Next Intake: 2nd December 2014

Idea Rawkstarrs is a 3-month training for Copywriters, Graphic Designers, Account Executives and Marketing Executives who aspire to be outstanding.

If you have no background in advertising and you just want to be more creative, this will improve the quality of your ideas.

AWAKEN YOUR CREATIVITY

Everyone is born creative, but many people stop being creative when they grow up. Some are ok with this, but most are not. Have you ever met someone who is always talking and talking about ideas but not doing anything about them? Maybe that someone is you?

That's a sign of your innate talent wanting to be heard. Your creativity is begging to be set free!

Whether you're already nurturing your creativity or still questioning it, the seed is already there. It may be latent but it is there.

For this seed to germinate, you need a catalyst. An alarm clock of sorts, to shock it out of inertia. Then it can start to grow and bloom.

IDEA RAWKSTARRS IS YOUR CATALYST

In this training, there are no textbooks, no long lectures. You'll learn by questioning, experimenting and discussing to arrive at your own conclusions. This develops independence, confidence and originality.

Many have described the training as a roller coaster : you'll sink deeper and fly higher than ever before, and the ride will leave you breathless and exhilarated.

Some have called it a pressure cooker : it is designed to challenge you so that you will develop strength, resilience and the bull-headed determination to blast your way through obstacles.

Some say this training provided them with a space to find themselves. Here, they have permission to experiment and make mistakes. They are free to express, explore and discover what's important to them. Dreams come to life. Goals become clear. Daily activities become energised with a sense of purpose.

The common denominator is that this is a 3-month experience like no other. It is like stepping out of your life and taking a journey into another realm. One from which you will emerge refreshed, recharged and renewed.


A CHANCE TO EXPERIENCE YOURSELF AS SOMEONE AWESOME
Next Intake starts 2nd December 2014

Get details on Idea Rawkstarrs : http://bit.ly/4AJv5C

To get more info, email janetlee@95percent.com.my

Meet some Idea Rawkstarr graduates

Here are what some of our graduates have to say about Idea Rawkstarrs...

“The best thing I can say about the training is that all the classes, no matter what the subject was, focused on the core concept of personal improvement. Sure, they offered me skills. Sure, they offered me insights. Sure, they offered me criticism. But they didn't teach me any of that. They offered, and it was my own hand that took what they offered.

Rather, they helped define me. They defined my character, and my limits as I saw them. Then, they showed me alternatives, how to approach things differently, how to think differently, how to perceive things differently. And that's all they did, only show. Again, if I wanted the change, if I wanted the alternative, if I wanted to better myself again and again and again, I had to use my own hands to do it."
– Aiman Azri



"I'm actually applying what I've learnt in all modules in my work, and to be frank, everything seems clearer and more precise. I just got compliment from my boss about the strategy i did few weeks ago."
- Angela Lew, an Account Executive at PWR Design who already had two years of working experience before joining the Idea Rawkstarrs classes in the evening last February.



“95% is the place where you can get the best out of yourself. Here, I've witnessed how powerful I am and how impossible is actually nothing. Impossibility had actually just been inside of me. But at 95%, I gained more understanding about myself that made me realise that there was nothing in this world that could get in my way of what I wanted to be. This is not just about advertising, this is about myself. 95% helped me gain my confidence and belief, a belief that says "I can be successful". One thing that I got from personal growth was about making peace with myself. The result? It was the best Saturday I have ever spent without having a girlfriend :)”
– Randy Raharja, student, Limkokwing University College


"I took a diploma and a degree in Graphic Design and felt that I wasn't getting enough knowledge to join the industry. It was a major scary feeling because I knew I wasn't equipped with the skills. And then came 95%. Their training courses were specific, thorough and experiential, unlike those pricey college modules which were too academic."
- Ong Sue Yin, Copywriter at IF Isobar

The training at 95% made me realise that I had been guarding way too many issues in my life, whether or not it had to do with disappointment, regret or shame with mental padlocks that prevented me from being truthful and happy. Personal growth was a platform for me to find the keys to undo those locks so that I may accept and reconcile with the past. The experience was mind blowing, tear jerking and nerve wrecking but at the end of day, the lesson learnt was so great that I'm sure it was worth every time and effort.
- Jia Ming, Copywriter, 95% The Advertising Academy


"Idea Rawkstarrs was tough! I had many moments during the three months where I was thinking "what did I get myself into? At the end though, by pushing through the challenges and putting everything on the line (I quit my day job in the middle of the training!), I understood the mindset and gained the drive needed to be in advertising. Armed with what I learned through Idea Rawkstarr, I was able to make an impact in my interviews with BBDO/Proximity. Working at Proximity is fun, but the work hours can be murder! Being passionate about creativity really helps get me through. Plus, I'm loving that I'm being paid to daydream and have silly conversations with my colleagues."
- Adlin Rosli, from writer at KLUE to copywriter at BBDO / Proximity

"I found out about 95% The Advertising Academy by a coincidence meeting Janet during an advertising conference where she briefly but passionately was talking about the training. Already working in the media industry and with advertising agencies, I wanted to learn more about the actual work and thought process behind ads. The training provided me with some real insights about creativity and it was a thrilling rollercoaster ride for three months. Creativity and idea generation is all within us and Janet and her team really helped me to unlock my potential. The training also helped me with my current work as a Digital Sales Manager where I have to consult clients on ideas and campaigns on a daily basis. Needless to say that I wholeheartedly recommend this training to anyone who is wants to unlock their creative mind and excel in the world of advertising."
-Andreas Olsson, Digital Sales Manager, ASTRO

Ad Men Learn From The Ways of The Samurai

It was a seemingly normal day at a quiet and remote resort in Melaka, but for 21 corporate warriors from the advertising industry, it was war. They were taken back to ancient Japan in the 1400s, and put into the shoes of brave samurais. Divided into two great armies, the samurais engaged in intense battle. They faced a series of one-on-one contests. The atmosphere was thick with chaos and calamity. The samurais carried their values into the fight, holding onto their honour and integrity in a test to see if they would strengthen and shine, or weaken and crack.

This was the unique experience of the 21 Creative and Media Agency Heads, Seniors and Corporate Leaders who attended The Samurai Game® in February 2011 at Philea Resort and Spa, Melaka. When their battle ended, their learnings began. The game was a mirror into which participants could discover their inner greatness.

The seven warriors of McCann Erickson wield their bokkens in the face of ‘kiki’ meaning ‘crisis’

Different people gained different learnings. In fact, for all the times that The Samurai Game® has been conducted since it was first invented in 1977, there has never been two identical games. Lance Giroux gives us his explanation “The learnings would be different for everybody depending on where they are in life.

“Once a participant leaves the training room, he may feel an entire spectrum of emotions.” he said. “You might feel love, or anger, or sadness... But instead of denying those feelings, participants should use it as a door and walk through it and ask, ‘what message does this feeling have for me?’”

“It is an intense program to re-boot your system. Helps you get in touch with yourself and gives a unique perspective to handle situations in life.”

Ranganathan Somanathan, CEO of Starcom Media Vest Group & Optimedia, Malaysia and President of MSA faces an intense battle with Janet Lee, Director & Trainer of 95% The Advertising Academy

“The game is a tool for one to get a deeper understanding of ‘who you are’ versus ‘who you think you are.’”

Lance Giroux, President of Allied Ronin LeadershipTraining & Consultant and Master Trainer of The Samurai Game®

While The Samurai Game® has clearly been a success among the participants, it also marks the beginning of an exciting and new journey for Shahnaz, who is now the first in Malaysia and the 43rd in the world, to be certified as an official facilitator for The Samurai Game®

“What made me want to conduct this training for others is because I saw the value that it can create for individuals, regardless of what level he or she is at. The realisations are profound and will gradually unfold over time. For some people, this can be very enriching as they develop a deeper appreciation of life.” Shahnaz adds when asked why he wanted to spread the game as a trainer. He also adds that unlike most trainings, The Samurai Game® does not involve trainers who guide the participants stepby- step. Instead, the participants take the learnings from themselves.

“The Samurai Game is a unique leadership experience basedon establishing personal principles, integrity and a very special perspective of how you can make decisions from both a personalmand professional capacity. It is deep and plays on your mind long after you’ve left the game”

Tony Savarimuthu, CEO of McCann Worldgroup and President of 4As Malaysia recommends that all senior staff and key people should go through The Samurai Game®

One meeting, one chance - Janet, Dean, Andrew, Shahnaz and Tony stand side-by-side with the kanji words ‘ichigo ichie’ meaning ‘one meeting, one chance.’

So what does the future hold now for The Samurai Game®? “We will begin to offer it as a custom-designed training for companies and associations. I hope that it will spread to as many Malaysians and other people around the world. I believe in the cause, and I believe in the training. It will definitely create a lot of value for everyone.” Shahnaz said.

The 21 Samurais and their Master

Of huge X-es and silent disco

It's been close to a month since Ad Unplugged 2010 and we've covered some contagious stickers, a connecting booth, a giving tree, a multilingual parrot and some desserts. Today, we look at the last two ideas of the selected seven.

Firstly, let's talk about the (probably) only ad that can be seen on Google Earth: Google Earth X!

This idea simply involves some paint and a bunch of building. First, we paint a huge ass X on the surface of the city's landscape. Then, we wait for the Google Earth bot to capture the X and tadaa! We wait for viewers to start seeing the X on Google Earth.

It's really a simple idea that gets hype and attention, and the best part is that it bring UOX to national stardom.

Next, we have the Silent Disco – a simple idea that installs headphones and music players in college and uni libraries, making things more lively and fun – amidst the silence.

Imagine browsing through your school library and stumbling across your friends who're moving to the beat that only they can hear. How cool is that?

So that's two ideas in one post today, concluding the Ad Unplugged post mortem. Although it's about a month since Ad Unplugged 2010, we do hope that the learnings have not been forgotten (yet)

Once again, great job to all you who turned up and see you again next year, mutants! :D

Because everybodee loves desserts!

It's officially been two weeks since Ad Unplugged 2010 and thus far, we've already looked at a bunch of contagious stickers, a connecting booth, a giving tree and a multilingual parrot. Today's idea was from the same bunch of mutants who gave you yesterday's parrot. Like seriously guys. You really need to get your genes checked for real cause we're adamant that you're all abnormal. Mutants.

But hey, today's idea is still as awesome. Not only did it impressed the ECDs present at Ad Unplugged, your humble narrator is also sold to this idea. Because today's idea is simply Desserts!

What would UOX taste like? Hmmm...

The insight behind this idea was that most students spent their time hanging out with friends in their college/uni canteens. But head along from one canteen to another and ask them 'What's good to eat here' and they'd probably give you an 'Umm' before agreeing that the most palatable item from the kitchen would probably be the white rice.

This idea gives students a reason to actually hang out and patronise their campus canteens. It implements a new range of desserts called Dessert UOX and it comes in the form of ice-cream (!) and doughnuts. Skew it towards UOX's identity, and you get new interesting flavours, unique to the brand of UOX: yam, grape, blueberry and blackcurrant.

This adds literal flavour to the brand, and students actually get to experience UOX from a whole new perspective: through their tastebuds! And deng- it's already sounding tasty :D

Of Multilingual Parrots

In yesterday's post, we spoke about trees and giving life to handphones. Today, we talk about the next idea that stole the ECD's hearts at Ad Unplugged 2010: parrots!

So this idea primarily involves a parrot and some SIM cards. Throughout the period of the campaign, colleges and unis can expect to have a new pet: a multilingual UOX parrot! That's right, it'd actually be taught to greet people in 4 languages, don a little purple tee and a mohawk and fly freely around the campus compounds. The cutest bit? The little bag of SIM cards that it carrries for distribution.

The insight behind this idea was simple. College/uni life gets dull and routinal for students. What more than a parrot to add some life to the atmosphere?

Great job Melody, Julia, Chui Ying, Luann and Mei Yan!

And as usual to our dear readers, feel free to comment on this post if you have anything to add or questions to ask.

Of Giving Trees and teens who love downloading things

So we've covered some contagious stickers and a connecting booth that made it big at Ad Unplugged 2010. Now let's look at trees!

They call this one the Tree of UOX but unlike Avatar's Eywa or the Nordic Yggdrasil, this one doesn't do the flashy shiny streams of lights nor does it transfer organic life to one thing from another. This tree gives life to something dearer to most students and teens. Their handphones!

The group behind this idea (who respond to the name Sai Win, Shin Wey, Eric, Su Lian and Shin Yee) worked on the insight that a phone these days mean so much more than a device of communication to students. In fact, phones these days are like an identity symbol of a person. Whether you carry an i-Phone, a HTC, a Blackberry or a basic phone that still has numbers on its buttons that aren't a part of the screen, it says plenty about you.

That's why students go to great lengths to customise their phones. Think little pink blings and downloadable apps, ringtones, wallpaper and screensaver thingies.

So how does this idea work?

1.A UOX Tree is set up within the college and university’s compound
2.Paper cups are hung on the trees
3. Some of them are fitted with music players that play a certain caller ringtone while others have wallpaper images on its base
4.Students can choose to download caller ringtones or a wallpaper images that they like from the tree

And there you have it, a tree that gives lives to handphones!

It was a unique idea that offers students with what they want while at the same
time conveying the message that you get more with UOX.

So great job to you guys behind this idea. And as usual, feel free to comment on this post if you have anything to add or questions to ask.

Of Connecting Booths and friendly Malaysians

We spoke about that awesome winning idea at Ad Unplugged involving stickers and sexy people yesterday. Today, we look into the next great thing that stole the hearts of the ECDs at Ad Unplugged. Teh awesome UOX connecting booth!

So let's face the facts. Malaysian's are an overly friendly bunch who have more friends in Facebook compared to anyone else in the world. By friends, this includes good friends, good friend's friend, good friend's friend's friends and so on. Students especially can relate to this. They do after all love meeting new people and having more friends.

Thus, working on this insight, this group, (kudos to Alan, Sheng Feiyan, Yi Von, Zu Jian and Wai Kwan) came up with the UOX connecting booth.

How this works was that phone booths were set up around colleges and universities. It isn't your typical phone attached to a cord attached to the um -phone kind of phone booth. This phone booth had a single mobile phone and a web cam in it.

Anyone can choose to enter the phone booth and place a call to any of the other UOX connecting booths in other campuses. For example, Jon, a KL-ite studying in The One Academy can choose to enter the phone booth and make a call. The phone booth would randomly ring up any other UOX connecting booth and in this case for illustration purpose, the phone booth that it would call would be the in Lim Kok Wing, Sarawak.

Over in Lim Kok Wing, Sarawak, Jane is walking past the UOX connecting booth when it suddenly rings. She can choose to pick up the phone.

“Hello” she will say.

“Hi” Jon will say.

And Jon and Jane will begin a conversation for 3 minutes. As they speak, a screen in front of Jon and Jane will flash some suggestion of conversation starters... Just in case.

Now once the 3 minutes is up, Jon and Jane will have the option to see each other for 5 seconds through the web cam. Should they both agree, they will find themselves, staring into each other's face for that fraction of a minute.

Not long enough? That's alright. Cause if they decide that they don't hate each other's faces that much, they will have the option to add each other on Facebook and tadaa! We have a connection!

It was a simple way to help students expand their social circle and the best part is that it clearly exhibits UOX’s role as a mobile service provider that connects people.

So once again, congrats to you awesome mutants who came up with this idea. For the other five groups who's ideas are still in the hands of your humble narrator, we'll be taking a look at your works next time. And If you've any questions or comments about this idea (or if you're either Alan, Feiyan, Yi Von, Zu Jian or Wai Kwan who thinks that we've missed out something) feel free to comment on this post!

Mummys and Daddys of the awesome connecting booth idea

Getting ContagiUOX at Ad Unplugged 2010

First things first, congrats to all mutants, students, participants and living beings who turned up last Thursday at Ad Unplugged to brainstorm and churn out ideas with the ECDs. You guys did a great job, and it's not just us saying that, the ECDs think so too. The fact that there had been no hair wrenching, mouth foaming and exasperated cries from them only proves us even more.

So yes, Mr Kit, Mr Sa'ad, Mr Hisham, Mr Szu and Mr Edward are all very proud of you. This is your cue to imagine them smiling approvingly at you all. If you guys can't envision that for yourself, you can use this picture:

Yes, even Janet's proud of you too...


Moving on, Ad Unplugged 2010 may be over but deng, it was such a blast that we're still feeling its resonance here. That's why the friendly bunch at 95% have decided to have our own Ad Unplugged Post Mortem, where we'll be slicing up the seven selected works, and showing you why they worked.

If you were there at Ad Unplugged, you would already know which were the selected seven and what the ideas were about. If you weren't.... well... maybe if you stared hard enough at the pictures, you might be able to infer something out of it.

So without further ado, let's bring in the winning piece. ContagiUOX, by Celine, Edmond, Ejin, Jon and June.

To recap, the brief this year was to promote UOX using ambient ideas in colleges and universities.

Working on the insight that:

- Students these day lack real-life social communication with each other
- Students live stressful life

and the brand problem which was

- UOX had low brand awareness among youngsters

The group under the guidance from their mentor for the day, Kit Ong came up with a simple solution: The Stick Message System, SMS in short.

How this works was that firstly, sticker dispensers from UOX were installed in colleges and universities. Students can then just grab a sticker or two to write their own messages on it and later, 'send' them out, by simply sticking the sticker onto someone else (without their knowing)

Anything can be written on these stickers, be it a fun message, an encouraging message, a phone number, a death threat, a hotel room number... you get the picture.

When the recipient realises that he or she has been sticker-ed, he or she can choose to reply the message (or take revenge), heading back to the sticker dispenser and repeating the process.

The rationale behind this idea was to help students get more out of life: by creating real life communication opportunities. This paves the way for them to meet more real people than online profiles. Neat.

Production wise? Even neater. It is easy to produce and media space (the student body, literally!) was in abundance. And when the student walks around and out of campus, the idea travels with him. This makes it highly visible.

So why did the judges like it? Why did Kit Ong even say he'd wish he was the one who came up with it?

Primarily, because it was simple. Students are a vicious and vengeful sort (when it comes to things like this) so naturally, they would want to get back at each idea. And because of that, this idea would only end up more viral.

Now don't you wish that you came up with it instead?

So that's one idea down, another six to go. Your humble narrator would love to put them up here but once again, the friendly bunch at 95% would rather go at it one at a time.

Stick around to learn about what worked for the other six. If you've any questions or comments about this idea (or if you're either Celine, Edmond, Ejin, Jon or June who would like to add a little more to our post mortem on your work) let us know! Comment on this post!

Congrats guys! Now go brag about it to your friends!

Thank You Publicis Malaysia!

Managing Director Dean Bramham sent us this deeply touching testimonial last night.

"In early 2010, as part of the Publicis Malaysia change program, I took the decision to engage Janet and 95%. We needed help on three things; bringing a broad business strategy to life for the management team by having them write a shared vision. Secondly, we needed to cascade the vision to the staff in an exciting, real and practical way. Lastly and probably the most important, we needed on-going help on the follow through.

Janet and her team have been amazing in constructing the program. They have inspired us, pushed and challenged us, and coached us to a really great place. At all times the team has been hands-on and personally committed to our successful change. In fact we feel like they are now part of our management team.

And it has not stopped there. In addition to future top-up vision exercises we have planned, we are also aligning our training calendar with the specific training modules from the 95% training programs, special tailored programs and even one-on-one training.

95% is a one-stop change management service; from analysis, tailored change programs and execution to modular training programs to suit your needs. And always hands-on; simply brilliant!"

DEAN BRAMHAM,
Managing Director, Publicis Malaysia.



Thank you very much New Publicis. Changing your culture is not an easy to thing to do, but you are doing it with full commitment. We applaud your tenacity, we salute your amazing results and wins. It is an honour working with you, and we look forward to the next phase of your growth.

The 40 years generation gap

So as this generation takes a leap towards civic society, it's no wonder so many CSR projects by big companies are being awarded at Spikes and Cannes.

Here's an interesting presentation about society's change in thinking every 40 years:

Copywriters Are So Yesterday

Copywriters as we know them are obsolete. What we now need is a new breed of writers : storytellers.

Storytellers who tell stories about brands. Storytellers who make the simplest things wonderful. Storytellers who put a nostalgic smile or tear on people’s face. And most importantly, storytellers who tell stories from the heart, for such stories move people, evoke emotions and are derived from insights that touch the human heart – something you won’t get from joining a mere copywriting course.

However, here’s the good news : Copywriters by nature are storytellers. Of course, there are always exceptions; and those exceptions – those who play by the rules, see no good, possible end to storytelling – will soon be waving the industry farewell.

Are you a storyteller? If yes, the advertising/marketing industry needs you!