Tag: We Are Social

Singapore – Footwear and apparel brand Skechers has partnered with creative agency We Are Social Singapore to launch the AI-powered retail assistant ‘Luna.’ The AI assistant, placed in its Punggol Coast Mall store, aims to enhance customers’ shopping experience.

As an AI-powered personal stylist, Luna recommends clothes based on customers’ styles and preferences. Through an interactive kiosk or Telegram, customers can get real-time personalised product suggestions.

The retail assistant uses a collection of AI models, enabling speech-to-speech communication with customers. Through Luna, customers can conveniently shop online and offline, enhanced by personalised recommendations. 

The activation is available at Skecher’s store for a limited time.

Irene Lee, senior general manager at Skechers Singapore, said, “As a comfort technology brand, harnessing new and innovative solutions to connect with our customers is part of our DNA. With the opening of our new store in Punggol Digital District, it enhances customers’ retail journey with a unique, social, and interactive experience with Luna.”

“The emergence of AI speech-to-speech technologies is powering an agentic AI revolution that forms the backbone of future consumer-facing systems. Luna is an additional touchpoint for Skechers to complement its innovative retail experience, uniting retail and online environments into a seamless ecosystem. This integration empowers brands to strengthen customer relationships and drive dynamic, two-way conversations that connect the shop floor and customers’ phones,” Manolis Perrakis, innovation director at We Are Social Singapore, commented.

Singapore – Internet users in Southeast Asia (SEA) rank among the top consumers of online short-form video content, according to a report from socially-led creative agency We Are Social and media intelligence company Meltwater.

We Are Social and Meltwater’s report reveals that SEA users consume more TikTok videos and reels over longer video content like vlogs. 

More specifically, internet users in the Philippines, Thailand, and Indonesia are among the top five countries globally who spend time watching short videos. Users in each country spend more than an hour a day watching them.

Filipinos spend nearly 10.5 hours weekly watching short-form videos while spending 9 hours and 14 minutes on longer content on average. 48.7% of Filipinos watch vlogs and influencer videos per week, significantly higher than the global average of 23.8%.

Meanwhile, Southeast Asians watch less television than other countries globally.

Social media use, gaming in SEA

A majority of the SEA population (70.4%) are social media users, spending an average of more than four days a week using various platforms. In the Philippines, users spend over 23 hours on social media every week, while Singaporeans only spend 11 hours and 38 minutes.

In Thailand and Malaysia, the weekly time spent on social media is over 18 hours, while Indonesians spend almost 16.5 hours. Vietnamese users spend under 14 hours on social media.

Social media users in the region spread their time across 7.10 platforms, higher than the global average of 6.86.

Additionally, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Thailand are among the top gamers globally, with 93% of internet users in each nation playing video games. The figure is higher than the global average of 83.5%. 28.6% of adults in the Philippines and 27.1% in Vietnam are interested in esports.

Naiyen Wang, managing director, Southeast Asia at We Are Social, said, “Southeast Asia is home to some of the most diverse and unique digital behaviours in the world. The Digital 2025: April Statshot report highlights this, especially when it comes to how consumers engage with video content and why short-form and small screens play a starring role. With consumers in this region spreading their time across multiple platforms, it’s critical for brands to invest in a smart content strategy to ensure maximum exposure with their audience.”

Bangkok, Thailand – Global socially-led creative agency We Are Social has today made a series of significant announcements across Asia-Pacific. Suzie Shaw, previously CEO of We Are Social Australia since 2015, has been promoted to the new role of Asia-Pacific CEO. Moreover, the agency has also announced the opening of a new office in Thailand to support its clients for the local market.

While continuing to lead the team in Australia, Suzie will now also be responsible for driving the agency’s growth across Asia-Pacific, fostering regional partnerships, and strengthening capabilities. She will drive innovation to meet the evolving needs of brands navigating an increasingly complex social and cultural landscape. 

Shaw has been instrumental in shaping We Are Social’s success to date. She has grown the Sydney team to over 60, delivering award-winning, culturally relevant campaigns for brands such as Samsung, Audi, adidas, and TikTok. Shaw is part of We Are Social’s Executive Management Board and reports to its global group CEO Toby Southgate. 

Meanwhile, We Are Socia office in Bangkok, Thailand will have inaugural clients such as L’Oréal, KFC, Warner Bros. Discovery, and T&B Media. It offers full-service capabilities and has a team of 19 people from creative, strategy, PR and influencer and client services disciplines, with open roles in technology and gaming. 

To date, the team has worked on a broad range of creative services, including always-on social, gaming and cultural insights-led activations, engaging with subcultures and passion-based communities, as well as utilising web 3.0 technology. 

It is led by Patt Nitikarn as managing director and Nutchanun Chiaphanumas as executive creative director, who collectively have extensive global creative credentials. 

Nitikarn commented, “Bangkok has always been a creative driving force, and there is now also a huge appetite for a culture and community-led approach to social-led creative. What’s really exciting for us as a team is being able to take the global vision of We Are Social – to lead the evolution of marketing – and make it culturally relevant for our market, whether that’s using cutting-edge technology to engage with consumers and subculture communities, or bringing creativity to always-on social. As an agency of pioneers and creative innovators, we’re excited to be working with brands that share our ambition.”

The agency’s launch in Bangkok further strengthens We Are Social’s footprint across Southeast Asia, with the agency already operating in Singapore and Indonesia. In order to build upon this success, We Are Social has promoted Naiyen Wang to the new role of managing director, Southeast Asia. 

Previously managing director of Singapore, Wang will now be responsible for overseeing the agency’s presence in the region, identifying growth opportunities and building close relationships between its teams to service its roster of regional clients. Nitikarn will report to Wang; Wang will report to Shaw.

Shaw commented, “I’m excited to step into this role and work alongside our incredibly talented teams across Asia-Pacific. We have a huge opportunity to help brands not just join the conversation but lead it in a way that truly resonates with their communities. Nowhere is this better reflected than the success Patt and the team in Thailand have had so far.”

She added, “Their social expertise in subcultures and innovative technology, combined with extremely impressive creative credentials is compelling, and resonating with forward-thinking brands. The growth from the team so far has been exceptional, and there is a lot more to come. I’m looking forward to rolling up my sleeves and pushing the boundaries of what social-first creativity can achieve.”

Lastly, Southgate stated, “This is an exciting moment for us, not only in Thailand, but also across Asia-Pacific where we see significant growth opportunities for socially-led creativity. Suzie’s exceptional track record and passion make her the perfect leader for our Asia-Pacific region. Likewise, Naiyen has been instrumental in establishing and growing our team in Singapore, and will be crucial in connecting our teams across Southeast Asia. And Patt is someone whose work speaks for itself. We Are Social is the world’s leading creative social agency and with people like Suzie, Naiyen and Patt leading us forward, our position will only continue to strengthen.”

London, United Kingdom – Socially-led creative agency We Are Social has appointed key leaders to boost its global operations. The agency has promoted Mobbie Nazir as its new chief strategy and growth officer, Emma Cumming as chief of staff, and Silvia Mauri as global head of people and culture.

Nazir previously held the role of global chief strategy officer. Expanding his role, Nazir will oversee the agency’s global business growth, solidifying its position in the market. He will also focus on marketing and public relations, bolstering social media strategy.

Meanwhile, Cumming was formerly the agency’s global culture director. In her new role, she will handle strategic initiatives, overseeing leadership effectiveness and internal communications.

Mauri, previously the global people director, will be focusing on the agency’s employee satisfaction and engagement in her new role.

Nazir, Cumming, and Mauri comprise We Are Social’s executive management board.

“Social media is more crucial than ever for marketers and We Are Social is in the fortunate position of being the world’s leading social agency at a time when investment in social is accelerating. As the social landscape evolves, we’re seeing increasing opportunities to build on what we’re best known for – our first-class social creative output – with more creator and influencer-led work, greater global scale and an increased focus on the integration of paid social and ROI-driven measurement. I’m excited to be taking on this role, helping align our approach to growth more closely with our wider business strategy,” Nazir commented. 

Toby Southgate, global group chief executive officer at We Are Social, said, “The promotions of Mobbie, Emma and Silvia mark a significant shift for We Are Social, demonstrating our commitment to growth and to our people. With Mobbie’s extensive experience in global client and strategy work, and her huge contribution to our business strategy and thought leadership over the last decade, she’s perfectly placed to drive our growth plans forward at the speed that social demands. 

“I’d also like to congratulate Emma and Silvia on their well-deserved promotions. They have both been key players in the agency for a long time, and their roles will be vital to ensuring that our people all over the world thrive, can make career-defining work, and have fun doing it. Their leadership will be invaluable to our continued success,” Southgate added.Southgate, to whom the newly promoted leaders will report, was recently appointed to lead We Are Social as global group CEO.

Singapore –  Creative agency We Are Social has appointed Naiyen Wang as its managing director for Southeast Asia (SEA). 

Prior to the appointment, Wang led as We Are Social’s managing director for Singapore for a year. Expanding her focus, Wang will oversee the agency’s operations and lead its strategies in SEA. 

Wang first joined the agency in 2022 as head of account management. She has also held leadership roles as regional business director for DDB and MullenLowe Group.

Recently, We Are Social announced the appointment of Toby Southgate as its global group chief executive officer.

In February, We Are Social teamed up with Meltwater for a report, which found a 4.3% increase in the number of social media platforms that Singaporeans use monthly compared to last year.

The agency also recently secured global fashion brand H&M’s creator strategy remit in Asia, adding the brand to its roster of clients.

Singapore – Singaporeans are using more social media platforms monthly, despite the overall decline in their average time spent online, according to Meltwater and We Are Social’s report. 

According to the report, the average Singaporean uses 7.2 social media platforms monthly, increasing by 4.3% from last year. However, daily time spent on social media has dropped by 8.4% to 2 hours and 2 minutes. 

Out of the top ten most downloaded mobile apps in Singapore, social media platforms accounted for six spots. TikTok remains the top platform consuming users’ time, averaging 34 hours and 29 minutes per month. YouTube ranks second, with users spending an average of 29 hours and 45 minutes monthly.

WhatsApp is the most preferred platform, used by 80.1% of Singaporeans monthly, with 30.4% favouring the messaging app. Meanwhile, 15.3% prefer Facebook and 14.2% opt for TikTok.

Chat and messaging remain the most used apps and websites by Singaporeans (97%) followed by social networks (95.9%).

Additionally, social media advertising continues to grow, seeing a 15.9% increase in advertising spend while influencer advertising rose by 13.6%.

Nai Yen Wang, managing director at We Are Social Singapore, commented, “The latest Digital 2025: Singapore report highlights the impact that the emergence of newer platforms has had on social media consumption in the nation. With more platforms and less total consumption time, brands need to invest in smart social media strategies to ensure they stay top of mind with their target audience.”

Singapore – Creative agency We Are Social has been appointed to spearhead global fashion brand H&M’s creator strategy and engagement in Asia.

We Are Social’s remit encompasses strategy development, end-to-end content creator management, and local market research. The agency will manage the account from its regional hub in Singapore, ensuring collaboration with local teams for effective execution.

The appointment adds H&M to We Are Social’s roster of clients, which includes Samsung Mobile, HBO, UOB, and Ferrari.

Elin Sandberg, head of marketing at H&M East Asia, commented, “We have a passion for engaging with our community of fashion aspirers, and we know that content creators are a key source of inspiration for them. As H&M continues to elevate our brand experience across East Asia,  we are happy to partner up with We Are Social to help us engage and connect with the content creators our customers love.”

Nai Yen Wang, managing director of We Are Social Singapore, said, “We are delighted to partner with H&M to amplify the brand’s presence with a carefully curated mix of content creators in its key markets. Asia is home to some of the most active consumers of social media content, making it critical for brands in this region to have a robust influencer strategy in place as part of their marketing mix.”

Singapore – Nearly two-thirds (61.5%) of Southeast Asia’s population are active on social media, accounting for 10.2% of the world’s social media identities, according to a report by We Are Social and Meltwater.

The report highlights Southeast Asia’s strong affinity for social media, with users in every country exceeding the global average of 6.83 platforms. On average, Filipinos use 8.36 platforms, followed by Malaysians (8.12), Indonesians (7.93), Singaporeans (7.24), and users in both Vietnam and Thailand (7.11).

Delving deeper, Filipinos spend an average of 3 hours and 32 minutes on social media daily—over an hour more than the global average. They also have a strong affinity for influencers and vlog content, with 44.9% following influencers on social media and nearly half (48.3%) watching vlogs or influencer videos weekly.

Meanwhile, in Indonesia, social media accounts for nearly half (42.6%) of the country’s total online activity. Two-thirds of Indonesian users actively search for brands on social media, while 82.1% use it for brand research.

Indonesians are also among the world’s most engaged TikTok users, spending close to two full days per month (44 hours and 54 minutes) on the app. Malaysia follows closely, with users averaging 42 hours and 44 minutes on TikTok each month.

Thailand ranks as YouTube’s second most engaged market, with users spending an impressive 42 hours and 14 minutes on the platform—far exceeding the global average of 27 hours and 10 minutes. Meanwhile, Singapore stands out as a top market for Reddit, with users spending 3 hours and 56 minutes on the platform each month and accessing it an average of 116.9 times.

Notably, over a third of the region also relies on social media as a source of news.

Anton Reyniers, head of strategy at We Are Social Singapore, commented, “Southeast Asia is home to some of the most active and engaged social media users in the world. With users across the region spending their time across more than seven platforms – above the global average – and more than half using social media for brand research, it’s integral for marketers to ensure they have a carefully considered strategy to capture their audience’s attention across each platform.”

“This latest report highlights the nuances across different demographics in the social and broader digital ecosystem to help marketers make informed decisions in their plans for 2025 and beyond,” he added.

The report names YouTube as the most used social platform at the start of 2025, with a user base 16% larger than WhatsApp. Instagram leads as the world’s favourite platform, with 16.6% of users pledging loyalty, followed by WhatsApp (16%) and Facebook (13.1%).

Meanwhile, TikTok’s Android users are spending almost 35 hours per month on the app, with time spent increasing by nearly two hours from August to November 2024. In terms of growth, Threads has 320 million monthly active users, with over 100 million active daily users, while Bluesky, with more than 30 million registered users, still has fewer than 25 million monthly active users.

Meltwater and We Are Social further highlight the growing importance of social media for marketers, as half of adult users now visit platforms to learn more about brands—a trend that’s steadily rising. Instagram leads in brand research, with 62.3% of users using it for this purpose, followed by Facebook (52.5%) and TikTok (51.5%). Additionally, 22% of social media users follow influencers, a figure that rises to 30.8% among women aged 16 to 24.

In 2024, global ad spend reached US$1.1t, a 7.3% increase from 2023, with digital channels now accounting for 72.7% of this investment. Online ad spend surpassed US$790 billion, growing 10.3% year-on-year. Social media ad spend rose to $243 billion, up 15%, while global influencer marketing spend increased 14%, reaching $35 billion.

“With digital ad spend exceeding $790 billion in 2024 and social media ad spend growing more than 15% within that, it’s clear that businesses are investing more than ever in capturing consumer attention. Along with this growing investment comes the growing need to prove ROI and show results based on marketing campaigns. With user behaviour on social platforms continuing to shift, teams need data to inform decisions about what platforms to prioritise and create strategies for,” said Alexandra Bjertnæs, chief strategy officer at Meltwater.

The report also highlighted ChatGPT’s growth, with its mobile app averaging over a quarter of a billion monthly active users from September to November 2024. It ranked as one of the world’s most downloaded apps, placing eighth globally. Additionally, ChatGPT.com saw 310 million unique visitors, generating 3.5 billion visits during the same period.

Toby Southgate, global group CEO at We Are Social, said, “Social is where brands can win or lose – it’s central to brand discovery, consumer engagement, and commerce. At the same time, AI is revolutionising how we search, create, and interact, while influencers continue to shape content trends and consumer behaviours.”

“The opportunities for marketers to drive meaningful engagement have never been broader, but the complexity of digital and social media – evident in our 630+ page report – means there’s no single route to success. To create effective work, brands need to understand the cultural nuances of the online world and create ideas worth talking about. Those who do will make an impact,” he added.

UK –  Former Forsman & Bodenfors CEO Toby Southgate has officially taken the helm as We Are Social’s global group chief executive officer, bringing his expertise in creative leadership to drive the agency’s global growth and innovation.

As global CEO, Southgate will lead We Are Social’s 1,200-strong team across four continents. He will work to enhance collaboration, drive growth, and expand the agency’s creative offerings in partnership with major clients like Samsung, Amazon Music, Starbucks, adidas, Activision, Netflix, and Booking.com.

Southgate previously served as CEO of Forsman & Bodenfors, where he unified global offices post-merger, achieved gender pay equity, and strengthened cross-border collaboration. Under his leadership, the agency worked with major clients like Volvo, Google, Procter & Gamble, and Diageo.

With global experience spanning North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, Southgate was also global chief growth officer at McCann WorldGroup, holding regional leadership roles across Europe and the UK. Earlier, he spent a decade at WPP’s Brand Union, leading it to its first major wins at Cannes and the Effies.

Talking about his appointment, Southgate shared, “I’ve long admired We Are Social. It led the way by recognising the power of social and digital platforms for brands at scale, and, as a result, it’s the only truly global agency in its space. Today, We Are Social has an extremely talented team and an incredibly bright future.”

“We’ll be expanding our offering as the world’s most creative social agency, in partnership with what is undeniably a stellar roster of clients. The energy and appetite for growth and evolution with the network is really compelling. The role was very easy to accept,” he added. 

Southgate takes over from We Are Social co-founder and former group CEO Nathan McDonald, who stepped down in October 2024. Brett Marchand, CEO of parent company Plus Company, served as interim CEO.

Marchand commented, “We Are Social has had an extraordinary journey to become the world’s foremost social agency, with a significant global footprint, a talented team, amazing work, and spectacular clients.” 

He continued, “I believe that Toby’s experience in leading multinational agencies to growth, combined with an exceptional leadership team at We Are Social, will be the winning combination to unlock the agency’s full potential. Toby’s passion for creating a culture where people are a priority so they can thrive and do their best work was clear from the outset. He’s a first-class leader who will help steer We Are Social steadfastly into the next stage in its evolution.”

Artificial intelligence. It’s been the hot topic for the last two years since generative AI exploded into the mainstream. And to be honest, it isn’t going anywhere. There has been lots of chatter about how the technology will revolutionise our lives and in 2025, I believe this is when we will truly see some game-changing innovation with AI that moves beyond just productivity.

From becoming your personal assistant to the evolution of generated content and the emergence of artificial general intelligence (AGI), these are the next big trends in AI we can expect to see over the coming year and beyond.

The year of the AI agent

AI agents have been popping up throughout 2024. For those who might have missed them or are unsure what an ‘AI agent’ is, it is basically an autonomous intelligent system performing specific tasks with minimal to no human intervention. Their purpose is ultimately to automate those mundane and time consuming tasks, usually with the ability to complete them instantaneously.

Not only will they become your very own personal assistant, but they will also increasingly assist in customer support roles. Speaking to Bloomberg recently, Sequoia Capital’s Konstantine Buhler noted not only will 2025 become the year of the AI agent but we will also begin to see them working together in swarms and networks. 

Significant cloud infrastructure is currently being developed to support voice-to-voice AI agents across various scenarios. So expect to see more of them used for customer service, development, language translation and in gaming and entertainment.

The next evolution of content creation

AI generated content is going nowhere in 2025 – it is only set to become more prolific across all mediums. Beyond just text and image, we will see video and audio generation technology continue to evolve, improving quality and consistency. 

Generative 3D content will also gain more traction. Unlike generative text, image, and video content, AI-generated 3D has seen less development, though it’s crucial for immersive social experiences. Innovations like Gaussian splatting – an advanced form of photogrammetry – and generative 3D are set to break new ground.

Additionally, with the pressures to be constantly creating and appearing in content, it’s likely we will see influencers and content creators leverage generative AI tools to produce videos, images, and other content. The success of new tools, like NotebookLM, allow creators to be replaced or augmented by multimodal AIs capable of replicating their likeness.

This is all, of course, a double-edged sword with concerns around deepfakes, impersonations and breach of copyright remaining front and centre. For these reasons, mainstream video and audio generators will face increased scrutiny regarding their training datasets. Companies like Suno, currently facing legal action from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and Runway, which reportedly trained on thousands of YouTube videos, are already being examined. 

On the flip side, Adobe has been setting the standard to avoid such issues. Its generative AI tool Adobe Firefly takes a cautious approach by using only licensed material. This shift will eventually provide clarity and establish a framework for brands to safely use generative technologies.

Beyond the LLM

The evolution of large language models (LLMs) has started to plateau, highlighting the need for new technologies and methodologies to push further advancements and work towards AGI. Although AGI is not necessary for practical AI applications, it remains a significant milestone.

AGI is when the technology will be able to perform tasks that it is not necessarily trained or developed for. AI as we know it is usually trained on set parameters, whereas AGI will be able to train itself beyond these parameters and learn new skills autonomously. 

The concept sounds very Black Mirror – and for now, it still is very much a theoretical concept. However, given the rapid pace of AI development, unless we face another AI winter, it might not be too far away.

As a techno-optimist, I believe that AI will bring some of its most exciting developments yet in 2025. However, much work remains in areas like education, informed regulation, and the development of mechanisms and methodologies to ensure this powerful technology is used responsibly and not for malicious purposes. If we get this right, AI will unlock exciting possibilities for both businesses and consumers.

This thought leadership is written by Manolis Perrakis, Innovation Director at We Are Social Singapore

The insight is published as part of MARKETECH APAC’s thought leadership series under What’s NEXT in Marketing 2025, a multi-platform industry initiative which features marketing and industry leaders in APAC sharing their marketing insights and predictions for 2025 and beyond.