Senay cited brands such as Lenovo, TCL and Huawei as belonging only to the tip of an iceberg.

Hundreds of them have emerged in the developing world in just one decade, with probably thousands more to follow in the next decade, he said, pointing out the world's changing business horizon. Characteristic of the change, as seen on the Fleishman-Hillard homepage, are three words - digital, integrated, and global. They are the three cornerstones, so to speak, of Senay's philosophy.

In the digital age, the environment of marketing has changed. A message no longer has an impact when it is first uttered, but when it is taken and shared, and perhaps modified by feedback and made fuller by its follow-up and even related communication. Advertising agencies used to have the whole communication process under control, from the design all the way to the delivery. But now, marketers are operating in one "uncontrolled space" in which it is not what you say, but whether people are listening and responding, that matters, Senay said.

Interestingly enough, Senay added, in some important aspects, the digital age may not take off in developed countries as fast and as quickly as in some of the developing countries.

He mentioned that soon, probably in May, Fleishman-Hillard will join some partner companies to release a joint survey of online consumer behavior. From learning self-expression (such as blogging) to e-commerce (such as buying things from the Internet), the Chinese index and that of other Asian societies is way ahead of that of the United States and some key European countries.

Therefore there is the need for an integrated approach, for adopting the new media and for learning to do business in the uncontrolled space. And therefore the need for the global reach, meaning a service network that covers all key parts of the world.

-China Daily/Asia News Network