Once again, Coke has blinked. It famously did so in 1985, when it introduced “new” Coke, replacing its original formula with one it thought would have greater appeal with its audience. It was wrong then.

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Fraser & Neave Holdings Bhd’s (F&N HB) management team is ready to cooperate with Thai Tycoon Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi, who is the new controlling shareholder of its Singapore-based parent company, Fraser and Neave (F&N) Ltd, said Chief Executive Officer Datuk Ng Jui Sia today.

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Speaking in the House of Commons last week, Cameron said he aimed to stop 'excessive' amounts of the beverage being consumed in his household.

He said public health was one of the biggest challenges facing the UK, adding: 'As someone trying to bring up three children without excessive amounts of Coca-Cola, I know how big this challenge is.'

The soft-drinks company responded by arguing that its drinks can be consumed as part of a 'balanced lifestyle'.

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In a recent trip to Paris, the publishers of Marketing magazine Malaysia secured the rights to host the internationally-famous Product of the Year awards in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. Product of the Year was founded in 1987 in France by former L'Oreal Executive Christian Le Bret.

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Ronald Ng, chief creative officer of BBDO/Proximity Singapore, has been appointed jury president of Press Lotus at AdFest 2013 to be held March 17-19 in Pattaya, Thailand.

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Advertisers' spending on media recovered strongly in the fourth quarter of last year, rising 14.4% year-on-year to RM3.35bil, according to data from information and measurement firm Nielsen Malaysia.

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The advertising veteran whom the late Yasmin Ahmad described as her “soul mate” has retired.

Ali Mohamed, widely viewed as an advertising legend in his own right, has stepped down as chairman of Leo Burnett Malaysia, the advertising agency that they together helped build into a creative powerhouse through work such as the Petronas festive commercials.

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Sometime in the not too distant past, as researchers around the world proved unanimously that highly creative content is much more likely to drive greater commercial success, the argument over whether advertising should strive first to be ‘creative’ or ‘effective’ was replaced with a simple ambition to be both.

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In 2006, the International Herald Tribune published an article that examines 20 years of the Andy Warhol brand. The author of the article commented, “To judge by all the merchandise, Warhol is being positioned as the next Hello Kitty.” Today, seven years later, the comment still rings true.

No doubt, Warhol would have loved the Internet Era, a time when everyone really can have their “fifteen minutes of fame” (and much more). As a master of branding and commercialization, Warhol was of the persuasion that “Being good in business is the most fascinating kind of art.”

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Thailand’s third richest man has raised his takeover offer for Singapore’s Fraser and Neave Ltd FRNM.SI), valuing the property and drinks conglomerate at nearly US$11.3 billion (RM33.9 billion), a move to fend off a rival bid from a group run by Indonesian tycoon Stephen Riady.

Thailand’s TCC Assets Ltd, headed by billionaire Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi, increased his offer to S$9.55 a share, above the S$9.08 made by a consortium led by Riady’s Singapore-listed property company Overseas Union Enterprise Ltd.

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