OgilvyOne China offers new ways to keep in touch with consumers

BEIJING — OgilvyOne China today announced the addition of OBuzz and the Ogilvy Digital Lab to its arsenal of digital tools that will help marketers to better understand, reach and interact with Chinese consumers online and on the go.

OBuzz: The Ogilvy Digital Influence Solution
Jointly developed by OgilvyOne and Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide, OBuzz is a powerful new Internet Word-of-Mouth (iWOM) tracking system that enables efficient, real-time monitoring and measurement of online conversations across Chinese social media including BBS, forums, blogs and Web 2.0 sites.

The proprietary technology solution, which has already been deployed for clients in China including adidas, Intel and GSK, crawls thousands of blogs and social media sites to give marketers an unadulterated glimpse of discussions around their brands and competitors, as well as an instantaneous view on consumer sentiment related to a product or category.

Armed with this knowledge, marketers are empowered to shift from a reactive to a more proactive marketing response by engaging consumers in timely, relevant and meaningful conversations that drive greater brand affinity – and importantly, stretch marketing budgets and enhance overall program effectiveness.

Chris Reitermann, President of OgilvyOne China and Ogilvy & Mather Group Shanghai, said, “Marketing today is all about engagement. With OBuzz marketers have the ability to constantly be at the pulse of consumer sentiment. This allows us to not only react to positive and negative buzz, but to anticipate, preempt and become a meaningful and relevant part of the conversation. This is particularly crucial in China where online opinions have a major impact on a brand’s reception in the market.”

Statistics from a November 2005 GMI Poll support this claim as 40% of Chinese netizens cite WOM as a leading purchase influencer, a significantly higher percentage than in other countries. This is particularly important in the context of an economic downturn as consumers are being much more careful with their spending and are relying more than ever on the opinions of others when making purchasing decisions.

Scott Kronick, President of Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide/China and Ogilvy & Mather Group Beijing, added, “From a pure cost perspective, OBuzz helps marketers to get the most out of their communications budgets by enabling on-the-fly campaign optimization, detecting crisis signals that avert potential PR crises and allowing marketers to integrate powerful consumer insights into marketing programs that will be more effective as a result.”

For a first look at OBuzz, please visit: http://www.obuzz.com.cn.

Ogilvy Digital Lab
The Ogilvy Digital Lab Network was expanded today with the launch of the first physical lab in Asia in Beijing, signaling the importance of China as a growth market for emerging technologies.

With the introduction of the Lab, clients and prospects in Beijing will now be able to experience first-hand the latest branded mobile applications, games, mobile websites
and digital innovations. The dedicated showroom will also be utilized for presentations, pitches, events and as a learning and creativity center for Ogilvy staff and visitors.

According to Reitermann, “The Digital Lab is a manifestation of Ogilvy’s innovation across the group. It allows us to dream up solutions for our clients and to be at the pulse of the latest developments in digital technology. Since its inception, the Ogilvy Digital Lab has opened partnerships with innovative companies such as Adobe and EyeClick, and most importantly, it has inspired staff in all parts of our China business to become ‘innovators.’”

Reitermann says the agency will constantly change, update, innovate and display the
latest and best there is in mobile, digital retail, out-of-home and gaming. The Ogilvy Digital Lab has become a key strategic proposition within OgilvyOne with labs in London, New York, Singapore, Tokyo, Sao Paolo and now Beijing, with more to come.


Showroom Features:

Interactive Lab Floor
By Ogilvy Digital Lab partner EyeClick (eyeclick.com)
Turns an ordinary concrete floor into a rich digital experience that delivers gaming
and content based on movements. The EyeClick Interactive Lab Floor is used in retail
and promotional event environments.

Interactive Lab Window
By Ogilvy Digital Lab partner EyeClick
Gesture and touch-based navigation turns an ordinary glass window into a rich,
futuristic digital experience. The Interactive Lab Window is used in retail and
promotional event environments.

Digital Lab Table
Interact with a state-of-the-art, custom-built interactive table that delivers an
unforgettable digital experience by inviting visitors to interact with the content or
play games. The table can be used at retail stores, events or even at nightclubs.

Lab Mobile Wall
Experience the latest branded mobile applications, games and mobile websites. See
and feel how mobile helps to deliver an immersive, integrated and personal branded
experience to consumers on the go.

Interactive Taxi Screens
By Ogilvy Digital Lab partner TouchMedia
Thousands of taxis in China’s 1st tier cities are already equipped with interactive
screens by Lab partner TouchMedia. Being able to deliver personalized branded
gaming or branded content to affluent taxi commuters presents a great opportunity
for marketers. The Ogilvy Digital Lab showroom will feature the latest generation of
connected TouchMedia taxi screens to showcase the endless possibilities of this
innovative marketing solution.

Adobe Workstation
By Ogilvy Digital Lab partner Adobe
Showcases the latest Adobe marketing technology and educational content

DigiMarketing
The announcement of new additions to OgilvyOne’s digital lineup coincides with the launch of the Chinese version of DigiMarketing: The Essential Guide to New Media & Digital Marketing. This must-read book for marketers co-authored by Kent Wertime, President of OgilvyOne Asia and Ogilvy & Mather Japan, offers a comprehensive overview of the major digital channels being used today and includes explanations of key trends in mobile marketing, blogging, games, digital media, digital point-of-sale, Web 2.0 and consumer created content. The English version of the book was launched in the spring of last year.

About OgilvyOne Worldwide
OgilvyOne Worldwide is the strongest, most experienced and most highly awarded one-to-one marketing network in the world, with over 130 offices in 50 countries. It provides clients with a full range of direct, consulting and interactive services to deliver profitable customer relationships. The roster of clients is equally balanced between global clients including American Express, Cisco, DHL, IBM, Lenovo, Nestlé, SAP and Unilever, and leading clients in our local markets. OgilvyOne Worldwide is a unit of The Ogilvy Group, which is part of WPP Group plc (NASDAQ: WPPGY), one of the world’s largest communications services groups.