Tag: We Are Social

Singapore – Socially-led creative agency, We Are Social Singapore, has bolstered its creative and strategy teams with two new senior hires, Daniel Foo as creative director and Darcy Mitchell as strategy director.

Foo joins the agency after nearly three years client-side with e-commerce company Lazada. Reporting to regional executive creative director Omar Sotomayor, Foo is responsible for leading the creative team to deliver social-first, innovative, and effective work for clients.

Foo is a seasoned creative with more than 15 years of experience working at agencies including BBH, Grey Group, JWT and McCann on clients across industries including tech, banking, tourism and retail. 

“Joining We Are Social has been an extremely exciting opportunity. I am enjoying the chance to deep dive into a discipline that directly engages our audience, one where we get instant feedback on the work we do – it’s the now and the future of marketing,” Foo said.

Meanwhile, Mitchell has been charged with leading social strategy and planning for key client accounts and innovation projects. He reports to We Are Social Singapore’s head of strategy, James Honda-Pinder.

Mitchell joins after several years of consulting adtech and SaaS companies on brand positioning and content strategy. A British native, Mitchell brings a wealth of experience working across strategy, social, content and business development in both London and Singapore with agencies including Iris and Dentsu.

“I am delighted to join We Are Social – and with that, rejoin the world of social – because of my conviction in the agency’s mission and the creativity, clarity and innovation of the team driving it. I’m looking forward to working across our Samsung and innovation portfolio and collaborating across departments and offices to unlock new areas of growth both in and outside of consumer tech,” Mitchell stated.

Nai Yen Wang, managing director of We Are Social Singapore, commented, “Daniel and Darcy are both excellent additions to the team, adding the right firepower and expertise that we need to continue delivering market-leading strategic, creative and innovative future tech solutions for our clients to recharge their marketing mix. We are thrilled to have them join the agency.”

Singapore – Southeast Asians are more active on social media than their global counterparts, and are now the world’s most active gamers, according to a report by creative agency We Are Social and social and media intelligence firm Meltwater. 

According to the report, social media users in Southeast Asia are all above the global average in terms of usage rate, and that the Philippines, Indonesia, and Vietnam took all three of the top spots in the latest rankings for percentage of internet users playing video games worldwide.

Going further into detail, this above average rate of social media use in Southeast Asia encompasses countries such as the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, with users in the Philippines notably spending 3 hours and 30 minutes each day on social media – an extra 1 hour and 10 minutes above the global average.

With the TikTok app, Southeast Asians surpass the global average time spent on TikTok which is 31 hours and 47 minutes, as Indonesia clocks in with 38h 24m, followed by Malaysia (38h 7m), Thailand (37h 18m), the Philippines (36h 49m), Vietnam (36h 16m), and Singapore (32h 59m).

Gaming is also very popular within the region, with Filipinos taking the top spot as 96.5% are seen as active gamers, followed by Indonesians (95.3%) and the Vietnamese (94.7%).

This prominence of usage in the area also extends to viewing video content as 97.4% of internet users in the Philippines watch TV via streaming services – above the global average of 92.7% and the second highest globally. Similarly, the nation tops watching music videos online (72.9%) and vlogs (49.9%). 

Other notable areas where Southeast Asians record higher than average is YouTube, wherein Thailand spends the second most time globally using YouTube’s app with 42 hours and 49 minutes each month, and podcasts, with nearly twice as many Indonesians (40.2%) listening to podcasts each week compared with their global counterparts.

The report also found out that Gen Z are the biggest users of search engines and email, as more than 83% of the demographic used a search engine in the past month, which is higher than any other age group. Young women, who are the biggest users of TikTok, are actually the most prolific users of search engines.

Lastly, despite assumptions about the generation, data shows that Gen Z is also the biggest users of email with around three-quarters using email each month.

Singapore – We Are Social, a global socially-driven creative agency, has announced two senior advancements for its Singapore team. Nai Yen Wang has been appointed managing director, with Kelson Ong taking on the job of general manager. 

Chris Chong, who left to seek other opportunities, was replaced in senior positions at We Are Social’s Singapore office by Wang and Ong. Wang reports directly to We Are Social’s group chief operating officer, Chris Adamson, while Ong reports to Wang.

Wang’s new role will involve her leading and developing We Are Social Singapore’s innovation credentials, operational strategy, and vision. She will also be in charge of fostering an inclusive, innovative, and forward-thinking culture and accelerating growth. 

In 2022, Wang joined We Are Social serving as the head of account management. Her last job at DDB was regional business director, APAC, before joining We Are Social. As the leader of regional network clients, she oversaw companies like J&J and Unilever and was instrumental in helping them create new operating models that promoted expansion.

We Are Social Singapore’s business growth and team management will be under Ong’s supervision in his new role. He will be responsible for making sure clients receive creative and useful solutions. 

Ong, formerly the business director, joined We Are Social in 2021 after leaving Netflix. Throughout his career at We Are Social, Ong has been a key component of the leadership team, working to enhance offerings such as gaming, influence, and.XYZ, as well as recruit new clients. 

Speaking about her appointment, Wang commented, “Since joining We Are Social Singapore, I have been impressed with how deeply embedded innovation is in our culture. We’re globally focused and deliver innovation focused and social-first work for our clients that evolves the way marketing is done. 

She added, “I’m thrilled to be given the opportunity to lead and work alongside this talented team. Together we will continue to build a culture that focuses on our people, deliver game-changing work and offerings inspired by data and enabled by technology to unlock new areas of growth in Singapore, Southeast Asia and beyond.” 

Meanwhile, Ong said, “Innovation is in We Are Social’s DNA. As the world of marketing continues to evolve and rapid advancement in technology is made, we have already built a robust service offering that supports the needs of clients both today and tomorrow. I’m excited to be given the opportunity to work with Nai Yen and our leadership team to further amplify these capabilities to drive growth and unlock new opportunities for both the agency and clients.”

Nathan McDonald, co-founder and group CEO of We Are Social, expressed, “Chris has done an incredible job in leading and growing We Are Social Singapore since she joined us in 2016. She’s been particularly committed to innovation, and bolstering our future strategy arm, .XYZ. Nai Yen and Kelson’s promotions are both well-deserved, and I’m confident that the team will continue to thrive with their leadership, guidance and support.” 

Furthermore, Chris Chong, remarked, “Nai Yen and Kelson are both talented and effective leaders who have been instrumental in building We Are Social Singapore into the successful business it is today. They’ve helped build an enviable client base and establish a first reputation for innovation. I’m pleased to be leaving the team in safe hands.” 

Hong Kong – Kathy Wong has been appointed general manager of We Are Social, a global creative agency, in Hong Kong. She will report directly to Pete Lin, CEO of We Are Social in North Asia. 

Wong’s new position will include overseeing both We Are Social Hong Kong and the creative agency Metta/We Are Social. Wong will lead a team of 20 at We Are Social and work with clients including Keetah, Abbott, GEOX, and Alipay. 

Wong brings a wide range of knowledge and experience to her new role, having worked for more than 18 years. She had worked for several advertising firms in the past, such as Ogilvy, TBWA, and FCB, and RollRollRoll, where she was the business director. 

Wong began her professional career at Metta Communications, which in 2022 amalgamated with We Are Social to establish Metta/We Are Social. She has managed clients like Mercedes Benz, Barclays Capital, Hong Kong Disneyland, and L’Oreal Travel Retail. 

Kathy Wong takes over the role previously held by Donald Wong, who left We Are Social Hong Kong to seek possibilities in the United States. 

Speaking about her appointment, Wong expressed,“I am thrilled to join the We Are Social team in Hong Kong, and to rejoin Metta where I have many great memories. I look forward to drawing on my experience in both agency and client-side roles to continue to help We Are Social’s clients excel creatively and strategically. I am excited to expand the team at We Are Social, drive the digital discipline in Hong Kong forward, and serve the digital marketing demands of both local and international clients.” 

Meanwhile, Lin commented, “We’re delighted that Kathy has chosen to join the team at We Are Social. She’s a first-class communicator with an unrivalled reputation in the Hong Kong advertising world, and there’s no better person to take our growing team to the next level.” 

Singapore – We Are Social Gaming, the gaming-focused division of global socially-led creative agency We Are Social, has announced three distinct new offerings to help brands, publishers and developers cut through in gaming spaces.

The first one is the gaming division aiming to simplify theprocess of getting non-gaming brands into the gaming space by showing them there are levels to play and multiple ways to win. For We Are Social, there is no “one size fits all” approach – as bespoke solutions put clients and their products and the centre of conversation at a time where gaming is shaping culture.

In addition, the agency is also offering game developers and publishers a full-funnel, connected and amplified approach to socially-led product marketing, with a focus on brand building, conversion, and player retention across new and existing titles.

Lastly, We Are Social also taps into its broad roster of clients and connections to create meaningful partnerships with brands and developers, introducing each to new audiences. 

We Are Social Gaming consists of a global squad of more than 50 of the agency’s most skilled gaming and esports experts from multiple disciplines, who work across We Are Social’s entire client portfolio to identify gaming opportunities for brands in all sectors and industries. 

Some of its gaming clients include Activision/Blizzard, Riot Games, Sony, Twitch, G2 and Fnatic, and it has worked with non-gaming brands such as Uber Eats, Vodafone and Renault on gaming-focused campaigns over the last few years. 

Rachel Rakowski, global head of gaming at We Are Social said, “It’s safe to say that gaming is no longer niche – it has firmly cemented itself as part of culture and as such is one of the most sought-after media spaces for brands today. However, gaming spaces are not like traditional media, and there’s no ‘one size fits all’ approach. Brands and developers need to think differently to cut through the noise.”

She added, “This is why we’ve launched our three new offerings, which will give companies from any sector or industry an opportunity to connect with gaming communities in a number of different ways. We’ll be focused on work that’s rooted in culture, driving connections between people, communities, and brands, all while crafting messages meaningful to our clients’ audiences and providing meaningful ROI.” 

Singapore – Singaporeans’ social media app of choice is messaging platform WhatsApp, according to a digital report released by creative agency We Are Social and social media and intelligence firm Meltwater.

Data from the report mainly suggests that WhatsApp takes the top spot in Singapore for both favourite (27.2%) and most used social media platform (74.7%) with local users clocking an average of 978 sessions per month in its Android app.

Notably, the report finds that Singaporeans are spending an average of 2 hours and 14 minutes a day on social media across an average of 6.9 social media platforms each month, with 5.13 million social media user identities in Singapore which equates to 85% of the nation’s population. 

Aside from WhatsApp, Facebook ranked second place as favourite (16.7%) and most used (72.7%) social media platform in Singapore, while TikTok tops the spot for most time spent in the Android app with a total of 33 hours, 23 minutes per month. TikTok was the most downloaded app in Singapore in 2023, followed by messaging app Telegram and Bytedance-owned video editing tool Capcut.

In terms of how they use their social media platforms, the report said that Singaporeans like to stay connected with messaging (97.5%) being the number one type of app or website they visit, followed by social networks (95.8%). Aside from keeping in touch with family and friends (43.4%), filling in spare time (35.5%) and reading the news (32.6%) are the main reasons that more than a third use social media. 

Talking about these findings, James Honda-Pinder, head of strategy at We Are Social Singapore, said, “While Instagram may be the favoured social media app in other markets, in Singapore we see social media users favour platforms that offer focused utility. For connection and increasingly for business communication, WhatsApp is a clear leader.”

“Elsewhere, TikTok continues to its staggering rise, as it becomes a bonafide platform for search and discovery, not just entertainment. In an era of fragmented attention where brands are vying to capture the attention of consumers, TikTok’s platform continues to show strong engagement with average usage amounting to more than 33 hours a month – that’s more than one whole day on the app. It’s a rocketship”, he added.

Singapore – We Are Social and Meltwater has recently released their annual report on social media usage globally, and has noted that amidst a 5-billion strong global users base, users in Southeast Asia proved to one of most active user base, from gaming to social media usage.

According to the report, the average time spent on social media in the Philippines (3 hours, 34 minutes), Indonesia (3 hours, 11 minutes), Malaysia (2 hours, 48 minutes), Thailand (2 hours, 31 minutes) and Vietnam (2 hours, 25 minutes) is above the global average of 2 hours, 23 minutes. Singapore spends 2 hours, 14 minutes on social media.

It is also worth noting that Singapore ranks 10th globally for social media adoption versus total population. The total number of social media identities as a percentage of Singapore’s population is 85%.

Meanwhile, the average number of social media platforms used in the Philippines (8.0), Malaysia (7.9) and Indonesia (7.8) see these nations rank second, third and fourth respectively worldwide. The average in Singapore (6.9) also ranks higher than the worldwide average (6.7). Moreover, the Philippines topped the list globally for the highest percentage of social media users (43.9%) who say they follow influencers or other experts on social media.

Additionally, Indonesia (62.8%), Malaysia (61.5%) and the Philippines (60.0%) ranked second, third and fourth respectively up against other nations globally for the percentage of social media users who visit social media in order to learn about brands and see their content. Thailand (53.7%) and Vietnam (52.5%) were also above the global average (48.9%).

The percentage of internet users from Vietnam (81.2%), Indonesia (80.9%), the Philippines (79.2%) and Malaysia (76.8%) who use social media to research brands and products they’re considering buying is also above the worldwide average (73.9%).

Lastly, Southeast Asians are amongst the top gamers. Indonesia (96.5%) and the Philippines (95.5%) top the list globally of internet users in playing video games on any device. Thailand and Vietnam follow closely behind in the fourth spot globally with 93.2% of internet users playing video games.

From a global perspective, Facebook–which celebrates its 20th birthday on February 4–grew its global ad reach by more than 200 million over the past 12 months, delivering year-on-year growth of 10.5%. LinkedIn, Snapchat, WeChat and Pinterest also have all reported strong user growth year-on-year. 

Meanwhile, digital ad spend grew by 10 percent year-on-year, with almost $720 billion spent on digital ads in 2023. Social ad spend increased by 9.3% to USD $207 billion, and investment in influencer activities increased by 17%. 

Nathan McDonald, co-founder and group chief executive at We Are Social commented: “Social media continues to be a vital part of the way we connect with one another, from building communities to researching purchases and everything in between. TikTok’s continued popularity has changed the way that people behave online – social is not somewhere where a broadcast approach works for brands, and the importance of thinking social first has never been more important.”

He added, “It’s encouraging to see strong growth across multiple social platforms, each offering something different, whether that’s Pinterest for social commerce or Facebook for connecting with communities. For marketers, understanding platform nuances – and how to use social media to connect in culturally relevant ways – will be more crucial than ever.”

Meanwhile, Alexandra Saab Bjertnæs, chief strategy officer at Meltwater, said: “As social media enters its next chapter with five billion-plus users, understanding usage patterns, engagement, and emerging trends is crucial to helping brands find their unique voice amidst all the online chatter.”

She added, “The rise of TikTok, coupled with Instagram’s ‘favorite’ status and the growth of professional networking platforms like LinkedIn, paints a picture of evolving preferences. With so many platform choices, brands need to really understand where their target audience is going for information—and shape compelling narratives that engage them with unparalleled precision and authenticity.”

Singapore – Global socially-led creative agency We Are Social has announced its appointment of Omar Sotomayor as its regional executive creative director in Southeast Asia.

In his new role, Sotomayor will oversee the agency’s creative vision and strategy in the region, lead creative excellence, and manage a creative team of more than 30, in locations including Singapore and Indonesia.

He will collaborate with clients, including Samsung Mobile, Netflix, and Google, to deliver innovation and effective creative solutions, while spearheading creative efforts across We Are Social’s specialist offerings in the Southeast Asia region. This includes the agency’s future-tech and innovation arm, .XYZ, which is led by the team in Singapore.

Sotomayor brings 18 years of experience in the advertising industry, and previously was executive creative director & regional community lead at Edelman Singapore, where he helped lead the transformation of the creative department and integrated solutions while driving growth through new business wins.

Speaking on his appointment, Sotomayor said, “I’m excited about We Are Social’s in-house capabilities, talent, and innovative spirit. They have a unique socially-led vision that combines tech and culture, opening doors to creative possibilities. I look forward to learning from the team and helping to reimagine our clients’ businesses.”

Meanwhile, Christina Chong, CEO of We Are Social in Southeast Asia, commented, “I was immediately drawn to Omar’s approach and dedication to his work, his way of thinking, and more generally, his passion for innovation and creativity.His exceptional knowledge and creative experience, alongside his deep understanding of the social and digital landscape, will be invaluable to our clients.”

“His leadership will take our creative teams in Singapore and Indonesia to the next level, all while driving forward the creative offering for .XYZ and in new markets for We Are Social in Southeast Asia,” she added.

London – A new report by We Are Social notes how there is an uptick of ;social reckoning’ for brands in value-driven online spaces. 

The new report explored how individuals on social media are reevaluating and reshaping their sense of self-worth in the context of increased commercialization and commodification. They are questioning the value of their participation and involvement, their communities, and their creative contributions.

It also showed how the changing perception of value in social media is reflected in trends like creators emphasising knowledge over possessions and the debate over users purchasing verification on X (formerly Twitter). 

According to the argument made, cultural phenomena such as ‘Barbiemania’ in 2023 demonstrate people’s willingness to embrace manufactured hype as long as it creates opportunities for play, creativity, and community. 

The report has identified five trends under the umbrella of “The Social Reckoning,” analysing their possible influence on social media in the upcoming year and providing examples of how brands can use these trends into their marketing plans. 

Speaking about the report, Mobbie Nazir, global chief strategy officer at We Are Social, said,  “Our Think Forward report this year, as the name suggests, shows that a reckoning has come in social spaces. The commercialisation of digital worlds is forcing people to try new ways of creating, absorbing and sharing content. First it was the trend of de-influencing, now users are looking for new forms of self-expression even within a more commoditised landscape.” 

She added, “This new coalition government of capitalism and creativity has an inbuilt space for brands – but also a new and nuanced set of demands. Every brand will be judged: are you making a sponsored ad or are you a patron of the arts? It will be fascinating to see if – and how – brands are able to respond to these deeper measures of relevance and authenticity.” 

China – Sunny Zhu has been appointed as the general manager of the Shanghai office of the international creative agency We Are Social. Zhu’s responsibilities in this position include managing daily office operations and leading clients’ strategic expansion initiatives.

She formerly held the position of business unit director, and is now a general manager. In her new position, she will continue to work with companies like Google, Ferrari, and Korean Air while also focusing on regional growth and working with a team of 40 people. 

She joined We Are Social in 2016, and Zhu now reports to Tristan Qin, China Region EVP, with an extended scope of responsibilities. This encompasses leading the agency’s strategic initiatives and managing internal training and development programs throughout the organisation.

Speaking about her new role, Zhu said, “The team in Shanghai has been growing in recent years, and I’m excited to be part of a dynamic business that’s making great creative work. There’s a great spirit of collaboration and innovation, and in this next chapter, I’m looking forward to leading the team and driving results for clients.” 

Meanwhile, Pete Lin, CEO of North Asia, said, “Sunny has always stood out as an ambitious and talented leader, and over the years she has become a driving force and positive influence within the agency.” 

He added, “We’re excited to see how Sunny will help accelerate the growth of the Shanghai office as it becomes a dominant force in the Chinese advertising landscape.”