Mae Sot is one of those borderland places that seem to exist in parallel reality. Lying right on the grey zone between Thailand and Burma the town is brimming with people of all walks and talks, from South Asia and beyond. Although Mae Sot looks like a regular village in the middle of nowhere it is actually one of the largest transit routes in Asia and a hub for travelers from all neighboring lands. This is one of those few places in the world where you can meet struggling Burmese migrants, adventurous western vagabonds and a theater troop from Taiwan all in the same place and at the same time. Having lived in several “borderlands” myself – Ukraine lies on the breach between West and East, Spain is a knot of European, Arabian and Latin cultures, while Singapore is by far the most ethnically diverse city on Earth – I quickly tuned into the local frequency.

Coming from Singapore to Mae Sot is like crossing the space and time from one galaxy to another. Just three hours flight divides a hyper developed techno utopia from a place where people live in huts made of wood and paper, children die without basic medicine and where poverty is so rampant that it makes even the least developed European countries look like sultan’s palace.

Order and Chaos – Singapore and Mae Sot

Mae Sot is also known as “Little Burma” for the large population of refugees from neighboring Myanmar who often live on proverbial less than 1 dollar per day or no money at all. Having been born in Ukraine I always thought my “home” country was poor. Now I know its not, Mae Sot’s “grey zone” – now THAT is poor. I now regard brick convenient houses, hot water, university education and personal passport as luxuries of civilization.

That said, somehow Mae Sot totally escapes the doom and gloom that poverty brings. Cheery locals hassle on the crowded markets, can-do entrepreneurs open cafes, shops and trades, volunteers from all over the world come to help the migrants, each and every one of them adding to the general vibrancy of the place.Mae Sot Markets

Not the least, the area like the whole Thailand is stunningly beautiful with endless landscapes standing as a perfect background for the unique Thai architecture. The town is filled with positive energy that makes you believe that this place is about to ride the wave of the great Asian comeback.
Gorgeous Thai architecture

Since you can hardly find Mae Sot on Lonely Planet’s “Top 10 Tourist Destinations” list, most people from the developed countries come here either on transit or to help one of the international NGOs operating here. These organizations work with local communities in diverse fields such as education, medicine etc.
The clinic needs facilities, resources and medics

One of the most prominent institutions in town is the Mae Tao clinic. Having grown from once a single room with basic instruments to a large community hospital it now provides free medical assistance to the large flow of refugees from Burma. The founder of the hospital Dr. Cynthia Maung is a legend of local medicine and is sometimes called Mother Theresa of Burma.

With the rock star of Burmese music Mee Mee Khel and the rock star of Burmese medicine Dr. Synthia Maung

Managing the hospital that has to juggle thin cash flow, few available doctors and limited medicine stock requires no trivial business skills. Apart from that the fact that these people come here from the US, Japan, Australia and other rich countries to work for little or no pay is astounding. Sometimes I ask myself if I could do the same and the answer is probably not “yes”, which makes me respect people who actually take this step even more. Is doing your work for no pay is another step in finding the work that you love?

What the activists miss in money they certainly compensate in life experiences – such concentration of talented “idea” people creates a lively and dynamic community. Such communities apart from medicine cover such important areas as education and infrastructure bringing much needed expertise and knowledge to this part of Asia. Education is the greatest gift you can give

After staying in Mae Sot for some time I sort of start to understand why people who visited the town once keep coming back over and over again. The place has a narcotic mix of a bustling town life, some of the most incredible people you meet and a bit of an old fight between good and evil where the good somehow always wins in the end. It also helps me cherish my new Home even more, – it’s only through contrast and comparison that we understand the true value of what we have.
The place where I stayed – this could be your regular village house on the outskirts of Eastern Europe but the plants in the background are decisively not European.

Below is a screenshot from a Ukrainian news portal Korrespondent.net that I opened from Singapore.
The title says: “Fuck taxes. Ukraine – Singapore” with an image of the gorgeous Marina Bay skyline demonstrating benefits of free market economy to Ukrainian readers.

On the right – an LREC ad banner promoting MacKeeper software. The text is in Japanese somehow (ちょっとねえええ).An improvised multicultural content mix created by a small hick-up in IP targeting. Or is it me visiting sites in Japanese before coming to Korrespondent?

The city of Bangkok feels vibrant and alive, giant shopping malls are filled with growing Thai middle class, the night sky is pierced by neon lights ala Hong Kong or Tokyo. Noticeably, the ads on these giant billboard screens are not for some cheap crap but for banks and telcos, the primary engine driving economies of Thailand’s richer neighbors.
The country infrastracture is already solid – the airport is one of the best I’ve ever seen, the MRT system is second to none, the roads are good and filled with trade traffic. As we rode northward to the mountains my mobile signal was always solid. Local cheap airlines such as Nok offer quality of service as high as any EU counterparts.

To be clear, Thailand is not there yet by any means but as once poor Eastern Europe became an important element of the EU economy, so the countries like Thailand quickly take on Asian economic powerhouses China, Singapore, Japan and Korea. I was first sceptical when I heard about the idea to transform ASEAN into a structure similar to the EU but now the idea does not seem that impossible at all.

In summary, next time you are in Thailand take a moment away from the ageless Thai culture and crazy Bangkok night life and have another look at the Kingdom in rapid transition and transformation. This may well be your last chance to enjoy its beautiful chaos before all the moneyz pour in.

The idea is to learn how to code a basic webpage, put it online and update as I learn new html skills.

But plunge deeper into the old part of the city to find yourself under the heavy weight of ages and stories from the glorious Roman Empire and dark Middle Ages when Barcelona was quite different from the cosmopolitan megalopolis it is now.  Although the place was inhabited since at least 4000BC the story of Barcino (so the city was called then) began with the arrival of Romans who raised here one of their colonies. Roman cities were built from the highest point of the premise so it is easy to find out where Barcelona began – down the Paradis street in front of the building number 10 a circle clearly marks this spot on the ground.  Just around the corner stood the Temple of Emperor Augustus who reigned over Rome when Barcino was founded. It is easy to keep the history of city in perspective since Augustus lived at the same time as Christ, exactly when the modern calendar starts. Today not much left from the temple but enter the gates at the Paradis 10, walk down the corridor and look to right to see tall columns that give a pretty good idea of how splendid the venue was. Why are the columns of the temple inside the building? Before people did not care that much about history so when a building fell another was built on top. So now there are two important monuments at the same place – Paradis 10 is an example of a typical medieval house.

It starts with an arched gate large enough for carriages fit. Servants unloaded the goods and put them to the rooms on the right. They lived on the same floor to attend to their duties quickly. The landlords lived on the second floor and the third one was reserved for guests. To learn more about old Barcelona go to the Museum Of The History Of Catalonia which apart from a deep dive into the battles and intrigues of this period offers the remnants of the Roman city on the underground level. Walk to the La Piedad street to find majestic Cathedral of Barcelona. It’s construction started around 13th century and lasted for over 200 years so the building gracefully mixes elements of Gothic, Renaissance and other styles at the same time. The exterior of the cathedral often had material as well as spiritual function like the famous gargoyles meant to gather rainwater and to scare away bad spirits.

The precious wooden masterpiece La Piedad dated as early as 15th century is outside the entrance. As you can imagine it is a reproduction, the original would not have lasted here for long. It is a sad fact that hardly anywhere in Europe can you find original old architecture. For centuries European nations waged wars destroying, rebuilding and again destroying their cities. Lately they have been using bombs leaving the continent mostly in ruins so that important historic monuments had to be carefully reproduced, often from scratch. So walking through romantic streets of Barcelona or Paris remember that they are as different from their old selves as a good historic movie is different from the real life in that period.

Speaking of good movies, many of them were filmed in Barcelona, as was The Perfume: The Story Of The Murderer. Although the original story of the pic develops in old Paris the movie itself was filmed in Barcelona. Placa de Sant Felip Neri where the main action of the movie unfolds is just a couple of minutes from the La Piedad street.  Some dramatic events took place here not only in movies but in the real life as well. During Franco’s bombing of Barcelona in 1938 more then 150 people were killed here while hiding. The scars of this atrocity can still be seen on the walls of the cathedral that carry marks where pieces of bombs hit. It was also Placa de Sant Felip Neri where in 1926 Gaudi was walking to only to be mortally hit by a passing tram.

Next to the square is the entrance to the Jewish quarter. Today it is a regular place like any other in the city, however it was the sight of the Jewish ghetto until 14th century when raging crowds massacred all local Jews.

Here don’t miss Caj Chai, an excellent tea house with a selection of teas from every part of the world, from Japan to Latin America.
The oldest Synagogue in Europe is right here, it is worth passing by if only to hear an exciting story of how the place was lost for several centuries and then rediscovered just as it was about to be converted into a bar.

After the passage through the Middle Ages it is time for something more cheerful. Head to the Drassanes port and stroll to Barcelonetta enjoying the site of yachts, listening to the cries of seagulls and wondering how many different faces the city of Barcelona has.

A Bit Of History
Although online advertising is the fastest growing model of marketing that ever existed it is so new that its story is like a drop of water in the history of advertising. To understand its proper place we should travel back in time to the old markets of Babylon, Greece and Rome with traders shouting names of their goods, buyers roaming through the endless labyrinths of stands and goods from every part of the world. Advertising is really the oldest profession in the world. From the ancient times when people started trading a chunk of wood for a piece of meat people had to “promote” their goods that is convince someone to buy from them and not from a neighbor next door. It was advertising in its simplest and purest form – the word of mouth.
It is believed that Babylonians were the first to invent graphic advertising. Those were simple road signs promoting a nearest tavern, market or whorehouse but they gradually became more and more elaborate eventually growing into giant modern billboards.

The real revolution in advertising occurred with the invention of the printing press around 1440. Together with higher literacy advertisers suddenly got into homes of every newspaper or magazine reader. Since printing was not cheap at all publishers readily sold page space for promotion. First newspaper ad was printed in France and later spread to England, United States and the whole world.
The rest is history. Money pored into the industry and to handle the growing supply and demand first agencies appeared. They first served as sales houses that traded newspaper ad space but they later took over the whole creative side of the process and became “cool” ad agencies of today that produce the whole campaigns for their clients.

An event of no less importance than invention of the printing press was the appearance of personal computer.  Marketers quickly understood that “online” world can be just as effective in promotion as the real one and set on the conquest of virtual realms. According to Moore’s Law the processing power of computers doubles every two years so advertisers always have new toys at their disposal. With time simple banners grew into complex interactive units that take users on a journey with stories, visuals and game-like interactivity.

Not A Piper Of Mindless Consumerism
Neither in historical times nor today is advertising simply a tool for selling stuff, although one might as well get this impression seeing  McDonalds, Coca Cola and BMW on every corner. Apart from selling, advertising in general plays an important role in promoting ideas, memes, trends, views and ideologies.

Pharaohs in ancient Egypt as well as today’s politicians use the power of advertising to extend their power and influence. In fact, one of the milestone for online marketing industry was Barack Obama’s campaign for presidency in 2008 when his skillful use of social media and Internet promotion allowed him to secure American presidency.

Below: Egyptian pharaoh and Barack Obama both use advertising to promote their leadership
 Arts were always supported by rich and powerful, those who have the influence in the society are also the biggest sponsors of artists. Earlier in the history those were either the Catholic church or the big city-states like Florence who supported the arts, now it is big corporations and banks who order the music. Art stirs powerful emotions and through great masterpieces sponsors get hold on hearts and minds of people and immortalize their names in history. It was the Church who payed for Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel and those are the banks who give names to modern art expositions.

Advertising is often the engine of social innovation that helps raise awareness of issues around the globe and promote change. In fact advertising is often a single device that through shocking images and powerful messages is able to get through to the public.

In fact advertising is mostly associated with consumerism for the sole reason that the modern society itself is driven by consumerism, and the money always follows customers’ pipe. But the fact is that advertising is no different from the hammer, it is but a tool that is as good for selling overpriced sandwiches as for making someone a president and moving the whole countries to revolutions.
 Online advertising has the potential of becoming an even more disruptive force in the modern world through its extensive use of technology, high interactivity and ability to reach precisely the audience it is meant for. All this will make its use more diverse and its role in all the aspects of everyday life inevitable.

What Is Online Advertising Like Today
Online ads came a long way since the first banner appeared in 1994. Although first ads were pretty primitive they were new and users clicked like crazy. Marketers smelled the money and soon endless banners filled in the web to such an extent that online ads got a bad name among Internet users. Rarely offering much in terms of creativity the main purpose of the first generation of ads was simply to make users click through to promotional web sites.
Those were not however flashy banners that made a real break-through in the industry but simple text ads in the search engine results. They were completely devoid of any graphics but being precisely tied to search results made them highly relevant to users. Although strongly associated with Google search advertising was first invented by Overture later bought by Yahoo!, however later Google came to dominate the search.
For a long time search was the ad format on the web as no other kind of ads was able to compete with its simplicity, cost effectiveness and precise user targeting. However, computer processing capacities and user data management allowed marketers to reinvent graphic advertising. Banners rather then overwhelm users with their quantity now blend with web page content and engage the public with effective messages and targeting themselves according to their interests. Computers now allow filling web pages with visuals that are more cinematic than TV ads and are as interactive as games. As online comes closer to providing an ultimate advertising experience more money flows into the industry further fueling its progress.
Mobile is the last frontier for online advertisement. Until recently primitive phones were not able to provide any comprehensive marketing experience but the new generation of smartphones with Mac OS, Android and Windows Mobile systems brought the era of constant connectivity. Modern iPhones are more powerful than full-scale Apple Mac computers produced in 2000 and touch screens allow bringing interactivity to unheard levels.

What’s Next?
As times goes by we will see more engaging but often more subtle digital advertising. It has already completely penetrated our lives and is present on our tables, in our bags and in our pockets. It should not however be feared as I believe that advertising can be a great force for good. As said, it is nothing but a tool and it is up to us how to apply it. And the greater impact it is able to produce the more responsibility we marketers have for its effect.

Copyright: Vladyslav Koshelyev 28.02.2012  Barcelona, Spain

Singapore is not a big place by any account and could probably fit in one of the gigantic districts of Tokyo or Shanghai. There are however many things going on here. Apart from being one of richest places in the world (Singapore is often called Asian Switzerland) it offers a dynamite cocktail of Malay, Chinese, Indian, Arab and Western cultures peppered with rich night life and some of the most attractive South-East Asian countries just one hour flight from the city. Locals will sometimes tell you that the whole Singapore is nothing more than one giant shopping mall, I tend to vehemently disagree although there are indeed A LOT of shops there and you can spend a couple of weeks doing nothing more than just shopping.

If you are in Singapore for the first time the Marina Bay district will probably be the first place where you head. It is the newest part of the city a large chunk of which was reclaimed from the sea. The city is often called Little New York and rightfully so – giant skyscrapers of every shape, some of them looking as if they came straight from the screen of some science fiction movie, can put even their big brother Manhattan to shame. The best time to visit the Marina Bay is after dark when the buildings blaze with every color of the rainbow, giant projectors illuminate the water and the Marina Bay Sands hotel shaped like a giant ship seams to be landing after an outer space trip.
 
If you are not a futurist nerd like me though and prefer a more traditional architecture, in the center you can find plenty of colonial styled 19 century buildings like the posh Fullerton Hotel or Asian Civilizations Museum.

In fact it is this mixture of old and new that makes the city so attractive. Just half an hour walk from Marina Bay is the Chinatown with an enormous buddhist temple, lots of food street vendors and a huge market where you can buy… well, everything from souvenirs to an atomic bomb if you look hard enough. I would advise to visit the Chinatown Heritage Center and see how the immigration life was like in 19th century. It made me wonder a lot how they managed to rise so quickly to one of the most developed places on earth and appreciate how easy it is to move around the globe in the 21st century.

For a quick jump from one country to another in Singapore you don’t need to make an overseas flight. The Little India district is just a couple of stops away on the ever present MRT subway. There for the first time I visited a real hindu shrine, tried delicious vegetarian Indian food and walked through the market full of people watching Bollywood serials and cheering to the screen as if it was a football game.

Actually the most impressive aspect of Singapore is its incredible diversity – during a short walk you can find a Hindu shrine, a Christian church, a Buddhist temple and a Muslim mosque practically on the same street with people of different origins and religions having no trouble mingling. In fact the government actually fosters people mixing together introducing strict laws agains too many people of the same origin living in the same district which helps a lot to avoid ghettos a la Europe.
I can only imagine how lucky are the people who actually grew up in such environment without preconceptions about people from other cultures. On one Friday evening I stumbled upon a small mosque. I did not know though that on that day and at this time it was prohibited for tourists to enter so I just went into. I was taking my 2146th photo when two men in long white robes approached me and asked me what the hell I was doing there. Having read many horror stories about muslims in the European press I was ready to have my head chopped off and just hoped for a quick and relatively painless death. They on the contrary slowly walked me around the premise to the exit all the time telling me about the rites of the mosque, history of muslims in Singapore and giving good advise on how to enjoy Friday nights in the city.

On other occasion I entered some hindu shrine. The priests inside noticed an unfamiliar face and started asking questions about myself. “Ahh, Ukraine! Dynamo Kyiv! Klichko! Beautiful tall girls!” – the priests seemed to be quite on top of all the things that make Ukraine famous. In the end they even gave me a banana that sets you free from all the sins when you eat it (thanks guys, I know I need those bananas).

  
You can have many such curious intercultural ice-breaking encounters in Singapore so its a good idea to just walk around the city instead of taking a subway or a cab. Just mind that locals somehow are not particularly fond of walking so when someone tells you that the place you look for is far far away and you need a taxi to get there it is very probable that your destination is just 15-20 minutes of walking distance. Grab a map and enjoy!

I am sure that Singapore will stay one of the most developed and prosperous cities in 21st century, and not because it lies on the intersection between Western, Asian, Indian and Muslim trade lines, and not because of the business-friendly economic environment, and not even because the place “just works” all the time but because it accepts and blends in every person, every language, every culture and every idea, making everyone and everything Singaporean. The success stories of countries like United States, Australia or New Zealand prove that this is a sure path to success.

On my last night in the city I could not sleep. I walked and walked through the endless high-rise jungle of the city centre and at one moment I caught myself smiling like an idiot for no particular reason. I am sure one day I will return there and my stay may be much longer than just one week. Fly fly the Lion City! See you soon, Kita bertemu and 再見!

It is therefore my great pleasure to open the project with interview with Francois Guerin who has been my boss and sensei at the company I work in for over a year. He is one of the best sources of insights on all things related to digital economy, advertising, global lifestyle and not only. So, here we go!!!

FRANCOIS GUERIN

Around The World

- You happened to live in several countries. Could you tell a bit about your life in each of them?
France (Britanny, Rennes, Paris): my home country. Born, raised, lived and studied there for almost 24 years. France is fascinating, diverse and plenty of good people. It is a small country and still the 5th economy in the world, and the most visited country on the planet. How awesome is that?
Unfortunately it is facing difficult times with a declining economy and people’s spirit down, a bit nostalgic from its past power and welfare. But French people are clever, creative and very productive workers so I am confident that with a renewed entrepreneurial spirit and faith in the future, France can come back and be the shining light it was in the past.

Mexico (Monterrey, Mexico Distrito Federal): I had the opportunity to study my master there. I fell in love with the country, in particular its spirit and its people. I probably spent the happiest years of my student life in Mexico. Mexico has everything you need to succeed and be happy: nice food, nice weather, party spirit and a unique set of national proud and fascinating landscapes. I fundamentally believe in the future of Mexico. It is not an emerging country anymore, it is becoming a strong player. However Mexico needs to continue growing its middle class and fight corruption and poverty. I regret that international media is only focusing on the bad aspects of the country, including narcotrafics violence. What I saw there is a community that wants to move forward, is dynamic, socializes, tries to be happy and works with great hopes and willingness to help the country. When the institutions of this young democracy will be mature enough, Mexico will become an amazing country. I lived brilliant human experiences in Mexico and I miss all my friends who stay there. I know that one day I will come back for good.

Spain (Madrid): I currently live and work there. I found in Spain the right balance between the safety and solidity of the European model and the fun and enjoyable spirit of its Latin cousins. I feel good here. Spain has welcomed me in a great way and the quality of life that Spanish people are maintaining is absolutely fascinating.

- What is it that moves you around? Do you plan the next place to live or do you follow the winds?
I did want to live in Mexico and Spain in my life so I actually respected my dreams. I would love to live in the United States for a while so I might move one day, although it will be difficult to leave Spain. Even if I was a real planner in the past, I am currently feeling more comfortable in following the winds.

- What was your most unforgetable expatriate experience?
Without a doubt I will always cherish one of my numerous trips in Mexico, in particular one trip I did with my ex Mexican girlfriend and some of my best French friends in Oaxaca and Guerrero. The Southern Pacific coast of Mexico is probably the most beautiful place I have seen in the world, colorful, out of time and extremely moving.

- Going back to France any time soon?
No. Although I miss my family and my Parisian friends and Paris unique cultural life and media. Paris is close to Madrid so with the current flights, you can be there in 2h and anyway the Internet is removing all barriers except the physical ones…

The Professional

- How did you get into online advertising? Was it something that you dreamed about doing when you were a kid?
I always wanted to work in the media business. While I was studying my MBA in France/Mexico I carefully selected my internships to be in this sector: I worked for one of the biggest press agencies in the world (Agence France-Presse), a consulting company for TV networks (The Wit) and the #1 media group in Europe (TF1). While I was coursing this last internship at TF1, which is probably the Mecca of the media industry for a French, I was approached by Yahoo! to be a chief of staff of its Southern Europe VP. This was a unique opportunity, working for (at the time) one of the main leaders in the fast-growing Internet business. Additionally, although I would have loved to stay at TF1 as a permanent employee, Yahoo! did offer better conditions to me at a time I needed money So the choice was easy. After several jobs at Yahoo! I landed into the display advertising part of the business.

- What is it that attracts you in advertising? Do you believe there is actually a positive force behind it, ability to change things for the better with ads?
Advertising is useful and is a part of the content. It is necessary for a company to reach clients and sell its products. We might not need all its forms but it is a compulsory element to show what you do. I actually prefer online advertising since its unique targeted and creative technologies make it really relevant to the user, which is one of offline advertising’s limits. On the Web ads can be relevant to me, while they generally are not in press, radio or TV. Some ads are also very original and inspiring, and in some cases advertising can become art. So the answer is that I like good and relevant advertising, the rest should be eliminated…

- What would your ideal working environment would be: Big corporation, small start-up or a life of an entrepreneur doing it on your own?
I am a very flexible guy and I believe that a good professional should adapt to all organizations. However, I like pragmatic and speedy decisions so I can sometimes be frustrated by big old corporations. That said, those ones have a unique range of assets and businesses so career and learning wise, old corporations provide unique opportunities. You find some good in all company’s sizes, you just need to be clever enough to adapt your professional behaviors to your environment.

- For you, what is the best and the worst part of our profession?
The best is definitely the speed of innovation and the growth that online media provides.

The worst is probably the fact that internal politics often take over actual performance when it comes to reorganizing and appointing leaders…

Fast Forward

- As someone who has traversed the globe from West to East and back, where do you think the future lies? Who will rule the world – will it be the Good old Europe? American land of opportunities? Asian tigers? Or maybe Latin America with its “vida pura vida”?

Asia and Latin America have currently competitive advantages and the best promising internal markets. This is where you need to go now.

However I still believe that the United States has a unique innovation/R&D spirit and will continue to set the trends of the future.

Consejos

- You have been my boss for over a year and know my strength and weaknesses better than I do. So, if there was just one advice that you could give to the author of this blog, which would it be?
Stay who you are, continue to work hard. But get confidence in yourself, you know more than you think and you have more qualities than the average worker I have worked for.