Speaking to Media, Campaign Brief Asia publisher Kim Shaw said: "From our point of view we’re disappointed that this agency chose to use a false name for work done by someone else.”
According to Shaw, Makak is actually a nom de plume for the agency’s regional creative director Andy Greenaway, who said: “He does exist, but not in the form you might think. He goes bananas sometimes.” Greenaway added that more would be revealed in one week.
“I think they were trying to dupe the whole industry and then come out with some fantastic award concept at the end that would appeal to other ECDs,” said Shaw. “But, of course, because he ended up winning our rankings it’s come out very quickly that this guy doesn’t exist.”
“At first, I was really angry because I felt for (Creative Juice ECD) Thirasak who came second and he would have been the first person to win it twice,” continued Shaw. “But if Andy is in fact Roger, my comment is I’m disappointed that it’s not Andy topping the rankings.”
Saatchis Singapore has won a swathe of metal at awards shows across the globe over the past year, with Makak credited heavily on almost of all the award-winning entries. He was ranked fifth in Media’s ranking of young creatives last year.
Comments
This is not only embarrassing for Saatchi Singapore and the Saatchi brand, but it is also embarrassing and an insult to the Asian ad industry as a whole.
Surely an agency such as Saatchi does not have to stoop to such depths to deceive the awards system. It reels of desperation.
I doubt MOTHER, CRISPIN, 180 and just about any other credible creative agency would have to resort to such tactics.
It's bad enough that Saatchi Singapore win awards for things such as lost dogs, martial arts schools and corner stores that sell Lego, but going so far as to invent a person just so as they can rise up the rankings ladder is so lame.
What has happened to the Saatchi creative brand? First there was that scandal out of China for the tasteless Lego ads, then there was the amateurish scam scandal out of London for the Doc Martens campaign and now this.
Surely Kevin Roberts and Bob Isherwood don't condone this kind of behaviour?
It would be interesting to see how Saatchi Singapore performed in the award shows if they had to do work for "real" clients and did it under their own names. The above mentioned agncies seem to be able to do it on major brands...Adidas, Volkswagen, Coke and more.
When will the Singapore industry finally dust off the reputation it has worldwide as a haven for scams?
This incident just compounds the issue.
Such a shame.
Comments
Dean Nam - 31/03/2008
This is not only embarrassing for Saatchi Singapore and the Saatchi brand, but it is also embarrassing and an insult to the Asian ad industry as a whole.
Surely an agency such as Saatchi does not have to stoop to such depths to deceive the awards system. It reels of desperation.
I doubt MOTHER, CRISPIN, 180 and just about any other credible creative agency would have to resort to such tactics.
It's bad enough that Saatchi Singapore win awards for things such as lost dogs, martial arts schools and corner stores that sell Lego, but going so far as to invent a person just so as they can rise up the rankings ladder is so lame.
What has happened to the Saatchi creative brand? First there was that scandal out of China for the tasteless Lego ads, then there was the amateurish scam scandal out of London for the Doc Martens campaign and now this.
Surely Kevin Roberts and Bob Isherwood don't condone this kind of behaviour?
It would be interesting to see how Saatchi Singapore performed in the award shows if they had to do work for "real" clients and did it under their own names. The above mentioned agncies seem to be able to do it on major brands...Adidas, Volkswagen, Coke and more.
When will the Singapore industry finally dust off the reputation it has worldwide as a haven for scams?
This incident just compounds the issue.
Such a shame.
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