Last Friday at the Red Dot Design Museum in Singapore, Leo Burnett held its annual “Cannes Prediction Party” for the press, clients and employees.

Forty of the best ads from all round the world that are most likely to be awarded at the festival in Cannes were compiled and screened. Guests were treated to food and drink and were made to predict this year’s winners too.

Watch what Chris Chiu, executive creative director of Leo Burnett Singapore and Tan Kien Eng, managing director, Leo Burnett Singapore and Malaysia, have to say about the event.

Ten of the most memorable marketing campaigns in the Asia-Pacific region clinched gold medals at APPIES 2010, the region’s first premier marketing and advertising congress.

The two-day event attracted 105 best submissions and  800 regional participants. The top agencies were picked based on the creativity, reach and most importantly the return on investment for clients, displayed in their campaigns.

Campaigns from Singapore bagged a total of four gold medals while China walked away with two. Malaysia, India, Sri Lanka and Australia won one gold medal each.

Leo Burnett were the big winners for APPIES 2010, clinching 2 top awards for campaigns in Australia and Singapore.

“It was indeed our privilege to showcase the best campaigns in this region. All the Moderators and the Assessors were pleasantly surprised with the passion and creativity each presenter brought to the event,” said Goh Shu Fen, chairman of APPIES and co-founder and partner R3 Asia-Pacific.

“Over the course of two days, we saw 50 top brands, represented by 20 top agencies. This is further proof that the APPIES is addressing a key business need in our industry and we certainly expect it to grow to one of the premier events in this region.”

The APPIES also provided two very insightful panel discussions led by marketing chiefs from Citigroup, Coca-Cola, VISA, Unilever, STB and SIA.

“The strong turnout and representation at the APPIES has certainly raised the profile of the event amongst the many regional participants and agencies who were present at the congress,” said Patrick Mowe, advisor, Institute of Advertising (IAS).

“APPIES is indeed the right platform for every marketer and every agency that wants the opportunity to leverage on a highly impactful event that is strongly supported by the industry.”

While the IAS is pleased with the outcome of the inaugural APPIES, enhancements are already in the pipeline to grow next year’s event.

Spotted at MediaCorp’s Viewers’ Choice 2009 gala awards that was held at the Shangri-La Hotel on 26 March.

#1: Jubilant winners of the Gold award for favourite Local TVC: (from L to R) Deborah Li, Ministry of Community Development, Youth & Sports, Angeline Tan of MCYS, Lee Minqi of Leo Burnett, Saurabh Varma of Leo Burnett, Clifton Yong, EVP, MediaCorp, Kerry Tan of MCYS, Mindy Cheong of MCYS.

#2: Catching up at the cocktail reception are: (from L to R) Tan Tong Hai of Starhub, Stephanie Lim of MediaCorp, Vincenzo Malatesta of Ferrero Asia Ltd, Clifton Yong, EVP, MediaCorp.

#3: Winners of the Local Bronze award: (from L to R) Anthony Khoo, Y&R, Soh Wah Khuan of Traffic Police Department, Ng Siew Choo of Traffic Police Department, Clifton Yong, EVP, MediaCorp, Patrick Low of Goodfellas.

This week, Leo Burnett and Starcom are named ‘best to work for’…

Sunday Times Top 100 ‘Best Companies to Work for’ list –

Leo Burnett and Starcom are the only advertising and media agencies on this year’s Sunday Times Top 100 ‘Best Companies to Work for’ list in the UK.

Starcom MediaVest Group (SMG) was a new entry on the list and ranked number 42. The company provides staff with an on-site GP twice a month, a physiotherapist monthly and subsidised beauty treatments among other things.

Leo Burnett was ranked number 61 with 80 per cent of employees saying they were proud to work for the company.

Bruce Willis in Gorillaz video –

Bruce Willis is putting his Die Hard action sequences to good use and has popped up in Gorillaz’ latest music video, “Stylo”, the first single to be released from its new album, Plastic Beach.

In the video, Gorillaz members Noodle, 2-D and Murdoc, are fleeing from the scene of a crime in a car chase and then engaged in a shoot out race with the Hollywood actor acting as a bounty hunter.

Whoopi Goldberg stars in adult diapers campaign –

Whoopi Goldberg has been kept busy in a print and television advertising drive for Poise, a brand of adult diapers by Kimberly-Clark.

In the hilarious TVC, Goldberg plays a host of historical and mythical women, including Mona Lisa, the Statue of Liberty, the Princess and the Pea, Eve, Joan of Arc, Lady Godiva, Cleopatra and Helen of Troy, to suggest that even the most powerful women in history might have struggled with incontinence.

Saatchi creative Andy Greenaway develops love tool –

Not content with just overseeing Saatchi & Saatchi’s creative output in this region, Andy Greenaway has taken to playing love doctor.

The creative chief has developed an iPhone app titled “Love Bugs” which includes 20 high-quality animations that allows would-be Romeos to express their feelings to love ones. The messages range from flirty and romantic to sexy and even remorseful ones.

… And one we don’t –

Publicity stunt or just bad timing, what is it with celebrities and infidelity? Following Tiger Woods and Ashley Cole, Take That star, Mark Owen, has checked into rehab days after admitting he has a drinking problem and cheated on his partner of five years.

Owen confessed that he had been “drunk for the last 10 years and it got to a bad point” and also admitted he was unfaithful to his wife before they were married in 2009.

A New Year, a fresh start. Cleaning is a tedious job and getting the right help will make life easier. This week, we have six of the best detergent ads. Maybe you’ll find the product that suits you best here.

Vim is a bleach product owned by Unilever in Canada. Zig Inc developed this ad in 2004 and it won a gold Lion in the film category at Cannes. Titled ‘Prison Visitor’, the ad shows a Mom stuck in the bathroom forever because soap scum is hard to fight.

It’s always hard to keep children out of the dirt. Unilever’s Thai version of the Breeze Excel ad ‘Clean Conscience’ keeps children out of trouble too. It is created by Lowe Bangkok. The kid’s expression at 0:27 is priceless.

Tide-to-Go is a recent invention by Procter & Gamble that combats stains anytime, anywhere. Saatchi & Saatchi New York released this ‘Interview’ ad during the 2008 Super Bowl. Now fans can upload their own photos on the site and be the ‘talking stain’.

Ace laundry detergent says it’s the best at keeping shirts white. Leo Burnett Puerto Rico saves the day when a man is lost at sea. The man hopelessly changes into dry clothes and is then rescued because his white shirt stands out against the dark sea.

Also by Leo Burnett, this ad for detergent brand Gain has boosted the career of American actress Kimberly Stanphill. The script ‘Sir, are you flirting with me?’ is a classic.

When it comes to doing a dirty job, JayGrey Sydney says Sara Lee’s White King Power is what you need. A round of applause please to the people who keep bathrooms clean for the rest of us.

As many of you will know by now, Yasmin Ahmad, ECD at Leo Burnett Malaysia, passed away at the weekend following a stroke last week. Very sad news.

In her honour, we thought we’d scour YouTube and dig out a few of her best ads, showcasing her ability to tell genuinely moving stories. We need your suggestions too.

First up, two Singaporean spots, both for the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports. First, the acclaimed ‘Funeral’ spot from earlier this year. This was described in Media as “funny, surprising and emotionally provocative”, and also as “simply brilliant”. It manages the rare feat of being both genuinely moving and funny.

Also for the MCYS was 2008’s ‘Family’ - it’s less of a tear-jerker than ‘Funeral’, focusing on the relationship between father and daughter, but a great story nonetheless.

The list wouldn’t be complete without ‘Tan Hong Ming’, the famous ad for Petronas that won Gold at both Cannes and the Spikes last year, marking a breakthrough for the Malaysian ad industry. Its virtue is the natural performance of the children being filmed.

The Petronas ads were a regular highlight, allowing the creative team to create what are in effect short films without too much ’sell’. Here’s one celebrating Chinese New Year back in 2001:

Yet some of this style comes through in the more overtly commercial ads. Finally, here’s a spot for AirAsia. More openly comedic than some of the others, but still with a strong sense of family underpinning it.

Of course, this list is far from definitive - please feel free to post your suggestions and links in honour of a creative who will be sorely missed.