Large Regional PR Consultancies of the Year 2024

The 2024 Asia-Pacific PR Consultancies of the Year are the result of an exhaustive research process involving more than 100 submissions and meetings with the best PR firms across the region.

Consultancy of the Year winners are announced and honoured at the 2024 Asia-Pacific SABRE Awards, taking place in Singapore on 19 September. Analysis of all Finalists and Winners can be accessed via the navigation menu or below:

Winner

Weber Shandwick (IPG)

Backstory

Stability is not necessarily the most exciting characteristic of successful agencies, but there is no doubt that Weber Shandwick has turned this quality into a significant virtue amid considerable turbulence, both inside and outside the Asia-Pacific PR industry. The firm’s Asia-Pacific operation has continued to evolve since North Asia chief Tyler Kim was elevated to regional CEO in early 2021, thanks to a cohesive regional strategy that often means the whole adds up to more than the sum of its parts — thanks to considerable geographic breadth and specialist depth in such areas as healthcare, digital/analytics, social impact, employee engagement, technology and consumer marketing. Significantly, the firm has devoted considerable energy to an “intersectional” strategy which recognises that today’s PR challenges are complex and cross-functional, requiring subject matter expertise in such areas as ESG, Asian brands going global, healthcare (including women’s health) and C-suite consultancy. In this, the firm is helped by an outstanding healthcare practice, supported by a network that features impressive operations in China, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore and India.

Locations

There are around 800 Asia-Pacific staffers working across a regional footprint that features major operations in Greater China (350 people), North Asia (160), Singapore (100) and India (180).

Performance

Weber Shandwick expanded topline revenue by 8% in 2023, propelled by Greater China (+5% including 11% growth in Hong Kong), North Asia (+12%) and Singapore (+18%). The firm’s healthcare practice (+38%) continues to impress, now accounting for 20% of regional revenue), while its key consumer practice was up 11% and there was also significant expansion from corporate advisory and financial comms. The firm’s top 20 clients expanded by 19%, featuring such names as Pfizer, Moderna, GM, Richemont, Microsoft, Expedia, Tata, Tencent, Nike, Samsung, Novartis, Mastercard and Nestle. There was plenty of new business too, from MSD, Abbott, Sanofi, GSK and Haleon in healthcare; Diageo, Coca-Cola and CP Meiji in F&B; Vistra in financial services; Richemont, Turkish Airlines, IWC and Ascott in lifestyle and leisure; and Lazada, Harley-Davidson and Anessa in retail/CPG. Much of this expansion, furthermore is driven by Weber Shandwick’s ability to blend strategic consulting, analytics/intelligence, geopolitical advisory and sustainability counsel across corporate, consumer, healthcare and technology. This is reflected in corporate assignments for Zuellig Pharma, Vistra and Mattel; sustainability counsel for Dow, Samsung, Amazon and Adidas; creative innovation for Expedia, Cartier and Anta; and healthcare solutions for MSD, J&J Labs, Moderna, Pfizer, Tata Trusts and Novartis.

People & Culture

Kim is supported by a team that includes chief client and growth officer Vanessa Ho Nikolovski, Albert Shu, who oversees a relatively unique Singapore/Hong Kong hub model, corporate affairs head Carolyn Devanaygam, strategic planning and intelligence head Wong Hin-Yan and market leaders Elizabeth Bae, Corbin Hsieh, Campbell Hanley and Valerie Pinto. The new Weber Shandwick Collective has four core values—curiosity, courage, inclusion and impact—and “DE&I and values” are viewed as inseparable, with inclusion laying the groundwork for equity and belonging. In Asia, there has been significant progress to empower employees to lead initiatives that foster collaboration, mutual support and belonging — highlighted by numerous workplace awards and a staff retention rate of 74%.

Thought Leadership & Work

Weber Shandwick’s focus on ‘intersections’ between different business challenges has given it a strong thought leadership positioning, helping it solve issues that often span business, society and behavioural trends. That is supported by integrated media and digital capabilities which include particularly strong AI capabilities, while the firm’s sustainability and women’s health credentials are among the best in the region. Campaign highlights reflect how this focus is driving a significant improvement in Weber Shandwick’s work across the region, including SABRE-nominated campaigns for Expedia, Green Food Bank, Anta, Casetify, PVR and Motherhood Women & Childcare Hospital.

— Arun Sudhaman

Finalists

Edelman (DJE Holdings)

Backstory

The world’s largest PR firm was also one of the first US-based networks to launch in Asia, via a Malaysian office in 1984. Since then, Edelman has expanded rapidly, and now employs 1,100 staff across 12 Asia-Pacific markets. And, also in line with its global focus, recent progress has been led by the firm’s ability to blend creative, strategy and a pioneering digital capability for clients across brand marketing, corporate and B2B. Edelman’s ability to deploy specialisms has become increasingly pivotal not only to its global fortunes, but also to its Asia-Pacific progress, where its Edelman Global Advisory public affairs business, Smithfield financial arm, DXi data/analytics unit and UEG entertainment arm have all gained growing prominence. And the firm’s positioning, exemplified best in Trust Barometer findings that call on corporates to take a stand rather than staying silent, has helped to drive a number of significant action-focused campaigns that often tackle the thorniest issues.

Locations

Weighing in at 1,100 employees in total, there are almost 300 in Greater China (China, Hong Kong, Taipei), and a similar number in India, along with significant operations in Korea and Singapore, and smaller outposts in Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam), Japan and Australia.

Performance

Edelman returned to Asia-Pacific growth in 2023, although modest returns of +1.7% underlined the firm’s continued efforts to restructure the region under CEO Warren Fernandez. At $103.2m, Edelman remains one of the biggest players in the region, with growth led by standout performances from Korea (+26%). India (+18%), Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia. New business reflected Edelman’s ability to blend creativity, advisory and execution, with 70% of clients working across 3-10 offerings, 20% investing in trust management, and 15% exported to the rest of the world. There was new business from Ananti, Richemont, Disney, European Commission, Hillhouse, Hiconsyll, HKJC, and OKX, while existing client such as Hanwha, J&J, Starbucks, Dell, World Expo 2030, Masdar, California Almonds, Royal Caribbean Group, Amex, DP World, Innocean, Sabic, Shell, Novartis and Unilever all grew, often across offerings and geographies.

People & Culture

Warren Fernandez took charge as CEO in late 2022 and has since reshaped the firm’s regional leadership team to notable effect. Fernandez is supported by regional COO and India MD Rakesh Thukral, chief strategy officer Huw Gildon, chief creative officer Tim Green and key market leads Julia Wei (Singapore), SB Jang (Korea), Qu Hong (DJE China), Delicia Tan (Hong Kong) and Tom Robinson (Australia). Key hires included Alyssa Soh as head of influencer for UEG, Jieujan Yan to oversee employee experience, Nia Pratiwi as Indonesia MD and Brenda Han as regional EVP and head of business development and creative growth. There were also several national level hires focused on creativity, advisory and Smithfield, while Edelman parted ways with regional leaders Pully Chau, Adrian Warr and Michelle Hutton. In 2023, the firm strengthened its employee network groups, adding a stronger focus on interfaith and support for disabilities, chronic illness and neurodivergence. The firm’s commitment to responsible citizenship includes funding of $100k in grants to nonprofits along with numerous DEI and mental wellness initiatives.

Thought Leadership & Work

Edelman’s Trust Barometer remains the standard by which all agency thought leadership efforts are judged, while there are also special reports on such areas as health, business and racial justice, brand, employees/work and climate. Unsurprisingly, there has been a significant focus on AI in recent years, including training and a dedicated task force, while the firm’s Creator Bench and Gen Z Lab sharpen and already formidable digital capability. A specific focus on integration, not just in geographic terms, but across such areas as employee experience, corporate reputation, brand marketing, research, social content and experience, is reflected in an impressive array of work that focuses on action. The firm’s HP StreetCode campaign from Indonesia took top honours at the Global SABRE Awards, while there have also been numerous SABRE nominations this year for such campaigns as Starbucks #ItStartsWithYourName, Ajinomoto Low Salt Club, ChatNT for Tourism NT and KFC Speak Sign - all of which helped Edelman secure top spot on last year’s Global Creative Index.

— Arun Sudhaman

MSL (Publicis Groupe)

Backstory

Once a perennial contender on this shortlist, MSL retreated for several years following the exit of former regional chief Glenn Osaki. But Margaret Key’s arrival as APACMEA CEO in 2020 has led to a steady turnaround, with the firm returning to the kind of cohesive presence that befits its scale across the region. Australia, China and India remain the firm’s key markets, but there has been a specific focus on building more multi-market business across Asia-Pacific and the Middle East. All of which adds up to strong capabilities across consumer, corporate, healthcare and technology, supported by significant depth in sustainability, digital and influencer management — further bolstered by the recent acquisition of AKA Asia, one of PRovoke Media’s seven Asia-Pacific Consultancies of the Decade.

Locations

There are more than 300 people in China and almost 500 in India, giving MSL important scale in the region’s two biggest markets, supported by a large presence in Australia and New Zealand, and smaller operations in Southeast Asia and North Asia.

Performance

There was a third consecutive year of double-digit growth in 2023, underlining MSL’s return to best in class form under Key. That was underpinned by significant remits from P&G, Salesforce, Netflix, Modelez, L’Oreal, Disney, Cathay Pacific, Heineken, GSK, Starbucks, Standard Chartered and McDonald’s, along with significant new business from Nippon Paint, Microsoft, Airtel, Kenvue, Korean Air, Oppo and FrieslandCampina. Asia-Pacific export clients include Bacha Coffee, Huawei, AWS, Tourism WA and Visa.

People & Culture

Key’s leadership team is notably strong, including South/Southeast Asia CEO Amit Misra, China MD Liza Zhang, Japan head Tomoko Akizawa and Herd MSL CEO Skye Lambley in Australia. There has also been a 43% increase in female leadership, while MSL also meets its parent group’s commitments to equal pay, increased diversity, flexible working and employee exchanges — while there are also specific initiatives focused on female leadership, training/coaching, and employee assistance, including mental health.

Thought Leadership & Work

MSL benefits from its parent Publicis Groupe’s formidable AI capabilities, along with agency-specific offerings in influence engagement, internal comms, development sector comms and multimedia content. A major focus is MSL’s support of the Women’s Forum study, while the firm’s sustainability credentials also stand out. Campaign highlights included SABRE nominated work for Gates Foundation, along with initiatives for Uber, Microsoft, Sephora and Dream11.

— Arun Sudhaman

Ogilvy PR (WPP)

Backstory

In Asia-Pacific, Ogilvy has built a formidable public relations offering (estimated at more than $120m) that not only led the way for the overall advertising group, but overtook US earnings sometime ago. And under Emily Poon, who became regional leader at the start of 2021, the firm has stepped up its transition into a thoroughly modern agency, blending a formidable digital and social media practice with strategic depth provided by its operations in Greater China (geopolitical counsel, sustainability and B2C creative and consumer advocacy), Southeast Asia (influence, social content and integrated marketing) and Australia (consultancy, public affairs, brand marketing and investor relations). A more cohesive network has embraced the opportunities of recent years to develop specific growth offerings, including AI, B2B, health, influencers, creators and ‘borderless’ reputation, demonstrating an innovative spirit that belies Ogilvy’s scale as the benchmark by which other international networks in the region remain judged.

Locations

There are approximately 1,000 staff working across 25 offices in 17 markets, giving it the largest regional footprint of the MNC firms, led by market-leading operations in Greater China (500 people), Australia (115), and Southeast Asia, India and a new operation in Pakistan (385 in total).

Performance

2023 saw growth of 11%, the firm’s third consecutive year of double-digit expansion. The global Coca-Cola mandate has undoubtedly helped, but there was also considerable multimarket new business, from Intel, Novartis, Xbox, Abu Dhabi Tourism, L’Oreal, Pringles, Friesland, Lazada and Nissan. In Greater China (+6%), Ogilvy pivoted towards areas that transcended geopolitical tensions, such as culture (Shaolin Temple and Abu Dhabi Tourism), sports (Xinhua Bookstore and Sportfive) and entertainment (Disney). A focus on ‘policy over politics’ also supported work for MNCs such as Amazon Global Selling and GE Healthcare, along with Chinese brands going global such as Shaoxing Rice Wine. Meanwhile, Ogilvy PR grew its Southeast Asian revenues by an estimated 24% in 2023, following on from 16% growth in 2022, eye-catching returns that validate not only the new ‘One SEA’ policy ushered in by Poon, but also the firm’s focus on content, influencer marketing and Islamic marketing. Influence, content and social revenue, led by its Vietnam and Philippines operations, grew by an estimated 39% in 2023 (driven by Google and Coca-Cola), while corporate reputation was up approximately 32% (including Amazon Global Selling and Changi Airport), and multimarket clients expanded by more than 25%, led by Coca-Cola, Amazon, Colgate, Resorts World Sentosa and Unilever. Key regional clients also include Intel, Samsung, Yum, Ford, OCBC, Amex, Sabeco and Abu Dhabi Media Office, while there was further growth from Aldi, Hoin Real Estate, Hisense, CBA and Snapchat.

People & Culture

The elevation of Poon has provided Ogilvy with renewed energy, supported by a long-tenured leadership team that features market heads Joe Yu (China), Richard Brett (AUNZ), Clara Shek (HK), Dieucam Nguyen and Linh Nguyen (Vietnam) and Abby Hsieh (Taiwan). James Baldwin arrived to oversee the firm’s crucial regional influence offering, while while Simon Webb leads the firm’s regional issues and crisis offer from China. Ogilvy’s leadership reflects its belief in Asians overseeing its operations, and most are women, reflecting a workforce that is 72% female, with the 30-for-30 Asia effort challenging female talent to reach their full potential. New research from the firm’s Philippines office is driving a broader inclusion focus, including a region-wide Inclusion Empowerment Committee, and there is Ogilvy’s usual extensive investment in training and development, including the pioneering Pacesetters programme for next generation leaders, along with diversity hiring pledges, a new disability platform and targeted internships for under-represented socio-economic groups.

Thought Leadership & Work

In tandem with its impressive product innovation around AI influence, creators, content and B2B, Ogilvy’s prolific thought leadership operation has been a key factor in the firm’s Asia-Pacific success, including new research into the ‘Secret Lives of Singaporeans’; customer trends, small business and women’s empowerment insights from the Philippines; and numerous events led by the firm’s leaders across the region. The firm’s focus on influence and creators also stands out, backed by global research and the development of the world’s first healthcare influencer for MSD. Campaign highlights reflect how Ogilvy’s work is among the strongest in the region, with no fewer than 54 Gold and Diamond SABRE nominations, including the Vaseline Derma Body Lotion initiative, and campaigns for the Thailand Capital Market Development Fund, Changi Airport Group, Colgate-Palmolive, Burger King, Lenovo, Taiwan Association of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shanghai Science and Technology Elderly Service Center, Baidu and Rahat Bakers.

— Arun Sudhaman

Ruder Finn (Independent)

Backstory

Double-digit expansion for much of the past decade meant that Ruder Finn crossed the $50m barrier in 2022, even if growth slowed in 2023. The firm’s China operations continue to account for around 85% of its $57m revenue in the region, reflected in particularly impressive luxury, beauty, travel/retail, automotive and integrated marketing capabilities in Shanghai, supplemented by increased depth in consumer electronics and ecommerce, while the RF Thunder creative consultancy covers social strategy, market analysis and content creation across lifestyle, corporate, healthcare and technology. Ruder Finn’s Hong Kong office, meanwhile, features expertise across financial services, corporate, technology, research and digital/social expertise, along with growth in legal communications and brand-building. In India, a fast-growing presence has expanded beyond consumer and technology into corporate and public affairs, while the firm’s Southeast Asian operations are benefiting from increased management attention, including the acquisition of Malaysian digital shop Pandan Social.

Locations

There are 730 Ruder Finn Asia-Pacific employees, with the majority located in Greater China (Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Shenzhen), 150 in India, and smaller operations in Singapore and Malaysia.

Performance

Regional growth of 10% in 2023, belied a difficult economic environment, led by single-digit growth in China and continued expansion in India and Hong Kong. here was new business from Harry Winston, McCafe, EBD, Beef+Lamb New Zealand, K11 Concepts, DFS Group, Neobio, blank me and Mobil 1, adding to blue-chip roster that features Moët Hennessy Diageo, Richemont, Mercedes-Benz, VW Group, Roche, McDonald’s, Emirates, L’Oreal, Estee Lauder and Tencent. A key driver remains increasing integrated work in China, which now includes media buying and KOL commerce.

People & Culture

CEO Elan Shou has brought considerable energy and ambition to her leadership of the network, supported by a collaborative leadership team that features luxury head Gao Ming, RFI Asia MD David Ko, global head of risk Charles Lankester, India/Middle East head Atul Sharma and key hires Pamela Phua to oversee Singapore and Shivaram Lakshminarayan as India COO. The acquisitions of Pandan Social and Middle East firm Atteline also brought their leaders to Ruder Finn’s team. Unsurprisingly, Ruder Finn benefits from its independence; including enhanced investment from two global RF focused on learning and development. Ruder Finn launched a specialized DEI practice in 2023, while its internal JEDI program focuses on DEI education and celebration. Many of the firm’s leaders are particularly active in terms of DEI and probono initiatives, and there are also partnerships with a range of NGOs.

Thought Leadership & Work

Ruder Finn’s innovation continues to drive its progress in the region, demonstrated by the launch of five specialized practices in 2023, including a GBA hub, a risk/crisis advisory platform, and internal comms centre, a DEI practice and a content/design studio. The firm’s willingness to invest in digital tools and research continues to reap dividends, most notably through its annual China Luxury Forecast, now in its 11th edition, and a wholehearted embrace of AI across the firm. The firm also supports the Asia-Pacific Communications Index to better understand the in-house communications roles, and benefits from particularly high scores in R3’s regular survey of China client satisfaction. Campaign highlights included SABRE-winning work for Johnnie Walker and impressive initiatives for The Macallan, McDonald’s, and the Gay Games.

— Arun Sudhaman

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