Bates 141
Bates 141 is an Asia-devoted marketing communications network and part of WPP Group. Headquartered in Hong Kong, Bates 141 operates across 13 countries in Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan and Vietnam.[1]
Its clients include Abbott, AIG, Arla, Bank of Communications, Bayer, Cheung Kong, Dabur, E-Trade, Google, Fiat, F&N, Heineken, HSBC, Huawei, IKEA, Jollibee, Mead Johnson, Mengniu, Merck, Pizza Hut, Proton, Remy Martin, Shanghai General Motors, Shell, Singapore Tourism Board, SINA, Sony, Unilever and Virgin Mobile.
Bates 141’s integrated offering helps clients play throughout the funnel, from creating awareness, to lead generation, through to sales and preference.
Brand
The agency logo was refreshed in 2008 and represents Bates and 141 fully integrated as one company with one vision and an integration of their offering.
The visual identity comprises repeating ‘eyes’ with one set facing the other direction, expressing Bates 141’s Change vision of ‘Change happens when you look at things differently’.
The Bates 141 brand identity was designed by Mumbai-based design company Umbrella.[2]
History
The Bates brand was born in 1940, when Ted Bates opened his first office, Ted Bates Inc., in New York. Ted eventually built his company into the world’s fourth largest agency group and expanded his business for 26 years without losing a single client.[3]
Ted Bates’ empire launched in Asia in the early 1960s after acquiring a stake in Cathay Advertising from George Patterson, an Australian advertising executive. Cathay Advertising was an agency founded in 1946 to service the advertising needs of the Cathay Group in Hong Kong and Singapore. It was used by Bates as a vehicle to drive expansion in the region so that by the late 1960s Ted Bates Inc. was already operating in Manila, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Hong Kong.[3]
Campaigns
Bates 141 create local, regional and international campaigns. The work can be viewed on the agency Youtube channel [4]:
Professional leadership
Bates 141 publishes regular professional publications:
- Bates 141 A-Z Dictionary of Change :Award winning, taking the Grand Prix at WPP's global Atticus awards.[5] Bates 141 published its first “A-Z Dictionary of Change” in English and Chinese in 2008 and the next in 2010. The “Dictionary of Change” presents words and concepts that capture shifts in the marketplace. [6]. The publication won the Grand Prix at WPP's global Atticus awards.[7]
- ChangeBites, monthly short reports on topical subjects with a view to understanding how they are changing the way people think, live and shop, and examine the implications for brands.[8] Recent ones include: "Ten Changes for 2010: A View from the Streets of Asia" [9], "Ten Changes in China’s Youth”. They also publish Category ChangeBites for Auto, Banking, Telcos
Changing Asia, the company blog.[10]
They have also published Building Youth Brands in a Youthful Country”, "Chinese Women in Lower Tier Cities", “Lower Tier City China: The Rise of the New Change Migrants”, and "Top 20 Market Changes" for China, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, and Singapore
Public service
- ChangeRally is a Bates 141 activation tool that creates positive change by rallying stakeholders around a cause.
The agency's CSR efforts include: China Hong Qi School, Cambodia Sunrise Film Project,
- Hong Qi school, Sichuan, China: In 2009, Bates 141 (together with WPP and Oglvy China) opened a new school in the heart of Sichuan, replacing the old that was devastated by the 2008 earthquake.
- Sunrise Film project, Cambodia: An initiative to offer children living at the Sunrise Orphanage in Cambodia a chance to learn new and creative skills, help them aspire to career choices, while facilitating the healing through creative expression and connecting with others outside their realm of experience. :This was achieved through the production of a short film, based on stories written by the orphans at the home, with full involvement of the children at every stage from conception to post and beyond. The film won for best soundtrack at the Bondi Shorts.
- Brave Kids Philippines: a non-profit volunteer group set up to help the families of cancer-stricken children by providing communications for the group.[11]
- World Vision, Cambodia: In 2007, Bates 141 developed an anti-child sex tourism campaign for World Vision in Cambodia.[12]
- Campaign Against Domestic Abuse in Cambodia:The German Development Cooperation in cooperation with the Women’s Affairs Ministry worked with Bates 141 Cambodia on the development of two television commercials that addressed the issue of Domestic Abuse in Cambodia.
- National Council Against Drug Abuse, Singapore": Bates 141 Singapore engaged prominent local street artists to deliver an anti-drug message.
[13]
- Philippines Tulakabataan project,
- Philippines “Formula Juan – The race for cleaner air”
Notable events
2000:
- Bates launched Buick in China and Shanghai General Motors sold more automobiles than any other brand nationwide. At the same time, Bates 141 is recognized as the Best Automobile Creative Agency Award in China.
2003: BatesAsia 141 is born
- WPP buys Bates Worldwide and immediately merges Bates Worldwide offices into its other advertising groups.
- However, the management team of Bates and 141 in Asia recognised the strong reputation of the agency brand across the region and fought to keep the company alive.
- WPP agrees and BatesAsia 141 is born. WPP CEO Sir Martin Sorrell says, “the continued growth of BatesAsia is vital to WPP’s strategy in Asia Pacific. BatesAsia is the largest and most focused Asia-only network. They aim to be as responsive as possible and are truly focused on the needs of business in one of the world’s strongest growing regions – both for local and global companies.”
2006:
- For three consecutive years, 141 becomes the most awarded activation unit at the PMAAs. In 2006, 141 wins a total of 11 Golds.[14]
- BatesAsia acquires West China’s largest agency in Chengdu. Bates Apex is the only agency in China to win an EFFIE Gold twice, and Silver and Bronze several times.[15]
- BatesAsia acquires the second biggest activation unit in India – 141 Sercon.[16]
- Digby Richards joins BatesAsia as Chief Operating Officer, partnering then-President Jeffrey Yu.[17]
2007:
- BatesAsia wins AIG, Virgin Mobile and Fiat.
- BatesAsia acquires Bates MeThinks – China’s top integrated activation agency with the most comprehensive offering and an extensive network in more than 40 cities.[18]
- From 2002 to 2007, BatesAsia worked with Nokia as they became the number one phone brand in China.
- “Changeology” becomes Bates 141 proprietary strategic planning approach.
- BatesAsia launches IDEAS training program to its employees. IDEAS is a thinking framework on how to help all employees spot, understand and harness change in their region.
- BatesAsia launches the Young Change Agents program. YCA is a career development and progression program to recognize its young rising stars and to develop them into future leaders.[19]
2008:
- BatesAsia 141 re-brands as Bates 141 with a new logo and “eyes” as its visual ID.[2]
- Bates 141 announces the acquisition of Bates EVision, a renowned digital agencies in China.
[20]
- Bates 141 announces the acquisition of Singapore-based 10AM – one of the most creatively lauded Agencies in Asia.[1]
- Bates 141’s Executive Creative Director, Sonal Dabral, is a judge at 2008 Cannes Film jury.[21]
- Bates 141 collaborates with New York based trends and innovation company PSFK to host its conference series in Singapore.[22]
- Bates 141 Taiwan is the most awarded agency at the China Times Chinese Advertising Awards and the second most awarded at the China Times Awards.
- Bates 141 wins one Gold and one Silver at the Asia Digital Media awards for Sun Microsystems Netbeans Quiz and Anti-drugs campaigns.[23]
- Bates 141 Indonesia wins a Gold at Indonesia’s award show Citra for its Ramadan campaign for Sampoerna.
[24]
- Bates 141 wins Arla, Diana , Google and Jollibee in Vietnam.
- Bates 141 India becomes a Finalist at the World Effie Festival for its Uncommon Sense Marico campaign.[25]
- Bates 141 India wins silver Effie for Virgin Mobile Think Hatke [26]
- Bates 141 Singapore wins three Effies - two silver awards for National Council Against Drugs and Nokia N95 and one bronze for Nokia You Make it Reel.[27]
- Bates 141 wins a Gold at the 23rd Marketing Agencies Association international Globe awards for Heineken Rugby World Cup.[28]
- Bates 141 wins Merck (Neurobion and Sangobion) in Indonesia.[29]
- Bates 141 wins Johnson & Johnson Xian Jannsen in China.
References