an honorary adviser into its Hall of Fame.

The two past presidents were chief executive officer (CEO) and publisher of The Edge Media Group Datuk Ho Kay Tat, and University Pendidikan Sultan Idris’ Professor Harmandar Singh who also publishes the Marketing magazine.

Ho was the president of IAA Malaysia from 2005 to 2006, while Harmandar helmed it in 2011 and 2012. Meanwhile, the honorary adviser is Tony Savarimuthu, who has held the post since 2013. He is also the CEO of advertising agency Dentsu LHS and a past president of the Association of Accredited Advertising Agents Malaysia. Also recognised and similarly inducted into the IAA’s Hall of Fame was Universiti Teknologi Mara — notably its Faculty of Communication and Media Studies and its Faculty of Art and Design — for having produced many captains of the media and advertising industry.

During the anniversary dinner held here, IAA Malaysia president John Chacko commended Ho for providing “exceptional leadership” in the relentless pursuit of and report on what happened at 1Malaysia Development Bhd, “the largest financial scandal the world has ever seen, a story that has changed the course of Malaysia”. Ho’s leadership, said Chacko, serves as a remarkable reminder of Edmund Burke’s quote, that “the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing”.

On Harmandar, Chacko said the professor demonstrated “incredible tenacity” when he set up the Marketing magazine at the height of the Asian financial crisis and pushed for its success. Harmandar was also described as a “one-man industry dynamo” and “a great friend of the industry” who helped fund the IAA from his own pockets during its most trying years.

Tony, meanwhile, is an industry “stalwart”, said IAA Malaysia secretary Prabha Nayar, who related how the former’s career had been “marked by his selfless servicing of the industry” as well as the introduction of many initiatives to advance the advertising industry during his presidency.

“I am honoured to have been inducted into the Hall of Fame, together with two good friends and respected marketing leaders Ham (Harmandar) and Tony. This honour really is for everyone at The Edge and the work we do,” Ho said of his induction. Meanwhile, Harmandar and Tony shared some of their thoughts on the challenges the advertising industry faces today, as well as the opportunities ahead.

“People have become more opinionated about what brands can do and should do, giving more input and feedback which are instantaneous. Previously, consumers could not [or did not] talk back to brands, unless they had a complaint. But now, they give feedback, can praise you and can recommend you. We now live in a ‘participation economy’,” Tony shared.

Harmandar believes Malaysia is a fantastic melting pot of various cultures, a “small, little microcosm of Asia”. As such, he said: “There are opportunities for brands to use [Malaysia] as a test bed for onward launches across all Asian markets ... because we have all the cultures here.”