Jakarta, Indonesia – Full-service marketing agency Skribble–alongside its regional partners–have announced the launch of Strategic Asia Marketing Alliance (SAMA), a coalition of creative agencies from across the Asia-Pacific region. The alliance aims to elevate the marketing industry by fostering collaboration, driving innovation, and delivering integrated solutions tailored to diverse APAC markets.
The alliance brings together a diverse array of leading agencies from across the APAC region. In Indonesia, founding members include IDEOWORKS, Krona, Meson Digital, SevenAds, ADX Asia, Omeoo Creative, Ivosights, Naikreatif, and Kim Communications. Malaysian agencies iWisers, BLWN and Battle Mind Creative are also among the founding partners. From Singapore, iFoundries and Superminted, join the alliance, while Thailand is represented by Relevant Audience.
This roster of agencies represents a wealth of expertise and local market knowledge, further strengthening SAMA’s position as a hub for marketing excellence in the region.
To better understand SAMA’s vision of aiding agencies across the region, we recently spoke with Teng Chan Leong, CEO at Skribble and founding member of SAMA, to understand why this alliance was established, and what can the alliance can be help for agency leaders to be thought leaders in their respective fields.
What challenges SAMA aims to solve
One of the first things Leong noted as a challenge in the region for the industry is there is fragmentation of markets across the region. He notes that each country has its unique cultural nuances, consumer behaviours, and regulatory environments, making it challenging for agencies to effectively serve clients across multiple markets.
“What global brand assumes is one region, with several languages, couldn’t be further from the truth. In reality, just in Indonesia itself there is over 700 spoken languages, Thailand although opened its borders to tourism, still has a rich and unique culture vastly different throughout as it borders Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Malaysia. And while Malaysia borders Singapore and Thailand, it is probably culturally more similar to Singapore for some subcultures and more similar to Indonesia in certain subcultures. And that is just peninsular Malaysia. Borneo and East Malaysia have a whole different culture,” he explains.
Moreover, he also noted the pace of macro trends where from the technology trends of AI to talent diaspora, to the brand’s regional positioning and brand regional expansion, it is evident that demand is getting more complex.
“A product manufacturer isn’t just looking for a brand or creative agency, they want a one-stop solution that is able to advice on warehousing, local regulations, competitor’s research in the target market, localisation for brand and packaging, local UGCs and KOLs, and a performance team that is able to handle the nuances across the markets. There is no way, a single boutique agency is able to service this demand. And if the global network agency is out of reach of these brands, then where do they look to?,” he added.
Lastly, he also notes that there is a greater demand for brands to launch integrated at region-wide campaigns, saying, “Many agencies struggle to deliver this scale of service independently. No 1 agency can claim to be the best in every region. Structurally, even network agencies know that this is impossible. Local excellence can only be delivered by local excellence.”
Overall, the SAMA was conceived as a solution to these challenges, allowing agencies to collaborate, share knowledge, and offer clients comprehensive regional coverage while maintaining local expertise.
How SAMA aims to shape regional industry leaders
For Leong, SAMA was established as a way to elevate industry standards in several ways, as well as positioning industry leaders as thought leaders and having initiatives designed to drive both recognition and business success for its members.
One of those initiatives is through knowledge sharing, where its regular meetings and collaborative platforms will allow members to exchange best practices, innovative techniques, and insights from their respective markets.
Moreover, they will also be implementing a talent exchange program where this so-called cross-pollination of skills and ideas will raise the bar for creativity and strategic thinking across the alliance.
“We’re also developing shared ethical guidelines and quality standards that all members will adhere to. This ensures a consistent level of service excellence across the alliance. Lastly, we’re pooling resources for research and development, enabling smaller agencies to access cutting-edge tools and methodologies they might not be able to invest in individually,” Leong said.
Leong also notes that they aim to leverage their collective strength to forge partnerships with research houses, technology players, brands, and leading universities and research institutions. This will involve their members in cutting-edge marketing research and education, further cementing their thought leadership positions.
These initiatives align with SAMA’s objectives of using the various differences of agencies in the region to learn from each other and note that while the industry landscape is often repetitive and competitive, there are significant opportunities for growth through collaboration and knowledge sharing.
“SAMA aims to connect you to local excellence, no matter which country you need support in. By bringing together the most exciting home-grown brands in business consulting, tech, marketing, talent management, and production, we’re enabling a synergistic network that spans the entire region,” he concluded.
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In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, the formation of an industry alliance for marketing and creative agencies is not just beneficial—it’s essential. Such alliances foster collaboration, innovation, and shared learning, enabling agencies to stay ahead of market trends and technological advancements.
By uniting under a common banner, agencies can collectively advocate for industry standards, influence policy, and enhance the overall credibility and trustworthiness of the sector. Ultimately, an industry alliance serves as a powerful platform for growth, ensuring that both individual agencies and the industry as a whole can thrive in a competitive and dynamic environment.
