Tag: TBWA\Hong Kong

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.”

Hong Kong – TBWA\Hong Kong has announced key role elevations across its team. They include executive creative director Jerome Ooi as chief creative experience officer; business director Jan Lee as general manager; head of digital Anne Chan as head of growth and product; managing director Jan Cho as global head of product and delivery.

Under the leadership of Jan and the management team, TBWA\Hong Kong has been an innovation beacon across the global collective, successfully reshaping its capabilities from communications to brand experience through to innovation product offerings including the design and experience offering DxD, in-house film content studio BOLT, business consulting service Disruption® Consulting and more recently PLEX, a global product with a B2B focus.

Joanne Lao, chief executive officer, TBWA\Greater China: “It’s with great pride we’re in a position to announce the elevation of key members of our Hong Kong team who have been instrumental in driving the strategy to reshape our Hong Kong operation to create impact for our clients’ businesses, securing them a greater share of the future.”

She added, “The growth of our people has a direct correlation with the growth and success of our agency. The elevation of these roles reflects our determination to lead in creative brand experience, backed by a strong team with an unwavering commitment to innovation that delivers unique solutions for clients. These are well-deserved promotions with a highly talented team who have a strong and proven track record.”

Meanwhile, Sean Donovan, president at TBWA\Asia, commented, “It’s incredibly rewarding to witness not only the growth and adaptability of our Hong Kong operation, but the growth of our people who have been imperative in shaping our agency for the future by embracing and thriving through the disruptive challenges of the last few years.

Hong Kong – TBWA\Hong Kong has launched its commerce offering TBWA\Commerce, in partnership with sister agency The Integer Group, the commerce agency headquartered in the U.S. and a key member of Omnicom Commerce Group.

Integer is a leading commerce agency focused on driving business growth results and opportunities through retail marketing, e-commerce & social commerce, connected commerce media, and brand communications & activation, as well as retail experience design, and technology & innovation. The agency’s clients include world-leading brands like AT&T, FedEx, Frito-Lay, Michelin, Nestlé, P&G, PepsiCo, and Starbucks.

TBWA\Commerce will leverage Integer’s e-commerce expertise to center its offering around e-retail, specifically on HKTVMall, Hong Kong’s online shopping platform. 

Jan Cho, TBWA\Hong Kong’s managing director, commented that surprisingly, the e-commerce landscape in Hong Kong is less advanced than most developed countries because of its prolific and highly concentrated retail presence, which previously provided the unchallenged shopping convenience.

“But Covid upended the landscape and gave rise to a late, yet rapid e-comm boom from direct to consumer (DTC), social commerce to marketplace,” Cho said.

According to the agency, HKTVMall is one platform that has benefited significantly with the marketplace’s Gross Merchandise Volume (GMV) more than doubling to HK$5.95b or almost US$800m in just a year and which is still climbing.

The agency said that despite the speed in development, marketplace commerce remains an unfamiliar territory for many Hong Kong brands, and like most e-commerce platforms, HKTVMall has its own layers and set of rules that feel foreign to most marketers, which can initially be intimidating.

Anne Chan, the agency’s head of digital and commerce, said, “HKTVMall is a fantastic platform for brands. Its volume of traffic, diversity of customers, promotion support, and online-to-offline (O2O) presence are second to none in the region.”

Chan shares that they’ve spent a great deal of R&D time to understand the inner workings, hidden codes, and rules of the platform. Chan said they believed they’ve cracked the ‘codes’ with the help of Integer’s expertise and the suite of tools from HKTVMall.

Cho added, “We’ve tried and tested [the] methodologies we’ve developed with actual businesses on HKTVMall, which have proven to be very effective. We’re confident we can advise any marketers to boost conversion, and the impact would usually be seen in a matter of months.”

TBWA\Commerce sits alongside other specialized offerings to provide full-funnel support to brands, namely, Disruption\Consulting which is catered to data-led business planning, DxD or which stands for design & experience planning, and BOLT, the agency’s in-house film production. 

The commerce offering will pioneer in Hong Kong but planning for expansion across other APAC markets is already underway.

Terence Ling, head of strategy at TBWA\Hong Kong, commented, “We have made heavy investment of resources to develop this proprietary capability. Brands can take advantage of our unique experience and know-how leapfrogging the competition.”

Ling said that while the immediate focus is on HKTVMall, brands can access the agency’s ‘ePlaces’ offering to map their growth strategy across the digital ecosystem.