Tag: VMLY&R

USA – VML is promoting Jeff Geheb as its new global executive lead for VML Enterprise Solutions. This appointment will come in addition to his present position as global chief experience officer. The transition will take effect immediately.

As the global executive lead for Enterprise Solutions, Geheb will oversee the growth and administration of VML’s line of Enterprise Solutions. global consulting, data, technology, and innovation services, businesses, and goods are all included in this. Geheb and Neil Stewart have created Enterprise Solutions, a recently launched VML product. 

Neil Stewart, on the other hand, will take on a new role as CEO of WPP Open within WPP. 

Since Wunderman Thompson and VMLY&R announced their merger late last year, Geheb and Stewart have developed a working relationship. They will continue to work closely together as they adjust to their new positions and set up VML’s worldwide Enterprise Solutions management framework. 

Leading the charge in the global expansion of the customer experience (CX) profession, Geheb has been a key figure in VML. With a staff of over 700 professionals skilled in CX consulting, product and service innovation, digital ecosystems, data and customization, technology modernization, CRM, and loyalty program design, the business has grown under his direction. 

Speaking about the promotion, Jon Cook, global CEO at VML, expressed, “I’m thrilled that our organisation has a talent like Jeff leading these critical offerings for the new VML. It’s a major undertaking and Jeff is the perfect person to bring

continuity and integration to all that we have to offer to our client partners. The depth of VML Enterprise Solutions is a great differentiator for VML, especially after all Jeff and Neil brought together from legacy VMLY&R and Wunderman Thompson as a new offering.” 

He added, “When you combine Jeff’s leadership across Enterprise Solutions and our Customer Experience practice, it deepens the connectivity of VML even further.” 

Meanwhile, Mel Edwards, global president of VML, commented, “Neil has been a phenomenal leader for our business, driving the growth of our technology, data, and platform expertise for over 13 years. His continued close partnership with Jeff in growing and strengthening our Enterprise Solutions offering will be paramount to VML’s evolution.” 

Speaking about his promotion, Geheb said, “The potential of the unparalleled mix of technology and creative talent that is coming together under VML will be transformative for our clients and our industry. VML Enterprise Solutions gives us a flexible model to both power VML’s Brand Experience, Commerce, and Customer Experience practices and work directly with technology and digital leaders to find solutions for their most complex business challenges — that potential is exciting for me.” 

“Neil has been a tremendous thought partner and friend, and we will continue to work closely together as WPP Open and VML into the future,” Geheb added. 

Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam – Following the last year’s roll-out of Tinder’s first-ever global campaign, ‘It Starts With a Swipe’, the dating app is bringing to Vietnam a series of locally produced short videos exploring the brand’s global message.

This locally conceptualised and produced take on the brand’s narrative in Southeast Asia celebrates the vibrant possibilities that Tinder offers its users. As Tinder continues to redefine the narrative around dating, Vietnam’s It Starts with a Swipe campaign celebrates modern dating experiences and milestones amongst young adult Vietnamese daters today.

The series of three videos will showcase different concepts of romance possibilities from sharing a single goodnight kiss that develops into a long-term relationship, forming a youthful friendship that evolves into a lifetime of shared personal growth, and finding a partner to share all your adventures and seasons with.

In partnership with VMLY&R Vietnam, the campaign launches in the midst of dating’s Peak Season which falls between January 1 and February 14 each year and also coincides with Vietnam’s biggest holiday season Têt, as young Vietnamese singles continue bringing their new year energy to refresh their dating goals and intentions.

Inspired by this new generation of daters, the campaign not only celebrates a diversity of relationship possibilities, but also genders and orientations to reflect the fluid and inclusive attitude that is inherent to Tinder.

Talking about the campaign, Daniel Kim, vice president of marketing, APAC at Tinder, said, “Tinder doesn’t tell you who or how to date, but we power all kinds of possibilities. We welcome all types of people and relationships whether they last for a few messages exchanged on the app, a day, a night, or a lifetime. No matter what kind of possibility you are looking for, It Starts with A Swipe.”

APAC– VML has announced the appointment of a new in-market leadership team for the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. 

The announcement comes as Wunderman Thompson and VMLY&R, both WPP creative firms, join together to form VML.

With more than 5000 workers spread across 25 offices in 13 APAC markets, the newly designed organisation hopes to provide improved service for VML’s clientele all throughout the area. It includes industry professionals with deep local knowledge and broad experience in commerce, brand experience, and customer experience.

In APAC, VML works with a wide range of customer partners in several different industries. Ford, The Coca-Cola Company, HSBC, Unilever, Nestle, GSK, Zespri, and other companies are among its clientele.

With principal offices in Shanghai, Singapore, Mumbai and Sydney and led by the newly appointed VML APAC Co-CEOs Audrey Kuah and Yi-Chung Tay, the reorganisation includes naming regional market leaders, which will take effect on January 1, 2024.

In Australia and New Zealand (ANZ), Tom Tearle, CEO of VMLY&R ANZ, becomes CEO of VML ANZ, while Gavin Bain, CEO of Wunderman Thompson Australia, becomes VML Chief consulting officer, ANZ, and managing director, Perth, Australia.

In Singapore, Wunderman Thompson CEO Nimesh Desai has been named VML CEO for the region. Rhys Taylor, who is currently the managing director of VMLY&R in Singapore, takes on the role of VML chief client officer, focusing on assuring the delivery of VML’s full spectrum of capabilities to clients.

In Indonesia, Wunderman Thompson CEO Samir Gupte has been named CEO of VML Indonesia.

In Malaysia, Kenni Loh, CEO of VMLY&R Malaysia, has been appointed CEO of VML Malaysia.

Golda Roldan, CEO of Wunderman Thompson Philippines, has been appointed CEO of VML Philippines. 

Wunderman Thompson Thailand’s CEO, Parattajariya Jalayanteja, has been appointed CEO of VML Thailand.

Ha Nguyen, who is the CEO of VMLY&R in Vietnam at the moment, has been chosen to be CEO of VML Vietnam.

Kevin Zhu, who is the CEO of VMLY&R China at the moment, has been appointed as the CEO of VML China. Wunderman Thompson for Greater China CEO Carter Chow takes on the role of president at VML China.

Maggie Wong, CEO of Wunderman Thompson, has been appointed CEO of VML Hong Kong.

Ichiro Ota, the current CEO of VML & Ogilvy Japan, will remain in his position, while Akira Suzuki, the CEO of Wunderman Thompson Japan, will take over as COO of VML Japan.

Even Teng, the CEO of Wunderman Thompson Taiwan, has been named as the CEO of VML Taiwan. 

VML India is a principal office and regarded as an important market for the agency, prioritising the hiring of capable executives to direct their teams for the benefit of employees and clients. The announcement of India’s leadership is slated for the first quarter of 2024.

Speaking about the multiple appointments, Audrey Kuah, Co-CEO, VML APAC, commented, “We are thrilled to introduce our new APAC leadership team, who represent the cream-of-the-crop across two of the most awarded creative agencies in the region. As we unify our storied agencies, there is an exciting opportunity to redefine the possibilities of creativity and set the stage for more innovative and effective work.”

Meanwhile, Yi-Chung Tay, Co-CEO, VML APAC, said, “At VML we are dedicated to creating connected brands which matter to the consumer and drive growth for our client partners. Working closely with our leaders across our APAC network, we are well positioned to provide the best possible solutions to our clients’ most pressing business problems via an integrated suite of capabilities which are unsurpassed in the region.” 

Singapore – Global home and personal care company Colgate-Palmolive, along with global brand and customer experience agency VMLY&R, are making efforts to raise sustainability in Southeast Asia thanks to a series of campaigns on Shopee.

Running from the end of October to early November 2023 across Southeast Asia and Taiwan, the campaigns saw Colgate offering shoppers highly attractive discounts on its range of recyclable and sustainable oral, personal and home products.

This campaign initiative is also a part of the brand’s overarching Smiling Planet campaign, wherein VMLY&R worked closely with the brand to create several regional campaigns that would help consumers make a difference by choosing Colgate Palmolive’s products.

As an added incentive for conscientious shoppers, the brand also donated a portion of each sale to the WWF-Singapore (World Wide Fund for Nature) Singapore Eco-Schools Programme, which empowers students to become changemakers, by engaging them in student-led sustainability initiatives within campuses.

With Colgate’s commitment of eliminating plastic waste by 2025, more than 83% of the brand’s packaging by weight is now recyclable due to innovations like its recyclable toothpaste tube. Similarly, many other Colgate products are now made from recycled materials, using much less plastic than traditional packaging.

Talking about the campaign, Alex Tan, commerce director at VMLY&R Singapore, said, “We know that consumers care about their environment, but often feel helpless to make an impact. Through Colgate’s Shopee Super Brand Day campaign consumers were empowered to make a sustainable choice whilst contributing to creating a greener future by supporting WWF’s important youth programme, and the results for Colgate speak for themselves.”

Meanwhile, M. Chandrasekar, SVP customer development, Colgate-Palmolive APAC, commented, “Change always begins with a small act. Our small act was to make recyclable tubes a reality and a small act for consumers could be discarding recycling tubes and sustainable packaging in the right spaces or bins in accordance with the local regulations.” 

“Working with VMLY&R we are able to make these small acts slightly bigger. Just by taking the small act of choosing to purchase Colgate-Palmolive sustainable products, consumers know that a portion of their purchase goes towards important educational projects that impact their environment and their future, showing that together, even small acts like this can make a big difference,” he added.

Singapore – VMLY&R has been appointed to handle TikTok Shop’s major multimarket push around the year’s biggest online shopping days – and has already delivered stunning sales for 11.11 – building to the 12.12 finale, in Southeast Asia.

VMLY&R has been tasked with delivering TikTok Shop’s unique ‘shoppertainment’ proposition, bringing shopping and entertainment together as the antidote to e-tail stress and boredom during the shopping season. The mandate covers TikTok Shop Southeast Asia’s biggest markets – Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Moreover, VMLY&R teams in Singapore, Thailand and Hong Kong in partnership with TikTok Shop launched the concept of ‘double’ with the 11.11 campaign – doubling down on shopping and entertainment experiences. Assets include video, key visuals, and offline & digital activation ideas on the same creative platform across the markets.

Nicky Lee, client services director at VMLY&R, said: “VMLY&R prides itself on striking the perfect balance between Brand Experience (BX), Customer Experience (CX) and Commerce in order to create truly connected brands. By staying true to TikTok’s brand truth – to entertain – we were able to highlight how TikTok Shop seamlessly integrates entertainment, community and commerce to deliver a joyful customer shopping experiences which sets it apart from the competition by putting the fun back into e-tail.”

The campaign video for 11.11 entitled ‘The Joy Lift’, sees a person enter an elevator just before midnight on 10.11 and start to browse TikTop Shop. As midnight turns the date to 11.11, a bounty of fun content entertains them, during which they finds a product they wants at a discount price. The video aims to showcase how whilst enjoying yourself, TikTok Shop helps the products you’re interested in find you.

In addition, the 11.11 campaign saw VMLY&R teams across 3 offices producing over 80 pieces of content for TikTok Shop, delivering an impressive 1.5 billion exposure for the brand during the campaign period.

Meanwhile, Treidy Rahmatsyah, regional brand marketing lead at TikTok Shop, commented, “We partnered with VMLY&R for many reasons including their deep capabilities and strength and connections across multiple markets, but also their deep understanding of consumer behaviour, which was key in positioning TikTok Shop for different audiences as the shopping platform that’s enjoyable, full of inspiration and makes buying easier.”

He added, “As one of the world’s biggest providers of short-form entertainment, TikTok Shop is the perfect antidote to e-tail boredom, offering ‘shoppertainment’ content that young people want to browse while they shop.”

Malaysia – Global brand and customer experience agency VMLY&R Singapore has announced they have won the tender for insurance company FWD Takaful’s new mental health awareness campaign in Malaysia.

FWD’s unconventional pitch aims to produce a campaign that targets overcoming Malaysian cultural taboos around talking about mental health. It further aims to normalise and destigmatize this issue across the country by highlighting the benefits of having conversations about negative feelings.

VMLY&R’s upcoming campaign, in partnership with content experience agency Hogarth Malaysia, will tap into Malaysia’s love of music to raise awareness and generate conversations around mental health. It will run for three months, starting in January 2024, and is outlined to include film, video, digital, EDM, out-of-home (OOH), event activation, and radio promotion.

The campaign pitch comes after the company’s mental health survey in 2022 revealed that 62% of Malaysians have experienced mental health challenges and severe social disapproval or know someone who has.

Further solidifying the company’s commitment to their upcoming campaign, FWD Takaful took the topic of mental health to heart through the pitch process itself, which focused on reducing anxiety and stress for participating agencies.

The insurance company created a process that minimises the stressors for teams involved in competitive pitching, including unrealistic client briefs, timelines, expectations, and budgets.

For this to happen, FWD Takaful worked closely with the pitching agencies on an open creative brief, which could be delivered on a flexible timeline, while simultaneously giving them access to FWD’s Mind Strength services.

Raymond Chin, chief creative officer for Asia at VMLY&R, said, “Social change starts with a conversation, and talking about your problems can offer serious relief, so the new campaign aims to highlight this point and encourage open conversation in Malaysia as an antidote to the current stigma.”

He added, “It was refreshing to work on a pitch where the client understood the issues faced by agency teams and was willing to create a pitch brief that made the agencies’ mental health a priority. Everyone benefitted from the way FWD Takaful ran this pitch—the client got better ideas out of it, and the agency team was able to dedicate time and resources while making sure their mental health was taken care of.”

Malaysia – Global brand and customer experience agency VMLY&R Malaysia has introduced the fluffy influencer ‘Yunni’ as part of its new campaign for Telekom Malaysia’s (TM) game-changing Unifi offerings promotion. 

Yunni, VMLY&R Malaysia’s brainchild, is a larger-than-life mascot that personifies Unifi’s new convergence package, bringing together fixed broadband, mobile, and lifestyle services. This new convergence package removes the customer’s pain and frustration of store-hopping to various suppliers to get everything they need at a reasonable price.

The campaign features a single-minded message, ‘0% Geram, 100% Ngam’, which translates to  ‘0% anger, 100% perfect’. Unifi believes that finding a single telco in Malaysia to fulfil all of a customer’s digital lifestyle needs can be a complex and frustrating task.

And so, as part of the campaign, Yunni’s motto emphasises just how great it is to consolidate all these services to maximise savings and reduce frustration.

The campaign will also be available in TV commercials, digital films, OOH and DOOH, programmatic banners, social, on-ground activation, BTL, and in-store. There are also plans to expand Yunni as mascot merchandise after it has gained popularity.

Commenting on the campaign, Andrew Pinto, head of brand and marketing at TM, said, “This convergence campaign from Unifi offers a first-of-its-kind package that brings together fixed broadband, mobile, and lifestyle services into one game-changing offering. Unifi aims to provide an all-in-one solution offering more value for money and an elevated customer experience to become a one-stop centre.

He added, “VMLY&R worked with us to develop and execute a campaign which would communicate our new convergence plan in a way that would stand out and resonate with the market’s needs. Yunni is proving incredibly popular, and the results already speak for themselves.”

Victoria Chu, head of client engagement at VMLY&R Malaysia, also shared, “The success of this campaign stems from our strong partnership with the Unifi marketing team, who wholeheartedly believed in our capabilities and provided us with unwavering support. They entrusted us with the responsibility to spearhead one of the most significant campaigns of the year. This achievement marks just the beginning of our collaborative efforts, and we foresee further expansions on the horizon.”

London, UK – Multinational creative communications company WPP has announced the merger of two of its creative agencies, Wunderman Thompson and VMLY&R, to form creative company VML.

VML unites the capabilities of the two creative agencies in commerce, customer experience, and marketing technology to provide an improved set of offerings to its clients.

The creative company will be equipped to support clients on creative brand growth strategy and transformation initiatives, all powered by best-in-class data operations, technology platforms, and partnerships with various technology companies. It will also provide an exceptional offer for healthcare companies and B2B marketers.

Combining VMLY&R and Wunderman Thompson’s respective client bases, functional expertise, and geographic strengths, VML will have a hold on more than 30,000 people in 64 markets.

Wunderman Thompson and VMLY&R were both launched in 2018 and since then have experienced sustained growth and amassed a breadth of expertise, having worked on client development, new business, and acquisitions.

Both agencies have partnered with multiple clients across the globe, including Colgate-Palmolive, Dell, Ford, Microsoft, Nestlé, The Coca-Cola Company, and more.

With the merger, the parent company WPP also announced immediate leadership appointments, including Debbi Vandeven as global chief creative officer; Eric Campbell as global chief client officer; Juan Pablo Jurado as CEO for LATAM; Ewen Sturgeon as CEO for EMEA; and Audrey Kuah and Yi-Chung Tay to be co-CEOs for APAC.

Meanwhile, Jon Cook becomes the global CEO at VML, and Mel Edwards will take on the role of global president, with the management team bringing together strong leaders from across both companies.

Cook said, “The future of building strong brands and businesses requires the interconnectivity of brand experience, commerce, and customer experiences. We recognised the immediate opportunity to create what every consultancy and advertising agency aspires to build with the formation of VML. We’re especially excited to present our new offering to the industry, as we don’t believe there is another company as creatively awarded with our depth in customer experience and commerce.”

Also commenting on the merger, Edwards shared, “This is the right suite of capabilities, offered at just the right moment, at unprecedented scale. It’s incredibly exciting because, with this new agency, we have the chance to shape the future of modern marketing in every key market around the world. The opportunities it affords our people and the growth we can deliver for our clients at a global scale make this a real game-changer for each business and the wider industry.”

Meanwhile, Mark Read, CEO at WPP, said, “Scale matters in today’s world as AI and technology transform marketing and global clients look to simplify their relationships. VML will combine world-class creativity with deep expertise in data, marketing technology, and platforms to deliver a competitive advantage for ambitious brands. It’s another important step forward for WPP as we continue to reshape our offer for the future, simplify our business, and unlock further benefits of scale.”

“Separately, Wunderman Thompson and VMLY&R are two of WPP’s strongest and best-performing agencies. Together, they will deliver an even wider, fully integrated suite of capabilities to our clients in every market. Marketers today expect seamless links between their brand advertising and technology solutions and platforms. VML provides an immediate solution to this business imperative,” he added.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – VMLY&R Malaysia has announced four new strategic senior creative hires as part of the agency’s new vision of creative excellence, reinforcing VMLY&R’s positioning as a powerhouse for brand experience (BX) and customer experience (CX).

Suryadipura Salleh joins VMLY&R Malaysia as executive creative director, handpicked for his unique creative vision and brand of leadership. He partners ECDs Phoecus Lee and KC Aui to set new benchmarks of creative excellence across the agency. A former creative director at Naga DDB, Surya brings with him over 18 years’ experience in various creative roles. 

Meanwhile, rounding out the team of creative directors that include See Yee Chan, senior creative director of experiential; and Ai Vee Lim, creative director of digital, is Suffian Rahman and Maura Soewarna. 

Rahman brings with him more than decade of digital, social and GLC experience and expertise, and was most recently creative director for POS Malaysia Berhad. As part of the expansion of creative commerce capabilities across a wider region, he is joined by Soewarna in her new role as creative director for Indonesia. Formerly the associate creative director at ADA Indonesia, Soewarna comes with ten years of experience and an intimate knowledge of the Indonesian market and will be responsible for driving overall creative excellence and new business in Indonesia.

As part of the agency’s vision of offering sharper, stronger, and more innovative creative capabilities, another key senior creative is Loreen Eva Lim, who has been appointed as head of integrated creative services. She brings with her almost 20 years of production experience, most recently as head of content partnerships at MBCS; and will be responsible for streamlining and optimising the agency’s creative services delivery, project management, and boosting creative capabilities with innovation and tech.

The senior creative leadership team are supported by associate creative directors: Chow Tatt Ho, Simon Yip, Abiseshana Mohan and Zahir Mazlan.

All of the new hires will be based out of VMLY&R Malaysia’s office in Kuala Lumpur and report to VMLY&R Malaysia Chief Creative Officer, Didi Pirinyuang.

“This additional firepower supercharges our creative and specialist capabilities across all disciplines and every touchpoint of the brand, customer and commerce experience journey; mirroring the agency’s formula of success for brand management and strategic planning,” Pirinyuang said.

Meanwhile, Kenni Loh, chief creative officer at VMLY&R Malaysia, commented, “We are thrilled to welcome this dynamic cohort of creative minds to our burgeoning team. In an era, which calls for brand and customer experiences to be seamlessly intertwined with commerce, their talents will undoubtedly drive innovation and elevate the connected experiences we craft for our clients. Malaysia, with its rich tapestry of cultures and progressive digital landscape, offers a fertile ground for creative exploration, and our new team members are poised to harness this potential to its fullest. The future of BX, CX and commerce is bright and with our reinforced creative team, we more ready than ever to lead the charge.”

Malaysia – Tasked with redefining KFC Malaysia’s brand proposition in conjunction with its 50th Anniversary in 2023, global brand and customer experience agency VMLY&R created ‘Kentucky Town’, an immersive experience for customers and fans of the restaurant chain. 

Located at the Sunway Pyramid blue concourse in Kuala Lumpur, Kentucky Town was open to the public from July 4 to July 10, 2023. In partnership with KFC, VMLY&R planned and executed on-ground activations and communications around the event.

The program also coincided with International Fried Chicken Day on July 6 and was planned in the run-up to International Friendship Day on July 30. The creation of ‘Kentucky Town’ will also be leading to a series of additional events expected through the rest of the year.

Kentucky Town featured a secret menu, which included items such as ‘ Savours Cracklin  Gold Crunch’, ‘Korean Cheesy paper wrap’, ‘Samyang Buldak Double Down’, and more. The brand also collaborated with Malaysia’s cartoonist legend Ujang, and Pestle and Mortar, a popular, hype Malaysia streetwear brand to produce a curated streetwear collection called ‘Aku Budak Kepci’.

Using VMLY&R’s proprietary Intel Lab to gather data on KFC Malaysia’s next generation of consumers, the agency focused on Gen Z’s values of seeking genuine connections and trendy experiences that allow them to feel part of the group.  Based on this, the program featured activities such as an AR friendship tunnel, a virtual friendship mirror, a friendship tub photo space, and Kentucky Town Cooks motion capture game. Friendship-themed games were also hosted for the duration of the event, and International Fried Chicken Day saw chicken giveaways.

Commenting on the event, Premnath Unnikrishnan, chief marketing officer of KFC Malaysia, said, “Unforgettable experiences are at the heart of Kentucky Town, with every aspect thoughtfully curated to leave a lasting impression on visitors. KFC aims to create an enduring memory that will entice them to return, time and again, for the exceptional dining experience the brand is known for.”

Meanwhile, Sean Lim, head of brand experiential and activation, VMLY&R Malaysia, commented, “We know that the youth need to experience and feel – to form a bond with the brand therefore we made their town, Kentucky Town a completely multi-sensorial activation, bringing many activities together for an ultimate experience. Super fresh, exciting work, and a fantastic collaboration with our client in bringing to life an end-to-end Brand and Customer Experience with youth at its heart!”