Tag: Culture Group

Singapore – The undeniable influence of popular culture in enhancing brand equity and driving consumer engagement has become increasingly evident. For marketers who may have missed out on previous waves of pop culture, such as K-culture and gaming & esports, a new opportunity has emerged to tap into the fastest-growing content genre of the past two years globally: anime.

This revelation comes from “The Anime Impact,” a groundbreaking report unveiled by Culture Group, an agency specializing in pop culture and lifestyle marketing. The report sheds light on the immense potential that anime holds for marketers seeking to connect with diverse audiences and leverage the power of this cultural phenomenon.

With the rise of anime’s popularity, brands now have the chance to align themselves with this dynamic and rapidly expanding industry. By understanding the unique characteristics of anime and its passionate fan base, marketers can forge meaningful connections, fuel engagement, and capitalize on the widespread appeal of this captivating content genre.

Report Coverage

This report’s primary goal is to assist marketers in determining the potential for cultivating cultural relevance through anime. The report delves into three critical aspects of this cultural phenomenon, providing numerous insights. First, it examines the remarkable rise of anime as a mainstream cultural force, with a particular focus on Southeast Asia. Second, it provides an overview of the Anime, Games, Comics, and Novels (AGCN) landscape, highlighting key features and trends. Finally, the report delves into the various roles and opportunities for brands to engage with this ardent community.

Anime in Southeast Asia

The Southeast Asia region, which serves as a hub for anime fans, is one noteworthy aspect covered in the report. Southeast Asia has established itself as a stronghold for this captivating medium, with three of the top five countries in the world ranked by anime popularity. Anime is an important part of the region’s cultural tapestry and has been a part of many consumers’ upbringing. The global surge in anime popularity, on the other hand, has significantly expanded access to content, experiences, and opportunities within the region. As a result, fan communities are thriving, and artists and creators are fusing anime influences with local heritage to create a vibrant and innovative cultural fusion.

Commenting on the report, Michael Patent, Founder & President, of Culture Group, said: “Anime has quietly evolved into a $28 billion industry offering exciting opportunities to brand marketers. The objective of this report is to demystify the anime space and outline areas in which brands can get involved. Our experience of working in the space has shown that harnessing a passion point is a powerful way to build relevance and emotional connections with consumers.”

Drivers for growth

The report delves deeply into the forces driving the growth of anime, providing a thorough analysis. The increasing accessibility of anime titles via Over-The-Top (OTT) platforms is a key factor contributing to this growth. This increased accessibility has resulted in an increase in viewership among existing anime fans, resulting in a demand for more diverse content. As a result, new adaptations, localizations, fan remixes, and other creative offerings have become more widely available. Notably, brands have taken notice of this growing cultural appeal, resulting in official collaborations that bring beloved intellectual properties (IPs) to life in novel ways.

Furthermore, thanks to the increased accessibility of anime content, the genre is attracting a new wave of new fans. As anime continues to collaborate with mainstream brands and intersect with other popular passion points, there has been a shift in perception of the previously perceived niche or “nerd culture” associated with it. This shift has resulted in a lower barrier to entry, which has sparked interest among casual enthusiasts. Anime’s convergence with various brand collaborations and remixes has broadened its appeal, making it more accessible and appealing to a wider audience.

Brand roles and opportunity

To improve their brand equity in the realm of cultural trends such as anime, brands must understand and effectively leverage this space. The report presents a framework with four distinct roles for brands to play: enabler, facilitator, celebrant, and cultivator. Each role provides unique opportunities for brands to engage with anime and its devoted fans.

Brands can benefit from creating content, intellectual property (IP), and products that draw inspiration from anime while also showcasing local culture. This strategy capitalizes on valuable white space in Southeast Asia (SEA), where there is an increasing demand for diverse cultural sources. Consumers are increasingly looking for anime that combines cultural elements with local heritage, presenting brands with an exciting opportunity to bridge the gap between global and regional cultural influences.

The last report titled 2023 CultureCast: Your Pop Culture Marketing Cheat Sheet was launched in January this year.

Singapore – Culture marketing agency Culture Group has announced a partnership with Spotify Studios and Wattpad in order to equip leading Southeast Asian writers with the resources necessary to extend their content through podcasting.

Culture Group is the agency of record for Wattpad and agency partner of Spotify.

Developed by Culture Group to amplify the voice of leading literary creators from across the region, the program will see 20 Wattpad creators from Indonesia and the Philippines use the medium to offer new perspectives to fans, creating an immersive storytelling experience that allows original characters, worlds, and narratives to leap off the page through the power of voice. 

In addition, a 2-day virtual ‘Spotify x Wattpad Podcasting Workshop’ will teach the basics of podcasting, podcast marketing, and digital audio storytelling. The sessions will also delve into the future of podcasting, analysing trends and predicting what’s next for the medium.

Overseeing the programme, Culture Group will be responsible for the final production of all podcast episodes. The partnership between Wattpad and Spotify builds on Culture Group’s creator economy credentials, including the creative and content-led partnership between Wattpad and livestreaming platform, kumu. 

Michael Patent, founder and president at Culture Group, said, “Leveraging the power of storytelling for commercial and creative purposes is the mission of Culture Group. Following previous initiatives with Spotify, and having led Wattpad’s collaboration with kumu in the Philippines, it is exciting to expand our remit with both partners. Benefitting from their combined expertise, we are confident that the incubator program will educate and empower our aspiring creators, elevating their content and expanding their reach through Spotify.”

Singapore – Former global CEO for dentsu’s content and creative, Dick van Motman, will now take the helm as the chairman of the advisory board of Singapore-based pop culture marketing Culture Group.

Through his new appointment, van Motman will advise Culture Group regarding market entry and development, as well as mergers and acquisitions, and executive mentorship.

Prior to his latest position at Culture Group and his past role from dentsu, van Motman has also served as chairman for dentsu in Southeast Asia, and has accumulated more than 30 years of building brands and businesses globally. 

Aside from the current role, van Motman is also on the way to launching his own consulting and investment group which will focus on accelerating the growth of disruptive businesses in emerging industries.

Commenting regarding his appointment, van Motman stated that his newest affiliation with Culture Groups speaks more about a “combination of strategy, creativity, production and strong leadership” that places the agency in “a unique position to define how brands leverage pop culture to create business success.”

“In a dynamic region where demographics are skewed younger, digitally adept, and in search for expression and identity, brands that are anchored in pop culture thrive commercially. Culture Group’s uncommon approach goes beyond advertising and seeks to drive brands to consciously forge a connection with the right passion point,” van Motman stated.

Meanwhile, Culture Group’s founder and president Michael Patent commented, “Dick’s unparalleled history in the region and commitment to developing the next generation of transformative businesses is why we’re excited to partner with him as we embark on our next phase of growth,”

Culture Group has been ramping up its senior hires for its advisory board, including Marie Lee who similarly joins from dentsu to spearhead the agency’s insights and strategy function in Singapore; and Jakeena Malli who joins from Mindshare as group account director, as well as Angie Akaraskul who from Brave Bison, to take the role of business director.

Singapore – Social storytelling platform Wattpad, through its advertising and partnerships arm Wattpad Brand Partnerships, has partnered with pop culture-inclined marketing agency Culture Group to bolster’s Wattpad presence in the Southeast Asia region.

Through the partnership, Culture Group will help connect brands to Wattpad’s growing Gen Z audience, which has now reached a global community of over 90 million people, including more than 22 million users in Asia-Pacific countries. Wattpad is a platform where users can post self-written stories, novels, and full-on books, which are then voted by readers by genre and popularity. 

Over the years, Wattpad has been recognized by various media entities in Southeast Asia. The company’s studio division, Wattpad Studios, has produced hit projects like ‘Slow Dancing’, a six-episode series from Mediacorp and Wattpad in Singapore; and ‘Turn On’ from Wattpad, Vidio, and Screenplay Entertainment in Indonesia. 

Wattpad also works with Anvil Publishing, Inc., one of the leading book publishers in the Philippines, to bring Wattpad stories to bookstores. The companies have partnered to create Bliss Books, a ground-breaking YA imprint for Filipino book lovers.

Furthermore, the move will offer advertisers more opportunities to tap into Wattpad Influencers, original stories, and thriving Southeast Asian fan communities for innovative brand campaigns and activations. Brands will be able to create content-driven marketing programs in a variety of formats, including audio and video content, associated with fan-favorite Wattpad’s stories. 

Commenting on the partnership, Chris Stefanyk, head of Wattpad Brand Partnerships said their expansion to the SEA region responds to a larger untapped younger generation for brands to be exposed to.

“Southeast Asia is home to some of the largest and most engaged communities on our platform, and there’s enormous potential for brands to tap into the Wattpad Stars and long-form Influencers that have found international fame on Wattpad. We’re excited to work with more brands in Southeast Asia to tell their stories in a culturally relevant way that resonates with today’s youth,” Stefanyk stated.

Meanwhile, Culture Group’s founder and president Michael Patent, stated, “We believe firmly that Gen Z is the world’s ‘creation generation’ and nowhere is this more apparent than on Wattpad, where amazing stories are told. We’re thrilled to be partnered with Wattpad in creating immersive, multi-format partnerships through content and fan communities in Southeast Asia.”