Hong Kong’s creative industry is navigating a paradox: clients are asking agencies to deliver work that is bolder and more relevant than ever, while budgets are shrinking and risk appetite is at an all-time low. To succeed, agencies must not only craft standout creative but also prove its business impact—and build cultures that can thrive under pressure.
For DDB Group Hong Kong, CEO Andreas Krasser sees opportunity in difference: embracing his multicultural background, reframing the agency around effectiveness, and building a culture where fun fuels creativity.
In this Agency Leadership Decoded piece, MARKETECH APAC spoke with Andreas to uncover how his leadership philosophy is shaping DDB HK’s approach to people, culture, and client partnerships in one of Asia’s most complex markets.
Embracing the outsider’s perspective as a leadership edge
Growing up between two cultures has given Andreas a unique lens through which he approaches both leadership and client partnerships.
“Growing up half Korean, half Austrian, I’ve always somewhat felt like an outsider, no matter where I was,” he shares. “I used to think of this as a personal shortcoming… even imposter syndrome: how could I, while clearly being an outsider, offer local insights?”
Andreas admitted he once worried about providing strategic advice to clients on markets far from his own background—worries that even gave him sleepless nights.
Over time, however, he reframed this experience as an advantage. “Constantly juggling that cultural duality has prepared me to look at tasks and challenges from different perspectives, often giving me a more unique vantage point. I’ve now fully embraced this outsider’s perspective, but it takes a mix of humility, genuine curiosity, cultural empathy, and grit to really make it work.”
This mindset informs how Andreas guides both his teams and his clients: approaching challenges with openness, questioning assumptions, and ensuring strategies resonate deeply across diverse cultural contexts.
Carving out a niche in effectiveness
The Hong Kong market has undergone a seismic shift in recent years, with clients becoming more risk-averse and budgets tightening. For Andreas, this meant DDB Hong Kong needed to rethink how it positioned itself.
“To stand out in the market and overcome these challenges, we decided to really lean into our effectiveness track record and position the agency as Hong Kong’s leader in strategy and effectiveness—a niche we saw in the industry,” he explains.
The results speak for themselves: “We’ve successfully managed to become HK’s most effective agency at many local and international marketing effectiveness awards and rankings… none of which would have been possible without the trust and partnership from our clients, such as McDonald’s Hong Kong.”
By doubling down on effectiveness, the agency has repositioned itself as more than just a creative shop. “We aimed to be recognised as an ‘effectiveness agency’, valued as business partners who drive real, tangible results for our clients, positively impacting their top and bottom lines.”
Building a culture where fun fuels creativity
For Andreas, effectiveness doesn’t come at the expense of culture. In fact, he sees culture as the lifeblood of the agency.
He noted, however, that over the past decade, the ‘power of fun’ in agency culture has been neglected by many. “Maybe it’s because I’m older now,” he reflects, “but objectively, our industry has certainly become a lot more serious.”
“Ronald, one of our strategists, probably put it best when he said, ‘Agency life is hard. So, if it’s not fun, it’s not worth it.’ That’s exactly the sentiment I felt when I started out in the industry: it was tough, but rewarding because we all bonded and had a great time together.”
This belief inspired DDB HK to rethink how culture is built from the ground up. “We’ve empowered our people to shape not only the fun bits but also all aspects of agency culture. We’ve appointed a junior management team, the Game Changers, made up of mid-to-junior-level individuals from across departments. They get an annual budget, which they fully control… More importantly, they join our management meetings regularly to let the agency leadership know what staff like, dislike, and want to change.”
The result? A more vibrant, people-powered workplace where policies, perks, and even the definition of fun reflect the needs of the whole team.
“Thanks to the Game Changers, we’ve not only had much more fun but have also changed agency policies and perks to better reflect everyone’s needs,” he says. “As the saying goes, ‘Fun is what turns the ordinary into the unforgettable.’ This is true for the creative output itself, as well as the office environment.”
Bringing your whole self to leadership
Beyond the boardroom, Andreas believes true creativity is fueled by life outside of work. A CrossFit enthusiast with a passion for digital art, he also enjoys creating arts and crafts videos with his daughter—something they did frequently during Covid. He says these pursuits allow him to show up as a fuller, more inspired leader.
“I often say that the more you bring yourself to work, the more interesting our work becomes,” he shared. “Our industry demands a lot—but the best ideas and energy come from people who bring their whole selves to the table, not just their job titles.”
He pointed to one of DDB HK’s business directors, Jodi, as an example. By day she leads account teams, and by night she DJs at packed clubs. Far from being a distraction, Andreas said her passion makes her more confident, creative, and open-minded—qualities that directly benefit her work.
“So, if you’re a team or agency leader—or even if you’re not—and you have a special passion, don’t hide it. Wear it proudly. It’s not just good for you; it’s good for everyone around you,” Andreas concluded.
Bridging cultural gaps for global brands
Asian consumer behaviour can sometimes be misunderstood by global brands, and Andreas emphasised that the challenge lies in going beyond surface-level localisation.
“When it comes to launching global brands or adapting global campaigns across Asian markets, the biggest pitfall is looking at culture only on a superficial level,” he explained. “Too often we see brands simply slap local faces on an otherwise irrelevant campaign or jump on trend bandwagons just because it seems cool at the moment. But Asia is incredibly diverse, and relying on stereotypes or viral trends is only a recipe for disaster.”
He pointed to WARC’s Pace Principle study, which shows that brands that build deeper cultural connections—anchored in shared values rather than token representation—see nearly double the impact. To make this happen, Andreas stressed the importance of having teams that don’t just know the trends but understand the forces shaping them.
“How do people feel about love, death, and their roles in society? How are values shifting across generations? “These are the questions we need to explore,” he said. “And by tapping into diverse perspectives within our teams, we ensure we’re not only culturally relevant but also avoiding the trap of stereotypes.”
Lessons in people, product, and profit
While effectiveness and culture are key pillars of DDB HK’s success, Andreas is candid about the hardest leadership lesson he’s learnt: the importance of putting people first.
“Keith Reinhard, DDB’s Chairman Emeritus, always said: ‘People, product, profit’—in that order. If you take care of your people, they will take care of the creative product, and profit will come as a result. While I wholeheartedly believe in this principle, it is not easy to always act accordingly—especially when times are tough.”
He recalls the pandemic as a turning point. “Given the financial pressures our industry faced, I pushed our people to their breaking point… So, my team told me exactly how they felt when they gave the agency its lowest employee engagement score in over ten years.”
Instead of shying away from the criticism, Andreas used it as a catalyst for change. “Together with my management team, we implemented a three-pronged turnaround plan focused on fixing the basics, optimising structures & processes, and creating a mindset change. Within a year, we managed to increase our engagement score by 15%.”
The experience reinforced his belief in Reinhard’s philosophy. “Chasing the numbers works to a certain extent, but it’s never sustainable—it really is all about people, product, and profit—in that order.”
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For Andreas, the path forward for agencies in Hong Kong is clear: success lies in blending cultural fluency, creative impact, and measurable effectiveness. And at DDB HK, that journey begins with people—because when teams thrive, so do clients and the work itself.
