SINGAPORE : The executive chairman of the Banyan Tree Group has been lauded with the Lifetime Achievement Award at this year's Singapore Advertising Hall of Fame Awards.
In its citation, the Institute of Advertising said Mr Ho Kwon Ping "turned a postcard image of ultimate luxury and bliss into a picture-perfect reality of a strong Singaporean brand."
It said Mr Ho, who is also MediaCorp chairman, was honoured for his "contributions to education and society, his enduring leadership and fiery entrepreneurial dreams" that will help raise the industry's standards.
Said Mr Ho, "When you see how advertising has been used for pro-bono efforts to stop poverty or end cigarette smoking or end domestic violence or so on, the power of advertising is really great Â… Young people involved in advertising should not be cynical and be proud of their work."
This year's Awards also saw a 34 percent increase in entries, indicating growing market confidence, according to industry watchers.
Eighty-four finalists competed for 18 awards across all media.
The Institute of Advertising introduced two new awards this year.
Moove Media walked away with the Ambient Marketing Campaign Award for "Cows on the Moove", while Profero bagged the Online Campaign of the Year Award for "Mercedes Benz and Me."
For the third year running, MediaCorp sponsored four awards.
The Young Professional Award went to Regina Chan from Mindshare Singapore, while Neil Johnson from DDB Worldwide received the Advertising Professional of the Year Award.
The National Council Against Drug Abuse campaign by Crush Advertising won the Advertiser of the Year award, and Mindshare Group Singapore was named the Media Agency of the Year. - CNA /ct