OfficePartners360 Put Their Values Into Action for Workforce Needs During COVID Pandemic

Posted by Amanda Del Signore on Wed, Nov 30, 2022 @ 02:52 PM
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Stevie-winner OfficePartners360 (OP360) is a specialized outsourcing company focused on providing custom back office and customer service solutions for small to medium-sized businesses and Fortune 500 companies.

US-owned and managed, OP360 was founded in 2006 by entrepreneurs with strong experience in technology, HR, IT, and finance. Today, they are a full-service, fast-growing solutions provider with thousands of global employees and clients ranging from mid-sized corporations toFortune 500 firms.

Because the owners have been clients of offshore and outsourced services, they understand first-hand the benefits of outsourcing. For clients who require personnel, OP360 ensures the outsourced team not only performs but also operates as an extension of the client’s existing teams with the same shared values, training, and culture. In addition, OP360 operates out of premium facilities in tier-two cities thereby reducing client costs.

Principles in Action
OP360 leaders are committed to building and maintaining a transformative, high-performing culture. They hope to do this through effective communication, genuinely caring about their team (and the communities where they live and work), ensuring rapid career development for strong performers, and providing well-above-average compensation. Their methods seem to work, as they consistently have an exceptionally high management retention rate.

When the pandemic thrust the world into a state of disarray, leaders in the Philippines office responded by tapping into OP360’s core values of compassion and cooperation, as well as its ability to stay agile and adaptable to changing circumstances in order to guarantee employee health and well-being. 

By March 2020, 99% of staff were successfully pivoted to remote work. Computers and portable WiFi kits were sent home with employees, and those who did not have a suitable home office were housed in hotels from where they could work. A corporate telecommuting package was also offered for staff to have wired internet at home. Remote IT support was available 24/7, and when needed, IT staff were deployed to homes to swap out or repair damaged assets. A resiliency hub was also maintained to cater to employees who, due to emergencies, were unable to continue working remotely. 

When onsite work resumed, staff were shuttled to and from the offices to limit exposure to the commuting public. Free meals were provided to limit the need to leave the offices during breaks. A stringent office sanitation and disinfection schedule was maintained; more staff were certified in first aid and safety; and additional clinic nurses were hired to ensure safety. A mental health program was also launched to support employees’ mental well-being. Employees who tested positive for Covid-19 were given paid time off and received a care kit.

As soon as vaccines were available in 2021, OP360 rolled-out its vaccination campaign, “Together & for Each Other.” Joining a public-private venture, OP360 offered free vaccination to employees and their dependents. Within 3 months, 78% of staff were fully inoculated through the company’s efforts, exceeding the Philippines’ then-national average. The company also extended its care externally by distributing face masks and vitamins to 5 beneficiary-schools of its philanthropic arm, OP360 Cares. 

While the situation exacerbated vulnerabilities, OP360 never stopped operating with the health and safety of its community in mind.

OfficePartners360 won a Silver Stevie Award for Most Valuable Corporate Response to COVID-19 in the 2022 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards.

Interested in entering the 2023 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards?

Request the entry kit

Topics: Asia-Pacific Business Awards, Asia-Pacific, Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, APSA23

Nurch Childcare Loyalty Rewards Program Benefits Families, Care Centers, and Broader Community

Posted by Amanda Del Signore on Fri, Nov 04, 2022 @ 05:16 PM

Stevie-winner Nurch is looking to enhance the stability and consistency of learning environments in the Australian childcare market through a loyalty rewards program for families.Nurch Team, APSA22

Nurch founders Brent Thompson, Glenn Noy, and Kara Smyth have over 15 years of experience in childcare each. They all agreed that the common promotional strategies used by childcare centers are antiquated, and the strategies typically only benefit a new family, never an enrolled family who has been continuously supporting the childcare center.

With this in mind, they developed and launched a loyalty rewards program in 2019 that would not only help centers increase enrollments but also help centers retain their most loyal families through rewards. With no sign-up fee, there are only benefits for families in this program as well.

How It Works
Partnering childcare centers invite families to sign up for the Nurch loyalty program at no cost. The high-tech platform synchronizes with each center’s software to automatically download the details of enrolled families, including attendance records and fees. After signing up, families automatically earn 1 point for every $1 they pay to the childcare center. Loyalty reward points can be redeemed at leading Australian retailers.

This model organically attracts new families to participating childcare centers and helps centers maintain current enrollment. More consistent enrollment allows centers to better plan for fluctuations and frees their time to focus on enhancing the quality of childcare services. This contributes to better consistency of care and more stability for children, providing a better environment to improve their learning, development, and wellbeing.

Nurch is 100% compliant with childcare subsidies and Australian consumer laws. It is constantly updated and automated to meet government regulations, laws, and changes. With the Nurch platform and collaborative model, children, families, childcare centers, and the broader community all benefit.

Growth and Values
Nurch takes an ethical and transparent business approach by providing a Childcare funding declaration. Center groups can do their own risk assessment and have fair terms and conditions that allow centers to freely operate. For example, they have a 2-year agreement term, but centers can cancel anytime.

In addition, Nurch aims to promote diversity and healthy labor practices. Employees are respected and provided with the flexibility they need to balance work and home life. Employees are given the option of where they prefer to work and what hours. Career development is highly supported by adjusting roles to specific interests.

Since receiving their Stevie awards, Nurch has now assisted over 8,000 families and more than 50 childcare centers across Australia in retaining and growing enrollments. 

In a recent study, Nurch found that 67% of members would choose a Nurch-partnered childcare center or remain enrolled at their current center due to the Nurch program. Also, 80% of users saw more value in the Nurch program compared with leading retailer loyalty rewards programs. Nurch is currently on track to partner with 300 centers and have over 30,000 members by 2025. 

Nurch won a Gold Stevie Award for Most Innovative Startup of the Year – Business Service Industries, and a Silver Award for Most Innovative Startup of the Year – Business Product Industries in the 2022 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards.

Interested in entering the 2023 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards?

Request the entry kit

Topics: Asia-Pacific, Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, APSA23

Schedule Revised for 2022 Asia-Pacific Stevie® Awards

Posted by Clara Im on Thu, Mar 03, 2022 @ 12:06 AM

Entry deadline extended to April 1

 

The Stevie® Awards, organizer of the world's premier business awards programs, announced that they are revising the entire schedule for the 2022 (ninth annual) Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

 

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They have extended the final entry deadline for the awards to April 1. No additional late fees will be charged for entries submitted through April 1, and the entries will not be penalized in any way in the judging process. The judging process will extend through April 11. The Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award winners will be announced on April 19. As the persistence of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Asia-Pacific region discourages the staging of an awards banquet this year, a virtual ceremony will be staged instead, on Wednesday, June 29.

 

The Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards is the only business awards program to recognize innovation throughout the entire Asia-Pacific region. The competition is open to all organizations across 29 nations of the Asia-Pacific region: large and small, for-profit and non-profit, public and private.

 

The awards focus on recognizing innovation in all its forms, wherever it is achieved in the workplace. Entries are accepted in eight languages - Chinese, English, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Thai and Vietnamese - in the following category groups:

New categories for 2022 will recognize Social Media innovations, in content creation and moderation, management, and marketing since July 1 2019.

Scores of professionals from throughout the region will participate in the judging process to determine the Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie winners.

The Stevie Award trophy is among the world's most coveted prizes. The name Stevie is taken from the name Stephen, which is derived from the Greek for "crowned".

 

Interested in entering the 2022 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards?

Request the entry kit

Topics: business awards, Asia Awards, Asia-Pacific, The Stevie Awards, Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, AsiaPacificStevieAwards

Entry Deadline of Sixth Annual Asia-Pacific Stevie® Awards Is Extended to March 31

Posted by Michael Gallagher on Fri, Mar 06, 2020 @ 05:01 PM

No Additional Late Fees Will Be Charged

The Stevie® Awards, organizer of the world's premier business awards programs, announced today that they have extended the final entry deadline for the sixth annual Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards to March 31.

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"Because of many requests for individual deadline extensions, we have decided to extend the deadline for everyone," said Stevie Awards Executive Chairman, Michael Gallagher. The original deadline was March 4. Gallagher emphasizes that no additional late fees will be charged for entries submitted by March 31, and late entries will not be penalized in any way in the judging process. All organizations now have an additional four weeks to prepare and submit their entries in hopes of winning a Stevie award for their achievements.

The Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards is the only business awards program to recognize innovation throughout the entire Asia-Pacific region. The competition is open to all organizations across 29 nations of the Asia-Pacific region: large and small, for-profit and non-profit, public and private. Seven nations have been added to those eligible to submit nominations to the 2020 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

The awards focus on recognizing innovation in all its forms, wherever it is achieved in the workplace. Entries are accepted in eight languages - Chinese, English, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Thai and Vietnamese - in the following category groups:

New for 2020, you may now submit a video of up to five (5) minutes in length about your achievements, in all categories, instead of the traditional Stevie Awards written essay.

Asia-Pacific Stevie Award winners will be announced on April 8. Winners will be celebrated and presented their awards during a gala banquet on May 29 in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Scores of professionals from throughout the region will participate in the judging process to determine the Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie winners.

The Stevie Award trophies, made by the company that makes the Emmy and other major international awards, are among the world's most coveted prizes. The name Stevie is taken from the name Stephen, which is derived from the Greek for "crowned".

Are you interested in entering the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards?

Request the entry kit

Topics: Asia-Pacific, Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, 2020 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards

Call for Entries Issued for the 7th Annual Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards

Posted by Daniel Ferguson on Tue, Oct 22, 2019 @ 09:00 AM

The Stevie Awards has issued a call for entries for the 2020 (7th annual) Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the only business awards program to recognize innovation in business throughout the entire Asia-Pacific region. 

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The early-bird entry deadline is November 27. The final entry deadline is February 6, 2020, but late entries will be accepted through March 4 with the payment of a late fee. Complete entry details are available at http://Asia.StevieAwards.com.

The Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards are open to all organizations in 29 nations of the Asia-Pacific region: Large and small, for-profit and non-profit, public and private.

The awards focus on recognizing innovation in all its forms, wherever it is achieved in the workplace. Entries will be accepted in eight languages – Chinese, English, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Thai and Vietnamese - in the following awards category groups:

  • Web Site, App, Annual Report & Other Publications, & Live Event Awards Categories
  • Management Awards Categories
  • Company / Organization Awards Categories
  • Corporate Communications & Public Relations Awards Categories
  • Customer Service Awards Categories
  • Human Resources Awards Categories
  • Marketing Awards Categories
  • New Product & Product Management Awards Categories
  • Technology Awards Categories

New awards categories introduced for 2020 include Video Awards Categories such as Award for Innovation in Branded Entertainment Videos, Award for Innovation in Cause-related Videos, Award for Innovation in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Videos, Award for Innovation in Lifestyle Videos and more.

Asia-Pacific Stevie Award winners will be announced on April 8. Winners will be celebrated and presented their awards during a gala banquet on May 29 in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Scores of professionals from throughout the region will participate in the judging process to determine the Stevie winners.

Some of the Asia-Pacific region’s most innovative organizations have won Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards in the past five years including ABS-CBN Corporation, Cisco Systems, Delta Air Lines, Dentsu, DHL Express International (Thailand) Ltd., Freelancer.com, Globe Telecom, Hong Kong Tourism Board, KEB HANA Bank, KEPCO, KT, Maras Group, MSLGROUP China, Ooredoo, PT Petrokimia Gresik, Seoul Metropolitan Government, Singapore Power, Sony, Strategic Public Relations Group Limited, Telkom Indonesia, VNPT Vinaphone Corporation, Viettel, Xiaomi, and more.

The Stevie Award trophies, made by the company that makes the Emmy and other major international awards, are among the world's most coveted prizes. The name Stevie is taken from the name Stephen, which is derived from the Greek for "crowned."

Interested in receiving a 2020 Asia-Pacific Stevie Award?

Request the entry kit

Topics: Innovation, Asia-Pacific, Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards

Atomic 212° in Sydney Wins Big at Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards with its Lucy The Robot Campaign

Posted by Maggie Gallagher on Wed, Jul 06, 2016 @ 01:06 PM

Atomic 212° in Sydney, Australia, won a number of awards in the 2016 Asia-Pacific Stevie® Awards, including a Gold Stevie for Most Innovative Advertising or Marketing Agency of the Year in the Marketing Awards Categories, and for Innovation in the Use of Events in the Corporate Communications Awards Categories with their campaign “Lucy The Robot.”

We talked with Jason Dooris, chief executive of this young and rapidly-growing agency.

1607Atomic212.jpegAtomic 212° is an independent, technology-driven, full service marketing agency, which opened in 2014. In just two years, revenue has grown from a base of $20m to $180m. According to Jason: “We have worked hard to grow and we love what we do.”

We asked Jason about how winning the Stevie® Awards would contribute to his company’s success. His response: “We were proud to have been so successful in the Asia-Pacific Stevie® Awards program with 13 gongs under our belt. These results position us as a market leader with a competitive edge.”

He added: “Winning these Awards falls within the amazing Atomic awards Hall of Fame for 2015–2016. Overall this has enabled the agency to position itself as a market leader in media, content, creative, public relations, and beyond.”

Rapid Growth

From 2014 to 2015, Atomic 212° grew its staff from 21 to 85 and opened new offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland, and Newcastle.  At the same time, revenues increased by 1,105%.

We asked Jason how he had coped with such rapid growth.  He told us: “While our growth has been rapid, we always had strong processes in place and had positioned ourselves for rapid growth from the outset. Our targets may have been incredibly ambitious, but when we achieved them, we had the right systems and staff in place to support this expansion.”

When asked what his plans were for the future, Jason replied: “We have a number of plans for 2017 that we are currently working on … but you will have to wait and see.  Watch this space: we expect 2017 to be an even bigger year!”

Lucy The Robot - A Viral Campaign

Double Robotics, a technology company based in Burlingame, California, USA, wanted to launch their robot in Australia. A user can maneuver it from the comfort of their home or office.

The objectives were to launch the Double Telepresence Robot in the Australian and Asian markets; and to support existing North American, French, and UK activity

Context

Awareness was nil. Where normally this would be considered a disadvantage, the team at Atomic 212° decided to turn this to their advantage by tapping into the fact that customers had no preconceptions of robots. The territory of robots therefore presented a wonderful opportunity to engender the imagination and interest of customers. Budget constraints meant that something extraordinary was required.

Strategy

Atomic 212° recognized the need to create an engaging story and ignite the imagination. The robot needed personality. The agency also needed a launch platform that would cost almost nothing, providing powerful and positive value to everyone’s experience. Some would say this was asking the impossible.

The idea was to seek out and identify a positive, almost fanatical world event of such significance that the eyes of customers and media would be focused on it.  It was also necessary to give the robot personality, drive massive user-generated content, and—more importantly—drive media-generated content.

The Ideal Platform

Atomic 212° identified the launch of the iPhone 6s as the ideal platform and developed an idea adding relevance and entertainment to those fixated on the event.

The agency focused on Lucy Kelly, the girl behind the device. She was positioned as a young, energetic, innovative woman who did not want to stand in the wind and torrential rain. The humanoid robot was placed outside the George Street Apple store in Sydney to line up for the global release of the iPhone 6s. It queued for days and interacted almost constantly with Apple fanatics, the media, and people passing by.

With Sydney being the first Apple store to release the 6s globally, Lucy The Robot ended up being the first person—droid or human—to buy the iPhone 6s. The story was: Robot Buys First iPhone 6s in the World.

Support

The campaign was driven by PR, branded content marketing, and social media. A number of mainstream publications were targeted, such as news.com.au and The Australian, along with popular television programs like The Project, and well-known technology websites like Mashable.

Phase two came after the mainstream phase. The agency used the hype to target business titles and programs regarding the practical uses of the Double Robotics device in the workplace. A microsite was developed to support lead generation and sales.

Results

The result represents a new record for a genuine viral marketing campaign both in terms of speed and reach,” according to Fabiano Destri Lobo of the Global Mobile Marketing Association.

The story was covered in some 4,000 news items across print and broadcast—including The Australian, Gizmodo, BRW, Seven News, Nine News, The AFR, and Mashable. Globally, it was translated into 32 languages, reaching 123 million people in total. The estimated media value was $73.2 million.

There were 12,452 sales enquiries, which generated $44,777,392 in sales opportunities.

As an added benefit, the Apple store PR team invited the robot to be part of its own marketing effort.

The results were remarkable by both Australian and global standards and, according to the Mobile Marketing Association, set new benchmarks for viral media campaigns.

On the Cutting Edge

When we asked Jason what he most enjoyed about his work at Atomic 212°, he replied: “Where to begin? The agency is at the cutting edge crossroads of innovation and technology. When guests walk through our offices, they are blown away by the level of energy and amount of technology: robots and holograms … you name it.”

About Jason Dooris:

Jason Dooris is the CEO and Founder of Atomic 212°.  Starting his career in London in 1995, Jason’s experience is rare in that it includes media, creative, and management consulting. Over the past 20 years, Jason has held a variety of senior local and global industry positions, including CEO MediaCom UK, Deputy CEO MediaCom Europe, GM Saatchi & Saatchi NZ, GM Ogilvy & Mather Australia, GM Dentsu Australia, and Consulting Practice Director Deloitte Asia.

Jason is well known in the industry for his firm stance on transparency and integrity within the media community and he is active on the speaker circuit. Particular areas of interest include brand reinvention, the performance and accountability of media, and behavioral psychology. Jason’s strategic leadership is reflected in the depth and range of professional awards, which include 2016 Adnews Agency of the Year, B&T Agency of the Year, Interactive Agency of the Year, Gold Lion Cannes, Cyber Lions Cannes, Deloitte Tech 50 2015, BRW Fast100 2015, and many more.

Personal interests include travel, the beach, rugby, his wife Marisa, and his three lovely children.

About Atomic 212°:

Atomic 212° started out in 2007 as Atomic Search, a performance media-buying agency and data-driven search specialist. The business has since transformed into Atomic 212°.

Atomic has grown into a completely independent, full-service media agency, with competencies across media, strategy, digital, data, creative, content marketing and so much more. Atomic competencies cross media buying and strategy, data and analytics, search, content marketing, PR, creative, production, consumer insights, publishing, and more.

Atomic is the only full service business in Australia to have started out as a search specialist, and accountability and performance lie at the core of everything the agency does. It is also the largest independent communications agency in Australia, with offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Newcastle, Auckland, and San Francisco. For more information go to http://atomic212.com.au/

Topics: marketing awards, creative awards, emerging technology marketing awards, Asia-Pacific, Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, australia business awards

Watch the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards Gala Live This Friday

Posted by Maggie Gallagher on Mon, May 23, 2016 @ 10:42 AM

Winners in the third annual Asia-Pacific Stevie® Awards, the only awards program to recognize innovation in business throughout the entire Asia-Pacific region, will be honored this Friday, May 27 in Sydney, Australia.  

For the first time at the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards gala, the awards presentations will be broadcast live.  Watch the ceremony on Friday, May 27 on Livestream via the Stevie Awards’ Facebook page at 7:40 pm / 19:40 local time (9:40 am GMT, 5:40 am ET).

APSA2015winners-1.jpgYou'll be able to watch the presentations on Facebook only if you're on a desktop device, however.  To watch the event on your mobile device, watch it here.

Won't be awake as the ceremony is taking place? Don't fret -- the Livestream will be saved to watch later on the webpages linked above.

The Stevie Awards are considered to be the world's premier business awards, conferring recognition for achievement in the workplace over the past 14 years in programs such as The International Business Awards and The American Business Awards. 

The 2016 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards have recognized organizations in 17 nations including Australia, China, Indonesia, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Qatar, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, the U.S.A., and Vietnam. More than 600 nominations about innovative achievements in the 22-nation APAC region were considered by the judges this year.

This year’s top overall winner, with five Gold, eight Silver, and six Bronze Stevie Award wins is Telkom Indonesia.

Atomic 212 of Australia has won eight Gold Stevie Awards, more than any other organization this year. Telkom Indonesia and The Spaceship (Australia) are runners up, each with five Gold Stevie wins. Winners of two Gold Stevies include KoROAD (South Korea), PT PETROKIMIA GRESIK (Indonesia), Singapore Airlines, Songpa Gu Office (South Korea) Strategic Public Relations Group (Hong Kong), and WardrobeTrendsFashion (Singapore).

Details about the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards and the list of Stevie Award winners are available at http://Asia.Stevieawards.com.

Topics: Asia Awards, Asia-Pacific, Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, stevie award winners, Livestream

In Memoriam: The Illustrious Career of a Stevie Awards Judge

Posted by Maggie Gallagher on Wed, May 18, 2016 @ 11:11 AM

We were shocked and saddened to learn of the passing of Ir. Tony Roland Silitonga, MBM, MBA, DBAcan, a regular judge for the Stevie Awards, most recently for the 2016 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, His family informed us that he had passed away on April 15 after battling lung disease and diabetes, and our thoughts are with them at this time.

It also caused us to look more closely at the illustrious career of a man we had come to see as a good friend of the Stevie Awards.

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Tony was a judge who took his responsibilities seriously, and last fall he received a prize for his contribution to judging the 2015 Stevie Awards for Women in Business.  He and his wife attended our 12th annual awards dinner on Friday, November 13, 2015, in New York City, and we were honored to have met him and to have been able to thank him in person for his generous contribution to the important process of judging our Stevie Awards.

(Tony is featured in the center of the above photo. This picture was taken during his trip to the United States last October/November, and this is how we will remember him: a happy and outgoing man.)

Tony had a distinguished career: he had been on the Board of Trustees of the Indonesian Institute for Corporate Directorship since October 2012. The IICD is a not-for-profit organization founded by ten highly reputable Indonesian Business Schools and preeminent individuals.  Tony had been a lecturer to Post Graduates at universities such as De La Salle University-The Philippines, Swiss German University, Universitas Indonesia (UI), Universitas Gajah Mada (UGM), Universitas Brawijaya, and Universitas Sriwiijaya. From 2010, Tony had also been Chairman of The Board of Management of the Forestry Research Institute for Public Policy, Economic, and Community Development (FORESPECT), a Research company on Forestry Development, and Eco Green activities

Tony had more than 30 years of professional experience across different countries and industries, and had worked with different multinationals including IBM, ARCO Oil & Gas (now BP Indonesia), Standard Chartered Bank (The Philippines), Merrill Lynch (USA), China Development Industrial Bank (Taiwan), Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency (IBRA/BPPN), and Indonesian Institute for Corporate Directorships. He was also a founder member of the Indonesian Finance Association, Forestry Research Program on Education & Cultural Transformation, and Sentra Pemimpin Asia, a John Maxwell Leadership Company.

Tony graduated from Bandung Institute of Technology in Petroleum Engineering. He obtained his Master in Business Management (MBM) in Finance and Strategic Management from the Asian Institute of Management, Makati, Philippines, and his MBA in finance from Columbia Business School, New York, USA.

Topics: Asia-Pacific, Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, judge

Marketing Awards: Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards 2016

Posted by Maggie Gallagher on Tue, Mar 22, 2016 @ 04:32 PM
The 2016 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards offer a wide range of marketing awards categories to recognize the planning and practice of marketing agencies, teams, professionals, and innovations since July 1, 2014.

The Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards are accepting entries through this Wednesday, March 23. Complete entry details are available at http://Asia.StevieAwards.com.

REVIEW THE ENTRY KIT HERE.

APSA-guys-2015.gifThe Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards are open to all organizations in the 22 nations of the Asia-Pacific region. The categories for all aspects of business now focus on recognizing innovation in all its forms, wherever and however it is achieved in the workplace. Nominations will be accepted and judged in seven languages – Chinese, English, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Malay and Thai.

See the list of marketing categories and entry requirements below:

Information to be submitted online for entries in these categories include:

a. An essay of up to 625 words describing the nominated innovative achievements since July 1 2014. 

b. Optional (but highly recommended), a collection of supporting files, work samples, and web addresses that you may upload to our server to support your entry and provide more background information to the judges.

E01. Award for Innovation in Brand Development
E02. Award for Innovation in Brand Renovation / Re-Branding
E03. Award for Innovation in Branded Entertainment
E04. Award for Innovation in Content Marketing / Branded Editorial
E05. Award for Innovation in Cross-Media Marketing
E06. Award for Innovation in Paid Media Planning & Management
E07. Award for Innovation in Product Placement
E08. Award for Innovation in Sponsorships
E09. Award for Innovation in Social Media Marketing

E10. Most Innovative Advertising or Marketing Agency of the Year: Your nomination must cite innovation since July 1 2014 in at least three (3) of the following areas: Agency Management or Structure, Advertising, Branding, Branded Entertainment, Content Marketing, Cross-Media Marketing, Media Planning, Product Placement, Social Media Marketing, and Sponsorships.

E11. Most Innovative Advertising or Marketing Team of the Year: Your nomination must cite innovation since July 1 2014 in at least three (3) of the following areas: Agency Management or Structure, Advertising, Branding, Branded Entertainment, Content Marketing, Cross-Media Marketing, Media Planning, Product Placement, Social Media Marketing, and Sponsorships.

E12. Most Innovative Marketing or Advertising Professional of the Year: Your nomination must cite innovation since July 1 2014 in at least one (1) of the following areas: Agency Management or Structure, Advertising, Branding, Branded Entertainment, Content Marketing, Cross-Media Marketing, Media Planning, Product Placement, Social Media Marketing, and Sponsorships.

Some of the Gold Stevie Award winners in the marketing categories from 2015 are listed below. See their entries which are linked:

Marketing - Campaign: Agricultural / Industrial / Building
BIG IDEA LAB, Daegu, South Korea: Peruvian program

Marketing - Campaign: Culture & The Arts
E-Plus Entertainment Productions (M) Sdn Bhd, Selangor, Malaysia: Melaka Art and Performance Festival (MAPFest)

Marketing - Campaign: Financial Products & Services, Insurance or Real Estate
GOLD STEVIE WINNER:
KMC MAG Group, Metro Manila, Philippines: KMC Celebrates Its 5th Anniversary

Marketing - Campaign: Brand Experience of the Year
Tecsia Lubricants, Singapore: Food-grade lubricant awareness campaign for Propak Asia 2014

Small-Budget Marketing Campaign of the Year
Stephen Gill Associates, Derby, Derbyshire, United Kingdom and Singapore: Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning (RAC) industry awareness

Mobile or Viral Marketing Campaign of the Year
MetLife Asia Ltd., Hong Kong: MetLife China: Delivering Easy-To-Use and Tailored Mobile-Based Services for Enhanced Customer Relationship Management in China

Online Marketing Campaign of the Year
Allianz Ayudhya Assurance Pcl., Bangkok, Thailand: Social Media for Sales

Topics: marketing awards, innovation awards, Asia-Pacific, Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards

Reviving Traditional Culture in a Modern World, from a Stevie Award Winner

Posted by Maggie Gallagher on Wed, Nov 18, 2015 @ 02:20 PM

TORII HALL in Osaka, Japan, won the Silver Stevie Award for Services Company of the Year–Japan in the Company/Organization Awards categories of the 2014 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards.

The 2016 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards is now open for entries.  Find out more here.

We talked with Torii Kosho, the Founder of Torii Hall, about winning a Silver Stevie, his views on the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards; and what plans the management of Torii Hall had for improving awareness of Japan’s traditional culture in 2016.

1511ToriiHall.jpgAs Torii Kosho explained to us: “Our ‘Kamigata Culture Revitalization Forum,’ which received the 2014 Stevie Award, has been promoting traditional Japanese cultures of the Osaka region, both domestically and internationally, for some time, and will continue to delve deeply into this culture until the end of this year.”

Editor’s Note: Kamigata is a region of Japan including the cities of Kyoto and Osaka; it is also the term used to describe a prolific period of urban culture in that region from the 17th-19th centuries.

Kosho further explained: “The Forum is a cooperation between enterprises, the government, and the people of Osaka; and includes Waseda University in Tokyo, which has the largest theater museum in the East. The aim is to revitalize and preserve the cultural power of Kamigata, which in the past has originated several forms of traditional Japanese entertainment, such as kabuki theater.”

Introducing Traditional Japanese Culture to Paris

We asked Kosho what benefits his organization had experienced through its efforts to heighten international awareness of these traditional cultures.

Kosho explained that members of Torii Hall were invited to a jazz concert in Paris, France, in March 2014, shortly before the Asian-Pacific Stevie Awards ceremony the following month in Seoul, South Korea. “I have been thinking since then that Montmartre in Paris and Minami in Osaka have a lot in common: they are both downtown areas and cradles of culture and art,” he explained. Following the trip to Paris, an exchange of video letters started between elementary school children in Paris and Minami, Osaka. Consequently, Kosho told us, “We are planning a special performance of Bunraku (a traditional form of Japanese puppet theater, which also originated in Osaka) for the schoolchildren in Paris in 2016 to commemorate this interaction.” This gesture takes on even more significance in light of recent events.

Kosho feels that the Kamigata Culture Revitalization Forum has been successful in raising awareness of such art forms as Bunraku and Kabuki theater, both of which are now registered as a cultural heritage by UNESCO.

Editor’s Note: UNESCO established its lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage with the aim of ensuring the better protection of important intangible cultural heritages worldwide and the awareness of their significance.

International Friendship

Osaka Minami, which is where Torii Hall is located, is an international area, and 42% of students at the South Elementary School nearby are foreign, coming from 15 different countries. The country with the largest number of students is the Philippines, with more than 30 students.   2016 marks the 60th anniversary of friendship between Japan and the Philippines. On March 30, 2016, in cooperation with the consulate of the Philippines, the children will travel to an elementary school on the Philippines’ Bataan Peninsula.

“I met some people from the Philippines who were attending the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards ceremony in Seoul, and when I mentioned to them that I support Filipinos, especially single mothers, in Osaka, I received a lot of praise,” said Kosho. “The feeling that this gave me at the time made me realize the value that this friendship event in March 2016 will have for our two countries. I would now like to plan a Bunraku performance in Manila to commemorate the anniversary.”

Continued Kosho: “The people who live or work in Osaka are largely unaware of the fact that the popular tourist destination of Dotonbori is the place where Kabuki and Bunraku first started. I think that winning our Stevie Award has been effective in letting those people know that.”

Another Anniversary

2015 is also the 400th anniversary of one of the main attractions for visitors to Osaka, the Dotonbori Canal, that was completed in November 1615. This November, Torii Hall held a special multi-religious memorial service to commemorate the event.

“We forget the differences between Shinto, Buddhism, and Christianity,” Kosho commented. “We ride together on a boat and pray for those who sacrificed their lives during open-cut construction of the Dotonbori canal, yet some of them might have been workers who had apostatized Christianity. I believe that we stand today upon foundations that were built by those who lived here during the past 400 years, including both Japanese and Europeans, and upon the traditional cultures such as Bunraku and Kabuki that flourished here. We should give thanks for that.”

Heightening Awareness of a Rare Disease

“Torii Hall will continue its role as a traditional cultural platform in 2016,” Kosho concluded. “At the same time, we also have plans to reach out to the community. We will launch a Kansai Branch of the Sakura Association to support the patients and families of an incurable form of porphyria that has recently been discovered. There is, as yet, no known treatment for this rare disease, but we can express our deep compassion for those who suffer from it–and help them avoid becoming isolated–by encouraging people with this disease to come and talk about their experiences.”

About Torii Kosho:

Torii Kosho was born in Osaka. He grew up as an heir to the traditional ryokan hotel Kamigata in Sennichimae, Osaka. After graduating from Konan University, he worked for a department store before starting work on the Torii building in 1989. With the completion of the Kamigata building in 1991, he opened TORII HALL, of which he is now the director. Kosho entered the Buddhist priesthood in 1994. He founded the Sennichizan Kosho temple of the Shingon Yamashina group in 2012 and became a chief priest.

About TORII HALL:

TORII HALL is a theater with 100 seats on the fourth floor of the Kamigata building. It retains the atmosphere of yose (a Japanese style of comedy theater), and is designed like a traditional storyteller's house so that microphones aren’t needed during performances. ‘TORII yose’ is a showcase held on the first day of every month. It provides a place to train young rakugo (a traditional Japanese sit-down comedy) artists. It is also used as a venue for seminars, plays, and music events. To find out more, go to www.toriihall.com/.

Topics: company awards, Asia-Pacific, Japanese Awards, Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards