Account Wins Archives - Page 2 of 3

Singapore – As flexible workspaces company IWG aims to gain momentum for its presence in Asia Pacific, they have recently announced that communications consultancy RICE will be an official partner of IWG in Singapore and Hong Kong, two of IWG’s key hubs in Asia.

RICE was selected as IWG’s partner after a comprehensive review of its communication partners worldwide. Harnessing the synergy across team members in both cities, the RICE team is led by Agung S. Ongko, RICE’s director, strategy and insights based in Singapore and Phoebe Sou, general manager of RICE’s Hong Kong office.

“A leader and true innovator in the workspace industry, IWG is a people-focused, purpose-driven organisation committed to lending their expertise and solutions to address today’s biggest workplace challenges. We are eager to help shape and tell their stories here in Asia,” said James Brasher, managing partner at RICE.

IWG’s presence in Asia has been strengthened as well with their deal with NTT (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation) to provide 300,000 employees across the Japanese telecommunications company’s portfolio with access to IWG’s workspaces. The agreement comes off the back of IWG’s previous biggest ever deal with financial services firm Standard Chartered for its 95,000 employees.

With a global network of over 3,300 workspaces in 120 countries, IWG makes it possible for organizations and individuals everywhere to take a new approach to the traditional working day.

Simon Condon, head of communications at IWG Group, said, “While the hybrid way of work has been underway for several years, the pandemic has accelerated its adoption and it is now here to stay. With RICE as our communications partner in Singapore and Hong Kong, we look forward to driving the conversation forward on the future of work in Asia’s leading commercial and financial centres.”

The RICE agency also operates LAB360, a business unit that helps brands design, integrate, and innovate marketing and communications for business growth. In addition, they help brands tell multifaceted stories and engage audiences with personalized precision.

New York, USA – Global health technology Philips has recently appointed global marketing and communications Omnicom Group as its global communications agency, as well as its integrated creative and media agency, as financial details of their multi-year partnership are yet to be disclosed.

Lorraine Barber-Miller, chief marketing and e-commerce officer at Philips notes that as they look to extend their leadership as a health technology solutions provider, Omnicom will be an important part of ethri world-class marketing capabilities, helping them to deliver personalized, differentiating customer experiences.

“We continue to advance digital-first, always-on engagement and e-commerce strategies that enable us to meet our customers where and how they want to be engaged, bringing Philips’ brand purpose – improving people’s health and well-being through meaningful innovation – to life,” she said.

Meanwhile, John Wren, chairman and CEO at Omnicom Group expressed that they are delighted to be named the integrated agency partner for Philips and to help the company navigate the challenges and opportunities ahead.

Subsequent to the final agreement, Philips will work with a team assembled from Omnicom, led by TBWA for creative, OMD for media and FleishmanHillard and Ketchum for communications.

This is also coupled as well alongside talent and capabilities from Interbrand, Critical Mass and Omnicom Precision Marketing Group (OPMG). FleishmanHillard and Ketchum have had a successful 10-year relationship with Philips, and this marks the expansion of that relationship into the broader Omnicom Group.

Canberra, Australia – The Australian arm of media and advertising agency Universal McCann (UM) has renewed its master media contract as the agency of record by the Australian government, effective until June 2024.

Through the three-year extension, UM will continue to provide media strategy, planning, and buying services to the Australian Government, after initially being awarded the contract in July 2018. UM also previously held the Australian government media contract from 2002 to 2014.

“It is a privilege to continue working with the many Government entities covered by the Master Media Agency contract,” said Brett Elliott, general manager of UM Canberra.

“Certainly since the beginning of 2020, there have been complex communications challenges that, from a media perspective, have required creativity and speed-to-market. Our partnership with the Australian Government has been strong and successful,” Elliott added.

Meanwhile, Anathea Ruys, CEO at UM Australia has expressed her congratulations to Elliott and the rest of the team in regards to the contract extension.

“With the review period now finalized the Team is focused on growing their partnerships with their Government counterparts to create brilliant work and communications outcomes into the future,” Ruys stated.

UM’s mother agency Mediabrands has been recently expanding its growth in Australia with the appointment of a new CEO for its digitally-led service agency Reprise.

Shanghai, China – The China arm of media agency PHD has announced that it has recently bagged the media business account of luxury car maker Audi in China, which is currently under the umbrella of China-based automotive design and manufacturing company SAIC Motor.

The account was awarded without a pitch, following PHD China’s account win of SAIC Volkswagen last December of the previous year.

Through the account win, the 20-month appointment will see the Omnicom-owned agency take on complete media duties (planning and buying) for Audi.

For Joey Zhao, CEO at PHD China, they are truly humbled by SAIC Volkswagen’s vote of confidence for them and at the same time, proud of the quality of work that they have produced for their client.

“Here at PHD China, not only do we leverage the most advanced and strategic planning platforms and tools, we also have an outstanding calibre of talent in the auto and luxury category to service the account,” Zhao stated.

He added, “Additionally, there is immense synergy between the Audi and PHD brands, especially when innovation and creativity are woven into our DNA and in everything we do. We are excited with this partnership and remain fully committed to help SAIC Audi unlock growth opportunities through data-driven insights and value-focused investment for Audi in China.”

The appointment is effective immediately and the business will be serviced out of PHD’s office in Shanghai.

London, United Kingdom – British multinational automotive brand Jaguar Land Rover has appointed global consulting company Accenture and customer experience company Spark44 to lead its global marketing duties, paving the way to create a new bespoke model.

The appointment will center around development of connected services that will create new experiences, new levels of intimacy and an enhanced ownership experience for customers.

In addition, the combined capabilities of Accenture and Spark44 will bring together a global brand creative with multi-platform, digital-first, personalized customer experiences, enhancing the purchasing and ownership experience and providing a more precise approach across all brand touchpoints.

Felix Bräutigam, chief commercial officer of Jaguar Land Rover, said that at the heart of their ‘Reimagine Strategy’ is to transform the Jaguar Land Rover into a truly customer led modern luxury business. Hence, having a highly engaging, personalized, connected customer journey is essential to further strengthening both Jaguar and Land Rover as unique and distinct brands.

“Customers expect a seamless interaction with their brand and car, their experience must fit into their lifestyle and the move towards an all-electric future. We will also see more varied ownership models and connected cars that are designed to fit with our individual ways of living. All of which requires a significant step change in our marketing approach, how we talk to our prospects and customers,” he said.

Bräutigam added, “I am confident that this will bring creative excellence alongside digital brilliance while delivering even more amazing Jaguar and Land Rover specific brand experiences.”

Meanwhile, Brian Whipple, group chief executive of Accenture, commented “Jaguar Land Rover has always been upheld as a pioneer within the automotive industry. We’re proud to team with these iconic brands as Jaguar Land Rover boldly transforms its business, marketing model and creates a reimagined experience for its customers.”

Founded in 2011, Spark44 has previously worked with Jaguar Land Rover across the global breadth and depth of brand communications, delivering award-winning creative and marketing effectiveness across end-to-end customer communications.

As part of the new approach, Accenture will leverage Spark44’s unique knowledge of the brands and customer touchpoints with its consultancy, marketing services and automation capabilities.

Alex Buck, chief executive officer of Spark44, said, “We’re delighted that Spark44 continues to be part of transforming Jaguar Land Rover’s marketing model. For the last decade, Jaguar Land Rover and Spark44 have worked together to achieve strong growth and now we will be taking this to the next level by joining forces with Accenture.”

He added, “The future of brand communication lies in fusing together the rich online and offline data sources to provide seamless end-to-end customer experiences. Having a single customer view across all channels, globally, will enable us to deliver the personalized, connected experiences expected of both the Jaguar and Land Rover brands.”

Singapore – Style Theory, a Southeast Asia-centric circular fashion platform, has recently appointed public relations and communications agency Redhill to be its strategic public relations (PR) partner in Singapore.

Style Theory is centered on changing the fashion scene by offering rental, resale, consignment and restoration services for designer apparel and bags, which fosters a mindful and responsible consumption while creating a community for like-minded individuals who share positive sentiments on sustainability.

Furthermore, customers gain access to an infinite wardrobe in the cloud and can re-use and re-incorporate fashion items – solving the conundrum that many consumers have of constantly purchasing new clothes but having nothing to wear.

Through the appointment, Redhill will plan and execute a communications strategy for the brand, driving awareness of Style Theory’s offerings and supporting the brand’s upcoming launches, business extensions and market expansions from Singapore.

According to Tavy Cussinel, interim managing director at Redhill, the agency is beyond thrilled to work with Style Theory, as they explore in bringing the revolutionary vision of sustainable fashion to life.

“Sustainability has always been deeply rooted in our agency’s values and beliefs – and we are both excited and honoured to have the opportunity to tell the story of a company bringing continuous disruption to the fashion industry, and making a positive impact on the way people consume fashion,” Cussinel stated.

Meanwhile, Raena Lim, co-founder and COO at Style Theory, commented that the platform’s mission since day one has always been fixated in creating a platform that allows consumers to eliminate the buy-and-throw culture, and integrate sustainable style into their daily lives.

“It was vital for us to work with an agency that really understood our dedication to reinventing the future of fashion and one that would go the extra mile to convey that sentiment. We are excited to embark on this journey together, and look forward to a long and fruitful partnership,” Lim said.

Chennai, India – Carborundum Universal Limited (CUMI), a global manufacturer and developer of abrasives and ceramics that is part of one of India’s largest conglomerate groups Murugappa Group, has recently appointed creative digital agency Digitally Inspired Media as its integrated marketing agency of record, following a multi-agency pitch.

CUMI is one of the five manufacturers in the world with fully integrated operations that include mining, fusioning, wind and hydro power stations, manufacturing, marketing and distribution. The company has subsidiaries in India, Russia, China, Australia, Thailand and South Africa.

The account win includes mandate across market research, social media marketing, communication planning, development of an upgraded global website, and management of marketing campaigns across digital media channels.

CUMI’s appointment of Digitally Inspired Media follows after CUMI has revealed a brand positioning campaign titled ‘True Grit; aimed at showcasing the multi-faceted capabilities of its product range and developing engagement programs in collaboration with applicator groups across painting, construction, woodworking, and fabrication categories.

For Ninad Gadgil, president at CUMI, he believes that their appointment of Digitally Inspired Media will help the company the achieve the goal of tapping the undisputable frontier of digital marketing, and they seek to harness the power of digital beyond its capabilities as a marketing channel to build deeper relationships with stakeholders across the board.

“At CUMI and Murugappa Group, we take great pride in being at the forefront of innovation and technology across multiple domains and industries. We aim to provide an equally cutting edge experience to our customers and believe Digitally Inspired Media possesses the strategic acumen and requisite experience to lead this transformation,” Gadgil stated.

Speaking about the appointment, Jeff Thomas, vice president for strategic planning at Digitally Inspired Media, commented that the company has always been steadfast in embarking on a focused digital – led marketing transformation displays not only on the company’s adaptive quality with changing tides but a mentality rooted in innovation that has been a crucial part of the company’s DNA.

“After rigorous discussions to understand CUMI’s business objectives and operations, the team was able to present an effective lineup of custom B2B initiatives with measurable outcomes that augment supply chains, increase brand salience and create direct marketing avenues at rationalized costs. We’re thrilled about this win and look forward to creating meaningful work in the days ahead,” Thomas stated.

Meanwhile, Surej Salim, director and CCO at Digitally Inspired Media, commented, “CUMI is one of the largest and oldest conglomerates in India. Being a pioneer in its category and the vision the CUMI team has, got our team interested in working on the multi agency pitch. Winning this account and sustaining this business comes with its challenges.

He added, “Strategic market research across key markets and countries is paramount to make deeper relationships with this target group and the CUMI team has been very helpful as partners to see this through. This account is a big win as digital transformation for a 67 year old giant keeps us excited and the potential to work on Integrated marketing campaigns is just the tip on the iceberg.”

Singapore – Social media agency Kingdom Digital has been chosen by South Korea-based beauty brand MAKEHEAL to mark its entry in the Singaporean market.

MAKEHEAL’s brand of cosmetics combines scientific expertise and artistic sensibilities to create ‘transformative’ beauty products for young women. The brand was brought to the Lion City by company Alliance Cosmetics Singapore.

Other than the flagship range, the company will be introducing to Singaporeans its sub-brands – eye makeup professional ‘EYECROWN’, trendy makeup specialist ‘T:SOME’, and skin cleansing expert ‘PEELOSOFT’.

From MAKEHEAL’s Instagram account

Kingdom Digital has been appointed for nine months, and has already started its work with the official launch happening last 15 April. For the inaugural entry of the MAKEHEAL brand, Alliance Cosmetics has chosen social media channels as the main communication platform.

According to Daniel Chin, MD at Alliance Cosmetics Group International, MAKEHEAL’s target audience is between the age of 16 to 34 years old.

“This group of consumers spend most of their time online and they are active social media users. Also, they tend to discover new brands and products via social platforms. Hence, it made sense for us to start with a strong social presence to engage with the consumers,” said Chin.

With the appointment of the agency, which saw it competing with two other creative firms, Chin shared that the decision to work with Kingdom Digital was spurred by the established experiences it had with beauty brands and the solid reputation that preceded the agency.

Besides MAKEHEAL, Kingdom Digital is also the agency partner for another Alliance Cosmetics-managed brand SILKYGIRL; and in September last year, it has also nabbed the account of another South Korea-origin cosmetics brand The History of Whoo.

For its remit, the agency will be responsible for social strategy and ideations, content planning and development, community management, as well as monthly reporting for MAKEHEAL’s Facebook and Instagram.

Account leads from Kingdom Digital Elaine Ewe and Yvonne Lee, jointly commented, “To set the brand apart from its competitors, we devised the unique proposition that MAKEHEAL is made with beauty consumers in mind. We will be highlighting its professional and intuitively designed products that are easy to use, which empowers women to own their vibe and celebrate their individuality. This will be reflected in the brand’s content and creative direction across social platforms,”

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – WCT Holdings, an investment holding company in Malaysia, has recently appointed public relations agency Citrine One Malaysia as its agency of record, which has taken effect since 1 April this year.

As part of the account, Citrine One will also hold the public relations account of seven business entities handled by WCT Holdings namely WCT Land, WCT Malls Management which includes Paradigm Mall Petaling Jaya, and Paradigm Mall Johor Bahru along with its two airport malls – gateway@klia2, SkyPark Terminal and Première Hotel Klang.

The appointment of Citrine One is aimed to assist WCT Group in amplifying its brand messaging of delivering excellence through a series of marketing communications approaches that are current, innovative, practical, and potentially impactful.

The account win follows a competitive pitch by two other agencies early February, in which Citrine One presented an integrated PR approach combining brand innovation, community partnership, media relations, and thought leadership initiatives to make WCT’s brand promise of delivering excellence more relatable to the community.

Ivlynn Yap, founder and managing director at Citrine One, commented that WCT Group’s subsidiaries have done a good job in making its various business entities relevant among their stakeholders.

“However, in order to build a stronger brand, WCT Group decided the time has come for all business entities under the Group to consistently be seen and heard with one unified brand language,” Yap stated.

“With COMY’s local knowledge and expertise supported by affiliate partners in the region under Citrine One Global, the agency will provide WCT Group with strategic communications solutions that are distinctive to increase positive outcomes for the brand in Malaysia and in the region if required,” Yap says further.

WCT Holdings’ appointment of Citrine One follows after its engineering and construction division had recently won a RM440 million main contract from the Ministry of Transport Malaysia to undertake the proposed extension and upgrading of Sultan Ismail Petra Airport in Kota Bahru, Kelantan.

“WCT Group with its ecosystem of engineering and construction, property development, retail malls and hospitality businesses have what it takes to be a highly distinguished community curator within the region if the brand is able to portray a differentiated approach in engaging with its stakeholders through a singular voice,” Yap concluded.

Singapore – Beverage company Diageo has sought the services of creative agency 72andSunny Singapore to aid in its marketing campaign for the popular whiskey brand Johnnie Walker in Singapore.

Through the campaign, Johnnie Walker’s classic bottle and iconography will be prominent and applied in a fresh new visual language with provocative headlines that challenge Singaporeans to never stop going places.

This comes after 72andSunny SG recently won in a cross-agency pitch, clinching the contract to work with Diageo, as the brand owner of Johnnie Walker. 72andSunny’s remit includes helping steer Johnnie Walker’s brand campaigns and key moments in culture for several markets across the region.

Ida Siow, president at 72andSunny, said, “We could not be happier to toast this partnership. Johnnie Walker is a big bold whisky and we have a team with fire in our bellies who share their bold brand ambition moving forward.”

Meanwhile, Daniel Ko, creative director at 72andSunny commented, “With pun fully intended, we’re thirsting for what’s to come. We had our first sip, and I can’t wait for more.”

72andSunny SG has recently clinched multiple account wins this year, including being the global brand partner of smartphone brand OPPO, and renewing their contract with online selling platform Carousell.

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