Tag: Mandate

Singapore – Tech PR agency Bud Communications has been awarded the public relations account of TPG Telecom in Singapore, following a four-month competitive pitch.

Through the appointment, Bud Communications will be responsible for helping set up influencer engagement, communication strategy, and brand campaigns on TPG Telecoms’ behalf. The agency will report to Crystal Sim, who joined TPG Telecom as marketing communication manager earlier this year, and Richard Tan, TPG Telecom’s CEO.

“We were looking for a communications partner that understands the lightning-speed of innovation and disruption in the telecoms space, whilst bringing fresh thinking to the fore. Bud was chosen due to their passion, appetite for fresh thinking, and experience in this area, and we look forward to our future partnership,” Tan stated.

The telco represents a new wave of growth for the integrated communications agency as it doubled down its efforts in the technology space since the pandemic.

Meanwhile, Oliver Budgen, founder and managing director at Bud Communications, commented, “TPG Telecom has already made an impressive start in Singapore, bringing together its world-class innovation and customer focus to challenge the competition. The pace of disruption, the variety of challenges and opportunities emerging in the telco space makes this a fascinating time to be representing them.”

Bud Comms has been winning multiple accounts since last year, which includes OTT-revenue management platform Evergent, electronics e-commerce company RS Components, entertainment marketing agency Culture Group, media intelligence company CARMA ASIA, and cybersecurity firm, White Ops, now known as HUMAN.

Sydney, Australia – Following a competitive pitch across multiple agencies, local independent creative agency The Core Agency has won the business account of Quest Apartment Hotels, spanning brand strategy and creative development, covering identity design, advertising and digital.

Quest Apartment Hotels is a global apartment hotel brand run by local business owners, and since 1998, Quest has opened four to 10 new properties every year in Australia alone, to become the largest serviced apartment operator in Australasia. 

Quest’s business continues to grow rapidly, with four hotels currently announced as under construction in Australia. The group is also expanding overseas with plans for five new Quest Apartment Hotels to be opened by 2025 in Europe.

Christian Finucane, founder and creative partner at The Core Agency, said, “Quest Apartment Hotels represent a fantastic choice for travellers who want more than just a room with a bed in it. During the pitch we visited their properties and instantly realized they had a wonderful product. We’re excited to now partner with the Quest team and help tell their story.”

Meanwhile, Jeff Baars, chief marketing and digital officer at Quest Apartment Hotels, commented, “We’re thrilled to be working with The Core Agency to help bring our passion for the local soul, and commitment to a truly effortless guest experience to center stage.”

The Core Agency’s clients include IGA Supermarkets, PwC, Just Better Care, EasyFlowers, Doctors on Demand and Evergreen Garden Care.

Sydney, Australia – Local independent agency L&A Social has been recently appointed by fashion distributor True Alliance, which handles brands such as Ben Sherman, Lacoste, Lee, Nautica, Riders, Rockport, Speedo, Teva, The North Face, UGG and Wrangler; to handle its company portfolio’s social strategy, following a competitive pitch.

Said appointment marks the first time True Alliance has aligned all of its fashion brand portfolios to have its social strategy handled by one agency.

In addition to managing social media strategy for existing brands, L&A will also launch new brands into the Australian market and focus on driving shoppable customer engagement as part of True Alliance’s growth plans.

According to Ken Kennedy, head of digital at True Alliance, the agency demonstrated a clear understanding of the strategic direction they want to take across their portfolio of world-famous brands, adding that it pushed the boundaries of innovation and used social media channels to reach new customer bases while elevating their brands in a crowded and highly competitive space.

“Working in a truly collaborative manner we are set to embark on our next phase of growth, their creative thinking and reputation for delivering results using social media made them the ideal choice and we look forward to working with them to drive our business in line with our ambitious plans,” Kennedy said.

Meanwhile, Elena Fullerton, managing director and business director of L&A Social, commented, “This is a really exciting partnership for us. We are bringing together our two teams in True Alliance and their suite of globally recognized brands and L&A in our knowledge of deep, end-to-end social. We are embarking on a strategic growth journey and we can’t wait to get started.”

L&A has been currently working with major local and global brands including Woolworths, Unilever, Volkswagen, Palmolive, Ampol, Hublot and Ocean Spray.

“The business continues to grow from strength to strength, with leading local and global brands entrusting us to deliver strategic and creative social campaigns which are effective and people want to consume. Being recognized as one of the top places to work in Australia is a testament to our outstanding team who, even during challenging periods such as lockdowns, continue to maintain our positive, collaborative culture, and ensure we deliver for our partners,” said Gina Lednyak, CEO at L&A Social.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Multinational Malaysian telecommunications company Axiata has recently appointed advertising company dentsu in Malaysia as its creative agency of record, effective by December this year.

The agency was tasked by Axiata in building its brand equity aligned to its strategic purpose of ‘Advancing Asia’, which is the company’s objective of being the best in the region in terms of innovation, connectivity and talent. Furthermore, dentsu will be providing end-to-end communications support for Axiata to strengthen its reputation with key stakeholders across the region.

Axiata’s appointment of dentsu Malaysia comes in retrospect of the need to elevate its growth as a trusted regional brand, its brand plans will require a targeted mix of campaigns focused on technology and innovation thought leadership, employer branding, good governance, credibility, sustainability, diversity, nation-building, and digital inclusion.

Kunal Roy, CEO of dentsu Creative, said, “We feel deeply honored and privileged to partner with a client that is so alike in our values and our purpose; we look forward to bringing alive Axiata’s purpose of ‘Advancing Asia’ with meaningful innovation and experiences. As Axiata continues to champion progress across Asia, dentsu is committed to partnering with Axiata using creativity as a force for lasting good everywhere, in every way.”

Meanwhile, Dato’ Izzaddin Idris, president and Group CEO at Axiata, commented, “As one of the largest diversified telco groups serving emerging markets in Asia, Axiata is well-positioned and anchored to support digital inclusion and progress in a time when governments, businesses, and societies turn to technology and digital innovation to drive recovery and growth. We look forward to dentsu’s best work to support our regional momentum and aspirations as The Next Generation Digital Champion by 2024.”

For Kien Eng Tan, CEO of dentsu Malaysia, they are thrilled to win Axiata’s mandate, which is not only a recognition of their creative excellence but a demonstration of how the agency can deliver impactful ideas, through a strong collaboration with their client.

“We look forward to leveraging our inclusive Consumer Vision 2030 to unlock opportunities for growth through integrated solutions that are real-time, data-driven and tech-enabled. I am proud of our team, the work we do is our people’s mission and pride — each employee at dentsu is fearless in embracing the invitation to the never before,” Tan concluded.

Singapore – The Government Technology Agency of Singapore (GovTech), which operates under the premise of delivering the government’s digital services to the public, has recently appointed Reprise, the global performance marketing network under global advertising company IPG, to be its social content agency, effective immediately.

Reprise, known for its full suite offering of crafts designed to deliver customer flow, will lead the strategic social content development for GovTech across their digital platforms. 

“At Reprise we are focused on providing a holistic Flow throughout the entire digital customer experience. We are beyond proud to partner with GovTech, an innovative and transformative brand that focuses on building effective solutions for both citizens and businesses across Singapore” said Karen Soo, head of Reprise Singapore.

Reprise has been active in various appointment and brand campaigns in the region. Just recently, in celebration of the upcoming Merdeka or the Malaysian Independence Day, they have worked with chocolate drink brand MILO for a new campaign. In addition, Reprise has also worked with Ford in Malaysia for a new video campaign about ‘seeking the outdoors’ soon.

All of these activities come after Reprise has also recently appointed Pippa Berlocher as the new APAC president at Reprise.