4As Partners with IAA to ‘re-birth’ Singapore Chapter Opens Door for Individual Members

Singapore, 13 October 2011 – Today, the Accredited Association of Advertising Agents (4As) officially announced the re-launch of the IAA Singapore Chapter, formed in partnership with the International Advertising Association (IAA). Simultaneously for the first time, the trade association opens its doors to include individuals from the advertising, media and marketing communications industry through a dual membership offer.

An executive council consisting of senior leaders from a variety of industry players has been appointed to steer theSingaporechapter forward:

Chapter President                                     Anthony Kang
                                                               President, DentsuSingapore

Chapter Vice-President                              Vincent Hoe
                                                               Group Managing Director, AG Advertising

Chapter Secretary                                     Lily Tay
                                                               Executive Director, Singapore Advertisers’ Association

Chapter Treasurer                                     Phyllis Chua
                                                               Executive Director, City Life Advertising

Chairman Communications                        Andrew Thomas
(Internal & External)                                  Regional Director Southeast Asia & Managing Director     
                                                               Singapore, Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide 

Chairman Events & Programs                    Thomas Ang
                                                               Vice President OOH Media, MediaCorp

Chairman Professional Development           Theodore Choo
(Training & Education)                               Chief Executive Officer, Gosh Advertising

Chairman Membership Development           Bernard Chan
                                                               Chief Executive Officer, 4As

To commemorate the launch, all who sign up for the IAA Singapore Chapters will also become a 4As individual member during the same period. As a result, members will receive a well-rounded offering of both 4As depth of connectivity in the local market together with IAA’s global network and intelligence. Member benefit details are available in the attached appendix.

 “Over the past 60 years, the industry has evolved a lot. Borders are disappearing and advertising practitioners are becoming more commoditised. Today, we see a new ‘working arrangement’. Lines between markets and amongst players in the ecosystem are blurring. With new thinking and new technologies, the playing field is rapidly changing for advertisers, agencies and media owners. An individual today can be a client advertiser, marketer, media owner, target customer and sometimes, even an agency. As the market is changing to more ‘contract and transient’ work with more individual professional operators inSingapore, 4As aims to be more inclusive by adding an individual membership level. This is a natural next step towards creating a more deeply connected community ecosystem,” Ted Choo, President of 4As said.

“Today, we are happy to partner with the International Advertising Association to ‘re-birth’ the Singapore Chapter and provide a direct connection for our members to widen their horizons and link with the global advertising community through IAA’s broad international network, ” Said Choo.

 “We are very excited to collaborate with IAA for the ‘rebirth’ of the Singapore Chapter. As a first world marketplace, there’s now a greater appreciation of global standards and best business practices. For some, it’s also the need for international connectivity as we venture beyond our sunny shores to regional markets like China, India and the rest of the world,” Added Anthony Kang, President of the IAA Singapore Chapter.

“Through this established international network body, we are confident that our local industry players will have much to gain from both its connectivity reach, wealth of intelligence resources, and global opportunities,” Said Kang.

“I would like to congratulate you on the formation of our latest chapter in Singapore. The Market is more complex than ever. Revenues are tighter and relationships more strained. In this context it is important that we pull together as an industry.  To protect and develop our industry, we need to ensure we self-regulate what we do to ensure our standards are upheld. We need to ensure best practices are prevalent throughout. And we need to continuously develop the next era of talent. It is with these ambitions that we operate as the IAA. I'm so glad thatSingaporehas joined to further the initiative,” Adds Alan Rutherford, IAA Chairman and World President.

The 4As is the only professional trade association that represents the full spectrum of advertising, media and marketing communications industry inSingapore. Set up in 1948, the trade association was formerly exclusive to corporate members largely from advertising, media, creative agencies and affiliates including media owners, service providers relevant to the industry and government institutions. 4As’ membership base currently comprises of 110 corporate members. 

About the Association of Accredited Advertising Agents Singapore (4As)

The 4As is a non-profit trade association that represents advertising, media and marketing communications practitioners, agencies, and related businesses in Singapore. 4As’ key objectives are to elevate the stature of this industry, provide a collective voice for the community, and nurture talent and creativity. To achieve its goals, the association works in close co-operation with other key stakeholders such as trade associations, education institutions and government bodies. Besides organising year-long programs to benefit its members and the industry, 4As also helms three reputable industry awards that recognise outstanding talents in advertising creativity and media: The Creative Circle Awards or the Gong Show; the Students Creative Awards, commonly known as The Crowbars; and the Singapore Media Awards. To date, 4As counts over 100 advertising and marketing communications practitioners, agencies and related businesses inSingaporeas members.

About the International Advertising Association (IAA) and the IAA Singapore Chapter

The International Advertising Association (IAA), headquartered in New York, was founded in 1938 to champion responsible marketing. The IAA, with its 56 chapters in 76 countries, is a one-of-a-kind global partnership whose members comprise advertisers, media, advertising and public relations agencies, media companies, and academics. The IAA is a platform for industry issues and is dedicated to protecting and advancing freedom of commercial speech, responsible advertising, consumer choice, and the education of marketing professionals. The Singapore Chapter of the International Advertising Association is a local representative of the IAA global body with the function of providing members with direct connections to the international membership network of advertising, marketing and media professionals.

For media queries, please contact:

Lauryn Tang

Association of Accredited Advertising AgentsSingapore

Tel: +65 6836 0600  

Mobile: +65 9862 2780

Email: lauryn@4as.org.sg

Adam Rahman

Association of Accredited Advertising AgentsSingapore

Tel: +65 6836 0600  

Email: adamr@4as.org.sg