Tag: agency partner

Hong Kong – TBWA\Hong Kong has been appointed by biomass utilisation compani EcoCeres as its agency partner. The wiin coincides with the launch of the agency’s specialty unit PLEX, a suite of B2B-focused services, and solidifies its commitment to driving transformative, innovative, and disruptive solutions in the sustainability sector.

TBWA assembled a team of experts between Hong Kong, Europe, and Australia for the partnership. TBWA\Hong Kong will lead the development of brand strategy and design system, while European partners will bring category knowledge and insights, turbocharging the partnership with their deep understanding of the industry, while Sustain by TBWA, headquartered out of Melbourne, expertise in sustainability ensures the overarching strategy is tightly aligned with sustainable practices.

By combining TBWA’s strategic and creative approach with EcoCeres’ ground breaking technologies, the collaboration aims to redefine industry perceptions and promote the adoption of sustainable practices.

Philip Siu, CEO of EcoCeres, said, “EcoCeres’ unique proposition lies in our innovative approach to exploring how the future advanced biorefinery should look like. We are pioneering the conversion of biomass into renewable products to help the world attain carbon neutrality.”

He added, “This partnership will leverage TBWA’s deep knowledge and expertise in the B2B space and sustainability territory, helping EcoCeres to communicate our value proposition with clarity and impact. Together, EcoCeres and TBWA are poised to make a real difference.”

Meanwhile, Jerome Ooi, chief creative experience officer at TBWA\Hong Kong, commented, “The partnership between TBWA and EcoCeres, is an exciting one, and we’re confident this transformative journey will unlock new possibilities, paving the way for advancements in sustainable solutions.” 

He added, “Our partnership also presents an opportunity to further draw on PLEX, our B2B-focused expertise and creative capabilities to develop a compelling brand strategy and corporate identity, which truly reflects EcoCeres’ pioneering work in sustainable solutions. With a shared commitment to transformation and innovation, TBWA\Hong Kong and EcoCeres are poised to redefine the boundaries of what is possible and inspire others to embrace sustainability as a core driver of progress.”

Singapore – Performance-driven ad solutions provider Rakuten Advertising has named Sydney-based e-commerce growth partner and digital agency The Thoughtful Agency as its first Platinum Agency Partner in the Asia-Pacific region.

The Thoughtful Agency has been recognised for delivering ‘comprehensive and industry-leading’ solutions for their clients through the Rakuten Affiliate Network.

“We are delighted to welcome The Thoughtful Agency as our first Platinum Agency Partner in the Asia-Pacific region,” said Nicola Murray, director of advertiser and agency development at Rakuten Advertising.

She added, “The team’s dedication to driving success for their clients aligns perfectly with our mission to empower the digital advertising industry to outthink and outperform through performance. We can’t wait to see what the team will achieve—this is just the beginning.”

The Thoughtful Agency’s Chief Growth Officer, Prav De Silva, also expressed his excitement about becoming Rakuten’s Platinum Agency Partner and the opportunities it brings for its clients.

“We are honoured to be recognised as Rakuten Advertising’s first Platinum Agency Partner in the Asia-Pacific region. This partnership will allow us to continue to drive innovation in the affiliate marketing space alongside Rakuten Advertising and leverage its innovative solutions to drive even greater value for our client portfolio,” he added.

Rakuten Advertising’s Platinum Agency Partner program is an exclusive community of the company’s partnered agencies. The program is designed for agencies that have a deep understanding of Rakuten Advertising’s products and services and have demonstrated their ability to leverage these solutions to deliver exceptional results for their clients. 

This follows Rakuten Advertising’s launch of Accelerate, a fully-managed, affiliate marketing program led by experienced analysts leveraging unique data insights, competitive intelligence, custom campaign modelling, and publisher matchmaking.

Tokyo, Japan – Integrated marketing and innovation company Hakuhodo has announced the launch of ‘Hakuhodo International Media Taiwan’ (HIMT), a specialised integrated media business organisation that will mobilise the media solution functions of the Taiwan Hakuhodo Group and the Growww Group.

The launch comes in line after Hakuhodo acquired a majority stake in the Growww Group in 2020, making it a consolidated subsidiary.

The newly launched HIMT, led by chairman Vince Cheng, will bring together the media functions of full-service media agencies with an established track record of excellent client relationships in the market including Hakuhodo Zeta of the Taiwan Hakuhodo Group and 2008 Media of the Growww Group, as well as the media functions of Hakuhodo DY Group digital marketing agencies DAC Taiwan, MESh+, and Unisurf. 

As the newest media organisation in Taiwan, HIMT will offer media-driven solutions for the diverse challenges clients face today, including media planning, media buying, digital marketing, data solutions and marketing technology solutions.

HIMT is also planning to leverage data and new marketing tools that fuse media and technology together in integrated media solution offerings, from systematic and scientific media planning to cross-media integrated solutions, such as TV and digital. 

Hakuhodo has been ramping up its expansion in APAC, with the most recent business move acquiring Malaysian digital creative agency Kingdom Digital.

In an exclusive interview with Shuntaro Ito, senior corporate officer at Hakuhodo and president and CEO at Hakuhodo International, for MARKETECH APAC’s The Inner State, he said that bringing in companies that are passionate about growing together as a group is strategically very important, and this is why they are pursuing the acquisitions of companies that shine across the different markets which share the agency’s partnership philosophy.

“During the acquisition process, we apply our sustainable management thinking and place importance on maintaining sustainable corporate management in a continuous manner. In going forward, based on this thinking, we would like to further expand our network,” Ito said.

Singapore – Asia’s sports media property ONE Championship has announced Talisman as its agency partner for partnership acquisition and development efforts across several key categories.

Through the partnership, Talisman will work across the portfolio of ONE Championship products, including live events, broadcast content, and ONE Esports, to identify new partnerships and revenue streams in priority commercial territories.

Talisman plans to drive new partnership opportunities in the United States, Middle East, and Oceania, while also opening doors across ONE’s traditional markets across Asia.

Dharpan Randhawa, president of Talisman, shared, “ONE Championship has achieved so much over the last 10 years and are now at a very exciting inflection point. I can only describe it as a slingshot, pulled back and ready for release.”

“We will work together with their outstanding commercial team to create meaningful partnerships that will drive value across every touchpoint. We are proud to be a part of their journey to becoming an international powerhouse,” Randhawa adds.

Meanwhile, Hari Vijayarajan, chief commercial officer of ONE Championship, commented, “I have had the pleasure of working with Dharpan and his incredible team around the world for the last six months on a series of innovative, multi-year deals. 

Vijayarajan added, “I believe that we have a huge opportunity to unlock the value for IP rights holders in the brand sponsorship ecosystem, helping Talisman’s clients build leadership and affinity with our massive audience of Gen Y and Gen Z.”

Sydney, Australia – NASDAQ-listed online broker Tiger Brokers has appointed brand experience and innovation company Akcelo to be its new agency partner, as it launches the proprietary one-stop global investing platform Tiger Trade in Australia and New Zealand (ANZ).

Tiger Trade provides access to global financial markets including Australia, the United States, and Asia, offering in-depth analysis and building a community of traders and investors through its social trading capabilities.

Cruz Li, Tiger Brokers’ head of marketing for Australia, shared that their mission is to enable Australians to take greater control of their investment opportunities by facilitating cost-effective trading using their technology platform. 

“We needed an agency partner that understands our target audience and how best to engage with them as we launch and Akcelo, through its work with other leading brands, demonstrated just that. We expect substantial growth potential in Australia and New Zealand and will work closely with them to build our presence across the region,” said Li.

Meanwhile, Aden Hepburn, Akcelo’s CEO, commented, “Tiger Brokers are an exciting new entrant in our region with a strategy that is set to disrupt an increasingly cluttered market. We are delighted they have entrusted us to drive their launch and look forward to building the brand.”

Singapore – #BuySingLit, a local-based movement aimed at promoting local literature, has appointed The Hoffman Agency as its official agency partner, effective 4 October. 

The Hoffman Agency will be responsible in strategizing and and overseeing #BuySingLit’s rebranding from a two-weekend campaign to a year-long program, including branding, creative guidelines, marketing activations, and counsel on media placement.

They will also be responsible for furthering the cause of celebrating stories from Singapore; advocating homegrown book publishers, retailers and literary non-profits to encourage more people to discover and embrace Singapore’s literature. 

#BuySingLit continues with its advocacy of ‘Buy Local, Read Our World’ where homegrown book publishers, retailers and literary non-profits come together to encourage more people to discover and embrace Singapore’s literature.

“The #BuySingLit committee is delighted to welcome Hoffman on board as our official PR, Media and Creative Agency. As a movement supported by a diverse range of industry players, we look forward to wider media outreach and deeper relationships in the coming year. Readers can look forward to more exciting updates coming soon,” said Chong Lingying, manager of Asiapac Books and member of the #BuySingLit Marketing Module.

Maureen Tseng, general manager for Singapore at The Hoffman Agency, commented that they are excited with bringing #BuySingLit’s initiative alive through a 360-degree integrated communications campaign, cutting across PR, media and creative outreach.

“Hoffman is proud to partner with #BuySingLit to raise awareness of the breadth and depth of local literary talent in Singapore. The Hoffman Agency’s mantra of storytelling is completely aligned with what this movement stands for – creating an inclusive, diverse and vibrant community of Singapore Literature lovers,” Tseng said..

The Hoffman Agency has recently won various accounts in Asia-Pacific this year, including of Microsoft HK for PR duties and Shutterstock for communications.

APAC – Dentsu has recently been appointed by William Grant & Sons, an independent family-owned distiller and global distributor of Scotch whisky, to be its agency partner. This comes as the company concludes in 2020 the consolidation of its APAC business.

The appointment will see dentsu driving omnichannel marketing for William Grant & Sons, focusing on connections planning, digital acceleration, and driving media effectiveness and efficiency across the Asia Pacific (APAC) region.

According to Susie O’Donoghue, global head of communication strategy and planning at William Grant & Sons, the company has an established global relationship with dentsu and after engaging with the APAC team during the chemistry meeting, they were impressed with their well-rounded thinking, demonstration of planning capability, as well as expertise in driving omnichannel thinking. 

“Throughout the engagement, dentsu demonstrated an in-depth understanding of our consumer landscape, ever-evolving media, and tech ecosystem. Most of all, we like that they have expertise working with clients in the alcohol and spirits business. We look forward to partnering with dentsu to drive growth for our brands in APAC,” said O’Donoghue.

Meanwhile, Prerna Mehrotra, CEO of Media at dentsu APAC, shared that they have been working with William Grant & Sons globally, saying that they are delighted to have managed to expand their partnership within APAC.

“By understanding our consumers’ world digital-first, we are able to unlock new growth opportunities at every stage of the consumer journey. For William Grant & Sons, this has translated into a full digital transformation project as we look to support them in their omnichannel, ‘people first’ future. We are excited to work on iconic William Grant & Sons brands and delighted to partner them in their omnichannel journey here in APAC,” added Mehrotra.