Tag: Grey Group

Japan – Advertising agency Grey has announced the promotion of Masa Okazaki to chief operating officer of Grey Tokyo. 

As chief operating officer, Masa will be in charge of upholding Grey Tokyo’s strategic vision, fostering its borderless agenda, and ensuring the delivery of outstanding marketing services and integrated solutions to clients.

Masa will be entering his new role with eighteen months of prior experience as the chief business officer for Grey Tokyo, as well as over 10 years of experience within the advertising industry.  

Commenting on his own appointment, Masa said that his experience working creative and collaborative talent at Grey for the last eighteen months, has been tremendous for him. 

“The strategy and plans we have put in place are solid, but it is the people who bring it to life. Throughout this process, we achieved remarkable and effective work, forging deep and lasting relationships with both existing and new clients. Our goal is to build upon this momentum and accelerate further growth,” he added. 

Meanwhile, Yukiko Ochiai, president and CEO of Grey Tokyo, said, “Masa is one of the most dynamic and innovative people I’ve had the pleasure of working with. He is a true change-maker and a results-oriented leader with extensive industry knowledge. I am confident that we have the best team in place to drive the growth of our clients, brands and businesses, which will also take Grey Tokyo to even greater heights.”

Singapore – Advertising company GREY has announced that Irene Wong, current CEO of GREY Malaysia, and Graham Drew, current chief creative officer at GREY Malaysia, will be taking on full commercial and creative responsibility across the Malaysia and Singapore studios.

GREY Singapore will join GREY Malaysia to become one unit under the new joint leadership structure. After eight years at GREY Singapore and thirty years in the industry, Konstantin Popovic, CEO at GREY Singapore will leave the agency at the end of the year to refocus his career on his deep passion for sustainability.

Wong and Popovic and their respective leadership teams will work closely over the next three months to ensure a seamless transition

As CEO of GREY Malaysia & Singapore and CCO of GREY Malaysia & Singapore, Wong and Drew will have equal responsibility across the two offices, taking full advantage of the greater pool of resources and talent.

A high-profile member of the Malaysian ad scene, Wong previously held posts at Leo Burnett and Naga DDB before coming to Grey. Rising to CEO in 2015, she honed her craft by working on a balance of both local and multinational brands such as Telekom Malaysia, Ministry of Finance, The National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme, SEA Games 2017, P&G, Lenovo, Volvo, HSBC, Hong Leong Bank and Coway. Under her stewardship, the business has continued to grow year-on-year, with a healthy and stable mix of local and international clients.

Originally from the UK, Drew arrived at Grey in 2014 and is widely recognised for shaping the creative reputation of the Malaysia studio. As CCO, he has led the team to unparalleled creative success and noteworthy pitch wins, including Carlsberg, Tesco, Telekom Malaysia and WWF. Over the past four years, he has successfully led borderless work across the network for clients such as SK-II, Enfagrow, Hong Kong Tourism Board and multiple projects as global ECD for Carlsberg. Drew is also the chairman of the APAC Creative Council and a member of the Grey Global Creative Board.

Wong said, “This is such an exciting opportunity for us and the teams and a chance for synergy. The truth is every studio has things that they are great and not so great at, being able to fill each other’s gaps and becoming a stronger unit across the board is what this is all about.”

Meanwhile, Drew commented, “One of the better things we learnt over the past few years is that utilising talent shouldn’t be dependent on geography. Exposing the Singapore team to the creative talent of Malaysia and vice versa will be inspirational on all fronts and will be reflected in the work.”

Hong Kong – As part of observing the ‘920 National Dental Care Day’, one of P&G’s toothpaste brands Crest has launched a week-long campaign to further promote a healthy dental care lifestyle, and advocating the belief that daily dental protection is the key to healthier teeth.

Crest has launched a brand platform called ‘Great Crest Protection, Greater Smiles’ for the campaign, alongside a campaign film, which strategically depicts three families of different backgrounds and ages to show how Crest is the enabler of their healthy yet ordinary day-to-day lives.

The film features a young family of three, a couple, and a family of three generations, each bringing to life the belief that we are all born with beautiful smiles, but the confidence to smile needs to be encouraged.

In addition, through a series of activations, the brand partnered with Local Chinese channel CCTV and hosted an open class on public awareness of oral health. The film was also distributed on digital platforms such as Weibo and TikTok. As a result, the campaign transformed the public’s attitude towards dental care to prevention rather than solution, whilst also reshaping Crest’s brand image to ‘all-around oral protection’. 

Joe Yue, creative partner at GREY Hong Kong, said, “I love Crest’s new brand proposition. The brand draws insights from real-life matters and illustrates the relationship between being born with smiles and being encouraged to smile. Crest also provides the right emotional value for its target consumer group. Because of better dental protection, we can have the confidence to smile, breaking through traditional barriers through strong brand empathy.”

Meanwhile, Shannon Li, vice president of oral health for Greater China at P&G China, commented, “Consumers’ oral health awareness and practices are improving. This year, Crest is furthering this movement by introducing a new line of products for dental care with the aim of bringing more protection and more smiles.”

Singapore — Grey Group, the global advertising and marketing network, has announced the appointment of Davi Sing Liu, previously the regional CCO of Grey Greater China, as Grey’s chief creative officer (CCO) for P&G Asia, Middle East and Africa (AMEA).

Liu is an established and respected creative who holds over 20 years of extensive experience across multiple geographies. In his previous role as regional CCO, he led the creative output for high-value clients namely Volvo, HSBC, P&G, and Hong Kong Tourism Board.

Prior to joining Grey Group in 2019, he helped build Enso, the Los Angeles-based agency focused on purpose-led brands and projects with new-economy clients such as Google, Medium, Uber, Khan Academy, among others, while also working with innovative startups.

His other creative projects include; first creative director for MakeMake Entertainment, first integrated creative director for Deutsch La, creative director on transmedia projects at Modernista!, and he worked on the Nike campaigns for Japan, China, and APAC for Wieden+Kennedy. Liu also contributed to Wieden+Kennedy TokyoLab, the multi-media music and film label.

Not only is Liu a veteran in the industry, but he is also a decorated creative mind, winning numerous awards at One Show, Effies, the SXSW Interactive, Communication Arts. He has also participated in various juries such as Cannes Lions and D&AD. He is also a member of Grey’s Global creative board.

Based in Shanghai, Liu will be part of Grey’s P&G Global Leadership Team, reporting to Javier Campopiano, worldwide chief creative officer of Grey Group, and working closely with Nirvik Singh, global COO and president international of Grey Group, and John Patroulis, global creative chairman and president, creative businessof Grey Group.

Grey Group’s worldwide CCO Campopiano said, “Our constant commitment to the creative product and famously effective work requires focusing the best talent into our biggest clients. Grey and P&G have a long history of world-class, award-winning work. Davi´s arrival is key to ensure that we keep honouring that legacy with exciting work for such a highly competitive and innovative region.”

Singh, commented on the Lius appointment, saying, “Davi brings meaningful cultural insights to contemporary, purpose-led creative work. His appointment emphasises the importance we place on game-changing creativity to achieve growth for our clients – I look forward to seeing even more ‘famously effective’ work from our P&G AMEA Borderless Studio.”

Meanwhile, Patroulis shared, “We are always looking for new and better ways to bring the full power of creativity to the work that moves our client’s business forward. Creating the first CCO role to focus solely on P&G AMEA is meant to do just that. And in Davi we have a passionate, deeply creative, entirely empathetic leader the role deserves, so we couldn’t be more excited.”

Commenting on his appointment, Liu shared he is always grateful for a role that leverages creativity and innovation to serve not only clients and brands but the people they reach.

“It’s an exceptional time in our world and industry to work on brands and their products that affect everyday lives. I hope to be useful in making an impact with our partners across the P&G work,” Liu said.

Liu will partner with Sarah Trombetta, chief client officer for WPP/Grey P&G AMEA, to set the creative vision, direction, and ambition for P&G’s portfolio of iconic brands across the region.

Singapore – Grey Group, the advertising company has announced that Sarah Trombetta returns to WPP/Grey as the new chief client officer for the Procter & Gamble (P&G) account in Asia, Middle East and Africa (AMEA). Her appointment takes effect on 22 November, 2021.

Trombetta will be in charge of establishing the strategic direction of the P&G business across key regions, leading the integrated strategies and creative ambitions for its iconic brands to build on Grey’s strength as a high performing partner.

She formerly served the agency as CEO of Grey Hong Kong from 2015 to 2019, before moving to Red Havas in Australia as CEO. Under her tenure as Grey HK’s CEO, the agency transformed its end-to-end digital marketing services solutions for Greater China’s largest clients, bringing social commerce, advertising, retail and activation together to deliver growth for many global brands, including P&G.

Speaking about her appointment, she said, “It’s an honor to step up and take the baton from such a revered industry titan. This role brings together an irresistible blend of diverse business markets, iconic global brands and the chance to reunite with world-class talent who I have always known to bring a lot of heart to the work and each other.”

She further added, “I could never have imagined that business leadership of this scale would be possible from ‘home’, so I hope it inspires talent to dream big about the impact they can have in shaping a new post-pandemic chapter together.”

As the chief client officer for P&G in AMEA, Trombetta will be working closely with Nirvik Singh, president international and global COO at Grey Group; and Debby Reiner, president for Grey Global Clients and business leadership for P&G at WPP.

“We are beyond thrilled to welcome Sarah back. She is an awarded agency leader, who has had success building global brands in multiple countries, and her track record for transformation and growth is highly impressive. Sarah is a client-focused business leader and strategic thinker who inspires with her energy and vision,” Singh said.

He added, “I am confident she will lean into the changes on how brands go-to-market across key regions, drawing on our talent and capabilities. Sarah’s skill as a collaborator within a global business will further amplify the success of Grey’s borderless strategy and our famously effective work.”

Trombetta takes over the position from Yashaswini Samat, a 28-year Grey veteran who will continue to help support the business transition till the end of the year. 

“I would also like to extend my gratitude to Yash, who is leaving an outstanding legacy. An experienced and well-respected business leader, she has worked in diverse markets and has taken on several senior roles whilst at Grey. She has made a big impact throughout our network and inspired the next generation of Grey P&G leadership. I wish to thank her for all her hard work, mentorship, guidance and loyalty through the years and wish her well in all her future endeavors,” Singh added.

Hong Kong – Advertising and marketing agency Grey in Hong Kong has announced four new promotions across their local team namely (from left to right) Desmond Li as regional business partner, Duffy Lau as general manager, Winky To as regional business partner, and Owen Smith as chief strategy officer.

In his new elevated role, Li will continue to grow and expand Grey HK’s travel and hospitality sector across the APAC and Greater China regions. He joined the agency in 2017 as a senior account director working with the P&G Downy and Whisper team, and later transitioned to lead both the Hong Kong Tourism Board and the Marriott International accounts of the agency. 

Meanwhile, Lau joined Grey in 2014 as an associate account director and has worked closely with multiple client brands and played an instrumental role in leading the business’ growth, especially in China.

“Duffy is a game-changer with entrepreneurial leadership skills and a vision for business growth both for our clients and for our studio. I have great confidence that along with our strong management team, we will reach even greater heights,” said Adam O’Conor, CEO at Grey Group Hong Kong and chief client officer at Grey Group AMEA.

Speaking about his appointment, Lau stated, “I am happy to take on this new challenge, especially at a place I call home (Grey HK). I truly believe in change and whenever there is a challenge, there is a new opportunity for us to grow better and stronger. Together with Adam and our leadership team, I am confident we can leverage on our talent and capabilities and take the studio to the next level.”

To joined GREY Shanghai in 2014 as business director working on the Volvo and HSBC accounts, before moving to Grey Hong Kong as business partner, leading the HSBC team. She has been credited with deepening the agency’s relationship from B2B to now include branding, insurance, and asset management.

Meanwhile, Smith joined Grey in 2017 as head of strategy and has since built up a team that has consistently driven famously effective work, brought thought leadership to Grey clients and raised the profile and the value of the group’s strategic capabilities. With his breadth of local and global responsibilities, he has provided valuable strategic contributions helping to fuel growth for Grey HK’s key clients such as HSBC, HKTB and P&G across the region.

“There is nothing more satisfying than promoting talent from within to key leadership roles. Personal growth should be as much a focus for an agency as commercial growth, and these four promotions underscore that loyalty, curiosity and a passion for our clients will always be the key to success for people of Grey,” O’Conor added.

Singapore – Here’s a question: what does a gorilla, a bear, and a panda have in common? The answer–all of them can’t resist the new ‘Fruit Bowls’ made by the food and beverage group Dole Sunshine Company, as shown in their latest campaign as part of promoting the new food product.

Made by creative agency Grey Group, the campaign is made of three various spots that depict ‘Fruit Bowl’ eaters as wildlife, as separately a panda, gorilla, and bear, infiltrate home, office, and parks in a quest to take their snack back.

The theme of ‘taking their snack back’ is based on the product’s new twist: having zero added sugar. As a snack, ‘Fruit Bowls’ are so close to natural fruit that nature will ‘want it back’.

Said integrated campaign is rolled out in different parts of Asia.

“As part of Dole’s promise of bringing prosperity to people and the planet we are committed to delivering fruit as close to nature as possible, even when it’s packaged. The team at Dole and Grey had a lot of fun bringing these ideas to life as we celebrate and showcase product uniqueness in a different light,” said Rupen Desai, global CMO at Dole Sunshine Company.

The campaign rollout is part of Dole’s advocacy in using all-natural ingredients and a commitment to clean labels, making it closer to fulfilling its promise of zero processed sugar in their products by 2025.

Aashim Malhotra, vice president and managing director for APAC Region at Dole Sunshine Company, said, “Healthy snacking is on the rise across the region as appetite for small bites replaces larger meals, as consumers look for healthier and more nutritious foods. Foods and snacks close to nature deliver on this shift in eating habits.”

He added, “Reaching for a ‘Fruit Bowl’ that even wildlife would covet sends a clear message of a snack as close to nature as we believe you can get.”

Meanwhile, John Patroulis, global chief creative officer at GREY, commented, “Because the Dole team has such a clear and inspiring purpose, we were able to engage teams from across the global network to find the simplest and most inspiring idea. Dole is working to do great things in the world, we’re excited to be part of that mission.”

Singapore – Grey Group Singapore’s latest account win is a multi-client approval to create a new Singapore-based sustainability youth incubator. In its development, the agency will be partnering with top organizations for sustainability – organization for wildlife conservation and endangered species, World Wildlife Fund, (WWF); Temasek foundation, the state sovereign fund’s non-profit organization (NPO), and Green Is The New Black, media and events platform for sustainability.

The incubator will host a series of masterclasses and boot camps as well as a 6-month mentorship program to inspire and support the next generation of sustainability doers and creators. The initiative has already started and delivered masterclasses with top speakers from Project Drawdown, an NPO for climate solutions, and abillion, a discovery platform for vegan food and products, among other companies. 

The movement is called ‘We Got This’ and is currently recruiting boot camp applicants.

Lim Hock Chuan, chief executive of Temasek Foundation Liveability, said that the youth today embrace global sustainability issues and digital conversations and that there is a skills gap that needed to be bridged in sustainability advocacy among them.

“Temasek Foundation is happy to be part of the team to bring together like-minded partners to launch #WeGotThis, with a focus on helping our youths to do, try, test, speak up, and build small wins one upon another,” said Lim Hock Chuan.

Konstantin Popovic, CEO of Grey Singapore Group, remarked on the next generation of marketers, “We are welcoming people from all walks of life, and that includes the next generation of marketers. Whether you are in university, an intern or just starting your marketing career – if any aspect of sustainability is your passion, we want you to join.”

The project is working with partners and mentors to identify 50 youth in Singapore and South Korea to launch their own sustainability movement. Support will be provided to young people selected through an intensive boot camp application process in understanding how to use digital media platforms available to talk about sustainability, understanding issues better, and increasing a change towards a more positive future.

The agency’s Executive Creative Director Aaron Phua added, “Our movement is deliberately positive, non-accusatory and truly looking for young (and young at heart) problem-solvers who deserve our support.”

Shanghai, China – Advertising network Grey Group in China has appointed former Proximity China CEO Sharlene Wu as its new CEO, in an aim to build better connections with Chinese Grey clients. 

The new CEO will work with the Global COO & President for International of Grey Group Nirvik Singh and will lead the Grey Advertising. She will also be responsible for the integration of Grey DPI, Grey Star Echo, and Grey Easycom.

Leveraging on her experience in the Chinese market, Wu will be responsible for driving the agency’s overall strategic vision and growth plan, furthering business transformation, and providing oversight across key clients and businesses. With Grey, she will continue to enhance and deliver Grey’s marketing services & integrated solutions to clients.

Sharlene Wu is an accomplished advertising veteran. Her career began in 2000 with WPP’s JWT Wings Taiwan and then Ogilvy. Following a short stint with JWT Shanghai in 2006, she then joined as Business Director of BBDO Shanghai in 2007, which marked the beginning of her career with Omnicom Group as Proximity Shanghai’s general manager.

She instantly progressed through the ranks and was named Managing Director (MD) for both BBDO and Proximity Shanghai in 2015, creating specialty teams across Digital Planning, Data Analytics, Social Media, and Digital Production while managing client accounts such as Adidas, Visa, Master Kong, Tencent, and Alibaba; and in May 2020, Wu was finally named CEO following the merger of Proximity and RAPP in China.

Grey Group’s Global COO & President for International Nirvik Singh commented that Wu is a dynamic, results-oriented leader who has extensive knowledge of our industry.

“Her appointment is a clear signal of our ambition to aggressively pursue growth and digital transformation in China. She is a seasoned professional with experience across many industries and categories and I am certain, along with our existing China Leadership team, will create a powerhouse offering for our clients,” said Singh.

Meanwhile, Wu expressed excitement in leading a “strategic and digital-focused” Grey Group in China, believing that she and the agency share the same belief that creativity can solve business problems.

“We have a great team in place to deliver innovative and creative work that will drive the growth of our clients’ brands and businesses,” said Wu.